Title: House mate refused to pay for internet. I've cut him off but now I've found out he installed a second modem on my line [The Netherlands]

Question:
Is there anything I can legally do about this?

Edit: I've solved it. thanks guys

Answer:
 First of all: Internet acces isn't included in the rent is it?

Secondly: Doe he have a contract with a provider himself?Answer #2: I don't know how things work in the Netherlands, but if the MAC address of his modem isn't authorized on your account, there isn't any way for him to be stealing your internet.  Are you sure he didn't setup his own account and link his modem to that account?Answer #3: I think we need some more info how your housemate is leeching off your line.

Most importantly, how is he doing it?

For example if you have internet through a coax cable you can only 'get a signal' if you have a router provided by your ISP. You regularly can't just split the coax cable and install a second router afaik.

If the dude just plugged in a cable in an open ethernet port or splitted and ethernetcable you can set a rule in your router where you only white-list certain mac addresses.

You can also always call your ISP to explain the problem. If he is messing with the lines owned by the ISP he could be in trouble.


Title: My manager is letting me go, partially citing "different personalities."

Question:
        So let me explain first off that I started working at Best Buy as a part-time seasonal worker with the hint that I could stay on at the end of the season, but this ,however, has less to do about that (because I understand that they might not need me on anymore) and more to do with the talk my manager gave me during the explanation of an available position. He told me "Even if we did have a position available I don't know if I'd want to keep you on in my store. You see, we have very different personalities. I'm more of an aggressive personality and people like me tend to kind of steamroll over people like you, and I need people I can depend on in my store to be more self-sufficient." When he mentioned the self-sufficiency he was referring to the fact that I sometimes ask co-workers advise regarding products if I'm not sure of the answer for the customer. I don't do it often though so I can't see how it could be a major factor considering I'm still pretty new.

He said he'd help me out a bit with looking for positions at other locations, but he just doesn't want me at his store. I'm good at what I do. I sold 2 LG 55 inch OLED tvs just in the last three shifts, and that's only a taste. And I get along great with everyone else at the store. I'm also good with customers. I just can't get the conversation he had with me out of my head. It feels so wrong and personal. I can't help but wonder if he essentially has it out for me or not. I haven't given any reason to dislike me other than being a bit more timid around him due to him always seeming really stimulated and on edge. Is there anything I should be concerned about legally with all of this? Should I contact HR?

Answer: In most parts of the US, simply not liking you is a fine reason to terminate you. Answer #2: Nothing you said sounds illegal


Title: [NC] Police report is completely wrong and police are unwilling to change it

Question:
I'm posting on behalf of my father.

He was in an accident with an uninsured driver who openly admitted it and has been in trouble before for the same reasons.

He was driving on the highway going about 65mph in the right hand lane. The other driver merged in front of him going about 15mph and he didn't have time to stop and ran into her, totaling his car. The police report is saying that they were both in the left hand lane and both merged and then my dad hit her. Which is totally inaccurate. They also stated they took a statement from my brother who was the passenger, but no police ever talked to him.

My dad is convinced that since they live in a small down and the lady he hit has the same last name as the responding officer, that there is a cover up going on.

They've tried to get them to change it, but they refuse. He has an appointment with the chief of police tomorrow.

Are there any further steps they can take to be able to receive an accurate police report?

Answer: The police report is a report of what the police were told.  It is not inaccurate.  It is also not binding.  Your father can challenge the report if it is offered as evidence, including offering his testimony and your brother's.


Title: Hostile Roommate situation, Boston MA

Question:
Hi Folks, I (25/F) am posting because I've just moved into a new apartment with three other people, none of whom I knew beforehand, and one of the new roommates is acting with hostility and aggression towards me and my partner (who does not live with me), and has repeatedly blocked me from using our apartment's kitchen. I've posted a longer version of events below but the TL;DR version goes something like: Two nights in a row, roommate gets extremely pissed off/hostile when I try to use our kitchen with a few friends/my partner. Roommate gets so hostile that all of my friends hide from him in my room and contemplate leaving on the first night, and on the second night my partner and I decide that we cannot stay and leave. One of the roommates has not yet moved in, the other is away for the weekend so it is just me.

I can find very little information about tenant's rights in the case of a hostile/very disruptive roommate, and I'm not sure what recourse I have. That said, my lease does state that:"...the lessee... [shall not] create any substantial interference with the rights, comfort, safety, or enjoyment of the Lessor or other occupants of the same or any other apartments", so I feel that I may have a case with the landlord. Any advice would be much appreciated!
The longer, more fucked up version of events goes like this:
Friday night, I have four people over around 7 for a little housewarming, and we begin cooking. Roommate storms in around 7:30 and begins shouting at me and my friends and demanding that we vacate the kitchen (which is huge and has more than enough space for 6 people to cook) so that he can make dinner. Roommate gets so aggressive and hostile that we all retreat to my room.
15 minutes later, with my friends hiding in my room, I try to negotiate with roommate about using the kitchen and repeatedly ask what he is upset about. Roommate angrily responds that he doesn't feel that I should keep any of my kitchen goods on the counter (?!), that I need to tell him when I am having guests over, and that I shouldn't be using the oven around dinner time (?!) before stating that "if you want to keep escalating this situation, go ahead" and glaring at me. At this point I retreat to my room, and all of us decide that it's time to leave. As we're packing up, roommate angrily storms back into his room, and doesn't say another word to any of us, so we decide to stay.

Last night the same thing happened, except it was just me and my partner. The two of us enter the kitchen around 8 to find roommate sitting by himself on his computer, and the two of us state that we intend to make dinner. Roommate gets very pissed off and says that this isn't going to work because he's having friends over, to which I say that we should try and share the space. He angrily tells me that he doesn't want to talk to me anymore while pacing around. The two of us try to prepare our food, but roommate begins berating us about our (and my) consistent use of the kitchen(?!). I ask him to please, please tell me how he envisions us sharing the space, and why he is so upset about me using the kitchen, and he angrily declares that he does not want to talk to me and that we should not be in the kitchen when he is having friends over. At this point, my partner and decide that it is time to leave, pack up our ingredients, and go to his house.

I'm really at a loss as to what I can do in this situation. I've emailed the landlord a detailed account of all of this, and hope that they're sympathetic, but I'm really worried about what I will do if they aren't. Any advice is much appreciated!

Answer:
 This is unfortunately in that non-legal area called "roommate drama".

Just ignore him.  He cannot legally prevent you from using your kitchen, and if he places his hands on you, call
The cops.

Don't ever let a roommate force you to go somewhere else for the night.  You will end up paying his rent for him while you sleep couch to couch if you don't asset yourself.


Title: Is it legal to buy a product and sell it for a mark up?

Question: For example could I buy a liter of *Pepsi* and sell it for a higher price as *Coffeelabor-soda*?

Answer:
 Retail establishments make money by buying items and then selling them for more than they bought them for.

So that is legal.

But if you change the label and say it's your own product, it's all *kinds* of illegal.


Title: Unwarranted Traffic Ticket

Question: I work in a school that has alt side parking in NYC. So on that day of the week everyone double parks their car until alternate side ends and then we move it to a spot. I got a ticket for getting to my car 1 minute after alt side ended. I spoke to the cop and explained I was there within 60 seconds of the allotted time and got a 'so sorry im already writing it' response. I said i understood but would he please contribute to my defense that i was there to move my car and he said no. I asked him then if we had to go to court if he would testify honestly and he said no, and he won't show either. Please tell me what I should write in my defense to fight this ticket that I dont deserve!

Answer:
 What is your ticket for?  Being double parked?  If so, then you were double parked and it's not "unwarranted" even if "everyone always does this."Answer #2: >Please tell me what I should write

It sounds like you should write a check.


Title: If an Ex affair partner wanted to out me to gf?

Question:
I cheated on my gf with my female best friend. I ended the affair badly by trying to friendzone the best friend back to where we were before. She got mad but we still tried to be friends, which still ended badly. She has blocked me, and hasn't told anyone about our affair except to one mutual friend of ours. I have not confessed to my gf because I'm afraid of losing her, we intend to get a home together.

However, I still worry the ex- best friend may try to get revenge, by telling my gf what we did. Can there be any legal repercussions if she does tell my gf or threatens to tell her?

Also if my gf finds out, and tries to embarrass the ex bf by sharing it on the internet, can my gf get in trouble for it? Or if the gf hits the ex bf in a rage, is that still assault? Or would she have been provoked?

These in my mind are worse case scenarios, but I'd like to be prepared for it, especially when I know there are future events when all three of us will be there.

Answer:
 Yes, assault is a crime.  It doesn't matter why someone does it.  No, you can't sue anyone for telling your girlfriend you cheated.  Or for bitching about the fact that you cheated.

If you buy a house jointly with your girlfriend without telling her, you risk her finding out after you're tied to a mortgage with her.  That would be one hell of an expensive thirty year fuckup.  Own up to it, tell her what you did, and in future keep it in your pants.


Title: Family member forwarded my mail without my permission.

Question:
My mail was forwarded to a new address without my permission. This family member is VERY dangerous. I know they are opening my mail, but I have no way of proving it. Am I able to take legal action?

EDIT FOR CLARITY-- I live in House A. The dangerous family member lives in House B. They had their mail, along with mine, forwarded to House B without my permission.

Answer: Tampering with the mail is a federal offense. Go to [this website](https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactus/filecomplaint.aspx) and report this to the post office.


Title: Bought item online nearly 1 month ago. Seller accidentally sent me 5 of the item. Now he is wanting the items back and states he will charge me if I don't send.

Question:
About a month ago, I bought an item from a large online retailer. To my surprise, when I opened the box, there were 5 of the items inside! I didn't know if this was a mistake or if this was intentional (it was in the original packaging), so I just assumed everything was correct.

