Title: How do I go about dropping a No Contact Order that I asked for?

Question:
Hello. US, Indiana here.

My ex boyfriend got physically aggressive with me a couple of nights ago. He had been drinking and left marks on me trying to throw me out of the house. After he was arrested, the cop asked me if I would like a no contact order. I wanted him gone for a while to sober up and think. Note this is a first time thing.

My question is, since I feel it is not necessary anymore for it, how do I go about getting it dropped? I've researched as much as I could but could only find a guide of what to do if the court and not yourself placed the order.

Thank you for any and all help!

Answer:
 The other answer covered your legal question.

But think hard before dropping that order.  If he did it once there's a high likelihood he'll do it again.  Consider taking this opportunity to figure out a plan to move out and end the unsafe relationship.   If you're unsure, call a domestic violence hotline and talk to them.   No matter how sorry he says he is, most of the time the first time is just that - the first of many.  It's easier to hold the line now than to break away when you've gone through this cycle repeatedly with him.


Title: Neighbor threatening to sue me over compost pile NY

Question:
Hello all - english is not my first language so I am sorry if I have difficulty conveying things, I will clarify as best I can if I need.

I have a compost pile on my property towards the back corner next to my neighbor's yard. Their house is quite away from the pile, as is mine. There is a fence between their yard and mine, about 5 feet high. I've had the pile for years now  since before they moved in. Nothing in town code says I can't have one. It does not even smell. Behind my house is a business who has never complained.

Neighbor came over last week, saying their dog got sick from eating something out of my compost pile and is threatening to sue me for the vet bill  which is over 3,000. How can they be sure it came from my compost pile?
The fence is complete and the only non fenced area is my driveway, as I have over an acre of property, so if the dog did get in my yard, it would have been thru my driveway. I can see  dog feces in my yard near the pile, but it is only ever wood chips, fruit and vegetable peels and egg shells, which I cover over with a tarp. I have had raccoons dig in it before and move shells around to outside of the pile, but that's no different than if someone's garbage can was opened, or atleast I believe so. Should I get a lawyer? I am planning on building a second fence around the pile itself. Could they prove that what made their dog sick came from my compost? Would it be my fault? Thank you

Answer:
 You don't need a lawyer unless you are actually sued by this person; it's likely they are huffing about although if a summons appears for small claims court I would not be surprised.  And if one does, do respond with an appearance in court!

Dogs cant eat grapes, apple seeds, chocolate, onions, and garlic, but in general, vegetables and egg shells are actually all fine for dogs to eat.  An Egg with a shell is a damn near perfect meal, nutritionally, for a dog.

You'd need to see some vet information as far as what was actually treated before you should even entertain the idea of paying this guy.  What was the dog treated for?  "He got sick" could be 10,000 things.Answer #2: You're not liable. Tell him to piss off.

Respond if you get served, which you probably won't. Answer #3: I would first ask the neighbor what the dog was doing on your property. If you had kids over, your neighbor's dog would be unsupervised with children present. What if a child got bit? What if the dog did damage to your property?

It may be a good idea to formally tell your neighbor that their dog is not allowed on your property under any circumstances. They were irresponsible with the dog, and you are not responsible for the vet bill.

Also, might be a good idea to invest in a security camera pointing towards your yard. If your neighbor comes over to try and add things to the compost pile, and then takes a photo of it to build evidence, catching them on film could make a world of difference.


Title: Why wasn't my attacker charged with attempted murder?

Question:
I was stabbed about 7 years back 5 times, it was pretty brutal and I almost died. Mainly in the back, and I had a punctured and collapsed lung.

I believe he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, and he recieved received 4 or 5 years.

Why didn't they charge him attempted murder, does this need specific elements?
Also he didn't have a jury only a judge why would they do this?

They told me they had my DNA/blood on his shoes, and many people were pointing to him.

I was called once on the stand to identify him, that's all I really remember.

I know I could just ask the cops who worked the case, but I don't want to bring it all up again... Just curious.

Answer: People don't get convicted for what they did; they get convicted for what the state can prove they did. For it to be attempted murder, they need to prove intent, which is usually very difficult.


Title: My boyfriend's apartment complex (outside area) is infested with mosquitoes.

Question:
My boyfriend lives in a fairly large apartment complex in Alabama. There are 25 or 30 buildings with sixteen units in each. He has lived there for six years, and his ground floor unit  opens onto a lovely courtyard with some evergreen trees. The mosquitoes are out of control. My boyfriend has lived here for six years, and they have never been so bad. My colleague lives in the same complex, and agrees that they are unusually bad.

My boyfriend doesn't seem too affected by them, but when I get bitten the welts turn into knots and hurt for days. We have a puppy who gets swarmed when he goes outside. Tyler submitted a maintenance request about two months ago. When he called to follow up after a few days, they said they were looking into it. Nothing has been done. We can't sit on the patio. They get inside every time you open the door, so there's no real respite indoors either.

I know mosquitoes live in Alabama. But it's excessive here. I got ten bites this morning in the 90 seconds it took my dog to pee. I'm at my wit's end. Does my boyfriend's landlord have any responsibility to spray for pests? It's affecting our quality of life even inside. Thanks for any insight!

Answer:
 I doubt that the landlord has any obligation to spray for pests outside of the units.

I live in Florida and mosquito control is handled by the county. I'd check to see if your county also has such a service and make them aware of the problem.

Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so if there are any ditches that don't have proper drainage, containers that hold water, etc... that would be the items to target specifically with the landlord for mosquito control. Maybe consider getting a citronella candle or other wide-area repellent for the patio? Be careful with the fan-type ones that you clip to your waistband. They have specific warnings about exposure to pets. I looked into one for evening potty breaks with my dog.Answer #2: [Mosquito trap using a box fan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU2kbghz85I). Mosquitos are weak and can't fight breezes very well.
If you have standing water, use [larvicide](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002568YA/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687602&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004HDD4NG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0R5MJ0975D5CXJ8T0V97).


Title: My Dad’s in hospice, and I’ve retained an attorney to help get things in order. He’s asking for a copy of my Dad’s divorce decree, which I don’t have. My Dad probably doesn’t have it either as he had his safe stolen from his house while he was in the hospital.

Question:
Are there any reputable places to purchase a copy?  Already been ripped off for $6 or so by these Public Record places...are any of them real?

Just go down to the Harris County clerk and spend the day?

Answer: Go to the clerk of court where he was divorced.


Title: Overtime pay after 8 hours?? Advice wanted please!

Question: Question answered thank you.

Answer:
 See the side bar

>Please do not delete your post after you've received help

It's massively irritating when people do this. Well slightly irritating anyway.


Title: [NY] OOP against me;victim owes ~$2000. What can I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You took the CC out in your name and paid for her cats' vet bills? Sounds like a gift to me - doesn't sound like you are entitled to get the money back

What is the relevance of the OOP?

What is the relevance of the note?


Title: Theoretical situation: Having a child with a friend. From a male perspective, is there a legal way to protect yourself financially?

Question:
[U.S. - California]

I had a female friend half-jokingly ask me to father a child for her.

Let's say I never plan on getting married at all, but I like the idea of having a kid, passing on my genes, helping raise him/her, etc.. Let's also say the woman is financially independent and doesn't want my help with money.

Is there a way to secure an arrangement like this, and have it legally be up to me how much I want to pay, whether it be just a small weekly allowance or even something like paying for his/her college education?

Are there any other financial or legal reasons this is a terrible idea overall?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 There is NO way for you to financially insulate yourself in this scenario, unless you work with a legitimate medical artificial insemination system.

The reason it's a terrible idea is because there is no way to insulate yourself from it.  So if she ends up being on welfare, you're on  the hook for it.  Plus, it's hard for a kid to grow up with the "well, my dad didn't care enough for me to be in my life."Answer #2: do you want to just be the sperm donor? if so, go through a sperm bank.Answer #3: California recently passed the Modern Family Act, which allows a known sperm donor to specify the role he intends to play in the life of a child conceived through doctor-assisted insemination.

Still want to get it on with your friend ?   You can be the post-MFA appeals case similar to [Steven S. v Deborah D](http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1258465.html), and argue about whether the child is the product of artificial or natural insemination.

If only natural insemination occurs, you can expect ordinary application of the Uniform Parentage Act, a Federal law adopted long ago by most states, including California.

If you genuinely want to do this, it's worth a consultation with a family law attorney who is familiar with the Modern Family Act.


Title: Ontario Canada I caught my husband of 11!years having an affair. Can I kick and lock him out of our home?

Question:
I found my husband cheating on Monday. We have been married 10 yrs. we have 3 children under 7. I kicked him out of the house Monday night, I have locked  him out. I have told him I do not want to see him. He keeps threatening to come here.  I have assured him he can see the kids and that I will bring them to visit any time he wants.

His girlfriend lives down the block, she does drive bys to see if we are here and is reporting to him. Do I have to let him in the house right now during the first stage of our difficult situation. I do not know if I need to contact a lawyer right now before I have decided what to do.

Answer:
 This will ultimately be sorted out during the separation negotiations. You should talk to an attorney.

The marital home is as much his home as it is yours right now. He has voluntarily vacated but that doesn’t give up his claim to it. What is likely is that either one of you will end up staying in it this year or you’ll agree to sell it and split the money at the start of your divorce rather than at the end.Answer #2: Every single thing you do in this situation without your lawyer's advice can hurt you later on, including what you've done, which is deny him access to his own home and children.

Get a lawyer. Right now.


