Title: Job application denied, was told Georgia is a Right to Deny state. Do I have any recourse in finding out what could have possibly been grounds for denial?

Question: I recently submitted an application for a job that, frankly, I may have been over qualified for. But I need the job, it works perfectly for me while I finish school. I was denied and the potential employer refused to give any explanantion as to why. I can't think of anything that would disqualify me. Do I have any actions to figure out why I was disqualified? If there is a problem, I want to be able to fix it.

Answer:
 > Do I have any actions to figure out why I was disqualified?

The potential employer is not required to tell you why they did not hire you.


Title: repaired a "rent to own" computer now try to be repossessed

Question: Location: South Florida. I own a computer shop and a customer had us do a repair to their computer. They never came to pickup the completed job. Now it turns out that the computer was "rent to own" from some other company. They contacted me and want to pay half the invoice to get the computer. The other option they gave is they will call the sheiff and they will get the computer back for free. How true is this? and what are my options?

Answer:
 Question to the true legal experts here, and point for the OP to consider:
If OP turns down the rent-to-own company's offer and insists on payment in full what does the company need to do to get their property back?  Will just calling the sheriff do it or will they have to sue and get a judgement?

If they succeed in getting the property back is there anything the OP might be liable for or is his risk just having to surrender the computer without payment for his repair?  If that is it and the procedure for the rent to own place is a hassle then it might be worth it to OP to roll the dice on getting his full invoice paid or nothing vs. settling for 1/2.


Title: Representing oneself in family court

Question:
(Cross-posted in /r/divorce)

Ok, here's the synopsis: I'm over a year into a full custody battle for two small children against a (provably) emotionally abusive woman, with court-verified mental health issues, enabled by a narcissistic, moneyed dad. She's on her fifth attorney. Daddy buys the biggest bully attorneys, until they get sick of her shit and walk out.

My case is rock-solid. However, the courts are slow, and I'm out of money. Still paying pendente lite. I owe lawyers a shit ton of back invoices, and can't pay them back right away (not until I get financial relief). All retirement accounts liquidated. No savings. No assets. Negative net worth. I have a great job, I live month-to-month, supporting two sets of bills (rent, car payment, utilities, etc.) because STBX refuses to work. I'm all borrowed out. Credit score's shot, I've taken out huge loans already, and I don't have any monied family. My current attorney is good, but he doesn't want to work for free. Our system is pay-to-play, and I'm not quite rich enough to play.

I may need to represent myself come final trial. So I'm preparing now for the worst. Before anyone here tells me "OMG you can't! You'll be dog meat!!!!," just know that I wouldn't have a choice, so it doesn't matter. It's either a) study the law, do my best, and fight by myself for my children's right to grow up in a stable, happy, low-conflict environment, and potentially win or lose, or b) roll over, give up, and lose by default. I intend to fight until my last dying breath.

My question: how do I proceed? I'm completely lost and overwhelmed at the moment. I'm on the hunt for good books. Any recommendations? Who here has successfully litigated in court without a law degree before?

For disclosure: I'm a software developer. I'm not delusional about my ability to litigate well, but I do solve logic puzzles for a living, so I've got that at least. Now I'll just need to deep-dive into a whole new set of rules and games that I know absolutely nothing about. I'm giving myself 100 days to go from knowing dick about law, to successfully litigating my case in court competently.

Any advice would be helpful. "Make more money" isn't helpful at this time.

Thanks!

Answer:
 >I'm out of money. Still paying pendente lite. I owe lawyers a shit ton of back invoices, and can't pay them back right away (not until I get financial relief). All retirement accounts liquidated. No savings. No assets. Negative net worth. I have a great job, I live month-to-month, supporting two sets of bills (rent, car payment, utilities, etc.) because STBX refuses to work.

Once you feel ready, do not be a stranger to r/personalfinance for some budgeting advice.  They help people in your financial situation often.


Title: Fighting against DCMA on Etsy

Question: I had 2 items removed today from my Etsy shop. A necklace that says NOT TODAY and was flagged as relating to the band Fall Out Boy. NOTHING in my listing has any relation to FOB and I did not see that they have any claim on those words.  A necklace that says Too weird to live too live , too rare too die. Flagged as  related to the band Panic At The DIsco. I am aware that the quote can be attributed to PATD but I do not reference them in the listing I quote Hunter S Thompson. I filed a counter claim because I can't find any trademark/copyright that FOB or PATD own those words (I had done research prior to listing them) If I live in a different state than the lawyers representing the company how does that work? OKlahoma USA

Answer:
 There were some headlines when Taylor Swift was sending trademark notices to Etsy vendors over "[this sick beat](http://www.sugarscape.com/music/news/a1074957/taylor-swift-etsy-trademark-infringement/)".

It's an infringement if the reasonable consumer would think that your goods come from that source.  Otherwise it's not.  This does not mean they won't file takedown notices and send you a cease-and-desist letter ordering you to stop.


Title: An old French woman is destroying my life [NY]

Question:
This is a long, very boring, and very stupid story. Bear with me.

In July a 90-year old woman moved into my apartment complex. She lives in both a different building and number than I do but keeps getting her address confused with mine because she is insane. In July she called Time Warner Cable and managed to have my internet, phone and television service disconnected. It took four hours on the phone with TWC for them to figure out what had happened and reconnect me. They couldn't (wouldn't) give my original rate back, though, and would only give me internet for the price that I'd been paying previously. That was fine with me, because I never use the cable or phoneline anyway and because they gave me a reasonably generous credit to my account to make me go away.

However, due to another series of wacky hijinks, they accidentally sent the balance of my old (cancelled) account to collections. After another two hours on the phone, TWC realized they goofed up and voided the balance of my old account. They say that they sent the paperwork to the collections agency, but the agency is still calling me. TWC says that it will take 30-60 days for the agency to clear the debt and that, in the meantime, I should keep telling them when they call that TWC has cleared the debt and giving them the date on which they did so. This is, unsurprisingly, not convincing the debt collection agency to leave me alone.

Meanwhile this woman keeps calling TWC, getting into my account, and messing things up. I have now instituted a series of elaborate verbal passcodes which, in theory, one should need to supply before getting access to my TWC account. We'll see. Also, all of her mail is coming to my house. Like all of it. I've told the leasing office and they've spoken to her repeatedly but I'm still getting all of her mail. She's also signing up for things and having the bills sent to my house. I have no idea what else she's doing.

Is there anything else I can or should do to protect myself (and my credit score) from this woman's confused blunderings? Can the repeated bills being sent to my apartment have an effect on me? I would think the answer would be "no", but then I'd also think she wouldn't be able to cancel my internet and get my account sent to collections, so what do I know.

Can I sue anyone? I'd like to sue someone. It would make me feel better.

Answer:
 hey OP, you want action on the mail front, bring it to the attention of the postmaster general and postal inspectors, those foks, much like the FCC, are basically god in the "mail" world.

so, contact the FCC (I bet you get your rate back on all three services)

contact the postal inspector in your region and they can try to help fix the mail issue, the bigger part of this, other than you receiving her mail, is that, she may NOT be receiving hers, which in turn means she could miss payments on items she needs to pay, i suspect highly that something along these lines happened to make her want to shut off her cable, a couple of months of missing the payment and I would want to as well.

good luck !


Title: My parents used to force me to take medication, now im worried they will force it again, is it legal?

Question: A few years ago my parents forced me to take a pill for my ADD, I hated it, it would make me feel like shit all day, I wouldn't want to eat, and worst of all it lead my into depression.(one of the known possible side effects of the pill.) After over a year of being forced to take it, and living with severe depression, I finally gained enough courage to tell them about my depression in hope it would show them how bad it was. After telling them about it they called me a liar. They said I was faking it to get off the medication. This lead me into more severe depression and almost suicide. I wouldn't even tell my doctor because I was afraid of  my parents putting me on more medications. Eventually I stopped taking it after getting my grades high enough, and a few months after that I got out of depression, a few years later they are threatening me again with taking it, I can't do this shit again, if they do force me is there anything I can do? (I'm under 18 and in highschool.)

Answer: Your state matters here.  In some states teens have some control over their medical care.


Title: “Have been unemployed for 6+ months?” Does this question apply to people who just graduated high school?

Question:
I’m trying really hard to find a job right now, I just graduated high school. Each application I fill out has me take a tax credit questionnaire, and that question pops up. Is it bad? Does it apply to me? Of course I’ve been unemployed, I’ve never been employed!
Topic:
Tax Law

Answer:
 I disagree with the other commenters, unemployed generally means “wanted to have a job and didn’t.” From the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics:

> People who are jobless, looking for a job, and available for work are unemployed. ...
> People who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labor force. ...
> Linda is a stay-at-home mother. Last week, she was occupied with her normal household activities. She neither held a job nor looked for a job. Her 80-year-old father who lives with her has not worked or looked for work because of a disability. Linda and her father are not in the labor force.
> https://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm#concepts

You can always call the employer and ask how you should answer the question, do what they say, and in your cover letter make sure you make it clear you’re looking for your first job.


Title: My wife hit a deer... can the deer sue us? Seriously though... this is a mess.

Question:
Long one here, trying to include all relevant details...

My wife and I bought a 2016 Certified Pre-Owned Volvo V60 about a year ago.  We went Certified pre-owned because it's bumper to bumper coverage, excluding wear parts for a good stretch of time.

