Title: I am being told it is in my best interest to get a lawyer but im not sure why.

Question: So last week my car got keyed by someone in the parking lot of my college. I knew who the person was and I pressed charges. This person was brought in and she admitted to keying my car and got charged with a felony because the damage was over 1500. I went in to police headquarters today to fill out a written statement and I was told that this was going to trial. My question is why do I need a lawyer if she already admitted to it? I dont want to spend money on a lawyer because it makes no sense. Ill end up paying the same amount that my damages are. I am living in New York, I don't know if that makes any difference.

Answer:
 You don't need a lawyer. For the criminal proceedings the state is representing you and your interests.  If you want to recover the actual money you spent to fix the car you can sue in small claims where you don't need a lawyer either.

Did anyone go into any kind of detail as to why they think you need the lawyer?  I mean she most certainly does,  but I can't see a reason here for you to. Answer #2: You do not need a lawyer.  You are not being charged with a crime.  The state is prosecuting her and you are not.

You should file with your insurance company to get the damage fixed.  They will sue her for the amount they have to pay you for the repair.  You can also sue her in small claims court for the deductible you had to pay, plus court costs.

One quibble:

> I pressed charges.

No, you reported this to the police and cooperated with their investigation.  The police arrested her, and it's the district attorney who pressed charges.  In the US, citizens don't decide who gets prosecuted and who doesn't.


Title: Can underage rapists sue their adult victim for statutory rape?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No, because not all crimes are also torts which allow you to sue.  Statutory rape being one of them.  If it were to meet the standard definitions for assault or battery, they could sue.  But given that they're the attackers, it won't.


Title: [AL] Late grandfather let person use part of land, now I've inherited it.

Question:
My grandfather passed away last year. A little over a month later, my father passed. My brother and I have inherited the land that was supposed to go to my father.

Several years ago, my grandfather let a man use a tiny portion of the land to house a few animals. My brother and I do not plan to use the land for many years, but I was wondering if, when this man passes, his relatives will have any claim over the land. This deal was not official and was made with a handshake.

Answer: To clarify, this man still uses the land. Also, it is close to my residence so I am able to visit frequently.


Title: Work at a financial institution and they accessed and questioned me about my personal banking account (FL)

Question: I work at USAA as an auto/home insurance advisor via the call center. Today at work my manager came to me and said we needed to go to HR together. At HR I was told I was being pulled out of work to be asked questions about my personal bank account (USAA) which myself and my husband are on together. I was grilled for about 10 minutes by two individuals via phone conference, who eventually found all deposits and transactions were on the up and up and was told that there wasn't any investigation needed. They asked mainly about checks from my husbands cattle business. Can they do this? I work at USAA and bank with them, but I have a private bank account. The HR individual who conferenced the call heard all of my bank information. Can they do this?

Answer:
 1.  They didn't even need to access your bank account directly to get this data.

2.  They absolutely have the right to check that someone who is handling money isn't mishandling it (aka stealing).

3.  They might not have been politic in how they interacted with you, but I don't think that what they did was illegal.Answer #2: You work at a bank.

You have personal accounts at the same bank.

Are you having trouble understanding why they'd want to validate that you're not doing something squirrelly?

I'm surprised you didn't sign papers to this effect when you started.Answer #3: >It had nothing to do with fraud, but more of the amounts $100,000-$75,000 $35,000 etc.. Contact the IRS and the police if they wanted. Taking me from my job to HR and asking questions about my personal account isn't acceptable.

The same thing would have happened at any bank I worked at. It's not only legal, it's good practices in the industry.


Title: I'm being fined because someone is parking their car on public property next to my Zero-Lot-Line building.

Question: (Buffalo, New York) I own a large zero-lot-line (in other words, my land ends about an inch away from the street-facing wall) building, and recently people have been parking junk cars on the public property between my building and the street. The city has been mailing me fines as a result (my violation? "Junk vehicles on public or private property Chapter 413-Section 4F"). To me, this makes absolutely no sense. How can I control what someone does on public property that just happens to be near my building? I can't very well fence it off, as I don't own the land. I am being fined for what someone else does on public property. How can I fight this?

Answer: Call the police. Report the card as abandoned. Ask that they be towed. Answer #2: Have you called the police or city hall about it?


Title: (Las Vegas, NV) Pest control guy says he can't spray into sewer manhole

Answer: Probably true. Why do you want him to do that anyway?!Answer #2: Dude. You can't spray poison in the sewer. Did you miss the entire planet conservation era?


Title: Trained, worked, and then "fired" (NYC)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 As you said the DoL is your way to recover the wages.

>Should I be considered their employee and as a result have to be fired or let go?

You were employed by them and now you are not.  I'm not quite sure what you are asking or why it matters.


Title: Ive questioned this person and now the police are getting involved and are gonna seize my phone?!

Question:
Hi, i'm a 14 year old male, recently i was told by one of my best mates that they were call stalkers a sexual abusers in the streets because they walk the same way home as this girl, instantly i thought this was true (i am not sure if it is true now but i don't think it was), so i messaged the girl on Instagram (14f) and asked her why this had happened, she said that it didn't and now looking back she deleted a bunch of messages about it, anyways she said that she did not tell this woman to shout at these two boys (both 14ms) and that they had shouted something across the street and then she said the woman did something she never wanted her to do, which is screaming at them calling them stalkers and stuff. she then calls me petty and immature for asking her about it. I call her a liar for some reason and then say that they were not stalking her ( she never said they were, that's  just what the boys told me ), She tells me they probably only told me half the story and they've made it up. i asked her to tell her side but she refuses and replies with " you don't need to get involved ", i should've listened really since shes kinda just foreshadowed whats happening to me. i tell her that they are going to the head of our year about it and she tells me that he can do that because she wont be there for long, she deletes the message and puts he can do that. I asked her what she meant by she wont be there long and she tells me she never did it which made me think she was a compulsive liar.

Okay she then gets her mum to text me saying that i should leave her alone and that she would never do anything like it, i apologise to her because i felt bad since she was only trying to defend her child.

The next day the very woman makes a statement to my school saying that they had raped the girl (which i am not sure if this is true since i only heard the statement through the boys) and it was dismissed once the girl and the woman tried to convince my head of year it was true (i only know this through what i've been told), i stupidly ask the girl why the hell she would falsely accuse them of such a thing and then ask for her side, she didn't  reply. 3 hours ago i was pulled into the Year office and told that the police were given four names to give to my head of year, which were mine and three of my friends, my head of year told me that the police will come to our houses possibly over the next month to seize our phones to go through them and have a look at what we have said and if we have been encouraging others to say bad things to this girl. i am extremely scared and so are my friends, especially since i played a major role in all this and the three only posted on their story about it and one of them LITERALLY only sent two messages to the girl.

Do you guys if there is anything i can do because i'm really scared ill get into a lot of trouble.
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer: Tell your parents you're being investigated for a serious offence. Ask your parents for help getting a lawyer. Don't talk to this girl _at all_ any further - not a word. Block her, if that's what it takes to resist the temptation to talk to her.


Title: Lawyers and anyone: What do you do when you are suspicious of someone who might have attempted murder?

Question: In 2017, my mother went into "diabetic coma" though she never had diabetes, but a year before this occurred her husband was diagnose with type 2 diabetes (he took insulin for this). I've been very concerned and suspicious that he has something to do with this. Currently she is in a nursing home, out of coma, but in a vegetative state. The state luckily has guardianship of her. I've seen mail addressed to her for life insurance, though I know she had never signed up for it (she was very poor with no assets). Lastly, her husband messaged me yesterday saying that he wants to switch her to comfort care to allow her to pass on, that my mother wanted this even though it was never in writing. He wants me to contact the guardian to advise them of "my feelings." Additionally, two years before marrying my mother, he wife had died.

Answer: Report it to the police. That's what we're here for.Answer #2: You run not walk to the phone and call the police. Or walk into a station. You may also want to inform the nursing home and Adult Protective Services of your suspicions. They all have the power and resources to investigate further.


Title: Can I be issued a subpoena to show up at a court out of my state for a small claims court case about $100?

Question:
TLDR: A shifty “online guru” cursed out a customer who had spent $400+ on his programs and expects me to “fly out (California to Pennsylvania) and give him his money” on a claim I filed against him for coaching I never received ($100) and pay for his lawyer, legal fees, and his “time and frustration”...

Is it possible to be issued a subpoena for a claim on $100?? Or is he just angry that I got my money back and trying to threaten me to cancel the claim?

Hey legal masters of reddit. I have a serious question which probably sounds ridiculous, but I am not an attorney so unfortunately I do not know the rules.

I bought an online “coaching” program back around Christmas time and used it for one month. I then stopped using this “coaching” immediately after, and my credit card was stolen so the payment method wasn’t able to be charged the following two months in which I was not using this coaching program. When I got my new card in and received an email about my payment failing for this online program, I assumed I needed to put my new information in to pay for the month of coaching which I was satisfied with. But no, when I put my payment information in I was charged a total of $150 for the past three months of “coaching” although this was 1 on 1 coaching in which I had used not once in those past months, the only reason it wasn’t canceled was because I wasn’t aware it was still attempting to make monthly payments.

I emailed the guy who I was paying and asked for a refund for the past two months that I had not used his 1 on 1 coaching whatsoever and he told me that was not possible (this is the owner as well as the coach). I was frustrated about him not letting me get a refund for the coaching which, I emphasize, had not used a single time in the past two months he had been charging my card.