Title: Broke Lease, Rent was Raised from $985 to $1350, No One Will Fill Lease

Question:
Hi guys. Basically I recently moved to Boise, ID for work and got a one year lease for $985 a month. This new apartment complex became very popular and soon had a wait list of over 200 people. The real estate market was beginning to boom so we decided it was a good time to look for a house considering our lease should be filled soon.

During the process of purchasing our home, previous to breaking our lease, rent was jacked up nearly $400 a month for our floor plan ($1350-$1450). We were already almost done with the home purchase process so we decided to still break our lease and hope for the best. In addition to jacking up rent, the apartment complex decided they would no longer put in car ports before winter, which is contributing to the decline in rental applications.

Long story short, we are now paying a mortgage and rent for an apartment that we don’t even have keys for anymore. I understand that this is what we agreed to when we broke the lease, but the new rental rates are INSANE for this area and nobody wants to move into a place without car ports during winter up north. Is there anything that can be done to get out of paying for our old apartment? If not, can we demand that they lower the rental rates to something more realistic/closer to what we were paying initially? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Landlords in Idaho have to take reasonable steps to re-rent the unit when you broke the lease.  You admitted the apartment complex became popular and so the landlord raised rent.

The main issue would be if similar units in similar area are going for around that rent price, then the landlord may be taking reasonable steps to re-rent.Answer #2: you had to have signed something, what did it say?


Title: Third party contact on protective order

Question:
My brother just recently got a protective order against my father. When I heard I wanted to call him but my father said that the protective order restricted even third party contact. It is now a week later and after thinking about it, and reading online about protective orders I decided to call him. From what I understand as long as my father hasn't explicitly asked me to tell my brother something it's okay for me to contact him. I genuinely just wanted to see how he was doing after all this as hes only 17 and has never experienced anything like this. Our conversation was only about two minutes long and I only asked him how he was, how his new job was going, and what happened between he and my father. My father never asked me to contact him, and I didn't say anything that would lead him to believe that. After barely responding to me for two minutes he said "Calling me is a violation of the protective order, I'm calling the police now" and hung up. I truly don't understand why as we've always had a good relationship. So my question is, did I just violate the protective order? Again my motivation was genuine concern for my brother, and in now way influenced by my father.

We are in Virginia

Answer: The protective order isn't against you, it's not something you can violate per say. Your father can violate it by contacting your brother through you. You talking to your brother of your own accord does not amount to your father contacting your brother.


Title: I hit a parked motorcycle...am I responsible for the helmet?

Question: I hit a parked motorcycle with my car. The helmet was left hanging on the bike and fell (apparently they're designed single impact). I'd like to pay for the bike damages (minor) out of pocket, but am I responsible for the helmet as well?

Answer: If the accident damaged the property, you're responsible for the damage caused to that property.


Title: Recorded without my knowledge, in my own restroom.

Question:
Recently, my husband and I had a long time friend visit from out of state. (USA here)

The night before he was to leave, I noticed his phone in my bathroom, facing my toilet. Obviously, I had to look, and found several disturbing videos and pictures.

They were not only of my bathroom business, but also pictures of my underwear drawer, as well as several 25 minute long videos of him stalking around my house at night. One video showed him attempting to open my locked bedroom door.

I was livid, and began trying to delete all I could, while noticing I couldn't seem to stop a current recording. It didn't seem like he had anything on google photos or anything, just all on his phone.

My husband conned him out of our house with a lie, due to our fear of what he might be capable of, and confronted him at the airport. He denied nothing, and showed little remorse. The following day, I called the police, not sure what they could do at this point.

They seemed to tell me there wasn't much that could be done, as I deleted evidence. At that point, I decided to record a conversation with my victimizer, to which I got him to confess everything. The recording was given to the police, as well as my statement and my husband's.

This all happened shortly after Halloween, and I was told that they would be pursuing a google warrant for possible photo and video evidence backed up. I have heard nothing back since then, and have been writhing in the misery of impatience.

I guess my question is: What are my options from here? Is this a typical frame of time on something like this?

I've never had much experience with the law, and I'm not sure if I should question them further, or continue to wait for something to come of this. I was simply told they would only be pursuing the bathroom issue, as it's apparently not illegal to take pictures of people's underwear drawer.

Any advice or thoughts are welcomed. I'm just feeling a bit lost in this situation...
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Correct your underwear has no expectation of privacy. You do.

Deleting the evidence was an illadvised but understandable move due to the circumstances.

Online service warrants can take a while and detectives have several cases at once and this may not be their highest priority.

You can always ask for updates but understand thorough investigations take time.


Title: A local police officer is sharing non-public Forum information about my personal matter with my employer and the public-at-large. What should I do?

Question:
So I'll try and send this up as quickly as possible...
On the property manager for a property management company in a small town in Wisconsin. I moved down here about 6 months back to accept this position, that's making a radical change upon my life, being a father of a young boy and single at that. Not too long after I arrived, I was pulled over 3 times within that period, after not being pulled over for the past 10 years of my life. The most recent occasion, I was unfortunately pulled over and cited with a DUI due to suspicion of my plates being expired. I was very Cooperative with the law officer that pulled me over and even work hand-in-hand with the local Court to insure an expedited and fair conclusion to the matter.
With all of that being said, I found out soon there after that one of the local police officers is actually one of my tenants on the property which I manage. This officer, even in his time not spent in uniform, has been nothing but a thorn in my side in terms of slander being used against me with my employer and the public at large due to his frustration over issues that had lingered before I arrived. Now, it's come to my attention that he's been telling my employer about the pending case that I have, in addition to past situations that I've encountered (by looking up my police record) far before I moved here.
As you can imagine, I'm infuriated. Upon finding this out from a representative in the office of my employer, I immediately went to the police station and requested to file an Ethics complaint against the officer.
What should I do, Reddit?
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Criminal charge are public informationAnswer #2: You can file a complaint against the officer if you wish.

But your criminal record is public information, and he isn't violating the law by sharing it.  His actions might be against his department policies, however.Answer #3: You can file a complaint with this officer’s supervisor. If he looked up your arrest or conviction info on the public sites, he didn’t probably violate anything.

However, if he looked you up on the NCIC database without it being work-related, that’s a felony. You have be in the criminal justice system, and go through training and and testing to be able to access criminal history information. There is a record of all searches conducted on the NCIC database, and they can audit his search records.

If he was looking you up during the course of his duties, and now he’s sharing your arrest information, he will likely get a talking to, but it’s probable nothing will happen, since it would be difficult to prove he broke the law if there isn’t a record showing any unauthorized searches.


Title: Employee quit and stole from us. His wife is employed as a key-holder. Can we fire her? (BC)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If you know the husband stole from you and you can prove it, you should bring the evidence to the police so they can investigate for criminal charges. If they will not, you should speak with a lawyer about civil damages for the property he stole. You can fire her with notice, but you may be facing an uphill battle. If you can't prove he stole from you, then you may face a wrongful dismissal lawsuit. You could also possibly face a human rights complain on the basis of family status, though I'm not sure how well that would hold up.

If you want to fire her, give her a *very* generous package with a release from all future lawsuits. Get a lawyer for this.Answer #2: Maybe rescind her key privileges and change locks?

Firing her would still require a lock change anyway (can't be too careful about copied keys)Answer #3: Can you not simply insist she hand the keys back immediately and give her notice?

You can dismiss her, she's just entitled to notice or payment in lieu of.

I can't imagine she has any legal rights to hold onto the keys during her employment, but I'm not a lawyer.


Title: [US] Just a general question: if a grand jury fails to indict, can you be charged in the future for the same crime, or would that constitute double jeopardy?

Question:
I'm in Florida, but I would assume this would be the same in all 50 states (maybe I'm wrong.)

But, basically, is the grand jury considered the "beginning" of a trial, in that if you are not indicted, you're "off the hook" for being charged with that crime? Or can the issue go back to the grand jury in the future if, say, new evidence was uncovered?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Jeopardy doesn't attach until the trial actually begins.  If you haven't been indicted, you're not even close to double jeopardy considerations.


Title: dui for weed in califonria , los angeles at checkpoint. what do i dooo?

Question:
i was driving home from grabbing some food when i made a wrong turn and drove thru a checkpoit. officer immediately noticed i had red-ish eyes and asked if i have been smoking in the car , i said no  but told him i
had an edible earlyier that day so he asked me to pull over. i took his examination and also a on-site nurse (im assuming) took my blood after i told them how uncomfortable i was with needles and pasted out immediately after.then spent 7 ours in jail. who do i hire and what should i do?

Answer:
 >i said no but told him i had an edible earlyier that day so he asked me to pull over.

Do not tell police that you have consumed drugs at a checkpoint screening you for use of that exact drug.Answer #2: Did you even get to eat ?   The only thing worse than getting arrested is getting arrested with the munchies then sitting in a cell all night.

Your posting history suggests that you also have mulitiple suspended license citations and thousands of dollars in unpaid fines.   Have you cleared those up in the few months since you posted about that ?

You've gone from needing a traffic attorney to needing a criminal defense attorney.

You can [Google for one](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Marijuana+dui+defense+attorney+Los+Angeles).   You can call the California Bar Association for a recommendation.   When you get arrested for DUI, your mailbox starts to fill up in a couple of days with solicitations from DUI defense attorneys.

If you end up at an arraignment before you can hire an attorney, be respectful and plead "not guilty and ask to be assigned a public defender.


Title: Can random strangers show up and watch at El Chapo's trial?

Question: And if so.....how does one go about doing that?

