Title: Some of my family members are claiming I can itemize my travel expenses because I listened to their business proposal. But that feels disingenuous since our primary purpose for this trip is a family reunion. Wouldn't this get me in trouble if I was audited by the IRS? ND & KS

Question:
I live in North Dakota and my relatives giving this proposal live in Kansas. The family reunion also takes place in Kansas. I don't know if the states matter since this issue pertains to filing federal taxes, although I guess it's possible there is a difference between federal and state tax law here.

Several months ago we planned on traveling down for a large family reunion this month. At the time my relative mentioned via email that if we chose to listen to their business proposal we could write off our travel expenses (gas, food, lodging). They claim it is legal to do so because we would be "travelling for the purpose of investigating an investment". But from my point of view, listening to the business proposal is incidental to the reunion, not the other way around.

Can you really just half assedly check out potential investments whenever you travel and write off the expenses? My gut is telling me no, especially considering some of my relatives are just a few steps short of being sovereign citizens. But I was curious about what legaladvice thought of it. Thanks.

Answer:
 You can read more about it [here](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc511.html) and [Publication 463](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463/index.html).

But the tl;dr is you're correct - he's full of crap.

Most importantly, because unless you're self employed with your own business, you can't use expenses to deduct from your normal W2 income unless they're related to that job.

It's the same reason I can't buy a $6000 camera and claim it as a deduction for the YouTube channel I haven't started - there's no income to deduct it from. I can't just deduct it from my W2 income.


Title: [UT] My artwork is a parody of a long-deceased public and religious figure. Can my artwork bring me legal trouble?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 You are not going to successfully use that image to raise money for charity in Salt Lake City.  It comes off as an attempt to be edgy and provocative instead of honestly trying to support a charity.  That being said, it's not illegal.  Answer #2: When was the photo taken? For copyright purposes, if it's old enough (the cutoff is in the 1920s sometime, right now) then the photo may be in the public domain.

For trademark purposes, _if the photo is a trademark_ - which I won't speculate about - then you can't use it in a way which could cause reasonable people to confuse your use with a use authorized by the trademark's holder.


Title: Can an absent parent terminate parental rights without adoption to excuse themselves out of child support?

Question:
TL;DR: I don't want to pursue adoption (my husband adopting my son from a previous relationship) at this time because I finally got child support after 10 years and his bio-dad wants to terminate rights to avoid paying.

We live in Ohio if that helps. Basically for the past decade my current husband and I have raised my son from a previous relationship plus we have a daughter of our own. My sons bio-father blipped in and out of his life for the first four years and then moved 5 states away. He contacted his son by phone for about four years sporadically and inconsistently. Every time employment was established and child support would kick in he would move on to another job. Eventually he stopped contact all together. I contacted him twice during this time asking for full custody so my husband could adopt and he denied me twice.

Meanwhile I maintain relationships with his parents on both sides (they are split) and allow them plenty of visitation with their grandchild. I consider the paternal side like family but his mother has been at odds with me since I left her son. She lies to me, goes behind my back with my child and manipulates me.

A year and a half ago he moved back to Ohio and  requested to see his son which I agreed to as long as he intended to remain constant so it didn't stress my child out. He was already confused about "his extra dad" at this point. He never contacted me again.

I requested a review on my child support case and they established a fair support amount ($550 per month) based on his new job. He communicates with me through his mother and he wants to to terminate but only if I will sign papers saying his mother can continue to see her grandchild. I had said in the past that I'd be willing to do that but that was before she became difficult. I'm not even sure that's a thing.

My point to all of this is that after all these years we are finally receiving child support that makes a difference. We don't have to choose between taking a sick kid to the doctor or buying groceries. We can breathe again. $550 a month means no more dollar store shoes and we can put him in baseball or basketball. We can pay the copay without sacrifice. We do without a lot of things. Can he force to terminate his rights?

Also, in the event of something happening to me or both my husband and I....is there anything we can do legally, like drawing up a will, to say where we want our children placed in the event of our death? We don't want them separated and I do not think my ex would be a good father to a child he doesn't know when he can't get his own life straightened out. What are my options at this point? I do plan on seeing a lawyer.

Answer:
 Someone can't make themselves not a parent to avoid paying child support, no.

>Also, in the event of something happening to me or both my husband and I....is there anything we can do legally, like drawing up a will, to say where we want our children placed in the event of our death?

Yes. Your husband can adopt them, and then you will have the unrestricted right to determine where your children go. But your ex will no longer be a parent after this adoption takes place, so he won't owe any further child support. You can't have it both ways.


Title: Tenants won't pay, what can I do?

Question:
Last August, I was planning on going to college out of town. My parents and I found the apartment that fit everything we needed (price, location, etc.) I was planning on playing soccer at said college so I moved in with a teammate. We moved in the day before practice started; everything seemed fine.

First flag, roommate was unable to get approved by the landlord. My parents WERE able to get approved so we decided to just put their names on the lease, not the roommate's parents'.

Then I slowly started seeing the drug problem surface. Smoking marijuana multiple times a day, skipping practice to go get more marijuana, drinking beer every night. I became wary but did not think much of it as we had made a deal that we were gonna quit getting high the week before our season officially started. At this time I start noticing that his girlfriend is spending EVERY night in our apartment along with being there while we were at practice. At this point it was becoming irritating as she was using utilities, eating my food, etc. and not paying any money to live there.

Later in the week we get a knock on the door and it is my roommate's friend with a truck full of stuff to bring in. I told my roommate previously that I did not want this person living with us, as it was only a two bedroom apartment and he would have to sleep in the living room. This is when it really starts hitting me that I am getting taken advantage of.

The final straw...me and the roommate's friend (the one that moved in) go grocery shopping (we agreed beforehand to just split all the bills in 3). We checkout and my roommate's card does not have sufficient funds to pay for his part. I decide to pay the full amount as he agreed to pay me back in a couple days (when his mom put more money in his account) We head back to the apartment with the receipt so the third roommate knew how much he owed. He refuses to pay it as "he didn't want the products we got". He actually refused to go with us because he was getting high with his girlfriend.

I move out that same day, as I was 100% sure I was going to continue to be taken advantage of and have to pay for 4 people to live instead of 1 (myself). Since then they have not paid us any money (we pay $450 a month + utilities, internet). I have contacted both tenants and let them know that we will be changing the locks on January 1st. I am okay with biting the bullet and having to pay for rent for the spring semester, but we are evicting them at this point as they (obviously) are still using the utilities and internet. Is there any way we can get the money back for Aug-Dec of them living there? I am planning on consulting a lawyer soon but wanted to get some opinions on the matter here first. What are my options here?

Edit: Location is Missouri, USA

Answer:
 Whose names are on the lease?

It sounds like you're about to do an illegal self help eviction, which is a bad idea.


Title: Dad wants to sue me for visitation rights to his grandchildren. Surprise wedding up next?

Question:
We are in Missouri. Over the past year, we have cut my dad out of our lives. He has become increasingly unstable as his divorce from my mom has played out.   As such, he has not been able to see his grandkids.
In reading up on grandparents' rights, the only situation under which he could reasonably sue us is:
"When a grandparent has been "unreasonably denied" visitation with the child for more than 90 days - unless the parents of the child are still married and living with the child, in which case the grandparent cannot file a petition for visitation"
My boyfriend and I are not married, but have been together for 10 years and both live with our children.  Would the fact that we are not married permit my dad to sue for visitation?  Missouri is not a common law state.  If we were to get married, are we pretty much good to go?  If say, he filed suit,  could we get married and have it dropped?
I'm not really against the whole marriage thing, we've just never worried about getting it done.  I don't especially want a courthouse wedding because I have a family member suing me!

Answer:
 So two things here:

1.  The “90 days” provision is the weakest of the legal reasons for grandparents to compel visitation.  If he takes it to court, you will be forced to respond and explain why having him around your kids is a bad idea.  Evidence here helps, if you have it.

2.  Getting married after getting sued isn’t a great idea.  Judges aren’t idiots; they’ll know why you got married and draw unnecessary scrutiny to your case that should’ve been open and shut.

If you want to put the kibosh on the grandparent thing, get married *before* you get sued.


Title: Neighbours kids.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 If they're throwing rocks at people and cars and causing damage you can report it to the police if you want.Answer #2: NAL

I would be more concerned about child neglect on the neighbours behalf. Call the police station (their local number not Triple Zero) and ask them who you should direct your calls to. Housing should be contacted every time. and if you see the children unsupervised ... then definitely call the cop station again. depending on which state you are, there is rules in place.see this link

[Child](https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/safety/home-pets/home-alone-laws)

&#x200B;

Keep documenting, but sadly the cops won't do much about noise complaint esp on a sunday afternoon. it will come down as kids being kids. There is guidelines on when and what specifies as extreme noise and time frames, and thats generally power tools, music, lawn mowing etc etc

good luckAnswer #3: I'm NAL but would contact the police. It sounds like there is child abuse and neglect and now the kids are becoming juvenile delinquents. Answer #4: If the the parents aren't being responsible adults and making sure their kids aren't causing criminal activity, then this stuff wouldn't happen. Sounds like to me the parents are responsible. If anything, I'd contact local police to file a report to start and then start looking into child protective services.


Title: My bosses are conspiring to make several employees quit. Is this legal? [GA]

Question:
So I have a very strange workplace that I plan to leave very soon.  I should be giving my two weeks any time now.  I am the only one that works in the office, with the exception of a receptionist who works very part time and my married bosses.  Everyone else works in the field on large pieces of equipment as operators.  Today I was part of a meeting where my bosses made some very concerning statements, and I'm curious if this is legal.