Because I was frustrated, and the owner was not making any exceptions even though he knows that he didn’t get on call or do anything at all in those past two months to make it worth what I had been paying against my knowledge, I issued a claim with my bank about JUST those two payments for $50 each. Only $100, not the money from the month in which I had used his services, or for the $300+ I had spent in the past on video training programs...

My bank charged back the money and I was promptly refunded my money through them. I heard nothing from my bank or the coach/owner for the next two months or so, then just yesterday I go to check my email and I get this message from the owner:

“Per your chargeback abuse, and the terms and conditions of my website, all of your course access has been revoked.*

I spoke with PayPal today, and they will be denying your case.

Additionally, I will be filing a case in small claims court for the $100 that you charged back in March, which will be arbitrated here in Pennsylvania, again, per the terms and conditions that you agreed to on my website.

You will be paying for my legal fees, the flight, and the $100 that you effectively stole, despite receiving your coursework and access to everything that you were promised.

At the end of the day, it's going to cost you a lot more than $100.”

*This included the $350 or so of programs which I HAD payed for over a year ago.

I responded to him saying that it was unfair what he was attempting to do, and he knew fully well that he had not “coached” me for a single minute in the two months I was attempting to get my money back for.

Now, this is where it gets good.

He then emailed me back with an extremely aggressive response and told me how I was going to “Fly up to Pennsylvania and hand him his $100 in court and pay for his lawyer, his gas to drive to court, his chargeback fees, and for his time. And after I did all those things, he would “give me the finger” and let me “go fuck off back to where I came from”.

This is the owner of a business, threatening a 16 year old kid who tried to get a refund for a product he didn’t know he was paying for.

I told the guy that I completely understood his frustration, but I asked him if he expected me to be subpoenaed to fly to a small claims court over $100 from the opposite side of the county, a flight which would cost $1000+ round trip without a doubt.

He has yet to respond, but what I’m trying to figure out is if this is even possible? This guy essentially took money from me, without my knowledge and without providing any service, and expects me to pay him for “the time and frustration” of going to file a claim for $100....

Is he just blowing smoke or is that actually legal?

Thanks for reading this long ass post guys, I appreciate any advice I can get.
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: You are 16?! In most small claims courts he would have to sue your parent along with you unless you emancipated.


Title: She said she was 18

Question:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/19-year-spend-25-years-registered-sex-offender/story?id=32783206

This is basically happening to us right now.

My husband was into some kinky stuff and he was on an adults only website, three years ago. He met this girl who told him she was 18 and talked about college.

The usual messages and pictures were exchanged, via a chat app he doesn't remember and can't log into. And via an email address he deleted when we got married.

Our marriage is crumbling. On Sunday, he messaged her via Facebook. Believing her to be 21 now.

Her dad replies. She's 16. He is threatening Turing over all the 3 year old messages and pictures if we contact her again.

Obviously not going to contact her.

What kind of legal trouble are we looking at?
She lives in a different state.

I am not blaming her. I'm a firm believer that If you're messaging people online it's a risk you're taking of them being not who they say you are.

Answer: This is a scam. There is a stickied post about this **common scam**. Just ignore. Do not respond in any way.


Title: Sexual Agreement Form?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 No. because a written agreement doesnt allow you to break the law. And if she says no at any time during your sexual event, and you dont stop, then your agreement means nothing.

There is just no way to write up something to protect you from future accusations or if you actually do break the law.

If you are concerns, dont have sex with strangers. Get to know people. learn to pick people who are honest sane people to have sex with. Because obviously this isnt that common of a problem. People are still having sex regularly.


Title: Can schools legally manually lower a students grades based on absences?

Question: In one of the discord servers I'm a part of, a friend of mine brought up an issue with his school.  They enacted a policy that directly lowers a student's grade-point average by 10 for every absence over 6 per semester.  I'm not a law student, nor very well-versed in US-Law, but something sounds off about that.  His GPA dropped from a near 4 to barely a 3 due to this issue, despite all of his absences being directly medically excused.  What laws, if any, does this violate? and what can be done about it?

Answer:
 Are you talking about a public primary school, private primary school, a state university, a private university/college, or what?

Generally, yes, schools are free to factor attendance into a student's final grade, but your location and school  type probably matter.Answer #2: Yes they can do this.Answer #3: They are likely allowed to do this in general.

However you mentioned below that these absences were due to surgery.  Depending on the nature of the surgery, this might be an ADA violation.

I would first have the parents talk to the school principal about the situation.  It could simply be that the proper people don’t understand the situation.  If he doesn’t agree to restore the grade, then I would escalate to the district level and start mentioning ADA and section 504 in my conversations.

If this is going to happen again in the future, the parents should request a meeting with the school to come up with a ‘504 Plan.’  These plans define how the school will address a permanent or temporary disability, and schools are required to abide by them to receive federal funding.Answer #4: The best thing they could do would be file a complaint to the superintendent and ask for an appeal with community support.


Title: Need some advice: Dealing with a joint credit card and an Ex.

Question:
Hi there! I posted this in r/Advice and wasn't able to obtain any help. Perhaps it's more of a subject for Legal Advice? Hoping this is an OK place to post this.

A quick breakdown of my current situation:
Living in California. I recently broke up with my fiance of two years and am trying to go for the whole "clean break" thing; she's off the lease, she's out of the apartment, and mostly out of my life. One problem: we have a joint credit card. I've already contacted the financial company and informed them that the cards were lost and I'll need to cancel the existing cards and have new ones sent to me - so the card is out of her hands.
We bought a couch and two tables together when we moved in. We paid on it and all was fine, but now that she's gone she has elected that I can keep the couch and I can finish paying for it. Fine. That's all well and good. I call up the financial company to find out the remaining balance to learn that it's about $600.00 more than it should be. I ask for a list of recent transactions and come to find out she allowed her friend to buy a ~$600 table using our account. I had no knowledge of this purchase and I would really rather not pay for it. Unfortunately, I'm aware that it's my responsibility, but what options to I have with this table that is in the possession of her friend?
The table is, technically, mine, correct? So can I contact the friend and claim the table as my own, essentially repossessing it Can I contact the company and have them repossess the table and refund the account? Can I dispute the charge, at all?
I'm really at a loss. My Ex is not willing to assist me in any way (she's very immature) and isn't helping me get in contact with her friend, etc. I'm kind of at my wit's end and I've come to the point where I would really rather not pay for a table I don't even have.
If anyone has any experience with such matters, or advice for me, I would really appreciate it! Thank you in advance for your help.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 So the card is still open?  Right now the card is still open and can be charged?

>I'll need to cancel the existing cards and have new ones sent to me

NOOOOO!!!!  Close the account, are you kidding me?  If it's a joint account then she's authorized to order cards to her address too.  Yes, an account with a balance can still be closed.

If your ex authorized your friend to buy the table, then it's joint debt and you wouldn't have a claim on the table.

Call the credit card company and shut down the account ASAP.  Please do this, okay?

If she violated an agreement that you made, you can take the ex to small claims court for the $600.  But for the love of God, please close that account!


Title: Pedestrian hit by car - insurance company won't pay

Question:
A few years ago I was crossing the street (with the walk signal) at an intersection. A driver hit me with their car while making a right turn. They were driving pretty slowly, clearly not paying attention. No bleeding and concussion but I was hit from the back/side, my shoe was caught under their tire, etc. Cops, ambulance ride, two hospital visits, back and wrist pain, etc. Eventually I started physical therapy. Occasionally the drivers insurance would check in with me (I filed a claim immediately) and confirm that everything was fine and to present the bills for physical therapy. I was in therapy for a length of time, and have had back problems continually since. I have $17k in medical bills and as I said in the title, the insurance company will not respond and has not paid. It's been almost three years since the accident. I imagine that a personal injury lawyer is the way to go but I was wondering what I'd be in for with trying to fight this insurance company. Any advice would be amazing. I've never had to deal with anything like this.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: They are not paying because you are passed the two year statute of limitations you have to file a suit. You should speak to a personal injury attorney to see if there is anything you can do to expand those two years


Title: [NY] I’m 21 and my parents are getting a divorce

Question:
I don’t have a good relationship with my parents and they are getting a divorce. Their divorce has no impact on me emotionally and I want this divorce to have zero impact on me at all so I was wondering what legalities do I need to be aware of going forward? I want them to have no custody of me(I know they can’t have custody of me because i’m an adult but I know there are still custodial rights), I want everything that involves me to involve only me and neither of them, what rights I am entitled to, etc. i’m pretty ignorant with this kind of stuff so any information will be helpful. Thank you
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: You don't really have to do anything or have any skin in the game unless the divorce agreement concerns you (like if they agree to pay X toward college for you by example).


Title: Is Old Art Public Domain?

Question: I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place to post this, but I was wondering if Old Egyptian, Medieval, and Feudal Japanese art is public domain. I was wanting to sue them for a card game but I’m not sure if it’s legal.

Answer: Yes, but pictures taken of the old art are not.  If you find an image of the art you like, you still need to ask the photographer's permission to use the image.  If you go trekking across the globe taking the pictures of the old art yourself you are absolutely allowed to use those freely.


Title: [MI] Brother and his friends stole from drug dealer and now being threatened, can we go to the police for help?

Question:
My dumb 18 year old brother and his dumber friends stole some weed from a drug dealer's car. They smoked some and sold some to their classmates for pennies on the dollar but eventually word got back to this guy that these kids had his stuff and he found them and threatened them with a gun. They gave him back what they had left but the guy said they owed him $2,000.