The day before Thanksgiving, she plowed into a deer and messed up the front end.

We towed to the local Volvo dealership, they suggested we tow to a local auto body shop that does a lot of Volvo work.

Insurance claim (Progressive) all works out fine at first.  We get a rental car, the insurance guy estimates $9000 damage, we end up paying up a bit out of pocket over what they'll compensate for the rental car and hourly rate.  We needed an AWD vehicle, we live on a mountain, we figured we'd pay a bit out of pocket above the $40/day Progressive will pay for an AWD car.  We also figured we'd pay a bit out of pocket above the insurance hourly rate for labor because the body shop knows Volvos well and was recommended.

The car was being finalized at body shop last week, they say everything's good.  Progressive will only cover the rental car for 30 days, so we returned the rental car.  We get a call from the auto body shop saying that there are warning lights on that they can't diagnose, so they need to tow back to the Volvo dealership to diagnose and solve.

Volvo dealership finally gets the car in the garage on the 26th. I call them to get an update.  Turns out that while the car was being driven, the serpentine belt wrapped around another gear, locked up the timing gear, and bent some rods and totaled the engine. The car needs an engine replacement.

I call the Auto Body shop and hear the story (which was never relayed to us before) about how they took the car out on a test drive on a local highway to make sure everything was good, the engine shut off wouldn't restart, and they had it towed to the dealership. He frames it as "you're lucky it happened to us or it would have happened a mile down the road with you driving".

I call the insurance guy, he's also confused how it went from "we can't diagnose warning lights so we had it towed" to "the car shut down on the highway and wouldn't restart so we had it towed".  He finally got over to the dealership to take a look at the car and situation today.  So here we are.

1. The service manager was correct in his diagnosis, the car needs a replacement engine.
2. The serpentine belt was removed and re-installed by the Auto Body Shop in order for them to replace other components.
3. The auto body shop lied by omission when they left out the part about driving the car when they initially sent it back to the dealership.
4. The dealership has a higher hourly rate than insurance will pay, and will be a month+ out before we can get the car back with a new motor
5. The Progressive Insurance guy is working with superiors to get this figured out and will hopefully call me with a plan by end of the day.  Progressive isn't going to total the vehicle at this point because they've got so much money into the bodywork.  They're pushing for the cheapest best engine replacement scenario.

So, my questions are:

1. Should I get in the middle of this situation, or let Progressive handle it?  At this point, I imagine they're going to figure this out with the Auto Body Shop's insurance company.
2. Since we bought a car with a Certified Pre-Owned Volvo Warranty, can I force them to replace the engine in a manner that will also be covered by the warranty moving forward?
3. How do I go about getting a rental car? My 30-day allocation from Progressive is up, how do I get this out of the body shop's insurance company?
4. Should I get a lawyer involved?

We're in a real messed up situation, any advice is appreciated.

Answer:
 Was the belt replaced incorrectly which is what caused the engine problems?

Edit: Missed that in your post. You are at a time where the mechanics insurance company needs to step in and cover the engine and the rental. That is who you really need to deal with on this. Your insurance company could do it for you and subrogate from them. Ask them for another rental car, because in reality this is another claim.


Title: [CT] Somebody made a slanderous meme from my personal picture and post it on Facebook without consent.

Question: Ok so I borrowed my extended hard drive to my good friend of mine. I had like 10 years of my life in pictures in it.  I would mind If he saw them but I told him not to post them online. Yesterday I found out that he gave the hard drive to our mutual friend.  He probably saw all of the pictures without me asking first and made few memes of it.  One of them is with me 10 years ago when I wasnt happy with my body and "Look at me I'm gangster"  and he post it to group chat that I'm not part of but few people I know are. I don't mind having fun of me and making memes but those were private pictures. I'm I overreacting or can I sue him because he didn't respect my right to privacy.

Answer:
 >can I sue him because he didn't respect my right to privacy.

You don't have a right to privacy in pictures you give to other people.
Answer #2: That's not slander. You're overreacting. Answer #3: >  I'm I overreacting or can I sue him because he didn't respect my right to privacy.

No. You can ask him to cease all publication of your pictures cause they are your pictures, you hold copyright and only you can decide on their publication.

As to your privacy, unless you had a contract theres no duty here.


Title: [CO] If my parents let me throw a giant party how much trouble would we get into if underage drinking were involved?

Question:
A bunch of people got kicked out of my grad party (long story) so my parents are going to let me throw another huge rager at our house.

Over the past year, I’ve become really good friends with the “party” group from my school that includes the class of 2018, my class (2019), and next year’s seniors 2020.

I already threw one in January when my parents were out of town and 100+ kids showed up, so they know exactly what I’m capable of and are fine with me doing it. The cops did end up showing up though but luckily no legal trouble.

I turned 18 in March. If I were to have a FAT party with lots of alcohol, and the cops were to show up again, how much trouble could me/my family get into?

Answer: Worst case scenario?  You and your parents go to jail and lose your house in an civil suit.


Title: My boyfriend has gone from a volunteer to an employee at an animal shelter, but...

Question:
I apologize for the awkward title, I wasn't sure how to begin this whole thing. This is my first post here, so please bear with me.

We live in Michigan. My boyfriend has been volunteering at an animal shelter every Friday and Saturday morning for the past year or so. Recently, the owner offered him a position as an employee.

She texted him his first schedule today, and told him she is only going to pay him for specific days, and expects him to keep volunteering on Fridays and Saturdays. I'm just wondering if this is legal.

It seems to me that if he has been made an employee, that he should be paid for every hour he works there.

Any advice or insight into how labor laws would apply to this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: With very few and specific exceptions, you cannot volunteer at your place of business, doing the work for which you are normally paid.


Title: California Moral Character Application - Need Advice for Self-Employment Question

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 is there an issue that makes you *want* to say no? if not, there's no harm in being overly careful to provide full disclosure, which is part of the purpose of the application. if there is an issue with this position, you should plan to disclose that issue on the app regardless.

saying yes/no mistakenly on whether that was self-employment bears little on your moral character. however, it is much different to answer no to a question on what you consider a technicality in an effort to refrain from disclosing something that may appear negative on your app.


Title: Damages Incurred by Failure to Maintain Property

Question:
I rent an apartment in Kentucky in the US. About three months ago, there was massive deluge of water from the ceiling, soaking my bed and floor. It was water leaking from the toilet pipes upstairs. It was... An unpleasant start to my first day at a new job.

Today, there was a repeat incident, only much more severe. Instead of just coming from right above my bed, it was pouring down in several places on the right hand side of the room. It turns out, when they "repaired" the leak three months ago, they only replaced the damaged ceiling tiles, and did not actually address the leaky pipes.

Today's downpour absolutely soaked my laptop, along with several other electronics. Since this resulted from the failure to maintain the property appropriately, I'm wondering if the landlord is liable for the damages, or if I am going to have to spend a couple thousand dollars out of my own pocket to replace my stuff.

Answer: You can definitely sue your landlord, but this would be much simpler if you had renters insurance. Make a claim and they handle the dirty work.


Title: Caught going 44 over......

Question: Just got caught going 44 over the speed limit in a 55 zone and got a 450$ ticket... i know that was very stupid of me. Since this is my very first offense (clean record) what should I do? I have a court date posted for the 1st of May. This is in Wisconsin Btw

Answer: You will lose your license for at least 15 days if convicted. A lawyer may help you mitigate that, but frankly you should lose your license for at least a time so you feel some pain for being so reckless.


Title: My landlord sends email to pay rent on 6/30 when the rent actually gets reflected on 7/1 ? Isn't this wrong/invalid/illegal?

Question:
o I just moved into this new apartment on 6/18, they sent an email titled "Pay your rent" on 6/30. I clicked the link in email and it shows me balance of around 336$. I have already paid some amount when I moved in and thinking this rent is only for balance remaining for my 12 day rent (18-30) I paid this amount. This I later came to know was some other balance remaining (and not the actual rent for July)

The actual rent for July gets reflected on 1st which I did not check as I did not get an email/notices/mails or reminders for this. Now on 7/5 I get a eviction notice saying I did not pay rent. I have paid the rent now with late fee but isn't the email sent date incorrect? Why are you sending it on 6/30 when actual rent is not reflected that day ? They do this every month.

The email is as follows:
----------------------------------------------------
Pay Your Rent Online
Your Account:

<My name>
<Apartment Address>

Rent Due: 07/01/16
Amount Due:	Click Here
Questions?	Contact Us

Pay My Bill
----------------------------------------------------

I clicked the 'Pay Your Rent Online' link in the email

Answer: It's not their job, legally or morally, to remind you to pay your bills.  Your lease most likely states rent is due in the ____ day of the month.  It's your job to keep up with that.


Title: Vehicle shipping company giving me the run around

Question:
Paid a deposit to ship my vehicle from ca to sc on December 11th. I’m out of the country until mid January. Every time I have called(and they actually pick up) they say That my vehicle has still not shipped.  they have a “quick ship promise that if my vehicle is not picked up within 10 days of the scheduled date they will offer $25 per day in compensation until it is shipped. I have called emailed and texted the manager and have not received any response. I have only spiked to the vehicle relocation specialist that I spoke with initially to ship my vehicle.
I really just need my vehicle shipped before I leave for deployment.

