Title: Company stole my photo and has now given me an offer. Advice?

Question:
I posted this on /r/photography as well, but figured this would be worth a shot.

My location is Salt Lake City and the company that stole my image is located in New York, New York.

I was recently notified that a company that does those "dating/marriage/sex advice" that you see shared on Facebook all the time used one of my photographs without my permission. I went through the feedback section of their site twice to try to get a response and got nothing. I emailed the editor section of the site asking for compensation and either a removal of the image or to source it back to my Flickr. I got a response saying that they have a "small budget" that is $25 per digital article for the images. She also offerred to "credit" me as well as compensate me for the image. I have a hard time being a hardass, but I know that I could most definitely get more money out of them and I think I should because $25 is pretty low.

So I guess my question is this: do you think I should take her offer? Double it? Triple? Not quite sure what to do since this in the first time (to my knowledge) that a photo of mine was stolen for commercial use.

Answer: I wouldn't take the offer. I would counter-offer with whatever your usual rate is for your work. Then, add a reasonable surcharge for them trying to get away with this.Answer #2: Do you have a standard commercial rate for your photography services/images? If so, I would ask for that. If you don't, I would ask the professionals in /r/photography what their going rate for something like this would be.


Title: Marijuana while pregnant

Question:
On mobile so please disregard the format.
This girl I know is eight months pregnant, and she wants to smoke marijuana on 4/20. I am pretty sure there used to (if not still active) be a law that if a woman is found to have a drug in her system, while giving birth or during the last three months, they will take the baby away and maybe charge her with something.
She says the law just recently changed and that she is safe to smoke marijuana, without risk of losing her baby. I've tried talking her out of it just in case it isn't true, but she seems dead set.
What I need help with is if someone could find out for sure from a legit source and give me the link or atleast a way to find out myself, if it is legal or not. I can't let her smoke if it risks the baby!
Please help me reddit, I don't have my computer anymore and I'm stuck using a smart phone so trying to find a legit source is seeming impossible. It really would mean the world to me!

Answer: Not a good idea in TN, where laws are very strict about this: http://www.timesdaily.com/archives/mother-arrested-after-baby-tests-positive-for-marijuana/article_d9523ce9-72f3-50be-a72c-0817529cc415.htmlAnswer #2: CPS can open an investigation and disrupt her entire life.  They can do everything from forcing drug tests and home visits to taking the kid.  This can follow her the rest of her life.


Title: Construction scam, leftover machinery - legal implications?

Question:
[Texas]

Basically we hired someone to do some construction at our business and he had subcontracted a machine rental company to bring out their equipment. He left the job halfway and is no longer returning phone calls but the equipment rental company is trying to collect their machinery. I told them no because the job is still not finished and I will not let them have the Machinery until it is complete.

The manager of the company then called me back with the deputy on the line stating it is illegal for me to keep their machinery. What can I do in this situation? I have already spent thousands of dollars just to get this work complete but now that this guy that was contracted to do the work is out of the picture, I want to at least hold on to the machine as collateral for him finishing the work.

Any advice?

I was thinking of filing a lien against his company through my attorney but I don't know if that will do anything. I really want to keep that machine until he finishes the job otherwise I feel like I will be at a total loss.

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 >  What can I do in this situation?

You give them back their machinery.  Even if the machinery belonged to the contractor himself you can't keep it.  That's what we call "theft".  Give them back their stuff.


Title: Help: I dented someone's car, but he tried to fix it himself.

Question:
(South Florida)

Need some help. I was at a friend's house and while I was moving my car, I bumped into his neighbor's car that was parked in the street. This was my fault--should have been paying attention. I went ahead and took a bunch of time-stamped pictures of the damage. Small damage, just a pop-out dent.

When his neighbor (we'll call him Tim for now) came out, I explained the details and let him know I'd pay to get a dent repair service to come look at it. He said he also knows a guy, so he'll take it someplace and get an estimate and we can compare. I agreed to this. We exchanged license information, but no insurance information. I told him I'd text him once I got some info.

I text him the next day that the images I sent to the dent guy were enough to determine an estimate of $100. Dent repair guy let me know it was an easy job and shouldn't even take an hour. Tim then responds with a text saying "He needs to look at it. I pushed the dent out but the bumper is creased and the paint has a spiderweb look now. If you're at your friend's house you can come by and look at it."

Paint damage can cost hundreds of dollars, and depending on how bad, it can cost ten times the original cost of the damage. And crease dents often cannot be fixed. He caused a crease dent trying to pop it out himself without tools. He isn't a professional...

So now Tim has damaged his paint trying to pull out the dent himself after we agreed to exchange estimates to get a professional to fix this. Tim now wants me to pay for his own damages that he caused trying to fix the dent. I'm almost positive that he will take me into court if I deny paying for this, so I'm coming here for advice.

Should I have to pay for these damages? I might have caused the first damage, but he betrayed our original agreement and caused more damage himself--that's how I'm seeing it.

What legal standing does he have?

My work is rigorous and unforgiving, and I don't have much money. Him pressing for court could cause major issues with my job. Is there any way I can keep from losing money and time from work here?

Please let me know if you guys need more information.

Answer: How much was the written estimate for the original repair? That's likely how much you would owe.


Title: With the recent decision on gay marriage, how is common law marriage affected (TX)?

Answer:
 nobody knows and nobody will for some time. the question becomes does the clock start now, or did the clock start when a samesex couples clock would have started. courts wil be fighting over this for a bit.

whatever the answer to that, the same conditions as a common law regular marriage will apply, so any terms and an opt outs wil be the same. Answer #2: Most states don't recognize common law marriage, so it won't be an issue.  Texas is one of the states that does, and in those states the couple has to "hold themselves out to be married." Meaning they have to tell people they are married, refer to their partner as their wife/husband, etc.  Also, common law marriage comes up when one member of the couple wants to invoke it. For example, when a partner dies without a will and the other partner wants to be considered a spouse for those purposes.  But the state would not assume that they had a common law marriage unless the partner brought it up. So "opting out" isn't really necessary, you aren't assumed to have a common law marriage just from cohabitation. You have to meet other requirements and then choose to invoke it.


Title: Have proof my mother and her bf corroborated to steak thousands from my grandmother

Question:
I was told an audacious story about my mothers phone being hacked into, then the hackers “getting into” her email thus leading to the linked bank accounts between my mother and grandmother.

When I said, “That’s absolutely impossible because they don’t have online banking.” He argued with me aggressively, telling me I didn’t know what I was talking about. I even warned him I have a friend who owns an IT security company that hacks into government entities. That didn’t spook him, he still said, “These guys are professionals, they know what they’re doing.”

So what I know about stupid people: they make stupid mistakes.

1. They claimed my mothers phone was hacked by someone at her work, and then they went into her email. I make my mother give me her password and I find the email notifications from gmail in the TRASH bin. Mistake #1. I took photos of them in the trash bin then moved them to important.
2. I looked up the google account activity and saw that this person used her password to get into her email with no attempts. Her email was changed 1 month prior to be “Boyfriendsname,mothersname,petname” which is not her usual password so I know she made one easy enough for him to get in. Mistake #2.
3. So THEN they change the password to her gmail and Apple account minutes later after logging in on the day her phone was hacked. When I check the search history, this person looked up how to hide an IP address from an email, at the time when the email transfer was received in the email account, and then they looked up my mothers birthday on an internet age calculator. So he needed to know her birthday to create the online bank profile to send it, because he’s 60 and probably forgot. Mistake #3
4. The bank account from my grandmother is linked to my mothers so the money was transferred to my mother after the online banking was created. They sent the e-transfer from mother TO my mother after looking up how to hide an email address where the money could be sent to. Then they had to wait for it for around 40 minutes. This is all while the “hacker” was logged onto her email so I have the history. Mistake #3
5. The general IP address of the place where the money was transferred is the same place my mothers boyfriend was. He’s a truck driver. His run was over at 3pm, he had to be back on the road at 4:30pm. The “hacking” and bank transfers all happened between 3:07 and 4:06pm that very day, in that very place he was when his truck was done unloading. Funny, my significant other is a logistics manager so we know this about his runs and there will be reports (and GPS logging) to pin him there. He’s also from this place so he has friends who could have helped with the washing of the money into a money mart or whatever. Mistake #4
5. I tell my mother I know she did this, she denies it, I tell her I know her boyfriend did it, she said “we will see if they prove that but I believe you, just know I didn’t do this.”  She kept repeating how she didn’t do it, she didn’t have any part etc. I ask her who else accused her, she tells me her sister accused her. I tell her she’s going to jail, because her name is on it no matter what. She brings me over all of her prized possessions, which is completely out of character for her, if anything my mother is selfish and has never trusted me with her “stuff”. She actually always accuses me of wanting to throw her “stuff” out so why all of the sudden dump your valuables with me? I ask her what’s going on, she tells me she doesn’t trust her boyfriend anymore. Interesting,

So now, my very old grandmother needs her money to pay for nurses and people to help her, so I’m sick to my stomach over this, She almost died this past April because my mother didn’t check up on her after 6 days. Since then I have been on my mother and her boyfriends case because my mother kept saying my grandmother was fine, saying they were going to check on her, and instead they went hours away without checking on her for days. If the neighbour didn’t look into my grandmothers window and call 911, she would have been dead. Guess who went to my grandmothers house to “clean it” when she was in the hospital? My mothers boyfriend, my mother gave him the key. Perfect time for him to get my grandmothers bank information.