It is not uncommon to have 16+ hour shifts 6 days a week in this company.  They discussed how long of shifts and how far from home they can get three specific employees to work before they quit.  They did name names.  They also discussed putting them in the hardest to work locations, with no assistance, a 4+ hour drive for their home base.  Anything over 2.5 hours away requires a hotel stay, and these would be 6 days a week schedules.  Every one of these guys have small kids and wives.  I work with payroll, and have entered 30 hour shifts before, with no sleep during that span.  The number of hours worked and need for sleep are not regulated by the government agency that regulates this industry.

Is this constructive dismissal?  If so, could I provide evidence on these employees behalf in any way if they do quit and file for unemployment?  Would I be doing anything illegal if I tipped off the guys that this was management's plan, so they can go ahead and start looking for other jobs?  I am not worried at all about making sure I keep my job, see [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/3k87mx/started_a_job_a_month_ago_it_is_nothing_like_what/) and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/3moxn6/update_started_a_job_a_month_ago_it_is_nothing/) for context.

Because I know state law matters, the company does work throughout the Southeast, including but not exclusive to these states: Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

tl;dr - Bosses trying to get 3 employees to quit using long hours, distance from home, and rough work.  Legal?

Answer:
 I'm not saying to not give notice, but based on how they're treating their employees are you certain you won't just be walked out the door when you hand in your resignation?

If you need to keep them as a reference that's completely different, but I wouldn't do any favors for people behaving like that. Good luck in your future job search.Answer #2: From your description of the kind of work you do, I don't see that you have a legal obligation to keep information from senior management meeting confidential from other employees.  (Sharing it could get you fired, but it doesn't seem like that's a big concern).  Unless you have a contract or other legal document requiring you to keep such information confidential.  My guess is giving these guys a heads up would not be legally actionable.

If they quit before they find other work let them know you are willing to testify on their behalf at an unemployment hearing.  It may or may not help, let their lawyers worry about that, but either way you've done the ethically right thing at no real legal risk.Answer #3: There are a couple of more questionable things in there, especially with the 30 hour shifts. But as long as they are paid overtime for the work that they do then I'm not seeing much for constructive dismissal. That would be more about cutting someone's hours to next to nothing.

Telling them about what you witnessed would not be criminal, but if you signed employment contracts that contains language that prohibits it you could open yourself up for civil liability.

You can talk to the state and federal Department of Labor if you believe that people are in violation of federal or state regulation.


Title: (OH) I'm a dumbass and missed my court date.

Question:
From Colorado, got pulled over on the turnpike doing 78 (yeah), but had my hash pen in the car. Ticket is for speeding and simple possession (requiring an appearance). Original court date was Thursday the 25th, got a call on Wednesday the 24th telling me it was rescheduled for a week later. Realized (after it was too late because I am a dumbass) that it was rescheduled for today the 31st. Court is already closed. I was planning to reschedule because I am between jobs and cannot make it back out there right now. However, now I don't know what to do...
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 You might call the court clerk's office and ask them to tell you what has happened in your case.   Did the judge issue some kind of warrant for your arrest because you missed the trial date?   You might also ask them what usually happens when someone misses this kind of court date.

Of course the best thing is to hire a local attorney familiar with handling this kind of case, but it doesn't hurt to get more information before that, especially if the information is free.Answer #2: Do you have a lawyer available?Answer #3: You really need to suck it up and hire a lawyer. It is very possible that a warrant for your attest was issued for failure to appear. That is what would have happened where I practice. It will cost you but a local lawyer can likely get your case placed back on a new date and have a warrant, if issued, recalled. Waiting will only make this worse.


Title: Can my parent legally charge me rent and board?

Question: I'm (F, 17) currently studying in my final year of high school (Australia) and my dad says he's going to charge me $140/week rent in a shared house with sister and which I'll be paying for everything I need (including food etc) alone. To add context, he lives next door in a separate unit. I earn around approx $250/week on a casual job cause I've cut back shifts to make room for study, so I really don't think I can afford it... What is the legality around making a 17 y/o pay rent, board and most general necessities?

Answer: I’m not Australian, but I’m reasonably certain your parents are legally obligated to care for you till you’re 18. Answer #2: Not an attorney, but I agree with others, I think parents are legally obligated until 18 or graduating high school, whichever is later. I’m in the US also though, so I’m not certain about Australia


Title: [CA] Legality of spaying a supposed stray cat.

Question:
About 2 weeks ago my outdoor cat came home with a kitten. She was spayed 10 years ago so I know it's not hers. But she likes kittens and gets along with most cats and started sharing her food/sleeping space with this kitten. A week ago someone posted on our local nextdoor saying that a mother cat had kittens in their backyard asking if anyone knew who's cat it was. I noticed the kitten visiting us was in the picture she shared. I've asked around my immediate neighbors and they all say it's a stray.

This stray is a female. And while we're not sure if we're going to adopt it (I think we are but my husband needs time) I want to at least get it fixed and vaccinated. One "six dinner Sid" is cool, but cats are like cockroaches and an unvaccinated female means 20 cats a year from now.

If it turns out this is someone's kitten and they just aren't claiming it publicly and they get mad when they realize it's been fixed how much trouble can I get into if they find out it's me that did it?

Answer:
 This seems like a question that might be well-answered by a member of Alley Cat Alley's [Feral Friends Network](https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/what-if-there-are-no-resources-in-my-area/) . They should be able to help you figure out what you need to do legally as well as potentially help you find a vet who is willing to spay for low or no cost.

Thanks for caring about stray kitties <3


Title: Fiancé was given the wrong medication for a month. The pharmacy admitted error when he tried to refill prescription. Any recourse here? Tennessee

Question:
We are located in Tennessee. Both in our 30s, not sure if that matters.

My fiancé takes testosterone and is on an estrogen blocker as well. He also takes a low dose of an SSRI every morning. He called in a refill on the estrogen blocker today and was told by the pharmacy that they made an error last month and gave him a prescription for generic Xanax by mistake. So, he's been taking Xanax instead of the estrogen blocker every day for the last 30 days mixed with his SSRI. Apparently the generic names are similar. He's never taken Xanax before and specifically told his doc he didn't want to take it because he didn't want to become addicted and his anxiety doesn't warrant it. He's very meticulous about what he puts in his body.

I'm not really sure that he would want to take legal action, but I suppose I am just curious as to what he might be able to do. He has an appointment to see his doctor to make sure everything is ok. He just really feels that this is extremely negligent of the pharmacy. Any advice on where to go from here is appreciated!

Answer:
 Wow, that sucks.

I don't know that you can quantify any damages.  If he could show that it cost him $2000 to fix the problem then he could sue for $2000, but a numerical damage amount sounds unlikely.

He can definitely report the pharmacy and/or the pharmacist to the state board of pharmacy.  [Link.](https://www.tn.gov/health/topic/pharmacy-board)
Answer #2: Has your fiancé talked with his doctor about this? If not, I would definitely suggest even a phone/email consult about the possible effects of going off the Xanax and back on the estrogen blocker.

Good luck!


Title: Why are professional athletes constantly in trouble with the law?

Question:
Why are professional athletes (particularly football and basketball) constantly being arrested for crimes usually involving drugs, violence, sex, rape, unregistered firearms, and sometimes even murder?

Every other time I check sports news I hear that x player was arrested for one or more of the types of crimes I listed above?

Answer:
 [They aren't any more likely to get in trouble than any average guy; much less in fact.](http://espnfivethirtyeight.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/morris-datalab-nfl-vaw-2.png?w=610&h=474)

The perception that they are is driven by the fact that you or I don't end up on ESPN when we break the law.Answer #2: Not really a legal advice question, but anyway... The combination of having more money than they ever dreamed of, crazy egos, and quite a few poor upbringings can cause a lot of issues. They're also under constant stress and pressure, which can't help.


Title: Duty to call 911 when witnessing a death

Question:
A TV show I watch, set in current-day NYC for context, included a scene recently where one character arrived at another's house. Character A began overdosing on Cocaine, fitting and begging for help, and Character B stood and watched, not calling for help. Unbeknownst to Character B, they were being audio recorded.

Later, law enforcement use said audio recording to pressure Character B into testifying in a criminal case.

My question is, would Character B actually be guilty of any crime? He didn't cause Character A's death (well, he did, but law enforcement have no idea about this), just watched.

I tried to research this and as far as I can tell, it would depend on the state and the relationship between the two characters. They are divorced ex-lovers, so that would in some states create a duty to help, but in others it wouldn't. Is my understanding correct, and if so, is NYC a duty to help state?

Answer:
 Apparently in 2009, a New York judge [acquitted transit workers who didn't intervene in a rape](https://jonathanturley.org/2009/04/10/no-duty-to-rescue-rule-court-holds-that-new-york-transit-workers-had-no-obligation-to-help-woman-being-raped-in-station/) they witnessed.  The judge found they had no duty to rescue. However, the transit workers did radio their superiors to call the police.

That web page also repeats the myth of Kitty Genovese, the poster-woman for duty-to-rescue, in particularly the mythical elements of 38 witnesses and nobody calling for help. In fact several people called police, and one man ran off the attacker, or so he thought, but the killer, Winston Moseley, came back and stabbed, robbed, and raped Genovese after that point. You likely won't read much about duty-to-rescue without reference to Genovese.Answer #2: In Florida at least, there is not a law requiring people to help. A notable, recent case was a group of teens that videoed and taunted a man as he drowned to death.