&#x200B;

About a week ago, I get a call from someone in customer service asking how the product was and I made the mistake of admitting that I received 5 of the item.

Yesterday, someone from the Sales Dept. reached out to me and stated that I will need to send him the other 4 back. I only paid for 1 of them item, so if I want to keep the other 4, he will send me an invoice for them.

&#x200B;

I have several issues with this.

1. I've received less than mediocre customer service from this company in the past. I've only placed 3 orders with them and each time I've been dissatisfied with the customer service. My own fault for continuing to buy from them, but in a way, I feel like this is their Karma for bad customer service with them in the past. Essentially, the motivation for sending them the items back is just not there for me.
2. I've spent a lot of money over the past year with this company and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that they are demanding the items back.
3. This order was placed almost a month ago. At this point, I've already used 3 of the items I received. Even if I send them back, I'm concerned I'll get invoiced for the products I've already used.
4. Isn't this referred to as "unsolicited mail"? I was under the impression that this company made the mistake, therefore it is entirely at my discretion as to whether or not I send the items back to them. I was not aware that they could actually invoice me for their error.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 4. No.  You're misinterpreting that.  "Unsolicited mail" (or, rather, "unordered merchandise") is stuff that you receive out of the blue, never placed any kind of order for whatsoever, and then are shaken down for payment.  Your situation is an *incorrectly fulfilled order,* not "unordered merchandise" or "unsolicited mail."

You can probably ask them to provide you a shipping label and then ship the excess items back.  I don't think you get to keep 4 free items just because they made a simple error.  If they sent you too few items, would you think they wouldn't have to send you the rest?  This is generally the same thing -- you generally and are legally entitled to only get what you pay for, no more, no less.

Edit: /u/jasperval has a much more thorough and accurate explanation of this.Answer #2: And if a clerk forgets to ring up an item at the checkout... you can just walk out with it, yeah? That’s not your product you will need to ship it back or pay for it.Answer #3: Sounds like you’re trying to justify what is essentially theft.


Title: My dad wants to file for bankruptcy, lawyer said with $1000 all his debts will go away

Question:
My dad has a lot of medical debts totaling about $10,000 and has judgements against him since the doctors want their money.  He goes to court and pleads his case, since he is sick and earns close to nothing.  He had a heart transplant in 2011 and has doctor visits like clockwork. My concern is that if he doesn't pay up, they may refuse service to him.

He went to a lawyer to file bankruptcy and the lawyer said with $1000 all his debts that are in collections right now will disappear.  It seems like it's too good to be true and not sure if filing bankruptcy is really that easy.

A brief background:
-He earns disability about $1200 a month
-He has full benefits through his part-time job
-He earns roughly $75/week after taxes
-Currently residing in Virginia

Answer: $10K in debt sounds rather low to file bankruptcy. You could try posting in /r/personalfinance.


Title: TX/NM I forged my high school diploma in the hiring process for local NM Police department.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You screwed yourself as badly as you possibly could.

You ended your career in Law Enforcement before it ever started, and you could very well become a convicted felon because of this.

And, if everyone will forgive me for waxing personal here for a second, **good**.

I don't want to be a dick, but if you were willing to do this, there is no reason to think you wouldn't also plant evidence, lie under oath, forge paperwork, or commit a wide variety of other corrupt acts.

You might be a very nice person, but this shows that you don't belong in law enforcement.

Get a lawyer and find a new career choice.

Edit: [For Posterity](https://web.archive.org/web/20150929005344/https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3mrv4z/txnm_i_forged_my_high_school_diploma_in_the/) OP was /u/Somekindadumbass.


Title: DA is asking me to twist the truth in the preliminary hearing. What should I do about it?

Question: I was mad and filed a police report against my significant other. I didn't tell the police that I was the one doing the hitting. I was given a subpoena and called the DA and we were going over the story and the DA tells me that I need to leave out the part of the story where I was the one doing the hitting and throwing the cellphone. Should I be okay with doing this, DA says I will have immunity from perjury too.

Answer:
 > Should I be okay with doing this

That depends.

Is the DA saying "You should not offer this information of your own accord"(more likely) or are they saying "If asked, lie about it"?(unlikely)

The former is acceptable, the latter is not.  The former comes up all the time in testimony.  You should answer the questions put to you in the shortest, quickest manner possible.  You should **not** lie, but you should also not volunteer information not expressly asked about.  Answer #2: So, you filed a false police report against your SO for domestic violence after you attacked them? You should probably get your own lawyer and do what they tell you.


Title: I smoked in my apartment and the rental agency wants all my security deposit plus extra (WI)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 **"Tenant will be responsible for the cost of painting due to crayon marks, excessive dirt, large holes and nicotine."**

Seems pretty cut and dry to me. 8 years of smoking in an apartment pretty much means there is no chance of it being cleaned away so the only way to mask the smell and staining is by repainting the apartment.

With regards to claiming it is natural wear and tear let me ask you a question. If you had not smoked in the apartment would it still be stained and smell like cigarettes? (Hint: No)

Can you ask for an invoice? Yes.
Answer #2: As a former smoker, I can attest that 8 years of nicotine, smoke and other chemicals in an enclosed space is absolutely disgusting, and not normal wear and tear. You are lucky they aren't demanding that you replace the carpet. And $300.00 does not seem unreasonable to clean a nasty, smokey apartment. What about the repairs? Are these things that you broke?


Title: My landlord is not only refusing to give me any of my security deposit back but is also charging me more with very vague description for the charges. (WI)

Question:
Hello,

I recently moved out of my apartment, and instead of getting my security deposit back, I got a bill on my mail saying that I owed them additional $140 bucks from “Painting 1/2 the unit - 4 years remaining” and “cleaning oven and ceiling fan.” I completely disagree with these claims and think is quite ridiculous they are charging me after I moved out. Is there anything I can do to fight this? Unfortunately, I do not have any physical proof that I didn’t do those things...

HELP!

Answer:
 You can sue your landlord for your deposit back.

In litigation he will need to prove he made legitimate deductions.


Title: Non-profit in TX opps'd and overpaid my wife's department and now are docking pay to recoup it

Question:
More info. Last week everyone in my wife's department got an extra two hundred bucks on their paycheck for some reason. No one thought much of it since it was weds and everyone had turkey to eat. On monday, everyone got an email saying "oops, we overpaid you and will now take a portion of the next two paychecks to get it back."

I obviously don't know much when it comes to labor laws and can't find anything on google for this specific situation. I know that an employer is not allowed to withhold wages but I'm not sure how it works in this case.

The wife works for a gov't based non-profit as well if that makes any difference.

Answer:
 It is not wages. Wages are moneys she earned. You may be able to argue that they cannot take it out of her check without permission. She will then get sued for the money and likely fired.

She owes the money back.

Here is some reading [link]( http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/deduction_problems_under_tpl.html). It seems to be a gray area regarding the deduction on a paycheck. But either way she owes it back.


Title: I got into an argument over money owed my wife and I by my landlord. She responded a few days later with an eviction letter from the court's.

Question:
I live in Warren county PA. I got into an argument with my landlord about money she owed my wife and I for work performed (cleaning her home, maintenance this sort of thing) starting back to December 18th 2014. It's in the amount of around 1100 dollars unpaid.

 She did pay at the beginning but after a while would give us excuses to why she couldn't pay. During this time she moved her 35 year old son into the basement. It's not a basement converted into a apartment mind you, he's just living in a basement with his 2 dogs. As a result I've lost use of the driveway and my washer and dryer. Everytime we even come close to a disagreement we are reminded her son needs a place to live and she can throw us out (I have 3 children) without even going to court (I found out that was untrue).

So I mention that she still owes us money in a conversation because I was having trouble with some pto from work and needed the money. She starts screaming at me about how she owes me nothing. She then hangs up the phone.

I received an eviction letter on my door today claiming I owe her 1400 dollars. I do not, my last months rent was paid and this month isn't due till the 10th. I was also lead to understand she was supposed to give me a notice to quit. She did not.

I have all of my rental receipts showing what I've paid. My problem is most of the work performed was agreed on verbally. I do have texts showing some and receipts of payment from her for some work. I also have some texts showing her giving me excuses for payment and others showing her pestering me trying to get me to give her money a month in advance. This was not in my original lease tho that expired years ago and another was never signed. Our actual lease is pretty basic and we haven't violated it in anyway.

I just want to know how fucked am I really?

Sorry for any grammar, formatting, or spelling. I'm stressed to the max and can't sleep as it will be impossible to find a place to live in the time I have. I found out today and court is on the 15th.

Answer:
 I mean, there's an eviction case, so you now have A Headache. However, if your narrative is accurate and both the notice and the cause for eviction are bad, then you should not be evicted. Show up for your hearing and bring all the documentation you have that your rent is up to date: your lease stating the date your rent is due, your receipts/cancelled checks/bank records for the last few months showing rent paid on time, and so on. You can (and, I suspect, should) tell the judge you were not given any notice that your landlord believes your rent is late, and that your landlord filed an eviction as a first step. Finally, I would recommend talking to a Pennsylvania tenancy lawyer first, just in case - the state bar association runs [a referral service](http://www.pabar.org/public/membership/lrsblurb.asp).

You do not have to move before your court date. You do not have to move _at all_ until the judge orders you evicted, or your landlord correctly ends your lease. Assuming your lease renewed as a month-to-month lease rather than renewing yearly, it would have been easier for her to give you a 15-day/30-day notice to quit (see [section 250.501](https://d1unatz8mcf3a5.cloudfront.net/uploads/PA_landlord_tenant_act.pdf)) than to try to take you to court.

The eviction suit has nothing to do, legally speaking, with her debt to you: she's asserted that _you_ owe _her_ money. If you want to recover that debt from her, and she's not willing to pay, you can [sue her](https://www.pabar.org/clips/bringingsuitBeforeDJ.pdf). That suit will be completely separate from your eviction proceeding.


