Title: Being refused Spectrum internet services until I pay past due balance of moving out roommate? (Ohio)

Question:
Hi Reddit! So.. the internet at my apartment stopped working the other day, so i figured maybe it was just something wrong with the router so i tried resetting it a few times to no avail. So when i returned from work I contacted Spectrum support and was told it was disconnected due to past due payments. This was under my roommates name. The bill due is almost 265 dollars. My roommate moves out in about a week.

So i figured I would just go ahead and set up my own services since I was going to have to in a week anyway. So i go thru the setup process and go in to the Spectrum store and go to pick up the setup kit and they refuse to give it to me and tell me that if i want to get service, I have to pay my roommates bill, that it's MY responsibility as much as it is HIS because I was living there at the same time he was. (Even though my name is in NO way associated with the account, nor did i ever sign anywhere to agree to pay for anything).

I was then told by a customer service rep on the phone that they had a 'roommate policy' that says if you share services with a roommate and they don't pay their bill it becomes your responsibility as well. I feel like this is a load of BS..

After going back and forth between customer service online, on phone, the store, and even getting a letter from my property manager who wrote a letter stating that my roommate is moving out and to please give me internet access, it seems to be clear that they are not budging on it.

I think it's absolutely ludicrous that I should have to pay a bill that doesn't have my name on it to get services under my name. Why would I pay his bill, to get services, to then allow him to turn around and get internet at his new address and get off scott free? How are they allowed to do this??!! Advice? I have asked around and every other internet provider in the area is subpar when it comes to speed and cost in comparison to Spectrum.. but i'm not exactly enjoying not having internet just because my roommate doesn't feel like paying the bill (and I can't ask him to because he's out of state over 1,000 miles away and he will not answer my text messages).

Answer:
 > I think it's absolutely ludicrous that I should have to pay a bill that doesn't have my name on it to get services under my name.

I imagine Spectrum thinks it's absolutely ludicrous that a house full of people can coast on their bill for a couple of months until they can get around to cancelling your service, and then the next guy at the house just thinks he can sign up under his name and they all start up with a clean slate again.

ISP's have these policies precisely to prevent what you're trying to do. They're owed $265 by the people who used the Internet in that house.Answer #2: They are completely within their rights to refuse you service.


Title: Do I have to pay both my own and my contractor's taxes on a prize earning?

Question: Hello, I earned above $40,000 in a esports tournament. I am signed to an organization, to which in my contract states: the equivalence of 50% of the value of any prize money earned . This is for the share of earnings to the contractor. The taxes for this prize pool is 24%, meaning I will earn $30,400 after taxes. My organization believes that I owe them $20,000 , or 50% of the original prize pool before taxes, meanwhile I will get $10,400. I am unsure of whether I owe my contractor the 50% of the original prize pool before taxes, or 50% of the prize pool after taxes are taken out. The only bit about taxes mentioned in my contract is this :The Player agrees to procure any and all types of insurance required by law and to pay all taxes required by local, state, or federal governments including, without limitation, self-employment, FICA, and other taxes. TLDR. Do I need to pay my organizations/contractors taxes?

Answer:
 I am a little confused as to why you pay them 50%. What do they do for you?

But assuming that is correct, you would pay them $20k.

The taxes are being withheld from your end assuming you earn the entire $40. Find what these taxes encompass. Hopefully they will provide a breakdown.

You will file a schedule C on your taxes. You use $40k as revenue and $20k for expense (plus other expenses you may have incurred). The net of $20 goes on your 1040 return.

You will owe self employment tax of 12.4% and Medicare tax of 2.9%. Then federal tax based on total income. Then you get a “trump credit”... it’s complicated to figure for a pass through business.

You would likely get a big refund of tax withheld.

Answer #2: I would say that yes, you owe them $20,000, but they'll have to pay tax on that when they file their taxes.

You will get a 1099 for $40,000. However, you can claim the $20,00 as a deduction to income. Now you'll have $20K in income but will have paid taxes on $40k. You'll get a refund of the excess taxes..

Consult a CPA.


Title: [florida] parents gave me a form to sign in order to get a signature for guarantor

Question: i'm 17, and moving out in about a fortnight. i have never lived on my own, so i needed a guarantor to sign on for my apartment. i just paid my first rent (woohoo) and my parents presented me with [this](https://i.imgur.com/g7UYukv.jpg) form. i censored all sensitive information. i read it in its entirety, but i am not certain i agree with all of it. any advice?

Answer: Don't sign it. The conditions are ridiculous.


Title: I was injured on the job due to faulty equipment, and now they're trying to say it's my fault

Question:
So I haven't been in my job long. Recently, I completed my CNA and was hired in a nursing home in Wyoming, and was barely working for a month before I was injured.
I was helping a resident in a Stedy stand... She was pulling herself up and the locked wheels obviously weren't working, so it started sliding. I put my foot in front to stop it so she didn't go down, my hip popped and I felt a sharp pain, I got her in the stand and told a nurse and she had me fill out a paper recording the events. I still had other residents I had to help so I ended up staying the whole night... And I went home fell asleep and woke up in so much pain. I tried to get ahold of my boss, anyone and nobody would get back to me... So my mom took me to the ER. After the X-rays one of the head nurses finally got a hold of me, and she was super rude and told me Workman's wasn't going to claim me because I didn't do all this stuff when the nurses that night didn't know what to do.. I went a couple days after to fill out paper work and they said they didn't even approve that machine to be on the floor. They didn't know it was being in use...They are now claiming it was my fault at work. Telling the other employees and are still using the Stedy stand with that resident. I'm currently still waiting on MRI results, and before I contacted a lawyer I wanted to hear other people's opinions on whether or not it'd be a good idea to file a lawsuit.

Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 If you suffered an on-work injury sufficiently serious to require emergency medical attention, then treat it as a serious matter.

Don't talk to your co-workers about this any further.  They are merely employees of the nursing home and have no authority to speak on behalf of your employer.  Talk directly to whomever is responsible for HR or legal.

If you're not getting 100% cooperation from HR or legal, then consider hiring a lawyer and filing a workers compensation claim.  (A lawsuit may not be needed depending on the outcome of the workers comp process.)

Either way, do not delay and document everything in writing.  There are deadlines that must be respected, and you will need to prove the extent of your injuries.Answer #2: That nurse you talked to doesn't make the decision.

>  other people's opinions on whether or not it'd be a good idea to file a lawsuit.

You're jumping the gun by a mile. Has a workers comp claim been filed?  You don't need your employer's help to do that.

http://www.wyomingworkforce.org/businesses/workerscomp/claims/


Title: [MI] Landlord wants us to provide a DNA sample of our dogs saliva ???

Question:
So we live in a complex of Townhomes. It has been a known issue that many tenants do not pick up after their dogs. We do pick up after ours, every time.

A couple of days ago, the entire complex got a note left on their door stating that we are to bring our dogs in by June 1st to provide a mouth swab and sign a pet addendum. The note stated they are going to begin collecting poop from the complex and having it tested against all of the dogs’ DNA collected via mouth swabs. I assume the pet addendum will be something like you owe us $XX each time a dog feces is matched to your pet.

I think it’s ridiculous and I don’t really care. It’s freaking weird but it’s not going to cost us anything so whatever. However, my husband does not want to take our dog to the office and have her mouth swabbed. It seems really odd and I honestly thought it was a joke at first so I kind of understand him not being cooperative.

Our lease is up mid-July and we won’t be renewing so can we just get around this? There’s obviously nothing in the lease regarding anything even similar to this so I am unsure if they can fine us for not doing as asked.

Answer: Hahaha, nope. Unless your written lease addresses this, he doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on. Guess he’ll keep having to scoop dog shit in the meantime. He can decline to renew your lease when it is up if you refuse of course.


Title: My roommate refuses to sign the 60 day notice to move out of our apartment??? HELP I want out!!! PLEASE HELP ME

Question: I signed a year lease on an apartment from may 2018-2019 with a roommate and we both are listed as equal on the lease. About 6 months ago, halfway through the lease, we got into an argument and he moved out which we mutually agreed upon and he kept his name on the lease and I just continued to pay the rent in full. Now our lease is finally about to be up and I want to move out and go to a different apartment complex and in my lease it states that I have to give a 60 day written notice to vacate the apartment at the end of the lease term. So I went to my leasing office to sign the 60 day notice so that I could move out of my apartment and they said they need his signature too(I read all through my lease and it never says that when giving notice to move out both of us will have to sign). I tried reaching oput to him to get him to sign the written notice to vacate and told him that I need his signature to move out p he still refuses to sign it, and seems to enjoy one more and think it’s funny to screw me over. My leasing office has made many attempts to call him and have left him many voicemails, but they say that he ignores all of them. I don’t know what to do and I don’t feel like it’s fair that I’m forced to stay here in a month-to-month lease now when I only signed a year lease and in the lease I signed it I didn’t agree to us both needing to give notice in order to vacate. I feel like I shouldn’t have to stay here just because he won’t sign the papers and that it isn’t my responsibility to try to get him to sign these papers when he won’t.  I really want to get my 60 day notice in asap and stop paying rent on this apartment because I already have another place lined up for me to move in to and I really don’t want this to keep dragging on and to just get taken care of. What are my options????? and can they legally tell me that he has to sign the notice to vacate in order for me to leave???? I am in Michigan also.  PLEASE HELP and thank you so much in advance PLEASE HELP

Answer:
 You might want to mention to your roommate that if he doesn't sign, he will now be held responsible for paying his half of the lease (it will mess up his credit, too if he gets evicted) — or maybe the entire lease as you will have given them notice you aren't signing. Hopefully, he will sign at that point.

