Title: [FL, US] Co-owned a car with my dad. He sold it 6 years ago without my knowledge. Just found out there is still a lien on the title in my name. How can I clear this up?

Question:
In 2005 I went to a dealership in Florida and looked at a couple cars. My credit was bad, so my dad came down and co-signed. We were listed as co-owners on the title. The next year, I ran into some money problems and took out a loan from a payday loan place with the car as collateral.

Went through some bad personal stuff in the following years. I had a pretty bad drug and depression problem. I lost my job. My house was foreclosed on, and my credit was wrecked.

I was able to pay of the main car loan from the dealership.But I totally forgot about the payday loan.

I moved out of the area about 6 years ago. My parents helped pay some of my bills during the rough time, so my dad sold the car without telling me about it to recoup some funds. I was a little miffed, but it was not that big of a deal. I don't need a car where I live currently, and I did owe my parents some money, so I didn't make a big deal of it.

I just did a search on the DMV website, and they still listed the car title under my name. When I went to the tax/title office, they said that there was a lien on the car from 12 years ago. This was a surprise to me. I totally forgot about this loan. I was able to contact the loan office, and I asked the loan company to provide documents for proof.

They have kept the loan going for 12 years even though I totally forgot about it and haven't made payments in that time. The debt was never sent to collections as far as I know, but I will double check my credit report just in case.

The car was sold to another party. My dad had no clue about the payday loan, and I totally forgot about it. So he thought he was selling the car with a clean title. The payday loan company wants a bunch of money to be removed from the title. I don't have the amount they want, but they said they would consider settling if I made an offer. What would be the best way to clear this up? I don't want to get in any trouble, and I am trying to do the right thing. But I currently don't have the funds to pay off the lien.

Answer:
 Lots of complicating factors.

First, the car was never sold because your name was on the title.  You would have had to sign off on the sale.  That means you still own the car (as the DMV record shows).  Your dad may have some liability towards the actual person in possession of the vehicle for trying to transfer a car he didn't own.

Second, in order for the loan to be on the vehicle the loan company must have filed something with the state.  This would have shown up on a title search of the vehicle.

Third, and probably most importantly, you're 12 years out on the loan and have never made a payment.  Your personal liability for this loan is probably beyond the statute of limitations.  This means that any lawsuit to recover on the loan would be unsuccessful.

Fourth, even if you cannot be personally sued on the loan, the loan company may have the right to repossess the vehicle.  Since the vehicle is still in your name the repossession may still show up on your credit report.

One option is to ignore the loan company and let them repossess the car if they really want to.  Dispute any credit hits for nonpayment of the loan (although you'd probably be on the hook for the credit hit if they repossess it).  As for title of the vehicle, you can find out who bought it and offer to sell them the title subject to the lien.  Let them record the new title with the DMV.

Another option is to pay off the loan for whatever amount you feel is appropriate.

Another option is to get the car back, sell the car, and use that income to pay off the loan company.


Title: GF [living in Ontario] was raped by her visiting cousin [lives in Florida], and after returning to florida impregnated and married a girl. How can I let new wife\child services type authorities know without being libelous if prosecution in Ontario doesn't work?

Question:
Hi Everyone. I live in Toronto with my girlfriend. Her first cousin [who lives in Florida] visited and stayed with my GF's family a year and a half ago for a few months. When he left, she told me that he fed her shots with her sister, and she woke up and he told her they had sex. She was scared to tell anyone for a while because of the strain it would put on her financially struggling, divorced parents. When she opened up about it, she said that he's done this before, the first time being when she was 11 years old [he is five years older].

She went to the police after she opened up about it, and has had trouble with prosecution [he said, she said].

He now lives in Florida again and has since [very quickly] impregnated and married a girl.

GF and I want to message his new wife\her friends to tell her what he did, how far can we go without being libelous?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: You are straying into defemation per se territory, and without a conviction it's hard to argue it's the truth without making the victim testify in open court. Don't do this.


Title: A friend of mine has a roommate who's Xbox was stolen last night. That roommate wants to file a police report. Does my fiend need to worry about the police searching his room and finding drug paraphernalia?

Question: Location is Indiana

Answer: Police still can't search the room without consent or a warrant barring exigent circumstances.  Tell him to go to the station to file it if he's that paranoid


Title: Long lost land question

Question:
While researching some family genealogy I found out my great great uncle had a large amount of land in New Mexico that was deeded to him by the US government. It says in the deed that it’s his and his heirs “forever”.  My uncle and aunt had no children and the land has been under the care of the Bureau of Land Management since the 1930s. On the BLM website, it still lists him as the current owner and it says the the land has never been transferred.
Can I claim this land? I believe the way it’s stated in the deed that there wouldn’t even be any taxes on it. It was his free and clear “forever”.

