Title: My Former Employer owes my Father 60k from investment - I was fired

Question:
I apologize upfront about formatting issues,  as this is my first time posting on Reddit and  I'm on my mobile. I also apologize for grammatical errors, it has never been a strong point for me, I am going to try my best.
This will be long, I feel it's important for me to include these details.
I struggled with posting this but you all are so supportive and give such good advice to others that I thought I couldn't lose by trying.
Thanks in advance.
I am in NM (at will state).
2 months ago I was terminated from my position as Manager at a Medical Cannabis Kitchen and Lab. I worked with the company for 3 years, 3 months and a handful of days. This branch of the company was fairly new and I was the longest standing employee at the time of my termination. They employed under 20 but more than 10 individuals at the time. During my time there, I had received multiple promotions and raises, won the company several awards and published articles,  and created and released several new products. We produced a huge range of products for a total of about 15 retail locations at a given time. I was dedicated,  loyal, strict and super compliant. I managed between 9-12 employees at a given time, all in different departments, and this was stated by a hierarchy flowchart created by HR.
Around 3yrs and 1 month I had my annual employee review. I received great feedback as normal,  as expected. They offered me an upgraded salary position, I had previously been on hourly, making $xx.50 per hour. I had always received  $2 raises and was surely expecting the same this year because I had performed and excelled tremendously in the past year, more so than others. My review had been scheduled at the end of the day and it was running over the time I needed to leave to pick up my child from childcare. I asked the HR rep sitting in how much the salary offer broke down to hourly and he stated "It breaks down to $xx.00/ hour,  it's way more than you're making now". The figure he stated would've resulted in a $2.50/hr raise,  so I said hell yes, let's sign the paperwork. We shook hands and I was on my way to pick up my child. On my way home, I calculated the salary figure they offered me into hourly to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, what they had offered me (And I signed on) was only $1.20 raise, and $1.29 less than HR had quoted me in the meeting. So I call/text everyone involved (HR and GM) and ask if we can straighten this out the following day. They assure me it's no problem,  my GM says he "has my back"..but I couldn't help to feel slighted. The next day,  I came in ready to get this issue revolved.  I was instructed to write an email to HR Management and my GM explaining what had happened and the desired outcome. In my email I made some personal recommendations to remedy the issue.
1)I wanted my $2/hr raise. I didn't really care if it was hourly or salary. If it was Salary however, I could no longer work overtime or weekends, I was averaging around 10-20 overtime hours every 2 weeks, and that was difficult as a single parent, as I didn't have childcare on weekends.
2) I offered to keep the actual hourly rate that HR quoted.
3)I offered to take the actual broken down salary amount  ($1.21/hr raise),  but demote myself from management.
I had alot of data to back up my position including the employees and departments I was managing,  all of the products I had released, as well as all the articles and awards we had received over the year.  I didn't receive a response for 4 days. To my surprise, I received an email from the  CEO, I had directed my email to HR and the GM. His first issue was with my email signature. Up until 3 months before my review my title was Kitchen and Production Manager,  I had handed off Production to another manager and had genuinely forgotten to update my automatic signature in my emails. Next,  he stated in fact,  I do not manage 12 people and I am to only be responsible for 4 in the Kitchen only.  He stated my recommendations were unacceptable and offered 1)the same salary position as offered by HR, or 2) an hourly position  $.30 less than what the salary offer would break down to hourly, and reduce my management from 4 employees to 3.
I apologized sincerely about my email signature and changed it immediately.  I attached a copy of the hierarchy flowchart stating the employees and departments I was told I was in charge of. I explained that I felt like my duties and responsibilities were being overlooked,  and that I was disappointed. I reiterated my accomplishments in the past year, thanked them for everything and settled on the Salary offer.
About a week after the webmail correspondence,  HR comes and tells me that 2 of my 4 kitchen employees are going to be in their own dept and one of them will become the manager. Did I have any questions? No. Was I pissed,  yes. I knew things were changing.
A couple weeks later I had lunch with the Executive Director (Executive Director and the GM are my direct supervisors). He mentioned to me that I should "apologize to the CEO, take him to lunch to make things right" because I "don't want to be seen as a disgruntled employee"... he told me he wanted to see me successful and wanted to mentor me.
Well, I never apologized or took the CEO to lunch,  because I didn't feel I was in the wrong. Fast forward a month, and I'm called in to my GM's office with HR. I was being written up. In my 3+ years there I had never ever been written up or had any infractions. I had experimented in the kitchen earlier in the week. The GM stated in the write up that the Executive Director and the GM had instructed me that I was not allowed to work on any other products until I had another specific project finished. But they had never told me that. I would not ignore them if they had asked me to only work on one item until it was absolutely complete. I tried to explain my side and the GM was really argumentative about his side. I initialed it but wrote that they had never told me that.  At the same meeting the GM tried to give me a second write up but it was never passed through because it was so convoluted and confusing that HR didn't even understand what he was trying to write me up for. I was super upset because I had never been in trouble. The next morning I spoke to a fellow manager at work and she expressed to me basically that she heard that if I didn't have a "come to Jesus moment and make 180 degree change they were going to fire me"and that I had "become an unpopular manager" because I had a "negative attitude". She also told me "this probably doesn't come as a surprise, but GM had wanted you gone for a long time". After that,  I was even more upset. I loved my employees and co workers and had close relationships with all of them,  so I thought. I didn't realize people felt this way.
I spoke with HR the next day because I felt like I was going to lose my job and I wasn't sure what to do to make sure my job was secure. Their response was to bring in my GM and the other manager who said that I would be fired and mediate the situation. I didn't want to lose my fellow managers trust, so I decided against proceeding,  but I wanted HR to be aware of the situation.
I immediately got some energy work done,  was listening to The Secret audible book in my car, just trying to get my mind right. I had had quite the chip on my shoulder about my kitchen being divided,  but I had really tried to have a good attitude. I hired a consultant to show me how to make that specific product they had asked for. I made it, I sent out samples. I made several versions of it, employees loved it, but my upper management still wasn't happy,  even when they hadn't tried it. I wasn't receiving any feedback or guidance on what projects I needed to be working on. I was scared to experiment since I had been written up. I was supposed to take part in some really important training and my GM made me opt out, saying I needed to focus on more important things. I had not seen the Executive Director for weeks but had been sending him emails and texts asking for help and guidance. I was feeling desperate. I was spending alot of time doing paperwork and research while still getting my job done. I had shifted my focus to my remaining 2 employees in the kitchen after my review and reorganisation of my kitchen.
I was instructed to delegate one of my large weekly projects to one of my employees,  which I did gladly.
I had assistants in the kitchen who did dishes and cleaned, it had been that way for years. One morning my GM snapped at me that I need to start doing dishes again and to stop pawning my work off onto others. So I did,  but I knew then something was up.
At the end of that week,  my Executive Director finally shows after being gone for weeks. I basically had a mini breakdown explaining to him what a hard time I had been having, I hadn't seen or talked to him since before I got written up. He assured me my position was solid and I had nothing to worry about. I told him. I didn't think GM wanted to see me successful, he insisted they both did.  He asked to rewrite my job description the following Monday. He said I was "rewriting my destiny". He said he wanted me to write what I wanted to do,  my ideal job, to write a schedule of what my ideal day and week would like. So I thought all weekend and came in pumped Monday morning. I spent the whole day rewriting my new job description and schedules. I wrote recipes for 7 new products. The next day I went and bought all the supplies I needed to create and package these items and made an appointment for a meeting with the Director of Retail to present my ideas. I created the new products, packaged them and created promos for each one. Come Thursday I have my meeting with Director of Retail and it goes incredibly amazing. I am stoked and We agree that we'll release the first promo in 2 weeks. Two of the new completed, packaged products were new and improved versions of the specific product they had been asking for. The Executive Director was due to be in the next morning and I would be able to present all of this to him then.
The next morning I come in and I'm ready to show the Executive Director all the things I had been working on all week. He comes in and wants to get settled for awhile so I hold off on talking to him right away. I made several attempts to talk to him throughout the day and he kept putting me off. The GM and Executive Director kept having closed door meetings which isn't too out of character. My GM leaves early at 1ish, wishes me a great weekend,  gives me a hug and leaves. Shortly after 2pm HR shows up with the CEO and they pull me in the office. They tell me that they are restructuring, and no longer have a need for my position,  effective immediately. They say it's not a reflection on my work or anything personal. They tell me this doesn't have to be negative and they want to give me all the referrals, introductions and recommendations needed to make this a smooth transistion for me. They offer me 1 week severance,  plus my pto balance,  which was 40 hours. They asked to sign a termination document,  basically repeating the restructuring and termination B.S. and also a legal document basically saying that I won't sue, slander them or make disparaging comments about them. I told them I wasn't going to sign and they said they weren't going to pay me then. I'm a single mother and I desperately need the money so I initialed the document, based on receipt. HR walked me to my office, they confiscated all of my recipes, notebooks, work credit card and keys, etc and walked me out to my car.
I call my father later to tell him. I don't have a close relationship with my father, haven't seen him in a year. But he had invested a significant amount of money($50k) in the company I work for 18 months ago. I didn't want to know anything about their transaction,  I wanted to keep it super seperate. I find out through talking to my dad that the contract is up at the end of this month and they owe him his investment and return totaling $60k. Apparently he was supposed to be receiving monthly checks but hasn't received a single one. Is this just a weird coincidence? Could they foresee being unable to payback the investment and return and assume a conflict of interest?
They gave my position to one of my employees the following day.
HR and the CEO haven't written the recommendation letter they promised, that I've requested several times, surprise,  surprise.
I'm curious if any of my rights have been violated or if I'm just S.O.L. being in an at will state?
I can't help but to feel wronged.
I'm sorry about the horrendously long story and trouble grammar.
Thank you for taking the time to read and reply!