I would definitely give the landlord your 60 day notice and let them know you are leaving. The landlord can't force you to stay. You can also call a tenant lawyer and ask what to do (it's worth an hour of their time) or google for a tenant's rights group who will be able to help you also.

Sometimes your local city representative's office can be helpful in these situations, it's worth a call.


Title: Fired without cause

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You involved your boss in your personal drama with a co-worker? That might have been why you were terminated.Answer #2: > I was fired without cause

> for being late a couple days

It sounds like you were fired *WITH* cause.Answer #3: File for unemployment and search for a new job.


Title: Private fast food business worker here (Is this Legal?)

Question:
I work at a privately owned food business and I live in Nebraska. The business only has 6 workers for a mid-high traffic fast food restaurant and almost all of us work almost everyday. So my boss gives me and the rest of my co workers our schedule (mon-sun) on the Sunday before the schedule starts. A few weeks ago, we didn’t get our schedule until 10:30 pm Sunday night. They also schedule some of us for 40+ hours and pay us the same as we were getting paid for 1-40 hours.

Is this legal? I’m not sure if being a private business is regulated differently than corporate businesses but I imagine it is. There are some other sketchy practices but these are the ones I’m most focused on right now.
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 Giving you a schedule with little or no notice is totally legal.

Failing to pay overtime is not legal. If you work more than 40 hours within a workweek, you should be paid 1.5 times your regular rate for everything over 40 hours.


Title: Neighbor just hired a fence company to build a fence, and it's 8 feet onto my property...

Question:
How would you resolve this? I spoke to the neighbor and they refuse to move it. I called the town's zoning department and they said it's a civil matter and they won't do anything. I called the fence company that the neighbor used, and they said the neighbor knew it wasn't their property and I never gave permission for them to build there. I have a survey of my property already from when I bought the home. Should I hire a lawyer? Or go to small claims? Who do I sue? The fence company for knowingly building on somebody else's property without permission, the homeowner that told them to do it, or both?

State is North Carolina

UPDATE: The fence company just came out and they are moving the fence for free for the homeowner that told them to put it up. It'll be about a week until they fix it though. They'll also fill up the holes they dug with dirt. Should I still contact a lawyer? There was no grass in the area since it's behind my fence.

Answer:
 >Should I hire a lawyer? Or go to small claims?

Get a quote for how much it would cost to move the fence eight feet. If it's under $10k, you can pursue it through small claims. Otherwise, you'll need a lawyer.
Answer #2: Do you have a quote as to how much it will cost to professionally remove the fence and restore your lawn to the state it was in before the fence was installed? Answer #3: Couldn't they just go out and start removing the fence since it is illegally on their property?Answer #4: OP, what prompted the fence guys to remove the fence?

If they (fence company and neighbor) are repairing any damage to your property, then you have no need for an attorney because you no longer have any damages.Answer #5: >  Who do I sue? The fence company for knowingly building on somebody else's property without permission, the homeowner that told them to do it, or both?

Both.Answer #6: What are the odds that these two neighbors are both on Reddit in the same thread seeking advice about what to do about a fence?


Title: Bumped my car who’s at fault?

Question:
It’s not a seriously bad bump but my car is rare and expensive and it’s just not cool. I was pulling into the petrol station and the first pump was out of order and this canister was in the road. I didn’t see this as it was blind as I was coming round the corner. So I had to react fast to avoid it but I ended up scraping and damaging my bumper on the raised sidewalk as I couldn’t avoid both. No cones or signs to warn me of the canister in the road.

I went in to the petrol station and they said I was going fast round the corner and it’s on cctv. Which I wasn’t going fast but that’s past the point anyway! A guy was inside the petrol station who was fixing the broken pump and he had left the canister in the road. So I went outside and took some photos. He came out and moved a cone to block the entrance off. Why wasn’t the entrance blocked off before to stop people (me) driving in and damaging my vehicle. Obviously they no they are in the wrong as they have now blocked the entrance off. What can I do about this it could cost upwards of £1000 for a new bumper.

Answer: You're at fault all day long


Title: I am a 16 year old who has restrictive access to my own money that I have worked for.

Question:
How can I get that money to be usable for me and is there a way to get a bank account for myself?

So I've made around $500 and I'd like to spend that towards making my own boat and my mom is very controlling of my money claiming that it's "our money" and I shouldn't be spending it on stupid things when I'm happy to spend that money for an experience building and using it. P. S. I live in bc. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Edit: Thanks everyone for the advice. My plan of action right now is to go to a bank (after researching it) and start a bank account for myself. I'll try to keep you updated if I remember.

Answer:
 Your mother has the legal right to control this money until you turn 18. Although it may be frustrating, as you feel like it should be yours to do with as you please, this isn't how the legal system sees thisAnswer #2: You are eligible to get a bank account in most banks in your own name in British Columbia, as long as you can meet the Identification requirements for opening an account.

There are some banks whose internal policies don't allow it for any minor, but there are plenty who do, for example, TD Canada Trust and RBC Royal Bank offers accounts to anyone 12 or over.

You should probably look into a student account, as those type of accounts waive fees.


Title: My housemate went into my room multiple times and took pictures when I was gone

Question:
I was subletting from this girl. I had my own room in a 2 bedroom apartment. Long story short, one day, she hands me a document with pictures of my room and says she’s evicting me because there were clothes on my floor for 24 hours.

Needless to say, I moved away from that crazy. I’m wondering if I can sue for invasion of privacy and also for my moving costs. She had been lying about “cleanliness standards” and the landlords said she wasn’t even authorized to lease it.

In the lease I signed (drawn up by her), there is a cleanliness clause. My room wasn’t neat, but it wasn’t posing a health risk by any means.

Do I have a case here?

Answer:
 Location?

>the landlords said she wasn’t even authorized to lease it.

She probably kicked you out because of this. How long were you there for?Answer #2: So the main issue here is that you have already moved away ‘voluntarily’. She likely would not have been able to evict you, and you would have had to be given formal notice of lease termination, typically 30 days, etc. HOWEVER, you have now effectively agreed to leave which nullified most of that. In the future, you can either stay and make them give formal notice that your lease is ending or try to evict (not happening for 24 hour clothing), or you can do Cash for Keys where you say “cover my moving costs and give me $X and I will be gone by Y date”. The second one would have worked better for your situation, but is now unlikely as you agreed to 0 for X, and Y has passed and you are out.

If I misread and you are still living there, then cash for keys is your best bet.


Title: photoshop legallity

Question: is it illegal to photoshop someones head onto hitler and send it them (i dont like the person and had an argument with them they are now threatening to call the police)

Answer: If they are threatening to call police, any continued contact is contrary to your interests


Title: Reckless Driving (76 in 55 zone) in VA! Security Clearance! FML! Yay! (halp)

Question:
Okay so I was on my way to a 12 hour shift on labor day working for the man and I got pulled over going an ALLEGED 76 miles per hour. I was not NEARLY the fastest person on the road, but so it goes. Anyway, apparently VA is a real dick about "reckless driving." I also have a security clearance so I CANNOT be havin a criminal record right now. Apparently I NEED a lawyer, but I am also not a rich person so I'm freaking out about this. Any recommendation for good, affordable attorneys or any way I can talk this shit down?

I have zero points on my record and haven't even had a parking ticket in like three years. God this sucks.

Also this is my first reddit post, yay me

Answer: An attorney is your only option at this point. No one here can help you find one. Call your local bar association or ask for a referral from friends.


Title: Someone I know was accused of something but it was thrown out due to lack of evidence. Several years later he admitted it to me.

Question:
7 years ago someone I know was accused of something very serious.

The case was thrown out because of a lack of evidence.

He just admitted to me in a text message that he is guilty.

I would like to know what my legal obligations are in response to this.  And if I would like to bring the evidence forward to someone so that justice can be served, how would I go about doing that?

Thanks.

State of Iowa

Answer:
 > 7 years ago someone I know was accused of something very serious.

> The case was thrown out because of a lack of evidence.

Explain. By "thrown out" do you mean he was found not guilty by a jury, or that the judge dismissed the case on a motion by the defense, or something else? It matters.


Title: I had tires installed and 2 months later because the Lug nuts were over torqued the wheel broke off on the highway.

Question:
Basically on June 2nd i took my girlfriends car to a certain store with garage with an upside down red triangle and tire in their name. to have my summer tires put on.

2 months later on August 7th she was driving on the highway and there was a sound coming from the tire and vibrations. a loud sound followed by almost losing control, luckily she was able to maintain control and pull to the side of the road. when the tow truck came they lifted the car and the wheel fell off onto the road. all 5 lug nuts had snapped in half, the tow truck driver said it was likely the lug nuts were torqued.

We took the car to our regular mechanic and he confirmed that it was because of over torquing  and that the other 3 tires were also over torqued.

in the 2 months since they did the work on the car we did not have any other mechanic work on the car and we commuted 50km 3 times a week

my question is what options do we have?

to repair the damage caused on the 7th it will cost us $500, they did the work i feel like they should cover the cost of repairs and refund the original payment to do the work

tldr: a garage installed tires, over torqued all our tires, one broke off while traveling 110km on the highway, the store said its not their problem and corporate is not returning our calls

Answer:
 If you have insurance you can file a claim with them and let your insurance deal with it.

You are supposed to retorque the lug nuts after driving 50-100miles. If you had done so you would have noticed they were over torqued and been able to mitigate damages. So it will prove difficult to find them 100% at fault 2 months later.


Title: NC - I had a customer go through my car wash drinking from an open container of alcohol. This is at least the 2nd time he's done this. What can I do?