 [https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/26/us/florida-teens-no-charges-drowning-man/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/26/us/florida-teens-no-charges-drowning-man/index.html)


Title: [Canada-BC]: Got a girl pregnant thats visiting from Australia. She wants to keep it but is going back home tomorrow. Wondering if there is a certain time frame /way in which she can make a claim on me for child support payments even though she lives across the world.

Question:
I may have gotten a girl pregnant while she was visiting from Australia. She told she had been with a few other guys in that time frame but that she is pretty sure it's mine. She also told me she wants to keep it, but doesn't expect to make any payments / do anything in a parental role seeing as I don't want the baby and she lives across the world. I don't really trust her saying that, so I wanted to know under what circumstances could she change her mind and get me to pay child support / establish me as father legally? What can I do to protect myself in this situation?

I am over 18 incase that effects anything.

Answer:
 >What can I do to protect myself in this situation?

Precisely nothing. You can't abdicate your parental responsibility, not even if you fled to Oman. Collecting on that is another matter entirely, and for that you'd need either an international lawyer, or a family lawyer in BC, or both.Answer #2: Insist on a paternity test.

In addition speak with a lawyer; if the baby is yours would you really want the child to suffer? Give what you should be giving for the sake of the child.


Title: [FL] Girl I matched on Tinder tells me she's 17, ignores my request to wait until she is 18, and sends nudes. WTF

Question: So I matched this chick on Tinder, her profile says 18. She messages me and has me add her on a 3rd party app. Nothing much was said but it was definitely a real person not a bot. On the 3rd party app she immediately states she is 17 and starts send provocative pictures as I am typing " Stop " " Message me when you're 18 ". WTF do I do ? I feel like it's either some type of complex extortion scam scheme, or my local police department has a lot of time on their hands. Am I just paranoid ?  What should I do ?

Answer:
 It’s a scam. You’re about to get a call from her father explaining he saw the messages and got so angry he destroyed her phone and you need to pay for a replacement or he’s calling the cops. Block and move on. Answer #2: If the father calls, tell him you’ll get her charged for possession of child porn Answer #3: It's a scam. Block her and move on.Answer #4: I dont think you can get in trouble for her sending them to you against your will... pretty sure she can though... I've heard of lots of teen girls getting charged with distributing child porn by sending out their own picsAnswer #5: Sounds like a scam.  Just heard a police officer talk about this (called it sextortion).  Her advice:
1.  Block the offender.
2.  Report it to the police.
3.  Do not delete the messages.  (Seems counterintuitive, but cops could use to investigate the scammers.)


Title: Fleeing nation with loan consequences? Legal n00b

Question: I don't know a lot about the legal world and I wanted to find something out. My friend told me, "if someone got sensative information on someone with good credit, that they could take out a big personal loan. Then, if they left the United States, they could get off Scott-free since they are no longer in the country, the biggest drawback being that they can never return." I'm calling BS but I have trouble finding evidence saying otherwise. There has to be a way that it comes back to you, doesn't there?

Answer:
 The key word is "extradition";  most countries will arrest a fugitive facing felony charges and send her back to the United States.

So the question is "how much money would you have to steal via identity theft and bank fraud in order to get the US Marshals to coordinate with a foreign police agency to arrest and extradite you ?".


Title: [London UK] If I know my boss sells fake goods, do I have to report it and can i get in trouble for not?

Question:
I [17] have got a job working for my uncles newsagent store, and he does the following things.

1) We sell fake cigarettes, I know this as most of it comes sent to us in dodgy packaging.

2) We sell some fake alcohol,  I know this as most of it comes sent to us in dodgy packaging.

3) I am 17, can I legally be selling these items if these are 18+ items?

4) Once or twice a day, I am told to try and slip a fake £10 note when giving change, mainly to richer people who are not locals or maybe drunk.

5) He pays me (well he gives it to my mum, who gives it to me) in cash, its £8 an hour which is great, but he never asked for my national insurance number.

These are the main issues, number 4 seems the main one, but if I don't know about 1,2,3 then can I get in trouble? Also if I pretend I don't know the difference between real and fake notes can I get in trouble?

Answer: If you were in the USA, I would count 3 felonies and 2 other violations that I am not sure how they would be classed.  So I would say, yeah these are a big deal, especially as you said, number four which is counterfeiting.  That's a Go To Jail For A Long Time type thing.


Title: Employment terminated without cause

Question:
Hey /r/legaladvice, long time lurker, first time poster.

Here's the skinny: I've been working for a startup in California where I managed to hit (and exceed by almost double) performance metrics for two straight quarters compared to the previous two people who held my position.

Over the last couple weeks, I've had disagreements with management over the course of the company and many business decisions that were being made. I tried to paint a picture and provide different solutions by building reports and appealing to logic... to no avail.

Shortly after, I receive a Skype call from two of the top executives who proceed to tell me that I am terminated effective immediately, but I will be paid out my commission and salary through the first week of January.

Here's why I'm posting - first, they never sent over any legal documents or formal dismissal information, and proceeded to lock me out of all of my business accounts.

Second, I had arranged to have a salary cut, (company was running out of funds and I legitimately cared about the company), in exchange for some extra stock options with a standard 4 year vesting plan beginning after 1 year. However, this was never formally drafted into my work contract, and all prior documentation shows me at the previous (25% higher) salary.

My question to you, knights of /r/legaladvice, does their verbal termination stand legally? When is my effective 'last day of employment', was it fair for them to fire me in the first place, and would I have a leg to stand on if I were to take them to court over the missing 25% pay for the last 2 quarters?

Answer: Barring a contract to the contrary, you could be fired in California for any reason or no reason, provided it is not based upon membership in a protected class. You have no case.


Title: Windshield cracked after getting car fixed by dealer (Tx), should I take them to small claims?

Question:
The dealer doesn't seem to want to pay to replace the windshield on my vehicle, and I am thinking about filing in small claims to get my money back on the windshield repair.

Key Facts about the case
The windshield had a chip in it before I took it into the dealer.
Their free inspection report they gave me with my invoice shows the windshield as green.
They were working near the windshield.
They washed my car just before I drove it off the lot.
I noticed the crack in my windshield after I drove it off the lot.
The crack originated from the chip in my windshield that already existed.
I've reached out to them several times and gotten no response, and I am hesitant to drive the vehicle with the crack (It goes all the way across the windshield)

Answer: If the chip existed before the work was done then really they are not at fault. A chip can and will cause a splinter just a matter of when.


Title: Someone I knew charged +2000$ on my card without my consent.

Question:
I checked my bank statement yesterday and there were hundreds of charges against my card for Uber.  This totalled to over 2000$ and It started in January and stopped in late April when my account was just down to 9$. I had only ubered twice in that time period so I was extremely confused.

I contacted Uber and they gave me the first name of the person that was responsible. It was a name I recognized and Uber advised me to contact that person I know.  I have no idea how he/she could have gotten my card information.

This is where I need  advice: I am sixteen years old and I would prefer to handle this situation without my parents knowing. I think I have three options.

1, Confront this person
2. Contact my bank
3. Go to the police

I really have no idea what I should do and which option will lead to me getting my money back.
I’m embarrassed that I lost over $2000 and that’s why I don’t want my parents knowing. Right now I am pissed and confused af, considering this person dropped my account from 2000$ down to 9$.

Thanks for reading I’ll answer any questions.

Answer: The bank will not reimburse you without a police report. They should be your first stop.


Title: Family trying to force my mom to pay for her husband's funeral after they paid for it?

Question:
My mother's husband recently passed away.  His family was very nice and said if she needed anything to let them know and they wanted her to keep his house in the family.  They told her don't worry about the funeral they would pay for it.  Well she ended up deciding to sell the house.  They got mad and now they've sent her a letter with a case number on it trying to get the money for the funeral as a priority debtor(something like that sorry).

Can they do this?  I know that funerals are generally paid for by the estate but can someone just say don't worry about it spend as much as they want on whatever they want without coordinating with the estate and then after the funeral ask for the money from the estate?
Its his mom and dad.

Edit this is in georgia

Answer:
 Go and see an estate lawyer, did her husband have a will? If so then yes this will have to go thru probate, and rightfully so. The estate will end up paying for the funeral in most standard cases, this however is different. Reason for the lawyer.

On a second note, you might want to post this on r/relationships as well. Family at this time is very important. The reason I know the above, both parents passed before I was 23. At that time I was the only one left in my family. Answer #2: Funeral director here.
 Whoever signed the funeral contract is the person responsible for the funeral bill. Now the spouse always has first option and is in charge of the funeral and the bill unless they choose to sign a release of rights and that would absolve them of liability and financial responsibility. Not a lawyer though and not familiar from that side but that's how the funeral home operates. Answer #3: It depends on what was said and if the agreement is consider a contract. Who told her they would pay for the funeral ? What did they say specifically? If this goes to court, it will be a case of their words against hers.

Typically, the costs of a funeral are shouldered by the estate of the deceased. Funeral expenses are a priority obligation that will be paid before most other estate debts.Answer #4: Did your stepfather have any children before he married your mother?


Title: Can a protection order force my brother out of his home?

Question:
This is in Ontario, Canada.

My brother was arrested last night because he was “evading a summons to court.” They have to be delivered in person, he’s a bit reclusive and doesn’t answer the door to strangers, and he’s basically nocturnal so it never got to him and the police put out a warrant.

Basically, he was throwing knives in his backyard against a stump set against the fence. His neighbour on the other side of that fence is charging him with two counts of assault (to be clear, he never threw the knives at them, the fence is high and solid, and they hate him because he’s autistic and screams sometimes which is, admittedly, extremely annoying) Until the court date, the police have told him he’s not allowed within 100 metres of his neighbour which means he can’t go home.

