Title: Had to testify in court yesterday as the only witness to a crime. The accused was convicted and is receiving prison time. Now I'm being harassed online by the convicted person's friends.

Question:
The crime and sentencing occurred in Orange County, Florida, US.

I was the only witness to testify in court on behalf of the prosecution. The defendant received state prison time and a lengthy probation, license revoked, etc. Since then I have been harassed and "passively" threatened by friends of the convicted person via social media. I don't know how to handle this or what my recourse should be.

Thank you in advance. I'm just concerned for my safety.

Answer:
 Contact the police and report the threats and harassment.Answer #2: Thank you everyone. The police just left my apartment with evidence and the names of everyone who has been threatening/harassing me. I contacted the prosecuting attorney as well and she's working on contacting the social media sites to report everything. I haven't responded to anyone and definitely will not be responding or trying to argue with any of them. Again, thank you so much. Answer #3: Speak to the prosecutor in the caseAnswer #4: That's a pretty big no-no on their part. Call up the cops. Answer #5: Also, screen cap and print out everything.

Don't tell these people what you are doing. Gather evidence. Make back up copies. Give the police a call. Submit evidence to the police.

Do not approach or attempt to argue with any of these people.Answer #6: Reporting it to the police as soon as you can would be a good thing to do.


Title: Neighbors dog barking.

Question: Neighbors dog barks constantly while the neighbors are not home (apartment complex). We left a note and polity asked the neighbors to do something about the barking. Stating that we understand dogs are going to bark sometimes, but the all day barking has to stop. I guess the owner of the dog just got the news and came over saying that her dog doesn't bark and if we left another not on her door we would be facing legal repercussions. What should I do? I live in Ga.

Answer: At this point neighbor has shown they are unreasonable and not willing to help address the issue so from this point forward I would call your landlords office and/or non-emergency police (or whomever would deal with noise code violations)


Title: Am i at fault for this rear end?

Question:
I was at a stop sign before a merging lane onto a highway. The car in front of me stopped, looked (highway was very clear) and she left the stop sign and began driving. I pulled up, stopped, look in front of me, looked over my shoulder to look for merging traffic, and looked forward again. I saw she was still moving, so I started moving, and again looked over my shoulder to check the coast was clear.

Right as I looked over my shoulder, the person in front of me came to a complete stop, and I rear ended her.

No injuries, minor body damage to both cars, but I was wondering if her random stop in the merging lane AFTER the stop sign puts her at least partially at fault? She had no reason to stop, as all possible lanes she could have merged into were clear of traffic.

Thanks y'all

Answer:
 You're at fault.  You drove your car into hers because you were looking over your shoulder.

But, generally, the only opinion on whose fault it is that matters is your insurance company's opinion.Answer #2: Your responsibility to not hit an object with your vehicle, particularly a stopped one, is almost absolute.


Title: Florida, Grandmother is dying in hospital and non-relatives have manipulated her to get power of attorney and take her money, wont let us know her condition.

Question:
My Mother and I live in Texas, while my aunt and grandmother live in Florida. My grandmother got admitted to a hospital in Florida after having a stroke. She lives with a boyfriend and is friends with two younger women who have manipulated her in the past. We firmly believe the boyfriend and the two younger women she is friends with are after what little money my grandma has. In the past, they have convinced her to sell land and assets.

The two younger women have lied to the hospital saying that they were family to gain access to my grandmother. My aunt who lives in Florida used to have power of attorney for my Grandmother and notified the hospital  that these younger women were not in fact family at all, and should not have family access to her. My mother has been calling directly to the hospital to find out my grandmothers condition and in the beginning they were releasing information to us.

 After a recent call to the hospital to check in on my grandmas cat-scan, they informed us that under HIPAA law, they are unable to release anymore information to us. Come to find out, my grandmothers boyfriend and the two young women she was friends with have gotten the power of attorney of her now, and are cutting us off from getting information on my grandmas condition. My grandmothers health is deteriorating and we believe she wont last much longer from what little information we got from the start. What can we, the family do so we can at least get updates and how shes doing and if shes passed away or not?  Her boyfriend, and the younger women refuse to cooperate with us at all.

Answer:
 I recently had a similar issue. Tldr Hospital had THEIR OWN lawyer handle the situation because THEY allowed this to happen.

My sister and her hub were going through a nasty divorce. He OD'd during a suicide attempt while he was with his sister. (Biological fam) She had him admitted to the hospital. She claimed to be PoA even though technically my sister was still legally his PoA. (Yes, it's written in paper in his medical files/insurance.)

Hospital gave PoA to the sister and told the hospital to ban the wife (my sis) and kids from seeing him. His OWN kids did not get to say goodbye to Daddy because of this witch.

My sister still loved him deeply, regardless of the divorce, and it destroyed her emotionally. The hospital had FOUR fucking days to undo this mess before he actually passed. (From time of admitting to time of death.)

They kept taking the sister's side and eventually ended up with a huuuuge lawsuit for denying wife and kids access and denying wife PoA. Sister of husb is also in deep shit legally.

The case is still on going because this happened in October  so we've still yet to see what all will become of the hosp/sister in law.

EDIT:  To add that it's such a huge deal who was PoA because his sister (legally not the PoA) instructed the hosp to take him off life support asap. My sister may not have wanted this before saying goodbye.


Title: Stepfather was fired unexpectedly and has been refused a reason for his termination. Boss's son now gets his contracts, is this wrongful termination?

Question: We live in Huntsville, AL and this happened last week. My stepfather works at a printer/office supply renting leasing type company and he and my mom had just returned from vacation and when he went back to work they fired him, and although he asked their reasoning, they refused to explain. Now, his friends at the job have told him that all the contracts he had sold and negotiated were being passed on to the boss's son, and he is making easy money because of it. I was just wondering if this could qualify as wrongful termination because as far as anyone can tell, the only reason he was fired was so that the boss's son didn't actually have to work to sell anything and he could get paid commission for all the contracts that are soon to come back up that my stepdad was previously in charge of. I couldn't find anything in the AL or federal state codes but I did only give it a topical review. We plan on trying to set up a meeting in order to at least give the boss a chance to explain if there were other factors at play but, being as he was among their top salesman, had won them contracts with several large companies, and had a spotless record, I don't know of any other reason for him to be dropped.

Answer: I'd simply start selling for a competitor. If hes good at sales, he can steal the contracts. Plus he already knows what they are paying.


Title: Why aren't bad Yelp revirws considered slander?

Answer:
 Because slander (really libel, or defamation) deals with objectively false statements of fact.  Most reviews are based on opinion.

Also we really, really like the First Amendment in the US.  Defamation is intentionally difficult to establish.


Title: Why is streaming tv shows illegal?

Question:
Why is streaming stuff illegal but lending a dvd to your friend not illegal? For example, lets say I got shrek on dvd and I lend it to my friend, why is that perfectly fine but something like streaming not fine? Its just like borrowing except for minute differences and across a larger audience as well. There is no limit to the amount of times I can give out my dvd.

Why is streaming any different.

California,USA

Answer: Because you can lend your DVD to your friend. You can’t make a perfect copy of the DVD and give it to them.


Title: [OK] Mother is threatening disabled father with jail for not paying divorce settlement.

Question:
My father was forced to retire in November, due to being diagnosed with dementia.  Part of the divorce settlement between my mother and father was that he would pay her an amount from his retirement account after he retired.  We have since set him up with a financial manager to help with managing his retirement.  As of July 1st, I took over the bulk of his finances. Recently, she has started calling and telling him that she is going to have him sent to jail if he doesn't pay her.  She is always hostile and claiming that he is currently in contempt of court.

Based on the advice form the financial manager, we learned that he can get out of paying taxes if he gets a QDRO.  We have an appointment to take care of that this week.  My question is this: is there anything we can do about the harassment?  He isn't able to explain things as well because of the dementia, and at this point, her behavior is nothing more than bullying.  Also, is he at risk of going to jail because he hasn't yet paid?

Additionally, can anyone help me understand the Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) a little better?  Any tips for handling this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: phrasing.

Answer:
 > Also, is he at risk of going to jail because he hasn't yet paid?

For practical purposes, no. In principle, maybe.

The process that could land your father in jail would begin with your mother filing a motion to show cause. That's a formal request to the courts, stating that your mother believes that your father is wilfully ignoring a court order. A hearing would be scheduled and your father would have a chance to respond (which should happen through his lawyer).

At a show cause hearing, he would have an opportunity to present defences to the alleged breach. One of those defences is "we're working on it, and have not unreasonably delayed compliance." If he's still working out his post-retirement finances, he likely has a very good _temporary_ defence.

If he wilfully refuses to comply, he can be held in contempt, but there's a long ways from here to there.

It goes almost without saying that you and your father should speak to an attorney, though.Answer #2: In your parents divorce settlement, there is an order that says a certain percentage or dollar amount of your father's retirement belongs to your mother. But if your father withdraws this amount and sends it ot her, the IRS would recognize it as taxable income to him.

A QDRO is a court order to divide a retirement plan. Instead of withdrawing the cash, the plan administrator breaks off the part that belongs to your mother and places it in a new account for her. That way when she withdraws from it, it is correctly recognized as her income and she is the one responsible for paying taxes on it.


Title: I've been parking a lot illegally along with ten other people and the owners are just deciding now that they want to tow us.