They no longer have any drugs in their possession is it possible for them to go to the police and get the guy arrested or something? Another thread said get a lawyer before you go to the police but we don't have money for a lawyer. Is it possible to get a public defender before we go to the police.

Answer:
 Anytime when your police report will incriminate you, it is time to talk to a lawyer BEFORE you confess to crimes.

The police will likely take the report and prosecute all parties involved for their respective crimes.

Talk to a lawyer BEFORE you talk to the police, or you will talk to a public defender while being prosecuted for theft.Answer #2: >is it possible for them to go to the police and get the guy arrested or something?

Sure.

They would also be subject to arrest for their crimes as well.

Getting a lawyer and going to the cops is the only *legally* responsible way to handle this.Answer #3: This can’t be real. I’m thinking troll, but if you really are this dumb...:

Can’t get a public defender before going to the police. There are ways to obtain legal aid and pro bono legal counsel, but considering this is a dispute between drug dealers you are likely boogered.

A lawyer will advise you against saying anything incriminating to the police. I’m not sure what you can say to the police that wouldn’t be incriminating if your wanting to report this as a threat/extortion issue.

Perhaps an anonymous tip regarding the fact that your dealer is dealing? Even then it won’t guarantee anything comes of it.


Title: Sky Lanterns

Question:
I'm looking to have a small party on a beach and release a dozen or so of these sky lanterns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSsKjwkFj0g

They've been banned in some places but not where I live, in Ontario, Canada. I'm wondering what I should prepare for aside from the obvious safety stuff, hire a few spotters to track them down to dispose of properly.

Should I look into getting a permit or write up a script for talking to authorities if there are issues or go for it and deal with problems as they arise?

Answer:
 These seem like a terrible idea. Let's send fire into the sky and hope it doesn't come down to the ground still on fire!!!

Did you call your insurance company to see if they will defend you if you get sued for burning somebody's house down.


Title: Contractor Botched Work, I Refused To Pay As It Must Be Redone, He Is Threatening A Mechanics Lien

Question:
My wife and I live in KS, just moved into a new home that was a bit of a project. Had the hardwood floors redone by a BBB acredited, National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) certified finisher, for a middle ground price totalling, ~$850 deposit, ~$1500 on completion. We stayed at our parents house that week and when we got back the floors were awful. The owner let an untrained crew come in and just butcher the whole thing. I'll skip the lingo I've had to pick up to describe the damage but let's say it would have been hard to play mini golf in some places due to ruts and divits. The owner agreed that the sanding job was poor, he said he would make it right and that 2/3 on the crew would be fired. I let him try to fix his mistake.

The second pass was certainly better, but still nothing like I was expecting, and I feel I am not being unreasonable. Ignoring a few small ridges here and there most of the house has ripples 90 degrees to the floorboards. I've had 2 quotes to correct the floors, both said it was not normal, one said the original contractor needs to adjust, repair or replace his equipment. A third suggested I call an NWFA inspector.

Today I told him the other contractors found the work below standard and that I he should not expect me to pay him for work that would be immediately undone. He rebounded by threatening a mechanics lien.

After a few hours of thought I'm 80% sure he's bluffing or will improperly file rendering the lien null. The bank tells me from a mortgage standpoint it will in no way effect us other than we could not sell the house until resolved. We don't plan on selling for 10+ years.

At this point I will have a NWFA certified flooring inspector write a report ($500 unfortunately) before having the floors redone as to have something to show a judge if it gets that far. I plan on sending the report to the NWFA to challenge his accreditation. As well as sending it to the BBB in attempt to get my deposit back, recouping the inspector fee, or costing him his BBB accreditation.

Of course there is the unlikely result that NWFA standards are loose enough to call our floors acceptable, in which he will be begrudgingly paid by my own accord.

Anything I should be aware of that could make thus plan go awry?

Answer: Sounds like a pretty open and shut case, as long as you've got pictures and all your documentation in order.


Title: Informing my employer that I'm resigning after an unethical conversation, what to write in a letter or not?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Writing down that you are quitting for being required to falsify documents or participate in illegal behavior will help get unemployment insurance, which you can't normally get if you quit.Answer #2: I think you should contact the American Welding Society immediately and seek their advice. This is of course not guaranteed, but any trade organization which provides certifications to its members ought to be keenly interested in a quandary such as this one. My grandfather was a member for 40 years and they always had his back. Then again, his boss was a good, honest man who would have never allowed a meeting like this to even take place.Answer #3: I have no advice for you. Just wanted to say thank you. I run into so many people in my work life with no ethical standards, it's refreshing to hear about someone taking a stand.


Title: [LA] Am I allowed to put my daughter's survivors benefits into a savings account for her?

Question:
My daughter (7) receives survivors benefits from social security, because her dad is on social security disability and therefore can't pay child support.

Periodically social security sends me payee report forms, and pretty much the only thing they ask is how much money was used for caring for my child, and how much I put into a savings account for her.  Thus far I haven't put any into savings, because frankly I don't have enough financial leeway to do so.  But I'm curious.

I've read that people on other forms of SSI have had their payments stopped because they have reported putting some of the money into savings, I guess because that indicates that they are getting more than enough to live on?  Idk, and I don't know whether or not that actually happens, and if it does, I don't know if it would apply to something that is basically a replacement for child support.

So I'm wondering, if I decided in the future to put some of the money into a savings account and reported accordingly, would they then have reason to cut off the payments?

Answer: Yes that is a legitimate concern, because as a minor your daughter cannot have a savings account on her own.  She can only have a joint and/or custodial account with your name on it as well.  Your name on it means it counts as your assets even if the money is intended for her.


Title: What happens if a deaf person is charged with a crime but doesn't know sign language and can only read slowly so there is no way to interpret a hearing?

Question:
Does it imply the deaf person wouldn't have a right to know what witnesses were saying, and would therefore not have a chance to disprove their testimony?

Or what if the deaf person could read fast enough for a few minutes to read captioning, but would get fatigued from trying to read that fast, and would no longer be able to follow it?  And what if the judge disbelieved the deaf person's complaint of not being able to follow it?  Would that imply an innocent deaf person could get convicted by not being able to refute the testimony, even if it would have been easy to disprove?

If the deaf person had a very busy public defender, who didn't have time and resources for communication problems, and believed the deaf person to be guilty, and wasn't aware that the testimony could be easily disproved, does it imply the deaf person might spend years in prison as punishment for being deaf?  Does it happen to a lot of deaf people?

Or what if the deaf person used sign language, but the sign language interpreter wasn't competent enough to interpret the hearing well enough for the testimony to be clear to the deaf person?  Does that happen too?  Has anyone ever done any research into how many innocent deaf people are in prison for such reasons?

Answer:
 That deaf person has some way of communicating, and they would be afforded a translator for that way in court.

The alternative, where someone is so profoundly disabled they *can't* communicate, would likely be handled as some form of "not guilty due to mental defect", which often means a long stay in a hospital.  Probably longer than they would've gotten in jail.


Title: [TX] “Friend” moved out of state and I agreed to watch her two cats. It’s been two months since she’s been gone. What can I do with them?

Question:
Quotation marks because she’s actually my ex wife’s friend. Agreed to watch them under the premise that they would only be here two weeks. It’s been two months and she hasn’t made any real effort to get them to her.

She keeps telling me so and so will come get them but they always bail on her. I’m tired of these cats. She has no record of owning them, a cat she had before gave birth to them. I’m almost 100% sure she has never taken them to the vet.

What legally can I do with them? Are they basically mine now to do with what I want? Could she try some legal recourse against me if I get rid of them?

Answer:
 What do you want to have happen?

If you want to take ownership of the cats, you pretty much need long-term evidence that she has intentionally abandoned them with you. A month or two isn't anywhere near long enough, especially since she's making claims that she wants to come and get them (even if she isn't following through). You could offer to keep them, or offer to buy them off her, if you like, but right now you have very little ground to claim that they're yours.

If you want to be rid of them, give her written notice that she has some reasonable amount of time (30 days is good) to retrieve them, and that you will turn them over to animal control if she doesn't make arrangements. If she picks them up, great; if not, well, animal control has procedures for abandoned animals. Make sure you provide her with information about which office has the cats promptly, so that she can reclaim them if she wants to. Above all, give her every _reasonable_ avenue to get her property back, and to protect it from unnecessary harm or loss.Answer #2: I own a pet sitting business in Texas.  This is a common problem.  The cats are abandoned property.  Send her a certified letter that she has 30 days to take possession of the cats or they will be handed over to an animal shelter.  After 30 days, you can take action and hand the cats over to a sanctioned animal shelter that takes cats.  No, do not give them away to someone.  Give them to a shelter.  Anyone wanting them can contact the shelter you just dropped them off at.

It really is as simple as that.


Title: College graduate, and friends facing problems with arrest.