Is it legal for the police to force him out of his home and threaten to put him in jail if he tries to go home? Any suggestions for options here? This is ridiculous, my brother has issues and is not welcome at our parents’ place, can’t afford a hotel, and no one in our family who would take him in has room. So he basically has to live on the street for a month until he can fight it in court.

Answer:
 > His neighbour on the other side of that fence is charging him with two counts of assault

The neighbor isn't charging him, the DA is. That means that the police have a reasonable belief and some proof that your brother did this. Some of that proof is based on the neighbors testimony, but there are usually other factors that come into play. It's very unlikely for someone to be charged with assault for simply throwing knives in their yard. Are you sue you have the entire story?

A No-Contact order isn't a polite request. If he is in violation, he could receive another charge. Are you sure that this is actually a protection order or a No-Contact order? Protection orders are usually reserved for families.


Title: I believe my girlfriend and I are over paying for utilities

Question: My girlfriend and i are renting a room in a house. We live in California. The home owner is charging my girlfriend and I two hundred and sixty dollars sometimes three hindered for utilities. We believe she is overcharging us and we ask her if we can see the utilities bill but she won’t show us. But as tenants are there any laws in California that allows us to see the utilities bill and details of the bill?

Answer:
 $300 a month for utilities? In California? For a room? I'm calling bullshit, the landlord is probably charging you all the utilities. I'm in the Bay Area, renting a house, and my city utilities bill is currently around $150 for water sewer and garbage (and it's only that high because of water use for watering the lawn right now), and another $130 or so for PG&E (electricity/gas).

Check your lease for specifics on what it says about utilities and splitting the bill.Answer #2: [https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/landlord-will-not-show-us-the-utilities-bill-and-i-644713.html](https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/landlord-will-not-show-us-the-utilities-bill-and-i-644713.html)


Title: (IL) Ex-girlfriend blackmailing me with statutory rape. What kind of attorney do I need to call.

Question:
I'm 19 and she's 17 and were co-workers, though we work at the same level at our job. This girl is blackmailing me to continue to be her boyfriend or she'll have her family or therapist call the police on me for statutory rape. She is claiming that I also got her pregnant but hasn't given me any proof of that. The picture she gave me of a positive pregnancy test is one I found within 2 minutes of looking up "positive pregnancy test" on google images. I have proof through text message that she said I didn't rape her. I would like to know if I can get an attorney to defend myself in court in case and if I can I would like to get a restraining order.

If I left out any other information please tell me, thanks.

Answer: And stop communicating with her.  At all.


Title: Stopped in small town Missouri

Question:
As the title says, I was stopped driving back from a music festival outside a small town in southern Missouri. I had a small, silicone MJ pipe and under 10 grams of MJ. Received citations for both. I live on a budget as I'm helping my Mom pay for her bills, in addition to my own. I'm finally appearing in court to see what the verdict will be.

I have no priors for anything (apart from a couple parking related tickets) and am over 35.

My question is what can I expect, in terms of possible money based restitution so I can budget accordingly?

Answer: You are looking at a $500 fine for each offense (so $1000 total). I would be more worried about the criminal charges tho. If found guilty, you'll have 2 misdemeanors. This can seriously impact your future earning potential. I know money is tight but I would do everything that you can to borrow, sell, work weekend side jobs, etc to scrape together enough money for a lawyer. You really don't want to plead guilty here.


Title: In high school, posted something dumb online, what should I do? [UK]

Question:
My friend bought the domain (myschoolname).com while the school owned .uk

On there, he would put gifs of people in school. On day 3 he decided to add a chat-room and everyone started posting things and as a joke (I can't tell you how much I regret this and wish I did not do it) I added "We here at (schoolname) support ISIS.".

The next day the school found out and called us all in. I had posted something earlier under a different name (my actual name) and I told them nothing of what I posted that had the above text on it. This happened at around 21:00 and the website got taken down the following day at 09:00. We all got called in, they asked us what each of us had posted and they do not know it is me yet. This has been sent off for the police to deal with and they say it is a criminal offence and they had a responsibility to people's safety to do this.

There is some evidence that I did this. The website was hosted on 000webhost and bought on www.godaddy.com. I do not know if they keep logs and I do not know what my ISP knows and I don't know if it matters. The chatroom *may* have been hosted on a US server if it matters. I will get more information from my friend soon enough.

What should I do?

I know this is completely dumb and this post will probably get downvoted, I don't care. It is usually the dumb ones who need lawyers.

Answer: talk to your parents, hire whatever you call a defense lawyer over there, and try posting in /r/legaladviceuk for more UK-specific advice.


Title: dog just bit a guy and im high?!

Question: My dog just bit a guy and I'm high will I get introuble for being under the influence?!

Answer:
 I am a WA attorney, Not yours. Depends on what substance got you high. If you smoked pot and then took your dog for a walk, you're probably as much trouble as if you drank a few beers and took your dog for a walk - which is to say it depends.  If you are in WA, OR, CO, AK, DC, or any other state where it is legal you are okay, if not then if the cops really want to hassle you they could bother a judge to get a blood test and then maybe charge you with possession.  They probably won't do this.  Cops deal with wasted people all the time, and as long as you aren't driving the cops have better things to do.* If you have pot on you, you could be charged with possession. Also you could be liable for the guy's medical bills or whatever.

If on the otherhand you took a bunch of krocodil, and there is no dog, and you just bit a random stranger - then you could be in a lot of trouble.

*really small town cops may not have anything better to do.


Title: Roommate died 3 days after signing lease - what to do?

Question:
Hi all, long time reader first time poster.

I signed a lease along with a roommate a little over a month ago. We both had just finished a year long treatment program for drug addiction. Unfortunately upon discharge my roommate relapsed and died. This was just a few days after we had signed our new lease, both figuratively and literally I suppose.

His family has not offered to help me with his part of the lease. I understand that I am legally bound to the agreement and have to cover his share of it moving forward. However, I am no longer interested in living here (since my roommate died in this apt) and I am trying to figure out how to get let out of the lease.

The landlord seems kind of reasonable but also has been kind of giving me the “tough luck” bit. She told me that if she is able to show and lease it to someone else then she will cut me loose from the lease. I moved everything out and have not been living there.

I have no assets and if I decided to just break the lease, they wouldn’t get anything from me I don’t think? Would I just be looking at a negative hit on my credit, or a collection for the remainder of the lease? What are they likely to do and what are my best options, as someone who is currently paying rent on 2 places and isn’t able to continue doing so. Thanks

Answer:
 Evictions for nonpayment of rent stay on your record and it would be much harder for you to subsequently find housing. Answer #2: I don’t think his family would be legally obligated to do anything, but your roommate’s estate would be.

Maybe you can make the payments yourself for now and then file a claim with the estate for an amount equal to your roommates share. If your roommate had no assets though this would be a a fruitless endeavor. Answer #3: Your roommates estate is legally obligated to finish payments. Often they talk with the landlord and settle on a buyout price. You might be able to get with them to see if you can get out too.Answer #4: (Not a lawyer.) First of all, I’m so sorry that you’re going through this. Another option is that you could also take on some of the work advertising the apartment both for a lease takeover and/or as a sublet. It looks like in Alabama your landlord has to reply to a request to sublet with a yes/no within 30 days. These sublets have to be at least 30 days long. So, you could try posting on Craigslist/in housing groups on FB to see if you could find someone to either sublet or take over the lease for you. You could also sublet for less than what you’re paying for rent right now for a few months and take a loss. The downside of this route is if you have a subletter this could get in the way of the landlord showing/re-renting the apartment.


Title: [TX/LA/CA] I found some money that might have belonged to my deceased father on a couple of "unclaimed property" websites.

Question:
I currently live in Texas. The unclaimed property websites are for California and Louisiana.

My father passed away in 2015.  He was in the Air Force, and moved to a new state every few years before he retired.

Just out of curiosity, I was poking around the unclaimed property websites for the states that I know my dad was stationed in. A couple of hits came up that are possibly my father's. (For example, one hit is listed under J. Q. Doe, instead of John Quincy Doe, and another is listed in a city sixty or so miles from where my father lived.) The total for all of these is about six hundred dollars, with about a 40/60 split between the states.

How would I go about finding out if these belonged to my father, without potentially committing a crime by accidentally claiming the money of a John Q. Doe that I'm completely unrelated to?

Answer:
 Are you the executor of his estate? I’m no expert in estate law for the States but I would imagine it would still be the best course of action for the executor to look into this. The executor can contact the agencies responsible and work with them to determine if there are remaining assets owing to your father’s beneficiaries.

Edit to add, for $600 unless there’s only one heir to the estate, it may not be worth pursuing.


Title: $100 fine for being late to work?

Question:
I work in the state of Idaho. I am a 100% commission based retail salesperson with a company which I rather enjoy working for. I have never been a morning person, and while I understand that there's no reason for being late, I don't believe that it entitles my employer to impose penalty outside of my rights as an employee. I was called into the office and encouraged to sign a poorly written up document stating that I would have $100.00 deducted directly out of my paycheck for every time I was late during that pay period. My company handles my payroll taxes, and I do not file a 1099 so I believe I am considered and "exempt" employee under the Fair Labor whatever its called. Is this legit?
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 If you're a 100% commission based then you don't have a salary so you aren't exempt.  It's one thing to threaten something and another thing to actually do it. If they do withhold your pay you can file a complaint.

https://labor.idaho.gov/whclaim/home.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1


Title: Landlord ganked my deposit, is this email reasonable? (Washington State).