Question: Hey guys, so to start off, yes I have been parking in a private lot without direct permission and yes I know it is wrong. When I first started parking there I was told by other people parking there that the owner of the building was cool with students parking there. I didn't know for sure, but other people were parking there and it was way closer to campus than the lot the school gave me and since I like to have my car around I started parking there. I've been parking there for months, since October I'd say. A lot of familiar students cars are also parked there with me. Last night at probably 9pm somebody left [two of these notes](http://i.imgur.com/PcI32VN.jpg) on my windshield. I am a bit skeptical of this note because that is a new Jersey phone number and a different one than the business's phone number. Also we are in wilkes barre, Pennsylvania. It seems like someone is just trying to haggle money out of college kids but I can't know for sure until the business is open again which will probably be tomorrow. What is the legal standing of my parking in this lot versus their right to have my car towed? Also, the note says final warning, but like I said this is the first time they have ever said anything. And people have been parked there for months without even going to their car, what if they never see the note?

Answer: Stopped after the first sentence. The parking lot owner can tow you at ANY time,they don't even have to give warning.Answer #2: Well, Legally, he should have towed you from the very beginning.


Title: [Ontario] Landlord is constantly coming over just to "talk" to me and by that I mean she screams at me and its making me extremely uncomfortable to be in the house

Question:
I posted on here before, but tl;dr of that post my boyfriend and I are in a really tough financial spot as well as he lived in a house with a ton of mold so my boyfriend lives with me. I live in a student house near my university, but under the ontario tenants act we are both allowed to live here even though it was rented to a single person with a guest policy. I live with 8 other tenants in my student house.

My landlord sent me various nasty emails as well as came into the house to scream about me that my boyfriend needs to be out or shes evicting me. I sent her an email linking her to the tenants act and refusing to move him or myself out. She told me she doesn't care and we need to be out.

What can I do? In the tenants act it says she cannot come into the house without a reason or without notice, most of the time she gives me notice but in a very casual way without a time or a reason. Shes in the house various nights a week and its gotten to the point where its almost harassment. She screams at me, mocks me, and its gotten to the point where I try to go in the house as little as possible or when I do stay in my room as much as possible.

I also found her in my room a couple weeks ago taking pictures of my things. Apparently for house appraisal, she told me in email she would be going into my room but I never gave her approval (i didnt see the email until she was already in there and I questioned her).

Please help me out, any advice is very much appreciated. In a really rough financial spot so cant afford a lawyer right now.

Answer: Take thee to the Landlord and Tenant Board. You can ask for a variety of remedies: an order that she cease bothering you, rent abatement for the inconvenience, etc


Title: Getting sued after car crash

Question:
So Ill just provide the basic details:

-I live in Alberta, Canada
-I was at fault in the car crash
-My insurance policy covers 1M in lawsuits

It was a relatively minor crash.  I hit the side of the other car while turning left.

It was surprising because there were very minor injuries on site.  The other driver complained of shoulder pain, and thought it was broke.  The EMTs looked her over quickly and said it wasnt broken, only bruised from the seat belt.  They offered to take her to the hospital (but told her they didn't believe it was neccesary).  She declined.

Then, today (about 3 weeks later) I get a call from my insurance company telling me she's retained a lawyer.  Thats about all I know as of now.

So what are my options here?  Whats my best course of action?  Im really lost and surprised here, I did not expect a lawsuit from this at all and Ive never been in a similar situation before.

Answer: Just cooperate with your insurance. If you receive any legal documents in the mail, make copies and call your insurance company (they'll probably want the copies). Retain a copy for yourself.


Title: HELP! My boss wants me to "reimburse" my wages after I quit.

Question:
I was a live in nanny in Minnesota. I put in a two week notice at my job and now my boss is telling me I need to refund my wages for six weeks, and what he's paid for my health insurance for two months. Does he have any legal right to do this?
He also has an additional complaint- He said he had no problem with my boyfriend staying over, but now that I am leaving he has decided he wants to charge him "rent" for all the months he was around. Again, this seems sketchy but I just don't know for sure.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 If you have another job lined up, I'd quit right now. I bet he will try to stiff you on your last pay check.Answer #2: > he has decided he wants to charge him "rent" for all the months he was around.

If your boyfriend was staying in your bed/unit/room for "months" at a time, he might actually have a claim, against the boyfriend, for rent. But this would have nothing to do with your wages, and I would argue, nothing to do with you. Answer #3: Tell him good luck charging your boyfriend rent, that is between him and your boyfriend and not your responsibility(which is completely unrealistic and he won't get anything if he does pursue).  Furthermore, you don't owe any back pay.  I would cease communication as you cannot benefit from arguing with him.  If he does sue, show up to court.


Title: [CA] My landlord is forcing me to stay out of my apartment to do renovations. Do I have any recourse?

Question:
My landlord is doing a massive renovation to my building. So far I've been dealing with random water shutoffs thar last hours at a time. But starting next Monday, I will not be allowed in my apartment between 8AM and 4PM, weekdays, for almost three weeks while they rennovate. I also have to move everything from my kitchen and dining room into my bedroom during that time. I'm curious if I'm entitled to anything (hotel accommodations, reimbursement for kennel expenses for my dog) while they do repairs. Can I demand to pay a reduced rent while my furniture is rearranged and I'm forced to be out?

Also, I'm being told that as soon as the rennovations are done, my rent is going up 10%, mid lease. I'm not sure about that either.

Thanks for your help.

Answer:
 The landlord can't force you to vacate merely to accommodate their remodeling plans. If you want to be there from 8-4, you have every right to be there. Feel free to ask the landlord for reduced rent in exchange for vacating during those hours.

They can't raise your rent mid lease unless you agreed to that in your lease. Does it say anything about that?Answer #2: They absolutely can not change the terms of the lease mid lease. If you don't agree with the rent increase then do not sign anything.

Tell them they must pay for your accommodations (if its in the from of rent reduction, fine) or they are not allowed to renovate your apartment. They can wait until you are moved out if they'd like to update the space.

If you have the resources, I would contact a lawyer and ask them to draft you a letter to send to your landlord. A consultation is usually reasonably priced Answer #3: I have 2 questions. Are you under rent control and how long have you been living in your apartment?

I very recently had been through this situation (Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills/Hollywood area) and may be able to assist with some insight. I AM NOT A LAWYER and may only contribute based on my personal experience. Answer #4: Absent a court order you do not have to leave your home. Your landlord will not be able to get a court order for renovations. Unless you have an unusual lease, your rent cannot be raised mid lease. You can negotiate with your landlord to have the renovations done while you are there, and have a partial rent credit for your loss of use, or tell them you don't want them done at all.


Title: Illegally parked car caused me to miss a final, and subsequently receive a bad grade for the class. What options do I have? [TX]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I am appealing the grade

That's your course of action.  Depending on policy it may be possible/useful to retake the class, talk to your advisor before doing so.Answer #2: I'm a softy as a prof, but I would probably respond badly to a student calling 15 minutes before class. Get the documentation that you can from the police, get the proof of your grade before the exam, contact whoever your university has to handle appeals, and write a sincere, honest email to the prof in question asking for an accommodation. Just keep escalating this until you run out of options, but I can understand a prof being uninterested in writing a new exam just for you.Answer #3: Did the police give you any sort of documentation? You could try using that in your appeal and/or taking the company that owns the van to small claims court.Answer #4: If you haven't already burned any bridges there, I would reach out to the professor again, via email, now that the moment has passed. Be very polite, but lay out, with evidence including the police report, the estimated cost of the cab ride, what you believe to be the reasons that this was truly out of your control, and beg for (do not demand) leniency. He has more power than anybody else to help you, and it's possible that he'll have a better reaction to such a request than to a last-moment phone call that for all he knew was just a story. I suspect that you're more likely to get him to change his mind than to get the University to override his decision, and that's the simplest solution as well.

What shitty luck.


Title: [AMERICAN LAW] Crossing into other states by rental car

Question: Hello, I hope this is the right subreddit to ask this. I'm a UK resident and I was wondering if anything is required to pass form state to state in the US if I've rented a car in New York. What is the procedure? Do police keep an eye out for rental cars and inspect any relevant documents? If so, what documents are needed to pass?

Answer:
 The only potential restrictions on interstate driving are ones that are in the rental car contract.Answer #2: Nope, you can freely travel between states in the US.  States respect each other's licensing, so there is no need to obtain additional documentation.

That being said, out of state plates do seem to attract attention and you may be under greater scrutiny from authorities.  So make sure you are abiding by the local traffic laws, as those can change from state to state in minor ways.


Title: (Illinois) Neighbor in my apartment keeps calling the cops on me for noise complaint, noise isn't coming from me.

Question:
UPDATE: I talked with the landlords, they completely agreed that I was being very reasonable and that if she comes in, they will talk with her.  Quiet hours aren't even until 10:00pm anyway and all of these have come around 7:30-8:30pm.  Thanks everyone!

Not sure if this is the correct sub for this, but I don't know what else to do here.  My neighbor who shares a bedroom wall with me has called the cops on me about 4 or 5 times already in the past few weeks due to noise complaints.  The very first one was valid (I was doing work, had some music on and lost track of the time, forgot to turn it down as it got later), and was given a warning.  After that every time the cops have come, I've had any music or noise at a reasonable volume and the cops could never hear anything.

I've already talked to the neighbor and even gave her my number if it ever became an issue in the future.  Well today she texted me asking me to turn my music down.  I was watching a hockey game at a very low volume, but whatever, ok I mute it and text her back that it was muted.  About 10 minutes later she texts me again saying she can still hear it.  What? It's on mute... I let her know that the noise isn't coming from me and don't get a response other than that she will talk to the leasing department tomorrow.

Fastforward about 30 minutes.  Cops show up again saying there was a noise complaint for loud music.  At this point, I've had headphones on or the volume muted since the very first text. I'm strongly believing at this point that most of the noise issues are not coming from me, but she keeps calling the cops on me.