Title: I caught someone I know abusing my dog, can I press charges?

Question:
I am currently on vacation for a few more days and I paid someone I know to house-sit to take care of my dog. I wanted to make sure my dog was being taken care of, so I placed a hidden camera in the room where my dog's crate is located. I discovered that he left my dog in the crate for the entirety of the day and only let her out to pee twice for under five minutes. This escalated into him slamming objects into her crate (for unknown reasons?), opening and slamming her door shut, and taking a wand-like object and whipping her with it. I was extremely disgusted when I saw the footage, obviously, and I called my family right away to come and get her.

As far as evidence goes, the camera is located in an office that contains her crate, but you can't physically see her in the crate due to objects blocking the view. However, you can see him entering the room and slamming objects against the crate and opening the door and whipping her. There is audio and you can hear her crying and barking. Is this enough to pursue legal/criminal punishment? I know violence against animals is not always taken seriously.

Thanks in advance.

Answer: Why haven’t you called the police yet????? You cannot press charges, the district attorney does. So report this animal abuse immediately to the police.


Title: My SO's boss destroyed her medication, can anything be done?

Question:
Hello Reddit,

using one of my throwaway accounts just in case.

So the story goes that my SO's boss allowed her to leave work and go to a Dr. Appointment (since she could only go at this time.) The boss allowed her to go during her lunch hour and come back to work.

During the Dr visit she was given a Nuva Ring (form of birth control.)

When she went back to work she made sure to wrap the package up that the ring came in so it would not be so obviously out in the open.

This morning she got a text from her boss saying that her co-workers found it and it made them uncomfortable. Then complained continously about it being in the fridge (the place its supposed to be stored.) Within I believe an hour it was no longer useful. The boss then proceeded to text her saying that she had put it in her locker and a bunch of other snippy messages about how it was wrong to do.

Is there anything that can be done towards the company/store for destroying her medication?

(As a side note, she does use birth-control as well to help her with mood swings and other issue.)

EDIT : Extra details (The package said "Keep refrigerated.) - Also have all the text messages admitting to taking the medication out of the fridge.

Answer: She has no right to refrigerated storage of her birth control at work. Jesus Christ.Answer #2: Nuva Ring can be stored in room temperature out of direct sunlight for 4 months. It only needs to be refrigerated by the pharmacy/distributor. Answer #3: Wait, why did she leave it in the work fridge overnight? Why did she not take it home with her?Answer #4: Just have her call the pharmacy and ask if it is still good to use.  If it isn't, the pharmacist can get her a new prescription for this month.Answer #5: Keep refrigerated is a precaution since it is one place In the average home they can be sure meets the temperature requirements.  The packaging will have the actual max/min storage temperatures listed. If the locker is at least as warm as a fridge and no warmer than about 72-74 (iirc), it will be fine.


Title: [Ontario] The restaurant I work for is requiring all servers to sign a "Tip Out Policy" form as a condition of employment. Distribution plan for tips is unfair, but is it illegal? Picture included.

Question:
https://m.imgur.com/Pzg0k2J

I have worked seasonally for this restaurant for three years now.  It is a members' establishment, and all tips are paid electronically as gratuities.  Ownership of the restaurant takes 20% of all electronic gratuities (3% of sales before tax) to redistribute among staff, as is pretty much standard practice in the restaurant industry, no big issue there.
The issue here is that the "tip pool program" redistributes gratuities not to low-wage kitchen and support staff, but to salaried supervisors and managers in pre-arranged amounts, essentially paying part of managers' salaries using gratuities.
I understand that under the new legislation (Protecting Employees' Tips Act), managers and supervisors can share in the tip pool if they participate in the work for which the tips were given, and I have no problem with this, as our managers work hard.  But the idea that the amount each gets per pay period is pre-arranged with the owners in a way which has nothing to do with how many hours they worked seems to me like a way for the owners to essentially bypass the legislation and keep money for themselves by paying salaries using tips.
To be clear, I'm not suggesting that the 3% tip out is in itself bogus, only that it is being used not as a tool to balance the wages of back and front house staff, but instead to pay salaries.  Ideally, I'd like to see the tips distributed FAIRLY among all deserving staff.
The owners have also refused to re-employ for this season any service staff who refuse to sign the form.
Can anybody here on legal advice give me some insight as to a) whether this is legal, and b) whether I have any recourse in demanding that tips be distributed based on hours worked, not existing agreements

Answer:
 If you read the act, it appears quite legal.

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=3004

You are not the one who decides what is or is not "fair" or deserving... the management of the club does, and if this is what they think is fair, then that's that.  The only issue would be if a club member / shareholder / company director was participating, so depending on how high up the ladder the tips were paid it could be a problem (e.g. if the Club president was also paid from the tip pool, it would be illegal).


Title: I work for a wealth management firm as a wealth advisor and recently quit to start my own company. I was unaware of a noncompete and took a handful of affluent clients with me. They emailed me the noncompete/solicit I apparently signed. Do they have any legal recourse? Are noncompetes binding?

Answer: You need an attorney. IMHO you basically did the exact thing non-competes were meant to prevent.Answer #2: Lawyer up, quickly. Non-competes can be fought, especially if the terms are overly vague, but it's not something you want to do without a lot of help.


Title: [MD] Jury duty summons

Question:
About a month ago my girlfriend got a summons for jury duty, she has to report Thursday of this week. Now she is a bartender at a fairly busy place, close to a large state university.

She told her boss a while ago that she won't be able to make it in for possibly a couple days. From what she told me he just said ok when she first told him, but yesaterday when she reminded him, he was very negative about it. She said that he didn't directly say he would fire her but she thinks that he is going to cut her hours or pull her from the bar if she doesn't show up to work.

Is there any recourse she can take, she doesn't want to have to find a new job because she has a good gig, close to home, good money, etc.

Answer:
 Maryland (like pretty much all states) protects employees in cases of jury duty:

http://mdcourts.gov/juryservice/faqs.html#13

... though the act of actually enforcing this is another matter. In any case, there's no recourse _before_ anything happens. Let her report for duty and keep her boss in the loop, and if anything happens contact the state and go from there.


Title: Update - PhD student here being accused of plagiarism. Only that it's my own work that I used. Massachusetts.

Question:
I posted [earlier](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6n6lrr/phd_student_here_being_accused_of_plagiarism_only/) about a plagiarism situation with the university in my PhD thesis.

To make it short, a few sentences in the thesis was too similar to what I had said in a couple of papers and my masters thesis. This wasn't a direct copy & paste, and  it was 7 sentences (53 words) out of my thesis which was a little over 95,000 words.

Last week I got an automated email that an investigation has been started on the recommendation of the person that I talked to. The email explained that in case scientific misconduct is found, I will have a chance to defend my case to the board and the board will decide what to do, which vary from a simple revision and resubmission to presenting the case to the diciplinary committee for a serious offense.

I asked for appointments with a few people. Head of the department, dean of students, and a head tutor to ask for advice. I haven't managed to see any of them yet.

Today, I received an email that the investigation is over and they have found no evidence of misconduct or plagiarism. They apologized for the stress that this has caused. A little later, I received another email from the head of the committee personally apologizing for this mess, and explaining that the officer who I talked to had gone fishing rather than doing the standard practice which is not the policy.

So that's that. Now I can graduate in peace. I cancelled the appointments and decided not to pursue the potential racism situation as there's no point anymore. Thanks all for advice.

Answer: Discussion of this update is ongoing in BestofLegaladvice's [Autoerotic Plagiarism is Permitted](https://www.reddit.com/r/bestoflegaladvice/comments/6p9boy/update_thread_autoerotic_plagiarism_is_permitted/) thread.


Title: [nc][us] HOA refuses to give bylaws until after house is purchased.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: At what point do the red flags make you say "well, just buy something else"?  When the hand of God descends from the heavens and shoots you the bird?   Just tell your realtor "yeah fuck this shit" and walk, find a new realtor while you're at it, they're killing each other for people serious about buying.   As the buyer you hold all the cards, and by cards, I mean, the money.  You have it, so wield it like the weapon it is.  In this case wield it like a bicycle and ride away.Answer #2: Have your realtor call the seller's realtor and tell them you need to see these documents.  They either have a copy or can get a copy.Answer #3: Considering the nightmare that HOAs can be and the fact they wont provide you a copy of by-laws, this is probably a red flag not to live there.  You could try speaking to someone in tje neighborhood and see if they will help you out.Answer #4: Good news! You don't need to waste time reading the bylaws because fuuuuuck this place entirely! Also, fire your realtor.


Title: Is this considered free labor?

Question: So I work for an "upscale" restaurant (let's call it Fancy Pants) that is a part of a larger building that also houses about 5 other restaurants/bars/clubs and they are all part of the same company that is owned by a few people. One of the owners a few years ago started a new business related to weekly prepared meal plans service (let's call it Planned Meals) that people can order through the Fancy Pants kitchen. So how it works is that the owner takes the orders from the customers, has the normal kitchen staff of Fancy Pants to make the prepared meals and then eventually the customer comes to pick it up from the Fancy Pants. My thing is, whichever kitchen staff doing work for Planned Meals doesn't clock in as a Planned Meals employee. So to me it seems that Planned Meals is using labor that is already paid for by Fancy Pants to get free labor for Planned Meals. I am admittedly on the outside of management and ownership and I don't see all of the minutiae dealing with the company as a whole. I'm just wondering if this sounds weird or not. Thanks in advance.

Answer: You are being paid for your work, right? There's no problem with 2 companies having an arrangement in which one company provides labor for the other.