Question:
Hi r/LegalAdvice,

Long story short, I recently had a landlord from hell try and take basically my entire deposit on a house I rented in Washington State (Bellevue).

I've copy/pasted the email below and would just like to make sure this is legally appropriate to send. I really do have legal counsel and would be willing to fly back up to Washington to destroy this guy. All of my neighbors who have lived there for multiple decades have claimed this guy has been pulling this for 15+ years and I think it's time somebody finally took him down.

I realize it's not going to be perfectly written, but anything that wouldn't be appropriate legally would suffice. Thanks a bunch!

Hi XXXXXX,

I was a bit emotionally distraught to get my mail today and see your letter where you charged me $2,158.83 out of my security deposit and wrote me a final check for $191.17.

If you recall, back in January when I moved in, I showed up after signing a lease agreement and driving 1,400 miles and then after executing a lease agreement and it snowing outside in the freezing cold with my dogs in the car, you made me sign two separate documents, neither of which I was comfortable with.

The first document you made me sign was agreeing to not use the fireplaces. I had assumed this was just until you had them fixed because you actually had me sign the lease agreement without telling me these fireplaces were not usable and I would have never rented your house in an area as cold as Bellevue without the ability to use fireplaces (as the heating bill I had to pay every month in lieu of a warm fire was exponentially more than I had budgeted for). You explained to me later that what I had actually signed was agreeing to never use it unless I PERSONALLY paid to have the fireplaces fixed and inspected. This was never what you and I orally agreed to and you only changed it later.

As unfortunate as that was, it wasn't nearly upsetting when you forced me to sign your document for the move-in checklist that had every single box checked as "great" condition, despite the house being the exact opposite of "in great" condition. I told you I was uncomfortable with this and you explained it was fine and not a big deal and it was just to make things easier. I have never a single time rented somewhere where the landlord of a house forced me to sign a fraudulent move-in checklist, but I was distraught and I'm a single woman and I felt scared if I didn't sign it you were going to throw me on the streets with nowhere to go. If you recall, you were aggressively telling me that I had no choice but to sign it.

It didn't occur to me later until I learned more about your character that signing your fraudulent move-in check as well as your fireplace scam that you were a very shady person willing to defraud people. Your neighbors also all told me about you and your ways over the years after I moved in and several of them have offered to testify as to your character in court (in the event you plan on denying my claims).

The house was given to me in complete disarray and I left it in better condition than I received it. Washington state law explicitly states that you must leave the house in the condition you received it outside of normal wear and tear, which to be completely honest about, I actually left in BETTER condition than when I originally received it.

During the lease term, I told you that I had mold in the house on multiple occasions and it was causing me anxiety because it was an unsafe living environment and you refused to remedy the situation. Per Washington State law, you cannot allow mold on the premises and I gave you multiple requests via in writing as well as orally over the phone. Please note Washington State law:
RCW 59.18.060
In the lease agreement, you never told me that I had to wash and shampoo the carpets, although ironically enough, I actually did use a carpet cleaner on the carpets despite receiving the actual house with stains all over the carpets and in terrible condition. The carpets were left in BETTER condition than you initially gave them to me.

You left me with broken appliances that I rented the house with despite telling you of my problems (Example: the fridge continually leaked and you told me you were unwilling to fix it despite multiple pleas).

You illegally opened mail addressed to me and deducted $448 for a utility bill that wasn't yours to open. I have every intention of paying my bill, but you committed a federal crime by purposely opening mail that didn't belong to you. You knowingly opened mail that didn't belong to you for the purpose of deducting money out of my security deposit. This is called mail theft and it's a federal crime.
18 U.S.C. § 1708 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure § 1708. Theft or receipt of stolen mail matter generally

I never left nail holes in the walls yet you charged me for holes in the walls. This was ironic because the home actually already had those holes patched up when I moved in, but I didn't find it a big deal so I never mentioned it (this would've been something I mentioned in the move-in document had you not aggressively made me sign "your" version).

I installed fresh batteries in the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms while living inside the home. Please provide proof these were no longer working and also where you believe it to be my responsibility to include brand new batteries upon moving out.

The front and backyards were left in a similar manner to which I received them. I was nice enough to leave you a brand new lawn mower I purchased to maintain your property in good condition. You're welcome.

The gutters were left with a massive amount of debris when you rented me the house yet you charged me for removing debris from the gutters.

You charged me for pressure washing the backyard cement patio, walkway, and driveway. This was wholly inappropriate as well as the house was clearly in bad condition when you rented it to me as were all of these patios.

No bulbs that you left me with the house were needed to be replaced. Every light in the house was operating perfectly fine upon my departure.

You charged me for to haul away a broken cabinet that was broken when I moved in. I went out of my way to explain to you that it was broken after I moved in and you didn't care, so I moved it's debris to the basement area. You then charged me to replace your broken cabinet.

I never agreed to replacing a new furnace fitter, you charged me for this erroneously and it's wholly inappropriate. This was never in the lease agreement.

You charged me for an entire house cleaning when the house was left in pristine condition. When you and your mother entered the house, you both even agreed that it was in incredible shape and were extremely happy with what you saw. I cleaned that house for 10+ hours and I've never had a single dime taken from a deposit of a house or apartment I've rented previously. I'm very keenly aware how to make sure a house is in acceptable form to move out, which is exactly how I left it for you, despite you not leaving the house in as-good condition when I moved in.

I am formally requesting you return my entire $2,158.83 that you removed from my deposit and return it to me immediately. This is a formal notice with my legal counsel copied with the intent to sue you for the full amount, as well as damages, which will include distress, attorney fees, plane flights, hotel, food, and local travel arrangements each time I need to travel back to Washington from California for our court hearings as well as a reasonable hourly rate on my time in line with my hourly rates. Please note that damages and distress will be assessed separate to this by a judge after my inevitable win of my case.

In the event you're willing to settle our dispute today, I would be willing to accept a grand total payment of $2,158.83 sent to me in the form of a cashier's check via certified mail. This amount is non-negotiable and is a one-time offer prior to filing a lawsuit. I have strong suspicion based on what my legal counsel has already conferred with me that I will win this case in record time. I strongly urge you to consider my one time offer, as although I believe you to be a slum lord, I do still think you personally believe you are a nice person and I'd hate for you to have to pay this kind of money unnecessarily.

Please confirm receipt of this request ASAP. I've also sent a copy of this missive via certified letter to your home address.

Best,

XXXXX

Answer:
 I mean this in the least offensive way possible but a lot of that email makes you sound bat shit crazy. Don't send that.

You are saying you have legal counsel but have you actually gone through this specific case with a lawyer? You have a major uphill battle here because you chose (yes, chose, you were not forced to sign anything) a move in checklist documenting that the apartment was in great condition. Do you have any photos from when you moved in documenting the damage?

Answer #2: Holy shitballs.  If I received a letter this insane I would promptly shred it and get on with my life.

I read this twice and I can't figure out what in the world you're getting at.  Lose the histrionics and explain what he charged you for and why you think that's inappropriate.  And for God's sake, hire an editor.


Title: Threatened with action after dogs cause accident (Ontario, Canada)

Question:
As a regular reader of the sub I'm in need of its advice for the first time.

This morning while I was out and my wife was home, my two dogs - both about 50-60lbs - were in their usual spot sitting on the front porch watching the world go by. Unfortunately the porch gate was slightly ajar, and so when a guy walked up to the path to deliver a package the dogs decided to go and greet him by barking excitedly.

In his surprise / fear / shock / whatever, he stepped backwards, lost his footing, somehow landed on the hood of my neighbour's parked car and ended up on his arse in the street. I arrived home just as the ambulance was pulling away so didn't get to see it, but my wife said that she charged out to see what the commotion was and he was yelling about a police report about being attacked by dangerous dogs yada yada yada.

The dogs didn't touch him, nor did they leave my property. They're totally harmless, although I can see how a couple of good sized dogs running at you and barking could be a little daunting. I'm fairly sure that nothing will come of this, but would he potentially have a case to make against me?

Also, there's a good sized bump and scratch in the hood of my neighbour's BMW. He's being very good about it and says that work will take care of it (company vehicle), but who would be on the hook for that if they wanted to get it covered?

Answer:
 You should notify your home insurance immediately.

You should not be taking this so lightly.  While your dogs didn't touch the delivery driver, it could be shown that they were the cause of the accident... and thus, you'd be liable for the injuries to the delivery person and the hood of the car.

In law, one of the steps to prove liability is causation and remoteness.  The question is - is there a connection between the dogs and the injury?  (Likely) and is the damage too remote from leacing your dogs unattended?  (Likely).

So, it's not a slam dunk - but you could very easily be held responsible.  Call your insurance company when they open tomorrow.


Title: Bad experience with a restaurant, posted negative review, they respond by posting my private phone number and address on Facebook

Question:
Yesterday I placed an order with a restaurant on Grubhub.  App time stamp is 3:10 pm (confirmed with Grubhub), confirmation email at 3:22 PM says I should receive food by 4:15.  I called restaurant at 4:25 because no food — they adamantly say I’m lying about the time I placed the order and they have a “fax” that proved I ordered at 3:55 PM.

Food arrives finally, cold and gross, I called back and said it’s inedible and I’d like a refund.  They say I’m lying about order time.  I called Grubhub and they gave me coupons, and I posted a negative review with my experience on Grubhub and Facebook, thinking it’s over.