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 I read through the vast majority of that. I’m not sure I see a relationship between your father’s investment and your termination.

You don’t seem to assert any legal concern in your termination. Your remedy is a new job.

If dad isn’t being paid out in accordance with whatever agreement was executed when he invested he might sue to see that agreement enforced.


Title: Concern for stepson's new set up with his mother and her boyfriend

Question:
Hello all,

I am unsure if this is the right place to ask, so if not, please feel free to redirect me to the appropriate place.

I live in Ontario, Canada. My boyfriend has a son (let's call him Joe) with his ex-wife. Joe stays at his mom's during the week, and with my bf on weekends. Recently (within the last 2 months or so), the ex-wife has begun dating someone new. 2 weeks ago, Joe called his dad crying because he couldn't sleep and was scared, which we later found out from Joe, was because he was sleeping on an air mattress on the floor of the new bf's house. He apparently cried all week and told mom that he didn't want to be there, so she said, starting Monday (i.e. back from dad's last week), they will no longer stay at new bf's place. That did not end up being the case and Joe is still sleeping there every night, however, he now says he's not unhappy staying there.

So my question is: is this reason to be concerned/an issue to bring up to mom? I am personally concerned, but I am mindful that this could be routed in emotion from the first contact with Joe and is not suggestive of any concern re: 'well-being of the child'. My issue lies with the fact that Joe has his own bed at his home, but because mom wants to have 'sleepovers' with her new bf, Joe is now sleeping on an air mattress on someone's floor.

Any thoughts/feedback/advice is appreciate :)

Answer:
 You should do nothing. This isn't your child.

If this concerns your bf he can start by having a discussion with his ex about the situation but I think it's likely nothing will come from this. If his dad is allowed to have him around you I don't see how he'll jutify not allowing the kid to stay with the bf.


Title: Wanting to end lease over mentally unstable neighbor.

Question:
USA (For a friend) My friend leased an apartment for 12 months. She's been there for about 4 months but has a neighbor who seems to be legitimately mentally unstable. The last straw occured at 5 A.M. today. She woke up to her entire apartment filled with smoke (no alarms went off). Her neighbor had decided to cook food on the stove at 2 A.M., fell asleep, and then it caught fire. My friend inhaled a lot of smoke before getting out and had to go to the emergency room. The place didn't burn down but obviously it was a very dangerous situation. This isn't her first run in with the neighbor though. Her neighbor also takes my friends mail, leaves garbage on my friends step,  leaves leftover food in the hallway to rot, screams down the hallway at absolutely no one, and has an odor that causes the whole hallway to smell bad. So these are in no way liveable conditions. Is there a way to break the lease and not pay anything out? What legal information can she bring to the landlord to make steps to break this lease?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 This would also be the time to contact the police and/or adult protective services for a welfare check. This person almost burned their home down; it doesn't sound like they are capable of taking care of themselves.Answer #2: The actions of a third party do not give cause to break a lease. As long as the unit is cleared of smoke to not present a hazard, she has no cause to request the landlord pay for alternate accommodation or prorate her rent for says it was not usable.

However, I agree with u/Avelaide. This warrants a call to adult protective services to see if this person is still capable of managing on their own. Too many people with mental health conditions are screened and left to their own devices without adequate outside support nor continued monitoring. Then, when someone's condition degrades, there isn't anyone paying attention.

The mentally ill have a right to live alongside everyone else, and nobody is entitled to a world free of inconvenience. She would be much better off hoping to help this person rather than try to use this as a reason to move elsewhere away from this sort of "intrusion" into her life.

Edit: misspelled u/Avelaide username. E2 weird autocorrect issue


Title: Custody Laws in Tx for a mom looking for divorce?

Question:
I have a friend who is thinking of divorcing her husband, who has been dishonest and cheated on her. They have a 1 y/o together. She wants to stay with someone else for a week or two and preferably not tell her husband where she is to get some much needed space. She can't leave her daughter with him. Is she allowed to take her daughter somewhere undisclosed for a few days? She can text him pictures of her to let him know she's okay. They have a safe place to go with a family friend. He told her she can't take their daughter and that she has to stay with him. We live in Texas and she and her daughter would only be 20 minutes from her husband.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Answer: Either of them can take their daughter wherever, and she's not likely to get in trouble for a week.


Title: Can I legally say "I am basically a cop" if I am in no way, shape, or form affiliated with law enforcement?

Question: Where do they draw the line for impersonating law enforcement? what can and can't you do that just toes that line?

Answer:
 You may be able to say exactly that since it does not imply you are a cop. Although if someone misconstrued what you said, it could land you in trouble.

That being said, any identification of yourself as "police" or any form of law enforcement that you are not, is a serious crime.


Title: Spider In Mc Donald's Burger

Question:
(Video WARING FOR SPIDER HATERS) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3A3ALT_0Dw&feature=youtu.be

I know its not a big spider, but still a spider

Location: Portland, Oregon

What happened: Me and some friends went to Mc Donald's and I bought 2 cheese burgers 1st burger was fine. Half way into the second burger I see something hanging off the bottom of  it. I look closer and see a spider hanging two inches down from my burger. I told the cash register lady and she just asked if I wanted a new burger I said no and left.

can anything be done?

TLDR; Spider in mcdonald's cheese Burger

Answer: They offered you a replacement burger and you didn't take it. I presume you didn't continue eating after you notice the spider. I'm not sure why you expect you are owed anything.


Title: [UPDATE] My abusive mother is threatening to sue me for visitation to my kids, I live in Chicago Illinois, how can I fight this?

Question:
A few days ago I posted [this](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/28d4ul/my_abusive_mother_is_threatening_to_sue_me_for/) and got tons of responses with great advice.  I admit I was worked up emotionally and got into a little online argument with another redditor who was joking around.  I'd like to let everyone know what's happened and it's looking good.

The next day I started to look around for a Lawyer, I then remembered that last February I sat on a Jury for a criminal trial and after the trial the Judge and Lawyers for both sides came back to the Jury room to thank us.  I remembered the defense attorney because he had a really unique name.  I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask so I looked him up online and called his office.  I spoke to his assistant and told her I sat on a Jury he worked and was looking for advice.  I told her I didn't have much money but would have been grateful for some kind of help or advice.  Fifteen minutes later he called me up, he didn't remember me specifically but he remembered the trial.  We found the Defendant not guilty so I was hoping he'd be a little more open to me.  He was pretty cool about it and when I explained he was sympathetic and told me he'd take care of it with no charge.  I almost fainted.  I gave him the contact information for my moms Lawyer and he said he'd give her a call.  About forty-five minutes later he called me back and told me he talked with the other lawyer and let her know all communication was to be with him.  He said they had no standing and if my mom really wanted to go to court he'd have no problems getting it dismissed.  We haven't heard anything back, but he's assured me that there's nothing to worry about.

I was humbled the way he took it on for nothing and his swift response.  We've all heard about how lawyers are jerks but the man I turned to for help really did restore some of my faith in humanity.  He said it was more important to do right by people who needed help and was glad to be there for me.

Answer:
 All the attorneys I know got into it so they could help people. I know lawyers can get a bad rep of being money-hungry sharks, so it always feels good to hear stories like this that show the truth. Congratulations. You took a chance for your kids and it paid off. Way to go!Answer #2: Yeah. Excellent news and good karma for the lawyer.Answer #3: That's good to hear, on all levels!  Thanks for letting us know.  We love updates, especially good ones.Answer #4: Great news.

I have people at businesses do gratis things for me every-once-in-a-while. Just the other day a woman re-shaped my Stetson for me. It was a bigger job than she expected when she told me over the phone me she'd do it for free.

I bought things from the store both when I dropped it off, and when I left. When she opens her own shaping/cleaning business, I'll be giving her my hat business.

Take an awesome cake or whatever you think would work, and drop them off in person, along with a written letter of thanks.Answer #5: That's fantastic, I'm so happy for you.Answer #6: What's his name? He deserves some free publicity. Also maybe go online and post a few reviews for him. Not sure what kind of defense lawyer he is, but if he takes cases like yours, chances are there are other people like you out there looking for a good guy like this.


Title: 18 years old and being sued by a 1.6 billion dollar company

Question:
Well heres my predicament. I started an online website. I thought it would be fun to repackage some products from china and sell them online.  Made a “fake” brand name and started to get some sales. Around 30 transactions before I got slapped with a lawsuit from a 1.6 billion dollar company. Maybe more at the time of this post. They found my address, name, and more info because they ordered the products for evidence. This is surreal to me. They slapped a court order against me for patent infringement and ordered damages trebled, court fees, fines, and an order that i do not sell any more of the product. This is wild and VERY BAD! I have proof that i’ve only ordered around 200 packs and all transactions on WIX.COM. I have no assets but a car so I dont know what they can get out of me. They claim damages are extensive which is obviously not true. It hit national news that my fake company was being sued. Everyone thinks its a real company. Oh sh*t. Im 18 and only have had 30 transactions! What do I do! Should I seek out a lawyer? I guess I did a good job at creating this company. And what am I expected to pay for this fiasco. A simple cease and desist would have been nice.

Reddit HELP!