Answer:
 Get a lawyer, and be prepared for an expensive disappointment even then. The US government has almost never granted allodial ("absolute") title to land, and fee simple title is subject to a bunch of legal limitations you're probably familiar with - property tax, for starters - even if that obligation isn't spelled out explicitly in the original grant.

It is possible that you are your great-great-uncle's closest living relative, and it is possible that once you work through the layers of deaths and family relationships, you would stand to inherit the parcel. The BLM is unlikely to give it up without a fight, and if it's been in their care for multiple generations, the courts might find that title reverts to the state when you start pushing it.


Title: Partner locked me out

Question: Partner locked me out of bottom floor of house (where we live). All my stuff is down there. We are both rental tenants on the same lease. Is this legal?

Answer: No, call the sherif.


Title: (Colorado USA) Fiance's father that she wants no contact with just drove across the country and is sitting outside our apartment.

Question: Fiance's father that she wants no contact with just drove across the country and is sitting outside our apartment. Apartment manager says They can't do anything unless he's on the property. Says he's going to camp outside until he sees us come or leave. He doesn't know what apartment we live in and we've had friends answer the door and pretended to live there. This is something I can call police and report harassment? Or am I just kind of SOL until something major happens.

Answer: I would assume you would contact the police and start a harrassment complaint because of this behavior from him. From there you can start the ball rolling on a civil protection order against him. You'll need to get him served and you'll most likely have to go to court however.


Title: [Canada] - Mom has $800 phone bill - Intellectually disabled

Question:
My mother got a sell phone plan, 2 year contract, with 500MB data without telling anyone.

&nbsp;

She burned through the data and I noticed a bill in her name for $800.

&nbsp;

I totally understand that she signed a contract, but it makes me a little sick to my stomach that someone sold her a plan when she is not in a capacity to do so. She is independent to a certain extent but has an minor intellectual disability, diagnosed.

&nbsp;

Does she have any options? Thank you.

Answer: Honestly I'd think the vendor might incur problems for refusing to sell because the patron had a minor intellectual disability. It sounds discriminatory.Answer #2: Nothing about this sounds like "predatory selling" despite your username. It's not the service provider's responsibility to demand proof of mental acuity from every customer.


Title: Purchased first home, all of the plumbing was done illegally.

Question: Purchased my first home on the 26th of June. Did a home inspection and he found very few issues. Now my air conditioner doesn't work, hot water heater doesn't work, and apparently none of my plumbing is up to code. I have a home warranty but they only do repairs and are taking care of the hot water heater and air conditioning, but as the plumbing needs to be modified they will not touch it. Most of the plumbing is new and was clearly done by an unlicensed plumber which is illegal in IL. Things like kitchen sink and dishwasher discharge into a flower bed. I assume it was done by the sellers contractor just like everything else.  In addition to this there is new drywall covering the main leading to my septic tank which is leaking. Do I have any options for recourse? Or am I fucked and just need to pony up the thousands of dollars for this repair?

Answer: This is a case where you get out your purchase contract, find a real estate attorney (or use the one you may have worked with during the purchase) and find out what your recourse is, if any. Your lawyer will be more familiar with IL law regarding selling a home with plumbing that is not up to code.Answer #2: If the home was sold with known code violations, the seller could be responsible.  It might be worth contacting the company your realtor worked for as they may have known about the issues.  In some cases they will settle rather than face a lawsuit.  The inspector may also be liable if they should have noticed code violations.  Either way your best bet would be to consult a lawyer.


Title: Job restricts who I can live with

Question:
So this is something that has been bothering me for a while. I work in a sow barn, basically I make baby pigs for a living. I love the job but there is a concept called "biosecurity" that is a pain in the a**. Pigs, especially baby pigs, can get sick really easy so we try to limit exposure to potential diseases, same concept as a NICU at a hospital. Because of this, you have to shower in and out of work everyday, you can't bring raw pork in for lunch (don't know why you would want to anyway) and a whole bunch of other rules. One of these rules that, although I haven't been effected by it personally, bothers me is you are not allowed to live with someone who works at a different barn. For example, I know someone who was living with her ex husband who worked for a different company. When my company found out they told her to move out in two weeks or get fired. I should also mention that my company does not provide for housing. When I signed the employee contract, I know it had a clause in there agreeing to not live with people who worked at other barns. It also told me I'm not allowed to have my own pigs, but that's a whole different can of worms.