Would I be able to file some kind of harassment complaint or something? It's getting ridiculous and I've gone through great lengths to try and accommodate.  I even rearranged my room because my speakers were previously on the wall where her bed was.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Have you tried to mediate via the landlord?  Can you hear this noise she speaks of?


Title: Break In

Question: Hello, I was wondering if anyone can let me know how to find someone’s address and their personal information like name and where they live through license plate. We recently had a burglar break into our home and on our cameras it shows the three men running out of our backyard into a black civic which was their get away vehicle. Our neighbor yesterday had taken a picture of a suspicious black civic and taken the license plate. I would love to find out who it may be with license plate. Can anyone help me?

Answer: Yep, the people who can help you are called the police. Please call the non-emergency line and make a report.


Title: Let's try this again: So the FBI showed up at my door...

Question:
Hey friends,

Still a nice Jewish girl (think the most hurtful think y'all said was accusing me of being a man), still in Maryland, still freaking out because some guy who said he was the FBI and had a Maryland detective business card came to my house and interrogated me.

This time with a side of mod verification to keep the troll-accusers away, because this is actually happening and I was actually hoping that people would not be dicks and offer and relevant information they may possess. Bonus points if this has also happened to you.

BACK TO MY STORY THAT'S ACTUALLY TRUE REGARDLESS WHETER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT:
I came home from the mall and I found a state detective's business card wedged in my house's front door with a note asking that I call him. I called immediately and the man said I "wasn't in trouble" and that he "just wanted to ask me a few questions", so I agreed for him to stop by again. At that point he seemed friendly enough, and I figured I don't have anything to hide.

Within minutes he was at my doorstep, identifying himself as both state police and an FBI agent (presenting credentials for both). He asked me about my University studies, my travel plans, my dual-citizenship, and my research. He then told me in no few words that the government was watching me and had been investigating me for the past several months because I had raised red flags for terrorism. He threatened to "throw me in a hospital or jail", and really ominously/semi-threateningly advised me not to travel--repeatedly.

His words, tone, and body language were all very intimidating. I ultimately told him that I didn't wish to speak to him further and asked him to leave, which he instantly obliged. I'm obviously not a terrorist, or involved in anything sketchy, but I'm kind of freaking out because the guy was really threatening and really accusatory and didn't seem to care about anything I had to say. I got the vibe that maybe I should get a lawyer.

TL;DR tell me stuff you know about FBI

Answer: MODPOST: OP has presented proof that she was, indeed visited by an investigator from the county police who is most likely seconded to the JTTF in her area. Answer #2: You need a criminal defense attorney. Luckily, in the MD and DC area there are lots of excellent ones that used to dealing with the Federal government.


Title: (NC) I'm losing my parental rights due to child's mother that lives in a different city having a heroin problem

Question:
I have a 9 month old daughter. Her mom has an ongoing heroin problem.

On August 10th, I brought our daughter down to visit her mom. Both my daughter and I have both lived about 90 miles away for several months. This was literally the only night that my daughter and I had been down there in 2-3 months. We were going to stay one night so that we could all visit together and then return home the next morning.

I fed and put our daughter to sleep while her mom was in the bathroom "washing her face and getting ready for bed" I came back in to the room where her mother was and found her breathing, but passed out, unresponsive on the floor. I called 911 and an ambulance came. I wasn't sure what was wrong because in my experience, a heroin overdose would mean someone was not breathing and it didn't seem that way. However, I did give EMS her full history of drug abuse just to be safe. EMS apparently called child protective services due to our daughter being asleep in the other room, who in turn opened up an investigation. The mother ended up having a bad pneumonia and was kept in the in the hospital 3 days.. So whether or not drugs were involved, I'm not sure. But this investigation was opened on suspicion of an overdose before it could have been confirmed either way. The state would have taken my daughter right then but she was already at my parent's house the morning of the 11th and they agreed that my daughter could stay with my parents while this case was resolved as long as neither I, nor my child's mom, were allowed to be with my daughter unsupervised. This seemed crazy to me, as I had done nothing wrong, but my parents are awesome and live in the same city that I do, so no big deal. I figure all this will get cleared up.

Fast forward to yesterday. My child's mother is arrested for a probation violation. She was picked up for not showing up to her probation appointments. She refused to take a drug test at this time. She also had heroin on her, as well as syringes, when she was arrested. Again, she is in the city she lives in. My daughter is where I live, as am I. I had nothing to do with this. However, today I am being told that the state will take custody of my daughter and both her mother and I are losing are parental rights as we are deemed unfit parents because of this latest incident.

How is this possible? What rights do I have? How can I make it clear that her behavior has nothing to do with me? Neither of these cases had anything to do with me.

When our daughter was born, the was a previous DSS case because of her mother's drug use.  Again, only thing on me is association. However, I'm the one who made sure her mother wasn't using during pregnancy and got her to go to a methadone clinic when I found out, so that my daughter would be born safely. I have only done right. We were investigated and deemed fit parents and the case was closed.  There drug tests on file for me from that time.  All clean. I've signed forms now saying that I will take random drug tests, that I will go to a psychiatrist, that I will have a drug assessment, etc.   I didn't have a problem doing this to keep my daughter out of foster care and because I'm not using drugs. But now this seems to have gone too far.

Any help is extremely appreciated. I have been the one taking care of this beautiful, little girl that I love with all my heart since the day she was born and it makes me sick to think of losing my parental rights and not being able to see her every single day. And there is absolutely no way that I will let her go in to state custody.

Answer:
 First, you aren't necessarily losing your parental rights. That doesn't happen without a trial. There's been no trial yet, so you still have them.

DSS intervened because of possible drugs. They haven't sorted out whether you are safe to have your child. You need a lawyer. You will most likely get one appointed to you since this is a DSS matter. The attorney will advise you more, but be cooperative as you can be with DSS concerning the classes and drug screens. If you know you can pass them, there's no reason not to have ample evidence that you don't have a drug problem.

For the time being, you need to be concerned with where they're going to place your daughter. Is there any reason why the child can't be place with your parents? Are you living with your parents? If so, you may have to move out for a while until the investigation is done. Answer #2: Hire a lawyer.  Yesterday.Answer #3: Was there a court ordered custody plan in place before this happened?


Title: [TN] Go on Vacation and get Sexual Battery Warrant! For what?!

Question:
   [TN] In June of this year, my family and I took a Vacation to Gatlinburg, TN. We were there for a 4 day/3 night short trip. We had a great time and spent most of the time seeing attractions. After returning home in Alabama, I got a call from a Detective in Gatlinburg. I was told that a lady filed a police report on me that she was touched inappropriately while in the Ripley's Aquarium. She identified me by my clothing and I confirmed it was me. I was told video evidence shows me put my hand up and she makes a jumpy move. I don't remember this at all. Nothing was said to me either. I don't know if I touched her side to move past or what.  I was told to wait until the evidence was presented to a grad jury sometime in Sept. or October. I'm in total disbelief. Nothing happened while I visited.
   Months pass as I know I didn't do this knowingly. Being in such a crowded place I can't be sure that I didn't accidentally make contact. I called the Det. On Sept 20th and left a message. She contacted me back two days later at 7am to tell me I had been indited. I was shocked. I realized I needed to get details I forgot to get. Called, no answer, left message, no return call. Call the police desk, he says he needs to check, talks to her, he tells me she said she's talked with me three times and she  told me everything. I got him to forward me, she doesn't answer, again leave voicemail. She finally calls me back, with an angered tone tells me if I give her any "shit" she'll hang up. She literally cussed me for asking my case details. I told her I was just trying to find out my charge, bond etc, so I can do the right thing and turn myself in. She says I don't need anything but to come turn myself in. I don't get it. She's mad for me trying to communicate?! I feel like she's predetermined my guilt. I now have a warrant for arrest for sexual battery! I can't afford a lawyer. My bail is $750. Bond is $7500. Married with four kids. Finacially strapped. Only one family car. My wife and I are truly scared. I did not touch anyone, purposefully, or with any intention or any gratification. This is the craziest thing that has ever happened to me. She said she entered me into NCIC and forwarded paperwork to my City for pickup and extradition. Trying now to raise bail to get there and turn myself in having bail prearranged, at which time I will apply for an appointed attorney. I'm not a TN resident. Not sure what all that will complicate. An arrest for sexual battery on my background! Losing faith in the justice system. As someone with extreme general anxiety and depression etc. I am seriously almost disabled by crushing anxiety constantly. Any info needed and more than appreciated.

Answer: Just out of curiosity -- how did the detective find out who you were or your contact information?


Title: Can you claim a child on taxes when they aren’t your child?

Question: My daughter is begging me to claim my granddaughter on my taxes next year. She says she already claims 3 kids of her own and can’t claim anymore to get the max earned income credit. I won’t do it, but she won’t leave me alone about it. I don’t want to get IRS fraud, but she says they will never know. I told her I would never take a 26 yr olds advice over my own wisdom, but good old legal advice to give her would be appreciated.

Answer: Lying to the IRS which results in a lower tax liability is most certainly tax fraud.Answer #2: The child is question is not actually a dependent of yours right? If not, then no you can't claim then as a dependent.


Title: [Massachusetts] New roommate without a license took my car without my consent to get weed when I was gone. (I have video) [UPDATE]

Question:
[Previous post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/7aqgbp/massachusetts_new_roommate_without_a_license_took/)

TL;DR: Realtor assigned roommate took my car, picked up buddy, parked in handicap spot, got weed (possibly other drugs), killed my battery, got battery jumped by sketchy dude, didn't know I got it all on my dash cam.