Restaurant responds to my review with a photo of the fax with my name, home address, and phone number circled on their public Facebook page.  This could have been avoided if they just said sorry or said they’d check into what was broken in their system, but I feel like they escalated this by posting my private information.  Are there any steps I can take to report this place?  The lady that answers the phone claims she is the manager AND the owner.  Thanks for any advice, can’t believe they posted my info.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 It isn't illegal, but it may be against FB's terms-of-use. File a complaint.Answer #2: That isn't private information, anyone with a computer and access to the internet can find out that information in mere minutes. Answer #3: Why are you blaming the restaurant and not GrubHub? I've worked in a restaurant with GrubHub, there are times where we would say an order would take 15 minutes to make, have the food ready, and the driver wouldn't arrive for another 40 minutes. GrubHub is the one that sends the restaurant the order and the driver to pick it up. Calling the restaurant to ask where your food is stupid, they don't know where the driver is. Ive had orders where  it said the driver would  arrive in 30, the  kept pushing it back till the driver was an hour late. The restaurant can't do anything about how long your food takes to get to you, or if it's cold, that's on the driver.
 They can't refund you since you didn't pay them, you paid GrubHub. When you order with GrubHub, you're giving GrubHub your money, who charges you a 10-20% markup and delivery fee, and then GrubHub pays the restaurant for the food. The restaurant has absolutely no way to give you a refund, they can only give GrubHub a refund.

>This could have been avoided if they just said sorry or said they’d check into what was broken in their system

This could also have been avoided if you didn't ask the restaurant to do things they probably couldn't do and called GrubHub to solve your problems with GrubHub's delivery service. Them responding to your negative review isn't illegal, even with providing your information. You can complain to Facebook and GrubHub, but that's about it.


Title: [MI] My ex has a domestic violence conviction and I am the victim. He is in the hospital voluntarily after making homicidal and suicidal threats, and the victim advocate doesn't know my rights.

Question:
I'll explain the situation in depth, but I'm going to open with the fact that I am aware most of you will tell me to go to a lawyer. I just have no idea what kind of lawyer to contact, since the case was initially handled by the prosecutor. So if you guys can tell me that, and maybe give me an idea of what to expect, I would appreciate that--normally that's what a victim advocate is for, but she didn't know! I’m trying to make this as short as possible. **there will be a TL;DR on the bottom.**

My ex was convicted of domestic violence. There was some other stuff, too, but he plead down and was put on probation. I tried to leave him in May and he began stalking me, calling my work   and messaging my friends, etc., until the police were involved. In August, he gave me a concussion by shoving me during a fight (this was not his first act of violence), and then a few days later assaulted me in public. Two witnesses saw and called the police. In October, he violated his probation by having a tantrum loud and violent enough that he gave himself a sprain. Some neighbors of course called the police, and he was given a violation and 10 "work days," which sounds like full 8 hour days of therapy?

He's very mentally ill. I do not mean this judgmentally--my bipolar disorder once caused me to have a psychotic episode a few years back so I understand. He has stopped doing very much and rarely goes to work, and has become very paranoid. He is a PhD student, and his advisor was looking at having him leave with only a master's well before this depressive episode, so I was concerned since we were on a lease together and cannot afford rent myself.

I messaged Thursday him asking him outright if he was going to have income next semester. I don't want to be screwed over by an eviction.. He took it as an attack, started blocking and unblocking me, and accused me of being mean. When I asked him what I said that was mean, he responded that he couldn't because I'm "fucking sneaky" and had "constructed the perfect plan to tear someone down bit by bit," and that I was trying to "destroy him,” and that he needed to “defend himself” against me.

We had planned for him to be gone Saturday morning so I could get some of my things (I have been staying elsewhere), and he suddenly emailed me at 4 AM telling me not to come. I was awake and I told him that I would still be coming, because I need my clothes, and that I would bring police. He said he was going to steal the gun from the police officer to kill himself and that he wanted me dead, too. I sent a screenshot to his probation officer and called the police. His probation officer also called the police. He was admitted to psychiatric inpatient treatment.

After his admission he sent me messages saying he had told his treatment team that he is not a threat to me, and that he was “only” suicidal when it’s pretty clear that is not true.

I am worried, because this is not the first time he’s talked about wanting to get a hold of guns, and the holidays are coming and he will likely be with his relatives who have guns. I emailed the victim advocate I had spoken with at court in the fall, saying that since he’s there voluntarily, I’m worried he’ll be able to just up and leave without his delusions around me being treated. I asked if there was any way that resolving what honestly seems to be psychosis could be a part of his release. She told me to email his probation officer but she really didn’t know what to do because of HIPAA, and told me to email his probation officer. His probation officer said HIPAA could be a problem too, but that he had been planning to talk to the judge and would mention my concerns as well. (I’m guessing my ex is getting another violation?) He advised me to get a PPO, which I intend to do, but a PPO won’t stop him from walking in and shooting me and himself.

My ex has also told someone he wants to be out of the hospital “soon,” but only two days ago was he sending me bizarre, conspiracy-theory laden messages.

I want to see if it’s possible to turn him being voluntarily admitted into an involuntary stay so he can’t simply leave whenever he feels like, and I’d really like to be able to set my safety as a release condition. Are these things possible? I’ve called  the hospital twice and told them these concerns as well, and was told that they’d “forward it to the right people” and call me back, but I’ve heard nothing from them.

Of note: this is his third hospitalization this year and none of the psychiatrists have properly treated his violent tendencies because he lies to them.

**TL;DR:** My ex was convicted of giving me a serious injury and assaulting me in public. He’s in the hospital voluntarily for threatening to steal a gun from an officer to shoot himself and possibly me. He has access to guns, has told them he is suicidal and no threat to me, and I am scared he will be released without proper treatment. I want to make sure he is not released until I am safe. Is this even possible? Who do I talk to? Is his probation likely to be revoked?

Answer: You can write to his psychiatrist with your concerns. I helped a friend do this once when his stalker was phoning and making threats from a mental hospital. It may not help though.


Title: [URGENT] My friends just called from court. Judge say pay $2400 or go to jail. Now.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This sounds 75% scam.

Look up their case info online if possible. Or call the court clerk. Or check with the jail to verify they're behind bars.


Title: [MS] Can I sue executive of estate for overstepping bounds?

Question:
My granddad is very old and nearing the end of his life. He's not senile or anything, has his mind intact and is perfectly able to make decisions on his own, but he's lost his willpower to live since the loss of his wife and has since sharply gone downhill. He can move around to some extent around his house and frequently does so but does need help. He's also fairly wealthy. My granddad has also placed around the same time the care of his entire estate in the power of one of his daughters who lives out of state.

The daughter is taking advantage of this situation and has essentially imprisoned him in his home, she goes hysterical and I mean completely hysterical if anyone steps foot on his property. Nobody can ever visit him and she goes to great lengths to keep him isolated from all friends and family in the name of his well being.

She has appointed one of his sons to be the only single sole person that can be on his property. My granddad has multiple times requested or wanted to have his family over or even to spend the night. He's very lonely and wants to spend his remaining days with loved ones. She won't let him and gives him a great deal of stress by yelling at him essentially punishing him for even thinking about the idea. She has made an exception to allow family and friends over for no more then 2-3 hours per week and only in small amounts.

She believes that if someone else is in the house he would get stressed and that could kill him, but when anyone is around him its clearly a different story. Today I saw him laugh after I goofed up and spilled something on the floor. That meant the world to me, I rarely see him laugh. But I see fear and stress in his eyes when he oversteps her rules, fear of the punishment she'll lay on him. She's the one causing stress on him and I'm taken aback that she won't let him be around family which he wants to do so badly before he dies which the same goes for family who want to be with him.

Its hard for him to move around the house so he hired help to be there and make sure he can get around safely when he wants to, but she felt that was unnecessary so she fired all the help but after persistent arguing re-hired them but only for a few hours each day. His son is also imprisoned in the assigned duty never being allowed to leave his side for any reason without bringing down her wrath despite the fact other family members are more than willing to step and and help.

Is there any legal power I have to deal with this? Its ridiculous and nobody including him or his son are happy, they feel like there under house arrest by her and I just want my granddad to be able to be with his family including me on his last days. He can't even help his family if they're in need, she refuses to let any of his money out or anybody to come in even in emergency against his will.

He always says the his daughter is the executive of his estate and he no longer has any power anymore. That's all I know but this arrangement. But there has to be a way I can terminate this arrangement and get her away, she doesn't need to be around him and certainly doesn't need to have power over him. Even his son has said this on many times angry at her doing all this. She even forced his son's wife to live elsewhere making legal threats if his son's wife stepped foot in granddads house or his son leaving his side. Its truly crazy, his son has to rent a completely separate house he's not allowed to live in just so his wife has a place to stay. Its utterly crazy.

Is there anything I can do about this?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You can file a report with Adult Protective Services but if your dad is of sound mind as you say you should take your concerns to him cause he is the one who can address it. Otherwise, why you listening to someone who you don't like keeping you from family?

She has no power. Theres no such thing as an executor of someone alive and competent. She might be his Power of Attorney but he can overrule that at any time.


Title: Naked by the window in canada

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I can find a case of a person found guilty of being nude who was purposely naked in a location inside his house where others could see him.  I couldn't find any specifics on the case, or any laws surrounding it, though.

Seems the easiest way to avoid drama is to get curtains/blinds.


Title: [Illinois/Chicago suburbs] After refusing to bring me a new lease for months, my landlord left a message stating he's sold the building and has been MIA ever since.