Answer:
 The vast majority of court hearings in this country are open to the public.

Sometimes, particular trials are restricted, either for security or space.  The only way to find out is to reach out to the courthouse where the trial is being held and ask them.Answer #2: I served on a jury at the same court house where this trial will be. There were lots of random people in the audience that I noticed including reporters and a courtroom artist. It was packed at the beginning and end of the trial. Less so during the middle. I imagine this trial would be the same.

If you do go, just be aware that they won't let you take your phone in with you. They collect them as you go through security and store them until you leave.

Edit- To answer your question, all you really need to do is show up at the right time and find the right courtroom. I don't think anyone checks who sits in the audience beyond the initial security screening.


Title: Committed an act of vandalism while drunk

Question: (OH)This past weekend I got wasted and smashed a window of a small business. I was ticketed by the police when they caught me outside my home with alcohol in my system (I'm under 21), but they did not know about the broken window. I'm a stupid asshole and I'd like to pay the business owner to repair the window, but I'm also worried about the legal implications of admitting to a crime. Any idea on how I should let this play out? How will the cops handle this if they hear a report about a window being broken over the weekend when they apprehended me not even a block away from the store? I figured it'd be obvious I'm responsible for it and if they're already going to be involved, I'd rather just let the process take its course rather than going to the store owner myself

Answer:
 I'm glad you're accepting responsibility for your actions, but nothing good will come of you coming forward. You're only going to open yourself up to risk of more charges.

Personally I would do whatever the court requires you to and hope you get away with a slap on the wrist. If you really want to reimburse the guy start saving and anonymously donate cash a year or two from now.


Title: Untrustworthy Trustee [MD]

Question:
TL;DR How can a beneficiary protect a trust from an untrustworthy trustee who is reluctant to execute it?

I’m a female in my 20’s with college debt. My grandma died three years ago leaving a pair of rental properties in a trust to my sibling and I (sole beneficiaries). We, living out of state, asked the trustees (our uncle and our parent) to sell the properties and distribute their value to us that way.

One property sold this winter. My uncle has only offered my sibling and I a “loan” from the proceeds, saying he needs to deduct the costs of the first renovation from the rest. Confusing, since the trust says we’re entitled to the accumulated rental income and that should cover (and exceed) the reno costs. I then learned my uncle pocketed an insurance check issued to replace the floors that I ended up paying for. I spoke with an attorney.

I then asked the trustees to dissolve the trust. Sign over the last deed, turn over the proceeds from the sale of the first house, and return the insurance check to cover reno costs ($5-8k). The trustees claimed ignorance about the accumulated rental income, claimed ignorance for how to proceed in any of my requests. I let them know I could provide them with a punch list to get the ball rolling and they responded positively.

A couple nights later, my uncle belligerently went *OFF* on me. Screaming at me for “blindsiding” him and being “so fucking greedy”, ruining the family etc. My parent just sat there while I was verbally assaulted. I was really confused and hurt by this reaction since they authored and signed the trust as my grandma’s attorney-in-fact. I wasn’t asking for anything beyond the scope of the document— less even! I understand better now having since learned a) they’ve been spending the rental income together, b) they’re salty that I stand to inherit more cash than they did, and c) uncle is a raging alcoholic who knows no reason.

At minimum I want the proceeds from both properties and I want my druncle out of the equation ASAP. I’d like to recoup my out-of-pocket reno costs but I’m not holding my breath unless this goes to court. Sort of scared to demand the rental income since the discovery would be expensive and the lawsuit would be the nail in the coffin of my relationship with my uncle and possibly my parent. Don’t want to hurt my parent.

What can/should I do next? Should my sibling and I try to obtain successor trusteeship? What forms would I need? My thinking: by becoming the trustees, we could preserve any tax benefit of selling the house from the trust as well as take my uncle’s power over the distribution of the remaining funds in the trust accounts. By not seeking anything beyond the sale proceeds, is this effectively rolling over to my uncle’s mismanagement? I can’t see this clearly anymore because my family is making me feel like I have something to apologize for. Thanks for reading.

Answer: I can’t give legal advice, but I’ve gotta ask whether “family” who are comfortable stealing from and abusing you, are really worth being”nice” to by not taking action against against?


Title: NYC registration/parking violation-wrong car, but can't get a hearing because someone else had one.

Question:
I received a "Violation Decision Summary" in the mail today. It states that a ticket was issued on 2/19/15 in Queens for parking with an expired registration. Looking at the associated ticket on the NYC website, the vehicle that was ticketed was ten years newer than my car, a different make, color, and body type. Furthermore, the registration cited in the ticket expired in 2015; mine is renewed on even years and has been since I acquired the car in 2010.

The problem here is that the person whose car was ticketed has already had (and lost) a hearing. NYC's automated system won't let me schedule one. There is a way to appeal a hearing's outcome, but it requires paperwork from the original hearing that I obviously lack. This is the first notice I received of this violation.

Just to be clear, on 2/19 my car was:

Parked upstate, not anywhere near NYC,
with a valid registration.

I'm mostly looking for advice about how best to speak to a real person instead of an automated system (in person? web contact form?) and what I can say when I do.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Holy hell, this might be the first time I've seen incorrect information on a ticket be a valid thing and not just someone trying to weasel out of payingAnswer #2: You're going to have to go down to the PVB in person unfortunately.  (If you're a masochist, try calling them through 311 but don't hold your breath).

Bring all your paperwork/proof with you, go early, and be persistent.  You may need to escalate beyond the clerk at the window.


Title: [NJ] How much jail time for 1st degree Possession with the Intent to Distribute LSD charge?

Question: Person has previous drug convictions as well.

Answer:
 That person should get an attorney *right away* and maybe their attorney could provide more guidance on this complicated situation.

And "that person" should really stop selling drugs.


Title: I could become a felon because of a misunderstanding

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I was not posessing drugs.

Yes you were.

Your court hearing in the morning is likely just your arraignment. You can plead not guilty then find a lawyer ASAP if that is the case.Answer #2: I guarantee you that I could smell it unless it was vacuum sealed and never opened. Even then, there was a pipe which generates odor. I'm also gonna bet she smoked in or around her car sometime in the last 2-4 weeks. It smells. You cant smell it because you smoke it.

You were in possession of the Adderall. Period. It not being yours doesn't change anything.

Edit: it appears from your post history that you have a poor understanding of your rights.  Just for your info, except in only a few states (just Mass and Arizona to my knowledge) the odor of marijuana allows for police to search cars regardless of consent and without a warrant.  Furthermore, police can order you out if a car for any reason then use force to get you out if you don't comply.


Title: (OR) Fire alarm goes off in my complex twice a month. Do I have a legal recourse?

Question:
Oregon.

I live in an otherwise amazing apartment complex , if it wasn’t for the fire alarm that goes off once or twice a month. I’m talking about the master alarm, that requires everyone to evacuate. It goess off at the most inconvenient hours, like 10pm or 5am. Twice so far, I’ve jumped out of bed at 4am and went outside for around 20 mins until firefighters came to turn it off. I talked to other neighbors and one of them said there’s an idiot living in our building who seems to start it because of smoke or burning some food. Others said it might be a mechanical failure that causes the alarm to go off. Either way, it makes me super mad and annoyed, especially when it’s Sunday and it wakes me up and sends me outside in pajamas in the middle of the night.

Do I have any options here? Is there any point in emailing the complex management? Can I/we the neighbors sue the complex for letting this go on and on if it’s a mechanical failure and they don’t fix it or if it’s a stupid neighbor burning stuff on daily basis and they don’t evict him? Thanks!

Answer: If something is triggering the alarm, or someone is pulling it, there's not much the management can do to stop it.


Title: [FL] Received a semi-nude picture on Snapchat, sent it to a friend, she posted it on Facebook

Question:
A person (p1) sent me a picture of herself nude on snapchat but with nothing showing (no nipples, genitals or anus), just her back and the top of her butt essentially. I sent it to someone else (p2). P2 got mad at p1 and posted the picture on facebook. P1 called the police who called p2 and told her they were putting out a warrant for her arrest.

Could P2 be sued? Could I be sued? Everyone involved is 18+ years old.

Answer: I'm not sure why you're worried about being sued, you both violated Florida's revenge porn law.  That's a Class 1 misdemeanor.  You both need attorneys ASAP.


Title: How will homeownership work between my girlfriend and I?

Question: My Girlfriend of 3 years and I are planning on buying a house soon. While we both have good jobs, she has student loans and less savings than me. I plan on putting the 20% down. I'm not sure if I should only put my name on the deed or both names. We will be paying the same monthly toward morgage and bills.

Answer:
 Buying a house with someone you're not married to is a terrible idea.  It usually ends up with someone coming back here asking "How do I divide a property that I bought with my ex-girlfriend!"

The smarter move is to have one of you buy it, and the other person either loan them money(with a signed agreement) or agree to pay rent.  Or both.Answer #2: If you aren't committed enough to get married, you probably shouldn't be committed enough to buy a house together. It could become a legal nightmare trying to divide up that property if the relationship goes south. Answer #3: always a bad idea. when you break up you'll keep the house (which will surprise and enrage her). but she will stop paying the mortgage and you'll have to pick up the slack or lose the house (even if she's on the mortgage and you're entitled to sue her for failing to pay).

get married or have a lawyer draft a proper joint ownership agreement


Title: Car rear-ended on the way to trade it in. Appraised the day before. [Pennsylvania]

Question:
We decided to trade my wife's car and worked up an agreement with the dealer.  My wife was literally driving to the dealer the next day and got rear ended.  Police came out, other driver was cited.  Damage to our vehicle was relatively minor.

