Title: Friend dating guy who spent time in prison for defrauding investors. Looks like he's back at it and she won't listen.

Question:
My friend is dating a guy who spent 3 years in prison for defrauding investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.  This was 12 years ago.  An article in the newspaper about this said he made claims of being a professional baseball player, or D1 college player, and also claimed he was a lawyer in Utah.  His lies were so ludicrous, and the judge said if he ever stepped into a court room again in the future, the book would be thrown at him.

My friend has a lousy job and lives with her mother.  She's got two teenage daughters.  She has been dating him for about 2 months.  This guy throws money around like it's nothing.  I mean, it's grotesque and crass the way he's flaunting his "wealth."

After I found the article on him going to prison, I talked to her and asked her if she knew this about him.  I suspected she did, and I was right.  I asked her where he's getting all the money he's throwing around.  She recites some crazy story he's told her about being a former baseball player, and now he's a lawyer (though not licensed to practice in our state).  He doesn't seem to have an identifiable job.  So where's the money coming from?

To me and our small friend group, based on the things he's said to her and just how generally fucking creepy this guy is, he is back to his old ways.  We believe he may be defrauding people again.  We told her we care about her, and if he IS defrauding people and that's where the money he's giving to her comes from, she needs to get out of that situation.  Of course she doesn't want to give up the free ride, and says she doesn't believe the article and he has explained everything to her satisfaction.

I'm about ready to give up on her and let the chips fall.  I really hate that I can't do anything to make her see what's right in front of her, or to have the moral compass to do something about it.

Any advice?  I'd hate for my friend to get caught up in something illegal.  My gut tells me this guy is still running the con he was 12 years ago.

Answer: This is relationships problem, not a legal one. Take this there.


Title: Doctors have left a progressive disease untreated for years, and I have PTSD as a result. Can I do anything?

Question:
LOCATION: MA, US
I'm sorry if this post doesn't belong here, but I don't know where else to go. Also, I'm sorry that this is so scattered - it's painful to recall all of this and it's making it hard to think.

I have an extremely obscure disease that causes horrific pain whenever I eat or exercise. Ever had kidney stones? It's sort of like that, but every day. (Yes, I have in fact had kidney stones. The pain is literally identical.) Now, I'm not angry that I got a rare disease. Shit happens. I'm not even angry that it took around two years to diagnose - that's to be expected for such a rare illness. The reason I'm angry is that I'm going on five years now of pain, for no reason. There is in fact a treatment  for my condition. I've tried every pain medication on the market, but the only thing that's worked are opiates. These work. They work great. When I was prescribed them for two weeks, it was like being normal again. But they won't use them. Literally, I have been left for days on end in hospitals (current record is NINE), screaming and begging for help, and they've done *nothing*. The logic is that I can't use them  long term, and I have a long term disease. If I were dying in six months, I'd be hooked up to a morphine pump, but instead I'm expected to just suck it up for *sixty years*. I'm certainly not going to live with this long term - I've made it clear that I'll be going to Switzerland to get euthanized the minute I turn 18 if the alternative is living like this. But I'm treated like an addict and have been the whole time, even though I was 12 when this started up. Now I have diagnosed PTSD from the constant pain. I can't sleep anymore, and I get nightmares of being tortured or ripped apart more nights than not. I don't understand why they're so scared of narcotics, and I cannot understand how addiction could possibly be worse than this. What am I supposed to do? I can't even stop eating, because they'll just shove a tube down my throat if I try.

I'm starting to wonder if this is because I'm autistic. Do I somehow come across as lying when I ask for help? Do they just dismiss everything as part of a mental problem, even with proof that it's a physical illness? Nothing I do helps. If I'm not actively screaming and crying, then clearly I'm not in pain. Never mind that pain doesn't show up on my face, since again, I'm autistic. If I am screaming and crying because it's hour 6 of pain, then they assume it's a panic attack or a psychotic break. I can't win.

Do I have any options left at this point? Should I get a lawyer? Write to the media? Just kill myself? Or is this my own fault? I don't even know what I did to warrant the neglect I suffered - people purposely misrecording the pain number because "it's not really an 8", being left crying and begging to die for hours on end, being outrighted baited by getting a prescription for pain medication for two weeks and then suddenly having it pulled - even being given a dangerous medication in half the time it should have been, causing a hemolytic reaction that almost killed me. I must have done something to piss people off, right? I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see a reddit post somewhere bragging about how they taught a druggie brat a lesson. So, yeah, begging for help here, but I'm starting to wonder if I should just gut myself and call it a day.

Answer:
 IANAD/N, but I do know that long-term use of opiates for chronic pain is generally not recommended by the medical establishment.  Besides their significant common side effects and tendency to require ever-increasing doses to be effective (but not reducing risk of overdose, sedation, constipation, etc. in the process), opiates are often counterproductive in that they can actually induce hypersensitivity to pain.

That being said - you're a minor?  Who the fuck are your guardians and why are they not listening to you?  Is there a social services advocate or someone similar you can talk to?  Even if opiates aren't the answer, there have to be other options.


Title: Wisconsin: Developed a chronic health condition from reckless antibiotic RX by the dentist

Question:
So after a few years of not having been in, I had some teeth bothering me and went in and found out I needed a root canal. Got antibiotics for that and it taken care of. Also had another cavity that was close and got that filled and asked do antibiotics help anything that might be close to an infection. Dentist said go ahead, take another(found out from a dentist on reddit that was HORRIBLE advice.) Well a couple months down the road it DID turn into another tooth needing a root canal and I ended up being prescribed antibiotics again and then a couple days later bumping it up to some even stronger stuff because the pain was getting worse, when it might have been a nerve just dying from the filling from before so once again antibiotics might not have even helped....

Then after all this I was still feeling pain and annoyance where I got the first root canal done. I asked what we should do and they adjusted the bite a couple times and it was still kinda bugging me and he told me to try what was left of the start of my third antibiotics course that I still had which was about 80% of a course.
So I basically ended up doing 4 courses of antibiotics in 6 months. 2 of which were completely pointless. And after all of that I developed a systemic fungal infection of candida albicans which I found out after I noticed symptoms of some red spots on my penis, white little spots that would peel that COVERED my hands, and general body symptoms such as bloating, high stress/anxiety levels and attacks that would come out of nowhere when I don't have a history with them, as well as "cloudy-headedness", depression a bit, and fatigue(I was super tired all the time and couldn't figure out why). And these symptoms are only made worse by ingesting carbs, sugars, alcohol, dairy. Basically everything good, especially in Wisconsin.

This obviously affected my life negatively in multiple ways. Missed quite a bit of work since there were many times I was too tired to(I'm a contracted cab driver with a company that has shift length minimums, and couldn't drink caffeine so staying alert and safe is tough). Generally being tired is taxing on my life and makes me miss out on things along with the fatigue/depression. Not being able to drink and have fun socially on the weekends which is big in my area and also affects my new job working in marketing sales since it restricts my social networking or makes it awkward when I'm sober and only drinking water. It's also made me abstain sexually with my sex drive being down as well as unsightly marks and not wanting any transference.

When I found out that the antibiotics had caused all this I actually stopped in and asked to talk to the dentist that owns the practice that I saw for my first visit before he passed me along to one of the newer associates there who did my first root canal(because he was available first and I wanted to get it done before the holidays) as well as my cavities on that side(he also missed a cavity surface on one tooth that I recently found less than a couple months after they were done). I told the owner what I was dealing with and the cause being the antibiotics hoping that maybe he might have some sympathy and give me a break on the last couple of cavities I needed fixing since this was obviously costing me in terms of money, and quality of life. He said he'd talk to the dentist I had been dealing with and see if our stories matched and call me back a couple days later.

Well I never received that call. Called them multiple times. One week the prescribing dentist was on vacation. And they have "different schedules so they don't cross paths much". They work in the same building. Only 4 dentists in it and it shouldn't really be a problem. Another week the owning dentist was on vacation. Another I called on a Thursday and found out he only works Mon-Wed. Then I called and they said they didn't have my email on file and he wanted that. I said what it was. Well they spelled my first name wrong in my email when they have my first name on multiple things in their office, and I didn't find out until 2 weeks later when I called to ask what was going on again. They corrected the email address and the email was just one line asking about the doctor results that the dentist told me to go see when I stopped in and told him what was going on. And I replied saying I never ended up going because my treatment was lessening the symptoms(which it seems to have a bit). Because after the surprise cost of dental that was insanely expensive that I never expected, I really don't have much extra cash at the moment especially with a job transition into commission based sales, and didn't really have the money to spend on hospital bills currently. And to be honest if I was going to go into the hospital and they verify or figure out what I have via tests and it confirms what I have there's not a whole lot they can do since it's mainly fixed by diet and the tests would basically only be useful as evidence proving what I've gotten.

I never got a response to my email which was 2 weeks ago so I sent them another one 2 days after and still haven't heard back, so it feels like I'm being ignored or shunted with some purpose because they know I have work to do and it makes me feel like they know they messed up...

So basically I'm wondering is it worth taking action against something like this when the reckless use of antibiotics has obviously caused me quite a bit of damage both in job and life? Or are dentists too covered on something like this and I'm screwed, or do they sometimes just do a nice little settlement? No real clue. So any help would be appreciated.

tldr; Dentists prescribed 4 courses of antibiotics in 6 months. Only 1 was really necessary, 1 might have been, 2 definitely weren't at all. Suffering from a health condition because of it. Told them and they're ghosting me now. Wondering if it's worth taking action at all.

Answer:
 Have you seen a real doctor about your "Systemic Candidiais?" That is a quack diagnosis.

I can assure you, with virtually 100% certainty, that 4 courses of antibiotics in 6 months didn't cause this.