Since that occurrence in April they have spent soooo much money on fixing my mothers house, expensive tools, new clothes, my mother went to get weight loss surgery and has even said she’s getting Botox. She makes less than $27k a year, he makes less than $71k a year. He is in over $95k in debt, with child support and visas, and he keeps telling me how he wants this new $3k camera for Christmas.

The e-transfer was for $3k.

I honestly don’t know who to call first. There is a public guardian I was told I can contact  but I don’t know what the process is, and I’m afraid her boyfriend will come after my family if I have him charged or even investigated. What do I do? Should I call the cops first or report the elderly abuse to the public guardian? Please help if you can. I am in Innisfil, Ontario, Canada.

EDIT: I was asking for help with my grandmother and I contacted the police first, and then public trustee. Thank you to the few who didn’t criticize the details or my writing, and F-U to the morons who had to tear up the writing/details of a post regarding elderly abuse. You people are what’s wrong with this world.

Answer: Your grandmother should meat with the police. Answer #2: Call the cops and stop trying to be cute with your writing because frankly it just makes your narrative difficult to follow.Answer #3: Call APS.


Title: Legal advice sought re: employment law in MD.

Question:
Recently let go in an at-will employment state here in MD. Was assured I would receive two weeks pay as they were "downsizing" and was told I would receive my unpaid vacation. I received no 2-weeks pay and only earned PTO from 1/1/15 thru last day despite carrying over nearly 60 hours. I inquired and was told the vacation didn't rollover despite a handbook that says otherwise and that my last day paid was my last day there.

I didn't get it in writing, sucks. My fault. I did do a lot of research into MD law regarding payout of PTO as well as rollover and have the handbook to back it up.

I also understand that I could seek triple damages and that I have enough documentation to support my claims.

Outside of the PTO payout, do I have a leg to stand on regarding the 2-weeks they promised to pay and never did?

I also have a commission contract that assured me bonuses based on performance which was never paid. I have what I determine to be several thousand dollars to gain/lose.

Anyone give me some NON-BINDING guidance on what sort of battle I am facing? I say non-binding because I'm just looking for advice and certainly will not use any reply here to bolster my claim.

Thanks rainmakers!!

Answer:
 The law in Maryland is that employers must follow the policy that has been communicated to employees. So I think you have a decent shot if they took vacation away from you without informing you of this. You can file an unpaid wage complaint.

http://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wagepay/wpremedies.shtml


Title: [Florida] - is it too late to do something about my uncle who molested me when I was 16/17?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It isn't too late to file a police report.  If they're able to investigate further, they might.  Go to the station in person and file a report.


Title: Got scammed via craigslist, what are my legal options?

Question:
I paid a security deposit for an apartment in LA, which I couldn't go see because I wasn't living there at the time. When I got to the apt on the pre-arranged move-in date, the tenant, from whom I was to sublease, wasn't there, and didn't answer his phone. He eventually replied via email that he was busy and new move-in date would be Friday (it was Sunday)

Long story short, he became difficult to get a hold of, and on Friday did not show up.

I asked for my money back, no response. I emailed the landlord, no response. I asked my bank to reverse the transfer. They said they asked the other bank, and the other bank said that their client said no, claiming he had a valid contract with me.

I called the number of the landlord that the tenant had provided, the person who answered said it was the wrong number when I asked for the landlord's name.

I went to the landlord's address, which the tenant had provided (with a police escort), and the people there said they hadn't heard of this person, and they had been living there since February (this all took place in May).

What do I do from here? I'm not even sure that this landlord is a real person! All I really have is the bank account number to which I transferred the security deposit, and I'm guessing that if the person on the other end has drained and closed the account then I'm hosed unless maybe renter's insurance covers it, but if that's not the case, what can I do? Do I go to court to get a levy on the account? How do I go about that and what sort of documentation do I need to prepare/bring?

Answer:
 >All I really have is the bank account number to which I transferred the security deposit … Do I go to court to get a levy on the account?

Fake rentals are a VERY common scam.  If you explain EXACTLY how you transferred money to the scammer (eg. I used Zelle and transferred money to a telephone number, or I did an ACH wire transfer to a bank routing number and account number, or I sent it by Western Union), then I can tell you if you have a snowballs chance in hell of ever getting your money back.  But in order for me to give you that assessment you would have to explain EXACTLY how you transferred your money to the scammer (you don't have to give their bank numbers, but if you say "I wired them the money" then I will just repeat my request).

Then you will have to tell me how motivated you are to sue someone, because you can't levy an account until you figure out who to sue, you file against them, you serve them, and you win a judgment against them.  So if you're not up for all of that, then forget it.


Title: My Uber Driver crashed into another vehicle.

Question:
I'm 21, I had never gotten drunk before, so my friend called an Uber for us and we were on our way home. I was half asleep when I flew out of my seat onto the floor. It turns out we had rear ended another vehicle.

What are my options in this?

Answer: your options for what? unless you were injured badly enough to seek medical attention, you have no damages.


Title: My friend received a phone call from the court house ordering her to give up custody of her child to her abusive husband, prior to a hearing in a few days. Is there anyway to fight this? He's not fit to parent, nor does he know how to take care of her.

Question: I found it a bit odd that we received a phone call rather than having a human being serve the order, but after inquiring with the court house it seems real.  She doesn't make a lot of money and I was hoping if someone could provide any options she could take.  I just learned that shes going to court / hearings without a lawyer because she just can't afford it.  All of this is taking place in Portland, OR.

Answer:
 Not a lawyer. Did they say they were from the courthouse, or did the caller ID pop up as the court? Have her look up the phone #. Have her call the specific court her hearing is at to confirm. It's very common for abusive relatives/acquaintances to fake these things to get their victim to do what they want.

She should NOT be doing this without a lawyer. Is her husband the primary breadwinner? If so, she should be able to have him pay at least part of her legal fees. For now, get together the money you can and GET A LAWYER ASAP.Answer #2: I am a lawyer, but not in Oregon. Sometimes orders are “served” over the phone by the court, especially when they are the result of an emergent application. I HIGHLY recommend that she get a lawyer, even if she has to borrow money to do so. Answer #3: Your friend can try:

[https://www.salcgroup.org/](https://www.salcgroup.org/) or [https://www.osbar.org/public/ris/LowCostLegalHelp/Low-FeeClinics.html](https://www.osbar.org/public/ris/LowCostLegalHelp/Low-FeeClinics.html)


Title: [NC] I have recurring urges to commit crimes. I desperately want to talk to my therapist about them, but I'm afraid I'll get reported.

Question:
Hey, Reddit. So, I've had some personal issues in my life come up this past year that I'm recovering from, but I'm still having trouble managing my thoughts and emotions. I don't want to detail the original problem as it dredges up too many bad feelings, but essentially, I have a very bad grudge against a former friend, and as a result I've been having intrusive thoughts about vandalizing his property, harassing him, publicly defaming him, and the like. Revenge shit. I don't think about hurting him or anything, but I don't want the thoughts that I do have either. Plus, I'm afraid that one day I'll just impulsively go and do something stupid, and I don't want to do that.

I want to tell my therapist about this in detail so that I can get the help I need to move on with my life because I can't keep dealing with the pain of it all, but I'm afraid that doing so will put me in a bad position legally.

Does HIPAA protect me here? If I try to get help with this, will I get reported to the authorities? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Generally, this is protected unless the therapist reasonably believes that you will ACTUALLY hurt yourself, or someone else.

Make an appointment with a therapist, and ask him/her to explain the rules to you. If you are satisfied, continue with therapy.Answer #2: Not legal advice, but reassurance to some degree.

What you've described right now sounds very much like OCD. Your therapist will likely recognise that immediately, and considering people with intrusive thoughts like your own almost never actually act on them, I don't think you have anything to worry about from your therapist.


Title: Is my brother breaking the law, or just a creep?

Question:
Using a throwaway here.

TL;DR - my 16yo brother in Ohio has been screenshotting pictures of girls from his school and submitting them to a forum that specializes in.....uh, guys putting their penises on the pics?

This all took place between April and August of 2017. From my reading through, the process seems to be:

1. Brother takes a screenshot from a girl's Instagram or Snapchat, or takes a creepshot of a girl's butt in the school hallway. These pictures aren't nudes, aren't sexual, mostly they're just selfies the girls have posted.
2. Brother posts these pictures on a thread and asks for "results" to be sent to his Kik.
3. OP of the thread takes a picture of his penis against the picture and either posts it in the thread, or (I assume) messages it to Brother on Kik.

Some threads mention videos of the OP jerking off instead of a picture, so I can only assume that those are sent the same way. I can't access Brother's Kik so of course I don't know for sure if he received anything, but I'm guessing they probably were sent because he posted many comments over the course of a few months.

There was also at least one thread where the OP was offering to Photoshop the girls' faces onto nudes, but I didn't look through to see if that was done. There's only so much I can handle.

My basic question is, is this legal? The girls are minors, but the pictures my brother is sharing aren't pornographic. My hangup is that they're being turned into something that *is* porn (right?) so....that can't be legal, surely?

Also, some of the girls live in Ohio where my brother lives. Some of them live in Kentucky, where he used to live.

I've let my mom know about this, so he isn't going to be free to continue doing this. But if this is a legal issue, I want to make sure it is reported.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 Here's how it works...

If the police become aware that there is a suspicion that your brother is committing a crime, they question him, they get warrants and seize his computers, and search his home.

At this point, your brother (actually his parents) empty their bank accounts and hire the best attorney they can afford.

The attorney attempts to defend him as the DA attempts to build a case.