Answer:
 Weren't you the same guy that posted yesterday about selling some e-cigarettes yesterday? If so, follow the advice on that they gave you in that thread. You're not gonna get a different answer. Yes, get a lawyer and stop selling counterfeit shit immediately if you haven't done so already. Answer #2: >I guess I did a good job at creating this company.

I mean no, probably not, because you got caught after about 30 transactions in which you sold fakes/modified goods or sold their stuff under your own fake brand name (I'm not entirely clear if it's one or the other, or both). Some of those sales were to the 1.6 billion dollar company, so less than 30, really. Companies in general, including filthy rich ones, don't like it when people sell counterfeit versions of their stuff, or try to pass their products off as other brands. This was, honestly, a terrible job at creating a company.

Definitely get a lawyer.Answer #3: You keep saying fake company.  Seems like it was a real company making sales.  Was this a sole proprietorship?

Get a patent attorney and be ready to pay a lot.  Also, they don't want a full trial.  Patent infringement lawsuits have legal fees that average like $5 million per side.  If you really can't afford an attorney and are forced to do this pro se, call their attorney and try to get a settlement where you cease and desist selling the product immediately and give them your inventory for them to destroy.Answer #4: If you have actually been sued, you need to immediately hire an attorney so you can timely respond.


Title: Employer seems to be profiting from covid at our expense

Question:
I need some advice.

I work in Japan and my employer forced us to take two months off of work due to COVID and government advice, now instead of furloughing us they paid us in full and said we would have to make up the days by using all our holidays and working 6 day weeks until all the days have been made up. They did this because government assistance for furloughing only applies if the business is not charging it's customers for the period of the shutdown, my company decided to charge it's customers during lockdown and say the service will be provided later.

I've received a job offer from another company and I'm concerned about what legal footing the company has to withhold my last months pay, or whether I could just quit next payday and say goodbye to them with no repercussions. I never agreed or signed anything about making up these days, this was a company decision.

Thanks for your time

Answer: I’m not sure if this sub will be able to help with advice if you are based in Japan. You may want to consult a local attorney.


Title: [FL] DUI refusal to blow refusal to road side.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Why did you refuse? Were you drinking? Answer #2: OP usually when you're told to refuse a breathalyzer that means the one in the field, not after arrest. Especially if you haven't been drinking.


Title: Not sure how to do this, I'm new here

Question: So I'm completely new to Reddit, but one of my friends suggested I come here to ask for some help with my issue. I have no idea how this works or what the rules are, so bear with me please. I'm going to try to make this as little emotionally charged as possible, but it's difficult. So my step dad. Molested me from 11-15. Started on my sister 2 years after starting on me. So it was 8-10 for her. I came out about it first. He only got 20 serve 5. Well about 2 years after he went to jail, my sister came out about what happened to her. We had no idea.  We told the people that we didn't want to charge him yet because he would get time served. They didn't fking listen and gave him the same charge for her that they did for me and didn't even tell us until after. Then these jerks released him early back in December. So he only served 1 extra year instead of 3. For molesting an 8 year old. I think this is seriously ridiculous and I really want to contest it because it's fking BS that he only had to serve 1 extra year on a charge that we weren't even ready to press and that we told them specifically we weren't. I don't know if this is even possible. This was all in Bartow County GA.

Answer: You have no grounds to contest a criminal court finding. Sorry.


Title: [Virginia] My co-worker was diagnosed with strep throat and had a doctors note to back it up. My boss pushed him to come to work anyway and now I think I might be coming down with the virus

Question:
As the title says, my co-worker was diagnosed with strep throat and my boss told him to come to work anyway. I work in a job where people frequently have to get close to one another as a consequence of the job. I currently feel minor chills and a persistent itch in my throat.

&#x200B;

I tried googling VA sick laws but all I can find are documents on sick leave benefits and nothing pertinent to my situation. I will be contacting HR as soon as 8am on Monday hits but in the meanwhile, I'd just like some advice on if any laws were actually broken here or if I have it all wrong.

&#x200B;

I feel like I should mention that one of my other co-workers that was working at the same time has a little brother that is allergic to vaccines and is completely unvaccinated. Last I heard, my co-worker (not the brother) had an itch in his throat as well and I am quite worried for the both of them.

&#x200B;

Thank you in advance, everyone.

Answer:
 Strep throat is caused by a bacteria (streptococcal) not a virus FYI.Answer #2: You can't be vaccinated for strep. No laws have been broken.Answer #3: Strep is bacterial, not viral and there is no vaccine for it.
Pretty much everyone gets strep throat sometimes. Your doctor can prescribe antibiotics if they think you need them.

No federal or state laws have been broken here.Answer #4: Virginia has no sick leave laws.  Unless a sock person and the illness qualify them for FMLA or an ADA accommodation there is nothing illegal about saying come in or you are fired, even if you are sick.  And even under the ADA randomly missing a shift is almost never a reasonable accommodation.


Title: Neighbor’s dog is destroying my fence.

Question:
Sorry if this isn’t the right sub, as I’m not sure I’m exactly ready for legal action or anything. We moved into our house about a year and a half ago. We have two small dogs. The fence was old and crappy and my dogs could escape very easily. So we spent over $2500 and a very grueling weekend in May installing a brand new fence around the whole yard. Our neighbors to the back helped us with some of the labor. About a month ago those neighbors got a pit bull. I think it’s a pretty nice, friendly dog, and fairly young. It has been trying to dig under our fence to visit my dogs. It has also ripped out several pickets in the process. Our neighbors will not answer their door, nor their phone to talk about this. They have done some makeshift/shitty work on their side, but our pretty fence is looking more and more ghetto every week. It’s so frustrating to watch our work get ripped to shreds. And on top of that my dogs can’t play out in the yard anymore because I know that makes the neighbor dog want to come over to our yard. What can I do? I don’t have a ton of money for a lawyer, and we live in a big city, so will the police even do anything to force them to fix it to previous standards? I would also like to avoid that because I think one inhabitant is not documented.

Edit: we live in Dallas, TX.

Answer:
 Get it fixed, sue them in small claims for what it costs to repair.Answer #2: Document the damage. Get video if he dog chewing on the fence. Take pictures of all the damage. Then repaid and sue in small claims. Answer #3: Big jar of cayenne pepper sprinkled under the fence.Answer #4: I see two issues here - One is recouping money spent (by you) to restore the fence.

The other is protecting the fence once it's been restored.

Small claims court seems to be the usual route for recouping expenses like this.

As for the protecting issue, i have a feeling that legal remedies are limited, given that you'd like to avoid police involvement.  (Not a lawyer, so perhaps more knowledgeable commenters will set me straight...)

But, in case you don't get any legal Avenue to force them to restrain their dog, I'm going to suggest you could line the fence on their side with chain link (sinking the bottom foot or so into the ground to stymie the dog's digging efforts).

The cost of the chain link would just be added to the small claims court amount.

For the court to find in your favor, especially for the added cost of the chain link,  It would probably be very helpful to take several pics of the dog's progress on his fence dismantling project.  :-D


Title: Arizona HOA dispute -- being told to paint garage after purchasing the home and told no violations existed

Question:
I purchased a home in February and received notice from my HOA last month that the garage door's color was not approved, and that I needed to paint it or I would be fined. The color is the same as when I purchased the home, which I told the property management group, acting on behalf of the board, but was told it didn't matter -- I owned the home now and I needed to paint it.

I found a resale demand document in my closing materials, prepared by the property management group, that states the home has no violations against it an everything is good to go. Despite showing them this, they still insist I own the property and it's my responsibility to paint it.

Is there anything I can do in this situation? I plan to go to the next board meeting and plead my case, but I feel like they are daring me to sue them -- which for the cost of painting a garage door, I probably won't do. I don't care what color the garage is, I'm just not wanting to spend the money to paint it when this should have been flagged during the closing process.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Texas Lawyer

The title insurance company is the first people I would bother about this. I don't know if AZ HOAs are similar to Texas, but here an HOA is usually a set of covenants that runs with the land. Thus if the seller was already in breach of a covenant when you bought the house you have a good claim for a breach of warranty on the title, or a breach of quiet enjoyment. This is a title defect, and the exact reason you pay for title insurance.

Also: Fuck HOAs. Between those and property taxes the idea that a person can ever truly own real property in the U.S. is laughable.Answer #2: Have you tried contacting your title insurance co or attorney that helped with the closing?


Title: (OHIO) - Complex situation involving my girlfriend, her ex-husband, their kids and his girlfriend... Need some advice, please.

Question:
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

I am the boyfriend of a woman in a custody dispute with her ex-husband over their children. A long story short, he has custody, we get them every-other-weekend. I have stayed out of it (the dispute) as it does not directly involve me, however, as time has gone on, I get closer and closer to it--now, myself and the ex-husband's girlfriend perform custody exchanges as her ex attempted to run my girlfriend over with his car (he has a history of violence, convicted twice, not sure how he still has the kiddos). His girlfriend has now been contacting ME about helping with money--I know she has no legal rights,  however, the situation is tense and I do not want to 'rock the boat'.

When she approached me two weeks ago, it was under the guise of, "I'm trying to open the lines of communication" -- and my thought was, cool and it mostly pertained to the kid's upcoming sports schedules. Within 25 minutes of the custody exchange, she started a barrage of texts stating how angry she was that she's paying for half of everything and they need help, etc. I simply said, let me talk with my GF, assess the situation and I'll get back to you.... The onslaught of texts continued, calling my girlfriend crazy, making me feel bad for taking the son to his first college football game, etc. The kiddos have reported that she has a drinking problem (hiding drinks in bags, etc.) and they suspect she was recently let go from her job for disciplinary reasons. I did not respond to her and just assumed she was drunk--she didn't mention any of it during the next exchange.