Answer: Okay, what's your legal question?


Title: Please help my bf

Question:
To start off me (21f) and my bf(22m) of over a year live in Nebraska in a large apartment.  For the past 6 months, he has been working on controlling his drinking, he attends AA and has been in two treatments before and stopped drinking on January 7th. Last Sunday night, without me knowing, he fell off the wagon and what pursues is what I need help the help with.

I woke up at about midnight hearing him yelling playing video games, I went to go out to talk to him but he didn’t listen so I went back to the bedroom to sleep.  Next thing I wake up to a loud noise in the living room so I go out and I realize he had smashed the cheap Walmart side table and thrown it around.  I started yelling at him like what was he doing and to calm down but he wouldn’t listen. So my next step was to get him to bed.  I tried grabbing him and pulling him with me to the room but he was belting obligerent and resisted and I ended up scratching his neck really badly as we both tumbled to the floor and I scraped my knee.

He then began to yell at me like wtf I cut him for and all this and he started yelling at me to get out repeatedly.  I went back to the bedroom trying to ignore him but he followed me in and while I was laying on the bed he kept slamming his hands on the bed telling me to get out.  At this point I’m thinking my boyfriend is having a psychotic breakdown, is never seen him like this before in my life.

I ran to the bathroom and locked the door and got on the phone with my best friend telling them the circumstance and what I should do. The whole time my bf was outside the bathroom door pounding asking who I was on the phone with.  My friend told me one thing, you have to call the police, so I did.

While I starting dialing I could hear him clamoring around out in the kitchen yelling and when the police answered and asked what was going but by then my bf was back at the door screaming so I could barely hear and in all the panic and frustration I told 911 he was hitting me and chasing me.

The next thing I knew I heard the lock moving and the door opened. My bf and I use a butter knife to pick the lock in the bathroom and so there he is with the knife and a look of fear on his face when he sees me but as this was happening I was telling 911 knife he has a knife. The next thing I knew he was gone. Out of the apartment.  I waited for police and I told them happened and everything and then I find out the next day my boyfriend has been arrested on charges of Use of a weapon to commit a felony, terroristic threats, and 3rd degree domestic assault.

I need somebodies help please. I have already emailed both the county attorney and my bfs lawyer explaining the situation but in NE they have a no drop policy for domestic assault.  This has ruined my life, made me move, and worst of all I can’t talk to my bf even though he’s out on bail.  I did find out from police that he blew over a .2 BAC which relieves me because I thought he was sober doing this.

I need to do whatever I can to be able to help him as this is clearly a misunderstanding my part and the police.  I’d be willing to testify for him if I can. If you have any advice, please let me know. Thankyou

tl;dr misinterpreted things to police about a argument with my drunk boyfriend and now he’s facing prison time. Please help me.

Answer: This is a perfect opportunity to get out of this relationship.  Use it.


Title: My boyfriend was caught with stolen opiates and is going to court tomorrow. Help

Question:
Illinois
My idiot boyfriend stole fentanyl, oxycodone, and Xanax from his mom. She noticed they were missing but had no proof of it being him until her younger son snuck into BFs room and found fentanyl wrappers and took a picture. His mom kicked him out and called the police. As he was leaving the police showed up and searched him finding the oxys, Xanax and empty fentanyl wrappers. He is in custody in jail at the moment and has court tomorrow. What can I do to help? And how potentially screwed is he? Taking into account he has had drug possession charges before this incident. Im not sure how any of this legal stuff works so any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Answer:
 Reality check: if he's got enough of an opiate tolerance to handle fentanyl, he's got a problem far worse than going to jail. What do you know about his addiction? Fentanyl is extremely potent and dangerous.Answer #2: In addition to felony possession charges, your boyfriend is also likely to be facing theft charges. Depending on the value of the stolen drugs, that may be an additional felony. If his mother is over the age of 60, he may also run afoul of elder abuse laws by having intentionally denied her access to prescribed medications.

As far as legal advice goes, all that you could do would be bail him out and hire a lawyer.

As far as non-legal advice goes, you should really take a moment to think about the fact that you are in a relationship with someone who would literally steal from his own mother. Do with that what you will.


Title: [UPDATE] Discrepancy from HOA board and HOA document concerning fence construction

Question:
Location is Michigan.

[Previous post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/30u66j/discrepancy_from_hoa_board_and_hoa_document/)

TL;DR from previous post: We are proposing a fence that meets all of our HOA's restrictions, but are being told about an additional "rule" that apparently exists that would drastically change how much usable space we'd get out of a fence. [Diagram](http://i.imgur.com/FULfspx.jpg) of proposal/HOA "rule".

First of all, thank you so much, everyone, for all of your advice in the previous post. I'll try to keep the update brief but informative.

I sent the HOA an email pointing out that a few other houses in the neighborhood had fences that extended from the side of their house, similar to what we were proposing. The president of the HOA responded saying, "those houses are in violation." When I asked specifically what part of the bylaws this fence violated, he was unable to produce an answer, but basically said, "we can approve or deny anything we like."

I wrote him an email where the gist of it was, "look, we're excited to live in this neighborhood, but we don't really appreciate the fact that the board can approve or disapprove things like this seemingly on a whim," to which I got the beautiful reply of, "DEMONIZING US WILL NOT FURTHER YOUR CAUSE."

It was at this point that we stopped communicating with the board and contacted a lawyer. We forwarded him the emails, sent him the bylaws, and our proposal. He informed us that we definitely had a case and that in our county, judges do tend to lean more in favor of the homeowner in these disputes, but that if the HOA decided to challenge us, it could be a drawn out battle.

Our lawyer said that he would draft a letter for us for the HOA basically saying, "let my clients build their fence because it meets your bylaws." We told him DO NOT send this letter directly to the HOA, we will present it to them if things go south at the board meeting. He agrees and sends it to me via email.

Fast forward to the board meeting (last night). The president ("don't demonize us" guy, who actually turned out to be very nice in person) proposes his own plan for his backyard renovation that includes a fence that extends from the side of his house (huh). The board votes and approves, although there is some heated discussion about fences and aesthetics of the fence coming off of the side of the house (our whole point).

The president says, "well, as was pointed out to me recently in a letter from a lawyer," looks at me and my fiance and says, "you didn't have to do that, by the way," and continues his point to the board. Turns out, our lawyer went ahead and sent them the letter anyway. Cue my face turning red out of embarrassment/anger.

Agenda turns to our fence proposal. There is some discussion about aesthetics ("your neighbors have complained that the fence is too industrial-looking") but ultimately, all four board members approve the plan as we originally proposed it.

As we're leaving, the president says, "I don't want you to think that we just approved your plan because you had a lawyer send us a letter," to which we apologized and said that that was not our intention.

TL;DR we approached a lawyer when it looked like the tides were not turning in our favor. Lawyer sent letter to HOA after we told him not to. Board approved our fence. Our puppies will be thrilled. [Obligatory picture of said puppies](http://i.imgur.com/YLDi1h9.jpg)

Answer:
 Good news and thanks for the update.  But:

>"I don't want you to think that we just approved your plan because you had a lawyer send us a letter," to which we apologized and said that that was not our intention.

This guy is a real asshole.  Don't apologize to lying assholes, it just encourages them.Answer #2: Never apologize to anyone in a HOA.  They are scum and deserve any horrible thing that happens to them.  Your lawyer is the hero in this story.Answer #3: Glad you got it resolved but it was kinda shitty of the lawyer to go ahead with sending the letter after you expressly asked them not to. You should have been able to use that as the ace in the hole, not the preemptive howitzer.Answer #4: Good to hear you are getting your fence. Only thing I would add is if you plan to live there longer get together with other home owners and run for the board seat.

First ones to get to show up and vote for you are the others in "violation" with their fence. Could be the current president is saving that as a trump card if those owners "get out of line" in his mind.

If you think this is the worse a HOA can do, its not even close. Take control now or be ready to be controlled later. Answer #5: You should reach out to the lawyer and ask why he/she sent the letter. That's a bit of a dick move.Answer #6: Take over the HOA from the inside and become President. Stage a coup. Mutiny. Create a resistance.

FIGHT THE POWER


Title: My former direct report had audio recorded me several times without permission. I didn't say or do anything wrong, but still want to protect myself. What should I do?

Question:
This person is no longer at the company as I them for a separate issue. Going through their desktop, I found files of our meetings (just us) where he recorded audio. I treated this person fairly during their time here, so I'm shocked and hurt. I'm not sure if HR is aware of this, or if this person player the recordings during his exit interview. If they know...I'm not sure what that means...? I'd feel somewhat betrayed that they didn't tell me.

I know that I never said anything out of line, but I want to be sure that I'm protected from some hack edit job (AKA recordings edited down for things said with no context) and on his blog. I have a personal brand to protect.

I live in state of NY.  What should I do?

Answer:
 He could legally record your meetings if he chose to do so. If there's confidential information, trade secrets, etc. he could have issues if he publishes it online. If not, he can do what he likes with them.

Have you considered the possibility that he recorded the meetings to remember the information discussed or be able to reference them later?


Title: How do I contact the band "They Might Be Giants" to ask them permission to use their band name as the title of a graphic novel/comic book?

Question: And how much money do you think they'll want if they say yes?