If the DA feels that there is enough evidence, then it is brought to trial.  And the lawyer is given much more money.

Plea deals may be offered.  If none are accepted, then more money is given to the lawyer, and the case goes to trial.

Maybe at that point, it will be determined that no crime has been committed by your brother and the case is dismissed.

Or, he is found guilty and it goes to appeal.  And more money is given to the lawyer.

Ultimately, a judge or jury makes the decision.  And, in a case like this, it might go on to establish case law for future cases.

Your brother may or may not be found guilty.

But, one thing that will not change would be the memory of the trial in the public eye, and the money that has been given to the lawyers.

The moral to this story is that sometimes the law is not all cut and dry.  Sometimes, we can't give a practical answer to the question "is this legal"...

But... we can certainly tell you when something is a bad idea.

And I can say with confident assurance that your brother needs to cut the shit out.  The risks far outweigh whatever gain he might be getting out of this.


Title: [North Carolina] I would like to have an image of myself removed from a website, which declined to do so. What are my options?

Question:
This image is one of me taken several years back and is not offensive, sexual in any regard, or anything particularly bad, but I care deeply about protecting how people view me.  I am a young professional and believe that my name is my brand, and would like to protect it accordingly.  I have already been harassed about the image and it is the first image that comes up when you search my name.  I emailed the webmaster and editor of this website/newspaper and they are refusing to take down my image, despite a very clear and level-headed request to do so, citing that doing so would be re-writing history and they as a newspaper have an obligation to protect it.
The article is 5 years old and generates no traffic besides those that come across it through my image on Google. What options do I have here?

Edit: A friend of mine took the photo and wrote the article.

Answer:
 Asking them politely a second time.

There's basically nothing you can do with a lawyer since what they are doing isn't illegal.


Title: Renting but house foreclosed

Question:
 From 2012-2013 I was living in a house with 3 roommates and we were all paying rent to the amount of ~2800/month. The rental property was being managed by a real estate company. About 8 months into our lease the real estate company said they had to terminate our lease because the house was being foreclosed on. Apparently, we were paying rent to the real estate company BUT the owner of the house had never given the real estate company an actual bank account to deposit money into so that the mortgage could be paid... The owner was living in the Philippines and unreachable.

My question is... do we, as renters, have any ability to get our rent back since they a) canceled our lease and b) were not using our rent payments to pay the actual mortgage (so it was essentially being paid to the rental company?)

This was in Texas BTW.

Thank you!

Answer:
 A- no because you paid to live there. And you got to live there

B- no because that isn't your problem.


Title: [Indianapolis, IN] Company shipped me 7x the items I paid for, are they mine now?

Question:
TLDR; I paid for one 330 dollar mattress cover, and the company shipped me 7. Can they make me send them back/pay for them, or am I free to give them to friends or sell them off?

I'm really big into smart home tech, and love tracking my personal stats. Sleep tracking has always been a big one for me, but wearing a fitbit to bed is really uncomfortable, so when I found out about a new smart mattress cover that had just become available after going through a very successful crowd funding campaign, I jumped on it when it went on sale for the holidays. Their site seemed to malfunction a bit when I hit the "confirm" button on my purchase, and nothing happened. I hit it over and over, and I wonder if this plays into the mix up. Anyway, I finally tried again a day later, and it seemed to go through. My card was charged for 330 dollars as I expected, and I happily waited for my package to arrive. Two nights ago, the doorbell rings, and I see the delivery guy running back to his truck, leaving two towering piles of boxes at my door. I figured, great, I got the neighbors stuff again. Nope, every box has my name on it. I opened one to see what it was, and sure enough, it was my mattress cover. I haven't done anything with the other 6 items yet, but I want to either give some as gifts, or sell them off. Is there any reason I should hold on to them for a while just in case? Can they even do anything to me now like force me to return them or make me pay for them if I get rid of them?

Answer:
 If you only paid for one, you're only entitled to keep one.

Contact the company and get paid shipping labels to return the extra items.Answer #2: Of course they aren't yours, you didn't pay for them.


Title: Could I get arrested for importing this?(NSFW)

Question:
So my favorite Japanese cosplayer, Akari Kanzaki, sells CDs with 'adult' pictures of herself(over there I believe they are called 'ROMS') exclusively at a Tokyo based event called Comiket.
I've managed to find a copy of one of her merchandise online, but i'm afraid that because [she has a child-like appearance](http://cdoll.web.fc2.com/fc2-imageviewer/1/1/3.jpg?_=1429721017) I could get charged with importing child pornography even though she is an adult! I'm afraid of the going through the similar case of [Ryan Matheson](http://comicsalliance.com/canada-manga-child-pornography-case/) as I am Canadian.
Do you think I can still import it? [ROM in question](http://cdoll.web.fc2.com/fc2-imageviewer/1/13/1.jpg?_=1462680780)
Thank you for the advice

Answer:
 she looks about 25 to me.

however importing porn is going to be dicey as there are plenty of laws that apply to import that don't apply to domestic trade, and other  laws that are taken for granted in domestic trade because all or nearly all of the producers follow it as a basic part of their business practice.

I don't know canadian porn laws, but a US example would be Section 2257 compliance, in the US just about all porn you buy in stores has legally mandated records of the participants proof of age and identity.


Title: My landlord is completely ignoring move out requests. What do I do?

Question:
I'm currently in San Francisco, and have rented my apartment for over 2 years now. My landlord is a largish rental company. I originally signed a 1-year lease, and was then told that it would go "month-to-month" afterward (but this isn't mentioned in the lease at all). I've never signed anything beyond the original lease with them. The lease also doesn't mention any terms for moving out, but from what I've gathered I should only need to provide 30 days notice and am then good to move out.

So far, I've tried emailing them and calling them, both of which have had no response yet. I did this on Monday of last week. Next, I went to their San Francisco office to physically drop off a notice that I'm moving out. I was hoping to speak to someone, but instead there was only a receptionist who didn't seem to care, and just had me put the paper notice in a comment box of sorts.

What am I supposed to do about this? Can I just move out on the date I told them, and stop paying rent (I don't want to then get an eviction notice or something)? It seems like it'd be unreasonable to be required to get confirmation from them to move out since otherwise places could just continually ignore you indefinitely.

I'm already planning on signing a lease for a new place this Monday, and can't really afford (or justify) paying rent for two places in downtown San Francisco for more than a month or so.

Answer: You've provided your notice. They don't have to acknowledge the notice for you to have provided it. If you want to make REALLY sure, you can print out a notice and send it to them via certified mail. Then move out once the 30 days are up.


Title: There was fire in our Apartment unit because of short circuit, should I claim for renters Insurance pr ask apartment community to pay for damages?

Question: There was fire in the bathroom exhaust fan and the whole unit was filled with black smoke and damaged  mist of the stuff in bathroom and in the closets. I’m not sure if I have to claim with renters insurance or the apartment community management  for the damages by fire and smoke.

Answer:
 Your renters insurance will cover your personal property (furniture, tv, clothes, etc.) so if you have a loss of personal property that exceeds your deductible, you should consider filing a claim.

Your apartment owner has a policy which covers the structure of the unit and their property (management provided appliances for example). So if you have damage to the walls, carpet, etc - the apartment management company should file their claim to repair the unit. Their policy will  not cover your personal property.


Title: [NV] My mentally ill sister is purposefully lying to her providers about my parents to try to get them to lose their jobs.

Question:
We reside in Nevada. My adult older sister has multiple diagnosed mental disorders including documented delusions/psychosis, diagnoses of bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and schizoaffective disorder over the last 5 years. One part of her illnesses is that she is manipulative and has extreme black and white thinking.

Last month she was accusing my father of sexually abusing her as a child. This month she is accusing my mother of emotional abuse during my sister's childhood. I was also a child of the home and witnessed no such abuse. This is the first time we have heard anything about these accusations. A few years ago she was telling people that I tried to stab her (I didn't) and that my father tried to kill her (he was across the country) and that my mom was Munchhausen by proxy.

Since she is telling medical professionals and other mandatory reporters these delusions and is typically very convincing (again manipulation is a huge part of borderline personality disorder), my parents who both work for the federal government are concerned for their jobs. It is clear that my sister is making it her goal to get them to lose their jobs and is even excited and happy at the prospect.

Because I was concerned for her safety and the safety of others, I got her permission to speak with her psychiatrist and he did not think there was a medication reason for her behavior, but instead that she was trying to make us do something she wanted.

With that context, I think my questions are:
1. How likely is it that abuse allegations would result in the termination or suspension?
2. Would there be a suspension of licenses or security clearances with accusations of sexual abuse or emotional child abuse?
3. Would my testimony as another child in the home hold any merit?

We really would like the best for my sister, but at this point we are all concerned for our physical safety and jobs. Any advice or information about how serious these claims are would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Answer:
 I am a former legal aid lawyer (who represented patients at a state mental hospital in their commitment hearings) and prosecutor, but I am NOT admitted in Nevada.

Some initial reactions:
It is hard to make sense of the various diagnosis you list, which are in some ways contradictory. Honestly you list basically every severe mental illness.  Is she on medication?  What types?

The statement of the psychiatrist is rather bizarre given the various diagnosis - which is his diagnosis?

The standard for involuntary commitment is essentially twofold (with some differences in the states):
1.  A Mental disease or defect
2.  that makes the person a danger to self or others

Here we are talking about physical harm.  Has your sister made any threatening comments or actions in the last 6 months?

Absent that commitment would be unlikely.   With respect to the allegations are you aware of they have been made, and if they have been investigated?  Has anyone from law enforcement contacted you?