Is this legal? I know I agreed to it but thinking back on it, is this a subject that can even be in a contract to begin with? I know that since I work in agriculture I'm under slightly different employment laws, for example we can never earn overtime. I don't know if that has something to do with it, because this sounds super illegal. Any advice you have would be extremely helpful, my hope is I could get this rule changed because I know it effects alot of people.

Answer:
 IANAL, but considering this is potentially in place to protect the food supply, the regulation is probably reflected by state or federal law, and you probably have no recourse.

Hopefully, someone from your state, or who is familiar with this will be by soon and can explain in detail.Answer #2: It's a safety issue.

One of the chicken plants I've been involved with prohibits relationships between those who work on blue side and red side.

At a sensitve food handling site, if you carry Golden Staph it becomes a HR issue - its a naturally occurring bug in your skin in 50% of the population.

Think about the bigger picture.


Title: Ex-Husband has a new girlfriend

Question:
First time ever posting here, don’t know where else to get advice, please be patient with me.

Around this time last year, I left my husband of almost five years. I had wanted to leave for a long time so I was ready to get back out and start dating. A month after our split, he lost his job as a police officer as well as found out I was dating someone. He was furious of course as he thought there was still hope we would get back together. In three years I had tried to leave him three times and always took him back. This time I was DONE.

He got money from his parents and hired a lawyer. He accused me of bringing my new boyfriend around our kids and requested in his court documents (sorry, forget the proper verbiage for those) that we were not to introduce the kids to “new romantic partners” till at least a year into a relationship. He also requested sole physical custody even though I had been a stay at home mom for three years while he worked 50+hours a week. I was with our children 24/7, no complaints, it’s what I wanted. He also lied on his financial application in order to get out of paying child support. I didn’t have a lawyer myself and was almost ordered to pay him, despite that he was making more under the table in a week than I was making in an entire month. For the record, I didn’t do what he was accusing me of. I was totally screwed in court but I shouldn’t complain too much about that. We split custody 50/50 now.

After our temporary orders were set and our tempers cooled, we did start to get along. We both just want what is best for our kids and that’s all that matters. We agreed verbally that after dating someone for at least five months, we would introduce them to the other parent before introducing them to the kids. He met my boyfriend in September who I did eventually break up with in March. After I broke up with him, ex-husband told me “yeah I have no interest in dating anyone.” A week later, he told me he was in fact dating someone and had been for six weeks. Oh by the way, the kids “accidentally” met her when they happened to run into her at the mall! I was mad but let it go, no big deal. Fast forward a bit and we set a date for me to meet her so he can introduce the kids, which was coincidentally, supposed to be tomorrow.

Laying in bed with my youngest (3) this morning and she starts going on and on about the new girlfriend and her daughter. Immediately texted my ex for him to clarify. He says he doesn’t know what she could be talking about. So I call our middle child (6) in, he says yup, we’ve met girlfriend and her kid. They had pizza and played on the swing set at ex’s parents house where he lives. Called our oldest (9) in and ask her the same question. She has a bad habit of making a particular face when she’s lying or has been caught in a lie and doesn’t know how to proceed. She of course makes this face. I assure her I’m not mad, she’s not in trouble, I just want the truth. She tells me “dad said I’m not supposed to tell you or else I’ll get in big trouble.” She was petrified, I tell her again she is not in trouble in anyway and remind her that she should never lie or withhold information from me, even if her dad tells her so. I’m seeing red and send a very angry text to the ex. I then blocked his phone number so I wouldn’t be tempted to have an argument with him and say something I would later regret and go about having a nice day with the kids.

Now that I’ve gathered my thoughts, I sent a text basically stating he was to apologize to our oldest for threatening her into lying to me and that he was to never bring his girlfriend around again. If he tried to pull a stunt like this again, I would bring him to court for violating our agreement and request sole custody. He sent this delusional response, “I don’t have time for your games. Any further communication regarding any separation agreements or threats can go through my attorney. Don’t text me unless there is an emergency or unless it’s in regards to children. You can’t dictate my life anymore I’m sorry you can’t control yours. Your number is blocked until 9 AM tomorrow. Call my house if an emergency arises.” I realize there are three sides to every story and you are only reading mine but for the record I’m a boring person. I work full time, go to the gym, and take care of my kids. I literally do nothing else with my life. There’s nothing uncontrollable about my life except for the fact that I’m stuck dealing with this dummy for the rest of my life