Answer:
Here is their management team who can answer all your questions.

https://www.hornblowgroup.com/Answer #2: Are you writing about the band itself? If not, you might be asking the wrong people, since TMBG copied their name from a 1971 movie that was adapted from a play of the same name written in 1961. And ultimately the name refers to a book written in 1605.


Title: What are the laws called that allow a person to call for emergency services for someone who is having a drug-related emergency, such as overdose, without full legal consequence? Does Tennessee have those laws?

Question: I can't remember what they're called, but I know I've heard of them.  Does Tennessee have those laws?  If so, can you link me to an outline of the specifics or explain them a little?  I have a few specific questions about them- Does it only apply to opiate emergencies, or does it apply to illegal drugs such as LSD, assuming neither person is in possession of the drug or distributing the drug?  Does it grant "immunity" for the person with the overdose or the person calling for help if they've also taken the drug, or both?  I'm not planning on doing anything like this, I was just thinking about this earlier and figured I'd ask so I know the correct answer. Thanks!

Answer:
 Florida has this law. Not sure about Tennessee.
>A person acting in good faith who seeks medical assistance for an individual experiencing a drug-related overdose may not be charged, prosecuted, or penalized pursuant to this chapter for possession of a controlled substance if the evidence for possession of a controlled substance was obtained as a result of the person’s seeking medical assistance.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0800-0899/0893/Sections/0893.21.html

Edit: Here's a good resource. http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/drug-overdose-immunity-good-samaritan-laws.aspx

And here's a list of states that have 911 good Samaritan laws. http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/DPA_Fact_Sheet_State_based_Overdose_Prevention_Legislation_Jan2015.pdf
Answer #2: Tennessee is notably absent from the list of states with 911 drug amnesty laws, though they have loosened up access to Narcan.

In most States that have them, 911 drug amnesty laws are are a shield against simple possession charges for all persons present.   It doesn't matter what type of drugs are present, or who the drugs belong to, or who has taken them.   Yes, there are some differences between States.

Distribution charges are still possible in some cases if there's evidence of distribution.  In my State, it specifies that distribution charges could be filed for hard drugs but that you could be sitting on bales of marijuana and they'd just confiscate it.

It's interesting that the University of Tennessee is caught in a sort of hypocrisy loop because they're a dry campus, so they don't have an alcohol amnesty policy.   Vanderbilt does.


Title: If you're married, are you legally required to file taxes jointly? If not, what are some reasons you would not file together?

Answer:
 No, "married filing separately" is a thing.

You might try /r/tax or /r/personalfinance for the "why" behind it.


Title: Employer wants me consistently coming in early.

Question:
Hello, I’m employed by a large American company in Ontario. I work the twilight shift but I come in 2 hours earlier to help the team. The problem is that they don’t like that I clock in at weird minutes in stead of a consistent time. Can I be punished by them for refusing to clock in early when they want me to? Or even better can I get paid more for obliging in their request. I don’t really want to commit to a time before my actual shift; I don’t want to rush to work. Probably a very weird question and hopefully someone can assist me. Thank you
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 >they don’t like that I clock in at weird minutes in stead of a consistent time.

They're entitled to set your shift start time.  And you're reasonable in asking them to set your shift start time.

If I'm scheduled to start at 6 pm but each day they want me there at 4 pm, then I'm essentially now scheduled at 4.  If they want me to work off the clock or something then there's a problem.  It doesn't sound like that's what's happening here.  They also can't say "hey, come hang out here at 4 and we'll ask you to clock in when we want you," but that doesn't sound like the case here either.

If what they're saying is "hey, no more clocking in at 4 or 4:15 or 4:20, just clock in at 4 every day," then that's a schedule change.


Title: My exbf is threatening to sue me and report me to the irs. Can he? please help

Question:
**edit: this all happened in indiana

I left my ex-bf roughly two months ago. He has persistently contacted me since then, despite my repeated requests not to. Today I told him not to contact me again, that we were never getting back together, and that I was blocking him. He responded with a bunch of threats that have have me very worried, I have no idea what to do.

1. He claims he is going to sue me for back rent. The thing is, I was never on the lease for the house (technically his lease doesn't even allow sublettors, I was living there without the landlords knowledge). I lived in his house, with his roommates, for 3 months (dec 2016, jan, feb 2017). I paid rent. I also gave notice that I was leaving, and found a sublettor which my now-ex rejected. He said that he didn't want to have a new roommate. We agreed that I would pay march and april rent, and he would take over after that since I had found a sublettor that everyone else liked but he vetoed. I paid those two months, on time. All of this was in verbal agreements, though one of our other roommates knew of it and could back me up I guess? Can he sue me over this?

2. I have.... in the past, participated in the panty selling business. I am not proud of that, but it is what it is. I never told anyone, because I was ashamed. Over the course of the 3 months I did it I made roughly 400 dollars according to my records. I did not report this income to the IRS (it was all cash and I usually spent it immediately on groceries). He is now threatening to tell everyone I know and report me to the IRS. Obviously I am dealing with the telling people part, but is this something I should get in front of?

3. If he does not cease contacting me (he's already called 4 times and texted over a dozen times today) is there a way to stop him from contacting me other than changing my phone number? He's threatening to contact evryone I know-- my ex-coworkers, friends, even my family (though to be fair I can't imagine how he could find my parent's contact info). Is there anything I can do? I just want to be done with this and get on with my life (probably permanently single life, if this is what dating is like)

Basically I make very poor dating choices and they are biting me in the ass now. Can he really sue me and get me in trouble over this? I do believe the threats are retaliation for the breakup/my refusal to get back together. But I'm trying to go back to school and get my life together and I don't want this hanging over me.

Answer:
 >panty selling business.

what is.. Nope. never mind.

You didn't sign a lease, so you do not owe him any money.
You only need to report income of over $600 to the IRS.
State is important here. Call the police and get a harassment protection order.


Title: My stepson's father harasses/threatens wife and I

Question:
(NEVADA)

This is my first post on Reddit and I'm looking for any help/ideas I can get.

I have a 14 year old stepson and his dad is a nutcase and a crackhead.  He continuously via text message or phone threatens to beat or kill my wife and me.  If his son doesn't want to go over there for scheduled visits (gee, wonder why?) the dad will text or call him all kinds of names and threaten violence against him.

"You ungrateful piece of sh*t kid, next time I see you I'm gonna beat the crap out of you." or "You  f**ing loser kid, f*** you" etc etc."

He will call or text my wife saying "b*** I've been waiting for the day to get you." or "Watch your back,"  "I'm going to kill your b*** ass boyfriend" etc etc

This has been going on for 12 years apparently.  TPOs have been filed, expired and he's always back to his own way.  It's getting to the point where I pretty much need to stomp his face in.  I feel that I'm going to get an assault charge over this because the law will do nothing.  While I don't fear him, I take threats agains me and my family seriously.

I called him to ask him to stop and he simply told me it's only going to end with me in a box or him in a box.  He went on a 10 minute diatribe about how he's from the hood, he's a gangster, etc etc

Funny thing is he's a nothing and a nobody.  He's like 5'5" and out of shape and I'm 6'2" 250 lbs, train MMA, bench 400 lbs etc.

I feel like this guy shouldn't be allowed to be around kids, shouldn't be allowed to call us or make these threats or come anywhere near us.  We went to the police station the other day to file a harassment claim and told a detective will call us within a week.

Like I said, she's been through this for years and nothing ever happens to him.  So it seems like someone in society is just allowed to do this to people?  Can anyone recommend ANYTHING to make it stop???
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 >  It's getting to the point where I pretty much need to stomp his face in.

No, it's not.  Absent an imminent threat of injury, one where self-defense attaches, you never need to "stomp his face in".

If he's making threats, report him to the police.  Or, continue getting restraining orders.  That should be pretty easy, now.  Additionally, if he's being physically or emotionally abusive to your stepson, your wife can try to file for custody modification, based on that.


Title: Online company holding my money until I provide images of my ID.

Question:
Some short info to start:

I'm 18. (Feb. 22, 1997)
I live in the United States.

There's this online competitive game called Counter Strike: Global Offensive. In this game, there are weapon skins. These skins are worth real life money, but are given value by the community, depending on supply, demand and rarity. (So really they're worth nothing, just a bunch of pixels on a screen).

There's a popular website for trading/purchasing these skins called OPSkins. In a recent policy update, this website is requiring that users provide photo ID (with proof of residency) and another form of proof of residency, like a bank statement, utility bill, etc.

I'm 18, as I've said, but I don't have a permit or a license. My mother submitted her ID for me to use (giving me permission to purchase things off of this website). She even sent funds to my paypal to purchase things.

Now, I've tried to spend $100 (from my Paypal) and they are now holding my money until I show them my ID saying that they don't allow parents ID's to be on record for their children... But I'm 18! I just have no ID. They say since the name on my Paypal isn't matching the ID on record they have the right to just hold the money. They won't refund it.

They say if I charge back on Paypal they will open a case for fraud. What can I do? Are they just going to keep my money forever?

Here is a link to their TOS: https://opskins.com/tos.html
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Welp, in almost every state a State ID is just a few dollars.  Since you really need one anyway, what a fun opportunity to go to your local DMV and get one!  The bonus is that you'll have one going-forward for anything else you need!