Title: question on misdiagnosis possible malpractice

Question: had a colonoscopy 3 years ago everything was fine. Started having rectal bleeding was told in three different office visits its probably internal hemorrhoids' now I have colon cancer that has spread to my liver, do I have a case

Answer:
 Medical malpractice is very fact specific and it is unfortunately beyond the scope of this subreddit. It is highly recommended to speak with a medical malpractice attorney; your state's bar may be able to refer you to one. They typically work on contingency, meaning there is little up front cost to you. Similarly, consultations are typically free. It wouldn't hurt to meet with one, have them look over your info, and go from there.

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/legaladvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Title: [Fl] Racked up $150,000 in student loans. I refuse to pay them back, filing for bankruptcy, etc.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 This is clearly a troll. Please flee this subreddit.Answer #2: Lol. Yeah go for it.  I heard that after 90 days the lenders forget *all* about it.  So you don't even have to leave for a few years.Answer #3: You can't discharge student loans in bankruptcy. Suggest fleeing the country for good.Answer #4: >  I don't want to be in debt until I'm 60 years old so I decided to file for bankruptcy and I'm considering fleeing the country for a couple years until this is forgotten about.

[I have some bad news for you.](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSuBjB-VNMU/U5xa5ydrWVI/AAAAAAAAAJo/xyAeUutJ7h4/s1600/d1Z-thats-not-how-it-works-thats-not-how-any-of-this-works.jpg)

> Are there any legal ramifications that can be brought against me?

Yes, the debt will wait for you until you get back. You can be sued, a judgement will be obtained against you, wages garnished, etc.


Title: Need lawyer in NYC for airbnb case

Question:
Just got an eviction notice while within guidelines of NYC. Landlord won't hear details of how I'm within the rules. Need a lawyer.

Details:

12 unit building
Rent stabilized

Didn't profit off of the rental per se
Just rented it out for what we pay in rent
Rented for one night at 1/30th of rent
Rented for one month at 1/2 rent (1 room in 2bd)
No other rentals in the airbnb history of 7 years in unit.

Normally have a roommate there landlord knows about
Normally get a roommate on Craigslist
Airbnb account was in my name, I am not main lease holder
We we were present during the rental, it was not a full unit rental, just the spare room

Answer: If you can't find a lawyer in NYC, then you had better run to Macy's right now and buy the heaviest coat you can find because hell just froze over and you're going to need it.Answer #2: I'm sure there is no shortage of lawyers in New York for you to talk to.  You have given us zero information to even make the slightest of recommendations.Answer #3: If your lease prohibits sublet, then it might not matter if you were obeying NYC's laws about Airbnb.Answer #4: What does your lease say about subleasing?


Title: Father Opened Many Cards in my name - HELP!

Question:
So about 7 years ago my father filed bankruptcy to avoid paying his own debts. After many months, I find out that he has been opening multiple credit cards in my name without my permission. I tell him that I am uncomfortable with this and would like him to stop. He threatens that if I try to stop him, he will just not pay the bills and completely ruin my credit. He had thousands of dollars in bills at this time and I was in my low 20s with no way to take over payments (he put all his business expenses on those cards even).

Since then, he has been paying everything on time, but continues to open new cards. He has forced me into calling the credit card companies when problems arise as well as signing my name on things - again with the threat that he will just stop paying the bills, which terrifies me. He even made me sign a lease on a car about a year ago for him.

I have been working for the family business he runs for about 1.5 years now and he keeps threatening my job over the stupidest things (that are not job related at all). I want to just be done with him and have him out of my life, but I am terrified of all the bills he has in my name.

We both live in New York (Rockland County) right now, but he is trying to move to Florida by August. I really want everything out of my name and to just be done with him asap.

Is there anything I can do? I am terrified to move on to this new time of my life (with a now 5 month old and 6 year old) knowing my credit could be totally screwed and prevent me from ever getting my own house or making it difficult to rent a new place even.

Note - I actually made a reddit account just to ask this question. Please help me and my family. I hate asking for help. Thanks <3

Answer:
 I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news: the ones you signed, you're almost certainly on the hook for. The threat to default on the debts likely does not rise to the level of coercion required to void your consent, and your failure to take action sooner compounds that. It's not what you wanted to hear, I know. However, given the amount of the debt, you might want to get a referral to an attorney from your state bar association to review things.

More generally, when someone steals your identity, there are a few things to do:

1. Check your credit history to make sure you know what everything is.
2. Report the fraudulent entries to the lenders.
3. File a police report, which will be necessary to get the lenders to close the fraudulent accounts.
4. Freeze your credit.

The r/personalfinance wiki has a [great article](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/identity_theft) going into more details. You can and should run through it, whether or not you speak to an attorney as well. Your father is likely committing multiple crimes by using your credit this way, and it's possible you can avoid most of the debts. He will likely spend time in jail as a result, just as much as if he had defrauded his creditors using a total stranger's identity.

Once things start to settle out, talk to a financial planner about how to repair your credit and pay down whatever debts remain. You're not doomed, but your father hasn't done you any favours.


Title: Someone posting pictures of our infant son online

Question: This is in Iowa. My sister-in-law has been asked multiple times not to post pictures of my infant son on Facebook. We have this all in text messages. Today she and my wife (her sister) got into an argument and in retaliation my SIL posted pictures of our son on FB. These were not pictures we shared with her, I am unsure how she got them. Facebook only offers me the option of messaging her to ask that she takes them down. We have asked and she has ignored our request. Do we have any other options to get these pictures removed?

Answer: Who took the photos? The person who took the photos is generally the copyright holder and if they were posted without the copyright holder's permission, the copyright holder can submit a takedown request.Answer #2: You can make a DMCA complaint to Facebook if you own the rights to the pictures.


Title: Smelled of alcohol at work

Question:
Last night I went out to the bar.  I stopped drinking around 10:00, but admittedly got very drunk.  I was at work at 6:00 this morning.  Around 10:00 am, my manager pulled me aside and walked me upstairs to HR.  They said there was a complaint that I smelled of alcohol.  They gave me a breathalyzer and a urine drug test.  I blew a .027 on the breathalyzer.    A .02 is negative.  I was sent home as per policy and am on unpaid suspension pending the results of my drug test (which will absolutely be negative as I don't do drugs).

 How should I proceed?  The policy states punishment can be up to termination.  I have worked there for 10 years and have never even gotten so much as a verbal warning.  My reviews are fantastic.  Should I preemptively quit, so that I am not fired?  Should I wait to see what they do?  When I have the meeting to find out the results, should I be prepared in any way?

A few more details, it is a hospital.  However, I am not in patient care and do data analysis.

Answer:
 Do not preemptively quit.... that helps you in no way whatsoever.  See what happens.  I think most likely they will give you a written warning.  You apologize for the misjudgment and don't let it happen again.  If you have been there for 10 years, and really are a great employee... I wouldn't sweat it too much.Answer #2: Under no circumstances should you quit, you would be forfeiting your unemploymentAnswer #3: > A .02 is negative.

Can you elaborate on that?

Anyway, do not quit. But you can be fired.


Title: Is this illegal? aiming gun at people who knock on your door (texas)

Question:
Someone I follow on the internet is aiming his gun at people who knock on his door

Either someone is sending people round to his house or the guy with the gun is doing it himself but for some reason hes posting it on his instagram (link removed)

I follow the guy with the gun on instagram because hes a youtube fitness guru. This is crazy though! he says this is the 7th time hes done this to people today - so he must know they arnt there to harm him???
In the video he basically pointing a gun at a man and making him empty his pockets and get on his knees, he then takes the mans ID and sends him on his way. wtf?
For what its worth, this is in an apartment complex, which he is seemingly renting from.

I dont live in the USA so I dont know how to get hold of this guys local police.

EDIT: turns out he recorded doing it to another dude (another black man - might be a coincidence) and this time he demands to look at the guys phone while the gun is pointed at him. He says "who sent you" like a secret agent or something, I worry about this guys mental health but who do i contact? I dont have the dudes address i just know hes a texan.

Answer:
 Yes, it's illegal. It's called brandishing and I'm not aware of any state where it's legal. The idea is that your firearm is there to apply deadly force for self-defense (including defense of those whose care is entrusted to you and/or your property depending on state law, but that's another thread). If you don't need to use deadly force to resolve the situation, you don't need to get out your gun.

Because some people are going to argue about this: open carrying your firearm is not brandishing. And pulling out your gun against a burglar in your home, and then not firing because they turned and fled (or stopped and surrendered), is also not brandishing.

>pointing a gun at a man and making him empty his pockets and get on his knees, he then takes the mans ID and sends him on his way

Robbery, for one. In Texas this probably also fits the definition of "deadly conduct". It likely would be graded as a felony.

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/PE/htm/PE.22.htmAnswer #2: Yeah that is super duper illegal. It's so illegal I'd suspect its staged.Answer #3: Google his town or even county name and you should be able to find the local police

I lived in Texas for a while and I was heavily warned not to walk on other people's property because it is legal to shoot trespassers. I don't know how that changes when the "trespass" is knocking on apartment complex door.

It sounds like dumb attentionwhoring. Texans are prats with their guns. I'd unfollow him and forget about it. Answer #4: Yes it's illegal, crazy illegal... Obviously it's staged for the views, well I guess you never know but most of these videos are


Title: Can I ignore this jury duty questionnaire?

Question: I was sent a jury duty questionnaire(not a summons) at my mother’s address. I haven’t lived there in over 5 years. Can I safely ignore the questionnaire or will that bring consequences I’d rather not deal with?

Answer: Never ignore a court document.


Title: Sold a car on ebay, over a month later and they want a refund

Question:
I sold a 2005 Chevy Astro van on eBay a couple months ago.  In the ad I mentioned that the van's AWD light was on, but had been on the entire time I've owned the vehicle.  The day before they came and picked up the van, one of the rear tires got punctured and I replaced both.  Upon arriving they inspected the van, agreed that it was in the condition described in the ad, they paid via credit card on paypal and drove the van back to New York.  (I live in Maryland)

At the time of the sale, I gave them $1000 off the final bid ($5500 reduced to $4500 because I felt it was more fair).