**UPDATE**

1) I've moved out. Realtor let me terminate my lease. I went to court against my roommate.

2) Clerk meets with me before we went to the magistrate. He reviewed a document from my roommate that revealed the roommate is in rehab. He suggests I drop the case.

3) Since the state will take the case if I press charges and I get nothing out of it & the clerk says the realtor is at fault for this, I decided to drop the case.

4) I'm talking to a lawyer once I get my security deposit back from the realtor and we find it's not for the full amount. This lawyer offered me free consultation and said I'm probably able to get triple damages for the security deposit.

**Are there any damages I can claim against the realtor for assigning me a criminal roommate with a police record?**

Answer: The clerk sounds like an idiot or like they're trying to get out of some work. I would not have dropped the case. The realtor is not liable for your roommate stealing your car. Were you promised a roomie without a record? If not, then they can give you one.


Title: Potentially being charged with Mail Fraud & might face jailtime

Question:
Alright, here's the situation:

I live with a roommate, and we've had her dad living in and out for the past 6 months. As such, we told him he can use our adress for mail purposes.

Everything was working out pretty well, his mail would arrive in our mailbox(We live in a 3-story apartment complex), and we would notify him so he would come pick up his mail.

Well, on this occassion, he had ordered 100$ worth of Medical Cannabis Oil and had it ordered to our adress as  usual. Expect this time, neither me nor my roommate ever saw the package arrive, and we never recieved a call as to where it might've been being held.

I woke up 30 minutes ago, my roommate was on the phone with her mom. Apparently, her dad called the company, who said someone of my description signed for his package. Two things may now happen:

-My roommate's father, who is very stubborn, may take me to court for theft, since its the kind of thing he'd do

-The government owned distributer now have my name & apparently has my appearance, which means I might get charged with mail fraud. Its a much bigger deal that 100$ because its a government marijuana product, which is a big offense.

Is there any steps I can take to clear my name before anything happens? So far, the only option is comparing handwriting. I have notoriously bad handwriting.
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 You are not going to be charged with mail fraud unless there is more real evidence than the person “looks like you”. Did he even talk to the actual delivery person? Or just the call center?

Was there a picture (unlikely) Was there a signature? I would not worry.

Dad can take you to small claims court over the $100.

Tell roomie that dad is no longer welcome to visit and you will no longer accept mail for him.


Title: [La] My university doesn't have a men's center, but has a women's center.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No, it is not a Title IX violation.  You should visit the center and talk with the staff about what programs and services they offer.Answer #2: No, it's not a problem. There's no issue here. Grow up.


Title: Suing for abortion

Question: [removed]

Answer: There's this thing called rights. A woman has those to decide whether or not she wants to have a child regardless of what you want as a man. If you don't want a kid and child support payments, don't play the baby lottery.


Title: [Montana] netSo I found out a university program released a video on Vimeo containing a bunch of footage from my own Vimeo and Youtube page without asking permission or giving credit. Does this fall under fair use for education or is it technically stealing content? (links inside)

Question:
[Video from MSU](https://vimeo.com/119866721)

[My Youtube page](https://www.youtube.com/user/pyrojoe34/videos)

[My Vimeo page](https://vimeo.com/user12532106/videos)

[My video containing most of the footage in question](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjI_ib6M-AU)

Update: The reply i received after I emailed them:

"I’m the filmmaker here at MSU and the editor of the video you were referring to in your email earlier. First of all, I would sincerely like to apologize for not contacting you about the use of your footage, we were on a bit of a tight deadline with this project. However, I do believe that our usage of your footage is covered under fair use laws, which you can read more in detail about here. http://fairusetube.org/guide-to-youtube-removals/3-deciding-if-video-is-fair-use
I’m really not trying to ignore your complaint or write it off with a bunch of legal jargon, mostly I’m just explaining this to you as the reasons why we did not contact you in the first place.

The reasons it falls under these guidelines are as follows:

The video was created for an educational presentation (tonight’s event with Powder Magazine editor and MSU’s Snow & Avalanche Lab, which you can follow up on here. http://www.montana.edu/news/15349/powder-magazine-editor-will-visit-msu-for-avalanche-forum-feb-17

The video is not being used for any monetary purposes or as any form of recruitment (which can also be a monetary value) It is more a creative news piece about the research being done here.

The portion of your footage used in comparison to your overall video as well as the overall length in my video is small. We are not taking all of your work and passing it off.

The footage is transformative in that we are using the video to tell a story of the highly rewarding, yet often dangerous activity of backcountry skiing, rather than just making a “ski video” and showing awesome footage and passing it off on our own. We are not making a highlight reel, which was the intention of your video I believe?

We are not selling or making any commercial profit off of the use of your video
You have your footage available for HD download on Vimeo. (which can be turned off in your settings page if you don’t wish to make the video downloadable for the public)

All that being said, we don’t like to offend or upset our viewers, so we would be more than happy to give you credit in the description or to link to your vimeo page in the “credits” section and list your role as camera or cinematography (however you’d like it phrased). If you’d rather we removed the footage of yours from the video instead, we of course will be happy to do that as well. Again, I apologize for not making the effort to reach out to you and get your permission first. Even under tight deadlines, I need to make this a priority in my work."

Please feel free to contact me anytime either by phone or email"

Answer:
 Whether the university would make a fair use claim is not clear.  Whether a judge would agree with such a claim is not clear.

If you don't want them using it, send a DMCA takedown notice and notify them they're infringing your copyright.

Edit:  You also might consider registering your copyright with the US Copyright Office to strengthen the remedies you can pursue in the future, if you are ever inclined to do so.


Title: My car was vandalized repeatedly.. and I caught him.

Question:
Alright Reddit, first post, long time lurker. I'll try to keep this brief, but I have a situation.

Over the course of several months, occasionally I would spend the evening at this apartment complex. Now, on more than one occasion (4,to be exact) I came out in the morning to my driver door vandalized. Only the driver door, as though I was being targeted. This happened over the course of several months and got progressively worse.

I got smart, and bought a dashcam, because my car is important to me, and I take enough pictures of it to have documentation of the progression of the damage over the course of that time. Well, the dumbfuck came by again, at 5am, and I got him pretty clearly on camera. (Vantrue N2 Pro, for those curious).

My lady friend recognizes him as her baby daddy, and former live-in boyfriend. They have been broken up for some time, but hes still hung up on her, bringing her gifts, trying to engage in manipulative behavior, trying to get her back or control her or whatever. She already has a no-contact order, and their only interactions are supposed to be related to their daughter. He has broken this several times, and she has a record of all the texts and various examples of his behavior. I've never met, nor talked with this guy before. Hes purely targeting me because I'm the new guy, or trying to control her sonehow by going after me.

So after catching him on camera, he was pretty quickly arrested, but posted bail that weekend. He got out, and hasn't bothered me since. So currently, he has been charged with felony Malicious Mischief 2, and 7 counts of violating a NCO. Hes had his arraignment, and were playing out the criminal case now. He just got a continuance cause his public defender didnt have enough time with him. Pre-trial is next.

My question is multi-faceted. I havent got my car fixed yet, and nobody has been able to give me a straight answer as to any potential effects on my premium for insurance (I have Progressive). The damage will be a little over $2,000, as I need a whole new door skin, paint matching etc. In addition, I'm wondering specifically if I file a claim for vandalism, will that single comprehensive claim also be able to include my severely rock-chipped windshield, even though the vandalism specifically didnt cause that? Or is that another claim, with another $500  deductible? Or would there be a better way to proceed? Currently, I'm guessing restitution would be based on the estimates provided if I dont get my car fixed by the time they settle.

Also, I know that in the event I am not satisfied with the criminal case results, I could take him to small claims court, and, with the criminal case completed at that point (assuming the charges stick), I'm guessing a civil case would be fairly straightforward. I could then sue him for emotional distress, PTSD, loss of relationship, lost wages (if they aren't reimbursed already) etc. I live in WA, so no punitive damages.. But how do I determine values for those things? What could I realistically get out of it? Would it be worth the time and effort?

I'm looking for advice on where to proceed on both fronts, and forgive me, but I have no clue how to crosspost to r/insurance or another better subreddit..

TL;DR: OP's car was vandalized, vandal caught on camera, now what?

Thank you in advance :)
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 > I could then sue him for emotional distress, PTSD, loss of relationship

Yes.  Expect to get zero dollars for this.  You will get reimbursed for your real financial damages.  So the cost to repair your car, rental car during repair, lost time at work, etc.


Title: Does a “one party recording consent” include yourself?

Question:
NC- My s/o works in a school and she has some crazy parents that come in to talk to her. As I read it North Carolina is a one-party consent state.  Is she allowed to record their conversations in her office without notifying the parents since she is one part of the party’s?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: That's the intent of the law; yes. The only crime in the scenario you've described is that apostrophe.


Title: Is there any way for me to challenge a refund denial?

Question:
In late March I contacted ASUS to repair the touch screen on an out-of-warranty convertible laptop. (The screen worked; the touch didn't.) They quoted me about $500 for the repair. I paid. They hung on to my laptop for two months, alternating between ignoring me and lying to me about its status. Only when I had my attorney-friend reach out to them did they contact me to tell me that the repairs were successful and they were returning the laptop to me.

Upon its return two months later, I discovered that the touch screen hadn't been repaired. The same touch-doesn't-work problem persists. Additionally, the keyboard backlight no longer functions, the ability for the laptop to automatically convert to tablet mode when you flip the screen over no longer functions (you now had to do it manually; it would no longer do it automatically), there are numerous scratches all over the case, part of the edge of the case was bent, and they didn't return the AC power adapter.