Question:
I work at a car wash. I'm just a lowly "lane attendant", not a manager, certainly not an owner, just a guy who works there. Last week a guy pulls up to the pay stations driving a very nice porche and I help him pay for his wash and notice him drinking from a can of Mike's Harder lemonade and the smell of alcohol coming from the car. Several other cars pull up, and I was both helping customers pay for washes and sending them through the tunnel, but luckily I had a chance once I pushed those through to note down the make/model/license plate of the car while it was getting towel dried and go back to handling customers. I should note that I recall that he did have trouble following my pointing left/right to get his tire onto the track for the wash, but so do plenty of dumb, sober customers, and to what degree he struggled I can't remember now.

This is at least the second time he's done this, and as someone who has experience with several people that I'm close to drinking and driving and miraculously managing not to hurt anyone besides themselves, it's a sensitive topic for me. What can I do if I see him again? My managers don't seem to care, so they're not willing to call on my behalf while I take care of him as a customer. Obviously, I think I should call the police if I'm able, but do I call 911 or the non-emergency line? Is it okay to call after the fact? Like he came in just a couple hours before we closed, would I be too late if I called after work?

Thank you
Topic:
DUI

Answer: Call 911. Drinking and driving is an immediate danger to the driver and others on the road.


Title: Will I be counted as a run away if I file for emancipation

Question:
I’m running away from home. I could get into the long cps case, or both of my abusive parents, but I’ll just say that I’m going to run away. My parents are threatening to get cops involved to find me. I’m going from NYC where my dad is to Florida where my mom is and staying with a friend. Can I file for emancipation while being a run away and can that counter act it?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Emancipation is both incredibly fact specific, and incredibly rare. And varies by state. I have no idea which state's laws would apply in this situation.

In many states, legal emancipation requires many, many hoops to jump through. But one that is often hard to overcome, is being able to show you can 100% support yourself in a stable living situation. That typically doesn't include "I crash on a friend's couch", but rather the ability to pay for your own place to live. There reasons, at least in my state, that emancipation petitions are very, very rarely granted.

That said, there may very well be a number of other options that are better suited to accomplish your goal. You need to determine what that is. Is your goal to be considered an independent legal adult? Or to escape your parents?


Title: Need advice on neighbor playing loud music.

Question:
My neighbor plays very loud music. This occurs weekly during the middle of the night (midnight - 2am or even later) and goes on for hours. It wakes my wife and I up at least once a week and is having a negative impact on my life due to lack of sleep. It occurs less frequently during more sensible hours (like 7pm let's say) but even then it is an annoyance because of a loud bass thumping.

I have confronted my neighbor about this issue face to face. I have explained the issue and even offered to let her come in my house to hear how loud this music is. I text her asking to turn down the music weekly and her responses range from apologetic to wildly irrational and it is obvious she is under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, but this never does any good. I have called the police once before, but all they did was tell her to turn it down and this issue continues.

Is there anything that I can do other than calling the cops? I own the house I live in and she owns hers. I am seriously considering moving because this has been going on for a year. I can't sleep in my bedroom because the room is closest to the source. I often sleep in my hallway or spare room on the floor just so I can get some rest. I have looked at the noise violation laws in the city of Pittsburgh and there is clearly a violation, I just don't know how to act on this.

Answer:
 Call the police each and every time it happens.

Your local noise statutes either dictate what would happen... but since you have not included your location, no one will be able to advise you further.


Title: How is a legitimate rape case established from a forensic and legal standpoint?

Question:
I understand the mandatory need for genital and oral smears (retrieving foreign DNA), but what if signs of violence against the victim (bruises, forceful entry, threatening texts, etc.) are absent?

How can the lack of consent be properly verified?

How can the process be made better, so more people report rapes without fear or stigma?

Answer:
 > I understand the mandatory need for genital and oral smears

These are not mandatory.

> I understand the mandatory need for genital and oral smears (retrieving foreign DNA), but what if signs of violence against the victim (bruises, forceful entry, threatening texts, etc.) are absent?

The vast majority of acts of rape are surprisingly non-violent in the sense you mean. Coercion takes other forms, including threats of future violence, application of alcohol and other drugs, and other forms of pressure that don't leave marks. Even in more violent rape incidents, many victims either make the call in the moment to go passive for their own safety, or freeze due to panic. In either case, no struggle. The stereotype of someone being held down and forced is… incomplete, to say the least.

This goes hand in hand with statistics showing that most rapes and sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows.

> How can the lack of consent be properly verified?

Sworn testimony is a good start. Consent is a state of mind; the prosecution must show the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that that state of mind did not exist. Often, it's down to the person whose mind it was to support that proposition. Other, corroborating evidence is useful, but may not exist.


Title: Landlord accusing me of breaking into coin-op laundry machine.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 First tip: if the police were involved they would be contacting you directly.  They aren't going to send their "handwriting analysis" team out to aid the landlord and let the landlord deal with.

Based on that alone the landlord is blowing smoke.

The standard advice is to not admit to anything, and don't try pointing fingers at anyone else yourself.  You didn't do this and your part ends with informing the landlord that you didn't and shut up.  If they take any legal action against you (like filing in small claims court or trying to charge you any fees) you will need to respond, but otherwise don't involve yourself further.

And again, standard advice is to not speak with police without an attorney present (and I'm put decent odds on them not coming).


Title: So a tree fell on my car... Now what?

Question:
Well, sort of my car. I bought a Prius for my daughter to drive while she's in college (legally, it's mine). It was parked in front of her off-campus apartment yesterday when the wind knocked a tree onto it. Unfortunately, my agreement with her was that she paid the insurance, and she couldn't afford comprehensive on a college students budget. Liability only.

Since car insurance isn't an option, the obvious next question is: What are the odds that I could recover the cost of the car from the apartment complex? How do I even go about making the demand? What kind of documentation do I need? The apartment complex demanded the crushed car be removed from their lot once they got the tree off of it, and my daughter had it towed to my driveway...where it sits today. Do I need to get actual damage estimates from body shops for a claim? Or am I wasting my time trying anything and should I just send it to the junkyard and move on?

I've never had anything like this happen before, and genuinely don't know where to start.

Answer: Acts of god will generally mean they are not liable, but you may contact them directly or have your insurance company contact their insurance company.


Title: [GA] Need to ensure my wife is taken care of after I pass

Question:
Hi.  Tomorrow, I'll be biting the dust so I want to make sure that my wife is taken care of after I'm gone.  I've left a spreadsheet that documents all assets worth selling, and a document that lists all of my investment/retirement/financial accounts/passwords and will leave my phone in plain view for use of 2FA for those accounts.  The house is in my name and 1 of the cars is in my name; however, another car is in both of our names.  We still owe about 27 years on our mortgage and the cars won't be paid off for another couple of years.  My wife is not financially savvy and is not  originally from America so alot of the legalese of this will be hard for her.  Should I consult an attorney to help walk her through the entire process of dealing with everything or are there any services out there that may help for a cheaper price?  I'm sure there are some things I'm forgetting and just want to make sure that she's got the help she needs until she can make it on her own.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: There is nothing you can do to prepare your wife adequately for life without you; she will need you. Please call the suicide hotline and talk with them. 1-800-273-8255. If not for you, do it for her.Answer #2: Your loss will harm your wife greatly. Please contact the Suicide Hotline. Answer #3: Can't be done in a day. If you care about her welfare and future you need to stick around and help her. If you off yourself tomorrow and something about your plans for her doesn't work out, you'll never know or be able to fix it, and she'll be alone and stuck.


Title: [PA] Workplace does not have locks on bathroom doors, is this legal?

Question:
I work as a CNA at a facility for intellectual and developmentally disabled residents. The particular building that I work in has four restrooms, two intended for residents and two intended for staff. The residents I work with are relatively high functioning and understand which restroom is theirs.

There is one resident that has sexual attractions to staff and has been caught multiple times masturbating to staff. They have taken a liking to me and lately has been walking into the bathroom after me. There's nothing I can really do to prevent this as the company will not put a lock on the staff bathrooms door. They will come in once I'm already in the middle of using the restroom and stare at me peeing as I'm pleading with them to please leave. Often times, while I would just sit there until they leave, thet often don't and I'm forced to stand up, further exposing myself, just so I cant pull my pants up and get out of the situation.

This puts me in a very uncomfortable position and, while I do document it, I worry that somehow this can fall back on me as my privates are exposed to a resident. I understand the concern from management that the residents might lock themselves in the bathroom but that's what keys are for. Can they legally keep me from having the privacy I deserve to use the restroom?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 The lack of locks has a good reason so that part is probably justifiable. However, they are also creating an unsafe environment for you which is not. You are undergoing what is very obviously sexual harassment and your employer should be taking proactive steps to prevent it as long as you have reported the incidents to them. While obviously not much can be done about the individual masturbating outside of the restroom due to their condition following you inside presents a clear and obvious safety concern.

One thing management could do would be to have a single bathroom with a lock that only employees have a key to.

&#x200B;

As to the specific statues for you, this falls under Title VII. I believe the standard set by  *Turnbull v. Topeka State Hospital* applies as well.

As long as you've reported and your employer has done nothing they are in violation of the law. Answer #2: For an alternate, non-legal solution, maybe get a rubber door stop to keep the door closed when you're in there? I know it sucks that you're in that situation, and I hate to put the burden of the solution on you, but this is a cheap and easy enough approach that it's worth mentioning.


Title: (Nevada) Paid rent on time online but landlord did not accept rent payment until after sending a 5 day notice.

Question:
I've got a problem with my Landlord regarding paying my rent.  I live in an apartment.