After some haggling with the dealer, we agreed to take $2500 off of the trade.  The vehicle we traded in was a one model year old Acura MDX, and  the dealer's point was that if an accident shows on the Carfax, that's a much tougher sell in that segment.

My question is whether I have a reasonable hope of recovering the $2500 (or some portion of it) from the other driver's insurance company.  We have a signed agreement from yesterday showing the original amount and today's executed agreement with $2500 less for the trade due to the accident.  Since my loss is real, am I entitled to the $2500 even though the insurance company probably won't have an opportunity to inspect the vehicle?

If I would be entitled to that $2500, what should my next step be?  Should I speak with the other driver's insurance or should I consider filing a suit in small claims court against the other driver?  We're located in Pennsylvania.

Answer:
 Yes, yes, yes. File a diminished value claim with the insurance company. You may have to fight this a bit, but this is a PERFECT claim, in my opinion. Everything lines up and they can't claim that there's no actual diminished value, as you had a valid appraisal before and a bill of sale after the accident.

There may be a wrinkle in the fact that they weren't given the chance to fix the accident damage, which they likely would have preferred.

Talk to the insurance company first and open a claim with them. Demand the full amount and don't waver.


Title: Refused entry to USA under grounds of inadmissibility. I feel I was treated unfairly.

Question:
**TL;DR Had been travelling Colombia. Was going to visit the USA and then return to Colombia to continue travelling. Border patrol thought I was a coke smuggler and aggressively questioned me, including what I thought were 'threats' of cavity searches and blood tests. Found in my phone that I had smoked weed in the UK. Didn't believe I had enough money in my account to fund the travelling I was doing. Refused me entry under inadmissibility. Scroll down for my questions.**

**Full story:**

I'm a UK citizen who had been travelling in Colombia for 2 months. I've travelled a fair bit in my life and my American girlfriend and I wanted to travel somewhere completely different, to satisfy our wanderlust. We also are trying to learn Spanish so Colombia was a perfect opportunity for something different.

So I had been in Colombia with my girlfriend for about 2 months. We both decided to visit her parents back in the USA for Christmas, and then return to Colombia to continue travelling. I had already booked a flight to Madrid from Colombia in late January, so I had proof I was leaving the 'Americas'.

Our parents respectively bought each of our flights to where she lives in the USA. Because flight information changes every 15 minutes, we happened to be on separate flights, just because it ended up being cheaper that way.

So I arrived 2 days after she had at Boston airport. I had been travelling for over 24 hours and was extremely tired at this point. I have been out of work for sometime, but still had money left over from a previous teaching job, as well as money given to me by my parents.

So when I arrive at the border, they are suspicious of me. I haven't worked in a long time, I've travelled from Colombia and are planning on going back. I'm visiting my girlfriend but happen to be on separate flights.

Basically they think I'm a cocaine smuggler so things get pretty nasty.

They take me in the back of their homeland security office and start tearing my belongings apart, checking every part of my bags and luggage. The officers are pretty obnoxious. One in particular said things like

'Why are you lying to us'

'if you simply stop lying we can make a deal'

'are you telling me if we check your blood we won't find any drugs'

'Why the hell would you ever want to go to Colombia, the cocaine capital of the world'

'we have the ability to check all your stuff, including you'

This last comment I thought was him implying they would cavity search me. They didn't, but they kept putting on rubber gloves.

Needless to say I found this all very traumatic, which only fuelled their suspicion that I was 'nervous' about something. I struggle with anxiety at the best of times so I was a bit of a wreck under all this intense questioning, not to mention while being sleep deprived.

They read out texts from my phone to my girlfriend which were highly personal.

They didn't believe I had enough money to cover the travelling I said I was doing. I have over £500 in the bank card I had with me, more than enough to cover travel in Colombia (western currencies go very far in Latin America), yet they kept claiming my story 'didn't make sense'.

They questioned my girlfriend too who was standing in the lobby, waiting to collect me. As far as I'm aware nothing she said contradicted my story.

Eventually they sat me down for an interview 'under oath'. They found texts in my phone where a friend was asking me if I had any weed. My phone is an old phone, I have smoked weed before. I admitted to it. It was this and them thinking I didn't have enough money which led them to refuse me entry.

During this interview they would constantly say things that I can only describe as 'loaded confessions'. For example when they read out the text of my friend asking for weed, they would say 'So you're a drug dealer in England?', 'Okay, so you sell drugs to your friends'. They were a whole number of phrases where they would twist my words in an attempt to get my to 'confess' to something that was completely untrue. I found this type of aggressive interviewing highly traumatic.

They also gave me a copy of the 'transcript' of the interview. I highlight the word transcript because there are a number of answers on it that do not reflect what I said. They made me initial the interview at the time, I assume to cover for this exact situation, where I might dispute it. I was so traumatised at the time I just did what I needed to for it to be over. I didn't want a whole separate argument over semantics.

They said I no longer qualify for ESTA and to visit the USA again I have to apply for a visa.

**So after all this, my questions.**

1. Is there any grounds for complaints in this case? I was horrified by the way I was treated. I'm still somewhat traumatised by the whole situation. I was frisked frequently, locked in custody overnight, put in handcuffs, and denied the right to speak to my girlfriend until the following day. They handcuffed me and transported me in the back of a police van, and stopped for coffee on the way to the detention centre. The staff at the detention facility had little sympathy for my situation. I was very much treated as a criminal. Despite I was told (once they had made their decision) that this was ultimately just an administrative procedure, I was treated with suspicion and contempt throughout.

2. I no longer qualify for ESTA. Is this permanent? Will I one day be able to qualify for ESTA again or do I permanently have to apply for a visa to visit the USA?

Answer:
 Nothing you an do.  You can complain all you want but they can treat you as unfairly as they want at the border.Answer #2: £500 is not enough money to fund travel. That might be enough to support you for a week to a month *tops* in the US (which is the country you were trying to enter) And you are unemployed. What they are looking for is proof that you will leave the country, not stay as an illegal worker. As a UK citizen, you don't have any inherent rights to be able to enter the US.

I am unable to answer any of your other questions.

I have been in your situation before, and it sucks balls. I'm sorry you had to go through that.Answer #3: >Is there any grounds for complaints in this case?

You can submit a complaint to CBP using [this form](https://help.cbp.gov/app/forms/complaint).

Answer #4: Ports of entry into the US can be hostile.

I was born and raised in CA, I'm Caucasian and look it... When I enter back into the US, questions are pointed, accusatory and asked without a hint of friendliness.

And that's me coming back from Europe due to work. It's almost like they don't believe I was there for an innocuous tradeshow.

I would guess they'd seize on that Colombia thing. It has a reputation.  Answer #5: They can do what they want. Part of it is probably your bad luck in entering at Boston. They see a lot of UK and Irish guys come in as tourists that never leave. This likely makes them more suspicious. I imagine as well that you don't look particularly "touristy".


Title: How can people receive the death penalty if “Life” is an inalienable right

Question: Why can people have this right that is inalienable right able to be revoked in some instances.

Answer:
 >We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,  that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,  that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence is not a document that has any legal binding or force of law in the USA. It was not a part of the subsequent constitution, which does serve as the basis of our system of laws.


Title: Company took half my 401k

Question: Oregon. I worked for a property management company. A bunch of shenanigans occured. I caught them skimming over a hundred bucks a month from my paycheck. They copped to it and reimbursed me. They also cut my hours the day after i brought it up. I quit, because fuck that. I had a 401k that was matched dollar for dollar. After i cashed out, providence mutual said half of it went back to the company. Am i wrong for thinking this is wrong?

Answer: Were you fully vested?


Title: (MI) Nurse Anesthesthest administered medications listed on my allergy list during procedure causing moderate complications. What to do?

Question:
I live in Michigan, land of tort caps from what I understand (although I don't think I have a case that would come close to maxing those out anyway), and I had a somewhat terrifying thing happen to me on 1/11/17.

I was scheduled for a pretty basic procedure as follow up to an emergency room visit 3 days prior.  I have a pretty extensive allergy list that also includes the reactions to the medications as part of the documentation. All of my medical records are within this health system and can be accessed by anyone within it.

I spoke to the pre-op nurses about one drug in particular, as they had offered it to me before the procedure. I refused on the basis of it being on my allergy list.

The CRNA came into my room before surgery to discuss the event.  He made mention of using an opiate which I refused based on my allergy profile. He accepted that and stated that, "we will keep things as simple as possible."

Upon waking from anesthesia I immediately knew I had been given something wrong.  I am bipolar and my mood was fundamentally different upon waking up.  I knew I had woken up into a mixed episode.  This was obvious to my mental health case manager (a licensed social worker) the next day. When I got home, I looked at the anesthesiology report and noted that he had given me a drug that is a direct analogue to one that is on my allergy list as causing mania/mixed episodes. It is in the exact same class as the listed drug, has the same listed side effects, as is known to cause more nervous system effects than the one that I have listed.  Bipolar is also listed as a condition on my chart so administering that medication at all is fraught with danger.

I also noticed he gave me a medication that was specifically listed, by name, off of my allergy list. That drug causes a situation that created the need for the procedure in the first place.  It has made me pretty ill (though not in mortal peril) for the past several days.

I have pharmacists in my family with a combined practice year total of nearly years.  The assumption is that these two meds were administered for nausea during anesthesia. There is at least one other drug he could have used for that. I already take it, it's on my chart, the nurses knew I hadn't taken my morning dose, and it comes in an iv fast-acting form.