Along with the laptop was a diagnosis sheet showing what they did to the laptop while they had it. They replaced the screen assembly twice, the motherboard three times, and various cables and daughterboards a couple of times. After (eventually) getting escalated all the way to "Tier 4 Support" I was basically told to send the laptop back to them for repair *again*. They wouldn't guarantee that they could fix either the original repair (which, remember, I was told was successful) or address any of the other issues, including my missing AC adapter. I am extremely reluctant to send the laptop back to them; I can easily see a situation where I won't see it until Christmas and when I do get it back it'll be even *more* broken than it is now.

The language of the invoice says: "Any OUT OF WARRANTY repair fee(s) prescribed by ASUS and accepted by the customer is non-refundable and does not guarantee that repairs can be made. If repairable, a limited 90-day warranty will apply to the repair only, excluding any form of physical damage or other customer induced damage."  This tells me that if I sent them my laptop and they couldn't fix it, I'm shit out of luck for getting a refund. Except, ASUS told me that it was successfully repaired. If ASUS acted on their belief that they fixed it, their repair was successful, doesn't that count for anything? The language says "if repairable..." which implies a different set of conditions than "if not repairable", and ASUS was acting under their belief that it was not only repairable but that it had been repaired. And what about the additional damage and property theft that ASUS caused? Does that count for anything?

I realize I'm probably grasping at straws here, but after nearly four months of going through this bullshit with ASUS I've had it up to here with them and I'm willing to pull on whatever straws present themselves.

Answer:
 You can always take Asus to small claims court.

Could not tell you what the odds of prevailing would be.


Title: do you need a valid legal reason to change your last name?

Question:
I just don't like my last name purely because of what it sounds like/how it's pronounced. It's embarrassing. Every time I say it or hear it called out I cringe a little inside. I don't want to hurt my family but it's really nothing personal. I'm not trying to cut myself off from them. Essentially I want to know if it's a relatively pain free process (aside from all the forms) and whether or not a legitimate legal reason is required, such as when someone gets married and changes their last name.

state: mass

Answer:
 What Country, state, or province do you live in ?

In most places it's simple and you give a reason to the judge who is approving your petition.  "I don't like the way it sounds" is plenty legit, and so is "I like this one better".

Judges get novelty and mentally ill people petitioning for name changes all the time, and they exercise their discretion.   A judge might not allow you to change your name to "Barack Sea-lord Messiah Obama, Jr."

Some judges exercise more discretion than many folks would like;  we had a petitioner in here who was very eager to change her name to a feminine version, immediately after she turned 18 and before she began any counseling for gender transition.   The judge turned her down, and she was livid.   But this is some of the discretion we give to judges.


Title: He won’t leave

Question: So I’m hoping someone can clear this up for me cause this is odd. So my girlfriends Mother’s boyfriend, who has been living in with the mother for like 2 years in a house she owns asked him to leave but he told her no. So she called the cops and the cops said that she would have to have him evicted. He is refusing to leave her house that’s she’s had for like 20 years, he’s also taking about common law and it will take even longer to make him leave. So my question is what can be done to get him out of there ASAP.

Answer: Depends on your state, but if he has been there for years, hes established tenancy, and indeed does need to be formally evicted. Some states require 30 days notice, some less.


Title: Does this count as extortion? Legally can I do anything about it?

Question: I scuffed a guys bumper in a parking lot. Asked him if I could pay out of pocket because damage was minimal and I didn't want to risk increased rates. Then he tried to extort me for $6K to not report it to insurance "because that was what his time was worth." I have this all in text messages. Legally is this considered extortion? From what I have read online it sounds like it could just be considered "settling a claim" even though he made it very clear he wanted extra money over whatever the costs would be incurred due to the accident.

Answer:
 It's probably just settling a claim. Even if it was extortion, it's probably not going to be taken seriously by LEO. Just laugh at him and report it to your insurance so they can give him the measly amount of money that he's actually entitled to. Answer #2: Not extortion.  Probably an over estimate/demand based on his damages, but it is not extortionate to demand payment for damages you caused.

Either prepare to play hardball negotiation with this dude or just report it to your insurance company.  If you decide to do it yourselves, then make sure that you get a his signature on something that releases you from any further claims or lawsuits as a result of this accident upon paying him $X.

Its just my gut, but this dude sounds like he is going to make this a pain in the ass, and I would be tempted on just reporting it to the insurance company and letting them deal with it.  I might try sending off a counter letter, but if he keeps pushing after that, I'd be done.  That's just me though, good luck with whatever you choose to do!


Title: Drug testing for alcohol related probation

Question:
So I'll try to condense the story. It was my with birthday and I was pretty drunk after being fed drinks throughout the night. Now I'm fighting a felony for resisting arrest and disorderly drunk. Lawyer said I'll be fine due to no prior record and military service. I've had to do daily breathalyzers so far, but have yet to find out my sentencing. I'm sure I'll be put on probation, but my question is if they can or will also drug test, even though this was a problem with alcohol?

I don't drink often, but I do occasionally smoke to help with PTSD, albeit illegally (planning on getting my medical card asap).

This all takes place in Michigan, thanks for any help!

Answer: If you are on probation they can and will test for drugs


Title: [US]What if you are a Ferguson protester under threat of arrest, you don't carry id and refuse to identify yourself

Question: Can they hold you more than 48 hours? How would they trial you without an identity? Can it realistically hurt your defense if you refuse to say A WORD?

Answer:
 You can be booked as a "John Doe."

Photos and fingerprints are taken, and without knowing who you are, you become a flight risk.  So the judge can set a very high cash bond or deny it altogether.

You don't have to have a name to go to jail, but you generally need one to get out.


Title: [Bernalillo County, New Mexico] My mother (mid 50s) was working as a door-to-door sales rep for an internet company. Last year, she slipped on ice and injured her arms. The company's doctor had her go the PT and ended up damaging it worse. What now?

Question:
I apologize in advance for mistakes I make here. While I have read the rules, I am sure I will do something to make someone mad.

As stated above, she fell. She was working on a team and my brother who witnessed the fall. They quickly brought her to the doctor that the company has on call and, rather than making sure she was okay, gave her a drug test.

They do an x-ray and a very sloppy MRI claim to found nothing, but she was insistent that there was damage to the arm and that she was in pain. Cue the prescription of ~6 weeks of physical therapy. By the end, her arm hurts worse than ever. She is on workman's Comp now ans scrapping by. She feels that the company's doctor is giving her biased and trying to push her back out to working. She can't work, her arm hurts too much and is essentially unusable. Finally, she is able to see her own doctor and have them cover the expense and, after months of arguing, gets her doctor to get another MRI done.

Lo and behold, this last week her MRI shows her arm is fucked. The joint is screwed up and there is scar tissue EVERYWHERE. She is gonna need surgery to get the use of her arm back.

So, now my mom has been on Workman's Comp for nearly a year, lost a bunch of wages, and her arm has been made far worse by the sloppy doctor and the dickwads she works for. She only has about two months of Workman's Comp to use, so whatever she does needs to happen fast.

What should we do? Find a lawyer to go after the doctor or the company?

TL;DR: My mom fell, got hurt, company's crappy doctor said it was nothing, prescribed her treatment that made it far worse, she fought for her own doctor and verified it she had been seriously hurt. Now what?
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: This is now "get a real attorney" territory. Medical malpractice is very fact specific, and the internet is not the place to get such advice.


Title: Pit Bull breaking through the fence, and has ruined it completely - fights with my dog & we have kids(NEVADA)

Question:
Hi, and thanks in advance for any advice!
So I am a new homeowner(less than a year!), and since we have moved in, we have had problems with our neighbor's dog. In fact, our neighbor was our title officer and told us while we were still in escrow that they had this horrible dog that their son had bought, but not to worry because they were getting rid of it.
Needless to say, it's been 10 months, the dog is still there, has completely destroyed the fence, has been in my yard on multiple occasions, and has even gotten into a fight with one of my dogs. Their dog has also ripped up a drip system line, and more importantly, causeDE similar fence damage to my OTHER fence with the OTHER neighbor. In other words, it got in my yard then wen after a completely different fence, causing those neighbors to board up the fence on their side, lest their dogs get out.
The dog is a Pit Bull, which is tough for me because I'm a staunch advocate of Pits, but she is overly aggressive, as displayed by the fight with one of my dogs... And I would rather not wait to see what happens when my kids are in the yard and she comes through.
The neighbors have always been home, so i have dealt with them directly and never called the police or animal control(EDIT: I have told him twice, without possible confusion, that this is unacceptable, and that the fence needs to be fixed ASAP). I have been promised multiple times that the fence would be fixed.  Unfortunately, the fence is getting worse, and the dog is getting more aggressive as well. The final straw was hearing their 14 year old daughter say she was too scared to grab the dog yesterday while it was tearing apart my fence.
Here are the facts:
I have video of the dog chewing the fence, I have a third party witness to the dog fight, and I have spoken with them several times.
The fence was in fine condition before all of this, and would have lasted AT LEAST half a dozen years, probably more
Through speaking to him, I agreed to help with the costs of a new fence BEFORE the dog fight, and the most recent intrusion on my yard. But, I always made it clear that they needed to fix the fence, I would just help with the cost.
My dogs have never entered his yard.

I want the fence fixed, and preferably the dog gone, but the fence fixed is my priority; I do not feel that we are responsible for anything, my offer to help pay was a gesture of goodwill in order to get the job done. Their continued lack of action, and various events have erased any goodwill I once had.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?!? Basically, what are my steps to a resolution? I would like a peaceful one, but at this point that's not my top concern.