TL;DR: You need to see a doctor for your health issues.


Title: When are cover songs copyright violations or not?

Question:
I'm particularly interested in the following cases:

1: Singing the song in the exact same tune and lyrics, but it's just a different person singing it.

2: Singing a song with the same lyrics but in a different tune.

3: Singing the exact same tune but with different lyrics.

4: Playing a song with the singing replaced with an instrument playing the same tune.

5: Just taking the original song but editing it to be much higher/slower/faster/slower

Answer: With a cover you can purchase a mandatory license, no need to worry about fair use or claims of infringement


Title: Would a spotlight be sufficient to qualify as detainment? [Texas, USA]

Question: If a police vehicle shines a spotlight on a parked car would this qualify as detainment of the individuals in the car? Is there any legal precedent where this has happened before?

Answer:
 http://caselaw.findlaw.com/tx-court-of-appeals/1557351.html

>Officer Manfred Gilow, a police officer with the Longview Police Department, observed Hughes' car in a parking lot of Teague Park legally parked with the headlights on. As Gilow approached, the headlights of Hughes' vehicle turned off. Although he had not observed any illegal conduct and cars were often parked in this parking lot late at night, Gilow parked his marked police jeep at an angle to Hughes' car and turned on the vehicle's bright overhead white lights. Officer Gilow then illuminated the front of Hughes' vehicle with his spotlight. Gilow testified he did not observe any illegal activity, but testified the Teague Park area has a high incidence of drug and prostitution activity.

--

>The dispute between the parties in this case concerns a single issue-whether the initial interaction between Officer Gilow and Hughes was an encounter or an investigative detention.

--

>In this case, we defer to the trial court's finding that Hughes' vehicle was not “boxed in” by Officer Gilow's police car. The combined use of the spotlight and the overhead white security or “take-down” lights would not have communicated to a reasonable person that he was not at liberty to terminate the encounter. There is no evidence that Gilow otherwise communicated to Hughes that he was not free to leave. We believe the initial interaction between Gilow and Hughes is best classified as an encounter and Gilow was not required to have reasonable suspicion.


Title: [MI, USA] Groom threatened to sue me for using his wedding pictures on my website. I'm the photographer.

Question:
Hey all,

I did some wedding pictures for a friend back in 2014. Two months ago, I got an extremely angry message from him completely out of the blue, threatening to sue me. The issue? Apparently, I lied to his mom all those years ago about needing some extra money for my work (I don't recall ever doing this). The amount in question is $50.

He's also trying to forbid me from using any of the pictures of the event, promising to bring down all kinds of legal hell from his lawyer father-in-law if I use them on my website.

During the exchange over facebook messenger, I got angry and told them I would use the pictures anyway. However, later on I retracted the statement and said I would not use the pictures on my website. I have not uploaded them publicly anywhere.

After the wedding, he didn't want me to retouch the photos at all, and instead wanted the raw images just as they were. If you know anything about photography, you'll know that most pictures don't come out looking presentable, and require post-processing. It's simply part of the process. It would've been unethical, in my opinion, for me to give him pictures in that state. Regardless, he thinks because I edited the pictures against his wishes, he somehow owns the copyright. That's bullshit, right? I'm pretty sure it is.

As I understand the law, he and his wife can only prevent me from using pictures that they personally appear in. They have no control over the other images. Furthermore, I am the legal owner of the copyright, and the pictures are my property. Even if I broke my promise and displayed pictures that they aren't in, they can't do anything.

Am I correct? Are there any legal loopholes or ambiguities that can be used against me? My wife thinks just by owning the pictures I am somehow incurring liability, but that sounds like nonsense to me.

Thanks in advance :)

Answer:
 What does your contract with them state?

&#x200B;


Title: My mother is carelessly blowing through my family's insurance money -- do I have any recourse to stop her? (MA)

Question:
Apologies in advance for any formatting issues, I'm on mobile.

Last spring, my father died suddenly in a car accident. Throughout basically my entire life, he was the sole breadwinner for our family, as he made enough money that my mom didn't have to work and could be a stay at home mom.

Despite the tragedy, he left us relatively well off, he had my uncle (a lawyer) draft a very thorough will, and had a decently sized life insurance policy that would get us by should anything happen, which it did.

I'm still in college and am a beneficiary of his estate, and have been trying to be involved in our finances as I am the oldest of four siblings and my mother has never really had a job, and was never involved with bills or money as we were comfortable and she was focused on other things. Immediately after his death I sat down with my mom and went over everything, like the size of his policy, what we should prioritize paying for, what we need to sell etc.

Long story short, it's become apparent that my mother has NOT been using the money we received through his work insurance or his personal insurance policy in a way that any responsible person would. I came home for my winter break yesterday to see that she has a new car, a new Macbook, Apple watch, and has been hiring cleaning ladies to come to our house once a week to tidy up. This was only slightly alarming until my mother sits me down and tells me that she plans on selling our house because we can't afford it anymore.

I grew up in this home, my parents bought it in the 80s. When I was going over finances with my mother and some other adult family members in the spring, it was a general consensus that we should use a bulk of the insurance money to pay off what was left of the mortgage, so it became evident to me that she hadn't been using the money with her kids' best interests in mind.

I have a copy of my father's will, and this isn't the only instance of her not fulfilling her responsibilities as executor. In his will, my father expressed how in the event of his untimely death, wanted a "Smith Children College Fund" (not my name) to be established that would obviously go towards my sibling and I's education. I learned relatively recently that this fund was in fact set up as the "Smith Family Benefit Fund", of which none of the money has gone to my siblings or I, or even put into an account for us. In the few months after my dad died, when friends and family were donating to the account to help out, my mother was essentially using it as her personal spending account to the point that by October there was no money left.

I apologize for the length, I'm just kind of lost here. I have obviously spoken with my mom about this, but long story short she became accustomed to a certain standard of living while my dad was alive and is unwilling to make any difficult changes despite the change in our situation. I would like to know if it's even worth my time to consult an attorney, because while I love my mom and the last thing I want for my family is to cause more problems, it's gotten to the point where I'm afraid for me and my younger siblings' financial security going forward.

Answer: Who was the beneficiary of the _insurance policy_?


Title: Car Dealership Made a Mistake On My Title, Making It Impossible For Me To Renew My Tags And Don't Seem To Want To Fix It

Question:
First of all, I'm on mobile so I apologize in advance.

I'm just trying to figure out where to start and if there's anything at all I can do about all of this.

The Story:

I bought a car from a small dealership in TN (I live in MS) about two years ago. The car is a POS but I've made my peace with that part. My problem is that when I bought it, unbeknownst to me, someone somewhere made a mistake on the title. They printed the banks name twice. I didn't find out until I tried to renew my tags and they informed me that I couldn't renew until I got an endorsement for my second loan. I tried to explain that there is no second loan but they couldn't let me renew because it looks like there is. Okay, that's state law or whatever, that's fine. I call the place where I bought it and the rude title woman says she's never heard of this being a problem before. Which makes me think that this isn't the first time she's made or seen this mistake. Over the next month she proceeds to dodge my calls and ignore me. Finally, I received a ticket for expired tags and I drive up there to see her, pissed as hell. She gives me drive out tags and tells me she's tracking down some previous bank.

In my nativity, I just accept the month long drive out tags and gtfo. I travel for a living, so I spend about 75% of the year out of town. I only have the occasional weekend to deal with matters like this and I was buying a house at the time and had an early flight the next day. I had so much bigger things to worry about and so very little time.

I went back in once or twice for a new drive out and got the same update. She's tracking back blah, blah, blah but she assures me that she'll have it sorted by the time of my court date. About a week before I'm supposed to appear in court to prove I have tags, so that I don't have to pay anything, I go back in and she tells me that the bank hasn't called her back. I try so hard not to start screaming at her in the middle of this damn place. I want to, but I'm just not that person. So I pay the $250 fine, ruin my pristine record and start looking for lawyers. Except, no one seems to think that this is worth the time. I've contacted several lawyers and they don't seem to want to call me back either.  No one seems to want to help me.

I really don't know what to do. I'm just kinda at the mercy of a bunch of people who don't want to talk to me. I don't even know where I stand if I can't even get a lawyer to call me back. I just want to be able to drive my shitty little car legally. Any advice would be appreciated.

TL;DR Car dealership fucked up my title, can't renew tags. Now, no one wants to talk to me.

Answer:
 Have you tried contacting the bank?

It is your loan at the bank, I assume, so why not get them to provide you with a letter saying that you have only one loan with them.

Maybe you could draft a letter for the title lady at the dealership where she admits to having printed the bank name twice by mistake. Get that on dealership letterhead and take it to renew the tags with the letter from the bank. Maybe that will work?Answer #2: If the Bank's name is on there twice then why not just contact the bank and get them to give you a release of the second erroneous lien?


Title: Who would be at fault here

Answer: Yes.


Title: In jail, do you have the right to dehydrate/starve to death?

Question: Does this matter if you try this before appearing in court versus once you are sentenced?

Answer: In the United States, if you don't eat or drink, you'll be kept alive via an intravenous drip. If you're at Guantanamo or were at Abu Ghraib, your experience might be different.


Title: 3 speeding tickets in a year. Most recent 25 over

Question: US, Ohio. Title pretty much says it all. It's been quite the year.. I definitely can't afford a lawyer. Is there anything I can do before my court date in 2 weeks? Would plea bargaining for a non moving violation even be an option here? I'm a delivery driver for a battery company. Anything to help me hold onto my job by my pinky would help.

Answer: Three in a year, I doubt you'll get any sort of deal. It's not like they won't know of these when you go to court. You need a lawyer at this point. At this point I'm surprised they haven't fired you yet, unless they only run a records check yearly.