Question:
Hello, I am a recent college graduate who resides in the state of California. About a week ago myself and two of my friends went out to the bars of downtown Sacramento. During the end of the night the three of us were sitting down at the steps monument waiting for our uber. I was a bit drunk, but completely coherent. Friend 1 was doing fine as well, but friend 2 was sitting with his head down, and complaining of stomach pains. Friend 2 was not unresponsive, belligerent, or wasted. Friend 2 was just being completely stubborn as he would not make any effort at all to get up, and make his way to the uber despite of the intervention of me  and friend 1. During one of our attempts to get friend 2 to the car, he turns around and punches me around 6 or 7 times. By this time I'm fed up with the difficult behavior of friend 2, and so is friend 1. He is being a complete jackass, and I'm tired, sad, and disappointed that a friend of mine would act this way towards people who are trying to help him. At this time friend 2 is seated on a bench, and refuses to move an inch, so friend 1 hops into the uber in order to bring back friend 2's car (irresponsible I know) while I watch friend 2, so that we would have a car ready on standby for friend 2 who would hopefully be ready to get into it by the time he arrives. We had already had two cop cars show up, who were alright with our explanation of helping our friend, so we were trying to leave as quick as possible. When friend 1 comes back friend 2 is now slumped on the ground holding his stomach in pain. I was not going to pick him up because of his violent actions earlier, so friend 1 gives me the keys, and tells me to bring the car closer instead. On my way to the car I realized that I do not know where it is exactly, and I don't want to waste time looking for it in the dark so I head back to my friends. On the walk over I see two headlights approaching me, then I hear "place your hands out of your fucking pockets, and put them up". I immediately comply with the instructions as I have come to realize that these commands were coming from cops. I was immediately placed in handcuffs, and put in the back of the police car without any reason, and response to my questions on why. I was simply just asked about a fight, to which I had no idea about. the car drives me over about 15 feet to where my friends were, and I was let out of the car, uncuffed, and set down on a some steps. In front of me were 7 police officers, who were all questioning me all at once. At this moment I am confused, tired, a little bit inebriated, and really nervous as I am a black male, with 7 police officers talking to me as if I were at a press conference. I begin to speak by letting the cops know that I am confused, tired, and just trying to help my friends get home. I also mention the fact that I am feeling more than intimated with their approach as I am a young black man being hounded by 7 white police officers. I continue to say that I am also having a very difficult day, (due to dealing with my friend, and subsequently being attacked by him). At this point an officer says exactly "no one here gives a fuck about your day.". This comment was completely unnecessary, and agitated me, so in turn I replied with "no one gives a fuck about your day either n****.". This retort prompted the police officer to cuff me, and state that I was under arrest for "um public intoxication". So I was place in a cop car without being breathalyzed, or read my Miranda rights. Soon after friend 2 was placed in my cop car, with a bloodied face, while friend 1 was placed in another cop car with a white buttoned up shirt covered in blood. Turns out after I left to retrieve the car friend 1 tried to pick up friend 2 which resulted in friend 2 throwing a punch at friend 1's face. This punch knocked down friend 1, which gave friend 2 time to get on top of him and start choking him in a drunken rage. Friend 1 is freaking out, and calls to friend 2 who loosens his grip which allowed friend 1 to knock him in the nose, which caused him to leak blood all over friend 1, who is then placed in a choke hold until he calmed down. Friend 1 gets up walks away while friend 2 slinks over to a bench. The police had caught wind of the fight due to a witness, and was already in pursuit of the two. All of this went down in the 5 minutes it took for me to try and retrieve the car. So now we are taken to the station at 5am, and not released until 6pm later that day. All three of us are processed both friends receive misdemeanors of battery, and public intoxication ( neither were breathalyzed, and both competent upon police arrival). And I receive public intoxication (not breathalyzed, and completely competent), and resisting arrest ( which came as a  complete surprise to me as I had completely complied even after my arrest in fear of any bodily harm that may have come to me had I even twitched while the being cuffed.).

So my main question is that I am a recent black college graduate who is currently looking for a job, I do not need this on my record as I fear it may damage my future ( I also feel as if I am being punished for trying to help my jackass of a friend.). Resisting arrest along with public intoxication is not a good first impression to those who do not know the story. My friends also have a couple more years of college left, and friend 2 even plans on joining the military, but their charges may inhibit their financial aid, and mine if I wish to get my masters in the near future. I was curious to know if there are any ways to not have these crimes show up on my record, as well as having my mugshot expunged from the internet. We are just a couple of young, stupid, men who ran into a bit of trouble that may effect our futures, which is an effect we would like to avoid completely. I also felt as if I was disrespected by the Sacramento PD, and do not know how I will handle the resisting arrest charge especially since it would be my word against a police officers.

Currently friend 1 is not talking to friend 2 for a while, but does not want to press charges even tho the fight was caught on camera. Friend 2 does not remember most of what happened until he was knocked in the nose. Finally Friend 2 is a fucking idiot no questions, but I forgave him as being mad at him is not going to solve my problems, and he's never flipped out to this extent before from drinking. I know this because we were flatmates in college. We all want to put this behind us, without any residual record of it.
P.S Prison is fucking awful, and this has been the worst summer of my life.

TL;DR Went out with friends. Drunk friend refused to move. Drunk friend gets into fight with other friend. Police arrive, and I get arrested along with friends. Now I'm charged with public intoxication, and resisting arrest, and I am looking to have both charges expunged.

Answer:
 TLDR: Get a lawyer, don't hang out with friends who fight when they drink, don't walk around drunk in public.

Get a lawyer, they may be able to help you get a better outcome.


Title: Arizona - Engagement ring was stolen by a hospital nurse while I was having surgery. What are my options?

Question:
My engagement ring was stolen (in October, 2014) while I was having a medical procedure done.

The hospital has a record of the ring being at the hospital, and in their possession (because the nurse was required to write down all of my belongings that I brought in with me).

They are also aware of her not putting the ring in the hospital safe (which is their protocol with all jewelry and items of value - according to their investigation and security department).

The hospital security department (and lead investigator) has fully admitted that they screwed up the investigation by losing my initial report, and then putting off the search for several months. The investigator has informed me that they have exhausted all resources in trying to locate the ring, but there's nothing they can do "months after the crime has occurred."

They have agreed to "replace the value of the ring" if, and only if, I can provide original documentation of the ring's worth. However, it was bought from a local jeweler over 6.5 years ago (we have moved several times since then due to being military).

Can they legally require this documentation and deny replacing a ring they are fully aware was stolen in their hospital if I cannot provide it?

Answer:
 How do you expect them to compensate you for the ring if they don't know how much it was worth? Put yourself in their shoes- an employee loses a patient's jewelry and you want to reimburse the patient, but the patient could potentially tell you that a $60 piece of jewelry actually cost $6,000. They need proof of the ring's value in order to compensate you for the loss.

If you can't find that specific jeweler (you should be able to call and get records of it, or find old CC records from when it was purchased), get estimates with pictures of your ring and its features from multiple local jewelers and give those to the hospital. Answer #2: 1.  Track down the jeweler. You haven't even tried yet.
2.  Track down your credit card company.  I have access to my AMEX statements from that long ago and I think my other cards as well.Answer #3: This is why people should insure these high-value kinds of things...Answer #4: Do you have a rider on your homeowners insurance for this ring? Is the jewelry store still in business?


Title: Friend Fired for Seizure. Anything he can do?

Question: (Missouri) A friend of mine had a seizure earlier this week and missed work due to his doctor's orders and note. Our boss said it was fine, but decided to fire him today and claimed that it was because he was no call no show. Even though he had his shifts covered and was originally told it was fine. Is there anything my friend can do?

Answer:
 Did your friend have FMLA paperwork submitted? If so, he could expect reasonable accommodation for a known health issue. Otherwise, unless he has an employment contract he's probably out of luck. Not showing up to work is a valid reason to fire someone. He should file for unemployment. Answer #2: Did you friend no show or did he call in?  When was his shift and when did he tell his boss he wouldn't be in?

Put aside the issue of whether someone covered his shift for a moment, some employers don't allow you to skip work without notice just because you've called your buddy and he'll cover for you.

Also, what is his job and do you or the friend think the employer is reacting unduly harshly because the employer is freaked out about seizures?  If so, that could be unlawful discrimination.Answer #3: Did he turn in the doctors note to HR stating the days he wouldn't be there?Answer #4: If your friend submitted the appropriate paperwork to the company with the doctor's orders, he would be protected by the FMLA. If he didn't submit any of the appropriate paperwork, then unfortunately he probably isn't protected.


Title: Eviction Catastrophe

Question:
I woke up to an email stating there was a collections account added to my credit report.  $10,000.  The account in question was from an apartment I was evicted from when I checked in to rehab. I was never personally served the eviction notice I just kind of left that place behind me.  Marital problems. My wife left. Took her name off the lease. I was never formally served the eviction notice I just kind of inferred that it happened. I never went back to the place after she left. Stupid, I know but going to rehab was more of a priority at that time.  I haven't received any bill or any notice of an account etc. it just posted to my credit report.
Any advice in how to proceed from this point would be greatly appreciated. California

Answer:
 In most States they just have to post the eviction notice to the front door. You did not show up for the hearing at lost by default.
You can get a copy of the eviction judgment from the county court house. You usually have limited time to appeal.


Title: Being sued for Defamation of Character [Gwinnett County, Georgia]

Question:
So, I purchased a car off of Craigslist. The owner lied to me about their being a lien on the car and provided a document that I thought was a title, but was not.

After close to 3 months of him not resolving the issue, I decided to publish the information online on ripoffreport.com and reddit so that others would not be fooled by him.

By doing this, he realized he needed to make things right and paid off the lien and gave me the title.

Now, he us suing me for defamation of character in the amount of $15k.

I was honest in what I posted online, but also mentioned his company? Am I screwed?

Thanks!

Answer:
 Why did you waste your time? Why didn't you just file a police report for theft by trick, since the guy is actually a criminal.