Title: Can an ‘at will’ state fire you to avoid paying a bonus?

Question:
As the title says I am worried about a bonus (feb 28th) and putting in my two weeks notice to have March 1st be my last day.

I know I can just not show up since it is ‘at will’, but I don’t want to be that guy. I want to give my two weeks.

I don’t want them to fire me a day early to save 10 grand though.

Thanks

Answer:
>I don’t want them to fire me a day early to save 10 grand though.

They are under no obligation to honor your 2 weeks notice, and in your case I'm pretty sure they'd fire you just for the reason that they'll save 10 grand if they do. Don't speak a word of this to anyone, get your bonus in your account, then quit.


Title: I was arrested and am scared.

Question: I am 18 and this is my first offense. I live in michigan and was arrested for "disordely intoxication" i spent the night in jail and payed bond which was set at 100 dollars. I got a misdemeanor charge. No MIP i dont think. I have a court date set at the end of the month and I am freaking out. Im not a US citizen but i have a 2 year green card. Will the charge affect my chance of a 10 green card? What punoshment should expect? Could i face jail time? Is my life fucked now? Please Help

Answer:
 You really, really want to have a lawyer on your side. Normally it'd not be as big of a deal, but your visa concerns change that significantly.

Call a criminal defense attorney tomorrow morning. And stop breaking the law; things that a citizen gets a slap on the wrist for can quite easily end up with you being deported.Answer #2: Call a lawyer immediately. Because you're not a citizen, it may be helpful to find one who also handles or has previously handled immigration issues. Either way, make sure you have a lawyer to guide you through it.


Title: Company refuses doctor notes unless you have vacation time saved up

Question: [NE] Recently the company I work for changed the attendance policy to remove doctor note excuses unless you have ETO (vacation time) saved up... Somebody working full time accrues 5.5 hours of ETO every 2 weeks (pay period), but someone like me who goes to school full time and works 34 hours accrues 2.5 hours a pay period. I still work 8 hour days so this means I need to save up ETO for 6 weeks before I can take one day off. I'm currently sitting at my desk with strep throat, and can't leave because I don't have enough ETO saved up.

Answer: The only thing protected by law is FMLA.  They don't have to accept a doctor's note.  You can always call in anyway and risk being fired.


Title: Public outcry to have me charged with a hate crime, will it affect the charges placed against me?

Question:
Disclamer: The following post can be considered graphic in some areas, I do not wish to offend anyone I have tried to clean it up as much as possible but I feel I need to tell the story as it happened so there is no misunderstanding as to nature of the events in question.

I was at a bar when I met a girl named Becky (name changed). We hit it off and after a while of talking we went back to Becky's apartment to hang out. We messed around for a bit, then unbeknownst to me prior I discovered Becky was actually a man. I freaked out a bit and punched Becky and with my one hit She actually flopped to the ground and appeared unconscious. I realized what I had done and called 911 to have an ambulance come.

Police also arrived and began asking me what happened. I told them I did not feel comfortable discussing that and I was placed under arrest for an investigative period and ended up charged with aggravated assault. I have since retained a lawyer to help guild me through the legal proceedings. Me and him have discussions regularly where he updates me on the status of the case. He is also back and forth with the DA to try to figure out a plea deal that both sides can work with.

Today I talked on the phone to my lawyer who informed me he had had a discussion with the DA where the DA told him he has received a large outcry from the gay community who had demanded that I be charged with a hate crime. My lawyer could't really give me any more information, but we have an appointment to meet set for later this week where we will discuss how to proceed from here. I am wondering if you guys think this public demand will shape the charges against me?

Edit: Happened in Ft Myers Florida

Edit 2: Thank you all very much for your responses and for using your knowledge of the legal system to educate me more on the proceedings. I also appreciate that very few of you rushed to judgment on my actions, I know this is a very touchy subject and I hope to respond to it with the professionalism and courtesy that you guys have shown me. Like I said in this thread I acknowledge what I did was bad and illegal and I want nothing more than to accept the full FAIR consequences of my actions. That being said what I did was never intended to be a hateful act. When I saw how injured this person had become I  called for aid and waited for it to arrive because I did not want to see this person further harmed. I feel very remorseful about what I did, and I offer no excuses just an honest apology and a willingness to set right the wrongs committed. Thank you again for all the experience and support offered in this thread.

Edit 3: I have changed the pronouns in the narrative to reflect the knowledge of the preferred nomenclature of the transgendered community that I have gained here today.

Answer:
 Yes, it's quite common for a public outcry to impact criminal charges.

Now that that's out of the way, let's go ahead and clear some things up for you.

It's she, not he. It's girl, not "girl". You refer to someone as the gender by which they identify, not the gender by which you think they should identify. Go ahead and get that straight in your mind now, because if this case takes off, you want to know how to talk about it without seeming like a hateful bigot.

I understand the freaking out. It's ok that you freaked out. It's not ok to hit someone EVER unless you are in real danger. Florida DOES have a hate crime statute that protects sexual orientation and has been interpreted to also protect gender identity. You also did, indeed, hit her because of her gender identity.

That said, this is a shitty case for the LGBT community to rally around for publicity for a trial, and your attorney can probably be very useful in cutting a deal with the DA. Answer #2: > I am wondering if you guys think this public demand will shape the charges against me?

Sure.  Public outcry can often have an effect on charging.

Whether it will, or not, we can't say.


Title: Did my son commit a crime and what should we do about it?

Question:
My 14 year old son and one of his friends found an abandoned house not far from where we live.  For more than a year, they have been going there to explore the old barn and frankly do stupid teenager things.  To our knowledge they have not caused any property damage.

However, recently they bought a Visa gift card at a convenience store, created accounts with Amazon and Wish.com, and have ordered things we would never let them buy to be delivered to the house.  Knives, lock picks, a grappling hook, throwing stars... all things that teenage boys think are cool, but taken together, make it look like they were planning a crime.

We found out about it and now my son is on total lockdown.

We know they were trespassing at the very least.
Did they commit a crime sending packages to someone else’s address?
Did they commit a crime picking them up?  One arrived and my son took it from the mailbox.
In an absolutely brilliant move, they put their own names on the delivery addresses of these packages.  4 more packages are en route now.  Including one knife that is illegal in the state that we live.  What should we do about it?

Our inclination is to go to the police.  We don’t want to have these weapons found by some other children.  But would my son then face criminal charges?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 What state are you in?

Going to the police would be near the top of my "things not to do" list.Answer #2: A counselor seems like a better option than the police. If the police do come for whatever reason, the only thing you should say to them is "I will not answer and questions without my attorney present".


Title: Line manager forcing me to do something I really don't want to do, is this legit?

Question:
Apologies in advance if this is posted in the wrong place. I lurk a lot but never post so i'm a bit unsure!

So a bit of background to begin with, i'm in the UK, working for a hotel chain that also has several restaurant brands under it's name.

I work as a FOH Receptionist on the hotel side. The hotel has a restaurant across the road so our guests can have breakfast and evening meals. Recently the restaurant has been having employee turnover issues, and are pretty much constantly understaffed.

This is where my line manager comes into it. She recently (Yesterday) posted an announcement on our social media group that we will be assisting the restaurant during an extremely busy week, and the daytime reception staff (Me and 2 others) will be doing breakfast shifts in the restaurant. I messaged my manager asking to not have to do this, as I have worked in the restaurant before a couple of times, and really do not enjoy it.

In response to this, I was told it was not optional. I complained that restaurant shifts are not a part of my contract, at which point she slammed me with this clause from that same contract:

"The company reserves the right to require you to work at different locations either temporarily or permanently from time to time. You will not normally be required to work outside the UK."

After this I explained this whole situation is making me extremely miserable and is making me dread coming to an otherwise enjoyable job. So far she has completely disregarded my feelings and told me I have no choice.

Am I boned and just have to suck it up?

Thank you all for your time and help!
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Since when do you get to pick and choose your tasks at work based on whether or not you like said task? Entitled much? Answer #2: I don’t know how it works in the UK, but generally your manager doesn’t have to take your feelings into consideration when asking you to do your job. I would guess that unless you have some sort of contract saying you’ll only do this task or that task, you’ll have to suck it up and do as asked.  I don’t work Saturdays, but I was asked to today because we have a huge project. I don’t want to and don’t feel like it, but I’ll do as asked because that’s part of having a job.


Title: Lost Engagement Ring

Question:
[CA] I lost my engagement ring, completely by accident. It was $3,000. My fiance told me I need to replace it and when I told him I wouldn't he told me I can leave. I don't want to be with him anymore and he basically ended our engagement by saying that.

However, I've been looking into California Law, can he force me to pay him back? Am I legally obligated to, since I can't give the ring back? He technically gave it to me as a gift (literally proposed by giving it to me as a gift on Christmas in a shitty paper box).

Please give me your thoughts on this. The law seems to say I don't have to return it since it was a gift. I would return it if I had it but it is lost.

Answer:
 Engagement rings, in most states (including California) are conditional gifts. The condition is the marriage. If there wasn't a marriage, the property still belongs to him. You owe him the property or the fair market value of said property. Answer #2: This doesn't directly answer your question, but check with your homeowners insurance or renter's insurance (you do have one of them, right?) to see if you can file a claim for the lost item.

Many or most of these policies view an engagement ring as a non-covered luxury item and you have to have been paying for a jewelry rider if you want it insured; but you should check.