Now today, she sent another text expressing her disappointment in me for not getting back to her... I did not respond, do not want to respond and frankly feel like I'm being harassed at this point. The situation my girlfriend finds herself in with regards to the custody is a tricky one--it can be fixed, but the quote was $6,000. I'm in the process of figuring out how to pay for that--but now presented with all of this and it's straining my relationship to the point that I'm ready to walk away.

I know the ex-husband's gf has no legal right to concern me with any of that--it's between my girlfriend and her ex--I'm struggling with what I should do/say to this woman to a) tell her to stop and b) this is between the parents, not us. I'm not even sure what legally can be said or done to encourage her to cease contacting me as we're the ones who perform the custody exchanges.

I'm sure it's not as complex as I feel that it is, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

I can add screenshots of the texts if it will add more context.

Thanks so much.

Answer: Do you believe that anything you say will actually cause your girlfriend's ex's girlfriend to behave like a reasonable adult? If not, why respond? Block her number and get on with life.


Title: I'm aware of someone who has illegal material on their cellphone. I am unaware of what to do both morally/legally

Question:
I know of someone who contains illegal pornography on his phone. I believe he acquired it through the deep web. I feel guilty for not reporting him, but if i do, i want to do anonymously if i do it. What should i do?
LOCATION: NY
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: In North Korea you tell Dear Leader. Anywhere else who the hell knows because you didn't provide your location.


Title: Can I legally have sex with my [17m] girlfriend [15f] in Indiana?

Question:
Alright guys so I currently am dating a 15 yo. The age of consent in Indiana is 16, so naturally you'd assume the answer to this question is a flat *no*.

That being said, apparently Indiana has a "Romeo and Juliet" clause where if we're within four years of age, in a dating relationship, and it's consensual, it's no problem. See here:

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/incode/35/42/4/35-42-4-3

It says that that clause could "be used as a defense". So my question is, am I completely covered? I will be turning 18 before her next birthday so I want to make sure my ass is covered - it's more important that I remain not a felon than it is to have sex.

Thanks guys.

Answer:
 The short answer is yes, but with extreme caution which probably isn't worth it.

In Indiana, the defense can be asserted if the person accused of having sexual contact with a 14- or 15-year-old is under 21, is no more than four years older than the alleged victim and was involved in a dating relationship with the victim at the time.

*However,* if it can be alleged that there was no "ongoing personal relationship" meaning, you had sex after you broke up, or there was a drug involved (including marijuana), you can be convicted.  This might shock you, but parents or teenagers can easily say these things if you fall out of favor with them or their daughter.

Also, keep in mind, just because something is a "defense", doesn't mean you can't still be arrested. It just means you get to go to jail, be indicted, put on trial and use it as a legal defense for the jury to consider.  You will have to prove you were still dating, no drugs were involved and there was no threat.


Title: Bought a brand new Mercedes and am trying to figure out if it qualifies as a lemon and what recourse I have

Question:
I am new to Reddit, but I am hoping I can find some help here. For informational purposes, I am from Newport Beach California.

Back in July I bought a brand new 2015 Mercedes CLS. When we purchased the the car we noticed a gap between the rear passenger window and the rubber weather strip, they noted it and we were told they would fix it.

We brought the car in to have the window fixed and also to have the same rear passenger door looked at because it wasn't closing properly. They returned the car to us with the glass fixed and we were told the door was fine.

We noticed that the door was still having trouble closing. It would require a lot of force to close and the door open indicator would constantly come on. We also noticed a strange whistling noise coming from the air vents when we would drive at high speeds. We brought the car back to the dealership to have the two things looked at.

We were told both issues had been repaired and when we went to pick up the car we noticed a huge gap in the "repaired" door. It was closed but the door was no longer flush with the car as it is meant to be. We immediately asked to see a service advisor who took it back and fixed it twice. However, shortly after we drove the car we noticed later that night that the car was still whistling and the door was still not fixed.

We brought the car back again and the service advisor opened and closed the door repeatedly and was very apologetic. She admitted that the door was totally not right. This time, they realized the whistling was coming from a part on the bumper/grill area and had to be replaced. They ordered a part for this brand new car and replaced it. They then informed us that to fix the door, the car would have to be taken to their body shop.

When they returned the car again, they did not but the bumper/grill on correctly and now there is a gap between the bumper/grill and the car.

Do I have any kind of recourse at all? Why should a brand new car be taken to a body shop at no fault of my own? Is there anything I can do about this situation?

Thank you!

Answer:
 Before I say anything, IANAL (yet).

>Why should a brand new car be taken to a body shop at no fault of my own?

It may have been damaged during transport. The car had to travel from Germany to California (assuming it was made in Germany; if it was made in the US then it had to travel from Alabama to California).

Under [California's lemon law](http://www.dmv.org/ca-california/automotive-law/lemon-law.php), you have ~~to meet~~ several qualifications:

* The car must still be under warranty.
* The owner must have taken the car in for repair for the same problem 4 times or more through an authorized dealer.
* The car must have been inoperable for a total of 30 days (not necessarily consecutive).

You should probably contact MB USA and hire a lemon law lawyer to help you write a letter asking them to buy back the car if you've met these qualifications.

^^^^^First ^^^^^post, ^^^^^be ^^^^^nice.Answer #2: You should go to a different dealer for a 2nd opinion or you can contact Mercedes customer care at 1 (800) 367-6372. Let them know what's going on, they may refer you to go to another Mercedes dealer to get everything fixed on warranty.


Title: Attacked by dog in unincorporated area. Dog hospitalized, police won't do anything.

Question:
Hello, I live in an unincorporated area. Today the neighbors husky jumped the fence and attacked my father and dog. My dog was hospitalized and put in emergency care and has to stay at the hospital overnight and my father was bitten in the face. I've called the police but they will not do anything or even come.

Now I have to pay for emergency care putting me in debt and I wish to seek some sort of recompensation.

&#x200B;

I live in the state of Illinois, in an unincorporated area. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

Answer:
 You can sue the dog's owners for the veterinary expenses. If they refuse to reimburse you, you can (and should) sue them in small claims court for your expenses (plus filing fees).

Did you go to the police station and file a criminal complaint? Did you also call Animal Control?
You should do both. Don't take no for an answer. Though, you cannot force either entity to investigate if they choose not to do so.


Title: Reckless Endangerment?

Question: A couple of friends and I were pulling a saucer sled behind his car in a neighborhood street going the speed limit (I was driving he was riding the sled) and some guy got super pissed at us, even though we were nowhere near him and practically went 100 feet past him and he threatened to call the cops on the grounds that I was recklessly endangering my buddy in the saucer. If he follows through with his threat, what charges should we expect to be facing/should this concern us? He got our plate number.

Answer: Impossible to say without a location, but reckless endangerment sounds about right. Unless you kill your friend. Then manslaughter sounds about right. Don't kill your friend.Answer #2: You get that [people have died](http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/01/02/sledding-behind-cars-proves-to-be-dangerous-activity/) doing this, right?


Title: 16y/o step sister made a sexual video with friends and a 22y/o man, can she be charged with manufacturing CP?

Question:
The title says it all I guess...

My 16 year old sister was at a sporting event with her team, she was staying with the director and his daughter. The girls and their friend decided to steal a bottle of rum out of the directors camper and meet a 22yr old man they know (who also bought them cigs and a case of beer). They got drunk and filmed and engaged in sexual acts with one another and the man. The video was put online and the police are now involved. Everyone involved is an MI resident, where the event occurred.

This is her first run in with the law. What are the odds of her (and the other girls) being charged with Manufacturing CP?

Also, apparently my sister shared a picture of herself with alcohol on Snapchat and a girl, who wasn't involved in the incident, at the event shared it and my sister began bullying her and now the girl's mother wants to press charges against my sister.

I would love an idea of what to expect here, she is a troubled kid and ideally I would like to see my parents send her to inpatient therapy of some variety to help turn her life around assuming she doesn't get sent to juvi or something.

Answer:
 > What are the odds of her (and the other girls) being charged with Manufacturing CP?

Remotely possible.  It's much more likely that the 22 year old is going to get screwed like he never imagined possible.Answer #2: Essentially zero.

The 22 year old is basically megafucked though.Answer #3: The police have an adult they can pursue, and they’re much likelier to focus on him. It’s possible the DA could charge her, but it never plays well in the media when a young victim gets charged for producing their own pictures. Most DAs don’t want anything to do with that.


Title: Not sure where to turn to. Friends husband is completely unstable

Question: My friend from work has kicked her husband out of the house about two weeks ago. They are both residents of North Carolina. He has a history of physical abuse against her and has been slandering her to every one of their mutual friends he can get in contact with. His behavior is completely erratic. Within hours he will go from begging her to work things out to all of a sudden saying he's going to take everything she owns and make sure she loses any opportunity to see the child. My friend lives with her mother (which is the home she kicked her husband out of). He's moved in with his ex heroin addict mother. There's no way he can provide a safe domicile for the child. She is so afraid that she calls out of work because he's begun showing up there after she explicitly asked him not to. The last update I have is that she called the non emergency police line where she was told nothing can be done because they're still technically married and she has no physical proof of any threats or violence. I really don't know what else can be done.

Answer: She can file for divorce. She can ask for custody. She can keep track of all his crazy behavior and use that in her custody hearing. If he threatens her, she should call the police.


Title: [MI] Can I represent my husband in court (domestic violence)

Question: I'm the alleged victim. We don't have the money to hire an attorney. Can I represent my husband? If not, is there a way I can connect with him before he sees a judge (jail doesn't have visiting hours)?