Essentially, what I am left with now is a dysregulated mood episode, a physical ailment and a feeling of being violated that is profoundly unsettling.  I am completely creeped out to be honest.  I don't really ever want to trust anyone to ever put me under again.

My problem is really, I am not really sure I have any kind of case.  I'm on disability already so it's not like I can claim economic loss.  I am definitely struggling emotionally with what happened and there has definitely been a physical consequence to this negligence.  I just don't know what that means.

This CRNA is a menace though.  I just am not sure where to go with this aside from reporting him to the licensing board.

Any ideas with this would be great because I do really feel awful about this.  It's like someone accidentally slipped a drug in my drink or something.  I know it wasn't intentional, but I still feel very violated.  Like I said, the people in my family who were pharmacists for the combined almost 70 years had to practice without ever making a mistake.  This guy does not have a job where he gets to make mistakes or capriciously ignore allergy lists.

Oh, and I had another minor event with anesthesia back in august that was no problem, required very few meds, and I had asked this guy to refer back to.  He flatly refused to use the meds the previous person had and clearly didn't even look.

Thanks for reading if you got this far!

Answer:
 Did you have an injury from this allergic reaction? Any damages? No damages usually equates to no lawsuit. Feel free to discuss it with a malpractice attorney. Malpractice is way too fact specific and is far beyond the scope of this sub.

You can also file a complaint with the hospital administration about this too.


Title: [FL] My friend got called out publicly by a company because she left a one-star review. What can she do?

Question:
Hello, I've never posted here before and I hope I'm not doing anything wrong. (Please let me know so I can make a correction to the post.)

What happened is fairly lengthy, but the TL:DR of it is that a friend of mine and I went to a tattoo/piercing shop (Florida) and were turned off by the place because a rude piercer. She left a one-star review on Facebook without leaving a comment, and an employee of the place posted a status calling her out by her full name. On the business's Facebook page, not their own personal page. One of her friend's private messaged the company, and they responded with "you can be messed with, too."

**The question is, can she sue for cyber bullying or harassment?** If it can even be called either of those. Also, remember; this is the Facebook to represent the company. If it were an individual, I wouldn't have come here.

Getting more in-depth as to what happened. My friend left the one-star review and accidentally didn't leave the reason because of mobile issues. The person running the page had private messaged her, asking her why she had left a one-star review. When she didn't respond within the hour, that's when the status came out. I have a lot of screenshots to provide. First: [the initial status](https://i.imgur.com/1gtEjpV.png). Her friend tagged her to show her this happened.

My friend saw the post, and [promptly responded](https://imgur.com/a/nPp3W), describing her experience. They then deleted her comments and blocked her. Multiple people saw, [and started ganging up on the company (including myself).](https://i.imgur.com/dgybzBl.png)

They started receiving multiple responses and one-star reviews, so they revised their post and took out her name. [However, it is still in the edit history.](https://i.imgur.com/DN4Q6IB.png)

Her friend sent private messages to the company without her knowledge. [They responded in a fairly threatening manner,](https://imgur.com/a/z3l3b) saying "you can be messed with as well."

This is just... so, so unprofessional for a business. And petty! It's not like a guy in his basement giving tattoos and piercings, this an actual building with employees and customers and everything. What can be done about this?

Answer:
 If you feel there are credible threats of violence, call the police.

Since this just seems like a Facebook pissing war, no. There's nothing to be done. Assuming all statements are factual, (which theirs were, so and so did leave a 1 star review) there's nothing to be done.

I'll note your "friend" didn't respond very appropriately either. This makes everyone look bad, but the shop most of all because they are a business. Trust me, no one sees that shit and thinks "man, the shop is so right to call out people who are dissatisfied with their service!" they think "wow what a bunch of cry babies" .

Which is what I think. For both parties. Answer #2: You're right, it all is petty. Move on with life. You do not have a legal issue or question.


Title: Want Charges Dropped - Domestic Assault (Canada)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >I know it's a crazy world we live

No, it's not.  *You* are being crazy if you marry into this, will continue to be the victim of domestic assault, and may yourself be charged with DV at some point in the future.  You're putting yourself into a position where bad things are likely to happen; you can't be surprised when they do.

You can call the prosecutor's office and ask to speak with the attorney handling the case.  Similarly, you can see if your jurisdiction has a victim's advocate you could speak with.  I will be very blunt - were I the prosecutor there is a *0%* chance that I would drop the charges and learning that you were marrying her would make me more likely to move forward because I'd want the past action documented so that it can be included and considered during the next trial.


Title: Trying to get out of CROSSFIT MEMBERSHIP

Question: Hi I’m from Texas and I am currently trying to get out of my CrossFit membership. In the contract I signed it said I needed a 15 day advanced notice to cancel my membership, after I sent the notice via email I received a response that they had changed that to a 30 day advance notice and that I will be charged for 2 more months. They stated that they have the right to change that even though in the contract I signed it says 15 and threatened to send it to debt collectors if I didn’t pay. Can the gym actually change their cancellation policy even if the contract I signed says fifteen days, they said they sent an email with the change which I did not receive.

Answer: Usually the answer is yes they have the right to amend the contract HOWEVER at minimum that would likely need to come with 1) notice to you and 2) opportunity to terminate the deal due to the new terms


Title: Open container charge in Public

Question:
let's pretend a friend  of mine was cited for possession of an alcoholic beverage on public property. But here's what happen what's the chances he can beat the case or what happens from here . It was in baltimore maryland . The cop shined a light from behind a fence and asked for Id. My friend whose is only 18 put the bottle in his back pocket and told the cop he had no id on him. While the cop was still behind the fence he dumps the liqour out (a bottle of MD:20/20) and leaves the glass on the floor. The cop then proceeds to say nothing and turns away but it clearly walking around the fence. My friend then runs down through a alley and escapes. The cop picks him up 10 minutes later and cites him. What should he expect ? They never took BAC and all they have is a body cam of him holding a container but they can't prove it was alcholic except probaly the label.

*fictional story*
any help would be alppreaicted

Answer:
 If it's fictional then it doesn't belong here.  If it's real your friend needs an attorney.Answer #2: YOU (not your friend who doesn't exist) need a lawyer.

It's likely that they have a good case against you and a conviction for the crime is likely without help for you.

Again, not your friend.


Title: Accidental payment into my account

Question:
Throwaway as my main is identifiable - thanks in advance for any help. A month or so ago, I received a payment from a large company (around 500-800 USD). I got an invoice by email, and the payment appeared in my account within a couple of days. There was no information on the invoice, just a reference number. The payment was a bit of a surprise, but it wasn't completely out of the blue - I've been paid by the company before, so I'm on their vendor list. I'm an academic, and the line between "I'm giving you friendly advice" and "this is a consultancy arrangement" is a bit blurred - I presumed they were compensating me for time that I'd spent on one of their projects.

Anyway, two days ago, I got an email saying that the payment was made in error - they have two vendors on the system with the same name, and they sent to the wrong one. While I'm happy to pay the money back, I'm based in the UK and the company is based in the US. If I send the money to a US bank account, there will be a transaction fee, and there's the issue of exchange rates. If they insist on me sending the money to a US account, I think it's reasonable that they eat any fees, and that I send back the minimum of the USD amount and the GBP amount that I actually received, as it was their mistake (so if the exchange rate has changed in the wrong direction, then they would get back less than they sent me).

1) Is this reasonable? If there any timescale that I am obliged to pay them back under?

2) Would I need any sort of legal agreement to confirm that there is no more financial obligation on my part? Particularly if I send them back less than I received because of fees and exchange rates. Would an informal document be okay, or should I push for something more official?

Location: I'm based in the UK, but the company is based in the US (incorporated in Delaware), so I guess US law applies here.

Answer:
 >Particularly if I send them back

Whenever this happens to me (>1-2 times per year) I simply tell my bank that I refuse to accept the payment, it's not my money nor intended for me. This is due to me being paranoid of transferring it back to the original account and then having to fight a transaction return later.


Title: Did my dad just screw himself over or screw my mom over?

Question:
US - Oklahoma

My parents have decided to split, and while my mom was led to believe it was amicable and given time to seek counseling and her own attorney, **my dad decided to cut her off from all financial accounts**. She was/still is a stay at home wife all her life, hasn't worked in almost 25 years, and has a high school diploma. I am their 25 yr-old daughter and I have a 20 yr-old brother who lives with them. She's been in a hotel for a week.

She withdrew $5K emergency money before she knew she was being cut off, and that's now all she has (plus her car). Her divorce attorney wants $5K for a retainer.

While I don't want to side with my mom or my dad, this makes my dad look extremely bad and makes me question his intentions in all this. **Was this legal for him to do?** Neither party (to my knowledge) has officially filed, though now my mom is definitely going through with it.

She's now talking about getting her attorney and "taking back her house" which has both of their names on it. **Is this legal for her to do??**

You may wonder why she's not asking these questions herself; I'm trying to gauge whether his actions constitute me officially siding with her, and helping my mother financially, or if this is something that can be quickly resolved (in the form of reinstatement of temporary financial support) through attorney action.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Judges don't look kindly on spouses cutting each other off from marital assets. However, as far as I know it's not illegal.


Title: Could an individual claim themselves to be religiously tax exempt?

Question: For example, If one said the government is doing something that violates their religion, thus giving the government money through taxes would be against their religion, could then be tax exempt on religious grounds? If not an individual, what about a corporation?