Title: Need advice for child support, over paying to the point that it has ruined my life (Ontario)

Question:
long story short my ex took off with my kid across the country a few years ago and i have been stuck paying 650 for one child that is now 895 a month because i got behind. the reason it is so high is because i thought i signed something agreeing to pay half of day care but turned out to be a extra 400 a month for "activities"

so now they take more then i take home and cant afford a lawyer to take it to court so i need someones advice, she ruined my life by taking my daughter and she is now taking all of my money leaving me with nothing..i want to support my kid but i also want to support myself please help thanks

some info

i only make 18 bucks a hour its in ont her new hubby makes like 200k a year she lives in alberta

Answer:
 According to my calculations you are making $2880 a month net (assuming a 40 hour work week).

You are paying $650 a month plus arrears. Which works out to about $160 a week which sounds  reasonable.

And what her new husband makes is irrelevant.

Edit: having said that, this http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/child-enfant/look-rech.asp seems to indicate you are paying over the odds.


Title: Can I set up a nanny cam in my work office?

Question: I have reason to believe either a janitor or a security gaurd is stealing cash and helping themselves to food in my office at work. Can I setup a nanny cam to catch them in the act? The camera would be set up in my office not in a shared space. Also, does it matter if the camera record audio as well as video? I'm in Idaho if that makes a difference.

Answer:
 Yes, it absolutely makes a difference if it records audio.

You can be fired for doing this without permission even if it's legal in your state- check with your boss first.


Title: (Colorado) landlord threw out my things before the lease was cancelled

Question: At the beginning of November I went to the leasing office to cancel my lease. There was a misunderstanding and I signed a document saying I was moving out in 30 days. About half an hour after signing this document the lady who worked in the office called me and told me because of my lease I had to give 60 days notice instead. I then paid rent for the month of November and the month of December plus a cancellation fee which was equal to one months rent. At this point I'm under the impression that I have until December 31st to be completely out of the place. Around December 1st the manager of the property called me and asked if I was completely moved out, too which I replied that I was not. I then asked him to confirm that I had until the end December to be out, which he said was correct.  I moved out my furniture, kitchen, and PC. I still had a lot of stuff there that I needed to get. Needless to say when I went back about a week later everything was gone, this was about a week before Christmas. After talking with the manager he agreed that there had been a mistake and told me to write up a list of everything thrown away and their market values. I made the list and it came out to just over $4000. He then offered $750. I countered his offer and didn't hear from him for a couple months, he eventually replied and says that he won't go above $750. So my questions are. Does the lease trump the document I signed? Is it worth it to take this to my attorney? Or should I just take the $750 and cut my losses?

Answer: Sue them, short and simple.Answer #2: Sue them, them offering $750 is showing they fucked up and admitting guilt.


Title: Neighbor resloped yard and added drain which now floods my garage. (TN)

Question:
Sorry if this post has the wrong flair.

My neighbor recently added a pool to their back yard and did some pretty significant grading and sloping to accommodate the pool. He added main runoff drain that handles the runoff from the pool and his house to a single 8" pipe that spits off his property and directly at my garage.

Since the installation of the drain my garage floods every time there is a significant rain, causing minor damage to some equipment that I have on the floor. Most importantly I have started to see settling in the garage and my house (also in the path of my new seasonal river).

I went to ask him if he would install an extension of the line to point to a common drain or towards my driveway and he ignored me. I have pictures and security footage of the work by happenstance, one of which is of him flipping me off when he was installing the drain.

What are my options? I don't care to go after him for damages, I just want him to move his drain.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: Try code enforcement for you city or township, they take this stuff seriously.


Title: Not so sick kid

Question:
So I recently found out that a mom I know got very good news regarding her son’s illnesses.  Turns out they’re not going to be terminal, and he’ll likely (90%) make a full recovery.  Despite this, she still plans to take money from all the “my son is dying” charity campaigns she has going. There are several.

Is this illegal or just completely scummy?

This is in New Hampshire.

Answer:
 >Is this illegal or just completely scummy?

Don't know if it's either.  Dealing with a child with a potentially fatal illness can be very emotionally and financially taxing, regardless of if a full recovery is made.  And, I pray that they ALL make a full recovery.

At this point, it's 90%.  Still scary AF.

Were I to have contributed to someone going through that I'd be all like:  Keep the freaking money.  Take everyone to Disney World.  Breath a sigh of relief.  Celebrate.  Live life.Answer #2: It sounds like she believed her son's condition was terminal, so I don't see why she wouldn't be able to use the funds for his care now that he's going to live.  I presume he still requires medical care in order to make a full recovery.


Title: [California] I had a front page post about a dog attack in my apartment two months ago...Do I have legal grounds to demand my lease be terminated early without a fee so I can move?

Question:
[This is the post to which I am referring.](https://np.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/5ijmzv/i_rescued_my_dog_from_a_twoonone_dog_attack/)

I'm using an alternate account because I sent a link to the original post to my apartment's management team. I don't want them going through my history and seeing this post.

The situation:

The company that owns my apartment complex does not allow pit bulls (among a few other breeds) in their apartment properties. However, they do not seem to enforce this restriction. When another resident's pit bulls attacked my dog, I brought up the restriction to the office. I reminded them that when I moved in, I had to submit photos of my pets, so they should have photos of these pit bulls with the owner's name. They basically shrugged and said "well people sneak dogs in without us knowing."

But, this guy walks the pit bulls on property. I find it extremely hard to believe that none of the agents in the leasing office or maintenance workers have seen these dogs at one point or another. Not to mention all the other dogs who live here who are on the restricted breed list, like Huskies and German Shepherds.

The issue is that I don't know who this guy was. He lives in a different building in the complex. I didn't get a good look at him (too busy trying to save my dog). The company is saying there's not really anything they can do unless they know who the dude is (which I don't see how they can't figure it out).

I really just want to move. I don't feel comfortable here knowing there's a dude improperly handling aggressive dogs, and that the company apparently doesn't really care. I want to use this as a reason to terminate my lease early without a lease termination fee, so I can move. This company charges two months worth of rent to terminate your lease early.

Do I have any sort of legal ground to make that demand?

Answer:
 >However, they do not seem to enforce this restriction.

You can't make them, if they don't want to.

>The company is saying there's not really anything they can do unless they know who the dude is (which I don't see how they can't figure it out).

Why would the company be looking for him? Did you call the police or animal control about the pitbull who got in a fight with your dog?

> I want to use this as a reason to terminate my lease early without a lease termination fee, so I can move. This company charges two months worth of rent to terminate your lease early.

Nope, not unless it's written in your lease, which it probably isn't. There not responsible for your neighbors or their dogs. Pay the two months or live out your lease.

Cute pupper btw, glad he made it through.


Title: Girlfriend is pregnant,has health issues has a warrant for missing court due to metal illness (UTAH)

Question: So my girlfriend is 8 months  pregnant and is a high risk pregnancy a while back she missed court due to being in a metal health facility and now has a warrant her doctor said she can't be walking around basically bed ridden and has a court date on the 3rd we can't afford an attorney since neither of us have been working and had to move back in with my parents is there anyway to prevent her going to jail?

Answer: She already has a warrant from missing court, missing another date is not a good idea. If this is a criminal issue she should request a PD.Answer #2: Beg or borrow money for an attorney. Warrants don't magically disappear. Was her missed court appearance for a serious offense? If not, it's unlikely (but not impossible) that the police will come looking for her.


Title: (Canada) Harassed at work, employer stopped paying my salary and suggested applying for STD.

Question:
I'll try and keep this as brief as possible...

I'm a female and after being harassed at work for several months by a male coworker, I filed a formal complaint with my employer.  They hired an independent investigator and after several months, the case was closed, my claims were warranted, and my employer had "dealt with the problem."  That said, the person who was harassing me continues to work there.

After a couple more months, the harassment continued and I was taken off work by my family doctor and referred to a psychologist.

In January (after being off for 6 weeks), I was cleared to return to work with the accommodation that I don't have to work with the person who was harassing me in the past.

I've attended every meeting and have complied with every request my employer has requested, as they are in the process of modifying the work as per my doctor's request.  Since January, they have continued to pay my full salary.

Last week, my employer notified me that they were going to stop paying my salary and recommended that I apply for STD.  The problem is, I don't imagine I'll qualify for STD as I've been cleared to return to full duties since January.

I hope that's everything in a nutshell.  There's so much more I could write, but I'm trying to keep it brief.  Let me know if you have any Thoughts / Suggestions on my next steps?

TLDR: Employer stopped paying my salary and suggested I apply for STD (knowing I won't qualify).  Employer hasn't set up a modified return to work.

Answer: What does STD mean in this context?


Title: Good samaritan stopped a hit and run on girlfriend car need help!

Question:
Located in San Francisco.

Girlfriend parked her car on a busy road known for heavy traffic. Some company truck apparently hit the front side bumper of her car and tried to brush it off and leave. Some construction workers happened to see the indecent and notified the building manager which the car was parked in front of. The manager stopped the piece of shit right before he was trying to leave and took photos of the damage and got 4 witness statements in writing. What are our options from here? Im assuming we sue? Any advice would help.

Also, we are going to the police station later this evening to file and formal report with photos and writen statements.

Update: I bought the guys some doughnuts and juices. Accepting alcohol on the job seemed like it might be an issue. Hopefully this douche who tried to run will think twice next time

Answer:
 >Also, we are going to the police station later this evening to file and formal report with photos and writen statements.

Bingo!Answer #2: Not legal advice, but you should really thank those workers with coffee and donuts. Something special to show your appreciation. Answer #3: The police will make a report. Get a copy of that and give that to her insurance company, along with all your other evidence. Then have her bring those construction workers some cookies.