Answer: No you may not.Answer #2: No, you aren't a lawyer and if you were you would have enormous ethical conflicts.


Title: Arizona DUI Under Strange Circumstances - I Left Arizona and Never Dealt With It

Question:
A year ago, I received a DUI in Arizona and did everything required from the court (served time in Tent City, etc.).

A year later, I was pulled over by a cop who was messing with my head.  He accused me of drinking which I hadn't.  He gave me a test and I blew 0.0.  He then accused me of being high, and, idiotically, I admitted to being high.  He told me I would be charged with a DUI, but he also let me go.

I moved away to another state in which I currently live and never dealt with it.  What should I do?  I'm not sure if there is a warrant or DUI on my record for this.  If I do get a lawyer and deal with this, what are the likely consequences?  What is the statute of limitations?  Should I avoid Arizona altogether?  Any thoughts/ideas?

Answer:
 >He then accused me of being high, and, idiotically, I admitted to being high.

So, were you high? Then that is DUI.

Did you setup the proper forwarding information? You would've received a court summons on this. You need to call the court and search your name in the county database to see what your status with them is. If there is nothing on record you have nothing to worry about.

Avoiding AZ will not help you. Any time you interact with law enforcement they will see you have a warrant out of AZ. Take care of this now.


Title: [IN] Ran across a case of attempted fraud at work how should I proceed from here.

Question:
Essentially to make a long story short I work for my states welfare office Indiana, I came across some pay stubs that looked fake so I reviewed them and found an identical template by searching for fake pay stub templates. I informed my supervisor and was told to process them normally whether they are fake or not is not my problem because everyone lies to us. So I accepted the documents and processed them and notated my findings and my supervisors response. Essentially I knowingly accepted fraudulent documents due to my supervisors instructions. Can my employer fire me for this? Am I in anyway liable if they are determined to be forged documents since I accepted them during the eligibility determination process ?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 1.) If you are a state employee and a member of the union, you have a lot of protection. If you are a state employee and not a member of a union, you have some protection. If you are a contractor, you have...not so much. But you should still be protected from retaliation here.

2.) Yes, you can be considered liable for knowing accepting forged documents. Your supervisor is also liable for telling you to do so. Your defense is that you asked, got a supervisor's opinion, and followed it - and if you then report it, you would probably no longer be liable.

The [FSSA Chief Investigator](https://www.in.gov/fssa/2385.htm) is who you want to contact. Answer #2: > Can my employer fire me for this?

Not legally, no.  But there are a lot of very easily explainable, perfectly legal reasons why they can fire you.

> Am I in anyway liable if they are determined to be forged documents since I accepted them

In principle, yes.  If accepting the documents constitutes fraud, then you are guilty of or accessory to fraud.  "Just doing my job as instructed" isn't a legal defense.

Find a new job, then call the relevant law enforcement body (which I'd assume would be the Indiana state police, but not an expert on welfare fraud -- maybe the FBI cares more).


Title: Locking only boys bathrooms?

Question:
It’s near the last couple days of school and my school has locked down a boys bathroom. I asked if they could unlock it, and they refused. They said that we mess up the bathrooms a lot, which we do, but locking up a bathroom is not a way to stop that. Keep in mind that they have already removed the doors to every boys bathroom, and the bathrooms are specially designed so that when looking into the boys bathroom, everything and everyone is visible. This is only for the boys bathroom, not the girls. Every girl’s bathroom has a door and none of them are ever locked. I really doubt that this is legal. Yes, I understand their worries with us messing up the bathrooms, but this just isn’t the way. Extra information that hopefully isn’t too identifying: the school is in Massachusetts, in case some laws are only for specific states. If you have information regarding this being illegal, please put in the link
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 > It’s near the last couple days of school and my school has locked down **a** boys bathroom.

> Keep in mind that they have already removed the doors to every boys bathroom

So let me get this straight. They locked one bathroom, but there are others open and available? If so, you can just use one of the others.


Title: Went to in-network hospital, doctor claimed as out-of-network by health insurance

Question:
Hello,

This occurred in California, I went to the emergency room on December 27th 2017 and had surgery to remove my appendix for appendicitis on December 28th 2017. Since this was an emergency, the doctors could not let me leave as I wanted to travel back to bay area, and was only visiting Southern California - Irvine (where I had my surgery).

Before the hospital visit, I had visited an urgent care clinic nearby, and they referred me to  Hoag Hospital - Irvine, CA.  I'd also ensured the hospital was in-network with Cigna before going. After my surgery, I have received multiple explanation of benefits from my Cigna. Most of the claims for my surgery are "in network", except for the surgeon.

I received the Explanation of Benefits for the surgeon on February 2018 and the it was claimed as "Out of Network". The claim lists the surgeon's name, and what appears to be a residence address (based on what showed up on google maps).  I contacted Cigna during that time, and the representative told me to not worry about it until the bill arrives. I've also took screenshots from Cigna's providers search tool, which lists both the hospital and the surgeon were in network with my plan.

Which leads to today, I have received the bill (on December 24th, 2018) from the surgeon's office.  The address on the bill shows the surgeon's office address, and which is not the same address on the EOB or the hospital.  Additionally, going back to Cigna's website, I can no longer find the surgeon in the doctor's list.  But the hospital is still in network with Cigna.

I have contacted Cigna few times, but there has been no progress.  I'm told they'll get back to me, the doctor does not show up in their search, or that is how hospital bills work.

I reside in California, and had the surgery in California.  I researched that last year, California had passed a law that protects against surprised billing, and want to know if this covers my situation.

Thank you

&#x200B;

Answer: [Here](http://dmhc.ca.gov/Portals/0/HealthCareInCalifornia/FactSheets/fsab72.pdf) is information about the California law, what to do, and how to file a complaint.  (Linked document is a PDF.)  If your surgery was an "emergency" this new law doesn't apply, but CA already has laws against balance billing in such situations.  Contact that website for help.


Title: Friend was given medication and never verbally warned of the side effects.

Question:
Hey guys, it's my turn to ask a question here.

This story takes place in Austin, Texas, though as of summer, he's no longer there.

Anyways, my friend was having stomach pains, went to the ER (because he freaked himself out and thought it could be appendicitis.) Turns out, he had a UTI - no big deal, give him some antibiotics.

The next day, he makes the 10-minute run to the pharmacy, shows up drenched in sweat, and picks up his prescription. At no point during this did the doctors mention anything about the possible side effects of this drug, nor did the pharmacist say anything.

The drug in question is a fluoroquinolone. On the prescription bottle, it mentions that a possible side effect is tendon rupture. My friend assumes that this is one of those one-in-a-million cases that they're legally obligated to say could happen, right next to organ failure, death, and accidentally summoning a hellhound.

About a week passes, he comes home for the summer, and while rock climbing, feels both ankles start to weaken dramatically. He has a doctor check it out, and it turns out that fluoroquinolones have a very high incidence of causing tendon failure, and that you basically aren't supposed to exercise at all for two months, and take it very lightly after that. It's also known to be of particular risk to runners.

At no point was this told to my friend, who is a very fit college student who showed up to pick up his prescription in running gear, breathing heavily, and sweating.

Now, I know that malpractice is basically a non-starter, so I'm not even going to ask about that. However, I've had to pick up a lot of prescriptions in my time, and have *always* had to listen to the side effects of the drugs. Do I just have a pharmacist who goes above and beyond? Is it really not required?

More importantly, to whom should my friend be reporting this issue to in order to ensure it doesn't happen again? If he sends the bill from his doctor here to the ER in Texas, explaining the circumstances, is there any chance in the world that they'll pay it?

Thanks, everyone.

Answer: I seriously doubt a pharmacist would be held liable for not considering to warn somebody who has a UTI not to go rock climbing.


Title: (MI) Received a citation to register and insure my vehicle which I don't drive, is not functional and is sitting in my back yard.

Question:
So I'm sitting in my car smoking merrily, as I do. When I see three esteemed civil servants; badges hanging with my cities name emblazoned on them, shirts that read "animal control"; carefully observing my property. One of whom (I would later learn was the leader, possibly with the title of captain) began to make his way into my back yard which is not fenced off. Since I was most confused and uninformed (not to mention annoyed that my morning routine was being interrupted) as to his motivations, I began yelling "AY...AY...AY!". The official, distressed by my alarm began searching for the source of this new and strange sound, discovering me after what seemed like an unreasonable amount of time in the car directly next to him.

So, long story short. I have a citation to insure and register another vehicle of mine which doesn't work, I can't even get into it because the keys are locked in it and it's parked in my back yard. Some relevant information is that the car is only slightly visible when looking from the sidewalk, I don't have a fence and the licence plate is facing the street (not that you could actually read it from the sidewalk even) Does this claim hold any strength? Should I be able to get this dismissed?

Answer: What are your municipalities policies about keeping non functioning vehicles on your property? You're not allowed to keep vehicles in mine that aren't driveable unless they are under a tarp and not visible from the street.


Title: I was promised a promotion at work, started doing the job, and just found out I am not getting promoted.

Question:
This is in NH.

The tldr is in the title. About 4 months ago my boss was promoted, and asked me if I was interested in their then current position. I was, so we went through a process to start my promotion, including me officially applying for that position. I would be moving from a manager title, to a senior manager title. Some weeks later, my bosses promotion became official, and they moved on, and I was asked to assume those duties, which made sense to me as my own promotion seemed only a matter of time.