About a month later I get a call saying the van needs approximately $3000 in repairs and he filed a complaint with PayPal to get his money back.  Paypal immediately put a -$4000 balance on my account and locked it down.  I disputed with evidence that I have maintained the vehicle (over $2500 in the last few years) but they still ruled in his favor.

Currently the van is located in New York, tagged, titled, and being driven by the other party, and the credit card company wants me to sign a release to obtain the title, pay them $4000, and drive to NY to pick the vehicle up.

Do I have any options here? I disclosed all problems with the vehicle to the best of my knowledge, had the vehicle maintained at a shop, and sold it in as-is condition.

Answer:
 I don't know what advice to give except to seek the advice of an attorney.

With so many issues arising out of paypal's dispute process, something needs to be done. I don't know what, but this is getting out of hand.

Just based on recent issues I've read about on the internet, I wouldn't use paypal to sell anything I wouldn't be upset just giving away. It seems like all a buyer has to do is file a complaint and paypal will ignore ANY evidence to the contrary and just give your stuff away for you.

But when you require a buyer to DESTROY an ~~antique~~ old French Violin because Paypal determined it was counterfeit based solely on the buyer's word AND refunded the money.... [link](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paypal-makes-ebay-customer-destroy-2500-violin-seller-left-empty-handed/)


Title: Pet passed away on Lufthansa.

Question:
I am a veteran and my wife is Active Duty military and received orders to Germany. My wife flew from LAX to Frankfurt, Germany with our one cat. The cat was cleared medically from the veterinarian. When my wife landed, she was told that our cat passed away on the aircraft and she needed to wait for the airport veterinarian. Of course, she was hysterical and devastated. After a couple hours, the vet called her down to verify it was our cat, and she said it didn't even look like her at all. The airport vet couldn't release our cat, her collar, or her carrier to us. They said they would contact us with more information. It has now been 4 months since the incident, and we are at a loss at what to do and where to go at this point.

&#x200B;

 Should we seek out a lawyer to handle this?

Answer: Are you in the Kaiserslautern Military Community?  If so, I believe RAB has a legal office there. You might be able to speak with one of their attorneys for advice. Very sorry for your loss. Answer #2: Was the pet sick beforehand?


Title: "Following Too Closely" ticket advice

Question:
First and foremost I am in the state of New York.

So if you aren't in NY then you probably didnt know that we got major snow last monday. But that doesnt mean life grinds to a halt, and I found myself on icy roads that had yet to be significantly plowed.

Now, going down a particular hill, I began to apply my brakes to find that I wasnt slowing down. I apply more, still nothing. Oh no. And even though I was going significantly under the speed limit (30-35 in a 45), I am unable to stop the whole way down and I rear ended the car that had been stopped at the red light below (note: between the first application of the brakes to me hitting the car, there was close 5 seconds if not more). Car totalled, but both of us are fine.

Now, officer gets to the scene. Tickets me for Following Too Closely. But I wasn't following anyone, was I? And I began breaking about 250 feet away from the car, more than enough room on any other given day.

Now, I have the ability to contest this ticket. Do you think that it would successfully be dropped? Or would I be wasting my time?

Anyways, thank you for your time?

Answer:
 > about 250 feet away from the car, more than enough room on any other given day.

But apparently not for that day. You have to adjust your driving to the conditions. You can alsways get a lawyer and fight the ticket but since you rear ended someone I doubt they would drop it, and even if they do you would still be responsible for the accident.

In the future I suggest that you try a swerve and avoid technique.


Title: [VA] My father (70 yo) was arrested for sexual assault of a minor. Given his age and severity of the charges, should he even bother retaining an attorney?

Question:
I do not know all the details of the case or the charges.  I don't want to honestly.
Background:  I haven't spoken to my father in almost 2 years because of concerns that he molested my then 13 month old daughter. There wasn't enough evidence for an arrest so nothing legally came of it. That experience and several others significantly colors my opinion of his guilt. I was contacted to handle his affairs and to figure out the best way to navigate this financially. He is retired Army, 100% disability, and owns a small farm.

He was arrested for taking indecent liberties with a minor - custodian and is in jail waiting for a bond hearing in a week or so. The prosecutor said other charges are forth coming including aggravated sexual battery and sodomy of a minor. I'm not clear on the details but the gist of it is that he took his neighbor friend's 14-15 year old granddaughter and her friend also 14-15 to a different state for a trip.

He has spoken with a lawyer whose attorney fee is $25k. It's a staggering amount especially considering it's not inclusive of all costs.

I understand that these charges carry lengthy prison time. Given his age, is there any point to retaining the lawyer?

Answer:
 > Given his age, is there any point to retaining the lawyer?

Bill Cosby's eighty and he went to jail.

Your father's own lawyer can advise him on the finer points of the various legal strategies available to him, one of which is pleading guilty and hoping.

e: If you have a fiduciary responsibility to him (i.e., you're his POA or guardian), you want to err on the side of caution and hire the lawyer.

e2: Virginia still has filial responsibility laws on the books. Ask your own lawyer about the possibility of you becoming responsible for your indigent father's ongoing living expenses, if his assets were suddenly wiped out by a legal defense and civil battery suit. This may necessitate some unpalatable tactical decisions on your part, which may include you wanting his legal defence to succeed.Answer #2: I am going to suspend my sense of justice for a moment.

Your father is entitled to due process, and that includes representation.

I don't think anyone is going to read your few paragraphs and say:  "Screw, it, he's going to die in prison anyway.  Let's just get on with it."

An attorney may be able to get the charges dismissed.  And, your father admitting his guilt demonstrates that he needs an attorney to, if nothing else, tell him to shut up.

I will be resuming my sense of justice now... But I will do so elsewhere.


Title: Got arrested with penal code 148.9 which is resisting arrest by giving false information. 19 year old college student in California.

Question: I got arrested about a week ago. Me and my roommates decided to throw party( I am under drinking age). At 3 am in the morning police officers came knocking at my door and said that they received a noise complaint.    At that moment I went over and turned off the music and kicked everyone out and returned to the door. They began asking questions,  and i panicked and gave them a false first name. The rest or the questions I answered were correct. I realized I had given them a false name after the middle of the interview , I told the officer I was going to get my ID (while I went to go get it , I was going to figure out a way to tell them about the misurderstading) ... The officers didn't let me go get my ID and noticed that the information didn't check out from their end. My roommate then came out and called me by my actual name and the police officer asked him if that was my name. My roommate replied yes, the police officer then proceed to handcuff me without a warning. I was only charged with 148.9 in the report. My question is , how do I plead ? I did give false information, so would I plead guilty? Do I plead the 5th to anything I wasn't charged for in the report such as being intoxicated?

Answer:
 What you do is get yourself a lawyer like yesterday.Answer #2: "tell them about the misunderstading"

It was not a misunderstanding. You lied to a police officer with clear intent, and got caught.


Title: Tips for discounts

Question: At my work I can give up to $25 discount myself. If I was to ask for like $5 tip to give this discount would that be illegal and could I land in jail?

Answer: It would almost certainly get you fired.


Title: (NY) Ex Gamestop employee being sued

Question:
So about two months ago I was fired from my job because of the fact that I had been discounting game warranties. The Loss Prevention manager also seemed to believe that I was cancelling preorders and pocketing the money, but that was not true and I denied it. So long story short, the District Manager and LP guy told me they had found records of me discounting the warranties, they immediately fired me and they had me pay $205 which is what they estimated I had lost the company.

Fast forward to yesterday, and I get a letter in the mail saying that Gamestop now wants to sue me for another $350. Do I have any chance of disputing this or would it be best for me to just pay them the money and hope it's the end of it?

Answer: If you can prove you didn't do what they're claiming with the pre-orders. Honestly though, you already admitted to stealing from this company and a judge might not believe you. You can consult with an actual attorney and give them a more detailed description to get a more refined answer than that. Basically we can't say.


Title: I was caught shoplifting from Kohl’s, need advice

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Did you get arrested or charged with a crime?  Did the police come?  Did you get a ticket?


Title: Neighbor cut down a tree in our yard: Tree Law and shitty MS Paint maps [AL]

Question:
Now that I have your attention, yeah, that's the gist of it. The neighbor went and cut down a tree in our yard. Now, at first look, it seems like it'd be in his yard.

Except we've had the property surveyed, and it is (was) on our property. Hell, even part of his driveway is on our property.

[My magnum opus.](http://imgur.com/a/eX8ap)

So, obviously we're going to need a lawyer, and they're going to have a field day with it. Is there anything in particular we'd need to document to make a strong case? I've already got pictures of the stump of the tree before he could grind it out, but what else might be necessary?

I'm in Mobile, AL.

Answer: Do you by chance live in a historic district as they may have broken some by-laws as well.


Title: [CA] Boss posted job listings with very misleading salaries and relies on majority unpaid interns, is this legal?

Question:
I apologize in advance as this is a lengthy post as I believe there are multiple legal issues at hand.

I am working for an entrepreneur who has multiple for-profit businesses running all at once. To my knowledge,  The majority of his workforce are unpaid interns. There are some "paid" interns, but their pay is based only on comission based on how much revenue they bring to the company, and no one has been able to Monetize their tasks yet; therefore, no one has been paid (it's been 3+ months). Everyone on-boarded had signed a NDA and a 1-year agreement contract.

I am an unpaid business manager intern, helping in the hiring process. I review resumes, set up interview times, interview applicants etc. This internship is digital/remote, and I naïevely accepted it since I was rejected by every other company and I have no car.

I admit I was really gullible and I should have realized these things sooner that i am about to discuss below.