Thanks!

TL;DR - neighbors dog has destroyed my perfectly good fence, come into my yard, destroyed other property, and fought my dog. Recourse?

Answer:
 1. Send a certified letter telling them if that the fence is not repaired by X date you will sue them in small claims court.  Then DO IT if they don't follow through.

2. Call animal control about this dangerous dog. Answer #2: What is it going to take for you to call animal control? This is a bad situation waiting to get worse.  Predictable, preventable. Pick up the phone before your dog or one of your kids is injured or killed.


Title: Is it possible to fight this speeding citation and win?

Question:
Pennsylvania. Township police officer pulled me over; I had absolutely no idea why. Said it's "aggressive driving crackdown month" and told me he had me going "about 40" in a 25 zone. I said I definitely didn't think so; I drive that and I am even an Uber driver and so I am always very careful in that residential area, as we must be. At the most, it's possible I went 5 mph over, but not 15.

He gave me a ticket and said he would be putting me down as going 30 so that I wouldn't get any points. Still a massive fine though and I'm irritated because I was absolutely not driving "aggressively," nor was I going 15 over, and I do not want to pay this fraudulent charge to my corrupt college town. They rip students off enough as it already is and I've had enough of it; I will not roll over to their lies.

Some more information:

* The device used was V-SPEC, which, from my understanding, is not radar; it requires the officer to manually press buttons when he thinks I reach a certain area on the road. There are no painted white lines on the road. This opens up the good chance that a degree of human error can occur. However, the miles timed & seconds timed boxes on the ticket mathematically result in me going 40 to fit his claim.
* He made a mistake with my information on the citation. He recorded my car as being a 2-door; it's a 4-door.
* The "Incident Number" box is blank.
* The address he put down for the location is far too close to the stoplight that I was approaching (which was red) for me to have been going the speed he claimed or I would have slammed into the cars stopped at the stoplight.
* Apparently, in PA, a driver must be going more than 5 mph over the speed limit to be ticketed. The official PA guide here: [https://www.penndot.gov/TravelInPA/Safety/TrafficSafetyAndDriverTopics/Documents/TIPP-Fine-Card-JAN-2014-v5.pdf](https://www.penndot.gov/TravelInPA/Safety/TrafficSafetyAndDriverTopics/Documents/TIPP-Fine-Card-JAN-2014-v5.pdf) doesn't even list a fine amount under the 25 mph speed limit category until 35 mph.
* The officer was irritable from the moment he approached my car; I suspect my sports team stickers on my back window probably offended him, since he decided not to turn on his lights until a little while after he had pulled out behind me to follow me onto the next road I turned onto.
* I have a cruise control button on my car right near my turn signal. If you press it accidentally it sometimes speeds up the car rapidly for 1-2 seconds. If all the above information doesn't give me a case to fight it, could I have a case by claiming I tapped the cruise control button accidentally which caused my car to speed up for 1-2 seconds right at the site where he was doing the V-SPEC timing?

Thanks in advance for the legal advice.

Answer:
 You just said you were going 5 over. He wrote you a ticket for 5 over.Answer #2: None of the details you posted really matter. You have no idea if he was pissed at your sports team stickers , and it isn’t relevant anyways.

Clerical mistakes typically are not grounds for getting a ticket thrown out, either. Besides, he could just write you a new ticket on the courthouse steps.

If you want to fight this, consult with traffic ticket attorney. Otherwise, you’re fighting a very uphill battle here.


Title: (British Columbia Canada) 20 year old brother stole 13k off my dads credit card. Dad wants to press charges.

Question:
(X-post from Relationships)

I got a call from my dad this morning, he was really upset and explained to me that my brother has been stealing his credit card to take cash advances off his credit card. My dad isn't very internet savvy at all, he doesn't check his online accounts very often. So when his card was declined he phoned his credit card company and they said he owed over 13k on it..

My brother admitted to taking the money. I'm not sure if he's admitted to buying drugs with it, but he had an issue with heroin 3 years ago and stole a few hundred dollars off my dad back then.. Not sure why my dad decided to trust him again but we figure it's just happening again.

My dad told me he wants to press charges against him. I totally agree. I don't know enough about the Canadian legal system to know what will happen. I'm not sure if he will go to jail or something or just have something put on his record. My dad doesn't have the guts to kick him out of the house and change the locks and not let him back in, but he has asked me to help him go through with charging him because he has told me he can't by himself. My dad is totally alone and has nobody to turn to except for me so I've been trying to think of some good advice for him for when we meet up later today or tomorrow...

Obviously he needs to talk to the police, or a lawyer asap. Do you think the credit card company will give him his money back if they know it was stolen? He won't ever be able to pay that back and I don't have the money to help him out either...

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has dealt with anything similar before, or has any good insight for me/us...

**tldr: brother stole 13k from my dad, dad wants to press charges, looking for some advice**

Answer:
 > brother stole 13k from my dad, dad wants to press charges, looking for some advice

Dad can't press charges but he can, and IMO should, file a police report and let the cards fall where they may.

Also your dad cannot change the locks and kick him out of the house, that's illegal, he needs to evict your brother using the proper legal process for British Columbia.


Title: [ADVICE]Banned from cemetery

Question:
Oakley, MD
I was at a funeral last week and while I was parking a 'supervisor' told me I could park in a particular spot. I then moved my car and another employee told me to park in the area the 'supervisor' told me not to, so I did.

Literally in the middle of the burial, the supervisor came over to me and said, "I'm not going to let you disrespect me like that, I'll deal with you after the funeral, I'm not finished with you yet." And I said "fuck off."

The next day I get 2 officers at my door who slapped me with a subpoena that I "punched him in the face." I obviously did no such thing and he has barred me from the cemetery, where my mother is buried, whom I visit everyday.

There were plenty of witnesses there, should I drag them into court? What should I do now? Will I be able to visit my mother again?

Answer:
 Obviously talk to a lawyer and also get your witnesses in line.

In the meantime, do some investigation into the ownership of the cemetery and just who the "supervisor" is.  If the supervisor is not the owner - you might be better served going directly to the owner/ownership (but run it by your lawyer first).  Folks in the cemetery business are usually very conservative and eager to avoid bad press. This whole thing is the very definition of "bad press"

The fact that a cemetery employee came up to you during a burial means that the "supervisor" has no business working in a cemetery. (I thought I was past being "appalled" at people's behaviors but reading that made me feel like grabbing my smelling salts).Answer #2: If I remember from property, under common law a direct relative cannot be banned from visiting a grave of a family member located on private property. It's not absolute... i.e. you can't visit everyday... but you can not be completely barred. Answer #3: Are you being charged criminally or is it a protection order hearing?  Either way, you should consult an attorney and have witnesses testify on your behalf.


Title: Her boyfriend's(15) parents have been letting my daughter (14) smoke pot and drink booze and have sex with their son at their house while they knew I thought she was at a female friend's house. I read a message she sent her bf asking if he used a condom when she was drunk. [California]

Question:
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: It is a misdemeanor for both of the kids, so yes your daughter will get in trouble too. It is a felony offense for parents to contribute to the delinquency of a minor.Answer #2: First off. Don't let her go over there anymore. Second, this might be a reason to give CPS a call. Answer #3: On top of the marijuana and alcohol, the age of consent in California is 18 with no exceptions. It might be best to talk to a lawyer for your daughter's sake.Answer #4: But what is your question?


Title: 2nd possession offence

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your life is about to get a lot more complicated.

Time to hire an attorney. Judges give second chances, but hate giving thirds.


Title: I’ve just gotten information that someone is keeping exotic pets illegally, what should I do? (NJ/NY)

Question:
The reason for the two states in the title is that I live in New Jersey but the pets and their owner live in New York (nyc, if that’s important).

For some background, I do some freelance modeling in my own time. I’ve been in conversation with someone about doing a sitting for their drawing group, and he mentioned that they’d like me to pose with two male Komodo Dragons in an apartment in NY (I don’t have an address right now, but I can likely get one). I didn’t find anything on a quick google search saying they’re explicitly illegal to own, but my gut says they are (hence why I’m asking).

How should I go about reporting this, if it is in fact illegal? Also, it’s okay if it’s a no, but could there be some sort of reward involved for reporting black market activity and illegal exotic pets? I stood to make some money from this but I’d rather report it, even if it means losing out on a bit of income.

Thank y’all!!

Answer:
 In New York, keeping a komodo dragon as a pet is illegal, unless that person is an "exhibitor" and has the proper licenses.

You can contact the New York City Animal Control and Welfare organization and file an "Illegal Animal Complaint:"

http://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/categories/environment/animal-control-welfare/index.page

I am not aware of any program in NYC that would pay you for reporting this.Answer #2: I'd start with a call to this person's local animal control. And do NOT pose with the Komodo Dragon. While they don't have venom per se, one of their bites is so loaded with bacteria that they're often fatal. Plus they are monstrously strong reptiles and could definitely scratch or hit you pretty darn hard with their tail.


Title: Would I be breaking any laws by making this voter registration checking app?

Question:
I'm in Los Angeles, CA. During this election primary season, hundreds of thousands of democrats have had their registration changed to republican, without their permission and without any action on their part. It is happening in almost every state. These people get to the polling booths and are then denied their right to vote. (How/why their registrations are getting changed is a mystery, but that's beyond the scope of this post)

Some of us have resorted to checking our voter registrations online every day to see if our registration has been changed. I have all the skills necessary to make a website/app where users sign up and voluntarily fill out whatever personal info is necessary to check their voter registration online.

The server would then automatically run a computer script once a day to visit each site, input the user's personal info, and scrape whether their registration says "democrat" or not. If their registration changes, they get an email/text/smartphone notification that their registration changed.