I was never given an offer letter for the new position, I was told at one point by HR that my paperwork was with the compensation department at our company, and so I assume pretty close to the rubber stamp of approval.

Now, 4 months later, I have been told that they will not be promoting me, and that they are planning to restructure my department to eliminate my former bosses title, the job I am currently doing. They have also asked me to keep doing the duties of that position until June when they can get around to actually handling the restructuring.

Obviously, I do not wish to continue doing a job I am not being paid for. I assume my employer is fully within their right to eliminate the position, but I am not sure if any rules were violated by having me start the job, and pulling the rug out from under me after the fact.

Is this one completely on me? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Sadly what your job did was legal.
You can (1) suck it up, (2) attempt to negotiate for hire pay or return to your old responsibilities, or (3) find another job.

They may fire you if the negotiations sour.Answer #2: Comepletely on you. Answer #3: Why don't you suggest to them you keep doing the job until June, and you get the appropriate pay bump until June. Gives you a fair amount of time to job hunt.


Title: (Florida) How likely is it that someone will actually be convicted of/go to jail for these traffic charges?

Question:
Charges are specifically "driving with a suspended license as a habitual offender", which is a third degree felony in Florida. She is 26. Her argument is that the actions that had her branded a habitual offender happened over 5 years ago when she was a teen and she shouldn't be held accountable for them the rest of her life, and that she's a good person and getting her life together (working and going to school) and this will ruin her life.

How likely is this to work? And if she's convicted, how likely is it that she'll actually go to jail?

EDIT- she has an attorney. I'm just asking in general, how frequent it is that offenders of this type of crime go to jail
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 I find it hilarious that she claims they happened so long ago and shouldn't be held accountable yet she did the exact same thing again.

I would say stong possibility, when people constantly prove that they do this shit the book tends to be thrown at them.

edit: listen to what the lawyer said....


Title: Who owns a birth certificate? [MO][US]

Question:
If it matters any, I'm in Missouri.

I away at college, and I left most of my important documents at my parents' house. My father has seemingly been holding my documents hostage (passport, birth certificate, etc). I don't need the documents any time soon, so this is more of a hypothetical situation.

If I take my birth certificate (presumably a copy my parent's purchased) from my father's filing cabinet, is there any legal recourse for me? Who actually owns my birth certificate: me, my parents, or the state?

Answer:
 Thought for sure this was a Sovereign question. I am disappoint. Answer #2: You can always order new ones.

If you take them from your father's filing cabinet, I doubt there's anything he could actually do, unless he's already had you trespassed from the property or you had to break in/break his lock to get to the cabinet.

But there's nothing you can do to force him to give you papers that he paid for. They're just papers; you can always get duplicates (at your own cost) that are every bit as shiny and awesome as any other version of the document. Answer #3: The person who paid for the document owns it and would control its disposal. Your parents are just as entitled to a copy of your birth documents as you are.

The passport however, is owned by the US Government, and they can't legally withhold it from you once you are an adult. Answer #4: No one. It is public record. You can get your own copy.


Title: When I was 16 my parents took me out of school, refused me an education and forced me to work full time.

Question:
That's pretty much the story, they let me have the money I made (thankfully), but they wouldn't put me in school.
This all happened after they kicked me out for sluffing school and smoking weed. I lived on the streets for a month and a half.
During that time I was not attending school because I had no idea where I would be the next day.
When they let me back home I wanted to go back to school but was not allowed.
After my time being homeless I really wanted to do something better for myself.
Instead they forced me to work 40 hours a week at Taco Bell.
Was what they did legal?
(I'm sorry if this isn't the right subreddit for this. I didn't know where else to ask.)

Edit: This was in 2015, in the great state of UTAH.

Answer: No.  Parents cannot just kick out minor children legally, nor can they withdraw them from school and not provide for an education (there are some limited exceptions among the Amish community, but your family wouldn't meet them).


Title: Hypothetical: how much trouble would someone get in if they put gay porn in the return envelope and sent it back to churches asking for donations?

Question: I'm not going to do it, but the idea makes me giggle and I think it would be interesting to know how much trouble a person would get in.

Answer: Probably none at all.


Title: Vaccine Made me disabled what lawyer do I talk to?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Vaccine court is actually it's own little world where you're dealing with the government. You'll want a lawyer versed in that. Search that in your area and talk to them to see if you have a case. Answer #2: Can you conclusively show an uninvolved third party, such as a jury, that a specific course of treatment or a specific vaccine directly caused your chronic fatigue syndrome?

You should speak to a personal injury attorney, but be prepared for the answer to be that there is no case here.


Title: Denied being able to donate blood

Question: Hello there I am a man from CT. I was molested in Virginia beach when i was a child. I am over that now. I tried to give blood in high school to the red cross and told them of that issue and they denied me access to give my blood. It is now seven years later. I tried to give blood at my work and the red cross still denied me. I have no diseases and they treat me like a second class citizen. Is there any legal recourse to this all I want to do is give blood.

Answer:
 Unfortunately, the Red Cross cannot possibly test each donation independently. One person with a disease can spoil a dozen or more other donations before it's caught. Rather than lose blood because is unaware they have recently contracted a disease they have broad criteria to exclude people.

That includes "People who spent several years in England while they had Mad Cow disease". Seriously, if you were in England in the 80's for any appreciable length of time then you will never give blood again.

You also don't have a legal right as a citizen to donate blood. It's a private arrangement between a non-profit and an individual. There's nothing the legal system can do to require the Red Cross to take your blood. I am sorry. It has very little to do with who you are as a person, and a lot to do with mistakes made early in medical history that resulted in a great many deaths. In order to avoid accidents in the future they exclude a number of healthy people as well. There just isn't a way to test prior to donation to allow healthy people in a statistically risky population segment to continue.Answer #2: You have no fundamental right to give blood.

Any agency can reject someones blood.  Especially when there is a factor that may lend itself to dangerous donations.


Title: [TEXAS] Teacher wants to video-record our class of high school juniors without consent.

Question:
Our class is going to be recorded tomorrow due to our "talkative"(we don't talk at all) nature. We talked to her about not getting consent from us, but she said that she doesn't need our consent if the recording isn't going to be shown publicly. We still don't like that we're going to be recorded without consent. We were thinking of getting our parents to send the administration a barrage of emails, but we don't know if it'll work. Any advice helps. Thanks!

TL:DR Teacher wants to record HS Juniors without consent to save her skin.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 She doesn't need your consent because there is no expectation of privacy in the class room. [Here's a link that talks about Texas recording laws](http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/texas-recording-law). Note this part: Therefore, you may be able to record in-person conversations occurring in a public place, such as a street or a restaurant, without consent.

I'd see a classroom as a similar environment as a restaurant. Answer #2: She doesn't need consent from you. The parents and teachers can film you as needed. What if there were a security camera in every corner of the school? Do you think they'd have to get consent from you? This is no different.Answer #3: It's not illegal, but the administration may not be ok with it.  Talk to the principal or someone and make sure they are aware that a teacher is recording you.Answer #4: No need for consent, but a barrage of e-mails from parents would probably still work.  The last thing any school wants is pissed off parents.


Title: The last mechanic refused to finish work on our car so we took it to a new mechanic who says the engine is ruined. What should we do?

Question:
First, we live in Albuquerque, NM. We bought a used car in late August 2016 knowing that gaskets needed to be replaced on the engine. We took the car to a mechanic who said he would give us a great deal and "only charge us for parts and a little labor". He quoted us half as much as it would cost to go anywhere else so we jumped on it. A month goes by and he tells us that more work needs to be done on the engine than previously thought so we agree and give him money for the part he needs. Another month goes by and he tells us he can only find the part on a full engine that costs $1500. I ask for the part number, find it online, overnight it, and we bring it to him so he can finally fix the car. Then he starts making up excuses as to why he can't finish the work such as, "I can't pay my mortgage so I need to finish bigger jobs". We tell him that we're going to have to take legal action if he doesn't finish it and he freaks out. Then he says that because we threatened legal action he's not going to finish his work. On Feb 15th this year he had the car towed to our house without telling us. He didn't even give us advance notice and called when he was on the way. I had to leave work to open up the garage for him. We asked him multiple times if he car was unrepairable, because we were suspicious. Every time he replied that it was in great condition, he just didn't have the time to finish the job. We took it to a new mechanic and upon inspection they told us that the engine is unrepairable and needs to be fully replaced, which will cost $3500. We drove the car to the first mechanics shop so it's pretty obvious he ruined the engine. I called to ask him about it and he hung up on me. So, my question is, how difficult would it be to win a case like this in small claims court? Should we just get an attorney instead?
Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Which "Gaskets" needed to be replaced? If it was a Head Gasket then it is very possible that the engine was ruined prior to him receiving it. Just because you can drive it doesn't mean the engine isn't ruined & needs to be replaced / rebuilt.

What I likely occurred is the mechanic you chose found out this was more than just a gasket change since a gasket is a cheap part you can find anywhere. Since he was in over head (evident by the fact that he was half the price of every other mechanic you found), he stalled & when you threatened legal action he returned the car to you as is (in pieces). Your new competent mechanic realizes the engine is shot & informs you.

At this point, you would have to prove that he ruined the engine which will be difficult. You are more than welcome to consult an attorney or take him to small claims but I am pretty sure that the engine was damaged from the failed gasket & that damage will be evident & cannot be caused by the mechanic. I think the key lesson for you is to not take your car to the lowest bidder when the bidder is significantly less than the rest & to not threaten legal action on the first delay you get (you could have simply asked for them to return the car).