Title: [KS] Small claims court from over 6 years ago, still haven't been paid

Question:
I won a small claims case in kansas. I recently found out the defendant passed away a year or two ago. What can I do to get this money? I live in Washington state now. I cannot afford a lawyer.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Your opportunity to get the money was a year or two ago when the deceased's estate was being taken care of.  Unless I'm reading [this](http://kslegislature.org/li_2014/b2013_14/statute/059_000_0000_chapter/059_022_0000_article/059_022_0039_section/059_022_0039_k/) incorrectly, once the estate publishes the appropriate notice after death, creditors have between four and six months to file a claim against the estate.  After that time, all claims are forever barred.

I urge you to get confirmation of that from a real-life Kansas attorney.


Title: Two loose dogs forced their way into my house and attacked my dog. My wife was home but unharmed.

Question:
I'm in Saratoga County, New York. My wife was getting the mail and two loose pit-bill mix dogs came up to her as she approached our front door. They wouldn't move away so she tried to squeeze past them through our screen door into the house. As soon as she cracked the door, the two dogs forced their way past her into our house and attacked our 10-lb. chihuahua. My wife wrestled our dog free from one of the dogs' jaws and was then chased into a backroom where she locked the door. After a while she heard the dogs leave and rushed our chihuahua to the vet. His jaw was broken on both sides and we had to drive him 3 hours to Cornell Animal Hospital for surgery. The bill, so far, is about $5000.

My wife was not injured in the incident, but obviously suffered great emotional trauma and is having panic attacks two weeks later. Our dog is making a slow recovery, and it is has been just awful having to see him suffer like this.

Yesterday, the dog warden finally located the owners of the loose dogs. I called a personal injury lawyer but they said they would only take the case if the loose dogs had hurt a person. What are my legal options to make sure we are fairly compensated?

Answer: You can sue them for the get bills.Answer #2: You can file in small claims for the vet bills.Answer #3: "fairly compensated" in this instance is limited to your vet bills.  Sue the owner or make a claim with his home owner's insurance


Title: [Pennsylvania] My aunt says my dying grandfather owes her money for a house he is giving to me and my cousin.

Question:
My grandfather is sick with lung cancer, and not doing very well.  He lives with me, in my care. I know that this is all very morbid, but it stresses me out because I kind of feel like my aunt purposely brings it up to (I don't want to say intimidate me?) remind me of the matter, and I have been harassed by both her and other relatives over it.

My pap says he has his will all taken care of and has made me and my cousin (who is deployed overseas) the executors. Most of this responsibility will probably fall to me because my cousin is in the military.

My pap said that he put me and my cousin in the will to inherit one of his homes (also we are each to inherit a vehicle). My dad will get his other house and my aunt will get all insurance money (60k).

So, with the house that my cousin and I will inherit, it was originally my great-grandma's house. My grandparents bought out his brother after she passed. Eventually, they "sold" the house to my house. I say "sold" because there is no record of this sale (no receipt, no contract, nothing) and the deed to the house was never in my aunt's name. Additionally, my grandmother used to say that my aunt never actually paid for the house and my grandfather does not have a clue if she did or how much she ever paid for the house.

A couple of years of later, after my aunt trashed the house, she got remarried and moved in with her new husband. She "sold" the house back to my pap. The house needed a new furnace (I was to say this was around $6,000 but not sure), major repairs on the roof, had bills and taxes unpaid ($2,000-$3,000), the basement which was at least clean and nice was covered in trash and dog feces, etc., all of which my pap paid for. He also gave her money. *I'm not sure how much* but I was thinking the arrangement was for a total of $20,000 and that he gave her $8,000 already. Again, however, there is no record of the "sale," no receipt, no contract, and the house was never in her name, the deed was always in my pap's name.

So, over the past couple years she harps about how my pap owes her all this money. She changes the amount every time.

Yesterday I saw her at the grocery store and essentially she said "when my dad passes away, that house is getting sold and I'm getting my $17k, I can't wait. He rents that house and gets $600 a month and hasn't ever paid me."

My pap has said that he has the will straightened out, but idk if it includes anything to deal with this. The house isn't really worth that much after she lived in it (originally it was appraised I think around $60-70k, now we will prob be lucky with $40-$50k, of that).

And I have a feeling it's gonna fall to me to navigate this as executor. For one, my cousin is her son, so she wouldn't try to harass or screw him over as much as she will me. Second, I have been harassed by her and my other cousins once they found out about the will. The will was made up before he even found out he had cancer. I'm not really sure how to navigate this.

Does she have any grounds..? Can she make us sell the house (I would rather fix it up and sell it for a higher value)..? Are there any protections from harassment for me as executor...? Should I lawyer up for this..?

Answer: Anyone, family or not, who claims they are owned debts by your grandfather will need to prove it before they can collect, and that is only to the extent of what the estate holds.  You'll probably want to bring an attorney in to unravel the middle two paragraphs of your post here.


Title: July 2015 my dad forced me to drink whiskey after taking Tylenol. I have a text proving it. Too late to file a police report? [NY]

Question:
I was 18, I’m 21 now.

July 10 2015: I was sick, I had taken Tylenol. A few hours later at 2am my dad was up and wanted me to drink a shot of whiskey as a remedy to get better. I refused. He threatened me saying “I will be sent to a mental hospital” and when I tried to leave he physically blocked and prevented me from leaving (I had asked to go to the hospital for mental health reasons a few days prior, but I didnt). I drank a little just to leave but he kept yelling until I drank all of it.

I texted my mom a few min later that “dad made me drink 40% alcohol with tea” She replied in 3 minutes: “he made the right decision” I believe she was awake and heard us downstairs

Also this happened in a different police precinct than where I live. So do I have to travel to that police department to file a police report in person?

Have the statue limitations run out?

Answer:
 I'm curious what your goal / hope to achieve by reporting him. I'm not condoning his actions or your mother's response. Answer #2: You were 18.  No one can force you to do anything.

You can call the police, if you'd like.  The chances of there being a crime here, much less them doing anything, are small.

Don't use the cops or the courts to fight your family battles or to "punish" your father.


Title: (North Carolina) I got a really bad speeding ticket and need advice

Question:
I got a really bad speeding ticket last Thursday when I was driving to Kill Devil Hills, NC.  Sort of a mini vacation.  It was for reckless driving and 85 in a 45.  I'm lucky I didn't get arrested on the spot.

I'm not going to make excuses for what I did.  It was a very poor decision.  In the aftermath, I committed to myself to never speed again, which is a huge change in mindset than before the ticket.

My request for advice is two fold:

1. What should I do?  I want to reduce my potential fines and points as much as possible.  As is, I think my license is gone, and it currently has no points.

2.  Is there anything I can do now, before my court date, to show the court restitution and an earnest effort to reform (other than get no more tickets)?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 You'll want a traffic lawyer. You need a traffic lawyer. Get a traffic lawyer.

Do exactly what they say.


Title: My association is dragging their feet on a request for a ESA in Illinois.

Question: Hi, me and my wife both live in a condo in Illinois that I am the owner of. We have a home owner's association like most condos do. My wife suffers from a mental disability. My wife's therapist recommended a Emotional Support Animal to help with her mental disorder.   He gave us a prescription type letter that we submitted to a lady who is in charge of our building. Two weeks have gone by and the only this she said to us is that the letter has been submitted to the condos attorney and we are currently not approved for a animal for our unit. My question is what kind of rights does my wife and in term me the home owner have in this situation?

Answer: I don't believe they can deny it if you've gone through your doctor for the letter stating she needs one. Unless the animal is too large or can cause other issues, ESA's are protected and allowed by the Fair Housing Act.


Title: Can you use excessive force to deter someone who is violating an emergency protective order even if it’s at their listed address

Answer: You can never use excessive force. That's why it's called excessive.


Title: UPDATE: Neighbor shot my brother's drone, doesn't want to pay for it.

Question:
[Original post here.](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2npunt/neighbor_shot_my_brothers_drone_doesnt_want_to/)

This was in central CA, about 6 months ago.

The judge ruled in favor of my brother in small claims. The neighbor owes my brother $850. The wheels of justice turn slowly indeed. Big thanks to all who contributed in the original thread.

My brother (I wasn't there myself) said it was helpful to watch the judge preside over the small claims case prior to his, so he'd understand how best to present his own case. He decided to keep his arguments simple and concise, to avoid explaining evidence he handed over, and to mostly stay quiet unless asked a question by the judge. He also made a concerted effort not to be a smartass.

The neighbor, on the other hand, argued a few times with the judge. I guess that's a bad idea.

Next step will be collecting, of course. It seems the protocol, based on what I've read here and elsewhere, is to send an email and certified letter requesting payment and if that doesn't work (and it probably won't - the neighbor is pretty stubborn), garnish wages or place a lien on the guy's property.

No criminal charges came of the police report we filed, but that's fine. The goal was to get him to pay for the damaged property. It was also expected as the neighbor is buddies with members of the sheriff's department and works for a local assemblywoman.
Topic:
Douche

Answer: Ah, now the real fun of litigation comes in.  Trying to actually collect the award.


Title: My landlord has completely ignored all of my attempts to contact her for 2 months. I have mold growing in the apartment and a number of other issues. What should I do?

Question:
I live in Los Angeles, CA.