So my question is this, should I be contacting his lawyer to let them know what he’s been doing behind my back and try to solve this like adults (honestly, I feel like a child tattling)? Do I let them know I have intentions to take him to court? I do have a well paying full time job now and really don’t actually have the time to be going to court and everything. I’m not trying to get money out of him, I don’t want any help from him. What’s the best way for me to proceed? He obviously intends to do whatever he wants at this point and I don’t want this girl around the kids if I haven’t met her. I KNOW I can’t control what happens at his house but if he truly didn’t want someone in my life around the kids, I would oblige; they’re his kids too. I just want to set a fire under his ass so he never puts any of our children in this position again.

TL; DR ex-husband threatened our child into lying to me about his new girlfriend and is bringing her around despite me asking him not to. What can/should I do legally?

Answer:
 So to summarize.

1. You're still legally married.

2. You don't have a finalized divorce agreement, so there is no agreement to violate.

3. You don't want your children meeting his new girlfriend but have no particular reason for feeling this way in terms of her being threat to your children.


Title: North Carolina - Wife just left the state with our son -- what can I do?

Question:
**TL;DR:** My wife took our toddler, without discussing it with me, to her parents' place several states away -- no idea if/when they're coming home -- and she won't speak to me.  How can I get my son back?

**Longer version:** My wife and I had an argument last week about my temper, and I decided that I'd take our toddler son up to PA for the weekend to visit his grandparents.  My wife and I had been discussing this for a few days prior, but were on the fence about it because she wouldn't be able to go -- she had to stay home and take care of her sick cat.  Then, the argument happened, and I decided I wanted to make the trip.  I spoke with her about it, and she agreed that some time apart might be good for us.  **She was aware that I was taking our son, and seemed ok with it.**

Fast forward 4 days, I drive back home from my parents' place (~7 hours or so), and hand the boy off to my wife and tell her I need some sleep.  She agrees, and says I should sleep all day if I need to (I made the drive home overnight, getting in at 6:30am, so I was exhausted).  She tells me she has a play date planned with a friend, so I say "great".  I tell her I thought a lot about our argument, and that I had some ideas that she might like -- we should talk about them after I get some sleep.  She agrees and seems happy about it -- I kiss her goodnight, and I fall asleep.

I wake up in the early afternoon to a text from her father saying that "due to my escalating temper, [wife] and [son] no longer feel safe living at home.  They're with us now."

I spent the day trying to get a hold of her -- she won't respond to my calls or text.  It turns out she had taken our son and flown to her parents place (many states away) while I slept.  Her father texts me and says that both my wife and son are safe, and I'm able to have a quick video-chat with my son before bed -- but he's too young to be able to understand a video chat, so he spent the time trying to climb on the couch and play with bubbles.

I've sent several pleading texts and emails, asking her to contact me and let me know what's going on.  Is she coming home?  When?  She won't respond to any of them.

I called the police, thinking this might technically be "kidnapping" -- but apparently it's not.  Furthermore, the officer said that he had been to my house over the weekend (while I was away) when my wife had filed an official report about our argument.  The argument wasn't particularly bad, and I never threatened her or my son, nor have I ever done that in the past.  My son is my world -- I would never hurt him.

It sounds like she's trying to prevent me from having contact with my son.  What can I do?  We're still married, which is why the officer I spoke with said it's totally fine for a mother to take a trip with her child.  Do I have any legal standing to get her back home with our child?

All I want is to hold my boy again.

Answer:
 [Is this your wife?](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4qzi1d/north_carolina_does_feeling_threatenedafraid_of/)

You can't compel any action without a proper court order. You need to get an attorney.


Title: Can I terminate an employee if he/she is considered a marginal performer?

Question: This would be after steps were taken and the problems were addressed to the worker. Could I potentially get sued for his/her termination?

Answer:
 I don't know, on the planet Neptune, it might be illegal.

Do they have a contract? Are you in the US?


Title: Pregnant Girlfriend laid off while pregnant. no notice given. small claims court or Human rights complaint?

Question:
Which will likely lead to a better settlement?

shes been employed for 1 year.

location: canada.

notice given: none.

Answer: Likely neither. Assuming USA, it is not illegal to have layoffs that include someone that is pregnant. It is only illegal to fire her because she is pregnant. And if you believe she was fired because she was pregnant, you need to prove it.