You're not "screwed". You need to respond to the complaint.  I'd also be filing the police report around now.  If he's interested in getting into a legal battle, there is no reason it should remain civil.


Title: Is it considered litering to miscarry a baby in public?

Answer:
 Reported.

0/10.Answer #2: The boyfriend loves to cause drama?
Answer #3: Trolololol lololol lololol


Title: Exwife is sewing me for child support for a baby that's not my baby (Alabama)

Question: hello i divorced my wife last year after she had a baby that was not my baby she didn t cheat on me but things happen and she did not want ot get rid of the baby, now her  brother convinced her that she could sew me and I would need to give her money. I divorced her because I did n't want to do that and raise a baby that was not mine. I was not my fault and I don't see what I should have to do. Do I need a lawyer

Answer:
 Is it bad that I stopped reading the title after "sewing" and as soon as I read the body of the post I said to myself "this guy has to be from alabama"?  Lo and behold, guy is from alabama.  Sorry if I offend any of our regulars here who may hail from alabama.

How did she get pregnant, OP?  She didn't cheat on you, because why would she, right?  Have you ever made sexy time with her?  "Wife" would imply yes.  Was it god?  Was this an immaculate conception?  Was it her brother, and he's the dad/uncle?  Are they just trying to get you to pay for their lovely mutated offspring for them?  Craziness man...pure craziness.

Roll damn tide though, amirite?


Title: Line between parody and copyright

Question:
I really hope this is the right forum to post this in. I just have a really simple (but probably not so simple) question:

So, right to it, where does the line between parody and copyright begin and end with art/characters that are trademarked?

For background on my specific place, I’m a gamer/streamer who has a pretty large on an app. I have made all of my own logos, and other artwork myself. So far they have been all custom creations. Recently, however, I have been going through a gradual rebranding. Currently all of my banners, and basic artwork has been refinished to model itself after a video game that is referenced a lot in my life, and streaming. They’re all original, just inspired with the colours and texture style. As well as the font, which I purchased a commercial license for.

Where this line is starting to bother me is my last piece I need. My page feature a picture of me done in a cartoon type style, with this new rebranding I was hoping to make it a parody a famous character from a video game. This character is essentially the mascot of the game. (I read the rules for this forum, and I’m not sure if I’d be allowed to say the game and character, so forgive me for my sort of vague descriptors.) The idea I’m currently drawing in illustrator is just me done in the style of the character doing a similar pose to one that is used in the game. The hairstyle would be pretty similar. Also, in the game this character always has the same outfit on. I have a costume my fans know me by, and I would be using that for the outfit. I’m just nervous that it will fall under some sort of copyright. I took law classes every year in highshool, but parody vs copyright has always been one area that sort of went above my head.

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer. I'm an artist who has made and sold fan art that includes copyrighted characters.

[Here's an excellent legal discussion about fan art](https://io9.gizmodo.com/5933976/are-fan-fiction-and-fan-art-legal). It's long but worth reading, not just for your question but because it's really interesting too. But the TL;DR of it is that if you include copyrighted characters in your art, whoever holds the copyright can tell you to stop doing it. Per the link, many companies / individuals don't because it generates fan interest and enthusiasm for the product and the brand.

UNTIL you start making money off of someone else's copyright by mass producing t-shirts, posters, or similar. Or you change the character (not the look so much, but the personality) to such an extent that the copyright holder feels compelled to tell you to stop using it. The article linked above goes into detail about Fair Use, satire, parody, and such.

Edit: clarifyAnswer #2: In what way do you think a drawing of you as, let's say, a gentleman from Hyrule, a parody?

You're going to be using this for branding, which means worrying about both copyright and trademark, and the latter doesn't have fair use protections (but is also of a different scope).

Small infringements often slide, but that's a dangerous assumption to make. If you are big enough you'd be noticed, you probably should consult an IP attorney before making a branding decision that you might not be able to actually implement.


Title: My company's customer made a racial joke/comment while visiting their facility.

Question:
Not sure if this the right place to ask since I am not looking to sue.

My company send me to a big ($) customer's facility to help with some IT related installation. 2 of the local IT guys whom I had not been formally introduced were moving boxes in the same server room I was working in, and simply said "excuse can I just squeeze in real quick' and one of the IT guys said 'andale.. andale...' which is a Mexican slang for 'hurry up'.

He had a smirk on his face.

I am Hispanic. I did not say anything since I was kinda shocked and knew it could have cause 'issues' with my company.

If I wanted could I sue this guy and the company he works for?

What if I had started an argument with him, could my company fire me for fighting with a 'customer' and possibly loose future revenue from them?

Thanks

Answer:
 That's not racist. That's talking in another language. If a non Hispanic person says "gracias" to their waitress at a Mexican restaurant is that racist? Wherever your sensitivity dial is at now, turn it down by 99%.

> What if I had started an argument with him, could my company fire me for fighting with a 'customer' and possibly loose future revenue from them?

Yes, absolutely. And I would expect a terrible reference for showing such poor judgement.Answer #2: > If I wanted could I sue this guy and the company he works for?

For what damages?

> What if I had started an argument with him, could my company fire me for fighting with a 'customer' and possibly loose future revenue from them?

Absent language to the contrary in your employment contract or collective bargaining agreement your employer could fire you for that.


Title: [IL] The owner of my storage unit "donated" my belongings after I was late on pmt. What can I do?

Question:
I was late on pmt for my storage unit.  The owner sent me a certified letter informing me that he would donate my stuff to charity and sue me for the remaining balance if I didn't pay it off in 14 days.

The letter looked like every other bill, and was thrown into the pile of bills by my room mate.  I just got to it, on day 16.  Went to my unit and it is empty.

I know the laws lean towards to owners of the storage units, but can he really give all my stuff away after 14 days???

Answer:
 So how late in all were you?

But likely yeah, he sent you a letter with two weeks to pay, you still did not pay your obligation.

Edit: he may have had to do a publication notice before getting rid of your stuff but it depends on how late you were

[link](http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2262&ChapterID=63)


Title: My previous landlord is charging me fees for damages, that they can't explain.

Question:
I've recently moved out of an apartment here in Washington state near Tacoma. I've rented from a few places before this last one, and luckily have always walked away with SOME of my deposit back without haggling the management. But this time I got hit with a $2000+ fee!

I got the deposit/fee/charges letter about 15 days after I moved out, after which I promptly called and emailed them about. I've kept it very professional, but I'm starting to feel like they're actually screwing up and might be trying to wiggle their way out of a bad situation.

I've asked them two times now for an actual itemized list for the damages and costs as shown on the letter they sent me (the letter was very not-informative), and a detailed explanation of the damages and why they weren't considered normal wear and tear. I also asked for photos, which they sent me some today, but I noticed by checking the exif data, they just took them this morning! And they said they won't be able to get me an itemized cost list until they talk to their vendors ... whatever that means ...

Just to note: they're trying to charge me $1000 for a new fridge, cause we put one tiny dent in it, and another $1000 for completely redoing the floors because my couches left some impressions (flattening) on the wood-textured vinyl floors. I'm not sure how they got these costs, and it seems neither do they.

Does this seem dubious to anyone else? From what I understand, they have to give me this kind of information 2 weeks after I've moved out, and it's been 20+ days. Any advice on how to go from here? I really don't want to spend much of my emergency fund money on this, as I really did leave the apartment in good shape for living there for 2 years. At the very least, I'd like to try and get these costs lowered ...

Any advice is greatly welcomed. Thanks!

Answer:
 They are obligated to provide you an itemized list within 21 days of vacating the rental. They may not deduct for normal wear and tear, which both of those examples you gave would fall under (unless the refrigerator damaged impacted the workings of it). I'm curious how they came to that amount if they haven't consulted the vendors...

Does your lease have an arbitration or mediation provision? If it does you'll have to follow that to challenge them to get your deposit back. If not you can refuse to pay and they can take you to small claims where they have to prove the damage amount and show it wasn't normal wear and tear. Or you can negotiate with them. Or you can file a claim in small claims to get your entire deposit back because they didn't follow the statute for notifying you about your deposit. If you do this they can counter for damages they believe you owe them. Answer #2: You've already been too nice. The WA Tenant Union has a helpful pre-written letter asking for the return of your deposit: http://www.tenantsunion.org/pdf/Sample_Letter_Deposit_Return_Request.pdf

Send this to them via Certified Mail. If they don't return your deposit by the date you ask, file a suit in small claims court and enjoy getting double your deposit back.


Title: How do I become emancipated?

Question: Hey, I want to be emancipated from my parents. How do I do this if I can't hire a lawyer? I need to petition the court; how do I do this?

Answer:
 Can you afford to support yourself, live alone, pay rent/groceries/utilities/clothing/etc?

What state?


Title: Hypothetical: What if I’m intoxicated and shoot and kill an intruder?

Question:
Let’s say I’m at home drinking some alcohol or smoking marijuana and I’m drunk/high. Let’s also assume either/or is legal in the area I’m intoxicated in.

An intruder bursts into my house and is wielding a gun. I grab my family member/roommate’s (not mine) shotgun and kill the intruder.

Police come and determine it is an actual intruder who seemed to have malicious intentions, maybe even a wanted man.

Would I get in any legal trouble over any of this? I’ve heard that it’s illegal for a gun owner to be a marijuana user so I was curious about the legality of a situation like this if that is true.