Answer: The IRS would likely find it a [Frivolous Tax Argument](https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/the-truth-about-frivolous-tax-arguments-section-i-d-to-e#_Toc350157901) and fine you.


Title: Got a parking ticket - on a vehicle I gave away months ago

Question:
So I let my younger sister use my old car for awhile. When she got a new one, she asked if she could sell the old one and she'd give me half of whatever she got for it. I said that was fine. She sold it (didn't give me half, of course), and now months later I get a letter for a parking ticket on that car. Apparently not only did SHE never change the vehicle into her own name, the person she sold it to didn't either. Location is Wisconsin. What can I do? The ticket is only 25 bucks. It's not a huge deal, but is it still mine technically then? Is the guy driving around in what amounts to a stolen vehicle registered in someone else's name?

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: You handled that poorly. You need to notify the DMV the car was sold. They may have a procedure when you don't know who the buyer was. You have a huge liability every second this continues. If this guy gets into an accident you could be sued.


Title: Where does the law stand on porn showing 18-year-olds, either in photographic or drawn form?

Answer:
 "The law" is not the same the world around; every country and sometimes every state/province/territory/ward/etc within that country will have different laws.

But in the vast majority of the world, if porn is legal, 18 year olds are allowed to be in it.

See also:  the "barely legal" section of any Porn provider.


Title: Roomates And Drugs

Question:
I moved into a apartment and was placed with two guys who are a few years younger then me through a roomate matching service. Really nice guys and we get along well, however they sell and do drugs frequently. Mostly Benzodiazepines, however pretty occasionally ketamine, coke, mushrooms, PCP, heroin and an assortment of synthetic ones im not familiar with. I have talked to them and they mostly stay in their respective rooms if they are doing anything but occasionally on weekend it gets brought into the liviing room when they have people over.

Legally speaking if our apartment raided and drugs are found, what kind of liability do I have? Our rooms are all leased out separetly. They are young guys and Im not going to rat them out however i have plans to start my PhD within the next year and do not want to get into any trouble that might jeopardize that. My lease on the apartment is for another six months at which time i will be leaving.

Location: Bellingham, Washington

Any advise?

Answer:
 No one can predict what would happen if the police were to raid your apartment.  The only way to protect yourself would be to either (a) preemptively call the police or (b) move out.  I know that neither sound appealing, but I think deep down you knew this was the answer you'd get.Answer #2: > Legally speaking if our apartment raided and drugs are found, what kind of liability do I have?

If the cops walk in and there are drugs in the living room and you in the living room there's a good chance you're getting charged with possession.

If the drugs are in their locked rooms you have a good argument that you were not in possession.Answer #3: Living with dealers is a dangerous game to play. Anyone who keeps large quantities of drugs in the house attracts attention from not only the police, but from lowlifes who would like to steal those drugs.

Your roommates may be the nicest guys ever and you trust them, but do you trust everyone they hang with and sell to?


Title: Missouri Possession of cannabis charges with no physical evidence

Question:
Last month, several friends and I were doing a float trip on a river. Several of us stopped on a sandy bank and had a few cigarettes back in the woods. Several of us don't like to finish a whole cig, so we pass them back and forth, which I assume some people think is a joint. We finished our break and launched back onto the river.
As soon as our rafts got in, three river patrol police and a drug dog ran from the woods on the opposite bank and ordered us all to pull over. They said that that observed us consuming marijuana on the opposite bank. They searched our craft and found not a single trace of anything illegal. They even had their drug dog sniff it down and it didn't sign.

Now, here is the part that makes me think there may be a case: The officers essentially said (and I paraphrase) "We know you were smoking weed over there, we just watched you all do it. We can do this the easy way or the hard way: You admit to smoking marijuana and we write you a misdemeanor ticket, or you can keep denying it and we'll take you to jail."

All of us admitted to smoking marijuana out of fear of what we believed could happen and we all received tickets and court dates.

My main questions are this:

Should I hire a lawyer?

Did the officer coerce confessions? and if so, are they admissible in court?

Since there is no evidence aside from the officer's word, will this stand in court? All of us have the same court date and time, would the other accused be able to act as witnesses? Otherwise, would our other friend who was not convicted be able to testify for us?

Do we even stand a chance of beating this without a lawyer?

Thanks for any advice that anyone can offer

Answer:
 >All of us admitted to smoking marijuana out of fear of what we believed could happen and we all received tickets and court dates.

you guys boned yourselves there.


Title: I sold a TV on Facebook, it worked for 2 days, now it does not and buyer demands refund

Question:
I have sold a Vizio E500i TV on local Facebook Sales Group in Phoenix, Arizona. The buyer came to my house, I have turned the TV on for them, showed them them a video clip, showed them smart features and they have bought it for $250 and took it home. That was on 2/11/2017. This evening 2/13/2017 I have gotten a voice mail from that stating that the TV does not want to turn on and that I had to know about it, and demanded that I contact them back or else they "will have to come up there to see me." and call the police.

I have called back, and ask them if the TV worked for them when they got it home on 11th and 12th. They stated yes, but now it does not. I have recorded the conversation as AZ is one party wiretapping state, and I have the initial voicemail as well. They have sent me a video, and the TV does seem to have issue. According to them I known that this is an issue, even though they tested the TV out before they bought it and according to their own admission TV was fully functional for few days when they got it home.

While I do sympathize with electronics going bad, they did bought a used electronic device with no warranty and they did test it out before they bought it.

What are my options here; legal or otherwise?
Thanks

Answer: My guess: they had a broken TV of the same or a similar model. The video was of this TV. Now that they have the working TV you sold them, they want their money back. After all, why pay for a replacement when you can scam one from a stranger for free?


Title: Someone rearended me. Said she'd take care of damages out of pocket because she didn't have insurance. I messed up by not calling the police and she's blocked me. TX.

Question: I know I messed up by not calling the police right there and then. I have a copy of her license. I have her phone number and her license plate number. I'm not sure what I can do at this point. I called the police but they said it would be a civil matter. It's a minor scrape to be honest. I've never been in an accident and am more upset that she basically going to get away with hitting me and not being responsible it. This is in TEXAS. Any advice?

Answer:
 Go to the police station. File a report. Then contact your insurance. If you do not have collision coverage (and so insurance will not help) then use her address to sue her in small claims for the damage.

As future advice if someone is irresponsible enough to drive without insurance they are probably not responsible enough to pay you.


Title: Condo manager saying I have to kick out my sublet (DC)

Question:
I recently subleased my condo to college freshmen interning for the summer while I stayed at a friends place. The original landowner is fine with the arrangement but the front desk noticed and told me first that the subletter had to fill out forms with their contact info. They did but the next day the front desk informed me that there is a lease addendum stating that sublets are strictly prohibited.

Yesterday night, I realized that in the original lease that I signed in 2013-2014 that lease addendum was attached. But in the new lease I signed for 2014-2015 there is no lease addendum attached. After the lease was up in 2015, the landlord and I decided to do the lease on a month-by-month basis.

I sent the property managers an email explaining my situation (not the addendum part, because I didn't know at the time) and they replied basically with a simple no. They also did not return my calls yesterday and have emailed my landlord saying that I am potentially going to be fined if the subletters are not kicked out immediately.

I want the best possible solution for everyone. What should I do?

Answer: Please clarify. You rent from the owner and are subbing to this student?  If so does your lease with the owner address this? If so you have no contract with the property management company and they can't fine you. (well they can try). They can fine the owner.


Title: landlord accuses my cousin for having a dog even though he doesn't have any and he fines my cousin for 500 dollars.

Question: My cousin had a landlord  who had a strict no pet policy. My cousin had a room mate who had a pet dog and one day the the landlord came and gave my charged my cousin a 500 dollars. My cousin told the room mate to pay the fine but he refused with the excuse that my cousin got it so he had to pay for it. My cousin is now in a really difficult financial position   because the landlord thinks that he has the dog and my cousin's room mate ain't  accepting the fine. What should my cousin do?

Answer: Is the roommate on the lease?


Title: Guy found at-fault for accident is suing me. What can I expect? (California)

Question:
I rear-ended a guy who, angry that I had passed him, pulled directly in front of me and slammed on his brakes.  Luckily I was *almost* able to stop in time, and barely touched his car.  There was no visible damage.

He has lawyered up, and now that my insurance found him 100% at fault (and filed on him to the Insurance Fraud agency), he is suing me (he went to the ER after the accident and is claiming an injury, despite no visible damage to his car).

I'm beyond frustrated that this has happened and while my insurance has been amazing throughout all of this, I wouldn't mind some perspective.

Some questions:

1) Is he just doing this in hopes of getting a settlement?  If so, do I have any ability to tell my insurance (who is getting a representative on my behalf) that I do not want to settle?  I don't want this guy getting ANY money whatsoever.  He has 93 insurance claims and is a total monster.  I don't want him to reap anything from this.

2) What is the chance this actually goes to trial?

3) Do I have any recourse here?  Should I file a countersuit?

4) If he files a suit, can he get my personal information?  All contact has been through my insurance, and I'm terrified of him (I had to call the cops because of his behavior after the accident; they gave him the address on my license, despite the fact I gave them my current address).  I do not want him to know where I live.

5) Any words of encouragement?  I'm so frustrated at the whole situation.

*Side note*: ALWAYS TAKE PICTURES.  My phone was busted and I didn't take any pictures of his car.  THANK CHRIST a witness came forward and emailed me pictures he took.  If I didn't have those, god knows what he would have done to "prove" damage to his car.