I posted on her a few months ago about another issue with my landlord and got some great advice. Now I have a new problem. Our apartment is prone to getting mold due to poor ventilation. It grows all around window sills and behind furniture. When we first noticed it the landlord sent out maintenance to spray it down. This happened twice before I decided I would prefer to have a specialist look at the problem to tell me if it is even safe to be living here. First my landlord told me she would send someone out ASAP. After not hearing from her for a week I called and she said she was "waiting to hear from the company to see when they could come out." Which sound like complete bullshit since generally these companies will give you an appt immediately over the phone. Since then I have called and texted her almost everyday, my SO has done the same. Neither of us has received ANY further communication from her. It has now been two months since I have heard from my landlord. What should I do? I pay rent online so I don't have any face to face with them (it is a management company). Do I need to get an attorney to contact the company? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: File a complaint. http://hcidapp.lacity.org/ReportViolation/Pages/ReportViolation


Title: Close relative being blackmailed by scam artists from online dating website due to pictures he sent

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You know what's missing from that post?

A single question.

You can't buy silence, you can only rent it.

Options are:

* Pay them (expect to keep paying if you do this).
* Ignore them (possibly the best option).
* Go to the police and hope that they are willing and able to find them (no sure thing)

You can't stop them from releasing the pictures- you can only prepare for the fallout when/if they do.Answer #2: Just cut off contact and walk away. Also don't send dic picks to anyone, just to be safe.


Title: NYC pizza shop charging 14% tax. Pic of receipt inside.

Question:
[Receipt](https://i.imgur.com/Tw1X8k8.jpg)

From what I know, tax should have been ~9%. Moreover this shop was saying that paying cash is tax-free, but if you have to pay by card, then they charge tax.

What can i do to: 1) stop this practice of charging14% tax, and 2) get them fined to deter them and others from trying it elsewhere?

Surprisingly this was an an affluent neighborhood. Not a shady spot.

Answer: [NYC has a handy website where you can tell them about merchants charging the wrong sales tax](https://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/2391/sales-tax-complaint).


Title: [NY]Fixed toilet without telling landlord first. Advice?

Question:
Over the weekend, my toilet tank cracked and water started leaking out because I dropped something behind it and leaned on it to get it. Luckily the water was easy to clean up, but the toilet was basically unusable.

I asked my agent for the landlord's contact info, and she said the landlord wouldn't be reachable until later this week (today earliest). Because that toilet was the only one available in my apartment and I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any further leakage, I called a plumber to get the toilet replaced.

I will need to go to the landlord today to give her a heads up and explain the situation. What would be the best way to explain this situation to her? Would I get in big trouble for repairing the toilet without notifying her first?

Answer:
 You paid to have the toilet replaced. If she's any kind of decent, she won't have an issue at all.

Now, if you ask her to refund you the cost there could be issues. Answer #2: > Would I get in big trouble for repairing the toilet without notifying her first?

Probably not big trouble, no, since it's likely you who's going to pay for this repair anyhow.


Title: Insurance company isn’t protecting me because the girl who hit me has the same insurance

Question:
I’m 100% confident the car accident I was in was 0% my fault. It was a backing up in parking lot type accident.

Two cars are parked beside me. I successfully back my car out of the spot and about to put the car into drive. I have a backup camera in my vehicle. So as I’m about to drive off, I see a car very quickly backing up. I think I can’t move my car back into my spot because of no time and I can’t drive forward because it’d still be a hit so I don’t move and honk hoping she’d stop. She didn’t and hit me. I was so pissed. I get out of my car and she apologizes saying she is having a bad day and should’ve known better because she works for insurance. She just kept saying she works for insurance. I asked if she worked in my office building where she just hit me and she says no. She’s there for a doctors appointment. My phone is dead so I’m relying on her to take pictures and send me her insurance. When she asked for mine, that’s when I told her I keep it as a pdf on my phone and it’s dead. I told her my company and she was happy that we had the same. Now I know why. She even told me she doesn’t know why she backed into me when she even saw me get into my car. So everything is pointing at her. We didn’t get a police report because my phone was dead and a few months ago police weren’t interested in picking up the phone and dealing with these things. So here we are.

Now my insurance company is saying we’re 50/50 fault because it’s hard since we are both their customers. I got snippy and asked my claim adjuster what could she have possibly said that it’s both our fault when she was not even paying attention and I can describe the scene in FULL detail AND the damages on the car prove it. Plus I have a backup camera. So then my claim adjuster mentions she hasn’t made a statement yet and I was like what? How can he say it’s 50/50 without hearing her statement? He said maybe she did but her statement wasn’t transferred to him because she is working with a different claim adjuster.

I’m so pissed about everything. If I have to pay a dime, I’m dropping this insurance. But what are my legal options because I feel like this woman is going to lie but all the evidence is on my side. Then on top of it my insurance isn’t taking my side because we are both their customers even though I can’t even think of what she could say that would go in her favor. If she says oh we backed into each other? Well why wasn’t she looking? I was stopped and if she saw me, she’d stop.

I asked my office building for security footage and they have no cameras. I asked dozen of people if they’ve seen the accident and no one has so I have no witness. Like I am going the full extra mile and this lady is not claiming liability.

Please tell me there’s something I can do. 🙏

Answer:
 >  I got snippy and asked my claim adjuster what could she have possibly said that it’s both our fault when she was not even paying attention and I can describe the scene in FULL detail AND the damages on the car prove it.

The fact that you were backing up at the time is probably what makes it half your fault.  No, you weren't moving at all, which should put the onus back on her, but the assumption is that the person backing up has special responsibility not to impede the flow of traffic.  Someone more familiar with traffic laws can probably explain it better -- I've seen it come up here once or twice is the only reason I remember this at all.


Title: Was scammed $1500 from a big named athlete, what do I do to get my money back? Legal options?

Question:
Two weeks ago, I bought a pair of shoes off a big named athlete in the NCAA.  The day after, I contacted him regarding the shoes authenticity after I double checked with some people they were deemed replica shoes. The individual told me last week that he would be back in town this week (BC Canada) to refund me and that he would send me some money in a couple days.  In the days leading after he told me he only has $500 and cannot send me anything. Today I messaged him if we can meet up, and he says he has yet to book his flight.  After all this evidence, he has been messing around with me and playing with my time.  I payed him through bank transfer, as I thought he would be reputable. He is currently still in the US and I have his phone number, email, school email, mom's phone number and he can be easily traced.  What are the steps in getting my money back? I've been thinking of filing a police report, but I heard the police may not do anything. Thanks!
Topic:
Canada

Answer: Honestly?  Contact his school's athletic compliance office.  Chances are his selling $1500 shoes that most certainly didn't cost *him* that much runs afoul of several NCAA rules and could jeopardize not just his own eligibility to compete, but the program as a whole.


Title: [OH] Wedding photographer ghosting us after paying cash

Question:
I booked a highly rated photographer in my neighborhood who would give you a break on the price if you paid cash, so we did. We ordered a package that included a photo book, and some other things. We had the pictures themselves delivered to us but the book and the rest weren't. For a while we'd get emails like "oh I forgot to star working on them I'll start that now" or "yeah you'll get them soon". But for the last 2 months he isn't even responding to our messages.

 I'd probably say we're just screwed and to chalk this up as a learning experience for being dumb and paying cash, but if anyone had any ideas for recourse I'd be all ears. Thanks!

Answer:
 How much did you pay him, and how much do you estimate the undelivered items are worth?

It doesn’t matter which medium of exchange you used- a contract is still a contract and he breached it.  Sounds like you would have a reasonable small claims case.Answer #2: Send him a certified letter telling him that you are demanding delivery of the items you have paid for. If he does not respond within a reasonable amount of time, sue him.


Title: Lawyer defending multiple clients in one case charges one WAY more than the other

Question:
My husband got in business with a scam artist and another gentleman who had invested with the scam artist for a very long time. My husband was noticing irregularities and distortions in what the scam artist was saying and doing and a year later realized the depth of the deception. We were referred to a firm and the other gentlemen is a client at the same firm. So there is one lawyer defending my husband as well as this other gentleman that has been scammed for years. My husband is paying the majority of the lawyers fees which was $8,000 last month and $9,000 this month. The other gentleman has paid less than $1,000 overall. Is this legal? We are not rich (under $85,000/yr) and are trying to reach a settlement with the bank and the other gentleman is a multi-millionaire, so he would prefer to fight it out in court. He begrudgingly agreed to a settlement option, of which he would pay up to 20%, us 80%. Our lives will be ruined if a settlement is not reached. The settlement is ongoing but the lawyer fees are still piling in.
When my husband asked the lawyer why the other gentleman is paying so little the lawyer replied that it is because the other gentleman is not asking as many questions. We both do not understand how that is a reason to charge us more.

Answer: Then find a new lawyer. Maybe you are high maintenance clients.  There's no legal issue here.


Title: What does an expunged record mean?

Question:
When I was 16, I plead no contest to a felony charge (I was charged as an adult, not a minor). My record was expunged five years later. I'm now 33, so that happened about 12 years ago.

When I am applying for jobs which require a background check, do I still need to say "yes" to the question "were you ever convicted of a felony?" And when an employer runs a background check, what will they see regarding that conviction?

Thank you

Answer: No, an expungement means the conviction is vacated and the records are sealed. The only exception is for government positions.


Title: Gas Station tried to screw me, Have photo proof!

Question:
So I go to a gas station in North Jersey by where I work for gas. It's usually cheaper than NY prices so I usually get my gas there. I notice that the price advertised on top of the pump isn't the price I got on my receipt. At first I thought it was cause I paid in card and not cash, but then after looking twice I realize even the card price is wrong. It clearly says $2.85 for middle grade on card but when I look at the receipt says $2.87. Not that 2 cents is a big difference but I realized this guy is probably doing this for anyone who pays with card. I wonder how much it's added up to.