On 02/03 at 0918 am I paid my rent online.  Normally the rent payment is accepted within an hour and I receive a receipt via email.  On 02/03 at about 0300 pm I noticed that I have yet to receive a receipt.  I went to my rental office and found that the normal property manager is out on vacation.  I asked the temporary property manager why my rent payment has not been accepted.  Temporary property manager explains that they do not have access to the program that accepts rent payments online.  I told the temporary property manager that I am worried that my rent payment will be late if it is not accepted.  The temporary property manager said she would contact their manager.

On 02/03 at about 0400 pm I received a voicemail message (which is still on my phone) from the temporary property manager saying that they spoke with their manager and my rent payment will be accepted tomorrow (02/04).

On 02/07 at 0413 pm I received an email saying that my online rent payment had finally been accepted.

On 02/08 at about 0500 am I check my mail.  I received a notice dated 02/06 saying that my rent was late, that I owe a late fee and that I have a 5 day notice to pay rent or quit.

I made a good faith effort to pay my rent on time.  My accepted payment receipt showed that I submitted my rent on 02/03 and that my rent payment was approved on 02/07.

What are my options?

Answer:
 Your options are to talk to the actual landlord and explain the situation.  Your first few steps should be to exercise reasonable measures at the lowest level.

Talk to your landlord, then come back to this sub.


Title: PA I'm on FMLA to care for my pregnant wife. Can supervisor ask for a Doctors note?

Question: Took my Wife to the hospital 2am Tuesday for a stomache bug. The gave her fluids and we left around noon.  I cared for on Wednesday and Thursday. Now my boss is asking for a doctors note. Is that legal?

Answer:
 If you are on FMLA to begin with, why would you owe your employer a note?  FMLA is a process that involves paperwork, not something you just get to claim and boom it happens.Answer #2: There's no issue with them requiring medical certification for FMLA.

There is an issue with them requiring a doctor's note for each instance of previously granted intermittent FMLA leave.


Title: Slip and Fall but no proof of it (FL)

Question: About two days ago my boyfriend and I went to a Publix to buy a few things for a recipe and when walking around the store, I slipped and fell on some water(or substance) that had been on the floor. The cashiers around were standing and chatting since it was a slow day but there were two employees moving product for restocking that were in the process of walking towards me before I fell but when I fell, one pointed out that the liquid that caused me to slip trailed all the way down to the end of the aisle and asked me if I was okay. There were no wet floor sign anywhere. My boyfriend saw the entire thing unfold and did come to my aid but we didn't take pictures to prove there were no wet floor signs. I have no real injury, my knee just ached a tad but can I make any sort of claim to this?

Answer:
 If it didn’t hurt that much and you were fine the next morning, please refer to the first rule of living in society : don’t be a dick Answer #2: Really? Are you going to do this if you have no real injury Answer #3: If you have no injury, you have no damages.

Without damages, you have no case.


Title: [Oklahoma] How do I know if my lawyer is bad, or just bad at proof-reading?

Question:
My mother has just filed for divorce. The initial copies of the Petition and Temporary Orders that her lawyer sent her as ready to sign had errors in them. I caught the problems, but if there are errors that a non-lawyer can catch, I'm worried there might be specific legal things that the lawyer has not done correctly. I'm hoping y'all lovely people could tell me if these are normal mistakes, or if I should tell my mother to look for a new lawyer:

* My mother's name was spelled wrong. It was, at least, consistently wrong across all instances. But I know we spelled her name out correctly when we met with the lawyer.

* Pronoun mix-up. One subsection read "All marital property, currently in **her** possession, including, but not limited to, all furniture and household property in **his** possession." The next subsection had the exact opposite pronouns, which made me wonder if I didn't understand the legal meaning and it was supposed to say this.

* I don't know if it would cause legal problems, but it really bothered me that this lawyer can't ~~count~~ number correctly. The main sections were numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, (page break) 4, 5. And a subsection had i, ii, iii, v.

* But the most important thing I almost didn't notice - my mother really wants my father to vacate the marital home, and nothing was mentioned in the Order at all. We definitely discussed including this with the lawyer.

The lawyer apologized for the name misspelling, but just quietly fixed the other things before my mother signed the corrected papers. This is a family law attorney we went to on a recommendation. **Are these mistakes just a bad day, or should I be concerned with this lawyer's abilities?**

(My parents aren't rich, but they have "comfortable retirement" money spread across many investments that I'm guessing needs a competent attorney to figure out. No minor children, if that matters.)

Thanks!

Answer:
 These issues are profoundly careless and concerning.  Bat at proofreading *is* bad at law in that the accuracy of contracts and motions is of critical importance

I might have a conversation with this attorney about what happened here, and probably consider acting if the problem occurs again.


Title: Lawyer is dragging his feet, won't let us go to another lawyer [Pt 3]

Question:
[TX] Helping a friend.

[Part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/75abh6/tx_lawyer_is_dragging_his_feet_wont_let_us_go_to/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=user&utm_source=reddit&utm_name=frontpage)

My friend said she drove two hours to court today, only for the lawyer to forget ALL of the paperwork and tell them to meet him back at his office another hour away. They had to reset the court date for the end of December. I asked if it was the same lawyer.

"He wouldn't sign the papers over to a new lawyer and promised us a court date, which was today, and of course forgets the papers needed to get us the damn probate papers."

This has been going on for 5+ months now. All they wanted was the papers for them to access her deceased MIL's accounts so they could 1. pay the storage company (which is now a lost cause as the storage company seized all the belongings due to lack of payment) and 2. make the property payments/move her home onto their own property, since it has been left to them.

What can they do here?

Answer:
 1.) Go to new lawyer and hire him/her.

2.) Tell new lawyer old lawyer won't give up paperwork.

3.) Let new lawyer deal with it.Answer #2: She needs to file a complaint with the state bar ASAP. Also, the old attorney can't refuse to deliver the file to new attorney. She needs to be calling the state bar and any county bar associations. If I were her, I'd call the Probate Court, too. Complain about him to anyone that will listen.


Title: Can someone change their mind after sending you a check?

Question: An acquaintance sent me a check for some fees he owed me. We got into argument the other day and now he told me to give him the check back. Can he change his mind after writing me the check? Can I get in legal trouble for cashing the check? I have it in writing that he owes me money (we've sent texts stating costs and reasons for the check)

Answer:
 If he owes you the money you can deposit it. He can put a stop on the check for a fee. If he stops it, sue him.

 Do you know your acquaintance personally?


Title: My toddler is 2.2 years old. His pre-school performed a one-on-one evaluation on him without our consent and now threatens to withold admissions based on this report

Question:
About a month back, my child's preschool had an OT (occupational therapist) visit to perform general observation on the class. During this general observation, the OT performed one-on-one interaction with our child and then made a detailed report about our child's behavior.

We had given NO consent for this.

Now, a week before start new term, the school presents this report to us and threatens to withhold admission unless we get our child evaluated from a behavioral pediatrician. What's more disturbing is the fact that several parts of the report are HIGHLY inaccurate (objectively speaking).

When we asked the director of the preschool, why general observation of the classroom and kids is not present in this report, she said that she amended the report and has presented us with only relevant information.

There are four issues here:
1. One-on-one interaction should not have been performed without our consent and our presence.
2. The report should not have been tampered with by the director
3. This report should not be used to threaten parents.
4. We do not want an inaccurate behavior to go on our child's record.

We would like to know what action we can take against the school and the OT for such malpractice.

state: New Jersey

Answer:
 It sounds like the real issue is your child's behavior and you are unwilling to face this issue and so you are lashing out.

Your recourse is to change daycare centers if you are unsatisfied with this one, but the next daycare might end up requiring the same thing or simply terminating your contract. Answer #2: You have absolutely zero legal issues here. You are welcome to find another preschool. Answer #3: Please cite the law you feel was violated.

You do realize a preschool has wide latitude to drop any kid they want?  Answer #4: There's no action you can take against the school. They were doing the right thing by screening kids for fine and gross motor delays. My son has had OT for a couple years and it's better to start earlier. You may want to take them to a private OT for a second opinion.Answer #5: What did the report say? What parts did you feel were inaccurate?


Title: [California] Worked alone to set up 200 person wedding ceremony by my company in extreme heat. Worked for 8 hours with 30 minutes of break after my sixth hour. Nearly had a heat stroke 3 times and my boss was verbally upset with me when I was taking a life-saving water break.

Question:
Hello. I will try to keep this post fairly short.

-

Last weekend, I had to work in 103 degree heat alone setting up a 200 chair wedding ceremony. The work is manageable for me, even with the heat of that day, however, it felt like I was unable to take a short water break when I needed to.

-

I am only 17, and I am not sure if that changes anything. I know for a fact that I should be worrying more about my health than work.

-

I took about five breaks. (Five minutes to three minutes each time after maybe 20-30 minutes in between of being outside in direct sunlight wearing all black work clothes.) After my fifth short water break, I am taking a sixth water break when my boss came in. He was pretty upset with me by the look on his face, and he said, "Everyone is working hard, get back out there and work."

The rest of my coworkers started a few hours after I had to, had frequent water breaks like me, and were only doing parts of their work outside.

-

I don't mean to sound like a complainer about the whole thing, however, I feel like I was actually very close to passing out multiple times that day. I have work again this weekend in 108-115 degree heat and I am worried it will be the same as last time.

-

What are my rights here? Am I able to take as many water breaks as I need? (To a reasonable extent of course.)

Thank you!

Answer:
 You're entitled to 10 minutes of uninterrupted rest where you're completely relieved of duty for every 4 hours of work.  Piecing together breaks does not count.  Has to be a full 10 minutes.