Question:
This is my first time posting, my first apartment, and my first real "legal issue". Hopefully I'm posting this in the right place because this has honestly been a stressful situation and I've never dealt with anything like this before.

January 2014 I moved into my first apartment, a one bedroom place. Landlord seemed nice enough, if not a little absent. Over the year, he's gone from a little absent to completely absent. He mentioned that he has serious medical issues so I tried to be understanding. I had to track him down (calling multiple times) just to give him my rent each month. When January of this year rolled around, I called and left a message about getting my lease renewed for this next year. No response. Over the past months, the only time I've been able to catch him was to give him rent money each month. Every time I've asked about the lease he's said he didn't have it on him, would bring it next time, etc. So I just continued to pay rent (and made sure to get receipts each time).

Around the first of this current month, I get a call from him while I was at work. He left a message saying he's sold the building, and needs the rent now.  He left two different numbers to reach him at. One didn't go through at all (sounded like a fax machine) and the other went straight to voicemail so I left a message. Now, it's been over two weeks and I (along with all the other tenants) haven't been able to get in contact with him whatsoever. I haven't heard anything from the new owners of the property either.

Now, I'm freaking out because there are new owners and I have no valid lease. Am I totally screwed? Am I going to get kicked out? What about my security deposit? Will this negatively effect my credit/be counted as an eviction? Like I said, I've never dealt with anything like this before and I'm not sure what my rights are here.

Any advice at all would be much appreciated!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Whatever agreement you had with the old owner continues, including the agreement about the security deposit.  The new owner, if it's true he sold the building, is now your landlord and is the person who will pay you back the security deposit.  You should keep trying to pay rent, and keep track of your diligent efforts to do so, in case an idiot sues you at some point.  Is there no address you can just mail the rent check to?

If you're unsuccessful in being able to deliver the check, you still owe the money and should stick the check in a box; if the owner or new owner shows up in a couple of months you'll owe all the outstanding rent.  Just mentioning this so you don't have the impression that you don't have to pay rent if you're unsuccessful in delivering the check.

It sounds like you are now a month-to-month renter, so if the new owner wants to kick you out, they'll go through the usual steps of giving you 30 days' notice, and you'll have to move out.  This does not count as an eviction.

The new owner may or may not be interested in signing a longer-term lease with you, and may or may not want to raise your rent with the usual month's advance notice.  I would mention the security deposit to the new owner to make sure he or she understands what he or she has inherited.


Title: My brother is home alone

Question: My mother has been leaving my 9 year old little brother home alone a lot recently while she goes to work. Today she said she didn’t take him to camp because she didn’t want him “to get all muddy”. My mom is at work from about 8am to 530pm. My little brother has an iPad... so my mom thinks it okay because he can FaceTime her if he needs her for anything. I’m really not sure what to do here. Also, I am 26 and do not live at home with them. State:NJ

Answer:
 You haven’t asked a legal question, and this isn’t much of a legal issue.   There’s no law against leaving your 9 year old home alone.Answer #2: There is no law indicating what age a child can be left alone in New Jersey. Generally, parents need to gauge their child's maturity to determine when they feel that it is appropriate to be left alone. As long as nothing bad happens, it's all good. If something bad does happen, Mom could be charged with neglect.

You should quiz your brother on how to handle certain situations.


Title: [California] Landlord didn't return security deposit

Question:
My landlord recently sent me a letter indicating that they would not be returning my security deposit for the apartment that I had lived in for nearly 5 years, due to "many issues," including: Not leaving the apartment with the refrigerator that *I* bought, paint and flooring replacement, additional garbage pick-ups for trash that we put into the dumpster, cleaning fee, and some other miscellaneous things.

I requested a pre-inspection twice, and never received it.  I did what I could before I left, but I'm sure there are a couple things I missed.  I'm not perfect, and I expected some things to come off, but not getting a security deposit was a bit shocking to me.

Are there any resources available to see what course of action I can take?

Answer: Whoa whoa whoa, they wanted you to leave a fridge you bought?


Title: Cancelled contract, now getting bill for $3k

Question:
I just got a $3k cancellation bill that I don't have the money to pay.  Need to know what my options are.

My small business signed a 3 year contract for web servers in 2011.  I assumed after the contract expired, it would go to month-to-month, especially because each bill said "NET 30".  (I did not realize that "NET 30" was an accounting term with a specific meaning.)  Anyway, I cancelled my account through email on 10/31 (the month of October was already paid in full), thinking I could just walk away.

They sent me an email with $3400 in cancellation charges because apparently my contract renewed for 6 month periods.  They also don't accept email as a means to cancel and they want 30 days notice, so if I submit the cancellation form today, they will charge me full price for month of November, then 60% for each month after that.

They haven't charged anything against my credit card yet because the one they have on file just expired at the end of October.

The reason I switched away from this company was because I couldn't afford them.  I really can't afford to pay $3400 in cancellation fees.

I am in RI, they are in PA.

This seems like an exorbitant amount of fees to charge an outgoing customer, especially considering I was a customer for 4.5 years and the servers they had me running on were going to need to be shut down anyway because they stopped supporting a lot of services needed for modern security standards.

What are my options?

Edit: Not sure if it matters, but at time I signed the contract, the business was located in MA.

Answer: Read your contract.  Does it provide for automatic renewals in 6 month periods?  Does it provide for a $3400 cancellation charge?  Then you're probably out of luck.


Title: Rear-ended someone, significant damage to my vehicle, but they did not want to exchange info and left scene

Question:
I'm in New Jersey.

I rear-ended a vehicle driving at a low rate of speed, but they had a tire on the back of their vehicle that crushed my hood and front bumper, and caused some damage to my hybrid system.  No one was injured, but the driver and passenger of the vehicle did not want to exchange info, and was OK with leaving the scene before me. They had minor damage to their rear bumper.  I allowed them to leave the scene.

A police office drove up seconds after the driver left, and asked if I was OK. I explained I hit someone but they didn't want to exchange info, and he said it must be my lucky day.

I drove the car to work (20 miles), but the car would not go above 40 MPH towards the end, so I need to get it serviced. I'm not sure how to proceed. I imagine I should call my insurance to inform them, but do I call this in as collision or comprehensive?

As an aside, I have a dash-cam in the event that the driver later tries to claim I left the scene. I got the impression that they may not have been legally driving, but I was so shaken up about rear-ending the person that I didn't want to push back when they wanted to leave.

Appreciate any guidance on next steps, and potential legal exposure I should be aware of.

Answer:
 >I got the impression that they may not have been legally driving

Not necessarily.  I'm licenced, insured, etc. but if you rear-ended my old truck I would probably just figure that having a tow-hitch shaped hole in your radiator was punishment enough.  My bumper is rusting to pieces anyway...


Title: Are stores Legally allowed to deny payment in certain denominations of bills?

Question:
Just curious, I'm not going to be an ass and force the poor underpaid people working at a store to accept my 100$ bill.

But isn't it illegal to refuse it? since the bill is legal tender, for all debts both public and private, legally they have to accept it.

I've seen/heard of instances of people paying for tickets in only pennies, and the office being forced to accept it.

IIRC there is a statute somewhere that states something like you can't pay for something using a bathtub full of pennies and molasses, but I don't think that applies to this instance.

EDIT: in TX
Thanks in advance

Answer:
 Folklore will have you believe that all citizens are required to accept all forms of legal tender at all times. In every country I can think of, folklore is wrong. In this case, there are two reasons.

1. At no point in the sale are you in debt. You're tendering an offer; at some points in the transaction, the _store_ is arguably in debt, very briefly, but you are not.

2. Even with regards to debt, all three of statute, customary practice, and prior agreement can allow a creditor to refuse payment in legal tender. _Public_ debt - debts owed to or by the government - is a bit special, but even then there are statutory rules allowing the government to refuse payment under some circumstances.


Title: [DE] Landlord immediately put account in collections after lease expiration

Question:
This is pretty mundane compared to a lot of the issues being brought up here, but the lease on my former apartment expired a couple months after I moved out. I paid all rent for the couple of months remaining on my lease after moving.

Fast forward to yesterday. I decided to go online and look at my credit report and noticed I had an alleged outstanding debt to a debt collection agency dated 16 days after the conclusion of my lease, which ended last September. I was never informed I had any kind of balance due aside from my rent, which I paid timely, so I called the debt agency listed on my credit report to see what was up.

The agency told me the excess amount was due to carpet replacement charges, which was news to me and which I would dispute if absolutely necessary.

In Delaware, DE Code Title 25 Section 5514A(h) states the landlord must send me an itemized list of damages within 20 days after lease expiration and "failure to do so shall constitute an acknowledgment by the landlord that no payment for damages is due." Since I never received any correspondence from the landlord and am just now learning about this additional charge, is this something I can easily get wiped off my credit report? Or by transferring the alleged debt to a collector immediately after expiration of the lease, does that somehow get the landlord off the hook for their duty to comply with DE Code? I have no idea why the carpet would have to be replaced anyway and I took a video upon move out, so there's that too.

Btw, I left my former landlord my phone number and new address before I moved out, so they had every opportunity to contact me. I was never contacted by the debt collector either, to my knowledge.

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Unfortunately, you must sue the landlord in small claims court for your refund. The fact that they didn't provide the itemized list is usually a slam dunk.

It's not crazy expensive to file. Ensure that the judge understands that the landlord acted in bad faith by sending this to collections without trying to contact you.

Also, did the carpets need repaired? Not that it actually matters - the fact that he didn't provide a receipt nullifies that.

It'll be a month or two to get it sorted out, but it'll work in your favor.

(NAL)


Title: Washington State- Can I drop charges before prosecution of DV?