So I go to the local police department to report this. The cop takes all the info and says he's going to go check it out for himself. I come back few days later to see what's going on with the investigation and I see him again. He tells me he went there and the same thing happened to him where it wasn't the price on the card statement. He tells me he's going to report this to the department of weights and measures and after their report comes back he'll know to charge them with a crime or not. I say okay and await the report. Now I get a call today from the officer and he is pretty much telling me, they're not going to charge the gas station with a crime, that their credit card machine wasn't correct and that the gas station would refund me the two cents per galleon. I ask him what the investigation from dept of weights and measures turned up and he said that they went down there and spoke to the owner... apparently he just didn't change the credit card machine because the machine and the pump aren't hooked up together. I'm like thinking in my head...... okay and that changes the situation?...... and I asked the officer so you're going to consider this false advertising? and he goes no... it was just a mistake.

What I want to know is.... are these guys protecting a local business? What the hell is going going on? I was cheated 2 cents per galleon and it may be only pennies but its the principle and precedent. What about all the other people who got screwed who weren't offered a refund?

To add insult to injury I asked how soon I can come to pick up a copy of the report the dept of weights and measures issued and the cop said it could take weeks, he's not sure. I told the officer I would like the report for civil proceedings and he goes... you'll need a subpoena to get a copy. I said "I need a subpoena to get a copy of a public record?"... the cop (was very young) immediately starts to go uhhhhhhhhh, ummmmmmm, that's just how we do things here in small towns in Jersey.

I'm literally shocked at all of this. I feel as if it's local police trying to protect a local business. I understand it's their tax money but this is a dangerous precedent to allow. I'm to accept getting screwed just because I'm an out of towner? I thought we're all Americans and all subject to federal laws.....

Reddit, what do I do? I know I'm right... I even posted a picture of the receipt to show you how I'm right. What do I do? I feel wronged =( but I know I'm right.... below is the link

http://imgur.com/SyaZug1

Answer:
 >they're not going to charge the gas station with a crime, that their credit card machine wasn't correct and that the gas station would refund me the two cents per galleon.

Problem fixed.Answer #2: >I asked the officer so you're going to consider this false advertising?

Police don't arrest people for false advertising, so they really wouldn't care to call it anything.

You're making a mountain out of a molehill.  If the DWM investigated and turned up this one time mistake, then who gives a shit?  Go and get your $.02/gallon refund and get on with your life.  If you feel like wasting a ton of time for yourself, then FOIA the report, and hound your state's consumer protection agency.  Answer #3: > I'm to accept getting screwed just because I'm an out of towner?

It happened to the cop too. Odds are that he's a local...

> but this is a dangerous precedent to allow.

The more dangerous precedent is putting people in the guillotine every time they make a very, very minor mistake. Do you have people trying to get you arrested every time you make a mistake?


Title: My bank didn't pay my home insurance

Question: I just bought a home two months ago and apparently my bank did not pay my home insurance. Taxes and home insurance are in escrow. I got a letter from the insurance company that my insurance policy was cancelled. What do I do? Can they reinstate the policy or can I, on my own, get new home insurance and pay them directly?

Answer: I've dealt with this a LOT as an agent. Call your mortgage company and have them overnight the payment to your insurance, then call your insurance and explain. They'll almost certainly reinstate you without lapse. I can't count the number of times mortgage companies screwed up like this. It was annoying but actually an easy fix taking less than 5 minutes.


Title: 18 years old, got pulled over in Virginia going 91 in a 55

Question:
Hi,
I’m 18 years old as of a month ago, and this morning while driving to go hiking at around 6am got pulled over. Totally empty road, and I guess he was running radar on the other side of the road and saw me. He seemed really casual about everything, and gave me a court date a month from now in Rappahanock, Virginia. I’m not sure what to do. The only “excuse” I have is that I was driving my dads car instead of mine, and that I genuinely didn’t know I was going anywhere near 90. The car i was driving is 20 years newer than mine; it felt like how it feels to go ~60 in my car if that makes sense. I have no prior charges of any kind, never even been pulled over. I also know absolutely nothing about lawyers/attorneys (what’s the difference), so if you think I should get a lawyer, knowing how one goes about doing that would be appreciated.

Answer:
 >  He seemed really casual about everythin

Because if they tell you that you're being charged with a crime and could go to jail you will freak out and they don't want to deal with it.

> The car i was driving is 20 years newer than mine; it felt like how it feels to go ~60 in my car if that makes sense

"I was ignorant of how fast I was going" is a terrible defense.Answer #2: Get an attorney. Reckless driving is a criminal offense in Va. You could pay a $2000 fine and spend a year in jail. The odds of that are extremely unlikely for a first offense (although at nearly 40 over its higher than most first time reckless charges), but you still need an attorney.


Title: Parking ticket outside my own house. Need advice

Question:
Woke up this morning and as I went to leave for work I noticed a parking ticket under my windshield. I live in a small residential area, all homes, and side streets with minimal traffic, and plenty of parking spots for all.  There is not a single sign on the entire block that restricts parking at all. No times, side of street, distance to end of street or anything.

Technically I was parked on the "left side of road" (facing towards traffic). This ticket was time stamped 20 minutes prior to me leaving my home, and no attempt was made by the officer to ring my bell, or knock on door asking me to move/ turn the vehicle around.

On the ticket itself, information is incorrect, the officer couldn't even enter the proper number of doors on the vehicle. (I have a 2 door, but officer put 4 door on the ticket). The only info he got correct with the license plate/ color of vehicle.

I've been parking in the same exact spot for the last 12 years of my life, never once had an issue until today.

Is this worth fighting? Should I just pay the fine? If I do fight, what is a reasonable argument I could give the judge? Other than the false car information on the ticket.

Answer: Most places have laws regarding left wheel to curb parking. So, you got caught. You can fight it if you want but know that you are likely guilty but that doesnt mean you cannot fight it and see if you can mitigate the damages. Clerical errors on tickets dont negate the ticket


Title: What Is Considered Self Defense?

Question:
I(15m) go to a relatively small school. Theirs this kid(16m) that just got back from juvie and really likes to fight. He considers himself my friend but often gets mad easy when we crack jokes about each other.

For example, he’ll say he had intercourse with  my sister(and I really don’t care about these jokes but since he starts them I go along) and then I’ll say the same thing about his mom and then he starts threatening to fight me. He’s explained to me in detail how he would go about fighting someone if he ever wanted to at school. He would stand up pretend to go sharpen a pencil and then start wailing on them when he walks by.

I am by no means scared of him in a fighting sense. I am fully confident in my ability to take him to the ground and disable him, but I was just wondering how I could go about self defense without experiencing repercussions?

Answer:
 You cannot go about fighting him without repercussions.  Self defense is an affirmative defense.  That means that you are charged with the crime and you don't dispute that you hurt him, but you claim that you have a legal excuse for doing so.  It's very expensive, and it can still show up as an arrest even if you're found not guilty.   And it's not guaranteed that you'll be found not-guilty.  Often, a lawyer might suggest that the risk of being found guilty is high enough that you should take a plea deal.  All of this can be very stressful, and can change the course of your life.

Furthermore, a school or business can still punish you for fighting, even if you are found not guilty.

This is not the type of person that you should have as a friend.  Also, you should not underestimate the ability of anyone to seriously harm you, even if they are smaller or weaker than you.  An unstable person can act unpredictably, and the element of surprise can overcome the best of fighters.  Even if you beat him once, he could hold a grudge and then wait for an opportunity to sucker-punch you or stab you.

Use your brain.  Your brain is telling you right now that you might need to fight this individual, and you're trying to figure out how to do so in a safe manner. That should be enough for you to realize that this person is a risk and doesn't belong in your life at all.

Consider talking to an adult that you trust if you need help separating yourself from this person.


Title: (USA/ICELAND) Rental car damage claims are getting out of hand

Question:
Hello to the awesome community of r/LegalAdvice. Long time lurker here.

My brother and I decided to go on an adventure for the holidays and took a road trip in Iceland for 10 days.  We rented a 4x4 modified for the purpose from a company in Reykjavik and took out every insurance policy they offered.  The included, a SCDW (super collision damage waiver), Gravel Protection, and Sand And Ash Protection.

We had a grand time and as expected, in Iceland in the winter, had several harrowing experiences.  We had a tire explosively blow out, and slid of the road into a snow bank on two separate occasions.  After the tire blew we changed to the spare, emailed the rental company and paid for the tire to be replaced in the next town.  The trouble came after we returned the car.  We have been getting a ever growing list of repairs and damages via email since we left Iceland.

The first round of emails included: Damage to the rear two wheels.  The tire that blew scraped the rim as we pulled over but it was not deformed when the new tire was put on.  Some cosmetic scraping on the other wheel.  The front of the car has damage from 'sandblasting.' We were not thrilled but my brother and I decided we would just pay the insurance deductible and count it as the cost of having fun.  The deductible is $1500.

The trouble is we have gotten another email saying that the front differential breathing tube had burned off and the front differential will have to be replaced.  They have now blocked another $2500 from my credit card with a new total to come.  I'm not sure how to proceed.  We didn't do anything that should have damaged the drive train.  If there was a loose or burned air hose this seems like something they should have caught before handing the keys over to us.  What should my next steps be?

Additional information and pictures available upon request :)
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 Dispute all charges and cancel the credit card. Give nothing more to these scam artists. Just refer them to the insurance company and tell them to pound volcanic ash.

Maybe leave a honest review so other people are warned.


Title: Nearly got scammed today by someone my roommate claims they know. How can I legally get even with this scammer?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You should probably let your roommate know about what happened. The best way to get back at scammers is to educate the people who are less likely to realize it is a scam. Answer #2: You could tell your bank.

You could make a police report.

That's about it.Answer #3: >Is there a legal way to teach these people a lesson?

Either your roommate is a moron, you misunderstood their connection to the scam, or you have a VERY unusual fake check scam going on here.  Generally speaking, the fake check scam is done by people in some other country, and you have no actually useful information about them or their money mule.