You're also entitled to an unpaid 30-minute meal period when you work more than 5 hours.  If you don't receive all of your uninterrupted paid rest periods or all of your meal periods, you can file a wage claim and receive an extra 1 hour of pay at the regular rate for the missed rest periods *and* any missed meal periods.  They cumulate, so you can earn 2 extra hours per day if you received no rest periods and no meal periods that day.


Title: Guy minorly sexually abused me at a hotel

Question:
I just posted my story in the #metoo for men askreddit thread, but I'll summarize here.

North Texas.

Basically, a guy friend let me come back to his hotel to sleep off the alcohol overnight. I woke up, still a bit drunk, to him taking my shoes and socks off and then putting my feet in his mouth while taking pictures. He took one picture with his lips on mine. I left my eyes closed.

All in all, he took about 100 or 200 pictures.

I left the hotel quickly after this, but forgot to take the camera and forgot to note the room. I did have his personal information because I knew him.

If I had called the police, would they have searched the room and charged him due to evidence on the camera? What legal action could I have taken? I let it go because I didn't think anyone would take me seriously.

Answer: You could have made a criminal complaint of sexual assault. The police should have investigated. Whether or not they would have done so quickly enough to catch him with the evidence is unknowable.


Title: [Texas] Friend's son had marijuana charges as a minor, how to get expunged pro-bono?

Question: Hi, my friend's son had marijuana charges as a minor and needs to get his record expunged so he can get a decent job. My friend wants to borrow money from me for it, but I am broke myself, so I was wondering if there were any pro-bono legal clinics that could help him. I already looked online, but none of those places were willing to help him. The son is in his early 20s, but living off his mother and currently has no income to pay himself. Are there any programs or organizations that could assist? Any help would be appreciated!

Answer: Why can't he find a crappy job now, earn up the money to hire an attorney, and then get it expunged? There are plenty of jobs that will let a marijuana charge slide. Answer #2: Yeah, there’s no way he can’t get a job. My cousin has several convictions and had no trouble getting a job in TN. He’s not trying hard enough or your friend isn’t telling you the whole story.


Title: I was prepped for surgery but the surgeon did not operate for reasons beyond my control. I'm being billed $5k. Is there anything I can do?

Question:
I was scheduled for surgery. Went in, they prepared me, I was put under.  However, the surgeon did not begin the surgery.  I woke up in a room, told a nurse I feel amazing, no pain or anything, she explains that I didn't actually have surgery.  I asked if something went wrong and she said that the surgeon had to leave the surgery "due to a personal issue" and there was not another surgeon available.  I asked to speak with someone about it and a hospital administrator told me that the surgeon was unable to complete the surgery because of a "personal emergency."  He told me that they would re-schedule me for surgery again, which is coming up next week.

However, I just found out that I am being billed about $5k.  The charges were explained as being for the anesthesiologist's time, anesthetic drugs to put me under, operating room and recovery room where they took me to let the drugs wear off.

Is there anything I can do?  I am going to have to pay the same $5k AGAIN when the surgery is actually done.  If they couldn't start the surgery because of a medical issue with me that made it unsafe I would understand, but I am told the only reason it wasn't done is because the surgeon had some kind of personal problem unrelated to work or my surgery.

Thanks for your advice in advance!

WA

Answer:
 are you insured? In, is the hospital in your network?if so, then call your insurance company and let them deal with it. Typically, anesthesia is not paid for unless there is an accompanying procedure for it. If the hospital is in network, then the insurance company will tell them to pound sand.

You might want to check with the anti-fraud folks at the insurance company.


Title: My boss is trying to fire me for not clocking out to do errands.

Question: I've been working at this job for about a year and a half now. Sometimes we would run errands after our shift maybe once a month to help our manager out. Recently, in the past 6 months we have gotten a new manager and she is constantly sending us on long errands after our shifts. For a little context, I am 17 and still in high school. I am homeschooled and taking a few dual-credit classes at my local community college so I usually work early mornings before school and sometimes after. So lately, my manager has been having people clock out and go do pick-up orders at the warehouse and driving to other stores (sometimes 20+ minutes away, and multiple stores at once). I have an old, not-too-reliable car that a. I cannot keep buying gas for when I'm not getting paid and b. need to take care of and not put that many miles on. A trip like that can easily be as much as a quarter tank of gas. Additionally, when I am not working I am studying. She has us clock out early to do the errands (to compensate for that) but then I am losing time that I would be getting paid for, for example if my shift is 5:30-10:30, she will have my clock out at 9:30 to go do the errand. So today she told me (not asked) that she needed me to drive to two different stores, 20 mins away each, to pick up some things and I told her I couldn't do it if I wasn't on the clock. She followed that up by saying that I needed to be willing to help out (even though I was already covering a coworkers shift at that time, ironically) and if I am not, she will cut my hours to find someone who will. I told her I am totally willing to help out but for work-related errands I have to be on the clock. Work time can only cut into school time if I am getting paid to do it, to pay for my school. I recorded her saying all of this but am not sure if I can legally use her admission to off-the-clock work as evidence because she did not know she was being written up. She was clearly very upset, nodded and said "okay, then I'll just find someone who is willing to help out, I can't run the show by myself," and went outside to call the district manager. She comes back inside, and makes me sign for a write-up which was a compilation of things such as putting too much whipped cream on a drink, taking too long to count change, and using my phone (the policy is no cell phones at all even though nobody abides by that rule). The consequence listed was loss of hours with the next violation resulting in termination. It was basically their shitty way of starting the process of firing me for not working off-the-clock, without firing me for not working off-the-clock. I came home crying to my mom and the first thing she told me was that I shouldn't have signed the write-up and that because I did that there is nothing I can do about it. However, the off-the-clock errands are not exclusive to our store; all the stores in the franchise do the same thing so I am sure there would be people who would act as witnesses (my coworkers heard about the situation and are upset about it and don't like doing the errands either) and I'm wondering if there is still something to be done about it.

Answer:
 "Running errands" for your employer is work, and you must be paid for your time. Having you clock out to do them, so that you don't get paid, is against the law nearly everywhere, and you can generally recover your wages through your local labour board or department.

Studying is _not_ work, and you should not be doing that on the clock without your employer's explicit consent.Answer #2: Something else for you to consider is weather your current car insurance will cover an accident if you are using your vehicle for business purposes.


Title: [LA] Apartment management cut me a deal on parking to entice me to move in. The parking garage is now under new management and they are trying to significantly raise my rates.

Question:
Hi,

My apartment and the attached parking are owned by the same people but under two separate companies. When I first moved in I chose this apartment over another competitor because they included a significant discount to my parking contract by throwing in motorcycle parking for free. Now the parking garage is under the management of a new company which is claiming that they won't honor my old contract and that I will need to sign a contract and that I will have to pay for half a of a reserved spot for my bike which carries a significantly increased price. The apartment management claims that there is nothing they can do about the new arrangement but that they will try and work things out with the new parking management.

I don't know if the garage itself is still owned by the same company that owns the apartment and if only the management company has changed or if entire thing was sold to the new company. Also my previous contract seems to be with one company but specified that I should make checks payable to a separate company.

I feel like I was misled into getting a shittier apartment for the same price as the nicer ones I was looking at and now they are trying to screw me over after I moved in.

Answer: What does your lease say about free parking?


Title: Sexual Harassment/Stupid mistake (MO). Charges being pressed against me.

Question: Okay, so I already realize my stupidity in this situation. I was 16, this was six months ago, and alot has changed since then. I am being charged for sexual harassment of a teacher, for sending the teacher explicit emails. It was a "prank" that me and my friends pulled, mainly with me creating the fake email, and me sending a fake "job description" describing the job of the teacher with explicit content added in. I have never in my life seen this teacher, it was just something that I did out of stupidity to impress my friends. I sent the first email to the teacher in the month of June, which is when he filed the offense. However, during this time, I was in Ukraine helping the refugees that were escaping from the city of Donetsk. I came back and everything was going well. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until the teacher passed by my friends as he was walking down the hallway and heard them say explicit things to each other, thinking it was geared towards him. I wasn't there, nor have I ever seen him in my life. So apparently he's pressing charges now. I have absolutely no clue what to do. I have to talk to a police officer at school tomorrow morning, and really don't know what to expect. My father will be with me, but he barely speaks English and we don't have a lawyer. I have no idea what to do and am pretty stressed about this.

Answer: Don't talk to police without a lawyer present. Tell them, or have your father tell them, that you wish to exercise your right to remain silent during any questioning. If you are arrested, and they try to question you then, request a lawyer. If you are charged with a crime, same thing goes. Request a lawyer be assigned to you at your arraignment.


Title: FL - bought a house with undisclosed water damage

Question:
I closed on a house January 31. The home inspector had found some problems, including some water damage under the bathroom and air handler. The home owner made repairs which the home inspector said were good. Now I am finding more damage, and that the repairs made were basically superficial. I got an estimate from a remodeling contractor of $8-10K, so I started doing the work myself but this is probably beyond my abilities to complete by myself. What are my options? Is it worth it to contact a lawyer and try to sue the previous homeowner?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 With that amount of money on the line I think a consultation with an attorney would definitely be worth it.

[Find a Florida Lawyer](http://www.floridabar.org/names.nsf/MESearchDK?OpenForm) by searching your area if you do not know one already.

IANAL but a search on Florida law shows this from the perspective of the home seller.

> Don’t worry that you will be expected to know or learn about and disclose every minute detail of your home’s condition. As the seller of a home in Florida, you have the benefit of laws declaring that you will not be held responsible for property defects of which you have no actual knowledge. (This comes from the court case of Jensen v. Bailey, 76 So.3d 980 (Fla. 2nd DCA 2011).)
> If you sell a Florida property, and the buyer later claims in court to have discovered a defect that you did not properly disclose, that buyer must be able to demonstrate that:

> You knew about the property defect.