Question:
Long story short, there was a sticky situation of DV that really shouldn't have been taken into the hands of law enforcement. Say what you want, but the system doesn't ALWAYS help and can do much more harm than good.  We agreed on couples therapy and are solving all issues internally as it should have done. I regret calling the police for personal reasons, nothing to do with my quote, on quote, "abuser".

I want to drop charges. Get this away. Let us take care of it.  I signed paperwork like a dumb child when the police told me "Well, maybe the judge will just assign anger management classes". I don't think so, and I don't want to follow through to find out.

He literally just got bailed out (after a pretty traumatizing experience which I think is a BIG wake up call), had a court "date" where the judge read off his offenses, then has his hearing in a month.

I don't think it's technically gone to prosecution. Can I drop the charges? The judge told him "this is no longer between you and your girlfriend, but you and the state", which concerns me. We might not even stick together or remain in a relationship, I just don't want to see my best friend, regardless of whether or not I decide to stay in the relationship, in jail for a year. He needs mental assistance, not a cell.

****EDIT

So if I decide not to drop charges, how often do these circumstances result in jail time?

Answer:
 You have the same wishes as 90% of victims in DV casesAnswer #2: What the judge said is correct and the answer to your question. It's out of your hands. You can tell the prosecutor you don't want the case to go forward, but it's totally up to them whether to go forward or not. They can even subpoena you to testify against him whether you want to or not.

To that last point, though, sometimes, in this situation, and this is something you should discuss with his attorney, you might have done something illegal yourself during the whole incident. If you did, you may be able to avoid testifying by invoking your fifth amendment rights. If the prosecutor knows you're going to do that, they may not have enough evidence to go forward and drop it. Answer #3: Couples therapy is contra-indicated in domestic violence situations.  Please take care of yourself.


Title: [California] Ex is threatening me with potentially harmful secrets - is this legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So you and another person have an NDA about something... and you told your boyfriend about the details of it? Not legal advice, but your cousin and yourself should probably stop all contact with him, including social media.Answer #2: As far as your cousin goes, tell her to back off. Regardless of your boyfriends actions in the relationship or the breakup, it's not really her place to send him messages about it or to harass him.

Save the messages and cut off contact with your ex. also save that you told your cousin to back off incase he tries to make it seem like you got her to harass him. Make a record (date, time, screenshots, etc) of any further interactions, whether it be by circumventing blocks or him trying to talk to you in the street. Say nothing to him other than "do not contact me"

As far as protecting yourself, Read carefully over the NDA to ensure you know whether you did or did not break it. If you are unsure, or did break it, consult with a lawyer.


Title: [Tx] Proxy Marriage? How to marry my military spouse?

Question: The title explains it, my spouse is in the military and not getting out any time soon, but we would like to get married now -- Texas allows proxy marriage I know, but I don't know how to do it.

Answer:
 Texas only [allows proxy marriage](http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/SOTWDocs/FA/htm/FA.2.htm) if your fiance is a member of the armed forces and is serving overseas "in support of combat or another military operation" and is **unable** to return for the ceremony.

Assuming you qualify, go talk to your local court clerk about your county's procedures.


Title: Found a cool whale vertebrae on a beach in Scotland, can I legally bring it back with me to Canada as a souvenir?

Question:
See title. I know whales get a lot of legal protection, so I am worried this souvenir could be illegal. I would hate to be detained at customs for a cool souvenir.

edit: posted a few pictures of the bone in question over to /r/marinebiology hoping to identify it. [Here they are.](http://imgur.com/a/dgFF7)

Answer:
 Keep in mind that you're bringing more than a whale vertebrae home, you're bringing all the bacteria and other small parasites/insects that could be living on it.

Maybe try and find a local taxidermist who would have the means to sterilize it properly and provide some documentation of it being done to bring along with you.Answer #2: Whales are a royal fish.
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Royal_fish

They belong to the Queen. Answer #3: Do you have a pic of the bone?


Title: Person who defaulted on loan threatening to declare bankruptcy but gets trust find money annually. Can he hide that money if he declares bankruptcy?

Question:
Asking this for a non-Redditor friend.  This person loaned about $15k to a friend of her son.  He signed a promissory note
and the total was due in two years.  It's been about three years and she has not seen a dollar.  She filed suit for the money
in New Jersey, where the borrower lives.  She lives in another state.  The borrower responded via email stating that he still
planned to pay the debt back and would do so in 2019, but if she couldn't wait until then he would have to declare bankruptcy.
She is planning to retire in a year or two and does not want to wait that long, plus she can't trust him to follow through as
he already missed one deadline.  Here is the question, we are aware that this person receives about the same amount of money
annually from a trust fund.  We think he isn't mentioning this because he has a wedding coming up this summer.  My friend wants to know if he really could declare bankruptcy when he gets this money from the trust fund every year?  She thinks he making
a empty threat to scare her into accepting the 2019 date on his terms.  Would the courts know about his trust fund if he actually
tried to claim bankrputcy?

**TL;DR** If a person receives money from a trust fund annually, could they hide that information while trying to declare bankruptcy?

Location is New Jersey

Answer:
 2019 is oddly specific - other than it adds up to seven years that the debt was outstanding with no payments.  Not a lawyer, but I wonder if he's hoping the statute of limitations on debts would kick in and your Mom would lose any future suit.Answer #2: He can file for bankruptcy if he wants, but he would have to declare any and all assets (including, I assume, any money from a trust fund) or risk bankruptcy fraud (not a good thing to do).

He has not paid $15K in 3 years (one year past it's due date). I am not a psychic, but I predict that he will not pay anything back to your friend in 2019.  Your friend should call his bankruptcy bluff and tell him that she will continue with her law suit against him unless he settles with her by paying her the full principal amount due, plus reasonable interest for the year that it was late, plus her filing fees.  Now that he is on notice via the law suit, he needs to be careful about fraudulent transfers.  Your friend can warn him that she will pursue the debt in bankruptcy court if he files, and that if he attempts to avoid the debt by fraudulent transfers then she will pursue those as well.


Title: Ex-boyfriend is using and profiting from logo I made him... what can I do??

Question:
I'll keep it short-

Made a logo for my DJ ex-boyfriend. He used it to make t-shirts, stickers, and pins. Asked him for money and he said they weren't making any because they were giving a lot of the merchandise away. We broke up. He continued to use the logo for more merch. I asked him to stop using the logo and he continued. It's been a year and a half and he is now making ANOTHER line of merchandise using my logo and he will not listen to my repeated requests to stop. I offered to allow him to BUY the logo and sign a contract for continued use, but really I want him to stop using it altogether.

Is there ANYTHING I can do to stop this??

Answer: To me, it sounds like you made this logo as a gift to him and only want money because he's no longer your boyfriend. Even though the logo is your intellectual property, it sounds to me like he has a valid defense to his use of it, e.g., you giving him an indefinite license to use it.


Title: [TX] Custodial parent is sick - possibly COVID

Question:
My daughter's mother texted me this afternoon stating that she has a fever and is ill. She has declined to take a COVID test but is staying home from work out of caution. She was exposed to COVID recently so we believe there is a strong likelyhood. She is saying that I can keep our daughter while she has a fever if I guarantee that she will have any days that she missed back prior to the end of January. She has stated that she wants to pick her up on Friday though. If I don't agree she will make alternative arrangements that don't involve me. I am not sure what those are.

We have around 45-55 custody split with a Right of First Refusal of 48 hours. She would have her Monday to Tuesday, and then Friday to next Thursday. I am so worried about how to proceed because the custodial parent has had a history of making decisions that are not in the child's best interest. I am not sure if I can guarantee that all time will be made up by the end of January. I am also concerned that she is going to pick her up and expose her to the virus. And potentially me and her classroom. Any advice or thoughts on how to proceed?

Answer: This needs to go in the actual /r/legaladvice sub.


Title: 16, made money off investing and need help

Question: Hi guys, I'm turning 16 this year and currently I've made a decent buck investing from crypto's. Basically the story is my parents gave me about decent sum to invest, and since then I've about had a 1000% ROI, and expect it to increase from then on. I wanted to spend my profits to treat me and some close friends to a holiday at the end of the year after pulling some profits out, and giving my parents multiple times the capital they gave me to begin with as a thanks. However, my question is do I have any rights over the money made or can my parents legally take all of it away? Because my problem now is my parents might not allow me to go overseas with my fiends though I do have the cash, and I'm Not sure if there's anything legally they can do. Btw, I'm 16 living in Singapore if that's important! Thanks!

Answer:
 I know nothing of Singaporean law but I do feel confident that your parents can stop you from leaving the country without their permission.

Congrats on your investment success.  I would suggest you diversify your investments, though.


Title: [TN] I was overpaid; employer is deducting amount from my check. What recourse do I have?

Question: To make a long story short. I work for a regional cell phone carrier and fiber optic cable company, as a account executive. I was paid a low hourly plus commissions. Recently my employer divested in my area as sales commissions and opportunities dried up in my area. As a measure of good faith the company put me on a salary with the understanding that it was temporary until i relocated. I have done so, however, I have continued to receive the salary pay+commission for three checks without realizing it. I just received an email this morning stating that they were putting me back on the low hourly+commission and that they were taking the amount due off of my next check. Do I have any recourse here to stop the company from deducting the hefty amount from my next check?

Answer: Why don't you think you owe this back?Answer #2: You don’t have a legal issue. Your employer made a mistake and is now correcting it. You could talk to your accounting department to see if they’re willing to split it over the course of a few pay periods but they don’t have to do so.