Title: [NC] Is 30 day notice required upon vacating at the end of a 12-month rental agreement?

Question:
Hi reddit,

I currently live in North Carolina. I signed a 12-month rental agreement for my current apartment on September 1st of 2015. I knew I wanted to move at the end of my lease, so I found and signed on an apartment that I'm moving into the 29th of August.

Today, I received a message from my landlord stating that 30 days written notice for vacating was required, and since I did not notify them in time, I would have to pay rent for September at my current place (essentially extending my lease for a month) or forfeit my security deposit.

My rental agreement states:

 "I agree to give 30 days written notice of intention to vacate premises immediately".

I assumed this referred to if I was vacating before the end of my lease. My landlord says it apply to everything. However, my rental agreement makes no mention of possible extension of lease or continuing month to month past the 12 month agreement, which started on September 1st of 2015. I took it as assumed that the 12 month rental contract would end, thus ending my responsibility to pay for this apartment.

Am I legally obligated to give 30-days written notice to vacate even when the lease is naturally coming to and end? Am I then obligated to pay an additional months rent (past the rental agreement) since I did not give 30 days notice?  Or am I safe because the 12 month rental agreement ends on August 31st of this year?

Thank you.

Answer:
 > Is 30 day notice required upon vacating at the end of a 12-month rental agreement?

Generally. The lease will say. (And in this case it does.)

> I assumed this referred to if I was vacating before the end of my lease.

That was an incorrect assumption. Term leases like yours typically convert to month-to-month at the end of the term, they do not simply cease (as you also assumed) unless the lease specifies that they do.


Title: Can you ignore someone that randomly sues you

Question: This is something I've always been wondering. I live in Massachusetts and I work in a pharmacy and sometimes I hear people threaten to sue me or my colleagues when things don't go their way. All of them have never followed through yet either and is just an empty threat. I was wondering if someone actually tries to sue me, what I should do (or do nothing at all) if I was doing everything within good professional practice? Can I tell them to leave if they keep pestering me and screaming they are going to sue me?

Answer:
 No, you cannot just ignore a lawsuit. The person suing you can push for a "default judgement", which means that they win because you weren't there to defend yourself.

Poke around /r/bestoflegaladvice a bit and you'll find a story about a guy who was sued by a neighbor over his dog. The neighbor took the dog and put it down, all because OP wouldn't take the time to deal with it.

If sued (actually sued, not just threatened) contact an attorney.


Title: [NC] Dog "abandoned" and brought into (and subsequently adopted out by) our rescue.

Question:
A few months ago our rescue (legally registered charity, well known in our area of North Carolina) pulled a small dog from one of the local shelters.  He had been at the shelter longer than the standard "stray hold" period and he was legally signed over to us by the shelter. This dog had an awful skin condition that we treated and once he was healed he went up on our website.

 A couple weeks after getting him in the rescue, we get a call from someone at the shelter saying someone had come in looking for this dog and filled out a form to get the contact information of where the dog had gone.  Apparently this person left her dog with friends for several months and then the friends decided to give the dog to the shelter (I believe we know that they had asked her to take her dog back and she just didn't, but I'd have to confirm that information).

 The woman is granted access to our rescue's contact information and inquires about getting him.  Our director tells her to go ahead and apply.  We were going to deal with how to proceed once we got her application.  We figured we'd have to look into our rights as a rescue to reject her application as she obviously wasn't concerned about the dogs' care while it was with her friends (we have pictures of how terrible his skin was, he had large bald patches and smelled disgusting so it was quite obvious he had needed medical attention for a while).  However, this woman did not contact us again and did not submit an application.  That was one month ago.

In the meantime, we found a great home for the dog and we're confident his new owners will take good care of him.  Now today we get an application for him from his original owner and it says she will take legal action against us if necessary to get her dog back.

I have been trying to look up whether the dog could be considered "abandoned" after some point when the dog was living with her friends.  I am not sure exactly how long it had been but at least 3-4 months.  We're not sure if she has vet records to prove ownership but I doubt she has any type of other paperwork for the dog.  She's telling us she had him since he was 3 weeks old which is way too young to have a puppy separated from its mother, I'm assuming she got him from a friend who accidentally had puppies or a backyard breeder or something.  We really don't want to spend any resources going to small claims court over this if at all possible because obviously that would eat into our money that we have to help sick dogs.  If anyone has any reference to laws that would cover us in this case I would really appreciate it! We are hoping that in our response to her we can convince her that legal action will not get her the outcome she wants (unless someone has reason to believe she does, in which case we need to hear that, too!).

Answer:
 > I have been trying to look up whether the dog could be considered "abandoned" after some point when the dog was living with her friends

In order for property to be abandoned, there has to be an indication that the person shows no intention of returning for their property.  If someone asks another to take care of a dog for a period of time, there *is* an intention to return.

Realistically, unless you have a strong and compelling reason to believe that she intended to abandon the dog, your smart move would be to give him back.  If she sued you, there's a good chance that she'd win.Answer #2: Just throwing this out there- perhaps the new owners might want to be extra cautious that someone doesn't pick up the dog from their yard or home?  Sorry about this situation, it's awful to see you doing the right thing and things getting muddy. I hope the pupper gets to stay with the right people.Answer #3: If she is the owner, and had no intent to abandon, I would think that she would be required to reimburse you for the veterinary care you provided for her dog while she could not be contacted. See if she still wants to reclaim her dog when you present her with the full bill for services.

Small claims court is relatively low cost, you just need to send a representitive, and lawyers are not required. I wouldn't be afraid of that threat.


Title: Out of state friend has my car, agreed to send it but we got into an altercation. How can I get it back?

Question:
So I worked as an independent contractor for a friend. We were working out to where I can go back home and work remote for him, and he'd buy me a plane ticket and ship my car back later. He got my plane ticket, but shortly after that, I got mad at him and said some mean things. Anyway, he said he doesn't wish to help me get my car shipped back down.

I'm now out of work, no money, and no means to get my car back tthat I'm making payments on. He lives 12 hours away in Houston, TX, which my car is currently at. My car loan company and I are in Nashvill, TN.   He verbally agreed to ship my car back until that altercation.

Is there any legal action I can take to get it back?

Answer: You can go pick up your car. He is not legally obligated to ship your car absent an employment contract saying something of the kind. Pay to ship it or beg a friend to drive you down to get it. Apologize to your friend and offer to pay him to get the car to you. Answer #2: There is no legal action you can take. If you have no money for a plane ticket then stick out your thumb. I once hitched from Chicago to San Francisco. It was an exhilarating experience. Maybe on your way to get your car the Wizard of Oz will give you a few brain cells and some balls. Good luck.


Title: My friend was duct taped to a chair by a teacher.

Question:
A friend of mine at school was duct taped to a chair. The teacher got off scot free. While some news sites show teachers getting suspened for that for that type if behavior. The teacher did not recieve punishment but left because he found a higher paying job somewhere else. Can my friend's parents sue that teacher?

I go to a private school in Illinois.

Answer: Sue for what?  Does your friend have any damages?


Title: Can a person be sued for removing someone from their phone plan?

Question:
Storytime - Live in the US in the state of MA. A friend of mine has recently broken up a with an...interesting dude. Biggest problem is she had given him a phone and was paying for it. He did not pay for the phone, nor was there any agreement that he would. (although after the break-up he did keep asking my friend for her address so he could give her $100...not even close to what she had paid so far btw)

Long story short, this guy had apparently stenciled this phone number all over his work stuff, and is threatening to sue my friend for damages to his business because he would have to have the phone numbers changed.

Can someone sue a person over a phone line they weren't even paying for?

Answer: He can sue for anything. She doesn't have to continue to pay for his phone. She should allow him to port the number to his account if he asks but she is under no obligation. Answer #2: Short of some kind of contract between him and her, no. She has the contract with the carrier and can choose to close the line at any time (usually at cost). She may have gifted him the phone, but she's not obligated to continue paying for the service. Guy is just trying to intimidate her into keeping it open.


Title: [IA] Can a landlord require you to prepay rent? If they can, how much is the max?

Question:
This question ran across me today and was wondering if anyone here would know before consulting a lawyer.  For instance, prospect comes in and gets approved to live, but, besides paying the security deposit, prospects are required to prepay x amount of months up front as well.  Is that legal?

**UPDATE**  We couldn't find anything about prepayment of rent to get approved either.  I guess it's just a moral thing.  Thanks so much for all your help!

Answer: Check the lease; all rent payment terms are outlined there and cannot be deviated from without mutual consent.


Title: [WA] tenant filing bogus complaints to get me evicted

Question:
About a week ago I  got a phone call from my apartment about "multiple noise complaints" made about my unit, but they won't say when these events occurred when I asked because my next door neighbors tend to have a ton of people over for parties and I've been gone a lot the last few weeks. They even admitted they can't prove anything but they have to follow up on it and if there was another complaint I'd get a comply or vacate notice. That comply or vacate notice came, which means at least one other complaint has been filed, even though I haven't had any friends over, haven't played any music, and have my TV so low I can barely hear it from 3 feet away.

Then there's tonight -

I was taking a shower about an hour ago and 10 minutes after I finished there was angry knocking and it was someone saying he was going to give me "one last chance" to "change my behavior" before I was kicked out. He said I'd been noisy for the last hour and the shower was the last straw. All I'd done for the last hour was cooking and then a shower. I told him he has unreasonable expectations of apartment life and to get fucked if he thinks I'm not going to eat dinner or shower. I got some of this recorded and immediately called my apartment office, but they won't be open for a few more hours. This is all making me think something really shady is going on. I can't afford to break the lease and I can't afford to be evicted...