Would any of this change if marijuana/alcohol was illegal in the area that I was in (let’s say this is in the United States)? Would it be different if the gun was registered to me? Would it be different if the substance were something like cocaine, shrooms, LSD, or any other illegal narcotic?

Answer:
 NAL but I don’t believe that your state of intoxication has any bearing on whether the situation permits self defense with lethal force. It may very well make it difficult for you assess the situation correctly, but assuming a sober person could legally use lethal force, so can you.

You may still be culpable for other firearms or substance abuse offenses like you described, however.


Title: [Colorado] Ex-Girlfriend Quit Job and Refusing to Pay Lease

Question:
Hi all,

So my ex-girlfriend and I have an apartment together. Both of us are on the lease. To this date, I've paid all the bills for living there. We moved in on May 5th, things didn't work out with us being together. (I know one whole month isn't much, but she turned out to be an alcoholic, I don't mean that in a casual way.)

Is there any legal routes to remove her or myself from the lease?

She has thrown my property out, and threaten to destroy others. She becomes physically abusive when she drinks, (which is every night), as well as physically trying to prevent me from leaving the house, complex, getting in my car, or driving my car (standing in the way).

Any help will be greatly appreciated thanks.

Answer:
 If you have a police record of her violence and can document the abuse, then yes, you have the option of breaking the lease without penalty. This is a recent CO law, so you should do your homework if you're serious about this, and it would mean that you (not she) would need to move out.

[https://www.rentecdirect.com/blog/colorado-house-bill-1035/](https://www.rentecdirect.com/blog/colorado-house-bill-1035/)


Title: NSFW Masturbation in a public restroom: yay or nay?

Answer:
 Nay, dude.

Jesus. Wait till you get home.


Title: A man keeps trespassing on my acreage, security captured a vehicle but no plate. Today I finally saw the car at the gas station and recognized the guy from previous videos. What should I do next?

Question:
Not as simple as it seems...  We bought a well known abandoned house in the middle of nowhere last year near a very small town.  The very first night we moved things in - we had all our quads stolen plus more.  The house is kind of famous in the area and the locals seem curious, we have
vehicles drive by slow at all hours, Im a tad paranoid since the theft and invested in a security system.  Arlo if anyone's wondering.  The last two months Arlo has caught a man wondering my property, never knocking, and always leaving quicker than the RCMP can get there and leaving nothing to really identify him by.  But the last time he came, I was home and he pulled up beside my car and I ran out to see what he wanted but he was already driving away fast, I ran after him and tried to flag him down with no luck, though his car was caught on camera this time and today I saw that car and recognized him.  I snapped some pics of the plate and identifiers that were the same as my video and phoned the gas station.  I said he dropped some Money and asked if they knew who he was and whether or not he's from town and they said they knew him and he was in fact from town and are eager to return the money.  Should I leave a note and ask him if he wants a tour?  Should I phone the RCMP and let them look into it?  If he's innocent and just a curious local I feel like the wrath of this strange small town might be too crazy to deal with if Police are involved.  Can the RCMP do anything?  Technically he's just come on the property and done nothing but look around but at the same time, if his intentions were good--don't you think he would come and knock and introduce himself?  Canada
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Call the police and make the report. In may very well be nothing, and they may not do anything about it, but it will be on record if something does come up of it later. My local police always say, when in doubt, give them a call. It's their job to figure out what's worth investigating and it isn't a waste of time.


Title: Bank of America is giving me 30 days from November 25th to leave my leased home:

Question:
I live in a leased town home in Florida that was foreclosed on. I've paid rent on time for almost 5 years and have never caused any trouble to the bank or the HoA (which appears to deal with the property). However, I received a letter on November 26th (Thanksgiving) stating that I have 5 days to prove I am a tenant of the property or face eviction and if I can prove I am a tenant then I have 30 days to leave as the foreclosed home is being sold.

You heard that right, these people want to evict me on Christmas day. They want me homeless on Christmas day.

I was told I'd be given 90 days by the HoA to evict, but it appears that Bank of America, and their lawyers at the wonderful Aldridge Pite, are taking advantage of the fact that the law (signed by President Obama in 2009) has temporarily expired on December 2014 and is due to be signed but has been sitting since March 2015. They're using this as a way to evict me on Christmas day.

Is there anything I can do here? I called the legal firm and they told me they'll have word from their client (BoA) in 72 hours.

Funny part; when I explained that it'd fall on Christmas, the nice lady responded that it would likely be on 26th. Like that's any better!

Thank you Reddit,
Tiny Tim.

Answer:
 This came up before and I think the consensus was that after the Federal law expired in 2014, there's no Federal protections for renters when a property is foreclosed upon, and in most states the foreclosure terminates the lease.

Since the landlord was bound to deliver the property during the term of the lease and failed to do so, you can sue the landlord for your reasonable expenses in moving/finding a new place to live/extra costs for a replacement lease in a new place.

Unless Florida has some specific protection for this, foreclosure ends your lease and you can be booted at any time after that date.

Ah, here you go, 30 days:

http://www.kelleylawoffice.com/new-florida-foreclosure-law-protects-tenants/

I would look for a new place, perhaps starting January 1, and try to negotiate staying in the property until January 1.  Realistically, what's the bank going to do with the property in the last week of December?  Not much, probably.  Otherwise, you can spend a week staying at a hostel or something.
Answer #2:

is there a written lease in effect at this time?  if so, when does it end? and have you shown the lease to BOA?


Title: NY Worker Compensation Atty’s of Reddit. 2013 bilateral arthroscopic knee surgery - 30% permanency. Then 2017 bilateral knee replacement. Same case still open. New permanency scale laws as of 2018 - is there a workaround for people caught in the middle of the old/new determination rules?

Answer: This question is above reddits paygrade. Even if someone gives you an answer there's no way you can reasonably rely it... You, most likely, have a wc attorney ask that person. If you don't, now you know why it's helpful to have one.


Title: (New Orleans) Is my school allowed to do this?

Question:
I am in 7th grade and I am mainly asking out of curiousness.
Our grade was going on a trip to a local park and I did not get my forms signed so my mom had to sign me out at the office and take me home.
I decided to go to the park alone and hung out with my friends. Nothing really happened until I took out my phone and a teacher tried to take it away. (We have a strict phone policy) I told her "No, I am not with the school you cant do that" and then she told me to come with her.
I was then yelled at and forced to leave the public park while they said "This is a school activity you cant be here!"

Answer: Yes, your school is allowed to refuse to let you engage in activities without appropriate permission, and they're allowed to follow school procedures on school outings even if you didn't sign up for them.  You showed up to a school event, which means they're responsible for you whether they want to be or not.  Think of it this way: If you had gotten hurt at the park, or something else bad happened, do you think your parents would accept "He didn't sign the permission slip and showed up on his own, so he's not our problem" as an answer?  No, or course not.


Title: [Chicago] Won Small Claims. Now I need to serve Chase bank. How do I do that?

Question:
I recently won a small claims court case. However, the defendant is still refusing to pay or even respond to anything.

He was my former employer who refused to pay my last few weeks of employment. I know he has assets in Chase bank.

I was given paper work titled "Citation To Discover Assets To A Third Party" However, I have no clue if I am to serve a local bank, the Chase headquarters, or who?

Answer: Were you an employee or independent contractor?  If an employee then did you ever try going through your state's department of labor?  That will actually work, rather than you now having to chase down a bank and serve an attachment and what not. Answer #2: Contact the clerk of the court or Chase. One of them will tell you what to do.


Title: My friends wife attempted to kill him but it cant be proved. She is severely mentally unstable. How does my friend get his kids out of that situation as she has threatned hurting them to his face?

Answer: Where is your friend? If somewhere in the US, he can file for divorce, custody, and a restraining order. Even if he can't prove she tried to kill him he can tell the police. They can investigate.


Title: I got scammed on craigslist, and now am facing legal action. What do i do?

Question: I received a job offer for bookkeeping on craigslist. The potential employer sent a check of about 2,900, with the intention of me getting different software materials. I deposited it in my bank account, then withdrew the cash to deposit it into a chase bank account for the vendor. I didnt withdraw the money until my bank cleared the check, even still im now 2,700$ overdrawn. I went to chase and was told there was nothing they could do, my bank said only chase could fix it. I then filed a police report only to be told by  a (very rude) police officer that i wouldnt be filling out a police report for myself, but rather for the bank so that if i dont pay the money i owe, they can have me arrested. I have no options in paying this off, its either fight it or go to jail. As i understand it, theres nothing i can do because i technically "gave" this money that i dont have, instead of having it taken from me. The representative at Chase said the company who issued the check is legitimate, but that they might have also been scammed and their accounts are being used for this. What is my next course of action?

Answer:
 Hire an attorney, this is an extremely common scam.Answer #2: Do you have any book keeping experience?

I imagine if you did, you would have saw that this was a scam from a mile away.

Your narrative is a bit confusing, but if the police are saying you might be charged with a crime, your ext course of action will be to consult with a local defense attorney. You'll want to bring all the info from the job, the check, bank statements.


Title: Someone Flew a Drone Over my Property and I punched the owner.

Question:
For context, I live in CA and I am a minor (17 years old).

For the past three weeks, this drone operator has been flying his drone over my house and the residential area around me. The drone is a quadcopter that has a camera attached to the bottom. Today, the operator landed his drone in my backyard, and seeing this invasion of privacy, I flipped out and went to search for this drone operator. I ran up to him and punched him in the face.