Title: Can employers keep employee's tips?

Question:
I will try to keep this short. Essentially the 2 owners ( a father and son) of the pizza place I work at have not been tipping out employees for at least the past 4 years (when i started working there). I brought this up to them the other day and they said that they wont be giving us tips. Which I am almost positive is illegal. If they have a tip system shouldn't it go to the employee that helped them or at least be put into a pool and spread evenly between all employees? Is there any legal action I could take towards them. Or even a government company to report them to? I Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

I am in Washington State if that changes anything.

Answer: This sounds like tip theft to me. Call WA L&I at 1-888-811-5974 or 1-866-219-7321.


Title: My lawyer is withdrawing from my case, can I get a refund? (FL)

Question:
My lawyer is voluntarily withdrawing from my case because I complained about the service I was getting. My lawyer is working on a misdemeanor case where confidentiality was asked for when I hired him. I had to constantly check up on them for him to update me etc, at the end due to discrepancies that confidentiality was not kept and I emailed him complaining about it, he got offended and told me he was ending termination because I was ungrateful etc etc ..

Can I get a refund for the incomplete service given that there are no other reasons than me being dissatisfied and comparing about it for him terminate his service?

Answer:
 If you paid a retainer, you are entitled to a refund of the unused retainer.

You are highly unlikely to get a refund for services rendered.


Title: I was in a situation where I used my gun. [KS]

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: lol reported for a troll post


Title: [Ontario] [Canada] Store manager arrived late to work by 40 minutes, was not paid for time waiting.

Question:
Hey, so I'm not entirely sure if this is legal so I'm hoping you guys could help me out a bit.

Work normally starts at 7:00, and I arrived at 7:00, the door was locked and I could not get in, along with other employees.

Eventually the store manager arrived at 7:40, and opened the door for us, however did not pay us for the time we spent waiting outside, is this allowed?

Answer: Nope, not allowed. This is a labour board issue if it’s not resolved in-houseAnswer #2: Store managers have bosses that would be very interested in not being pounded in the ass over 8 emoyees being unpaid.Answer #3: Did you ask the manager about it?Answer #4: Wow he is playing a dangerous game on not paying you all. Have any of you approached him on it?Answer #5: I am also in ontario.  I had a manager once tell me he wasn't going to pay us for waiting outside.  I waited till the next manager came in and spoke with them, turned out he was trying to hide the fact he slept in.  They paid us for breakfast and the time.  Mind you, you also play with fire because if your late they are might not turn a blind eye.  I would second what others are saying. Talk to his boss or owner, i wouldn't use the threat of reporting it though.Answer #6: Get in touch with the [Labour Board](https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-labour), you are owed wages for the time you were waiting.


Title: I tried to report the location of a wanted man and got hung up on

Question:
A man I know was arrested and found guilty of several counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. He served his jail time and was on parol or probation? I’m not entirely sure which, since 2016. He seemed fine after his release then randomly he showed up in the state I live stating he lost his ID and wanted to know if I would rent him a hotel room. He has repeatedly texted me and I have not responded. The reason I even know this man is because when I was 14 he lied about his age and we had a friendship over the Internet. Which mirrored the grooming and abuse of his victims, but we never met when I was underage. Not important as I’m over 18 and no longer wish to be friends with this person once I found out all the horrible things he has done. We had hung out in public places until recently when I found out what he had done.
I immediately called LAPD with his name, DOB, and the information that he was in Las Vegas. They told me to call this crime stoppers number. I did and they told me he was “wanted.” They took the information I had and gave me a tip ID number in case I had anymore information (at the time I didn’t know his exact location). He also fled the country when he was originally arrested.
Later on he tells me the exact hotel he is staying and keeps begging for me to come see him. I call the crime stopper number, they asked for my tip ID, I gave it to them and they said they can’t find a tip with ID. I said “ok then can I give you the information again with this new information of his exact location?” THEY SAY NO. I asked confused “why?” They said they are not allowed to create a new tip and that maybe if I call in the morning I can have them find the correct ID number. I’m just worried that he will leave by that time. Besides being super freaked out that he traveled across state lines to be near me, I want him to be apprehended for his crimes. I can’t stand the thought of him committing more crimes and me not doing anything about it. Then they HANG UP ON ME. I call the Las Vegas police (where we currently both are) non emergency number and they tell me “well we can’t do anything about it unless you are literally standing right next to him and then maybe we would send out a patrol car.” I asked if I could give the information anyways she said “it’s pointless I wouldn’t write it down anyways. You telling me won’t make anything happen.”
What the hell Reddit? This guy was found guilty of serious crimes, obviously committed more crimes, is wanted, and I know the exact location but police and tip lines are refusing to take it.
What do I do? They told me “well maybe he will turn himself in.” He fled to another country before and is fleeing now. So obviously he won’t be turning himself in. I don’t understand why no one will take the information.
Las Vegas police said MAYBE they would send a patrol if I was literally standing next to him. I’m not risking my safety on a “maybe” a cop will show up.

Location: Las Vegas (where we both currently are). As far as I know crimes committed in Los Angeles, where he was originally jailed.

TLDR: a man was found guiltily of doing some serious stuff to a 13 year old. He is now wanted again. I know his exact location but LAPD, Las Vegas metro and crime stoppers are refusing to take my tip. What do I do?

Answer:
 You could try reporting to US Marshals. One of their primary duties is going after fugitives.

https://www.usmarshals.gov/leads.htm

https://www.usmarshals.gov/district/nv/general/contacts.htmAnswer #2: You should go in person to the Las Vegas Metro station to the one closest to him: I.e. if he's in Henderson, go there or in North Las Vegas go there. It could help.Answer #3: If he doesn't have ID the room must be under someone else's name. Metro can't just show up at the hotel room for him. There are procedures in place to deal with it.


Title: [NC] Tree on my Property Fell on Neighbor's Fence and They're Acting Like I'm Liable

Question: In last night's severe weather and high winds, the top half of an oak tree in my yard was split off and fell with the canopy of the tree and the upper branches coming down across my neighbor's fence. The neighbor (whom I do not know) has already been to my house to tell me about his fence and says that he will check back with me again later. This is the result of weather beyond my control, so am I responsible for the damages to my neighbor's property?

Answer: Unless it was diseased, and you failed to act, it is not your responsibility.Answer #2: North Carolina tree responsibility laws generally follow the principle of negligence.  Unless your neighbor can prove that you negligently left the tree to stand (such as you knowing that it was dead or rotten, and leaving it up, anyway), he is responsible for his own damages.  His homeowners insurance will surely know that and will cover the damage.


Title: Bought mispriced laptops + monitors for 20$, now Walmart is making excuses on why they can't deliver

Question:
Hello Redditors,

Yesterday I purchased a couple monitors and laptops that had be mispriced on the Canadian walmart website. Basically I bought 2 laptops for 15$ each and 3 monitor or 20$. Great find right?

Well, I was trying not to get too excited over this steal, because I figured they would catch on quick and cancel the orders. It wasn't until after the orders had been confirmed and my payment processed that I received a very weird email from Walmart customer service saying that the monitors I ordered were defective. Yeah right.

Here's a copy past of the email. It looks like it may have been google translated or something. Overall it's just sloppy.

" Dear customer, Thank you for your support for our company. Our colleague decide to send your item out before. But very Sorry to inform you， we tested it , and found this batch’s products has some quality problem. We finally withdraw the shipping. We have connected our supplier. So we temporarily can’t send you this item. We have cancelled the order and applied for the refund to you,pls check your account in 3-5 days. Really sorry for all the troubles for you. I think you can choose a better product later. Best wishes "

For the laptops, which were a separate order I got a much more official looking email from walmart saying they had run out of stock (even though there was stock left when I ordered) and that my order would be cancelled in 3 days if they couldn't get more in stock.

Is there anything I can do in this case? Do they have any legal obligations to me? Keep in mind I'm in Canada

Thanks in advance for any advice.

TLDR; Bought laptops and monitors for 20$ as they were mispriced on the Canadian walmart website, now they are saying those products are defective/out of stock to avoid actually following though with the order. Can I do anything?

Answer:
 Did you purchase them on Walmart Marketplace and not Walmart directly? It's quite possible that it's a third party running a scam through Walmart's website.Answer #2: They can rescind/call back an order that was made in error.  I'm guessing you weren't buying from walmart but some 3rd party distributor...hell the wording of that letter makes me wonder if you feel for a phishing scam and need to protect your credit info. Answer #3: Reading the OP and all the other comments:

It's a scam being run, just looking right at their BS excuses.  Request a refund from walmart.ca and call it a day.  If they refuse, chargeback.

But as a general note for reference (the situation I assumed when I had only read the title): Had it simply been a mis-priced product, they are generally able to cancel the order legally.  Staples gets it all the time, they mis-price PC components, chairs, desks, and other similar fairly large-ticket items, then cancel all the orders when they figure it out.Answer #4: IANAL.  I'd get a new card coming.  The grammatical errors in that email along with the idea that someone would test an item between selling and shipping screams scam.