What's my legal recourse for someone who keeps trying to get me evicted for petty and unreasonable things? Like... if I rent an apartment I have to be able to cook and eat in it and take showers, right?

Update:

So I'm guessing it's time to lawyer up after a talk with my management in the office. According to them, "multiple tenants" have reported that the situation is "intolerable" and "incurable" so I should work on vacating the premises sooner rather than later. The only bit of information I was able to get out of them was that late night screamings had been reported, and I said someone accosted me about showering and flushing toilets and they looked very confused and said that wasn't an issue. I said that they're probably confusing the courtyard yellings then with me and they said that no, this had been an ongoing issue of loud music and yelling *from my unit specifically* for nigh on 2 months and they had been more than generous by giving me four warnings over the span of 2 months despite the multiple almost daily complaints and I said, wait, where were the *four* because I only got the noise warning and a comply or vacate notice. The other two were general postings put up on all the doors of my floor saying that noise complaints were being made about our floor. I found those taped on my door when I returned from a 2 week vacation. I told the office as much, and pointed out I had notified them of the vacation, and the leasing agent just shrugged and said it was coming from my unit and therefore my unit is the problem.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Is it possible that you're getting wrath that is deserved by a neighbor in another location? Like if you're next door to this person, the sound is coming from above, but they believe it's you? It can be hard to pinpoint the source of loud noises in an apartment building.

If not, then your crazy neighbor is crazy. Without specific allegations to respond to, you can't prove your innocence and I can't imagine the management company could successfully force you out.

"bogusnoisethrowaway was loud all last week!"

"what times and dates? I was out of town most of the week, stopping home just to sleep."

"*last week*"


Title: Business Next Door Installed High Powered Lights That Shine and Blink into my Home

Question:
The day I went on a trip for the holidays a dog training center that moved in next door this past year, installed new super bright LED lights that shine into my house.  We had emailed them immediately that we need to come to an arrangement where the lights are angled differently - they appear on a hinge.

Then we were gone for the holidays.  As soon as we walk in the house upon our return, we realize that they have another light installed and this one blinks.

http://imgur.com/a/BXI6RmE (gif of the lights)

I walked over to the business and asked if they could turn off the lights, as we just got home from a trip.  The worker said that we must be tired, but she would call and see if she was allowed.  We left.  Lights remained on - as they are set to a timer.

I have emailed the business asking for them to call me in the morning.

My best case scenario is that they angle the lights differently so they don't shine in my house anymore.  This is my optimistic, best case plan.

What other options could I have, if polite discourse doesn't work?

Edit: I'm in Texas

Update 1: I sent three emails to the owner, one including the video shown above.  They have a maintenance man who adjusting one of the three lights at 8am this morning.  He angled the one blinking light downward slightly.  I am curious how it will appear tonight.

Update 2: http://imgur.com/a/KbSrd00
They installed hoods on 2 of the 3 lights.  And adjusted the angle on the 1 blinking light.  They are attempting quick progress.  On the hooded/non-angeled light, I can still see the bulbs directly - so I am worried that isn't fixed.  The third light, probably directly impacts me much less than my two other neighbors.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You should be searching for light pollution ordinances, or something similar.

There are often laws very similar to those regarding noise. If it's a nuisance, it may be able to be properly handled by simply pointing out said ordinance. If not, you still have a good case to *make* them change to a compliant system.

You can likely [locate the proper ordinance here. ](https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/public-policy/lighting-ordinances/)

On a personal note -- Egads that's awful! I do hope this can come to a positive resolution.Answer #2: Consider calling code enforcement for your city, or county if your unincorporated. I had to pursue a similar situation with a neighbor's security light (i don't live in TX). With a little digging, I found that my municipality's noise ordinance (the relevant clause behind calling the cops because people were partying loudly into the wee hours) included lights and odors. I.e., no lights, sounds, odors, gases coming onto your property depriving you of enjoying it. That said, cops wouldn't do a thing. I had to get code enforcement to talk to the neighbor.Answer #3: It's called Light Trespass and many municipalities in Texas have regulations about it. Without knowing your city or county it would be hard to direct you to the proper resource but you should start with your city code enforcement.Answer #4: They can also install cut-off shields on the lights. The shields are just sheet metal that prevents the glare from going to where it isn't needed.

https://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightinganswers/lightpollution/cutoffShielded.asp


Title: [NJ/PA] I'm in a dispute with an airline over a misleading advertisement they sent. Buried in fine print of the promotion was "This coupon does not apply to Class U fares or Class Y fares". The booking process makes no mention of alphabetic fare classifications. Isnt this false advertising?

Question:
Long story short. A certain major discounter airline has been sending out mass email promotions with big images and bold text advertising "XX% OFF YOUR RT Flight WITH COUPON CODE XXXXX".

Of course there was a ton of terms and conditions....blackout dates, and fare exclusions. One of those exclusions was "This coupon does not apply to class U or class Y segments, which may be our highest fares and the only fares available"

But when I went to the site to try to use the code on a flight which complied with the rest of the terms and conditions, it would not apply the discount. It didn't give any error message...the discount just wasn't coming off. When I reached out to the company, after a prolonged week long back and forth battle with their customer service team, they eventually came back to me and basically said "Sorry, we cannot help you, one of the segments you chose was a 'class U segment', the terms clearly exclude all class u fares."

Nowhere on the entire site does it give any alphabetic classification for its flights that customers can see. Its definitely nowhere in the checkout process . And from the looks of it, there is absolutely no way to know the letter classification other than random chance...or going through a week long back and forth battle with their customer service team.

To me, this appears to be highly deceptive, and potentially against federal regulations by the FTC & US Department of Transportation. The US DOT has fined this company several times before for false advertising.

It would be similar to a supermarket running an ad for "85% off all Red Apples....except class U apples". You, an unwitting customer,
 see the ad and drive 30 minutes to the store specifically to buy discount apples. When you get there, you find all of the apples are marked with different prices, and no other markings. You choose a couple that look good....bring your Apples up to the register. They scan the apple, and ask for the full price. They then refuse to tell you why you couldn't get the discount. And after a week long battle with the management...they finally tell you, "sorry, the apple you want is actually a class U apple , the discount does not apply to this one". They never tell you which specific apples in the box it applies to.

It feels like a street corner "3 cups & a ball" hussle.

Wondering others take on this.

Answer: If the terms of the offer specifically included a class of fare, no deception occurred.  Whether you read the terms before or are made aware of them after attempting to redeem the offer, they were disclosed.


Title: Broke a mans jaw in self defense. Also do I need to warn someone if I am a Veteran?

Question:
I was riding my motorcycle around town yesterday (Hebron, Kentucky). I passed a man driving a BMW because he was going to slow (45 in a 50). I passed in a legal passing zone, and that wasn't ok to him. He stepped on the gas and passed me then slammed on his brakes. I went to go around him again but going around the right I would have had to go through a ditch (something a 250r isn't good at) or hit him if going to the left. He got to me, ripped me off my bike, and started shouting about how motorcycles are a plague and riders are faggots (his words not mine). Me being the shear person I am didn't want a confrontation, and wanted to end this peacefully. Well that didn't work for him either. He started shouting some more, however I started walking back to my bike to pick it up as it fell over when he ripped me off of it. He grabbed me from behind and threw me to the ground and kicked my side. I got up, he pushed me again, but this time I didn't hesitate to throw a right hook square to his jaw, in turn breaking it. I'm a combat veteran and training kicked in. I called 911 and got an officer and an ambulance to come out and the officer said I was free to go. Today I called the police station and got the information that the man is awake but says I rear ended him when he braked for an animal, then I got aggressive. I've never been in a situation like this, or any legal trouble at all. My main question is why are the police even bothering with his story? Why would I rear end someone, hit them hard enough to break a bone, THEN call the police and an ambulance?

Also I've heard stories that Veterans legally need to warn someone before a confrontation happens and I don't know if that's true as I never get into fights. Is this true? Does the level of a combative certification come into play? If it helps I have a Level 3 certification.

Answer:
 You don't need to declare who or what you are before defending yourself - not that it sounds like you were afforded the opportunity to do so anyway. But having combat training does have an impact on what the courts could potentially consider reasonable self defense. I.e. they could decide there was a better option than breaking his jaw to difuse the situation.

Given this and the fact that the other guy is giving a clearly different version of events it is in your best interests to locate a criminal defense attorney ASAP and not say another word to the police until you have.

And take photos of the damage to your bike and any injuries you have right now Answer #2: Self-defense is what is called an "affirmative defense," which means what the state is alleging is true, but you had a legal reason to act the way you did.  The burden is on your prove self-defense, and that is done in court.  It is not up to a police officer to decide if you acted within the legal self-defense guidelines, it is up to a jury.


Title: [TX] Apartment neighbor has camera in community walkway

Question:
I live on the third floor and the second floor apartment has a camera pointing down onto the stairwell. [Potato Picture](https://imgur.com/a/en1hB) I think the mount is screwed into the wall but the camera is just screwed onto the mount.

To have them remove it I tried asking the apartment managers and they said that because it wasn't strictly forbidden in the lease that they couldn't enforce it. They gave a courtesy request asking if they would take it down on their own. They took it down for about a week.

I also asked the neighbor to remove it but they didn't seem like they were going to.

I am going to email the corporation that owns the apartment community and see if that gets any traction. Any other avenues that I could try?

Answer: What makes you think that your neighbor is obligated to take it down, or that anyone else (management, corporation) is obligated to force them to take it down?