My boss started using a new website for hiring, and after reading the job listings he wrote, he put a big (i.e. $100k+, $30-40k) salary that I believe is very misleading for a couple reasons. 1) None of his businesses have made any revenue and 2) NO ONE in the company has been paid and it's been months. In the other websites he has used for job postings, he did not post these salary prices, and the listings clearly state that pay is based on commission only.

Luckily, pretty much every applicant applying through this new website saw straight through this bullsh*t during the interview process and refused to sign the contract.

When confronted about it, my boss believes it is okay because he thinks he will be very profitable by the end of the year (which I highly disagree with by the way he runs things) and that they can reach those salary numbers if they are truly motivated since it is comission based.

So my first question is: is it legal to advertise a big salary when there is no concrete evidence to support it as no one in the company has even been paid?

Next topic of concern is the legality of an unpaid intern workforce. I did some research and found that the Department of Labor has certain requirements. Although My boss has 1 non-profit 501(c)3,  he also has for-profits, which is what all the interns are working for. The company name is very misleading as it suggests we are a non-profit when we really are not. To my knowledge, there are also no real salaried employees, and he is relying on unpaid interns/"paid" interns (once again, comission only pay, and no one has been paid yet) to do everything for him. He has also promised me multiple times that if I reach a certain goal, I will get paid even though I had signed an agreement for an unpaid internship. He also said he would buy a me company computer If the company makes a lot of money. I have yet to address this issue of unpaid interns to my boss as I am worried of his response.

Now you might be thinking, why am I still working for this person? I really don't feel comfortable
 after making these relevations. I am actively looking for new internships, and luckily have been accepted to interview for very well-known companies. However, I am worried that if these companies were to contact my  current boss for a reference, he could potentially say something negative about me if I were to report/confront him about his shady practices, affecting my chances. I am the only other person in the company who has access/knowledge of his hiring practices. I need this other internship in order to graduate as the one I am currently working at does not meet my school's requirements.

I really don't know what to do at this point.  Ever since I have discovered all this, I have not hired anyone new to the company as it feels wrong.

So to sum it up:

Is it legal to post very misleading salaries on job listings?
Is my unpaid internship even legal? Can I leave it even though I signed a 1-year contract? What happens if my current boss gives me a bad reference to my future employers?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 This guy is so shady that I wouldn't use him as a reference at all, or even include it on the resume, and any penalties he has in that contract would probably be unenforceable if he's playing this fast and loose

I'd report him to the IRS (sounds like he's illegally using his nonprofit's workers for the for-profit business) and DOL (wage claims, illegal use of interns for productive labor) as well as the Cali iterations of these, and also the Texas labor department for wage claimsAnswer #2: From my understanding, unpaid work is only legal in the USA if it fits any of the following:
1. It is for a non-profit
2. It is for course credits for an academic institution
3. Everything outlined in this post:
https://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/employment-law-and-human-resources/unpaid-internship-rules.html

Considering what you have said here, this sounds very illegal. I believe that if you file a wage claim, everyone will be entitled to at least minimum wage for every hour they worked.

Basically yes, this is illegal, and yes you should do something about it.


Title: Are there any legal repercussions/consequences to purposefully planting stinging nettles/poison ivy in response to someone repeatedly destroying your plants/garden?

Question:
For example, say that a person has a small non-food garden or flowerbed in their front yard, or plants in pots on their porch, and that one of their neighbors in the immediate area has a child who likes to go around and destroy plants when their parents aren't paying attention to them, or that there's a group of teenagers going around and destroying people's plants, or that it's just some random adult who's destroying them for some reason, and that after the 3rd or 4th time that the garden/plants are destroyed, the person purposefully plants stinging nettles, poison ivy, or some other similar plant in order to try to deter them from destroying the garden again.

Would that person face any sort of legal repercussions/consequences if the person/people who were causing the destruction were to be "stung" by the plants?

Answer: What state is this in?


Title: Texas, USA: If I'm in a car accident (not my fault), can I collect from both insurance companies involved?

Question: Let's say someone hits my car (100% their fault), and I have to ride an ambulance to the hospital. No major injuries, but there's about $2,000 in bills. I was a passenger, so there's insurance company A (the driver of the car I occupied), and insurance company B (the at-fault driver of the other car). Insurance company B has already contacted me and said they are sending a check for the $2,000. What happens if insurance company A also sends me money (or pays the bill directly to the hospital)? Do I have to pay back the $2,000 company B sent me? Or do I get to keep it all? Thanks in advance!

Answer: You can't double dip. The $2000 your insurance pays you they are going to try and get back from the other insurance company, then they will find out you have it and make you give it back.


Title: I was pulled over for speeding and the officer borrowed my pen and made me give it back to him claiming it was his.

Question: Hi all, I’m in Florida and was pulled over for going 30 over the speed limit. I was perfectly nice to the officer, and apologized for my speed. He asked for my license and asked if the address on it was current, I told him no, that I had recently moved. He then asked me to write down my current address. I happened to have post it notes and pens in my middle compartment. I wrote down my address, gave him the post-it note and he then asked for my pen.(I don’t know at this point if he knew he was borrowing mine, or if he thought it was his). I complied and gave him my pen. He came back after giving me a ticket and had me sign it (giving me back my pen). I signed and put the pen away in its usual compartment, handing him back the signed ticket. He said “my pen?” And I said “oh I’m sorry that was my pen” he then said “give me back my pen” and I told him “sir, you had borrowed my pen. My father gave me this pen”. He insisted it was his, so I complied and gave it to him. Anyways, he left with my pen. Unfortunately, the pen was a silver pen (probably cost like 100 dollars, it was a nice pen) but it didn’t have anything specific for me to point out it was mine. All in all, I’m just annoyed he was able to walk away with my pen due to his shitty memory and lack of listening to me. What if that had been a 300 dollar pen? Is there anything I can do, like filing a complaint against him?

Answer:
 I would use honey instead of vinegar in this situation.

Unless you want to contest the ticket.

You have the officers contact info or you at least have it available.

E-mail or voice mail something like:

"Hello I am the person you pulled over for speeding on "date time" Sorry about that, I know I was wrong. I think our pens may have been switched, could you check to see? Mine was a gift from a relative Thank you for you time contact info"Answer #2: I'd be pissed.

do you have any photos that happen to have the pen in it? I'd grab them and take them down to see someone at the station and lodge a complaint. and bring the pictures as evidence it was your pen.

it should be notable enough even if its just a silver pen right?

also your father gave you an unmarked silver pen? no initals or tiny note engraved on it anywhere? no judgement just wondering. also might wnat to get a letter or initials engraved on your fancy pens to avoid this in the future. and record all of your interactions with cops.


Title: Employer is withholding paychecks -- from the entire staff.

Question: My employer is currently in the process of opening a new branch. They are spending all kinds of money on it with seemingly little regard to everyone else that works for them. Four times this year (Twice already, two more scheduled 'withholdings' still to come) they have withheld the ENTIRE staff's paychecks, for almost a week. Every time this happens, we go from getting paid bi weekly to getting paid every third week, which is personally putting a strain on me. Is there anything I could do here? I live in Arizona.

Answer: You will need to provide your location.  Normally, what is the delay between the end of the pay period and the pay date?


Title: Gave my boss my 2 weeks notice. He said "company policy" was 3.

Question:
So I gave my employer my 2 weeks notice Monday but didn't get a chance to meet with him until today. He told me that I'd have to stay on for 3 weeks because it's "company policy" and in the information that I got when I was hired.

Can he actually do anything to enforce that? It's a small business, not a corporation or anything so if I just said fuck it and walked out tomorrow what could he *really* do? I appreciate the help.

Answer:
 Are you in the United States? If so, they can't make you stay for any amount of time. You can walk out right now if you so choose.

Keep in mind that doing so may impact your ability to use them as a positive reference - that's largely up to them. They can't lie about you, but they can say things like "OP didn't give sufficient notice" or the simple and clean "OP is not eligible for rehire."Answer #2: I've had the same thing happen to me. They claimed some BS about how I "owe them" a month and how it is "industry standard." I told them thanks, but 2 weeks is the best I can do, if they are unhappy with that, I am happy to leave right now. End of conversation.Answer #3: At will working out for the employee for a change.Answer #4: If you don't care about the reference, stroll out of there at your convenience.

"Company policy".  Lol.  If they decided to fire you, could you say, "Sorry, it's my personal policy that all employers give me three weeks notice before termination"?  At-will employment works both ways.Answer #5: You can quit whenever you like. You can stay on an extra week and work 3 more weeks or you can quit today.


Title: Helped pay mothers cable bill for 1-2 months 5 years ago, now collection agency saying I owe that cable company money for equipment and bill's unpaid.

Question:
So about 5 years ago I stayed with my mom over break during college (mind you in a different state NJ)  and during that time I helped pay her cable bill 1-2 times (memory a little fuzzy).

Now today I received a letter from a debt collector stating I owed that cable company an amount of  $300, and about $450 in equipment costs? Now I never signed any contracts with that cable company, I simply paid 1-2 months of the cable bill with my debit card.

My question is:
 -Am I liable for these costs?
-Will they hurt my credit score if I dont pay these costs?
-Any tips about how I should go about this?

Also side note, my mom will 99.99% most likely not pay this bill, for various sob story reasons.

Answer:
 > My question is: -Am I liable for these costs? -Will they hurt my credit score if I dont pay these costs? -Any tips about how I should go about this?

Seems not. Dispute it and request validation of debt. If your name isn't on the bill and you have no contract with them they will not be able to provide it.


Title: I live in an illegal dwelling in SF. Do I have any recourse concerning the spewing shit fountain outside my front door?

Question:
I live in an in-law unit in SF. I signed the lease knowing that this was an illegal unit, but the rent is low considering the location and I didn't have any other options.