Title: Landlord came to my house telling my mom that we need to move out in 3 days, what can I do?

Question:
No paper, notice, or phone call. What can I do as a teenager worried about being homeless with my parents?

Edit: location is California
Edit 2: parents are late on rent
Edit 3: Thanks to all the helpful residents of Reddit to help me inform my parents more about this unsettling situation! Will be updating on Wednesday.
Edit 4: Landlord and parents are talking about making ends meet. Still living in the house also.

Answer:
 Ok, further down OP says this is a new owner who says he wasn't paid but parents paid the old owner.

If that's the case it sounds more like either the old landlord owes the new one money or the new landlord is trying to illegally evict holdover tenants.


Title: [NC] I'm planning on leaving my family for good, as soon as I can. I have a few questions.

Question:
I won't get too into why, as I don't want to be identified and I'm typing this as fast as I can. I'll try to lay out some basic points-

I have a dog. I have all of her papers.

I am old enough to get a working permit.

I live in North Carolina.

I have a millitary ID and a driving permit.

I'm working toward my actual licence, so I can start working to save money up. I will head to the DMV to get my regular ID.

I will have graduated by the time I have my full license.

I do not know where to get my SSN or my birth certificate, but I can search the house when everyone leaves for the store. I know we don't have the actual SSN card.

When I leave, I will have turned 18. I will notify the police that I am not a missing person. I will find safe transport for all of my things and myself + dog.

Is there anything I'm forgetting?

Also, I doubt my mother will come after my dog- but while I have all the papers, they all have her name on them. What do I do here?)

I can't stay logged into this for more than a day. Please, if you have any questions, make them fast. I do not mean to be rude about this- I just need to stay safe.

Answer:
 FYI unless you are absolutely sure she won't report the dog stolen, i wouldn't take it. [Theft of a dog is a felony in NC](http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-81.html)Answer #2: Then she likely owns the dog legally if get name is on the papers.

You can get your SS card from the SS office. You need your birth cert and ID.

You can get your birth cert from your local records office if you were born in the same state you are in. You can Google it. You need ID.

Don't take anything not obviously yours when you leave. The birth cert is not yours. It is your parents. You can get your own. Take a picture of it on your phone if you want.


Title: Ordered something online, was sent completely wrong order. They want me to return the product at my expense.

Question:
I live in Missourri but the company I bought it from is in Washington.

I purchased something from the company but received the wrong item.

What I ordered was a small product, but what they sent me, is a very large package weighing about 170 lbs according to the tag on it.

When I contacted the company they told me to send it back and then when they get it they will send out the appropriate product.

However there is a problem, which is that it will be very costly to ship. They told me I needed to specifically send it via UPS and online I found their calculator that told me it must be shipped by freight and will cost over $400 to ship.

I then called and someone found a slightly cheaper option but it still must be shipped freight. $330.

I asked the company to pay for shipping and they said that AFTER they receive it in good condition I can be reimbursed up to $75 in shipping costs. Obviously that would leave me missing hundreds of dollars.....

They say they cannot pay for shipping beforehand.

I also tried Fedex and got a quote of $370. USPS said they won't ship it and DHL says they don't service that zip code, so I am not sure about getting any more quotes.

What can I do? They have my money for the product I bought, and I have something i don't want. They want me to pay hundreds of dollars most of which won't be reimbursed in order to get the RIGHT product.

Also I found info about charge backs online, but that is not an option.

Answer: Why is a charge back not an option? This is a pretty clear case - you ordered x and you got y. Answer #2: Have you contacted the courier and told it that you want to either refuse the shipment or have it returned to sender?  If so, what was the response?Answer #3: This sounds like they're trying to scam you, though I can't put my finger on why.


Title: My personal tools were stolen from a company van, behind a company gate that should have been locked by a company security personnel, but wasn’t. The company says I have to replace them myself, even though it was due to another employee(s)’ negligence. Is this right?

Question:
All of my hand tools, my tool bag, my tool belt, my socket set and drill with batteries and a charger were stolen out of my employers 5-ton truck that was on my employers property that was behind a gate that should have been locked by a security personnel, but wasn’t. I rode in the truck but did not have keys for it. I was initially told by my direct superior that the tools would be replaced, but have now found out that the company we both work for will not replace them, even though the loss was because of another one (or multiple) of their employees’ negligence.

No, I do not have my own personal insurance on them. Yes I am an employee, not sub contracted. The total value of my property loss was estimated at $3000. The employees are unionized but I am not yet a part of the union (I don’t know if that makes a difference).