> The defect has a substantial impact on the value of the property.

> The buyer did not, upon purchase, know about the defect.

> The defect would not have been easy for the buyer to detect.

> You did not tell the buyer about the defect

It kinda sounds like you would not meet all of these based on your story.  The fact that the home inspector okayed the repairs would be a big hurdle for you to overcome.  In addition, depending on the contract with the buyer you may have agreed to buy the home "as-is."  Since real estate law is so complicated only an attorney would be able to tell you if you have a case based on the details.  A lot depends on what was in the contract between you two.


Title: My friend has an emotionally abusive mother, and she’s just an overall b-hole to the point he wants to die.

Question: I have an online friend, and he’s constantly telling me about his mother, whom I’m pretty sure has some mental issues. He’s constantly overworked with chores, which she pretty much does none of. For example, he has to mow the lawn front and back 4 times a week. If he doesn’t, she takes his phone and his computer. He has to do a lot of chores, so he’s gone for portions of the day at a time. His father died when he was very young, but the friend was mentioned in his will. His mother kept the things in the will from him. He’s neglected, and she’s constantly making him do chores at home to the point he’s not able to do school. She makes him do chores so often in fact, he’s afraid he won’t get into college. When he tries to reason with her, she just calls him a ‘minor’, and brushes off everything he was saying. She constantly yells at him for not doing chores and playing games all day when what he’s really doing now is just trying to catch up on his school because he wants to actually have a future when he’s older. He wants to call the authorities, he does have a grandma he would rather live with, but he’s afraid his mother would just spout lies to both of them if he told them what was wrong. I’m trying to get him to call the authorities because he’s been telling me he’d rather die than go through the trouble. He has depression and sees a therapist, which she won’t reschedule for. Can anybody help him out? What are his rights? What if she tries to lie? ( Oh yeah, and he’s constantly sick and she still yells at him to do chores and abuses him emotionally )

Answer: He can tell a trusted adult about what is going on. He can report it to CPS. You can report it to CPS. The mom may lie to the case worker. He can tell the truth. Hopefully the caseworker believes him over the mom. CPS workers deal with lying parents every day.


Title: $400 cat has feline lukemia, the seller never mentioned it. Legal refund? Missouri

Question:
My sister in the US bought a $400 registeted cat from a breeder 2 months ago. The cat suddenly became very ill and the vet said it has FL and it was put to sleep. The vet also said that the cat was very far along in the illness and that if the breeders (like they claimed to have done)  had tested properly it world have shown up before 2 months ago.

The breeders knew the cat had FL and still sold it to her. Can they legally ask for a refund plus the cost of euthanasia?

Edit: to add that the breeders claimed the feline lukemia tests were negative, but they never showed paperwork on such a vet visit.

Answer: Ask for the refund, if denied (probably) sue them. Take copies of the receipt for the cat and the costs to put it down along with a note from the vet saying proper testing before the sale would have found the disease.


Title: CT - Landlord is selling my house, questions with new landlord

Question:
So as the title says, my landlord is selling the house my wife and I have been living in for more than 2 years. He listed without warning and the probable buyer has been all over the house since he first saw it, even before the house has been sold. He just today placed a letter in my mailbox asking for a copy of my key and three months' up front - first month plus a two month security deposit. We paid a security deposit when we first started renting and have been on time with our rent. We have not paid our current landlord rent for February because we were told by numerous involved people - landlord, realtor, etc - that the property was going to sell very quickly. The new probable owner claimed in the letter that because we haven't been paying rent for "several months" we would need to put up the 3 months worth in approximately 2 weeks.

So my question is, what realistically am I supposed to do here? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer: Your new landlord is required to abide by the terms of your old lease.


Title: I suspect someone of being an escort and would like to get her arrested [NY]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If you believe someone is breaking the law you call the police.

That said, being an escort isn't illegal and it's unlikely any cops will care since you'll just sound like a busybody.


Title: (Illinois) Parents confessed to "buying" me as a child. How can I find my biological family?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 You need to consult with a criminal defense attorney and an immigration attorney before you do anything else. This is very very complicated and you shouldn't do things without an attorney (and quite possibly, without getting second opinions).

As for finding your family members, yes, those DNA ancestry search services are your best and cheapest bets, and they're perfectly legal too. Answer #2: 22 years ago international adoptions were common.  I would talk to your dad and make sure your Dad was serious.  My wife and I adopted from Russia at about that time.


Title: US; Kentucky; DUI Charges

Question:
Hello all. I've been putting off posting this for some time as I fear the social backlash it will likely cause against me, deservedly so.

I have been charged with a DUI and wonton endangerment. This is my first offense with no prior of any wrong doing of any kind on my record, aside from a couple speeding tickets years before. I will share this short story that I believe contributes to my case, but I suspect it will not be relevant to those who make the ultimate decisions:

I was in a physically abusive relationship and couldn't hold a stable job; unable to find work in my field I was a miscellaneous contractor for a couple different positions that I was thoroughly unsatisfied with. I honestly thought I was only a drag to my partner, not worth anything, and unable to contribute to the household; because I couldn't.

Rewind to end of last year: two days prior to my offense, my partner finally hit me hard enough for me to call the police. He went to jail that night which was not my intention at all. I was expecting the police to show up, see me, give him a stern talking to, and leave. Instead, they saw my face and took him to jail.

So, now, I sat in an empty apartment realizing the severe trouble I just caused. I couldn't possibly have made his life any worse at this point. Two days go by I am alone still having heard no word from him at all. Unware of if he was still in jail or what was happening. I didn't want him to be in jail. It was never my intention to make his life worse than I already had.

He finally texts me the night of the incident and that's when I made the poor decision to go pick him up. The worst mistake of my life.

I thank whatever supernatural power you may believe in that I did not kill anybody. I struck three vehicles, none of which caused any serious injury and my insurance company has taken care of them well. I was petrified I may have hurt people trying to rescue the situation I caused with my partner by attempting to pick him up.

I did not press charges against my partner for abuse because I still believe I pushed him to the point of physical violence with my stupidity and inability to contribute to the household.

Since then, on the brighter side of the fence, I am on home incarceration and finally have a very stable job at a very respectable company in the field I love. This job started at the beginning of the year; I got it within a week of having a work release in HIP and in the short time I've been here I have already been promoted.

My lawyer and I talk very little but I'm hearing this is pretty common. I just received a release to visit his office and speak with him. The little I have gathered (and this was only a couple weeks ago) is that the prosecutor wants 7 years of hard prison time.

With as little as I have talked with him, he doesn't sound very confident in the ability to change that. From what I have gathered at my hearings, that is an offer made by the prosecutor but my lawyer has not yet approached me with it.

Is there anything I should be bringing to his attention of the situation? Is there anything I should be pushing for?

Ultimately, I just want to prove that I am still a capable human being and would love to resume being a good, tax paying citizen. I've worked my butt off the past 3 months in an effort to show the world the one mistake I made under duress was a one-time thing, but I suspect it will all be for naught very soon.

Answer:
 >my partner finally hit me hard enough for me to call the police. He went to jail that night which was not my intention at all. I was expecting the police to show up, see me, give him a stern talking to, and leave. Instead, they saw my face and took him to jail.
>So, now, I sat in an empty apartment realizing the severe trouble I just caused.
>I did not press charges against my partner for abuse because I still believe I pushed him to the point of physical violence with my stupidity and inability to contribute to the household.

YOU did not cause any trouble.  You need counseling -- it was 100% your partners fault.  Beyond that, listen to your attorney


Title: Have money in my bank from savings my mum made for me since i was a baby, she wants to use it all to pay off her mortgage

Question:
I'm an 19fm
My mother has been making me use centrelink to pay 300 as rent.

She says if centrelink finds out how much money I have in my bank account that they will stop giving me money.

I am unemployed.

The money I have in my bank account was for me to use one day, it is for me.

She now states that i do not need and and that she will take all of it to pay off the mortgage, and then give me money back once she sells the house. She's been talking about selling the house for years now and hasn't made effort to do so.

It's been 2 months or so since centrelink has given me money for not being employed (am looking for work) and centrelink has done nothing like mum said they would.

I'm not sure if i'm being lied to.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
 If it’s in her name isn’t it hers anyway? If it’s in your name it’s yours and she wouldn’t be able to take it. Call centrelink and see what is going on.  Your an adult so you don’t have to give her your money. No matter if she’s your mom or not. She’s not your responsibility .Answer #2: Best way to protect your money is to start a new account at a different bank and move the money into it.Answer #3: Aussie here.

Centrelink will only terminate your unemployment benefits once you find work. Your mum has no right to that money, it's yours.
If you haven't already, get a new bank account just for you. Walk into any bank with an ID and open an account today. Contact centrelink to ensure your unemployment benefits go into this new account where your mum can't access it.

If she insists you begin to pay rent for living with her, that's her choice because you're an adult now. However, she can't take your centrelink for her mortgage. That's your money.

I'd suggest looking to move out asap. You can get rent assist from centrelink AS WELL as unemployment benefits, and you will then be free to make your own financial decisions.Answer #4: I'm  it an expert in other countries real estate. But lots of people sell homes with a mortgage. If you owe $10,000 on your mortgage and sell it for $100,000. $10k would go towards the mortgage and you get the other $90k. You usually don't have to pay off the mortgage in order to sell the house.


Title: [Illinois] Can you refuse service if someone is paying in all quarters?