Title: Why isn't Roe v. Wade applicable in the mandatory vaccine issue? (AKA - Don't tell me what to do with my body)

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 There is a different Supreme Court case that applies to vaccinations:

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/197/11/Answer #2: The right in Roe is limited. Here is how the Court descibed it in Lawrence v. Texas:

The Casey decision again confirmed that our laws and tradition afford constitutional protection to personal decisions relating to marriage, procreation, contraception, family relationships, child rearing, and education. Id., at 851. In explaining the respect the Constitution demands for the autonomy of the person in making these choices, we stated as follows:

“ These matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime, choices central to personal dignity and autonomy, are central to the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State.” Ibid

So, it is not nearly broad enough to encompass the right to refuse a vaccine.Answer #3: I don't see how this would be relevant at all, the government isn't mandating vaccines , they can refuse certain services if you're not vaccinated but they're not going to hold you down and inject you. but even if they were how woulda ruling that a person has a right to a particular medical procedure have any meaning to requiring one.


Title: [VA, DC] My Uber driver recorded me the entire drive

Question:
I just took an Uber from VA to DC. When I got in the car, the Uber driver called someone from the car (I could see the notification pop up on his phone and the car's screen). The whole way the screen said he was on a call. When I got out of the car, he pressed a button and it hung the phone up.

Now, I think this is just for security and his thinking was probably that if I said something, it get captured on a phone message. It's pretty ingenious to me, but I also don't know the laws, was what he is doing illegal? He technically crossed state lines, are the laws different on either side of the Potomac?

Answer: Uber drivers record in their car all the time everybody knows this. It's their car.Answer #2: Both states are one party consent. If he was having a conversation with you, then it's legal. If he was NOT having a conversation with you, for example, if you were on the phone with a third party, it may not be legal.


Title: someone tries to commit suicide on your car. Who is liable?

Question:
My friend was driving and some guy jumped in front of his car, but he quickly swerved and dodged him. Now what would happen if he jumped in front of your car and killed him? or injured him? Who is liable? Will the driver be charged for murder?

I have a dash cam so if I recorded someone jumping in front of my car will I win the case?

Answer: This actually happened to someone I knew.  He was lucky in that the person had a history of being mentally unstable and past suicide attempts, so he was not charged.  Everyone was very worried that he could be.  I talked to him and he said the worst part was that they didn't tell him right away that it was a suicide, and he thought he actually killed someone.Answer #2: There's just way too many variables to do a what if scenario on this. The worst thing that could happen to the driver is that he's charged with vehicular manslaughter. On the other end of the spectrum, no charges and the guy that jumped in front of you was a billionaire so his estate settled with you for an obscene amount of money to keep you quiet about it.


Title: Career Day for a Lawyer

Question:
Hey folks! I am supposed to be presenting  for career day this week at an elementary school to several classes of 2nd and 3rd grade students for about 10-15m per class. I thought this would be a simple matter until I realized that I will have to explain what I do in a manner that these young students can understand while still being entertaining. I am a plaintiff's side employment law attorney in South Carolina, however the presentation does not have to be about employment law.  I thought maybe talking about civil litigation or how the legal system works. I also would like to maybe bring something for the students such as a coloring page.

I would greatly appreciate any ideas or materials from my fellow attorneys.  Thank you in advance!

Answer: How about the difference between *legal* and *right or wrong*. From this sub, there are a lot of people that do not understand that legislatures create law—although, when you start talking about the common law, it gets complicated . . . .


Title: [MD] What legal repercussions could I have from not turning in a found Debit Card?

Question:
~~Was walking to the libary found a debit card on the ground of a lobby from some guy I didn't know. He almost certainly goes to the same campus I go to (this building is used almost exclusively by students)~~

~~However the student centre was really busy when I went in, so I decided to hold onto it.~~

~~Is there any trouble I can get into from having a card that isn't mine, even if I don't use it for anything?~~

~~Thanks.~~

EDIT: I'll run back after I'm finished with my writing and turn it in. Thanks.

Answer:
 >Is there any trouble I can get into from having a card that isn't mine, even if I don't use it for anything?

Yep.  Let's play out a little hypothetical.  Suppose you just happen to keep "forgetting" about it.  You go out to the bars later this week.  You get a little drunk, get a little rowdy on the walk home.  Cop comes up to you, if you're a minor decides to arrest you for MIP, or if you're of age, arrests you for a drunken disorderly.  Then he searches you, opens the wallet, sees your ID with your name and your cards, and then a card that doesn't have your name.  He asks you about that card and you can only say "I swear officer I just found it and intended to give it back to the owner."  You think for one second he buys that story when that's the same song and dance he hears every day?

No, he won't.  You had time to post to reddit, but didn't have time to wait in the student center?  You should probably just go and get rid of the card as soon as possible.


Title: Dating Site Scam

Question:
Hey all-

I think I've fallen into a scam but I'm not really sure. Anyways, I was on a dating site and met this cute girl. She wanted to start texting right away. She seemed really cool and she seemed to be looking for a no strings attached relationship which is exactly what I was looking for.

About two days later she sends a nude. And I'm like alright cool. I'm not comfortable sending stuff myself but I sent a pic of my face. I start talking about meeting up and stuff. She then tells me that her dating profile got blocked because she's only 17 and someone reported her. Right then and there I'm like "HOLD UP". Her profile said 18 and as soon as I found that out I just deleted the texts and told her that I'm not really looking for a sexual relationship anymore and PLEASE don't send anymore photos. I told her we can still talk and whatever but she gets upset and says she's mature for her age and that age of consent is 17. Either way I wanted nothing to do with that and she kinda just gets mad and stops talking to me.

Three days later I get a call from her "father" talking about how I received nude photos of her underage daughter, which is true but I never asked for it, didn't know she was underage and immediately deleted them once she told me. He said that she is now undergoing therapy since I stopped talking to her and that he wouldn't press charges if I paid her therapy bills which cost $1k. He says he has a detective friend and he knew my full name, where I lived and where I work. No idea how (maybe some googling) but either way he's got my info. I just want to know if, legally, am I in any kind of danger? Seems fishy that he wants money and will just drop charges. What do you all think?

Btw, location is NC

Answer: it's a scam. block and ignore.


Title: Girlfriend and I are splitting up. We have one kid.

Question: She doesn't want to sign an agreement to my visitation. We haven't been to court and I'd like to avoid doing so. She claims because we were never married, she doesn't have to sign an agreement. Am I in the wrong? Need guidance.

Answer: You don't have to have a formal agreement if you can work something out between you. Lots of people coparent without having been to court. But if you cannot come up to an acceptable arrangement, or you do and she breaks it, then you will need to go to court to get a custody/visitation order.


Title: My Father Passed Away, And My Aunt is Slowing the Legal Process Down Immensely

Question:
In October of last year (2018), my father passed away unexpectedly without a will. He was young so it was expected that he didn't have one. I am 20, and my younger sister is 18, and are my father's next of kin. My mother divorced him a year before his death, and I'm from Massachusetts.

When my father first passed away, my aunt, eldest five siblings including my father, if she could speak for my sister and I involving any sort of planning around my father's death. My sister and I agreed because we are both away at college and getting phone calls and texts 24/7 about this was going to be stressful, so we just wanted to convey information to my aunt which she could then transfer over to whomever would be necessary.

The first red flag about all of this was that we didn't know about a date for the funeral until I saw people sharing about it on facebook. The same goes for the obituary, as they had written it without us or getting any input from us, and it was spread across facebook like wildfire. It's difficult to see things about your own father's death that you had absolutely no say in. I had called the funeral home and asked them if they knew that my sister and I had no say in this whatsoever. They said that my aunt had informed them that we had been apart of it, so she lied to them. The funeral home apologized and said that we could make any changes to the funeral plans or the obituary that we wanted. We didn't change any funeral plans but we did rewrite a bit of the obituary a little, one of the things being sending donations to my sister and I's education as well as the donor they had chosen.

I then decided to call my aunt and ask her directly why they wrote they obituary without us. She only proceeded to get mad at me for this and started to gaslight me about the whole situation. I tried to de-escalate and then asked her a second question, "where is the money for the funeral coming from?" I didn't care if it was coming out of what would be my inheritance, because I learned that my aunt had tried to get into my father's bank account, but it would have been nice to have any sort of say in the funeral planning if my sister and I were technically going to be paying for it. She then blew up on me again, telling me that I would regret making his death all about greed. I hung up on her because I was through being manipulated.

We then went over to her house directly. My little sister is very diplomatic so she did most of the talking, and then my eldest aunt, the one who is basically orchestrating everything, said that she and one of my other aunts would be paying for the funeral. Seems like an easy solution, yeah? Well, it gets a lot worse.

The funeral happens, then there is a giant catered dinner for the many people who showed up to the funeral. Okay, fine. My sister and I didn't stay to eat because we were just too upset about the whole thing and just went home.

A few months later, we get a special notice sent directly to our lawyer entitled "(My father's name) Finances." This had everything in it. The funeral, the catering services after the funeral, and everything in between. We were furious that she was now trying to charge us after we had never asked for them to pay for the services nor did we say that we would pay them back. My father did not have a lot of money and we definitely weren't going to be able to pay all of those finances off by ourselves.

The next big thing are his materials. My father lived with his mother so he didn't have a property for us to inherit, but he did have a lot of stuff. He was a mechanic/landscaper so he had a lot of heavy equipment, trucks, and tools that my sister and I had no use for. We, my sister, mother and I, would have a large scale estate sale for all of his big equipment. We already had some buyers interested in some large things. He lived on a farm, and a farm just across the street from us agreed to hold all of the stuff on his property and let us have the tag sale there as to not stress out my grandmother, who is very old and has dementia. The aunt in control says that this is not acceptable for her, that she will not have my mother and her friends come to pick up his stuff and that the whole thing is just no convenient for her, so they completely deny us access to to property, and basically hold his stuff hostage.