I've heard that web scraping is legal gray area, and I'd be scraping from .gov sites. But the users would voluntarily opt in to this and the site would just automate a process that they're already doing manually.

Am I potentially breaking any laws here? I want to do this in all 50 states (and puerto rico, guam, etc. Everywhere that votes). Do the laws vary from state to state?

Thanks for your time.

Answer:
 1) any evidence of this claim;

2) evidence such aright to vote exists, plus one exists for a private corporations selection of chair members to elect a representative for an eventual public campaign?;

3) yes laws are state dependent;

4) yes abusing governmental computers in order to determine registration status likely is illegal.


Title: My ex's new partner has a criminal record. Is there anything I can do to keep her away from our kids?

Question:
My husband cheated on me last month when I was 9 months pregnant with a known meth user. I kicked him out and he has moved in with her. She is very well known around here for multiple things: Violence with her partners, drug use, she's smashed her boyfriends car, and years ago actually tried to take her first husband's child away from him. I've been told by one of her family members that she has a criminal record related to drug use, and that they strongly recommended I keep her away from my girls.

My (soon to be ex) husband and I have two little girls together. It makes me sick to my stomach to imagine having a person like this around my girls. He's promised not to have them around her and as far as I know hasn't broken that promise, but as we approach a separation agreement and divorce I'd like to know if there is a way I can ensure my girls will not be around anyone with a criminal past.

I really appreciate any advice.

Answer: If you feel your children's living situation at their father's house is unsafe, you can take your ex back to family court and petition the court for full custody of your children.


Title: SIL gets paid on a card. She misplaced the first one with a check on it and never activated the card. Her job refuses to give her that pay. Oklahoma.

Question:
Hello!

So as the title says, my SIL gets paid via card. Her very first check, she lost the card. It was never activated or used whatsoever. Her employer is saying they will not pay her for her work again, because it was her job to figure that out. Is there anything she can do?

Thank you in advance.

Answer: Has she contacted the card company? It is unfortunate that her employer is not being more helpful, but I can also understand why they would not re-pay her when the original card that was loaded with her pay is still out there somewhere. Perhaps she could have that card re-issued or voided out, in which case the employer might be willing to reload a second card.


Title: How difficult is it to prove reverse discrimination? (NY Employment law)

Question:
Have put more effort into my job and have demonstrated my commitment more than other employees. (attendance, going above and beyond job description)

My boss is giving me worse shifts, less hours, etc. in preference of workers that are the ethnicity of the companies owners.

I am assuming a lawyer would not take this case without up front fees.

Answer:
 The term is “discrimination.”

And you’d generally need either a pattern of behavior, or an acknowledgment that they were offering preferential treatment based upon membership in a protected class.


Title: I’m pretty sure my aunt is funneling money from my grandmother’s estate.

Question:
So my grandmother died over 2 years ago and left a large amount of money to my mom and her 2 sisters. My mom has seen a very little amount relative to what she was given in the will.

My aunt, let’s call her Anne, was named the executor of the estate by my grandmother. She has bought two houses in the years since my grandmother died. One for my other aunt, Beth, who is going through a divorce and another for herself. She says she bought the house for Beth in her own name and doesn’t want to distribute the any of the money so it doesn’t come up in the divorce proceedings.

Anne doesn’t work. She was once a lawyer, but only a couple of years for a non profit. The money could be coming from her Anne’s ex-husband who is very rich, but I suspect that money is drying up because all my cousins are all over 18 or approaching that age.

Anne has threatened multiple times to cut my mom out of the will whenever my mom has asked when the money will be distributed. Apparently there is a clause in the will that states that anyone who contests the will should get nothing. Beth has been no help to my mom either. She says she shouldn’t cross Anne or risk losing everything my grandmother left her.
I have seen the list of assets my grandmother left, including a large checking account, stocks/bonds, and a house in her name that had since been sold. I do not know how those accounts stand as of now.

Anne refuses to give my mom anything more. She insists my mom try to get money from my grandmother’s IRA before anything from the estate.

Full disclosure, I am a college student, and my mom has offered to help with tuition from the money she gets from the estate. She’s just a working class woman. But my tuition is nothing compared to what she should be getting.

I don’t know what I can do. Anne is an alcoholic that has always used money as a tool for power. She’s bought loyalty from her kids, Beth, my mom, and even me on occasion. I can’t tell if this is just a way for her to keep control over my mom who has recently become financially independent, or if the money is really gone.
Is there any way for me or my mom to see what is left of the estate? My mom would absolutely refuse to take legal action against her sister. She has PTSD about going to court after a years long legal battles with my dad that Anne facilitated (long story).

My grandmother died in Vermont and her will was filed with the Vermont Judiciary.

Is there anything we can do to force her to distribute the money, or see what remains of the estate?

tl;dr: grandmother died and left money to my mom. She hasn’t seen anything from my aunt who is the executor of the estate.

Answer:
 Your mother needs a Vermont probate attorney at this pointAnswer #2: Your mother can request an accounting of the estate, this is not considered contesting the will as the executor has a responsibility to provide accounting to the heirs. Due to the circumstances, your mother should consult with a probate attorney because it is possible that your aunt has misappropriated the funds.Answer #3: Yes, you can file in court to have your aunt declared a negligent executor.  In Vermont, Estates have to be open for at least 4 months to allow creditors to make a claim but about ~6 is much more common.  The fact you're at two years means you need to use the court to kick your aunt off and get this shit settled.  Now.

Contact an Estate Attorney or Probate Lawyer who will help motivate this situation and who may also be appointed Executor by the court after your Aunt is removed.

This lawyer can be paid through the Estate and not out of pocket, but you might have to come up with money up front.  Not sure.


Title: MY girlfriend [16] is being molested by her dad

Question:
 First, I'd like to note that this is my first post and I've made this account specifically for this because I've no idea what to do.

Backstory: I'm 16 years old and I'm female, and I go to a school that allows us to finish high school classes by our junior year and begin earning college credits as early as our sophomore year; which in turn gives us an almost guaranteed scholarship (full ride) to the university which houses our high school program. A lot of info but it's important.

I began talking with this girl who I'll call Z about four months back. We'd gone to school together since our freshmen year but, it was't until second semester of our sophomore year that we actually got to know each other. She came out and told me that she was questioning her sexuality but, she had a crush on me. And one thing leads to another, and we've been talking for a while now. This all began last week when she'd chose to confide in me about "something important" and that night, she called me and confessed that she had been raped four times. She didn't want to go into detail but after me pressing for a bit more information, she confessed that as a child she'd been raped twice by an uncle, once by a cousin and again by her father.

She and her siblings were sent to live with their dad when they were much younger. She had two older sisters and younger brother (her oldest sister passed last year from cancer). If her dad hadn't chosen to take them in, they would've been put into foster care by their mother -- this makes her feel like she owes him. Z told me all of this on a Saturday night and by Monday morning, she told me that she hadn't told the entire truth. But that her dad still molests her.

She is unfortunately, very sick and often times has to go to the hospital for treatments but, the argument between us stemmed because she wasn't taking her medicine. Z told me the reason why was because she had to run out the house before her dad tried to take her to the hospital which, obviously, alarmed me. This is when she confessed that she was scared to ride alone in the car with him. It's been a week and a half since she told me and things have become much more alarming since then.

Z has three other siblings living in the house but, has never told them about the abuse. She says that he only rapes her because he "doesn't like her" and leaves the others alone. He catches her before she leaves for the bus because her siblings have already left the house before her and shes often come to school with her legs aching and bruises on her wrists and neck. The reason why I've decided to post this is because I'm terrified for her; her dad is forcing her to stay home from school tomorrow but hasn't told her why although she already knows why. I don't know what I can do because along with being a rapist, hes insanely homophobic (We've gotten by as pretending to be 'best friends').

She has no other family in the state, so if she were to get police involved, shed be taken from the home and removed from her siblings. If she's sent to live with a relative, she'll be forced to give up her scholarship at our school and lose everything she'd been working towards for the past two years as well as the friends shes made and me.

EDIT: So there's a bit I forgot to mention in my original post.

Firstly, Z did end up sneaking out of the house early Tuesday morning so she was able to go to school. She stayed home today to get her sister to braid her hair and has been texting me throughout the day (nothing about the abuse has come up so I think she was safe) as her dad was in class all day.

1. We live in the USA
2. As insane as it sounds, I genuinely can't rely on guidance counselors from my school. Along with this, I'm often going in to talk about students who I know have a rough time (I've had to go three times in the past month because a friend of mine told me he was seriously considering suicide and it took that many times before they intervened)
3. I don't want to go to the police because the only people she's ever told this to are myself and another boy whose is her best friend; she'd know it was me. I won't jeopardize the things shes worked for, unless she gives me the okay.
4. Our school is housed in a small building on the campus of a large university. If you move, get expelled, or otherwise removed from the school; your scholarship opportunity is revoked.
5. I cannot confide in my parents. My mom reacts irrationally and is very hard to talk to about normal things; let alone something of this importance. She'd likely over-react and do something irrational that could possibly jeopardize Z's life even more.
6. I don't try to pressure Z into things so, she usually tells me more about the abuse in little bits over the course of days. As I learn more, I will try to update this post as well.

&#x200B;

I've posted this on r/advice however I was redirected here for more information on what her options are legally. Again, she has no family in the state, we live in the USA and there are four children living the house (youngest is a 15 year old boy). We are both minors (16 y/o)

Answer: You need to call the police. Now.