We settled this dispute civilly without him ever pressing charges, but I am still wondering what can still possibly happen to me legally. Can he still charge me for the assault? Is there anything he did wrong in terms of flying the drone?

Again, this is in California and I am 17 years old.

Answer:
 He can't charge you. He can report you to the police, they can arrest you, and the DA can charge you with assault.

Some cities in CA prohibit landing a drone on private property but most do not. As long as he was following FAA regulations he was probably fine.

Don't punch people. You were the one in the wrong here.


Title: Landlord Wants Us Out Early?

Question:
Hi all,

I'm currently an at-will tenant; the agreement between myself and my landlord is that my occupancy will end September 1st. He hasn't been able to find another tenant for next month and will be listing the apartment on AirBnB. He just texted me wondering when I was thinking about leaving, because he'd like to rent the apartment over Labor Day weekend (starting August 31st, which I assume means I'd need to skedaddle at least a day beforehand). I said that'd be fine as long as the rent was pro-rated. He kind of balked at that and said that instead I should pay him my full rent and he'd 'refund' me--which I'm guessing means he wants to ensure he gets paid on August 31st whether I'm there or not. I'm a little peeved at a lot of other instances of cheapskatery and, probably because of that, I'm very annoyed over this latest attempt to nickel and dime me. My question is--what are my rights here? The state I live in mandates that you have to terminate an at-will occupancy 30 days in advance; it's way less than 30 days until August 31st.

Thanks!

Answer: You have full use of the property until midnight, August 31st. If he wants it earlier, he has to secure your agreement.Answer #2: Don’t take his deal, obviously. You pay full rent for August, you’ll never get it any of it back.


Title: Help me keep my puppy after my breeder has decided that I'm "unfit" for ridiculous reasons.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Absent a contract, the dog is the property of the breeder still. You may ask for the deposit back in a timely fashion. If she refuses, take her to small claims court and sue for the deposit + court costs.


Title: [CA] Can I post a sign telling people not to park shared scooters across from my carport?

Question:
I live in a city in California where a startup has recently started placing electric scooters around in public places \(near sidewalks, alleys, etc\), which you can rent using an app.

I live in an apartment and have carport parking in the alleyway behind my apartment. The specific spot I am assigned to park in is between two poles, which makes it hard for me to get in and out on a good day. Furthermore, there's a shed across from where I park that restricts the amount of horizontal space I have for making a \(2n\+1\)\-point turn every time I need to drive somewhere. I don't know who the shed belongs to \(I've never seen anyone open or use it for anything\) but I don't think it's part of our apartment property.

Recently I noticed scooters are occasionally being left in the alleyway across from my apartment building's carport. They're being left in flocks of 4, which suggests to me that the scooter chargers are deliberately placing them there \(rather than a rider travelling to the alleyway and leaving them where they stop\).

I want to place a sign on the shed directly opposite the carport saying something like "\[scooter company name\] Unfriendly Zone: Scooters Parked Here Will Be Discarded or Impounded." \(I don't intend to throw any scooters into a dumpster, but I might put one suggestively right next to a trash can. The city I live in recently passed an emergency ordinance allowing law enforcement officers to impound any kind of shared mobility device—scooters, bikeshares, etc—that are placed restricting access to a public right of way. I have no idea if an alleyway qualifies as a public right of way.\) Could I legally post this sign on someone else's property? Would I be able to get police to impound a scooter if someone leaves it in a position making it harder for me to get out of my parking space?

I hear y'all like crappy MS Paint diagrams. I don't have access to a Windows machine but I hope this suffices.

[https://imgur.com/CKQLWf0](https://imgur.com/CKQLWf0)
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Have you tried just contacting the company responsible and asking them not to put their scooters there because it blocks access?

If not, contacting the property owner and explaining the situation and asking if you can put a sign or notice up is your second best bet.

Your best option after those is to file a complaint about the scooter location with the police claiming the scooters are blocking your access in and out of your parking space. But putting signs like that on someone else's property is a good way to get in trouble when you could have easily asked for permission or for the scooter company to just stop, instead.


Title: Guy who drove at me with U-Haul is now my next door neighbor...

Question:
I am a 22 yr old male living alone in my apartment. My fiancee and myself are both on the paperwork for it (she's moving in later this week). Yesterday we noticed a U-Haul that had backed up into someone's truck while trying to turn around in the parking lot. The truck owner was inside honking like crazy. Then he finally is able to pull away and parks somewhere else. I go out because I want to make sure he doesn't hit my car too (it's right next to the U-Haul). I walk up to about 5 ft away from the car and the passenger (looks like his kid) opens the door. I ask "please don't hit my car." He says, "I'm not going to hit your fucking car, get back in the house." I back up and stand on the sidewalk watching. Passenger closes door. The U-Haul driver then backs up and drives forward towards me onto the sidewalk. I dodge out of the way and continue watching. If I had not moved, he would have hit me. After the U-Haul is stopped I go inside. As I do the man says from a distance, "Did I hit your car?" I say, "No, but you hit the other guy's." He denies it as I'm entering my building. Later that day, a woman from that party of people apologizes to my fiancee at the door of my apartment.

I filed a police report for attempting to hit me with a vehicle. Gave them all the info I have and they gave me an incident report. Officer also said she would ask them their side of the story (they live right across from me in my apartment building). They also said they would contact my fiancee and her mother, both of whom were watching from the window.

What should I do now? I told the officer I am not prosecuting. My plan currently is to go to the office of the apartment community and demand for either the removal of my neighbors from the building or allowing me to move to another building (there are lots) so they don't know where I live. When I called the office initially, they said to contact police if I felt unsafe. Well I did, but I sure don't feel very safe knowing I could get mugged right outside my own apartment. I'm getting married this week, I don't want to fear for my girl's life or my own right now. This is a good part of town. I didn't think I would have to deal with this shit.

Answer: The landlord is not going to get involved, your recourse is to tell the police you want to press charges.


Title: What can I do about my neighbors dogs that bark all night keeping me awake?

Question: **phoenix arizona

Answer:
 Call the police.Answer #2: I'm currently going through this in Ohio. In my city there's an ordinance and what I have to eventually do if mediation doesn't help is file a complaint with the prosecutor's office. They'll send a warning out, followed by mediation, followed by a criminal complaint. The city of Phoenix seems to have similar going by this page:

https://www.phoenix.gov/law/prosecutor/barking-dogs/information-for-the-complainant

Definitely do all you can first before going the route of having a petition sent since that can end up with criminal misdemeanor charges. Of course if your neighbour is a dick about it then don't feel bad.


Title: Can I be paid $9 during a 4 month “training period” when minimum wage is $12?

Question:
I am asking for my cousin who is working at a popular, nationwide ice cream business in Los Angeles County, CA.

My cousin recently got his first job and is working 10-15 hours a week at $9.00 an hour. The minimum wage of California is $12.00 and has been since Jan 1, 2019. He works at two different locations which are both owned by the same management.

I asked him if they just delay his full pay until the  4 months is up (I thought withholding pay was illegal eagle) and he said that after the 4 month training period, he can ask for a raise...

Is it legal to pay an employee 75% of minimum wage under the term “training period”? Thank you.

Answer:
 > He works at two different locations which are both owned by the same management.

I'm betting they claim that they don't have to pay overtime because of this, too...

California's minimum wage has no exceptions for trainees. He's owed at least minimum wage from day one.Answer #2: God no, he needs to be paid minimum wage. Different locations doesn't matter - if he's under the same company, he needs to be paid minimum wage, and he's entitled to overtime for any hours over 8 in a day and over 40 in a week, regardless of which location or combination of locations he works at. A probationary period doesn't give his employer license to break minimum wage law.Answer #3: I can't imagine any job that pays minimum wage that would require a 4 month training period?


Title: [TN] Legality of not being told you have been let go

Question:
Answer is probably going to be a "no" but I figured I'd asked anyway because I could be wrong.

Long and short of it, I work retail. Last couple weeks I've not been scheduled for any shifts so I will admit I knew I was either going to be constructively dismissed or let go. Have not had contact with my boss or coworkers in the past few days. Yesterday I did my daily "check my schedule and pray I have hours" on the home associate kiosk. Could not log in. Tried again. On a whim I went to see if I could log in through the *former* associate kiosk and could get in. I have not received any notification from my boss through call or text or even email. Is this illegal?

Answer: Not that I'm aware of. File for unemployment.


Title: [USA, Utah] Naturalization Denied For Voting in General Election

Question:
Long story short, I voted in the general election not knowing that I did not have that right as a permanent resident (and by extension, lied on the voter registration that I was a U.S. Citizen).

When I went to my N-400 interview, they had me do an N-14 request for evidence before the decision was made and provide my voter registration as well as de-register and provide proof of that. Which was funny, as the lady at the county clerks office had never de-registered someone before. I provided all that and was denied of course, but the letter also mentioned that I didn't provide or establish any extenuation (an excuse?) but they never said I could even do that. I was pretty in shock and freaking out at the interview to give any apology or reasoning either.