If you want, you can tell the scammer that you deposited the check and then when they want you to send their money mule some money by Western Union you can tell them that you will only send CASH in the mail.  Maybe this is an unusual scam done by idiots and they will give you the mailing address for their money mule.Answer #4: > Is there a legal way to teach these people a lesson?

You mean the career criminals who are making a living by fraudulent check scams like this?

No. Don't be Batman. Leave it to the bank and the police. Answer #5: Your roommate's friend is probably not the actual scammer. She's probably an unwitting middleman getting scammed herself with a "job" to recruit people. Answer #6: I think your roommate probably doesn't know this alleged woman IRL


Title: A woman threatened to sue us because she claimed that we damaged her clothes. However, we didn't?

Question: (Drycleaner) A woman gave us clothes that were already damaged. However, it was too damaged and we just decided to give her a refund and just give it back unchanged. She demanded a $30 payment for her clothes. We called the police because she wouldn't leave our store. When the police came, she wrote a police report (though the police seemingly talked to her and just drove away). The police didn't bother to come inside and talk to us.  She then came inside and told us that she'd see us in court over $30 worth of clothes. Now we're worried that she'll sue us for something other than just the clothes. Is there any way we can prepare?

Answer:
 For every couple hundred people  who threaten to sue, maybe one will go through the effort to actually do it. So unless and until you are actually served with a small claims suit, ignore her and get it out of your minds. She's likely nuts.

That being said, ***if*** she actually does file in small claims court for $30, don't ignore it. Show up to court with any evidence and witnesses to the events claimed. She will need to prove to a judge's satisfaction that her clothes were not damaged prior to giving them to you and damaged when you returned them. Honestly, this might be a hurdle that she won't be able to clear.

As to suing you for "something other than clothes", I don't know what she could possibly claim. Her only "damages" would be the clothes, and that presumes that you did damage her clothes, which it sounds like you did not, so she would have no damages, and therefore nothing more to sue for.

Seriously, don't worry about it. You will likely never hear from her again.


Title: Should I call CPS? (VA)

Question: I may be on the wrong sub but I wasn't exactly sure where to post this. So currently I am renting a room with my boyfriend. We live upstairs, and my roommates live downstairs. My roommates are both very decrepit. They live in poverty with their 9 year old son. The dad  is in his 40s and has COPD, and is hooked up to a breathing machine pretty much all day. He's got a horrible temper. The mom is also in her 40s, and she has a plethora of health issues, including opiate addiction and spinal issues. Her drug use and other conditions are so bad she looks like she's is 70. My boyfriend has come home from work and found her lying facedown on the floor, passed out, while the kid is begging my boyfriend for food since moms too knocked out to make dinner. Their son supposedly has autism, and is EXTREMELY undisciplined and aggressive. He screams and cries and loses his shit if he doesn't get his way, and the parents don't discipline him, they can hardly even get off the couch. He skips school and the parents either don't realize he's skipping or they just don't care. Even though the dad has COPD, and has been on and out of hospice, he and the mom STILL smoke so much that I have to literally hold my breathe every time I walk downstairs because it's smells so horrible. On top of just overall being shitty parents, they are very poor and do not have a vehicle and cannot get out the house, so the kid basically just sits at home all day. My roommate even told me that they didn't pay the electric bill for 2 months just so they could get him an Xbox for Christmas, which he is extremely ungrateful for. I do not feel this environment is healthy for a child, especially one who is possibly autistic and only 9 years old!! Not only is it an unhealthy environment, but I don't think they are really fit to be raising a child when they can't even adequately take care of themselves. My boyfriend and I are actively looking to move out ASAP, because we are tired of living in a smoke ridden house where I have to discipline someone else's kid because they can't. I wouldn't feel right leaving that house knowing that he kid is living in such a crappy environment. Although the parents aren't necessarily physically abusing him, I do not think they are fit to be raising him. What are my options here?? Thank you!!!

Answer:
 Of course you should! CPS will take the call and then decide if it meets the threshold for investigation. Let them make the decision so you don't have to. Even if they decide to do nothing, you will know you have done the right thing. In the future, call each time you become aware of a new development. You can also call the police to do a welfare check if, for instance, you know the parents are passed out and the kid is unattended.

In the meantime, keep feeding the kid. You can hand him a bag lunch without having to hang out with him.


Title: Venmo stole $600 from my Fiance!

Question:
I am at my wits end.
My fiance and I have been fighting with Venmo for a YEAR now because they took $600 out of his account and refuse to refund him.
Last June my fiance tried sending me $300 via venmo it didn't go through and the app gave the notification try again later so he checked his bank all was good and we tried again an hour later getting the same message. Except this time they took $300×2 from his account. We immediately called venmo they said they were going to have to investigate. Weeks later and hours and hours on the phone they say they have no record of any transactions and we will not get a refund. At this point we filed a claim with BBB after a few weeks we get a call from a manager at PayPal (who owns venmo) and she was going to get us a refund in a form of a gift card in the mail. But it would take 4-6 weeks to process. We waited patiently but no gift card ever arrived. At this point it was January 6 months after the money was stolen. We called back to venmo and this time they are telling us they have no record of us ever communicating with anybody or any record of transactions and were basically SOL. We went to our old claim and found a different venmo contact number on the claim and try calling them they say they will do an investigation get back to us and say they have no record of any of this. So we file ANOTHER bbb claim and get the response from Venmo that they have no record any money was ever taken and we aren't getting anything back.
We've tried calling emailing chatting with every possible venmo department we could and they are refusing to give us back what they stole.

My question is, is there any legal recourse we can take at this point? Or should we just give up and eat the $600 loss?

Thanks for any advice and taking your time to read.

Answer: Who did she send it to? You're only supposed to use venmo to send money to people you know.


Title: Does incompetence equal negligence?

Question:
The question is in regards to residential construction.  I hired a contractor to rebuild my home after a serious fire. The contractor told me they would be finished and I would be back in my home in six months. It's been almost nine months and they have barely gotten started.

edit: I'm in Florida

Answer:
 Negligence is a tort issue. You've got a contract issue.  Whether or not blown deadlines constitute breach of contract is dependent on local statutes and the language of the contract. - and to a lesser extent, what the contractor knew about your needs.

By default, contract due dates are flexible.  How flexible is situational.  When you need strict adherence to delivery/due dates, the contract must specify this (that's where the phrase "time is of the essence" comes from.)

That said, three months?  There's a lot that could be going on, but three months sounds excessive.  You should probably get a consultation with a construction contract attorney.


Title: Employer fired 20 clerks with one days notice / VA

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice,

As stated above, last Friday we were emailed by our boss that, due to company-wide budget cuts, the store hours would be shortened.  Currently, the store (a convenient store on our college campus) is open from 8 am - Midnight Monday through Friday, and 10 am - Midnight on the weekends.  The hours will now be cut down to 10 am - 11 pm during the week, and 11 am - 11 pm on weekends.  The email mentioned "staffing changes" and that "overall hours have been reduced and [store]'s hours will need to reflect this reduction."

With that information sent, I guess our boss talked to a supervisor, and mentioned that she would be letting 20 people go in addition to the reduction of hours.  So the new schedule comes out, and 20 ish clerks have been let go.  (Note: I am a supervisor at this store, but my roommate was one of the clerks that was let go.)

My question is, does my roommate or any of the other clerks have any legal chance at fighting this cut?  We were curious about what legal action might be worthwhile (if there should have been a two weeks notice, etc.)

Thanks everyone!

Edit 01: Location is Virginia, United States

Answer:
 Location matters but I seriously doubt anything is actionable. In an at will state you can be fired at any time for any reason. Answer #2: Employers will never give two weeks notice due to the fact the employee may sabotage or otherwise ignore their work environment for the remaining time of their employment. Most employers will offer a severance package, but it is not mandatory.

Depending on your state and union membership, chances are everyone there is an at-will employee, meaning they can be fired with no cause at any time.


Title: [Ontario] exgirlfriend and I own house together, I have been paying all bills for over 8 years and I want her to leave

Question:
Short story, we bought a house about 12 years ago, both are names are on the mortgage. over the years she couldn't keep a job and it eventually just turned into me paying for everything except the hydro which is in her name.

we broke up about a year and a half ago, we basically just became room mates and since then I still continued to pay for everything while she tried to get out of debt with her new job.

The problem is, the housing market here fucking skyrocketed, I payed $199,000 12 years ago and now houses in my area are going for $400, 000 to $500,000 so buying her out would be difficult for me, and it also doesn't seem fair since she has not payed anything on the mortgage.

I like my house, it is close to work and there is no way i could sell it and buy anything affordable now.

I own two cars, the one I drive is bought outright, the one she drives I pay $200 a month on for another year, I pay all insurances, TV internet Ect.

She occasionally pays me $200 a month when she can "afford" it, She was in debt about $40,000 two years ago, i am not sure if she has even put a dent in that.

I just want to know what my best options would be before lawyers get involved, if you need any more info let me know.

Thanks in advance

Answer:
 You cannot force her to give you the house. You _might_ be able to force her to sell it to you, but even that's dicey and expensive, and it's more likely that you'd both be forced to sell to a buyer at market rates, to ensure that neither of you distorts the sale price.

Here's why: if both of your names are on the _title_, then you're stuck. It's her house, too. The default presumption is that joint owners split the value of the property down the middle, and challenging that presumption is difficult; the amount you each put into paying the mortgage has _no_ bearing on who is more or less entitled to use or keep the property.