Question:
I was on the road today coming home from work and I stopped at a convenient mart on my way home. I wanted to buy a drink and a candy bar and I had no cash on me and I wasn’t about to cover a $3 charge with credit. I dug out enough quarters out of my change cup and when I went to pay he refused to serve me because he either didn’t want to count the quarters or what.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Yes, a business can refuse service if you are paying with change.

This is similar to how some business don't take bills larger than $50 or $100. Like the change, it's all legal tender, but they don't have to accept it.

That said, it seems kind of silly for the business to turn down 12 quarters, but whatever. Answer #2: Yes, perfectly legal. Answer #3: Yes, but only if money is received before goods/services are rendered. So in your example, the clerk is justified in accepting paper money only since you haven't yet received title of the goods (by first paying for them.)

But let's say you were in a restaurant where they traditionally charge you after the meal. Technically, you are being extended credit by the restaurant and so the restaurant cannot put limits on how you as the debtor repays the 'loan'. So if you pull out a fat sack of pennies and start counting, they *technically* have to work with you. Good luck though finding a restaurant that actually understands this nuance.Answer #4: I mean technically it’s there business so they can do what they want. However, currency is currency. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t take it. Answer #5: Sounds pretty douchy over 12 quarters, but IANAL.  Unless the owner of the store was the one denying you service, I'd try letting them know their employee refused your money.Answer #6: Your quarters is “legal tender for all debts public or private”. However, business owner still can refuse service to you.


Title: How can i get my name off a mortgage

Question:
I figured I'd get berated by Internet strangers before consulting my brother and lawyer.

About 15 years ago my ex BF and I bought a house together. We consigned the mortgage. A few years after that the relationship was failing and we decided to part ways. He was and probably still is in a better financial position than me, though at that time it wasn't feasible for him to refinance. I accepted a sum of money to cover moving and getting into an apartment in exchange for relinquishing my claim on the house. There was a contract involved, it was written by an attorney we agreed on.

At the time and until now it was a favorable arangement for me. It got me out of paying a mortgage I couldn't afford and he has paid the mortgage without missing a payment helping my credit.

Now I'm in better shape. After years of apartment living I'm considering buying a home, though that's not in the immediate future I'd hope to resolve this in the next few years.

Being on the loan now effectively blocks me from taking out my own mortgage as two mortgages is beyond my salary to debt ratio even though I haven't had to pay the mortgage in years I'm still responsible for it.

I don't have a copy of the contract nor do I have any idea who the lawyer was. I'm sure my ex still has a copy.

I haven't talked to my ex bf invasion decade. I'm considering asking him if he can look into refinancing now.

If he can not or will not refinance or sell the house what are my options?

Tdlr names on mortgage but not deed what can I do?

Answer:
 >I figured I'd get berated by Internet strangers before consulting my brother and lawyer.

OK.  Let the feast begin...naw, I'll be gentle.

>I don't have a copy of the contract nor do I have any idea who the lawyer was.

Well THAT's not good.

>I'm sure my ex still has a copy.

Hopefully he will give you a copy of it.

>names on mortgage but not deed what can I do?

Well THAT's not good either (but you would be surprised how many times this sort of thing comes up with homes and cars).  Your best hope would be to make it as easy as possible for him to refinance without you.  For instance, you could help him find a better interest rate so that his payments will be less, and you can pay for all the costs involved in refinancing.  If you make it financially beneficial to him if he refinances without you, then he might be agreeable.

PS.  You are lucky that he is paying the mortgage.  If he defaulted and the house wasn't worth what remained on the loan, then in addition to your credit tanking, the lender could come after you and your bank account.Answer #2: Your ex boyfriend has to refinance the mortgage or payoff the mortgage. There is no other way.  This is also why it is never recommended to buy a home with anyone unless you are married.


Title: Do I have to give someone my license numbers/a copy of my license after an accident?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 You need to exchange license and insurance information. She needs to give her information as well. If she refuses, call the cops. Answer #2: No. But, it's not like she can't get that information pretty easily. Were it me and you hit my car and then refused to share your license information, I'd call the police and have them get it from you. In an accident, you want information on the person driving the car and the insurance for that car/person.

You should BOTH exchange license and insurance information. Then, give that information to your insurance adjuster.


Title: Bank won't accept Power of Attorney for incapacitated father

Question:
I'm trying to transfer my Fathers funds to a trust so they won't go into probate when he passes away. Currently, my father is unable to sign another POA because of his current condition.

The bank sent the POA to their legal dept and they determined that the POA wasn't signed correctly.

Background: Both of our names match *exactly*. So instead of *John Q. Public Sr* and *John Q Public Jr* , he's *John Q. Public Jr*  and **I'm** John Q. Public Jr as well (I don't know why)

Anyhow, when he signed the POA, he signed as *John Q. Public* (without the 'Jr'), then when the notary filled out her part she identified my Father *with* the 'Jr'. This is the reason the bank won't accept the POA.

We did contact the notary and she sent notes from her notary journal confirming that ideed my Father signed (Without 'Jr') and she's willing to talk to the bank.

Regardless the bank says even though we provided supporting documents from the notary the POA is invalid because he filled it out/signed without 'Jr' and she filled out identifying my Father *with* 'Jr'. Oh we also have a copy of his ID (which has 'Jr') that match the notarys' journal entry.

Is there anything I can do? I don't have money for an attorney.

EDIT: I am located in Alaska for the moment but the DPOA was signed in California. He has a house here in AK and funds in Wells Fargo.

EDIT 2: My father recovered enough to where he could sign a new DPOA and I was able to carry out his wishes today.

This has nothing to do with my situation but I'll mention a tidbit I've learned in researching this in hopes it'll help someone: Turns out some banks will not honor DPOA unless it came from *their* institution.

-Thanks again everyone.

Answer:
 Have you spoken directly with their legal department? It is my understanding that the only reason they can refuse to accept a POA is because they believe the signature was forged.  Having the notary confirm he did indeed sign the POA should have cleared that up.

You could try to enlist the assistance of your state's Attorney General.

Other's here are going to want to know where you are located in order to give better advice.


Title: Dead Man's Sailboat washed onto my property in Hurricane Matthew

Question:
This is such a strange situation... On Friday Oct 7th, Hurricane Matthew ripped up the east coast. On its way through Daytona Beach, it pulled loose a 37' sailboat that was moored in the Halifax river a couple miles from my waterfront home. The boat did ~15k of damage to my dock and rip rap seawall, and ended up securely lodged on my property.

From day 1, the local police and the FWC came and started "investigating" (looking for the owner). Its a currently registered boat and we were able to learn the owner's name, but police "could not locate him".

We've now paid $7500 to have the boat dragged free and secured to the end of my dock (had to do this as we are trying to sell the house and the buyers could not get homeowners insurance with a giant boat in the yard).

Just yesterday, through our own investigation, we learned that the owner of the boat actually died in February of this year. the city police had been looking for next of kin to take the boat out of the mooring field, but apparently failed. The boat has been sitting there in the river for 8 months! The police should have known this man was dead right away - why didn't they tell me?

It should be noted that the owner of the boat was penniless, and the boat itself is in horrible shape. it does float, but has no sail, the engine does not work, and the interior is incredibly decrepit and disgusting. Most likely the boat is completely worthless.

My questions are:

1) Assuming no one wants this boat - who in the world can take responsibility for this boat? Can I force the city or the state to do so? I don't want to take ownership and then be stuck with the liability of junking it.

2) Can I legally just tow it back to the mooring place it came from and anchor it? Would I be liable if after years of further neglect the boat eventually sinks? Any way to escape that liability?

I just do'nt understand why this whole thing is my problem!!

Answer: The title made this situation sound way more piratey than it actually is.  I'm a bit disappointed.Answer #2: Probate records should show whether the dead man's estate had an executor and/or beneficiaries under the will or intestacy. That would indicate who the new owner of the boat is.


Title: Why aren't service animals required to be registered or licensed in the U.S.?

Question:
I'd like to say up front that I'm not arguing they *should* be, nor do I have any interest in making life more difficult for people who rely on them. I'm just curious why they aren't, because it seems like there are situations where this could actually make life easier for handlers.

I've seen a lot of discussion the last couple of years about people trying to pass emotional support animals off as service animals in situations where pets aren't permitted. ESAs aren't covered by the ADA like service animals. It seems like an official, standardized license or tag for service animals would prevent people from abusing protections meant for the disabled.

Handlers seem to deal with a lot of hassle from people who doubt the necessity of their service animals or wrongly assume some form of documentation is required. That kind of behavior is already an ADA violation, but that doesn't stop it from happening in practice. I imagine that only gets worse as more people attempt to claim untrained ESAs as a legal right, making organizations more averse to accommodating legitimate service animals that aren't disruptive or obtrusive. A license could help prevent and resolve these situations more efficiently, and the license wouldn't have to display any information (such as nature of the disability) that the handler can't already be asked to provide.

I also understand that this would create an additional burden for disabled individuals, especially if there is a complex application process or a registration fee or a long wait for approval. It seems to me like a tradeoff between easier initial access to a service animal and easier day-to-day use of a service animal. I don't know if the benefits of licensing would outweigh the drawbacks.

I've often seen a medical equipment analogy used for service animals - i.e., accommodating a service animal should be treated the same way as accommodating a wheelchair or an oxygen tank, and you don't need to apply for a license to use those things, which is a good point. I think it's an oversimplification, though. Employers and business owners don't get a say in which medical devices you use, but the government does. The FDA regulates many categories of medical device and has to approve them before the general public can access them. Sometimes a prescription is required before obtaining one (glasses or contact lenses, asthma inhalers, etc.). It seems like this is at least in the same ballpark as verifying that an animal has been trained to perform a task.