Months go by before my aunt finally comes up with a brilliant idea, the people who live across the street at the farm who offered to hold the stuff, come and hold the stuff for us. What a brilliant idea, ugh. She then says we should send it off to auction. We didn't want to give into her horrendous demands because she has made this process months longer than it needed to be but we finally just say, okay, we can send it to auction. The auctioneer contacts us and says that there is a moving fee and a commission fee, we agree but we warn him that there is probably not a lot of money in the estate.

Before the auction happens, we learned that my father took out a loan to buy a new tractor, and he never paid it off. They said we can either pay off the loan or repo it. We have no use for the machine so we agree that they can repo it. When the repo man comes, my aunt is 5 inches behind him the whole time. She points at one machine and screams, his words not mine, that this was the right one. He wanted to check the other machines just to make sure it was the right one, but she kept on yelling at him that he could not under any circumstances look at the other ones and that the one she had was the correct one. Flustered, he just takes the one she shows him. Turns out, it's the wrong one. And the one that they were supposed to grab gets sold at auction.

There are other things in here that piss us off, like our horses that were living at the farm, my aunt demanded that they be taken away. Her words were, "I want the horses gone." Keep in mind there are other horses at this farm that are not ours so it's not like it's a huge extra responsibility (and they're miniature horses.) We have no space for them, so we give them to a wonderful rescue who agreed to take them in. My aunt also admitted to taking y father's truck and using it, which I'm pretty sure is technically stealing. There are lots of issues here, and this process has been going on for months when it probably could have been finished in less than two, all because everything was apparently so inconvenient for her.

Here is where I ask for legal advice - what can I do about all of this? We've clearly lost money because of her, and she has caused my sister and I a lot of emotional pain during all of this. Is there someway to take her to court or press charges? I know that emotional distress is very hard to sue for, but there surely has to be a way for making up for the loss of funds, and her attempt to charge us with all the finances after saying to pay them off.

Please, this has caused my family a great deal of pain.

Answer:
 is the estate being probated, or is the estate small enough that it isn't going through probate?

it sounds like the aunt has been handling the affairs of the estate either as the executor or personal representative.  If she's been doing this badly you can petition the court to appoint someone else.


Title: Like, never, EVER talk to the cops?

Question:
I see this advice all the time, to never talk to the police without the advice of a lawyer, but I assume that's only if they call you, not if you call them. However, I've had a handful of times in my life when I've had to call the cops, and of course I talked to them, but it got me wondering if even that was risky because any time in the conversation they *could have* started suspecting me, and I wouldn't have any way of knowing when the "Shut up and lawyer up" line was crossed.

Example: as a teen, my younger, also teenaged sister used to occasionally steal from us and run away. Usually we pretty well knew who she was with, and she was only stealing like $20 or so for food while she was gone, and we knew she was safe and would come home when she'd stopped being pissed off at me or my dad or both of us. But one time she took a couple hundred I'd been saving, and left with a car full of guys I didn't know. I was really pissed off and really scared for her, so I called my dad at work, and I also called the cops.

They came and took my statement, I described the car as best I could, but they did ask if we had been in a fight recently and I answered honestly, that yes, we had, about her being too loud when I was trying to nap, and how she was always so inconsiderate. Now, if the cops had kept questioning me about us fighting, or questioned neighbors, it very well could have come out that we fought all the time, often physically, and screamed loud enough for the neighbors to hear, and even yelled "I'm going to kill you!" at each other, and they could have had reason to suspect I was lying about her running away and that I'd killed her or something.

I didn't, and they didn't go in that direction, but what if they had? How would I have known they had shifted from "Let's get info to see if we can find this girl" to "Hmm, maybe her sister killed her, let's see if she slips up and says something incriminating." I mean, I probably wouldn't have realized if they did start suspecting me, and even being innocent they could have gotten me to confess to having assaulted her in the past, threatening her, sometimes wishing she would die, and that might have been enough to arrest me, even though I didn't do anything to her.

Like, what's to stop that from happening in other cases when you need to call the cops?

Answer:
 Your own example is exactly why you have to be very careful interacting with the police. The fact that all of the lawyers here on Reddit keep telling other users like you to just not talk at all is because we have represented people who thought it was a good idea or thought they were smart enough to handle that interaction and they were wrong.

It is not that the police are automatically dead set against you. But their job is to solve crimes. If they get a sniff of a crime, they'll ride that hunch as far as they want to in order to find a crime.Answer #2: Not much for it other than gut feeling, really. A cop can switch to the "now you're acting rather sus" mode rather quickly, and usually rather discretely.

 My personal rule of thumb would be when they seem interested in me rather than the victim. So if I was calling about a runaway sibling, then the police would need a physical description, last known location, other people they were seen with, and likely places they would run away to. What they don't need to know is what *I* was doing and where *I've* been for the past 24 hours.Answer #3: Generally if you're not the victim, you're a suspect.  And if they start asking anything that doesn't sound like they are trying to help a victim, it's time to shut up.Answer #4: What's to stop that?  your mouth.  shut it.  explain what needs to be said for the help you need.  that's it.  stop talking after that.


Title: Do I deserve overtime pay?

Question:
I work for a shady family at a tobacco shop in kansas

They said they can pay $350 salary for 40 hours. I dont remember signing anything other than a tax doc. (been 6 months so far, never missed a day)

I now regularly get scheduled for 46-50 hours, and then am forced to stay late or arrive early about 2-4 hours throughout the week.

If my till is negative, they will reduce my pay.
If I work overtime, I get no additional pay.

(One time i covered a 13 hr shift and she tossed me $20)

I bet they do not have proper record keeping, and I know obama passed a law last year about fair labor... But I dont want to lose my job....if i they get investigated they will know tis me :(

They love my work and say they dont want me to feel abused, but they do it anyway.

I can see opportunity, but thats several years down the road.

If I lose my job I lose my home and so on.

i cant risk losing my work, what should i do

thank you

Answer:
 You deserve overtime pay. It's illegal for them to fire you in retaliation for asking for overtime pay.

But that just means they'll get in trouble if they do fire you. It doesn't ensure they won't do it.


Title: If you allow someone to live with you for free 100%, are you required to give 30 days notice to kick them out?

Question: In the state of Michigan, please help, my dad just punched my grandfather.

Answer:
 >my dad just punched my grandfather.

At least the lede wasn't buried too deeply.

Call the police and report the domestic violence.  If your father ends up arrested, a stay away order can be imposed on him as a condition of his bail.  Then you can go through the legal eviction process.Answer #2: Direct answer to your question is: yes you do have to give noticed.

However that is assault and you should call the police.Answer #3: Call the police, related or not it's still assault.


Title: I have a restraining order on my neighbor who has been harassing my family. My daughters car got stolen. Since there is a restraining order in place what are my options? Should I get a lawyer. If not, the how do I file a motion to show cause?

Question:
New Mexico/USA

I recently took guardianship of my neighbors daughter.   Her mom(my neighbor) is on a lot of drugs and she was neglecting her daughter.   I am a single mom with two daughters 16 & 20 and now her(the drug addict) daughter 17, too.

So she has been defaming my family. It started out with her telling her family, my friends, my neighbors that we are satanist and witches. Now it has escalated to the point that she called the CPS investigator and told him I am a pedophile and there is a secret file on me. She also told people that my daughter 20f is a pedophile. Well I own a business and cannot have my name slandered and defamed and my daughter is a teachers aid and this could ruin her career. Neither of us have ever been arrested or even accused of a crime.

She has also sent tweekers(whacked out meth heads) to my home and my daughters work to harass us and one even threatened my daughter at work.

I filed a restraining order and we went to court and I represented myself and I did a pretty good job. She was so high on out there on the stand that she just rambled on and on to where the judge kept rolling his eyes.  The restraining order got granted.

On Tuesday my daughters car got stolen. She went out to start her car and warm it up in the morning before work. She went back inside to get her purse. Between the cameras and the neighbor we got a pretty good idea of what happened. It was four guys in a car and one got out and went to the front door and just stood there, didn't ring the doorbell or knock. He was on crutches. I think he was waiting for my daughter to come out which scares me. Then he hobbled away and about one minute later a different guy jumped in the car and drove away.  Well we found the car tonight and it was at my neighbors house. The one that I have the restraining order on. We called the police and got the car back but they said they couldn't arrest her because the car wasn't in her possession. But the car was on her property.  The police seem like they weren't much help.

Does it sound like I need a lawyer for this?
If not, what is my next step?  Do I file a motion to show cause? How do I do that?  Am I using the right language?  If I represent myself again do you have any tips? I really don't have the money for a lawyer.
I would like to press some sort of charges.

Is this worth filing a lawsuit against her?  This has definitely made my life a living nightmare. I work 40 hours a week and have had this affect my business, my families safety and security, my personal stress level has been really high, I had to install security cameras, beef up my doors/locks, lost work and money over all of the time I have spent. Almost lost a car and my daughter lost work and whatnot.

Thanks in advance to anyone who comments.

Answer:
 Unfortunately, there's nothing for a lawyer to do.  They can't wave a wand and force the police to charge a person with something.

It illustrates a fundamental issue with charging someone vs convicting someone, and the reason the police didn't is because they know how tenuous the case would be since it wasn't in her possession.  Yes, you and the police and everybody else realizes she was involved.  But that isn't enough to make the arrest or convict in court.

No grounds here to sue that I can see.  Just keep being smart--having cameras was smart, calling the police was smart.  They do not sound smart and will eventually incriminate themselves.  If you can find out who the guys were through your own means and give the police names, they may be stupid enough to incriminate her.  For all we know, the police may be doing this too.