Given the increase in value, it's likely that the best plan is to coordinate with your ex to sell and split the value. You'll get approximately your initial investment back minus your half of whatever's left of the mortgage, which is probably less than you're hoping for, but you'll be free of the situation. Failing that, you need an attorney - your attorney can spell out that you will sue for partition and force a sale unless she negotiates, and can help you file that suit if your ex stands her ground.

Depending on the original agreement, it's possible you can recover some of the amount you paid on the mortgage from your ex, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Furthermore, if she's broke, there's nothing to recover. Focus on getting out of the situation, not on getting what you see as "your money" or "your house" back.


Title: Divorce, current wife is pregnant, and all I want is for our mutual debt to be split (nebraska)

Question:
Hello legaladvice,
As the title
Implies this is a divorce, personal injury, and or property law question.

A year ago I married a perfect woman. Who immediately after, began abusive tendencies and put the blinders on me.

Starting about 6 months ago, immediately after is consolidated our debt in my name under her encouragement, and she purchased a vehicle with her newly improved credit, I realized things were heading down hill. Still, with blinders on, o tried my best to both save our marriage and  try and deal with the mounting debt (again) that she was primarily driving.

In August our lease was up, and so we moved(another lease). Only problem: a week later my things were in the garage. She had an absolutely psychotic episode where there was a suicide attempt, her uncle helped her avoid the police for help, I couldn’t see her or our step daughter for days. It culminated with the police being called on me so she could come take more things from the home, and I was caused to be law for work resulting in correction actions at work.

So she’s screwed my finances, screwed my employment, took my home, has my cats, and obviously destroyed or family in one fell swoop. Now given that there is approximately 12k in debt that should be split equally, i was awaiting signing up for my works legal plan to get a far lower cost divorce where that could be handled relatively low cost.

The trouble: she’s still on my insurance, our daughter on my fsa- but curiously, I’ve noticed some interesting calls coming through from my insurance regarding maternity services. Sure enough and I review the claims - several visits to an OB. She’s pregnant by someone else.

The question: she has a very upper middle class uncle who will
Absolutely bankroll a high price lawyer to fuck me over more. Clearly I’m the one whose already been fucked bloody, so I’d like to avoid that as much as possible. Nebraska is a No fault Divorce state, and a marriage length of one year, I am guessing it’s unlikely I’ll have any sort of additional award from any divorce proceedings.

As such, is it wiser to seek a simple
Dissolution and sue her separately for the debt? Will the knowledge of this affair baby change how quickly I need a lawyer? Or
Should I pursue an actual divorce through normal channels in the hopes that some small additional concessions are awarded as this has caused me incredible mental strain to the point I’m
Now on fmla for 3/4 of
My shifts at work at minimum due to insane panic attacks, that of course wouldn’t be there had I not married the devil.

Any advice would
Be appreciated... muchly.

There is no joint property. Her vehicle is in her name, mine is a lease. There is joint debt, but solely in my name. I looked into any sort of visitation for my step
Daughter, and I have no rights in Nebraska sue her father already having a parental agreement. Total debt is approx 15k, but I’m in possession of some of that property so I’m only wanting my fair share as the worst case scenario, being about 6k. My name has been removed from
The lease (at cost to me). I have video of her berating me leading up
To her suicide gesture. The police did not want to file charges against her based on that video.

Answer: Make very certain to tell your lawyer about the pregnancy. Once the baby is born, you'll need a paternity test to establish who the father is. Answer #2: You need a divorce attorney PRONTO and you need to get divorced as soon as you can. If she gives birth while you are still married, you will be the legal father and on the hook for child support unless you go through a court proceeding to prove that it's someone else's. Find out as much as you can about the guy or guys who might be the father--you might need that as evidence.Answer #3: You should hire a divorce attorney.


Title: Handicap parking spaces and private property.

Question: Hi, I own a property in California and had an employee get ticketed in our own handicap spot (on property). Is this actually a violation or can this ticket be fought? I'd be happy to provide any additional details.

Answer: 22507.8. (a) It is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing any vehicle in a stall or space designated for disabled persons. If you do not have a legal reason to be parking in such space, then it would be difficult to contest it.Answer #2: What statute or ordinance number was he charged with violating?


Title: Disappointed in OSHA who do you go to next?

Question: I work for a small laboratory that has blatant violations in bio hazard exposures to employees so I reported them to OSHA. People around me are getting sick....tell me the last time you heard of groups of people getting clinically diagnosed with Vertigo unless they are exposed to something? So I call OSHA today to follow up on my complaint and they have no idea what I am talking about even though I have all the follow up information. They give the number to another office and they have no idea what I am talking about even referring to another case. I say that is not me....my complaint was about bio hazard exposures not wages. The guy puts me on hold for forever then disconnects. He calls me back on my cell phone and says not to worry that my claim has been taken care of and the problems have been corrected. I know nothing has been corrected since one of bio hazard I complained about is 2 feet from my station that I was at 5 hours ago. So I know they did nothing and I am sure now OSHA did nothing. After spending the last 20 min on the phone I would be surprised if the guy would walk and talk at the same time. It was very disappointing. So do I complain again...a lot of co-workers were talking today about calling too?

Answer: Do you have an HR department you can talk to about your concerns directly? Come up with a solution to the issues and present your solution. Its quicker to get a response from someone you can deal with locally than from a federal agency.


Title: Hi, I need some advice. Back in July I started a Go Fund Me for my moms cancer treatment. She passed away on September 3rd and all the money was used to pay for her funeral. Go Fund Me is saying I misused the funds and is investigating me. I need help.

Answer: It will depend on the agreement/terms of service with Gofundme, but if you were limited to using the funds for treatment, and you used them for funeral expenses, that would be a misuse that you may need to repay.


Title: With alarm systems that alert you via your cell phone and even allow you to speak to whoever is breaking in, would it be legal to booby trap a house with something nonlethal like tear gas, especially if you warned the intruder beforehand?

Question: In the US, and Louisiana especially.

Answer:
 IANAL, but from what I've gather from legal advice subreddits is that booby traps are illegal when there is no human activation. So you wouldn't need to warn the intruder for it to not be a booby trap. You just need a human to hit the button to activate the tear gas.

Now if you are legally allowed to use tear gas on an intruder when you aren't home is something someone else can answer.Answer #2: Here's the law in Texas

>Sec. 9.44. USE OF DEVICE TO PROTECT PROPERTY. The justification afforded by Sections 9.41 and 9.43 applies to the use of a device to protect land or tangible, movable property if:

>(1) the device is not designed to cause, or known by the actor to create a substantial risk of causing, death or serious bodily injury; and

>(2) use of the device is reasonable under all the circumstances as the actor reasonably believes them to be when he installs the device.

I personally think year gas would be reasonable, especially if it was remotely activated.

Texas is huge on property rights though, so we probably have one of the more liberal laws on this.Answer #3: The idea that tear gas is harmless is wrong. People die from it. If your burglar has asthma or runs into a wall trying to escape and dies, you’d be sorry.Answer #4: You're in Louisiana, just set some gator snares around. If your intruder can't ID them, they don't deserve to be in Louisiana.

Source: am Louisianian.Answer #5: A remotely activated weapon is not a booby trap.


Title: My school reselling food students don't eat.

Question:
At my school in Minnesota, we are required to get certain items when we go through the lunch line. When some kids don't drink their milk or juice, they put it in a box that the staff bring back to the kitchen. Then the next day, the same milk and juice are up for resell. They don't even clean the containers so the containers are filthy and really disgusting.

Also, since they are restocking the items that the kids put back, sometimes I have gotten expired milk with my meal.

Is there anything I can do in this situation?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: NAL....but tell your parents.


Title: Aggressive preacher on school campus, what can we do?

Question:
Hi!

Every few weeks, one of those aggressive preachers would come to our school campus (UCLA) and start preaching loudly at students and calling them derogatory terms while having his little minions hold up signs, sometimes demeaning, sometimes not. While I understand that ucla is a public institution, what can we, as students, do to get rid of these people? The only times cops ever come is when it gets heated between the student and the preacher. is there something that we can do to make them shut the fuck up? thanks!

Answer:
 >While I understand that ucla is a public institution, what can we, as students, do to get rid of these people

I'm not sure you do understand that.

>The only times cops ever come is when it gets heated between the student and the preacher. is there something that we can do to make them shut the fuck up? thanks!

[The First Amendment.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution) Maybe you've heard of it.

You don't get to shut up people talking in the public square just because you disagree with what they have to say. That's the point of the public square and free speech. You don't like what they're saying? Don't listen to them. Or engage in some free speech yourself.

What you don't get to do is dictate what ideas other people are allowed to hear, and you *certainly* don't get to do that, as you apparently would like to, with state violence. That you would even ask the question is a reflection of the sorry state of intellectual curiosity and diversity on college campuses. Answer #2: So, not a fan of the constitution, I see...Answer #3: You, as college students, could attempt to acquire the grasp of American civics we used to expect from a reasonably bright sixth-grader.


Title: How do I get my landlord to relocate a Hospital nurse he just assigned to be my new housemate?

Question: For some context, I live in an apartment in that is tiny, probably 600 sqft. The living room is caved out to make way for two more rooms; meaning between the four of us, we're sharing a pretty intimate kitchen and bathroom space. Washington DC just imposed its COVID-19 stay-home orders two days before the nurse moved in. What are my options for this? Is it wrong to want him out?

Answer: You have no option. If you don't like it you can move out. Yes it is wrong to want him out.


Title: California DMV suspended a driver's license that I didn't even have two years ago, now I can't actually get a california state driver's license

Question:
I went to the DMV today to obtain a California State Driver's license.  From 2010-current, I have had a Colorado state Driver's License.  Prior to that, I had a California Driver's License, but it was surrendered and invalidated in 2010.

At the DMV, I was informed that my California State Driver's License was suspended in 2013 for failure to report an accident.