Title: Cat Lost, Found, then stolen by finder (Costa Mesa, CA)

Question:
Hey everyone! I have a disgusting story unfolding in my neighborhood, and I wanted to see if anyone here might be able to help. My neighbor lost her cat a couple weeks back and was heartbroken of course. Then on the 4th of July she was made aware of a post on PawBoost of a found cat that looks just like hers. We thought the situation was over, but when she contacted the finder the next day, it quickly became clear that this was not the case.

The woman who had found the cat told her that it was staying with a friend of hers, and she would call the owner back the next day. She did not, so the owner sent text messages asking what was going on. She was then told by the finder that she had given the cat to said friend, and the friend now wanted to keep her so she would not be giving her back (See below). After this, she blocked the owner from contacting her.

Today the owner went and filed a police report but was told in a roundabout way not to get her hopes up. So I am hoping someone might have an idea or two of what we might do next? The finder has broken the law by of course giving someone else's pet away, and by not contacting a shelter within 24 hours of finding her but what can we do if the police drag their feet? This person is obviously unstable and the owner is afraid that she will release the cat to get rid of it or do something else to cover her tracks. Any advice is greatly appreciated! We just want to get this girl her kitty back.

*Text sent to Owner:*
*"The whole thing is wrong and I feel terrible. If you had just lost the cat that would be one thing, but she's been gone for  a month. Think how hard her short life has been. It would be cruel to shuffle her around again. She has a good home and is safe. If I hadn't gotten her on the 4th she might not be so lucky. Again I am sorry, but I feel I am doing what's best for the cat."*

Answer: Go back to the police and escalate.  Be polite, but persistent.Answer #2: Is the cat microchipped?


Title: (FL) Is it illegal to have a high school diploma and a GED?

Question: My parents sent me to a shitty high school that didn't let me get the right credits to get into college(even the community college won't take diplomas from there and yes it was accredited). I'm considering getting my GED so I can finally go to college but people have been telling it's illegal to have both.

Answer: Why in the hell would it be illegal to pay for a test, take a test, and either pass it or fail it in order to gain the certification the test proves?  No, there is no way this is in any way illegal.  I'm not even a lawyer, this one is obvious.


Title: Is there a difference how the law treats an item accidentally left, found, and not returned vs stolen? California!

Question: Buddy left an expensive sports item next to his vehicle and left for home and it was found by a homeless guy who shared his find with others at the beach. Everyone recognized who the owner was but the homeless guy did not want to return it - in his own words, he found it.

Answer:
 That's theft. He found an item that didn't belong to him and after becoming aware of who the owner was, he refused to return it.

This is known colloquially as "theft by finding". A person has to take reasonable steps to determine if the item is lost or abandoned.


Title: The president of my neighborhood is going to send a tow truck to tow my car from my property and crush it. I am trying to sell it.

Question: Is this even legal? He is going to attempt without any consent.

Answer:
 Depending on the rules of the HOA and the laws of your state it might be legal for him to tow it.

I don't see it ever being legal for the tow company to crush it.  That said they can charge you for the tow and storage of the car and any other fees that if you didn't pay could eventually lead to the car being taken to help pay for it (with you continuing to owe the remainder).

I recommend figuring out if he can legally have it towed.  If he can't send him the research with a firmly stated letter saying that if he does so he/the HOA will be responsible for all fees (ideally this letter comes from a lawyer it should be fairly cheap to have a lawyer do this assuming the law is on your side).

If he can legally do it then I recommend doing what is necessary to make it so he can't.  This may mean registering/insuring the car, it may mean moving it every X days or any other number of requirements depending on the HOA rules/state laws.  Answer #2: What do the HOA rules say about vehicle storage on your property?  Does your vehicle count as a "banned" vehicle under those rules?

Answer #3: do you know anyone that would let you store it short term while you sell it that would be legal to leave it there? You could pay to have it towed to their place. A short distance tow is typically less than 100 dollars and it seems like it would save you a lot of grief.


Title: My girlfriend has been cheating on me for 3 months. Would I get in trouble if I show the other guy our conversations? He also had no idea

Question:
Hey guys, i would appreciate any advice. My girlfriend has been cheating on me, as I suspected, for the past 3 months.
I messaged the guy who I suspected to be on the other side and he told me they are in a relationship and he demands proof of her cheating. He sais that if it is true, he thanks me.
Is it dangerous to send him my conversations with her and what could be the consequences of that from her side?
Can she involve the police?
She already threatened me that she will go to the police if I don't stop, but the guy demanded and i want to make the truth come clear.
Don't cheat on your SO's, please.

I'd appreciate every advice.

Btw, I'm in Europe.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: There are around 50 countries in Europe, each with their own laws. There is no way we can answer your question what that vague a location.


Title: Should I accept a gift of money from a family member who wants to leave an abusive relationship?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 It's not clear what country the divorce will happen in, but if its the US the plan won't work if he is writing you a check or making a bank transfer.  He will have to show his bank records and that will show the transfer.

If he is giving you cash then that could work.

His excuse for not leaving her now is part of the cycle of abuse.  He should simply walk out the door today.


Title: (NV) Wife was just terminated from her job because she's been put on light duty during pregnancy.

Question:
She took the 12 week FMLA during our daughter's medical issues (surgeries and healing time), right before FMLA started she started having heavy bleeding during the first trimester of pregnancy with our 3rd child.

Her doctor put her on light duty, can't lift anything more than 25 or so pounds. She's a baker at a grocery store, which requires lifting heavy buckets of dough and other things. They say the store does not have light duty as company policy. So she was basically told to use up the rest of the FMLA that she was already on.

FMLA ran out on the 14th of May. We were unaware of this until 3 days ago when the corporate HR called to tell her she was terminated since she couldn't return to work as soon as the FMLA was lifted. Knowing full well that she has an at risk/light duty pregnancy.

We just finished a meeting with the store managers and they told her she's welcome to be re-hired in the future and they would be more than happy to have her back, but there's no guarantee there will be a position for her when she re-applies.

Should she have been placed on a temporary disability so her job would be secure when she can return?

Does this fall under Pregnancy Discrimination? Should we file a charge?

* http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/pregnancy.cfm

* http://detr.state.nv.us/nerc_pages/NERC_docs/Facts_About_Pregnancy_Discrimination.pdf

> **If an employee is temporarily unable to perform her job due to pregnancy, the
employer must treat her the same as any other temporarily disabled employee; for
example, by providing m
odified tasks, alternative assignments, disability leave or
leave without pay.**

Answer:
 Temporary disability is something the company can do but is not a low as far as I know.

And reasonable accomidations have to be reasonable. If they do not have any light duty jobs then there is no job for her to do. You can file a complaint with the EEOC and they can look into it. But the law does not force a company to accomidate. Only reasonable accomidations. It will be up to the EEOC to determine if they were reasonable or not.


Title: Traded a car and cash for a different car now he wants his car back.

Question:
I had a 1997 camry and was looking to trade for something alittle more fun.
Found a guy willing to trade his 2001 lexus is300 for my 97 camry plus 500 cash on my end. We made the deal but i only had 400 cash on me (was hoping hed just take that) we came to an agreement that id give him 400 and owe him 100 bucks a week later andwould switch cars but hold onto our pink slips. We made up a bill of sale and each signed it and that was that. Next week comes around and i start finding out alot of things need to be fixed on the car and everyday i drive it its getting worse. We speak on the phone i let him know that i dont have the cash cuz im putting alot of money into the car and he says ok we can talk soon. Another week goes by and i see him at a liqour store he says he lost my number and when would i have the money? I tell him we can go to my house right now and handle cash and paperwork but he says he was on his way to long beach and i should just give him my number again so i do. Another week or two goes by and i dont hear from him until he shows up at my uncles house (where i work) asking for money and once again i tell him i havnt heard from him and had to put my paycheck into the car. I ask him to give me a couple days and ill have the money which was now 200  somehow? About a month goes by and i realize i dont have his number anymore so i go to the apartment complex where i thought he lived but i didnt see the camry anywhere so i just left.he showed up to at my house today(i never told him where i live or work) with 4 other guys two girls and a child. I wasnt home when they got there but they saw the lexus in front of my house and tried knocking on the door while passing my no trespassing signs. I get to my house about 5 mins after they do and they instantly start asking for money and threatening that they are crazy and will "pop off" at any minute. So i start talking to the guy that i made the deal with and his freinds keep trying to get violent.they all decide that i need to give them money or give them they keys.i ask if i can just give them the car back and get the camry back and they refuse. So now there are 5 guys telling me that i have to give them my keys so i do and he says hed give me two days to get the money or he would take the car back. By this time my wife had called the police not knowing exactly what was happening.the police arrive and everyone leave except the guy i made the deal with and another guy.so i ask the cop of he should be able to take my keys from me and the cop says yes cuz the car is still in his name and if he wanted to he could come back tonight and just take the car. And i would just take a loss on it. The cops left and nothing else has happened so far but i took out the battery a few fuses and i am watching my security camera like a hawk. After the cop left i remembered that the lexus was not in his name the pink slip had a womans name on it if that makes any difference. What id like to know is if they come back and try to take the car somehow is there anything i can do about it??? Thnx for any info sorry for text wall.

Answer: How about you pay him the balance like you said instead of just making excuse after excuse? He might must leave you alone after that.


Title: Seller declined home inspection, threatening to sue 2 months post closing (Louisiana)

Question:
First time posting in this sub, so I reviewed the rules and tried to find something similar but did not see anything for Louisiana.