This is the denial letter details http://imgur.com/9VJxZ5Z
I'm going to fill out an N-336 as the denial letter suggested. All I'm really going to provide is a written message on the "reason you are requesting a hearing" section of the form, with a formal apology written as follows:

> I would like to request a hearing for the denial of my N-400 case because I feel that I can overcome the grounds for my denial. I’m not sure if I just missed my chance for providing an extenuation as I was never told when was the right time to do so, and the process is pretty nerve wracking as I’m sure you know. I won’t deny that I voted of course, but I only did so as a duty to the country. I remembered from my initial interview when I received permanent residency that I was then allowed to vote, and wasn’t really told specifics about being able to vote in the general election or not. When there was messages left and right online about the importance of voting, I took it upon myself to do so. It is my fault for not having researched or asked further on my own to make sure if I was allowed to vote or not, knowing about my permanent resident status, since I already had it in my mind that I was allowed to do so and no one else that knew of my status was aware that I did not have the right either. I was not aware that only U.S. Citizens had the right to vote until I studied for civics exam and became very confused and worried once I read that it wasn’t my right to vote. I’m aware now that I had also stated in my voter registration that I was a U.S. Citizen, but did so without paying much attention to it, as I had been told before that if no permanent resident option was on form as it usually is, to then select “yes” as selecting “no” was meant that I had no legal documents whatsoever. I do humbly apologize for my mistake, as I was not aware that I did not have those rights when I made those decisions. I would never have done it if I had the full and correct knowledge, as I am not a person to cheat and lie for any benefit. I hope you can please reconsider my denial, as I love this country and its’ people, and I am ready to do right as a Citizen of the United States.

It's so silly that I'm now a person of "bad moral character" for thinking I did the right thing. I'm really scared to mess this up more than I already have without even knowing it, especially since I have to pay the same as the N-400 filing fee a second time just for this. Is what I'm doing probably the best and only way to handle it? Is there anything else suggested that I could do for this situation? I feel like I'm very short on time as well since they only gave 33 days from the denial date to accept the form before the decision is final, so I might just get it out as soon as possible. I really hope I don't get charged any of the penalties they spoke of. I don't have the time and money to go to jail and pay a huge fine for something like this. Or even worse get deported. ;-;
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 You now need an immigration attorney.

Voter fraud is a touchy subject right now, and - good intentions or not - you broke the law. Your attorney may be able to rescue your naturalization, or advise you on how to minimize the damage to your permanent residency status.


Title: CA - My Apartment Complex Towed My Car

Question: When I confronted the resident services about the situation, I found out that they entered only my roommate's car's information (they actually filled it in TWICE, once in each of the two possible slots). I have a copy of the document with my car's info on it, along with my roommate's. Do I have any recourse? Would it be smart to take them to small claims or something? I feel like the fact they made a mistake in their computer entry of our cars should make them liable for towing my car.

Answer: You ask whether it would "be smart to take them to small claims or something?" That is smart, but only as a last resort because it's not a fun or time efficient process. I hope someone here comes up with successful advice that doesn't involve small claims court. IANAL, good luck!


Title: Employer terminated me. Now claims I lied on application because it wasn't fully completed to avoid unemployment.

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice

So I was recently terminated from my shift manager position at a local bar. The general manager was a friend of mine and is how I got a job at the bar and was eventually promoted. He gave me an application for formality and I partially completed it and was added to payroll.

Fast forward almost two years, my GM friend finds a job at a new store. I've supported him and helped him at the cost of people who attempted to screw him over this entire time, and did not make good friends with the AGM. AGM, now promoted to GM, instantly fires me.

The problem is that I have a previous felony conviction and the new GM cited that as a reason for my termination. However, this was never a secret and the former GM was aware of this. I filed for unemployment and they are contesting it claiming I lied on my application. I did not check "yes" or "no" to the felony box, and they are saying this is a form of falsification so they can use my felony to terminate me now.

This was only a part time job while I'm in school but the money really helped and it's very difficult to find a job which doesn't conflict with my schedule. Also of note is that my locality has a "Ban the Box" initiative and having that check box on the application seems to violate that, and it went in effect prior to me applying for the job.

I filed an appeal and submitted my complete employee file to the employer and judge as evidence and I have a phone hearing on Wednesday for my appeal.

Did not checking the box either way qualify as lying on my application? Is there any precedent concerning this? What should I do or what should I know leading up to this hearing?

Thank you very much guys!

TL;DR: Left felony checkbox blank on application, employer citing that as lying on my application and firing me without consequence.

Answer:
 > Also of note is that my locality has a "Ban the Box" initiative and having that check box on the application seems to violate that, and it went in effect prior to me applying for the job.

make sure to bring this up at the hearing, if the question was illegal for them to ask then the odds of being denied unemployment benefits for not answering an illegal question is practically nil.

even if it wasn't illegal to ask, not answering is very different from putting false information on your application.Answer #2: There's likely a clause in your employment paperwork where you signed that said something along the lines of "this application is complete and factual to the best of my ability", so they could argue that technicality.

Most states do not let you collect unemployment while you're in school, regardless of the reason for termination.  You can appeal the decision if your state is not one of them.


Title: Do I have a case? Please help.

Question:
Less than a year ago, I was asked to resign from my job as a lifeguard in Dallas, Texas. I was working the cash register at the time with a few of my co-workers and my manager comes in. He places his hand on my lower back near my butt. He takes it away and I tell him not to touch me again. He immediately places it back. I become annoyed and push him away and punch him in the arm. He says "Really, dude? Really? Get out." He meant leave the property and go home for the day. I had some stuff in a locker so I went to get that first and then left with no questions. He texts me saying that I need to meet with the supervisor (his boss) the next time I'm scheduled to work. So the meeting happens and she says "He was probably just playing around. Maybe he didn't hear you tell him to stop." She informs me that she can no longer have me on the payroll asks me to resign. I never turned in a letter of resignation.

Questions are welcome. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Case for what exactly--what is it that you want?

As far as "wrongful termination" you have no case.

Not saying they acted prudently but their actions as you describe don't justify hiring a lawyer and I doubt you'd find one to take it on commission.

For future reference when an employer asks you to resign, they're giving you the *option* so that you can interview for other jobs without having to admit you were fired and the employer avoids having to justify your termination. Some employers are savvy enough to ask though, "have you ever been asked to resign?"


Title: [Florida] My Girlfriend is Being Forced to Work After Clocking Out.

Question:
My girlfriend and I live in Jacksonville. She works at an ice cream store (not going to specify which as of this time). She told me that: 1. She gets forced to stay in after she clocks out to work anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours after she's off her shift to clean and help customers and what not. Everyone at the establishment is forced by the owner to do so apparently and they are pretty upset about it. They even encourage her to Open the store early on her own time to prep because they don't allow prepping during payed hours. Even managers have talked to the owner but the owner repeats "No overtime" and still expects things to happen.

What should she do to go about all of this mess? I know people would also step in and back her but I want to know the first steps to take.

Edit: Thanks for all of your help, I'm going to look into it more and see if she can file for a few things for the hours she is missing.

Answer:
 They can pay her, or she can leave. They can fire her for not completing her tasks in the allotted hours, but if they suffer her to work more hours, they have to pay her for more hours.

If she's got a reasonable record (even just writing down arrive-lunch-leave in a notebook every day) showing the hours she actually worked, she can compare that to her pay stubs and file a [wage claim](http://www.workplacefairness.org/wage-hour-claim-FL) to recover the unpaid hours and any owed overtime. Expect her employer to retaliate, either illegally (by firing her for filing a claim) or quasi-legally (by finding the tiniest excuse to fire her, like being a full minute late for a shift).Answer #2: As soon as she clocks out she needs to leave.
She also needs to keep a daily log on a small notepad of her actually clock in and clock out times.

If they fire her for leaving after clocking out then they will need to pay her unemployment while she looks for a new job.


Title: FL- Apartment threatening to lock us out if we don’t pay by tomorrow

Question:
Florida- Our rent policy is that you can pay before the 6th without issues or fee. After the 6th they put a harshly worded letter on your door saying pay within 3 business days or get out kinda of deal. We have paid rent late once in the 5 years we have lived here. I called the office before the 6th and explained it would be paid by the 8th. They said no problem at all, but company policy they have to put the big scary note on your door- ignore it. That was Nov 2017.

So now this month. I called on the 4th to ask about options. The best option for us this month was to pay the 14th including any fees. I knew we’d get the note on our door on the 6th and it would tell us we had until the 11th. I called and explained the situation. We could have paid in full before the 11th, but it would have made our lives extremely difficult. Office manager just said “Ok, I hear ya” and got off the phone. I immediately sent a “per out phone conversation” email reiterating the conversation. No response to that, but the office doesn’t always respond.
No today (12th) I just got a phone call from someone who works in the office (not manager), that we need to pay in full by end of the day today or they can legally lock us out of our apartment while we’re at work tomorrow (13th). I explained the situation and told her to look for the email from the 4th. She pretty much said she’s just doing what she’s told to do and office manager is out. I’m waiting for he office manager to return my call.

So can I do anything? Am I just complete screwed? We don’t have money for a lawyer (duh we’re paying rent late). I’m just not sure if this is standard protocol and the office is required to do it, like the letter? Or if I need to find a place for my family to stay for literally 1 night. Direct deposit hits at 12:00am and it’ll be paid in full. We’re not bad people, we just had a car and my husband mouth that needed to be appressed ASAP.. We offered to pay before the 11th of this was going to be an issue.

Answer:
 > I just got a phone call from someone who works in the office (not manager), that we need to pay in full by end of the day today or they can legally lock us out of our apartment while we’re at work tomorrow (13th).

That person is an idiot. Locking you out would be an illegal eviction. Answer #2: Live in Florida and went through the samething. They cannot lock you out. Don't be suprised if they don't accept rent. After the 3 day pay or quit they won't.  You'll have to pay the court because they will file an eviction if they haven't already.