The issue with this is that I had no California State Driver's License in 2013.

I was involved in a minor accident in 2013, joint fault fender bender in a parking lot,  but was informed that reporting it was unnecessary after evaluation from my insurance company.

California suspended a license of mine that did not exist, and is now using it as a reason to bar me from obtaining a new license unless I sign up for sr 22 insurance, and then possibly face more fines.  They were unable to tell me the full extent of the penalties, but the agents at the DMV did note that this was incredibly odd considering that I haven't had a California license that could be suspended since before January 2010.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can go about resolving this issue?  The DMV just tells me to accept it and get SR 22 through my insurance company and come back, but I don't think accepting the suspension of an imaginary license makes any sound sense.

Answer:
 The issue is not that your CA license is suspended, it's that your privilege to drive in CA is suspended. Meaning, even if you had been driving with your CO license, you were technically breaking the law. I had something very similar happen when I moved my license from CA to NY, and the DMV workers seemed to have worded it more or less the same (they told me my NY license was suspended).

IANAL, but, you may have to follow their directive and get the special insurance/pay past fines etc. It may or may not be too late to fight the claim that you did not report the accident. If you do retain an attorney, they likely won't be able to save you any money at this point.


Title: Child visitation and support question - Oklahoma

Question:
I am the non-custodial father of a 12 year old child and I need some advice because I am getting very frustrated with my ex and I don't know what I can do legally to stop this. There are two main issues going on here.

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1. Visitation - Since Christmas my ex has decided that it is solely up to my 12 year old as to whether I see him or not. My ex has told me under no uncertain terms will I see him if he doesn't want to. Since Christmas 2017, I have seen him about 6 times. I know for a fact that my ex is demonizing me to the child and brainwashing him. I watched her do this to her other child that I helped raise while we were married. I feel so stuck because I love my child so much and want to see him and have a relationship with him but he has been brainwashed for so long now that the programming has set in. If I take her to court for contempt of the visitation order, I fear it will only strengthen her resolve to make my child hate me even more and I will lose him altogether.
2. The second issue is the medical. My ex refuses to inform me of anything medical going on with my son. She will not discuss grades, psychological well-being, physical well-being or anything with me. I am responsible for 65% of his healthcare expenses and she has started taking him to homeopathic doctors that are performing "Biofeedback" therapy. I have no idea if this is medically necessary or if this is a real doctor performing these procedures. They cost $650 each time!

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If anyone can offer me some advice on what to do here, I would really appreciate it! I am going nuts paying so much money for a child that is being brainwashed against me and being physically kept from me.

Answer:
 If your ex is violating court orders, you may move to have her held in contempt of court.

"Parental Alienation Syndrome" is a specific psychological condition which needs to be diagnosed by a therapist.

I suggest you get an attorney who will probably start by asserting your visitation rights to your ex, and to keeping you informed of medical decisions, and to relay your desire for the child to be enrolled in therapy.

If this is not successful, your attorney can move to have her held in contempt of court.


Title: My wife is filing the divorce while I am outside of the country

Question:
So my wife, who is a US citizen and living in the US filed for divorce. I am not a US citizen and living abroad. I refused to sign her divorce papers because I dont wanna sign on spousal support. I know that the case will proceed even if I don't sign. Now the thing is that the judge will grant her spousal support based on our income. Given that I won't be there to defend myself, what will stop her from providing falsified data, like over-exaggerating my income and underestimating hers or plainly saying that she doesn't work? Isn't there a rule or law that would prevent her from misrepresenting such data? How much screwed am I?

Ps: we have no kids and we were married for less than a year when she first filed for divorce.

Answer:
 I'm a divorce attorney in California.

1. She's going to have issues establishing jurisdiction over you if you are not a resident of California.
2. You need to speak to an attorney in California, preferably in the county SHE lives in, to make a special appearance for you to quash service for lack of jurisdiction.

Call the CA State Bar Referral Service, or look [HERE](http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Free-Legal-Information/Legal-Guides/Lawyer-Referral-Service) for information.


Title: Law advice or suggestions for Mental Illness

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Do they have a guardianship over you?  They have to give you notice to kick you out.


Title: My psychiatrist wasn't a real Dr. but rather an identity thief who was pretending to be a Dr. I have no clue what to do or what to worry about?

Question:
https://imgur.com/KxftM85 - a letter from the Doctors office explaining the situation.

This is in Chicago, IL

So now some sick twisted person not only wasn't addressing my medical concerns he was just some psycho posing as a Dr. He also had access to my SSN, Copies of my ID's, Access to my Medical Records, and I couldn't imagine what else. I have never heard of this happening before so I don't even know where to begin.

Answer:
 You should consult an attorney.  That doctor's office is likely liable for all sorts of stuff for not having a system in place to prevent that.

Contact your state's bar association for a referral.Answer #2: Ask them to pay for credit monitoring and give you the refund they promised. Answer #3: Wasn't this just posted yesterday?


Title: Late Discovery?

Question:
I have a court date that is set for July 11th for a DUI, and the court date is in another state. I've never met my attorney personally.  I reached out to my attorney yesterday, and they've informed me that they're still waiting on the discovery and that they were currently out of town. Is this unusual?

&#x200B;

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I'm also paid them in full verse doing an hourly rate. I've heard nothing regarding my case to this point that's set to begin in two days. I'm worried that they're not putting too much effort into my case. This is actually the second attorney I've gone though, as the previous attorney was very inaccurate on a lot of laws. This is a small town with a population of under 5,000, so I don't really have too many options. Thanks.

Answer:
 >Is this unusual?

It's not the best, but it's not uncommon. I wouldn't worry about it. Your attorney will probably get an continuance.

> I've heard nothing regarding my case to this point that's set to begin in two days. I'm worried that they're not putting too much effort into my case.

This isn't uncommon either. There's not a whole lot of work to be done on a DUI case that you don't have the discovery for. Criminal defense is very much a hurry up and weight sort of deal.


Title: [Texas] Noise Ordinance Violation despite not owning the speakers or living in the residence

Question:
I helped plan a party yesterday where I received a violation of noise ordinance. I explained to the cop that I didn't live there and even though he claimed that they had warned us several times, this was my first time hearing anything about the noise being a problem. He said he didn't care and that someone was going to take the ticket. I told him that I helped plan the party but that I didn't understand why I was getting the ticket since the speakers were not mine. Same response. My question is a) would I have a case should a choose to plead not guilty and b) would I need a lawyer to fight it? I would really rather not have this on my record.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Why even disclose that you planned the party?


Title: Landlord taking pictures of my apartment before move out.

Question: Hey all. I live in KY, and put in my 30 day notice with my landlord about a week ago. The last day that I can be in the apartment is June 24th. He is wanting to come into my apartment tomorrow, with all of my stuff still in it, to take pictures of the place for his CL ad. Can he take pictures of the place while my stuff is in there? Can I refuse this?

Answer:
 >Can he take pictures of the place while my stuff is in there?

Absolutely.  He does not need to wait for you to move out to post an ad for the apartment, and for that he needs current pictures.  LL's are very solidly protected in relation to reasonably showing and re-renting the unit before the tenant has vacated.  He can also show the apartment with your stuff in it, btw, since that will come up next.

>Can I refuse this?

Sure, if you want to pay an additional month's rent I'm sure the LL wouldn't mind putting off the ad until you're moved out.  Otherwise, you need to allow him to take reasonable steps to re-let his property.

Honestly, no one really cares about your stuff.  If you DO have things that are incredibly rare or valuable, you should probably move them into a safe location now for peace of mind since the LL will likely be showing the property to prospective renters shortly.


Title: Reasonable accommodation affect on employment status

Question: I'm new here to reddit (if that wasn't obvious).  Basically I was hired as a full time employee but now I have an accommodation from my DR. to only work 6hrs per day.  There's been a bit of a change with all our HR stuff and they're now saying that I might be classified as a part time employee (and not receive the PTO/ holidays/ sick time) I was previously awarded.  But since this is an accommodation from my doctor and not a schedule change request I dont see how they can change my employment status.  I tried googling it but got a bit lost.  Input appreciated. I'm located in Southern California

Answer:
 > But since this is an accommodation from my doctor and not a schedule change request I dont see how they can change my employment status.

They're allowed to change your employment status going forward based on the accommodation, if it's an accurate change.  You're basically asking to work part-time, so your employer is allowed to say "ok, we'll make you a part-time employee".  You aren't required to be given more than someone doing the same work as you would be getting.  Someone without a disability doing 6 hours per day would be part-time, so then you are too.


Title: My town is filled with bike thieves. They chop up kids bikes on the sidewalks. Is there any law which might stop them?

Question:
Like many other towns in California, mine has a large transient population. Petty theft has become a worsening problem. Bikes are a popular target (often grand theft). I've noted more open air chop shops around my neighborhood where transients have started taking apart stolen bikes right on the sidewalk outside their tent or trailer.

Police I've talked to have no interest in pursuing most stolen bike cases, and state they have no ability to discern if the bikes are stolen absent clear proof. I accept this.

My question: is there any existing law or precedent where communities have stopped or slowed down large scale petty crime in an effective manner? It is surely illegal to sell stolen goods, but the sheer scale of it and the intermixing of parts makes things difficult.

Answer:
 This is a policy and enforcement question more than a legal question. The crime of [larceny](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=484.) is clear enough, but if the police aren't willing to enforce it, then no amount of "it's illegal" will help. You need to take a different tack.

Lean on your city council. Make the point that allowing theft and transactions in stolen property to happen in plain view is alarming, bad for business, and likely to drive down property values. Ask that they put together a strategy for dealing with it. Help advocate for and help support candidates who have effective plans, to replace councillors who don't.