We sold our house in New Orleans two months ago. The buyer has been a general pain in the ass since closing, including and not limited to: asking what size the air filters are (take it out, dingdong, it says on the package), asking where light switches are, asking for copies of our contract with the security company, asking how to get into the attic -- asking where the attic is (look up, dude) and my personal favorite, asking me to send him some leads on renting out the mother in law suite over the back of the house. I replied with a Craigslist link.

Recently he's been harassing our agent for copies of our home inspection report. (The one we paid for.) Apparently he found some structural issues with the columns outside the house. However, he WAIVED his inspection, though we provided a 15-day contractual term in case he changed his mind. Instead he had his "contractor friend" come and look at it. Whatever this friend found was satisfactory, so we went ahead with closing and that was that. Money's in the bank.

NOW he's threatening to sue if we don't provide a copy of our inspection report, though we created a detailed addendum to outline the issues found in the inspection as per the inspector's advice. The buyer signed off on both the disclosure and the addendum. There was no mention of any issues with the columns on the inspection report, and we were unaware of any problems with the columns, therefor it’s not on the PD or the addendum.

My questions are:

Are we legally obligated to share our inspection report?

If not, could he feasibly compel us to provide it through subpoena or court order?

Though we have nothing to hide, I’m concerned about him finding something in the inspection report and trying to leverage it for lawsuit. Is it better to refuse?

At this point, should we get legal counsel and call his bluff? The realtors are no longer able to answer questions since he threatened legal action.

Thanks, all. I appreciate any and all responses.

Answer:
 I would completely ignore him and wait for summons. Maybe even block him.

I think you should be okay assuming you disclosed all known issues to him. The manner in which you disclosed shoulnd't matter.

That said, if there were issues that you didn't disclose you could be liable- to determine that the court may want to see the inspection report. Answer #2: >  If not, could he feasibly compel us to provide it through subpoena or court order?

Likely yes, though the pre-trial discovery process, if this issue evolves into a civil suit.  The new owner may try to find out if you had prior knowledge of any defects.  The previous home inspection report will reveal that information.  You should secure the document in a safe space.  Don't "lose" it, that would turn out pretty bad for you,


Title: Mom opened a credit card in my name when I was 9

Question:
I got a collections letter from a collection agency yesterday. I’m pretty psychotic about my credit so I was immediately taken aback. When I read who the original creditor was (a bank) I was even more taken aback because I had never banked with them in my life. I had a feeling immediately that it was my mother because she used to bank with them. I called her and confronted her and I got the “oh no honey I would never do that”. Anyways fast forward to today - I called the collection company and lo and behold - she co-signed for a credit card 14 years ago when I was NINE and used it for her own personal purchases.

I have no idea where to even begin on 1. Getting this off my credit report. And 2. Getting it settled. Any ideas?

Answer:
 You're a victim of identity theft, committed by your mother.

Because of what she did, you're currently responsible for the debt. The only way to get out of it is to show that it was fraudulently created, meaning you're going to need a police report filed, and your mom will eventually be criminally charged.


Title: Bank drilled wrong safety deposit box?

Question:
I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this. My father passed away in February, and not being able to find the key to the safety deposit box, I made an appointment with the bank to have it drilled. They were finally able to drill it yestersay. None of my dad's documents were in there, and the only one that was there was a document for someone that my dad had ironically knew. This was hugely upsetting and frustrating.  I asked a clerk outright if there could be another box. She says no.

I get a call from. the bank today saying that they had accidentally drilled the wrong one, and that they'll give us an appointment to drill the right one. This whole event was upsetting to me, and I'm sure for the woman who's box they had accidentally drilled. Is this legal? Is there anything else that can be done for the headache the bank has caused?

Answer:
 They made a mistake, and are willing to re-do it.  Mistakes happen.  I'm not seeing anything illegal.

The person whose box was erroneously drilled, and thus the contents of the box were revealed to someone that was not them may have some recourse, but that doesn't involve you.


Title: first, second time getting into trouble. Misdemeanor and a possible felon.

Question:
Location TriState Arkansas and Texas

Currently waiting to goto court for what will probably be a felony charge- hoping for probation or something so it gets dropped. Mail theft. Surrounded by 3 agents and a large ass file with my name on it, I told them what they wanted and was 100% cooperative.
This happens when I am on probation and I shortly after stop reporting.
I was put on pre-trial and failed an then regular probation which is where I was when I stopped reporting; I had 3 drug and 1 DU/WI. I know I have a warrant for not showing/reporting to probation from my misdemeanor. While on the probations, I was doing some of the appointed work hours and paying what I could.

This is my first, second time getting into it with the law and I am scared.
I do not have any money to my name nor a home to call my own as I squat at different locations.

Advice me legal, advice me.

AMA
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 If you are seriously "hoping for probation" so it gets "dropped", you might want to start preparing to spend some time as a guest of the State instead and making whatever preparations are necessary.

/r/legaladvice -- *helping manage felonious expectations since 2010*. ^^TM


Title: (TX) Hired for a full time permanent position, only covered a coworkers maternity leave then laid off.

Question: I accepted a full time permanent job, trained to take over a coworkers assignments when she left on maternity leave for a month with the understanding that either she or I will be moved to new projects when she returned. Two weeks after she returned I was laid off. The explanation I was given was they lost some projects and had to lay people off. Only me and a receptionist was laid off and I only heard of one project getting delayed, not canceled. They also recently announced a new site opening due to a new project they received. I know Texas is an at will state, but I feel I was lied to and would like to know if I have an legal recourse? If I knew this was only a temporary position I never would have left my previous job.

Answer: You can file for unemployment and look for a new job.


Title: Update: FMLA being denied (WA)

Question:
[Previous posting](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/32y8s5/fmla_being_denied_wa/)

Summary: HR were denying a 3 week baby daddy FMLA request because they measured distance from my house to the nearest branch office over surface roads as being beyond the '75 mile' rule, when it's much shorter (but less practical) by ferry.

As /u/swalsh411 and /u/zapopa suggested, I looked up 29 CFR section 825.111 and gently reminded HR about the relevant pieces.

They are now saying that I'm not actually classed as working out of the office in Seattle, instead, I'm classed as a 'Remote Worker - Virginia', and are denying me because of this reason.

It is true that I don't go into the office in Seattle at all: the commute is impractical (it's at least two hours each way), and there's no-one in that office that I work with on a day-to-day basis, and my manager is fine with me working out of my home. The team I work with are scattered across the country working out of their own homes, and the people I directly manage are in the DC area, and my manager is in Virginia. There's simply no point in going into that office (indeed, it's moved in the past year to accommodate some new employees, and I don't know where this new office is).

HR's stance is based on 29 CFR 825.111 (a) (2):

"For employees with no fixed worksite … the worksite is the site to which they are assigned as their home base, from which their work is assigned, or to which they report… An employee's personal residence is not a worksite in the case of employees, such as … employees who work at home, as under the concept of flexiplace or telecommuting. Rather, their worksite is the office to which they report and from which assignments are made."

They are claiming that last sentence is key. As my manager is in Virginia (not Washington), I technically report to the Virginia office, which not only has less than 50 employees, but also is definitely more than 75 miles away.

I discussed this with my manager, who said this was nonsense. He doesn't assign me work on a day-to-day basis - 99% of my work actually comes from other teams, with very little coming directly from my manager himself. My manager realizes that HR have to stick to strict guidelines with FMLA, but believes that they are definitely in the wrong, and that I meet all the eligibility requirements based on my home office's proximity to the office we have Seattle. I went back to HR armed with this, and they said that 'they would think about it'.

Bonus: I was late for a phone call with our General Counsel thanks to the one with HR running long. I explained why, and she said that HR were probably in the wrong, and that I likely do qualify. She said that I come go to her if they still denied my FMLA leave, and she would help out where she could.

I'm traveling down to the head office in the Bay Area next week for other reasons, but will follow up with HR with this while I'm there, and update all of you when I know more.

Answer:
 >My manager realizes that HR have to stick to strict guidelines with FMLA...

FMLA is just a floor. States and even individual companies can give greater benefits than through FMLA. It's like the minimum wage. In other words, there is no government agency that will come knocking on HR's door if they give you an additional benefit above and beyond FMLA, just as nobody would fine McDonald's for paying $10/hr. If they are choosing to interpret FMLA narrowly, it's because someone at some level is screwing you over.Answer #2: Why don't you try calling the hotline?

"For additional information, visit our Wage and Hour Division Website: http://www.wagehour.dol.gov and /or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone, 1-866-4-USWAGE (1-866-487-9243)."


Title: [Ontario] Repairmen touched my security equipment...but not sure if anything stolen?

Question:
My condo (I'm a tenant, not an owner) was doing some in-unit repairs recently. I was not able to stay home the day they were working on my unit, so I setup a little security camera to watch my valuables (I have a lot of expensive electronic equipment in the unit).

I viewed the footage when I got home at night and this is what it shows:

A group of three repairmen enter the unit, with someone who looks like they're from building security (I'm assuming as a sort of chaperone). After they begin working, the security guard leaves and one of the men begin looking around the apartment, examining (without touching) some of my stuff. As he makes his way around the apartment, he sees the camera and comes close up to it, looking around it. Then his arm reaches around it and the footage stops, presumably because he unplugged it. When I came home it was unplugged still.