Anyway, so my apartment is essentially the ground floor underneath a 4 story building. I have a separate entrance to my apartment than everyone else in the building and am the only one who has access to it. There is a [small sewer vent](http://sfdpw.org/ftp/uploadedimages/sfdpw/bsm/Intact%20Vent%20Cover.jpg) right by my front door. This door is my only entrance and exit. Lately this sewer has been getting clogged and backed up, and I will walk out the door to discover standing water/ human feces/toilet paper flooding the fenced walkway out to the street. Sometimes I can walk around it, and sometimes the puddle is so large I have to try to jump over and hope I don't step in it.

Every time this has happened, I've contacted my landlord and he's sent someone out to either clean it up, or snake the drain and temporarily unclog the pipe. However it's started to happen really frequently and I'm getting really sick of it.

Is there something that the landlord or the city should be doing to prevent this from happening any more? What are some of the risks associated with living in this kind of environment? Is there any way I can get assistance relocating if this becomes persistent or detrimental to my health?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 you KNEW you were gonna live somewhere illegal, why would the protections follow you?

you likely have a right to leave the lease as this renders in inhabitable. that's about it. Answer #2: Are there other tenants of a more legal standing?  If so this may still be a code violation that you can call the city on.  They don't necessarily care which tenant is making the call.

Also if the sewage is making it all the way out to the street, you may be able to report it as a 'concerned neighbor' because it sounds like more than just a 'snake the pipe' situation is occurring, and the city has a vested interest in proper sewage from the homes.

As for remedies?  Very unlikely, but you do live in one of the most tenant friendly cities in the US...Answer #3: If it were a legal residence, maybe.  But as an illegal one, your only options are to leave and break the lease, as it's unenforceable if the unit isn't legal to rent.

Essentially all your remedies require your landlord to be cooperative and helpful.  Your options are to report him to the landlord tenant board in SF and/or code enforcement.  But all that will do is lead to the unit being shut down and you getting the boot.  If you had rented this place without knowing that it was illegal, you might be able to claim some damages against, him.  But given that you knew this from the start, you probably won't have a claim.


Title: Advice for getting caught with 1.5 tabs of LSD in Washington state

Question:
Hi everyone,

I am a tourist who was traveling through US and Canada on holiday.

I got caught with 1.5 tabs of LSD at the Seattle-Vancouver border while traveling to Seattle.

I just came from EDC. The border police were searching my belongings as they found an unwashed cannabis grinder. During the search, they found a bag of 1.5 tabs of LSD hidden within the pages of an EDC booklet. I am not a user of LSD. I believed that my booklet got swapped with someone else during EDC. I was completely unaware of the tabs.

I was still charged nonetheless.

The state police told me that I may or may not be required to appear in court and may or may not be facing jail time. The border police subsequently denied me entry into US and informed me that I will not admitted into US without a valid VISA waiver in future.

I am presently concerned about what kind of punishments will I be looking at. I have no criminal or civil offences anywhere in the world prior to this arrest. I am concerned about (1) whether I am required to show up in court and what happens if i do not show up (as I am not staying in US, it is extremely costly for me to fly back) and (2) will I be facing jail time despite not being aware of the tabs and it being a relatively small amount?

Answer:
 Lawyer up you are looking at potentially serious charges.

Whether or not it is true nobody is gonna believe you when you say that the "drugs weren't mine", the police has heard that a million times just today.


Title: Toronto, Can. What are my legal rights and resources to stop my Narcissistic father from forcing contact and showing up where I live, I am currently no contact with him and don't wish to reestablish it now if ever.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No. None of this is illegal. You really need to grow up and be an adult.


Title: What can a Mc Donald's cashier do to stop a frequent costumer from harassing her?

Question: Today I went to a mc Donald's and while I was eating my nuggets I happened to see how this man holding the cashier from her back in a bear hug, she was clearly uncomfortable but she played it nice and quickly got out of the hug in a polite manner and talked the man down, before I left, I asked the cashier if it was okay for that man to be holding her like that,  she told me that it was a family friend and a frequent customer while we were talking she  realized that it was weird I told her that she shouldn't be letting him do that if she didn't wanted to, the problem is that I don't know what can she do to make it stop and neither does her. I left without giving her any useful advice. This was in Texas, SA

Answer: She can call the police if someone is touching her and she does not want that person to touch her. However, if he is a "family friend", she may not want to deal with everything that entails. It is good for you to be aware but perhaps you should trust that she is able to deal with her own personal life.


Title: My landlord treats me like shit because "I'm a boarder and not a tenant" so "she can do whatever she wants"

Question:
My landlord lives in the house with us (me and 2 other renters) and the entire house is shared. She is unreasonable and yells at us for ridiculous reasons (leaving coat on the coat rack, leaving shoes on our shoe mats, accidentally forgetting a spoon on the counter).

She gives us zero notice to enter our rooms, told me I cannot go month by month and will have to leave if I don't sign another lease (without 60 days notice), and makes incredibly racist comments about my roommate.

My most recent problem with her is that she will NOT allow us to touch the thermostat. Meaning if she's not home and I'm sweating balls in my room and can't fall asleep because it's 30 degrees, she will get upset if I turn the AC on. If I bring this problem up to her she says that I'm under boarding occupancy and not tenant law since it's her principle residence so I have no control over anything. (even though my rent is "utilities all included")

Is she right?? Do I have zero rights over anything?? I'm obviously happy to be leaving at the end of this month but it'd be nice to not wake up sweating at least.

Help and advice is very appreciated

Answer:
 Bad news: in Ontario, tenants who share a kitchen or a bathroom with the owner or the owner's immediate family are exempt from the Residential Tenancies Act. It's not quite true that she can do "whatever she wants:" you still enjoy some basic common-law protections, and the terms of your lease are generally binding, but things like rent control and non-terminability are not provided for you. If you want those, you'll have to move.

More generally, your landlord is allowed to require that you sign a lease in this situation. You're owed "reasonable" notice (30 days is reasonable, generally) if she chooses to terminate your tenancy, and she will incur liability to you for your expenses and damages if she throws you out without notice, but it sounds like you should plan on exiting sooner, rather than later.

It is likely not illegal for your landlord to make racist remarks in her own home, either.Answer #2: Because you used Celsius, where in the world do you live?


Title: I’m 17, working my first part-time job, and now that summer hit I’m working up to 45 hours a week.

Question:
I’m going to start off by listing a few details that are probably important:

•I am working a part-time job
•The state is Virginia

As the title says, I’m scheduled 45 hours this week. Now, I’ve been scheduled for around 30ish hours a week, with this week being around 35 hours, but now I’m starting to get concerned.

During this week, I have two days where I am supposed to work 10 hours. 11-9. I know it sounds cliche, but I really did not sign up for this.

When I’m scheduled such long hours, should I expect to be owed overtime? I’m not sure if such a busy week is infringing on some sort of Virginia employment law regarding working hours.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Per https://virginiarules.org/virginia-rules/child-labor-laws :

>  Teenagers 16 and 17 years of age have no restrictions on the number of hours worked. They must, however, comply with the compulsory school attendance law and curfew ordinances that may apply and these will influence times they can lawfully work. (Code of Virginia §§ 40.1-115 and 40.1-116)

It's not uncommon for businesses to call your position "part-time" even if they work you over 40 hours a week.

Make certain that you are being paid 1.5 times your normal hourly wage for anything over 40 house in a week.Answer #2: Anything over 40 is OT. If you don't want to work that much, speak with your boss?


Title: [New York] Approached by undercovers in starbucks and questioned/had id's ran... is this legal/normal?

Question:
So i was having some coffee taking care of some medical/gov calls/paperwork in a Starbucks on Long Island today and my gf and i were approached by, initially, one undercover officer.  He did not identify himself as police, and initially we did not think he was. He started by asking if we lived/worked by here, we thought he was going to ask for a restaurant recommendation or something, but as he started to fidget with his collar and i noticed the bullet proof vest i realized this was something different.
He continued to ask us questions, which we openly replied to, but were increasingly schetched out by his behavior until he identified himself as an officer, pulled the badge out of his collar, and his partner in plain clothes slid in behind him.
As i said, we were in Starbucks, paying customers, taking care of bs like anyone else, we did nothing wrong out anything to stand out.  As i did not have anything to hide at the time, nor my gf, we offered our id's after they requested them, although i felt a strong urge to fight.  (i was particularly scared by this time as i have recently been approached by an undercover while sitting outside of a 7-11 waiting for my ride ride after making a purchase at said establishment, he said he had a "call" someone was going to rob the 711 and that was his probable cause(10 am in the morning mind you).  This was a gang unit detective, operating alone.  his back seat was full of cases of monster energy and tubs of coffee.  he approached me like i had my finger on a detonator... i had weed and klonapin (which i'm currently and past prescribed but was not at the time)and 350$ on me.  i refused consent to a search on private property without probable cause... still ended up searched/arrested/charge with 90% of the 350 in my pocket going to "bail") fucked up right? officer tells me "well if you just said yes to the search i wouldnt have searched ya" meanwhile hes yackin it up with his buds in the precinct happy to have his ass off the gang unit streets for a day....

sorry, shitty formatting.. just trying to get this out.  Back to today... So his partner walks away with our id's, and he continues to question us... i am in temp housing atm and he started questioning me about residents i dont know there... the whole thing stunk to high heaven.  They couldnt give a straight answer as to why they approached in the first place... we were customers in a busy starbucks sitting at a corner table... i was making medical/dss calls and she was on her phone, both sober, nothing to warrant an approach as it happened. they keep pressing for info and eventually realize that we are clean and they fucked up n leave.

id like to know what the fuck? excuse my language, but this cant be legal, my lawyer says what happened to me w the drug chargers was illegal and this is even more out there.  Can i file a complaint? Sue? Im not looking for some free $, but this isnt right.  or is it /legaladvice/ ?