Answer: Let your insurers handle the case.  They are pros, have done this before numerous times and know what they are about.


Title: Car moving Chicago to Portland

Question: Starting new job in Portland. Originally intended to sell current car in Illinois & buy new in Portland. However, it seems we can't do that bec. of no residency in Portland. Portland housing market is competitive & we'll have to rent. Don't want to pay Illinois tax on a car purchased in Portland. Options?

Answer: You realize that renters are residents, right?


Title: Stay at home mom

Question:
So I am a stay at home mom. I’ve been married coming up on 3 years and have a two year old and a 1 year old. My husband refuses to get a divorce. What will the divorce process look like in this situation? Would pictures of holes in walls and piles of empty beer cans help my case for custody? There’s no police report to go along with them. Would bring a stay at home mom hurt my chances of custody? What do I need to do to get my ducks in a row without him knowing? I’m in Ohio.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You really need to talk to a local attorney to answer these questions.

There is no standard answer to them. Being a stay at home mom does not mean you won't get primary custody but also doesn't guarantee you primary custody.


Title: Drone following me while walking dogs at nature park in rural area

Question:
Hi all: Me (30F) likes to walk my dog at a nature park right outside my town. It’s a very isolated location and I rarely see another human while there. The park is nestled in a bunch of trees and then opens into a large area of land the deeper you go.

Anyway, tonight while walking in that field, a drone came upon me. It hovered right above me for awhile and then followed me the entire time. I looked up at it and even stopped and stared at it. Then I’d start to walk again and it’d follow me.

It really spooked me for some reason and kind of weirded me out. However, I felt dumb bc who was I supposed to even tell in this situation? And is the person even doing anything wrong by following me since I’m at a public nature city?

To add context, we have an unsolved murder here (the first one in 20 years in our community) and the woman was killed arriving for an early morning fitness class. So I think in general I’m probably more spooked than normal, but I was just more curious what are the general rights of drones when they follow you?
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 You don’t say where you are located, so then you should check to see if there are drone specific laws (but those are rather uncommon).

In light of the unsolved murder you mentioned, you should probably call the police and make a report.  Who knows.  May help.  And at least you have documentation of the harassment.


Title: I am drowning.

Question:
I have to apologize in advance, as this story is long and even I am still very confused.

I went to court back in January with my (now ex) husband, father of my 3 children (all under 9). He was (then, and still is) in prison for rape of a child (not to one of ours). I wanted full custody and to terminate his parental rights. He wanted monthly visitation and daily phone calls, along with shared custody.

After lawyers talked, we came to an agreement of what the judge thought was best. It basically came down to this:

I got full custody, he got parental rights.
He was to provide a cell phone and would have a call every Sunday night. The judge also specified that if he wanted "video visits" (prison facetime, he asked during court), he would provide a phone that had those capabilities.
He wanted my physical address and contact numbers, but the judge specified that any communication between me and him would be via my mom (she volunteered as tribute since he has a history of harassment).
He was awarded an in prison visit once every three months with the kids, and it was specified "mother or mother's designee" that would make the trip with the kids (3 hour drive one way to the prison, 6 hour trip).

I wasn't happy. I'm still not. But I was convinced I had no other choice. We agreed, and it was up to his attorney to draft up the divorce paperwork (I guess? Idk why). He does this, but it is filled with tons of things that were NEVER agreed on, such as:

ONLY MOTHER (me) will make the trip with the kids, and stay for the ENTIRETY of the allowed visitation hours (9 hours long)
MOTHER must provide physical address, personal and work phone numbers
MOTHER must provide communication equipment (computer and webcam) for the video visits "due to technological restraints."

There was more, but you get the idea. These were the main ones that set me off. I highlighted all the things that were never agreed on and discussed it with my attorney. He said he sent a revised edit to my ex's attorney for review.

Then there was silence. For months. I would constantly email my attorney (super flaky guy) asking if he heard anything. It was not until summer when I found out that my ex submitted his original jacked up paperwork and had the judge sign it, saying I never responded. On top of this, my ex filed an enforcement of parenting plan since I had not taken the kids to see him (which is honestly because he denied my designees visitor applications).

New court date is set due to aforementioned enforcement of parenting plan, so my attorney said he would file to amend the divorce decree and present it on the same day. Cool.

Court comes. My attorney is NO WHERE TO BE SEEN. The judge's clerk gets him on the phone 15 minutes after the scheduled time and he says he forgot, didnt get it on the calendar, and apologizes. He was on vacation, but would appear telephonically on my behalf. Ugh, whatever, I just want to be done with it.

Judge dismissed my ex's case because he's dumb (that's just my opinion tho). She asks my attorney if everything he wanted to be fixed was noted on the corrected judgement he submitted to her. She talks about the "designee" portion, asks if there is anything else, to which my attorney said NO.

Well, wouldn't you know it, I get the new divorce decree and that "mothers designee" portion is the only thing that is fixed. Which is huge, don't get me wrong, but I do not want to have contact with this man. I do not think it is fair the children have to be in a prison for any longer than they actually want to visit. I cannot afford buying things for him to have video chats, now that I am the sole provider with 0 child support. I can hardly afford the payments that I am still making to that shit attorney I hired.

I'm at a loss right now. I have 0 ideas on what my next step is. It's been over a month of me reaching out to my (not mine anymore I guess since court is over) attorney about things and have been ignored.

Can I refile another corrected judgement? Will the judge be mad at me for wasting so much of her time? Should I just admit defeat?

This is just one of many many problems I am facing, albeit the only legal problem right now.

Answer: You need a new attorney, and to take all of this to them to see what can be done. Contact your state bar for referrals. And I’m sorry about all of this.


Title: We paid lawyer to retrieve husband's case file a year ago and now they are ignoring and stonewalling our calls (Houston, Texas)

Question:
Last year in March we consulted with an immigration lawyer to retrieve my (now) husband's immigration file. This was supposed to be the beginning step towards applying towards his residency card. We paid $600 upfront to have this done and the lawyer said it would take 4 months to get the case file. For the last 6 months we have been calling their office and have been blocked from talking to the lawyer (they're busy, not here, etc.) and then they tell us they will look up my husband's file and call us back later and they never do. Is there any legal recourse I can seek to get them to either return my money or at least give me a response? Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Immigration

Answer: You can file a complaint with the bar association the state the attorney practices in for never providing a service you paid the attorney for. You can also sue the attorney in small claims court.


Title: How do I seek SSDI if I was born with disabilities but have never been labeled "disabled"?

Question:
I'll ask any questions you have and provide any photos or screenshot evidence. I'm trying to avoid being evicted due to a lack of family-help and financial-support. I feel like my whole life I have been lied to by my parents and they have not had my best interests in mind, or have been uneducated to my personal legal rights, which even I am not aware of, but recognize a strong need for in a period where I am trying to get my own business up and running, but am also facing several financial complications preventing me from focusing more strongly on the initial leg-work I need to do to get a self-sustaining momentum rolling.

My right hand is mutated and I do not have a specific diagnosis or word for whatever the affliction/disease is.

I have titanium rods/plates bolted to my spine to prevent life-threatening scoliosis from progressing to make me further crippled/disabled/paralysed.

My whole family has just been saying that I'll never find out what caused these things, and that I need to "just accept it", but this is quite honestly unacceptable. I did not ask to be born in this body. I did not ask to have these complications in life preventing me from being the happiest and most self-fulfilled version of myself possible.

Mom is a crack-cocaine addict. She owes me $2000 she basically stole for drugs that she hasn't paid back. Biggie Smalls was right...

My sister is a heroin addict. We actually have a gene that says we're more likely to become heroin addicts than the rest of the population.

My dad is ex-military and is largely ignorant to my education and skillset that he, himself, paid for. He's abused my help and my talents and given me very little help when I've actually needed it, making it difficult to ask others for help.

His twin-brother, an ex navy-intelligence officer who made $200k/year after he retired doing base-camp management in Afghanistan, won't help me out financially at all. Fuck that asshole.

I am just at the end of my rope and have been thinking about killing myself lately because that is a lot easier than figuring out how to come up with the money that I need to avoid becoming homeless. I've been begging friends for help and very few friends are able to give me more than $20 each, which has helped me take care of a few things like getting an oil change and gas money so that I can keep doing Favor runs, but I'm not making gains fast enough, and I'm already over 3 weeks behind.

God please help me.

Answer: How old are you? Cause if you're over 18, it's time to start figuring this stuff out on your own rather than relying on your family. Apply SSDI. Apply for Medicaid/Medicare. Go to a doctor on your own. Get copies of your own medical records. It doesn't matter if your family won't tell you why you have the disabilities that you have, but just that you have them documented by a doctor. Contact your local county social services and see what assistance you are eligible for.


Title: [Illinois] Charged with reckless driving for driving an unusual car - can I sue the police for misuse of power for such a frivolous charge?

Question:
I was on my way to the doctor's office with my son when a state patrol officer stopped me for "reckless driving," when I was not driving recklessly and there was absolutely nothing in the legal code that I was cited for that I was violating.

The officer kept me for so long that we missed my son's appointment and were dropped from the practice.

I am wondering if I can sue the police for misuse of power for wasting so much of my time.

The car I was driving looks perfectly normal on the outside. It has plates, and I was driving within the speed limit. On the inside, it is more unusual but still completely legal.