I tried to take an inventory of my stuff to see if anything was stolen, but it's hard to tell....it doesn't seem like anything was taken, but I have a *lot* of stuff, including many small devices that I may not realize are gone for a while.

What should I do? File a police report? There's no evidence of theft. There's no evidence of anything other than one of the men unplugging my camera....but the whole thing has a really unsettling vibe to it. What happens if I realize something is missing down the road? Am I out of luck because I have no proof that it was stolen?

Answer: Talk to your landlord and make a stink about it. I would also call the company doing the work and get that guy fired. He has absolutely no reason to touch your camera let alone unplug it.


Title: [WI] Rent Increase Notice - Is this a big deal?

Question:
I've been renting a house from a very politically conservative landlord for the past year. Our lease is up at the end of July, and we're happy with the price we pay, the quality of the house, and the care that he's afforded in maintenance and repair. We were hoping/expecting to move to a month-to-month continuation of our lease, as we saw no need to change the status quo.

However, our landlord contacted us earlier this week to say he would be raising rent by $20. He admitted over the phone that he was "a little behind" in letting us know, and that he would get us a new lease ASAP. We got the new lease a few days later, stating that our rent would be increasing $20 starting August 1st.

In the meantime, I'd done my homework and concluded that he needed to give us 28 days notice to raise our rent. I sent him a note mentioning that fact, and said that I'd plan on paying our current rent for August and then increase to the new rent in September. I asked him if he had any objections to that, and if not, asked him to send us a modified lease.

He responded by getting very upset that I was quoting state law to him, and said that rent would be increasing August 1st. If I wanted to hold him to the letter of the law, he would abide, but then rent would increase an additional $5 starting in September.

Let me clearly say that from my perspective, it's really not a very big deal. $20 or $25 a month are not going to break us, though we don't have a lot of disposable income. More than anything, it's annoying and rubs me the wrong way. However, I wonder if it should worry me about future behavior, and whether I should be documenting this or even possibly visiting with a lawyer at some point, just in case.

In the legal world, would this be considered a big deal? It seems to me that he's willfully ignoring the law, and then attempting to penalize me for wanting to follow it (by raising rent even more). I'm just not sure whether I should be doing something about it, or whether I should just accept it as part of doing business with someone who hates big government.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 He's not doing this because he hates big government. (He may, but that's not his reason).

He's doing this because you quoted law at him, and he's quoting it back, albeit looser, harder and faster.

I wouldn't dispute this; rather, take it as a lesson learned on the difference between legal *theory* and legal *practice*.


Title: CO - Potentially getting a divorce but have questions on husband rights and the home we shared together

Question:
I was kicked out of the home I shared with my wife (we're separated now) and have not been allowed back since October. I have had a great amount of difficulty in getting back into the home to get clothes and whatnot. My wife has changed the locks and has even gone as far as to, from what I gather but do not have hard evidence of, renting out part of our home to a female friend. She makes it increasingly difficult to do things as simple as to come and get my social security card in order to apply apprenticeships. She refuses to accept any form of communication in order to remedy these tiny, minute issues and has done so for nearly two months now.

i was not given a choice in staying, she threatened to call the cops if i didn't leave when told to and, since i don't want that sort of trouble, i complied. my name is on the title and mail is still regularly delivered there (but i'm not able to go and get it from there without her knowing first). she is also an attorney who works for legal services, providing them for low-income families and individuals.

it should also be noted that the reason i haven't gone back to the house are due to earlier circumstances. i developed alcoholism within the first year of our marriage and we had the "normal" ups and downs of a spouse with substance abuse issues. i got sober in may of 2016 and have been that way since. my wife never really moved passed it, never found the ability to forgive. or to see that my alcoholism and the things i did and said (never physical abuse or infidelity) were not who i was and instead a very sick individual.

so when she kicked me out, i thought that the best option (out of respect for her and partially because i was afraid of what she may do) was to stay away from the house. she even, on several occasions told me to "stay away" from "her" house unless i gave prior notice that i would be in the area. it should also be noted that during our relationship she was the breadwinner for the last bit of it since i lost my job.

and now, as i said, she won't return any form of communication. i was in a car accident about a week after our separation and in order to get insurance information from her, i had to call her parents in another state so that they could call her for the information, at which point she would call my parents and then i could give said information to the officer. did not ask if i was okay or even cared to show any inkling of concern for my well-being. it's messy, as these sorts of things typically are, but i'm running out of options here for an amicable and decent bit of closure or reconciliation and (more importantly) a long-term place to stay. or earlier today for instance, before my weekly therapy appointment, she refused to return any calls or emails in regard to whether or not i was still on health insurance. she had threatened several times in the past that as soon as the first of the year was passed, that i would no longer be on the insurance she gets from her work because she was going to take me off. so since the beginning of this year i have had two therapy appointments, both of which were a gamble as far as what i was going to pay because she won't even give me that tiny shred of information.

I've been doing a good amount of research and I understand that most men make the mistake of leaving when in fact they have every right to stay in the home until the divorce is final (as long as the home was bought after a couple was married which we did). I also understand that she is not allowed to change the locks on the doors. I live in Colorado and understand that things may be different here in some respects but, overall, I don't think I should be barred from returning to my home.

i'm essentially sitting in a limbo with both my marriage and my day to day life. she has me hostage here and i need to know what the best plan of action is. i desperately need to regain control of things.

TLDR; potentially getting divorced. got kicked out of shared home. is it legal for her to control whether or not i live there until divorce is over? can she rent out part our home to a friend?

Answer:
 I am unsure whether or not she can unilaterally rent part of the home, but you are legally allowed to live in a home if your name is on the title. You may want to call the non-emergency hotline and ask if the police are willing to assist you in gaining entry to your home.

Honestly though you need a divorce attorney ASAP. You're not potentially getting a divorce. You're getting a divorce.


Title: Need advice for dealing with credit card fraud committed by son

Question:
I ran up two of my parents' store credit cards while using drugs. I'm clean now and trying to straighten things out but struggling to find a good solution for repayment.

My parents are rightly skeptical of me being able to repay the large amount (it will take me some time and they do not trust that I won't relapse in that time), so they want to report my actions to the police and attempt to have the debt removed from their account. I would obviously prefer a different solution that doesn't result in me going to prison.

I am interested in hearing any possible solutions but I also have a specific question: If they don't file a police report immediately, is that an acknowledgement that no fraud was committed? Or in other words, would my parents be able to report the charges as fraud later on if I stopped making payments to them, even after they've started paying the charges off?

Thank you in advance for any information provided.

Edit: I'm located in Florida.

Answer:
 If they don't report the fraud, then they remain responsible for the charges.

If they do, then they aren't responsible anymore, but you may face criminal charges.


Title: [AB, Can] Can I legally record my appointment I have today with a very controversial OBGYN?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Without touching on the legalities of the recording, for what purpose do you think you need to make the recording?

Maybe the dr. finds out you're recording, doesn't take kindly to it, and just throws you out...you're screwed, in pain, and have to wait to get into another dr.  On the other hand, maybe this dr. really is an asshole.  If you don't like her, you can just walk out.  Or if you're really scared based on what you're reading, just cancel and don't even go.

This is Basic Human Interaction 101.  I can never understand the folks that feel the need to record every single conversation they have.


Title: I don't believe I am my mother's son, and if I'm right then I'm living under an illegal identity without my knowledge

Question:
I posted this originally on r/adoption [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Adoption/comments/9vrgok/i_look_absolutely_nothing_like_my_family_and_im/?utm_source=reddit-android).  Basically, I have reason to believe that I am not related to my mother or father (my father has been AWOL for the past 10 years, so I can't do any parental tests for him) and if I'm right then I'm not living under a legal identity.

I'm concerned that either a) my mother had a child and illegally obtained me to raise under the identity of that child.  It makes sense as she is not stable and I can see her smothering an infant.  Or, b) I was adopted illegally and my identity forged.  The second optiom feels more likely, as nobody knew she was pregnant until she brought me home.  Now, this would have happened when I was an infant and I have been living since under an identity I now suspect is not mine.  However, I have signed leases and obtained various licenses, and even changed my name using this identity, so it must be legitimate right?  I'm very confused and obviously distressed that my entire life may have been a lie.

It only occured to me very recently that this could have been the case, as it suddenly occured to me that I actually look nothing like anyone in my family (I look slavic, and they are aboriginal).  I've asked her in the past if I'm adopted and she denied it.  I have always had a hard time believing it, but I was given my birth certificate when I was 13 so I had to accept it.

I'm posting this here not because it would mean she has committed a crime (if I'm right then she deserves what she gets), but because it may put my Australian citizenship at risk.  I have never left Australia in my life and I do not wish to be forced to leave because of something a mentally ill woman did two decades ago.  What do I do?

A bit more information: I live very far away from my family and have only continued much contact with my aunt and uncle.  I have a half brother on my father's side who I live about an hour away from, who is in his 30s.  I may also have an autoimmune disease, but the exact one is yet to be determined.  If I'm not her son then I possibly could have obtained a genetic disease, which would be almost impossible to determine without a medical background.

Answer:
 If you're so worried about the repercussions why invite inquiry?Answer #2: Respectfully, I think you should discuss with your GP, or psychiatrist if you have one.

These thoughts and concerns could be related to your transition and / or meds.