Answer:
 No, you can't sue because police asked you questions that you willingly answered. At no point where you required to answer their questions and could have just remained silent.

You can file a complaint with the police department but the department isn't going to punish officers doing their jobs in a reasonable manner.

They're obviously investigating something, whether it be you or your fellow residents.Answer #2: I don't really see much wrong with the officer's behavior here.  I don't know why he approached you, but he certainly doesn't have to *tell you* why.  Maybe he got a tip about someone fitting your description, for instance.

Now, it's possible that the search wasn't justified.  You were charged over those drugs, so you could fight those charges and raise the issue of whether the search was constitutional as part of your defense.

But that's about it.  You can certainly complain about the officer's behavior to the department.  Answer #3: FYI, the legal term for your Starbucks conversation is "consensual encounter."


Title: Paternity in Texas

Question:
Hey guys, I'll try to make this as short and simple as possible as I don't have a lot of time. All answers are appreciated thanks.

So basically my gf just had her baby today, in the presumed father. Before signing any paperwork I wanted a paternity test done. The nurse and my gf family are pressing  me to fill out said paperwork but I just want to know if I go ahead and sign giving the kid my last name, and the DNA test come back negative will I still be responsible for the child? My family advises me not to sign any documents so it's a little back and forth in both sides. I was told it would take a couple weeks for the results to come back from the attorney general. Could I still be held liable for child support if he carries my name and it turns out that he's is not mine?

Answer: Do not sign papers until you get a DNA test.  It’ll be expensive and time consuming to unravel if you aren’t the father.


Title: bike moved by landlord got stolen

Question: something happened to a friend of mine and i'm wondering what you think. Her bike was locked up outside the apartment building she lives in. there are no signs that say not to park your bike there. the maintenance person cut her lock and moved the bike to beside the (overfull with old abandoned locked up bikes) bike rack on the other side of the building. From this location it got stolen. My friend did not get any request to move her bike, she was not told they would be moving the bike, she was sent a text hours after the bike was moved which simply said "moved your bike". This shows they knew who's bike it was so could have attempted to contact her before moving it. I thought it sounded ridiculous and that it shouldn't have been moved and left unlocked. We were wondering if there's any recourse for her to try to get them to replace her bike. this is in ontario

Answer:
 Yes. You can try and sue them in civil court for the fair market value of the bike.

A judge may or may not side with you.


Title: Employer is limiting my hours due to a healthcare regulation but I think they are lying to me. Can they do this/am I wrong?

Question:
Hello,

I work for remotely part-time hourly for a company in the midwest and I average ~30+ hours per week, but they told me to keep it under 30 hours because otherwise they would have to offer me healthcare under ObamaCare and this is something that they do not wish to do.

I am already fully insured (dental + vision + health/ER/ambulance) and I would opt out of any of their offered insurance, but HR is telling me that I "can't" opt out of insurance that they would offer me. This sounds like BS to me and it kind of sucks as I depend on that little bit of extra cash.

I don't want to sue anybody or anything, I just want to know if they are BS-ing me or not! Please help! :)

EDIT: I am located in NY, but the employer is located in Iowa

Answer: This is very common now in part time jobs. They are not bullshitting you.


Title: I was fired, I started getting unemployment, now they're claiming I quit and that I shouldn't be receiving anything...I have a recording of the manager firing me. (PA)

Question:
Location: State of PA

I worked at a company for a couple of years. Over that time there were many instances of discrimination (racial jokes and being told I was not trusted because of my race). I had complained to my higher-ups and HR on a couple occasions, all were met with the person getting a (metaphorical) slap on the wrist. As I climbed into a manager position, my former peers started gossiping about me and saying I didn't deserve the promotion. After I wrote up a few employees for cursing in front of a customer, those same employees accused me of stealing without any basis or proof.

The regional supervisor called and told me over the phone he didn't trust me and after all the trouble, he would find a reason to fire me. After he hung up, I got upset and said to my supervisor that I did not like the hostile work environment I was in, and gave her my keys and went to the back of the store to gather myself. When I came back, she had called HR and told them I had quit.

I explained I had NOT quit, I was simply complaining about the work environment. They tried to make me sign resignation forms, but I refused. I worked the rest of the day. The next day I got a call from the regional supervisor. I decided to record the conversation just in case, but in my nervousness, I forgot to let him know I was recording.

In the conversation, I once again mentioned the discrimination, the retaliation and hostile environment...to which he answered "I don't give a crap". I told him I had not resigned and he said "I don't care, don't come back"

I started getting unemployment and filed a complaint against the company. The company appealed my unemployment, saying I quit, and I have to go to a hearing.

I didn't sign anything, so there's no proof. There's no cameras in the workplace, but I'm sure they'll bring the managers who are lying as "witnesses". I have an actual recording proving that they're lying, but I believe in the state of Pennsylvania, I cannot use this recording, since I didn't have his consent.

Is this a lost cause? Is this recording any use to me?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, in their appeal, they say that I never complained about anything to HR. This is a straight out lie. I actually have spoken and complained not only to HR but my supervisors. This appeal letter came from their HR, meaning they either never actually made a report when I complained, or even their HR department is lying and got rid of my complaints. It makes things even MORE frustrating. The stress is almost unbearable, especially since I'm a full-time student too and cannot afford a lawyer, so I'd go into this by myself.
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 At the hearing forget all that drama unless you are directly asked about it. The examiner likely won't care, and it's not relevant. The sole issue here is that you did not intend to quit. If you had intended to quit, you would have left work for the day, but you didn't. The company has nothing with your signature on it saying you quit, and they told you not to come back to work.   The fact that they claim you never complained to them is also of no evidentiary value here.Answer #2: One thing I would do in the hearing is point out that after they fired you they tried to get you to sign forms saying that you quit.  The very fact that they have such forms but that you did not sign them will go somewhat in your favor.

Also, just an FYI:  For the rest of your life you will have employees that will talk shit about it.  You'd better get used to it.Answer #3: Why did you give them your keys if you were not quitting?  To me it sounds like you quit but had a change of heart while you were composing yourself in the back.Answer #4: The recording should be helpful in convicting you of the crime you committed if you are interested in that.


Title: Harassment Charges

Question:
Hello, I'm a highschooler in the U.S (IOWA) and about a week and a half ago, I was messing around with my friend, what I did was take her hairband off and I shot it at her, it hit her and she was provoked and punched me in the face. My parents are wanting her parents to pay for Rhinoplasty as it left my nose slightly crooked. The girls parents are going to press harassment charges on me. My mother decided since they are pressing charges that she would as well (assault). I'm not sure what the next step is but I'm just wondering how this will go in court, I don't want to have a harrasment charge on my record nor assault on hers but it's not my choice. Does anyone think they have any idea of how this will end up? Just some more information: After I shot the hairband at her she punched me in the nose, many people saw it and there was a lot of bleeding, I didn't punch back or react in any way towards her.

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 No ones parents are "pressing charges" on anyone.

They can report the incident to the police who may or may not investigate it, and they may take the case to the prosecutor who will decide what charges are pressed on whom.

In addition to that, everyone's parents may sue everyone else. These judge will listen and make a decision.


Title: Housemate's aquaintance wants to use our address as residence on driver's license, he's currently involved in restraining order situation

Question:
Washington State, two counties.

Last week, a couple local city cops knocked on our door in the late evening and asked if John Doe lived here. Not immediately recognizing the name (with a middle name I'd never heard before and a mispronounced last name), I said no, the only residents were female. As they pushed and said he'd provided our address and repeated his name, I realized it sounded a bit like the name of a housemate's brother's friend. I said I would go ask the housemates. Housemate talked to the cops and later gave me the explanation that the young man had some sports equipment delivered here and the cops were trying to get mail from his ex-girlfriend to him. That made little sense, so I popped onto the legal records search for his county of residence and saw that his ex had filed a protection order on him the prior day and a temporary protection order had been granted, so I assumed they were here trying to serve him. Then I moved on with my life, having little interest in thirdhand drama.

This afternoon I got a text from the housemate asking if it's okay for him to change his driver's license to our address. I am NOT comfortable inviting their domestic drama into our lives but looked for some external grounds to support it. It looks like it would be perjury to claim the house we rent as his residence when he doesn't live here (http://www.dol.wa.gov/forms/500039.pdf).

Housemate was going to check on whether he wants to claim us as a mail forwarding address or residence. The online court records had indicated that a hearing for a permanent protection order would be conducted on 1/19. Assuming there's a good chance that police will try to serve him again after that, I got snoopier and reviewed a copy of the original petition. Excessive and threatening texts, phone calls, vandalizing the petitioner's car, threatening to get her fired and commit suicide if she filed a restraining order, emails to friends and coworkers, negative reviews of her employer that mentioned her. It also looks like one of her friends served him papers today at the address the order banned him from, which seems to be what prompted the request to change his license address to our residence. The whole thing looks nasty enough that I *definitely* don't our home address involved with him or to be in the position of explaining to the police officers that no, he definitely does not live here. I'm unwilling to lie about it.

Any suggestions on legal grounds to convince the housemate to not let him use our address for any reason? Or a diplomatic way to suggest he leave us out of his relationship drama? Is my level of concern unreasonable? I'm not eager to hurt a multiple roomie/rental situation that has otherwise worked out awesomely for over a year now.

Answer:
 "No" is a complete sentence. You can't actually stop him from writing down your address, but you have no reason to give him written consent to do so, and every reason not to.

Stamp any mail for him "not at this address - return to sender" and put it back in the mail. If anyone comes around, state clearly that the person they're looking for lives elsewhere and close the door. If your roommates decide they want to operate differently, well, again: you can't stop them, but you don't have to enable them.

If you want to try to convince your roommates, perhaps point out that he's accused of violent crimes, and that he's changing his address in response to a restraining order, and that perhaps being involved is not in anyone's interest except his.