Is there an anti-licensing argument that hasn't occurred to me? Or is it just that the act of obtaining a license, regardless of the process or requirements, is considered too onerous?

Answer: Simple answer: Because the issue of untrained/unregistered ESAs is not sufficiently bad to offset the issues of requiring training and registering.  Simple risk assessment and management.


Title: I'd like to sue the shit out of my landlord, can I?

Question:
I live in Morgantown, WV, just outside of the city limits. Our current landlords are textbook slum lords and I'd like to sue them.  Before I go into detail I should probably mention that we have withheld rent for 2 months to get our landlord's attention, we have no way to contact them.
* Our lease is for the apartments next door and only has my girlfriend's signature on it, not mine or the other room mate's.

* There is a big hole cut into the shower in the bathroom that hasn't been fixed in 3 months.
* When it rains water comes over, into, and back out of the breaker box in addition to half of the wall it is attached too.
* The sink leaks water into the cabinet underneath.
* We have been telling the handyman about these problems for 2 and a half months and he has either given us an excuse or ignored us entirely.
*  And the one time we were able to talk to someone higher up he told us to "Just keep pestering the handyman".

What legal options do I have?

Answer:
 >Before I go into detail I should probably mention that we have withheld rent for 2 months to get our landlord's attention, we have no way to contact them.

Get ready to get evicted.


Title: [CA] Was rear-ended in August 2015, 100% other party's fault. Other party's insurance is handling my healthcare bills but their questions and comments have been making me nervous. Too late to hire personal injury attorney?

Question:
So I was involved in a car accident back in August on a trip down to Los Angeles (I currently reside in Berkeley for school).  I was driving on the freeway and slowed to a stop because of a traffic jam, but the person behind me didn't notice and rear-ended me going about 50mph.  Luckily I didn't hit anyone in front.  I immediately went to the hospital and have records for the types of injuries and was referred to an orthopedic surgeon while down in LA.  Got MRI images, the doc said I needed surgery, but because I had to go back to Berkeley, he said I could wait until I come back during the winter break for surgery.

Recently, the other party's insurance contacted me for updates.  When I told them the situation, they said that it's possible that they won't pay if there are delays in treatment.  They must have also internally escalated because they assigned me a new adjuster who specializes in personal injury requiring surgery.

I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed because my lease had ended in August and I had to burn almost a month recouping in LA before I could look for housing again in the Berkeley area.  I ended up having to couch-surf for over a month before I finally secured a lease last week.  At the same time I've been working on getting my dental school apps and DAT test in and it's tough having to deal with the other party's insurance company, the uncertainty over whether they'll pay for my medical bill, moving in, and school.  I definitely feel out of my depth as a student versus a company with dedicated professional teams.

I already got the car settlement from my own insurance.  Is it too late to hire a personal injury attorney?  What should I be doing about my situation?

Answer:
 It's never too late to get a personal injury lawyer, even if you received an insurance settlement. Personal injury lawyers will give you a free consultation and typically work on contingency so you pay nothing up front except maybe a small retainer for filing fees, etc.

You should at least book a consultation because you literally have nothing to lose.


Title: I was wrongfully imprisoned for taking my daughter on a walk. (?)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No, the officer had a reasonable case that you violated a custody agreement as the information the officer had was you were a non-custodial parent. You were released without charges when it was discovered this was not the case. That isn't false imprisonment/arrest.


Title: Co-workers ex took the vehicle she was paying on (PA)

Question:
Co-worker is going through an ugly break-up. About 6 months ago she got a new car. She made a $1000 down payment and has been paying the loan each month (she has proof). The car is in the ex's name because her credit wasn't as good. This weekend he took the car. The police told her they can do nothing. I told her this morning the only recourse im aware of is a civil suit. I'm pretty sure she'll have no problem getting the money she has spent, but can anyone elaborate on possible damages she could be awarded (she had to rent a car this week to get to work)?

Any help is appreciated

Answer:
 If what was taken was a car belonging to someone else as evidenced by the title to that vehicle, she may or may not recover the payments she made depending on what each party argues about the agreement during the relationship.

She likely cannot successfully argue for more.


Title: Stolen money from my grandma

Question:
Hope this is the right place to post this.

Location: California, US.

My grandma told me as I was dropping my daughter off this morning that at 5:45am money was taken out of her account in the amount of around $3,500. She noticed this because when she went to transfer that money online to pay rent, it was gone. (at this time she hadn't contacted the bank yet as it was too early in the morning).

I now work where she retired, in the same position she was in. I logged into my email to see one for her (her work emails get forwarded to my email). It was a confirmation email from Bank of America, stating that the 3,500 dollars was successfully transferred to an email address I recognized IMMEDIATELY. The email address is from a woman who works here at the company we work at. Now, is there ANY WAY that this could be a fluke? This lady is at times kind of sketchy, but she always claimed to be good "friends" with my grandma. However, she was never particularly nice to me.

The email address is all the info that the email provided about the transfer. But the email was time stamped at 5:49am this morning, November 6, 2017. She has called her bank since then, and I will bring more updates as I can to get the proper legal advice.

But for the time being, how is it possible that this email address of (let's call her "V") popped up on the Bank of America notification as the person that was wired the money?! Am I just naive?

EDIT: I don't believe this woman knows that my grandma's old email hasn't been completely shut down from the company's email server and is forwarded to my current work email.

UPDATE:
Apparently the email was a scam of some sort. Hearing it being explained from my grandma was like having a child try to explain it, but apparently her work email was hacked in order to gain access to her bank records. Another woman, who's name she gave me but I don't know how the bank would know the information, because she has no online presence at all (I'm pretty good at finding people over social media platforms). They don't have any further information in order to help her or press charges, which seems wrong. They just gave her a name and said it was a hack. She spent over 4 hours sitting at the bank working it all out and that's all the info they gave. I'm pretty furious.

Answer:
 Nah, I'm pretty sure that's sketchy as all get out, but you need to get this information to your grandmother and then help her work with the bank on this.Answer #2: Call your grandma now. The bank can confirm it (I think they can confirm where the money was transferred.)
Then call the police. Answer #3: After calling the bank and the police, call adult protective services. There are additional elder abuse laws that might be applicable here, and it might be part of a pattern that your grandmother hadn't previously noticed. In any case, APS can serve as an extra advocate for your grandma in cases like this.


Title: [PA] My landlord is telling me I need to sign a new lease while the previous one is in affect, where I would take on another bill.

Question:
My wife and I signed out lease on January 8th, 2019. I got a letter with a new copy of a lease saying we would need to sign a new copy of the lease changing the fact that the water bill goes from being the responsibility of the landlord, to the tenant. I brought it to the office, also to bring to the property managers attention, that our water heater was broken.

I come to find out the previous property manager has been fired and the  district manager from NJ is here for the interim while they find a new manager. ...I raised an open ended question about it but she is a very... intense woman and I backed off in the moment, just satisfied that my water heater would be getting looked at.

Now, I don't believe they can alter the lease without both agreeing and they couldn't do anything so long as we pay every month on time (which we have without fail so far), I on't want to make an enemy of the property manager, or make life more difficult. But if I give here and let them change the lease now, what else could change in another few months?

I went to print out the copy of the original lease with the old property manager, and realized she dated it for last year. Now I am trying to collect utility activation notices along with when my renters insurance started, but would the fact that their was a clerical error hurt my chances of being able to hold them to the original lease I signed?

And then in your personal opinion is it worth the fight?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If the lease has the correct period of performance and the wrong date is on the signature block, it is most likely considered a scrivener's error. In general, if you have a signed lease, they cannot change the terms unless both parties agree.


Title: Water damaged caused concrete to fall on my car in parking garage, building saying they are not responsible.

Question:
I live in an apartment and rent an assigned space in a parking garage. The garage has had water damage for some time and it recently got worse quickly. I notified the building about the issue and the next day concrete fell on my car, doing minor damage to the paint. I have pictures and email trails on the timing of this incident but the building management is saying they are not responsible for the damage to my car and say the event was/is "out of their control". They then improperly fixed one section of the damage while leaving another area unrepaired, I am concerned it may happen again. Any advice here would be greatly appreciated.

Other details that may be important:

* I maintain full coverage on my vehicle but the repair will be less than my deductible, and I'd rather not pay anything obviously.
* The space I park in is assigned and I pay $125/mo for it. It is a parking garage under the main apartment building.
* The damage is minor, and may cost less than $200 to fix (I'm decent with car stuff).
* I notified the building before the damage occurred.

Answer: They are completely responsible tell them to fix it or hire an attorney


Title: [NC] Unwed Custody of Child

Question:
Backstory: My girlfriend has a four year old daughter. She lives with her 99% of the time. The father is absentee and sporadically shows up to take her for a few days but there is no regular schedule. Recently since she started dating me, he has begun to to act strangely and shes getting increasingly worried that he may try and take her and not bring her back.

&nbsp;

He constantly harasses her by text message and has gone as far as to call the Sheriff while her daughter was staying with her cousin for the weekend. He told the Sheriff he didn't know where she was and that he didn't think she was safe despite the fact that he called the aunt and talked to his daughter he still insisted the Sheriff come out. The deputies then came the next morning and did a house check and of course found absolutely nothing wrong. They were even annoyed by the whole situation.

&nbsp;

We aren't 100% sure that an affidavit of parentage was signed at the time of birth but we are assuming it was since his name is on the birth certificate. What rights does he have to see his daughter and can she with hold visitation until a court decides custody? We've already started the process of getting sole custody as well as having him pay child support. She's extremely concerned and any advice would greatly be appreciated.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Absent a court order, he has no rights to see the child.