Also, “half caste” is wildly offensive. Please do not use that term.

It’s also wildly unlikely that a baby was smuggled into Australia 19 or so years ago and adopted in secret by your mother. Your concerns about deportation based upon your appearance are not rational.

Again, I recommend you speak with your transition specialist, or GP for a mental healthcare plan and referral to a psychologist, or referral to a psychiatrist.


Title: I didn’t even know you could get a ticket on a parked car!

Question:
South Carolina. Not a parking ticket, a TICKET ticket!  A summons to appear (with the “no” circled on the part where it says if it’s mandatory to go to court.)

At 11:30 at night the day after Christmas evidently the biggest crime in town was my husband’s car parked on our street in front of our house in the wrong direction and a smidge too close to a stop sign. We park like that all the time and have never had an issue.

I realize that ignorance of the law is no excuse but I had always assumed that if the curb at the corner is painted yellow then when the yellow stops it’s the end of the legal limit. Evidently not quite. I’ve also often parked on the wrong side of the street (it isn’t a busy street) all my driving life; I knew it wasn’t strictly kosher but it’s very common in the neighborhood and nobody’s ever said anything before. (I know, I know, famous last words!  I understand that I was wrong and will not do it again, nor will my husband who actually did it this time.)

It’s also a ticket with my name on it although the car is titled to me “or” him; that’s not a huge big deal since we share finances and insurance and everything else but I don’t know if that matters. I almost never drive that car.  We were out of town at the time (and almost missed seeing the ticket - it was just tucked under the windshield wiper and soaking wet when we got back yesterday.). It’s definitely his parking job.

The fine is 7 bucks which of course I’m happy to pay but it also mentions 2 points on my license which I am, obviously, not excited about.  If it were just the fine, I wouldn’t be posting.  I’m worried to death about our insurance going up.

It’s a municipal court date for January. If I go, will they maybe forgive the points?  Or do I risk getting into more trouble somehow?  I’m not arguing that the car was not pointed in the wrong direction - doesn’t that just mean I’m pleading guilty anyway?  Does it matter that I didn’t leave the car there if it’s my (and his) car?  (I’m not throwing him under the bus here of course.). If I just pay them their 7 bucks i automatically get the points on my license, right?

I realize this is penny ante compared to most of what happens in this sub (sorry, no trees involved) but it’s a huge deal to me - I’m almost 40 and I’ve only ever had one speeding ticket in my life, and I was so ashamed of not noticing the school zone that I burst into legitimate tears at the cop, not “please let me off” tears!  This is all very confusing to the uninitiated - the citation doesn’t tell you anybody to call if you have questions or anything. Clerk of Court, I guess?

Thanks so much in advance for your guidance.

Answer:
 I would actually suggest retaining a traffic lawyer and getting this pleaded down to a non-points violation. The cost will be higher in the short term but will save you money in the long run because points on your license will cost you in increased insurance premiums.Answer #2: In order to park facing the wrong way, someone had to break a law. Either they crossed a line, drove the wrong way, backed up when they shouldn't, etc. The fact such laws are not generally enforced is, as you know, not an excuse to violate the laws. So I am not quite getting why you are so furious. Unless you are furious about the wiper, which I get.

You can file a complaint about the wiper, but you might want to wait until after you go to court. You may just want to fix the wiper though. Wipers are easy to replace and not very expensive. You don't necessarily want to have a bad relationship with the folks who write the tickets.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, go to court, be extremely polite and apologetic, promise it won't happen again, and maybe the judge will drop the points. Do not go in angry. It will make things worse. The fact he broke the wiper is not relevant for the ticket.

Yes people, I know there are streets where you can park the wrong way without breaking the law. On this street, however, it is true or there would not have been a ticket.


Title: How is it legal for Hulu to deny your use of a product you pay for to one house hold?

Question: Any advice or information welcome!

Answer:
 What?

Edit: "Deny to one household"?


Title: LA Metro refuses to return my phone.

Question:
On Saturday night (1:30am Sunday morning) I dropped my phone on the last train to N. Hollywood. I noticed it was missing while still in the station. I contacted the police outside, and they told me to go back to check if it was still on the train. By the time I got back down there, the train was gone. Using the FindMyiPhone app, I tracked it to a Metro facility in Downtown LA. Since it was the middle of the night, I decided to wait til sunday to go pick it up.

I go to the building and the gate attendant wouldn't even let me into the parking lot. I told him my phone was in there. He told me I have to contact lost and found on monday, and I have to wait three business days before I can get my belongings back. Today being monday, I contacted Passenger Relations who told me a phone is considered a urgent item, and I should've gotten it returned immediately. I called the Lost and Found office and was told the only way I could've gotten my phone immediately is if I made a report within the hour, and only if it is an item of urgent need (ID, Medications, phones, Passport, etc.). Since it was 1:30 am on a sunday morning, no one was available to take my report.

Not only do they not want to return my phone, they also want my passcode to unlock my phone in order to prove it's mine. I told them I wasn't going to do that, as there are various other ways to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it is my property. The supevisor kept telling me that I have to understand how their procedure works. I told them there is critical time-sensitive medical and professional information on my phone which I need. I can't work without my phone, and therefore it affects my livelihood. I mentioned this, and received no sympathy. She kept repeating that I should understand how their procedure works. I told her I was going to track my phone down, go to it's location, and ask for it to be returned. And if they don't return it, I was going to file a theft report with the police. Once again, she stated that it's procedure and I should be understanding of it. At this point I was pretty irate and responded with, "I'm pretty sure your procedure is not above the law. I know where my phone is, and you're refusing to return it. That is theft."

The longer I am without my phone, the more money I lose. How can I get my phone ASAP? What are my options? Do they even have a legal right to withhold my property and ask for access to my private information? The police need a warrant to unlock my phone, and they expect for me to just allow a stranger to do so?

Any help is greatly appreciated

Answer:
 >  How can I get my phone ASAP?

Provide them the passcode, like they asked.  Anything else will take way longer.

They don't have to believe it's your phone just because you say so.  And no, this isn't theft, so stop threatening people.


Title: Neighbor's unkempt property is hurting our chances to sell house. What are possible legal ramifications for mowing his lawn, etc.

Question:
My husband and I put our house up for sale a few days ago. An older man that lives in our neighborhood has 3-4 houses- he lives in one, rents a couple, and then the house next door to us has been vacant for over 5 years (that I know for sure-- it's more likely 10-15 yrs).

The vacant house has a broken- down tow truck parked right beside our house, has all nature of varmints living in it, is in bad shape, and the grass is getting to savanna heights. Our street and all of the other houses are maintained well. We had a showing last night for people walking through a second time who were interested, but were "concerned of the neighboring house's condition."

What can we do about this house? Would we be able to mow the lawn ourselves- or would that open us up to a Pandora's box of legal risk? Should we call the city (Cincinnati)? Could we put a tarp on the tow truck? The man is not easily accessible to us (we've not met him and he does not pick up mail or anything at the vacant house- what we know of him is from our immediate other neighbor telling us). Or should we just leave it as- is and hope there will be a buyer who doesn't care?

This is our first time selling a house and, I have to say, whatever house we buy next is the house I plan to die in.... I am not going through this again.

Any help is much appreciated.

Answer:
 >Would we be able to mow the lawn ourselves

No.  But you could *ask* him if you can mow his lawn.

Beyond that, if anything about the house violates a local ordinance or code, you can ask city to address the violation.  Short of violations, you may not be able to do anything at all.  You don't get to tell other people how to maintain their houses so long as they comply with the law.  Answer #2: > ould we be able to mow the lawn ourselves

No, it's not your property.  You can't mow his lawn anymore than he can come paint your house.

> Could we put a tarp on the tow truck?

No, it's not your property.

**If** he's in violation of an ordinance, report him to the city and hope they take care of it.  Otherwise, there's nothing you can do.Answer #3: Report the property and its disrepair to the county code enforcement. Its condition is largely out of your control, and entering the property to mow the lawn would be trespassing.


Title: Neighbor kids possibly shooting projectiles through our vynl fence into our rental house.

Question:
So my roommates and I will have our lease expire next month, with plans to renew. We rent in Utah, USA. Upon our inspection of the house the other day we found multiple (6), what look like BB holes, piercing through our vynl fence and continuing to pierce our house paneling. There is two holes also piercing an adjacent window. The window used to only have one hole. We noticed the first a couple months ago.

We are confident it's the doing of the neighbors kids but is the holes with trajectory obviously originating from their backyard enough to start making accusations, or get us anywhere at all?

Answer: talk to your LL, consider reporting it to the non emergency police number.


Title: New York/NY - My girlfriend's uncle took his son to the emergency room after he fell and cut his head, now CPS is threatening to remove his kids from his care and place them with my girlfriend.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: i doubt you're getting the whole story here. CPS only removes kids from their parents' care as a last resort.


Title: I was forcably stripped after being arrested and left naked all night in the cell. Is this legal?

Question:
I was arrested for A & B, and for whatever reason, the police decided they should take all my clothes, leaving me naked in the cell for almost 8 hours, with nothing but a shoe for a pillow. Is this legal? What recourse do I have here? It sure as hell seems like a violation of my rights.

Edit: this was in Boston, MA

Answer: You should absolutely talk to a local attorney about this, but is there anything else relevant we should know?