Title: Debit Card charged twice, looking for the legality

Question:
I recently purchased a UFC PPV on ufc.tv, and my debit card got charged twice. The issue is that I used a VPN to make the purchase. I did this so that i can pay 20.99 USD instead of the ridiculous price of 59.99 CAD.

Should I contact my bank (TD) or UFC to dispute the issue, or should I just let this slide. My card was charged 25$ twice.

TL;DR: Got charged twice on my debit card, however I used a VPN to pay less than the asking price in Canada

Answer:
 Your bank won't care about the VPN issue. You don't even mention it.

You call up and say "hey I bought product x but was billed twice". Accidental double billing is a fairly common thing banks experience.


Title: How is use of pepper-spray and tasers not considered "cruel and unusual punishment" under the 8th amendment?

Question: I'm seeing a bunch of videos where police will spray a crowd of people with pepper spray or taser people for practically no reason - even people dying from the use of a taser - but I've never heard of anyone trying to sue for violation of the 8th amendment in these situations.  Are use of pepper spray and tasers considered "usual" punishment?

Answer:
 It's not punishment. Nobody has been sentenced to endure a taser or pepper spray. The less lethal tools are used to disperse an illegal gathering (read riot) or subdue a suspect who is not complying with arrest. If an officer gives you an order and you fail to comply then he may use any techniques or tools within law and policy to force compliance.

There are several examples of officers acting outside such law or policy and those matters must be handled on and case by case basis.

Edit: if an officer is deemed to have used excessive force then it may be a 4th or 8th amendment violation.  The "reasonableness" of force is to be argued by lawyers and experts.  However the mere use of pepper spray or taser does not constitute a civil rights violation.


Title: Friend just got screwed by apartment management company, is what they did legal?

Question:
Have a friend who is looking for a new apartment. She found one she thought she liked and signed an application for the apartment and submitted a deposit of one month's rent. The apartment management company immediately accepted the application.

My friend then investigated this management company further and found a trail of bad service, ignored calls, and decrepit rooms (bugs, rats, roaches, etc). She called the realtor and the management company saying she didn't want to sign a lease. They told her, "fine, but we keep the deposit."

There is no way that's legal, is it? We are in Chicago, and I was led to believe Chicago rental laws favor the renters.

tl;dr - is it normal to pay a deposit just for an application?
tl;dr - is it a scam if these people keep shitty apartments, get people to apply and pay a deposit, accept the application, keep the deposit, then not have people live in the shitty apartments?

Answer:
 Yes, it's normal to pay a deposit for an application.

Your friend did the research after paying when she should have done it before applying. If the deposit was stated as non-refundable and wasn't classified as firsf month's rent, she is likely screwed.


Title: We're having issue with a neighbor who constantly smokes both cigarettes and weed outside our apartment below our window all day. Our apartment manager is at a loss of what to do. We live in Washington state.

Question: We live in a larger apartment community with three floor buildings. We live on the third floor and our downstairs neighbor stands out in the front of the building or is on the back porch and smokes weed or cigarettes all day. He also sits on his phone and talks loudly at all hours of the night, and occasionally we'll see him outside drinking a 40. We've reported it to the apartment management and they told us they've already talked to him, but there's little they can do since it's technically a residential area, not public. My fiance also talked to him and asked him to smoke just a little further from the apartment, but he only did it for a day. During winter it wasn't a huge deal since we didn't have windows open, but now that it's starting to get warmer out, we need to have them open to keep it cool inside. We just don't know what to do about the whole situation. We thought about calling the police, but we don't know if they could actually do anything. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. We're in the Federal Way area of Washington state.

Answer:
 >, and occasionally we'll see him outside drinking a 40.

I think the problem you have with your neighbor doesn't have anything to do with smoke. Answer #2: Why would you call the police? Both cigarettes and weed are legal in Washington. Answer #3: Ask to be moved into a different unit, there's probably not much you can do about your neighbor, if he's not violating the lease.


Title: Does one-party consent (or eavesdropping) apply to three way calls (not recorded) where the 3rd party does not know the other party is on the line?

Question:
I was recently called by my employer. On the same line, unknowingly to me, was a client I had been working with. The conversation seemed almost like an ambush.

My employer was calling to get information from me, all the while I had no idea another party was on the line (no one asked or informed me). It was only until I said something, I guess it irked the client, that they decided to come off mute. To my surprise there were 4 individuals on the client's line listening. Is this, in Florida, legal to do? I tried googling a bit, but the one-party consent seemed to be more directed to "recording" and "taping" where as this seemed more like eavesdropping.

This experience seemed incredibly sketchy to me and I did not feel it was incredibly professional. I really don't want to sue, but I feel like I should know my rights -- especially to warn them that this practice could potentially be unlawful.

Any advice / links would be appreciated.

Answer: yes, that isn't recording. the issue is recording is illegal, having more parties is just a jerk move.


Title: Is it illegal to not declare for the draft?

Question:
Ok, I'm a 24 year old male in Texas, and I have not declared for the draft. It wasn't intentional, its just that usually you do so when you get a new ID or driver's license and I've been living without one for 3 or 4 years now. I need to get a new ID but I was warned by a friend of mine that they might arrest me when I go, for not declaring for the draft. Is this something I should be worried about? Thanks in advance.

Edit: Thanks for the quick answers. I have successfully declared online, and told the friend who was so adamant that I would be arrested that he's an idiot.

Answer: [You can register online.](http://www.sss.gov)  Just take care of it and you'll be fine.


Title: Is this emotional abuse?

Question: I grew up Mormon. 10 months ago I decided to investigate “anti Mormon literature “ and soon realized that much of what I’d been taught was half truths and much had been hidden from me. I decided to tell my wife that I no longer believed. It was a very liberating experience. I’ve been very happy and now I love myself. Problem is that my Mormon family treats me like shit. If I ever try to discuss my concerns with the church my wife immediately goes online and starts the process of buying plane tickets to take her and the kids back to Utah. I have an old mission companion who has become my best friend. Last week my wife read a message where he said he’s happy he doesn’t associate with crazy people anymore and she has given me the silent treatment all week saying she won’t open up till I remove him from my life. She frequently goes through my phone to look through my messages. I have since learned this constitutes emotional abuse. I’m in medical school right now and don’t have money or means to look after my kids during the day. Do you think her behavior will grant me full custody of the kids? Is there any legal action I can take so I don’t feel so scared of her?

Answer:
 > Do you think her behavior will grant me full custody of the kids?

 Not at all.

> Is there any legal action I can take so I don’t feel so scared of her?

 You can move out until the divorce is finalized.


Title: Will Adoption Eliminate My Family's Rights? (Canada)

Question: I come from an incredibly abusive family. Due to several factors, I'm contemplating suicide, except that I have an 18 month old son. He's beautiful and deserves such a good life. If I leave him I'm fairly certain that with no legal father, my parents will be given custody. Can I stipulate a closed adoption at least until he's 18? I'm worried that if I stick around I'll develop the same issues my mom had.

Answer:
 If you kill yourself it is not a closed adoption. It might not even be an adoption. It could be guardianship for your parents.

If they are willing to adopt then they can adopt. At that point it is 100% up to the new parents to decide what they do and do not tell their child. You have no control over that.

Also, please go to /r/suicidewatch


Title: [MN] Asking for leniency on a first time speeding ticket

Question:
Hi all.

I was pulled over a few days ago by a state trooper on the highway for speeding. He stated that I committed a serious speeding violation (20+mph over the limit) going around 80 on a 60. However, since I have had a clean record, he cut me a break and cited me for going 65 on a 60, which wouldn't go on my record.

I plan to meet with hearing officer and wish to make a deal with them as far as what options are available. I would ideally like to have the ticket dismissed through a deferral option such as a continuance for dismissal, considering I have a clean driving record.

I don't intend to go in contesting the ticket, just be humble and explain that I made a bad decision (going too fast in a passing lane) and it is not a reflection of my driving habits. Would this be a good idea to at least *attempt* reaching a deferral agreement, despite already having been cut slack by the trooper?

Thanks.

Answer: The chance for dismissal is slim to none, you already got a huge break, and don't think the copy submitted to the court won't have your actual speed on it.


Title: Legal advice, pleading guilty be not guilty.

Question:
So...  I don't even know where to start. My boyfriend got accused by his ex wife for sexually abusing her child, I know this has a bad start and everyone will probably tell me that I'm crazy.

I have been through sexual abuse when I was a teenager, I know what it feels like and I see the effects that its had in my life.

Now I have been with him for a good while, he's an educated man with an engineering degree and very sweet and understanding. So this is all that happened, their marriage wasn't doing very good to the point that he started playing videogames to not deal with it but one day she left, took everything and emptied all the accounts including his own money the same day police called and asked him to come in for some questions. He gave his statement not knowing that it could play against him or be seen as turning himself in. If you are not very specific in what you say they can take it however they want or see fit. He battled his case for a while but was afraid of a long sentence because I'm a word by word case you really have no chance specially in delicate cases like this.

He plead guilty to get a shorter sentence, 5 years and a year of parole.  I've researched what can be done to get him out of there but there's pretty much nothing, there is applying for a non profit org or applying for a pardon to the board of pardons.

Please if you know of anything or know someone that could help, let me know. In the time we were together he truly respected me and cared for me, is not that I'm in love or anything of the sort, it's the fact that I know he has a wonderful heart and he really has helped me during one of my hardest times of my life which has been dealing with depression and anxiety.

Although I'm not disclosing full details of hope that this gives you an insight.

The state will be PA

Answer: This is *way* past internet advice. It's firmly "get a criminal defense lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction and tell him everything" territory. If your boyfriend already had one, you can go to him, or get a second opinion.