There are two steering wheels, foot pedal sets, and everything else the driver has in the front seat. Only the set on the right is real and actually connected to anything though. Yes, it is set up like a British car, but there is still nothing about that fact that makes it unsafe to drive. It might look to people looking in the windows that both my son and I (or another passenger) are driving when my passenger their hands on the fake wheel, but it is only a trick.

And in the back, the back seat is removed and replaced with a table that has a house of cards glued down to it. Everything is secured and not blowing around all over the place or obstructing the mirrors.

I've driven this car for three years without any problem.

I am wondering how I can get this officer fired and be compensated for the medical costs that I will incur by finding my son another doctor because of the actions of this police officer.

Answer: I'm not really buying the whole "practice dropped me" thing either. For being late to one appointment they dropped you? You could have showed them the bogus ticket...  Perhaps this wasn't your first missed appointment?


Title: 45% Rent increase (Burbank, CA). Help

Question: I wanted to know if there anyway to dispute my rent increase. My rent is going up from $1,500 to 2,200 [$700 (45%)] increase. My neighbors are also experiencing increases as well one by $1,200 and the other $1,050. Apparently our landlord has hired this property management Company and gave us this notice yesterday. Is there anything we can do. Or is there nothing I can do. Your advice and knowledge will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Answer:
 In CA:

>As of January 1, 2001, a landlord must give the tenant at least 30 days’ advance notice if the rent increase is 10 percent (or less) of the rent charged at any time during the 12 months before the rent increase takes effect. A landlord must give 60 days’ advance notice if the rent increase is greater than 10 percent. (Civil Code Section 827b.)

but there is no restriction on rent increases. Unless this is rent controlled building in certain cities.Answer #2: Burbank has no rent control, but by state law, your landlord must give you 60 days' written notice for increases greater than 10% of your current rent. Otherwise, your protections are purely contractual: if you're mid-lease, your landlord can only raise your rent as your lease allows.Answer #3: Do you have a lease?  If so, when does it expire?

If you're month to month they are well within their rights to raise your rent so long as they provide 30 or 60 days notice (I think it depends on the amount it increases by).


Title: Can I sue for sexual assault by myself?

Question:
** This happened in Montréal, QC * *

I want to avoid sharing as much detail as I can, but on December 14th 2016 I was sexually assaulted by a man I was briefly involved with at the time. For the first two months after it happened, I opted not to report him or tell any authorities - which was probably the worst mistake - because I was desperate to forget it ever happened, and I thought pursuing further action would keep the trauma fresh.

But it didn't work out that way, and I ended up getting increasingly upset over the fact that he just got away with it. So sometime in February, I finally made an initial police report before making an official statement with the sexual crimes unit on April 12th.

After my statement, the detectives handling my case informed me that due to the nature of the situation - lack of witnesses, hearsay, etc - that it was very unlikely that the crown attorney would accept my case and investigate any further. Too much reasonable doubt.

So my question is, if the government refuses to take my case, is it possible for me to personally hire a lawyer and press charges against the assailant that way?

It's been nearly exactly 6 months since the incident so I know I am cutting it close, so any insight is appreciated. Thank you

Answer: You could sue the assailant civilly, but you can't press charges as a private citizen.


Title: [California] Gym charged me extra for something I was not aware of, is there anything I can do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Is there any way I can prevent this sort of thing in the future?

Yes you can prevent this from happening by reading contracts before you sign them.


Title: CO Implied Contract Employment Wrongful Termination.

Question:
Maryland based telecommuting company terminated me due to minor tardiness. Back story: company culture hires friends who are often sub par professionals. I applied for a sales job, and with a stellar resume, was promised the world by CEO and President. ‘You’re the first REAL sales person we’ve hired’   ‘You’re going to go far here you’ll be a sales team leader’ ‘ your supervisor won’t get in the way we’ll manage that’ ‘your income will increase quickly as we roll out a new product’ etc...

All verbal quotes during my recruitment. Started job, supervisor is a time clock stickler, I haven’t punched a clock in over 10 years.

I was 13 minutes late twice in 2 months, 1st was a warning, and second time I am fired.

The supervisor kept me isolated (left out of group chats, no contact for weeks, no 90 day review as promised  or any feedback given) and failed to warn me of impending issues or termination. We’re a remote team of 4 so isolation sucks. Bullying?

The CEO was aware but failed to support my position and obvious ‘salary mindset’ that needed correction, or leniency.

Does implied contract in CO enforce the reasonability for me to be supported and retained in the company towards our agreements? Thank you all

Answer: You were fired for being tardy on two occasions.  This is a legitimate cause.  Whether this was wise on the part of this company, given the nature of your work, is certainly debatable.  But there's nothing illegal here.


Title: How do you know if someone sues you?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You get legally served documents. If you avoid getting served then it is generally posted in your local newspaper


Title: My sister is being charged with multiple felonies for possession of meth and grand theft auto in California

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Consult your local Bar Association to find an attorney for your sister. If she qualifies for a public defender, take that option. She needs an attorney one way or the other.


Title: (Please read) Worried about the repercussions of missing a lot of school, and what the consequences will be considering my situation at home.

Question:
For the last year my situation at home has deteriorated up until about a month ago. Old stepdad came back from prison and everybody fell into his trap. Just psychotic drug addict bull crap. There was a lot of physical abuse towards my mom from him, and we got evicted because he caused her to lose her job. We finally got a house and things were going better for a few weeks, then got the worse they had ever been. It got very physical between all of us and he attacked me and my mom. He want arrested even though this happened multiple times... Wtf... HE IS IN PRISON NOW AND THE SITUATION HAS SO GREATLY IMPROVED. But all of this led to me missing a lot of school. The school police officer is aware of what was going on and helped me get through a lot of it and the vice principal knows some of the details. Anyway, I missed enough school to be summoned to court, yay, because that definitely helps the situation and doesn't cause panic on top of depression and PTSD. My question is do you guys think the courts will attempt to remove me from my home? I'm 16 and I'm closer to my family than anyone else and I could not handle being taking away from them. I only ask because my mom did not do more to prevent this from happening and I have had truancy problems in the past, and my grades are not very good. But everything is improving. Idk why they would decide to do this 25 days before school is over but it is what it is.

TL;DR: worried about being removed from my home due to truancy and an unfit home environment (which has improved)

Thank you guys

Answer:
 Nobody can tell you for sure. However if this is juvenile court (works with CPS) then they will want to try to keep your family together. They don't like to break families up if they can help it.

You're 16 now, look into whether your state allows you to take a high school proficiency exam. My state does and my eldest just passed it (at 16). It counts the same as a GED and you'd legally be able to leave school


Title: [NYS, Texas] Can I get back child support paid from an inheritance?

Question: I'm the adult child in this situation and I'd really like to help my mom out. My father shirked his financial responsibilities for years while my mother raised me and my sisters. Now he's on SSID and lives in section 8 housing. They both live in NY. I just found out that my grandfathers estate in Texas is being closed and he's likely to receive a very large inheritance. He owes about $50k in back child support. I've recently reconnected with extended relatives on my fathers side of the family which is the only reason I know about this. My uncle is the executor of the estate. Is there any way to claim any of the money before my father gets it? I know my uncle is planning to deliver a check to him in about a month and I know that my mother will never see a dime if it has to go through my father first.

Answer: There are several ways to do this.  All of them involve either hiring a lawyer in Texas or if your mother went through the Department of Child support enforcement in NY having them either seize the check when received by your dad or contacting the uncle and making a claim on the share due to your father.


Title: Litter returned to owner. Hero or Lawsuit Waiting to Happen?

Answer:
 In the video, we see someone littering by throwing the trash out of the window. One, two, and the boxes keep coming. The people behind them in traffic are incensed. One man rises to the challenge, our hero, and throws one of the trash boxes back into the passenger's side of the car.

Does this full strength overhand throw 3 - 4 feet from the window make him a hero or someone a personal injury lawyer can't wait to get a call about? Explain your reasoning?


Title: What are some legal ways to get out of high school at 14 in Minnesota? (please read the details before you respond that it shouldn't happen)

Question:
I am from another country. I moved to the United States two years ago, and I am not the best with sppken English and am hard to understand.

I love learning, but I very much hate school because everyone here is hostile and "xenophobic", as my friend put it.

I enjoy marching band. The people in it are very friendly, but I spend the rest of the day constantly stressed about how everyone else wants me dead.

My relative I live with has talked to the principal in October and again in November, and nothing happened for the better.

I am wondering what legal ways there are to leave school and get a job or study for the GED alone instead. Ways that won't get my relative in trouble with the law please.

Answer:
 MN requires you to stay in school until you're 17, at which time you can drop with parental permission.  Absent a court order, you're stuck.

You could always try home schooling.  It sounds like you're going through a rough time.  This may sound lame, but is there a school counselor?  Principals generally aren't the best source for dealing with day-to-day student interaction issues.


Title: Can I tell a traffic cop the following when asked to search? "In the interest of time, I don't consent to searches." Especially when in a hurry to get somewhere? (Kansas)

Question:
Also, does having a CDL change this situation? Or would it only matter what vehicle I'm driving in (a vehicle not requiring a commercial license vs. one that does?)

---

Whatever your answer is, please back it up with a source so I know that your advice is correct. Thanks.

Answer:
 You can deny for whatever reason you want. Doesn't mean it will stop them if they're going to search anyway. Answer #2: You can tell the cop that you don't consent to search because you're afraid the aliens will come down and kidnap you if you don't get home by the time Jupiter sets.

The bottom line is that if the cop has probable cause to search, he'll search, with or without your consent.  If he doesn't, your reason for refusing is irrelevant.