More details: there were also two company vehicles stolen and a bunch of company property. I was under the impression that I would have my stuff replaced when the company stuff was missing as they were filing an insurance claim, but they have since recovered the two vehicles and now it seems like my stuff is the only stuff not recovered, and so their tune has changed, and I’m left to fend for myself.

I just want my tools back, I need them to work. What can I do?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 This is a question of [bailment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailment).

The general rule in common-law jurisdictions is that if you possess someone's chattels then you have a duty to look after them.

You may be a voluntary bailee - which includes bailment for reward. So if you leave your car to be fixed by the dealership, then unless there are express contractual terms to the contrary, you are bailor, it is bailee, and it must look after the chattel. In cases of bailment for reward, this is an even more onerous duty.

You may be an involuntary bailee - so someone leaves their bike at your flat and then forgets they cycled over and Ubers home; you have to look after the bike.

Your employer was bailee of your tools *unless there are express terms to the contrary*. So your employment contract may say 'tools etc. are the employee's sole responsibility', or similar. Or they may have been a note on the notice board saying 'Don't leave your tools in the trucks.'

It's not clear whether the employer was aware of you leaving the tools in the truck. (It may have vicarious knowledge of that fact - if your superviser, e.g., knew that you usually left your tools in the truck.) If it did, it's very likely that it is responsible to reimburse you for the tools.

If it didn't know, it's only probable that it is responsible.

None of the foregoing applies if your employer is the type of employer who is likely to say: "Don't like it? Find another job." and this is in a state that doesn't provide much employment protection.


Title: My apartment ceiling is pissing sewage water all over. I would like to sue.

Question:
Since I've moved in my apartment complex has failed to fix any leakage. It first started with the AC leaking into the floor. Some boards curled up and became tripping hazards. We notified them multiple times but they haven't done anything.

Recently the apartment complex changed owners. We only found out due to the emergency number not working when we had a leak in the ceiling of the bathroom. The next day they came to fix it after we showed up at the office.

Currently it is 4 am and I've been replacing buckets for hours because no one will answer the fucking emergency line because the emergency line apparently is no longer correct due to change in ownership and there is no other number on their website or the office.

I have video of the constant flow of shit water leaking all over the place. I'm sure this is some stupid big violation of health and safety. I'd like to sue these people for everything I can. Currently only my girlfriend and her roommate are on the lease but if either of them could sue they are willing.

Birmingham AL

Answer:
 Put your request to them in writing and keep it for documentation. If they fail to comply within a timely manner, which it sounds like it might already be the case, you can sue for damages.

>If the landlord does not make the repairs, tenants may move out without responsibility for future rent. Tenants may instead remain in the rental and sue the landlord for damages, which would be the difference between the stated rent and the value of the rental in view of its uninhabitable state. Judges may also direct landlords to make repairs.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/alabama-tenant-rights-withhold-rent.html


Title: Can I legally withdraw or transfer most of my money from bank account before the court withholds/freezes my income?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Deliberately frustrating a legal process is not generally advisable. The other wide will ask for statements going back a few months, then the judge will haul you in and threaten you with contempt charges.


Title: Girlfriend of 3 years has been cheating on me, but we own a house together. (australia)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Whom you have sex with has no impact on home ownership.


Title: [SC] Being harassed by cosigner of a Student Loan

Question:
I have a student loan ($15k), currently being serviced by Firstmark (previously SC Student Loans), that is in good standing and I make regular payments to keep it that way. My cosigner is desperately trying to get his name removed from the loan and has been barraging me to get his name removed. I contacted both SC Student Loans and now Firstmark to see if this was possible. I was informed that they cannot offer cosigner release based on how the loan originated. He is mad because the loan is taking a long time to pay off, longer than he believes it should have taken and is now claiming that I "breached his trust, breached our agreement, have not acted in good faith and have broken our contract". I am now being told that I have to respond ASAP to his emails and that he is "not going to wait very long". We did not have an additional contract specifying anything regarding payback terms or specific liabilities (that I can remember or that he is producing) and this is a straightforward student loan cosign. Does he actually have a legal recourse here??? Do I??? I'm worried because unfortunately he is a lawyer and I definitely am not.

Thank you for your help.

TLDR: Student loan in good standing, cosigner wants to be released, no go from lenders. Now having "threatening" emails in my inbox from lawyer cosigner.

Answer:
 There's an old legal saying along the lines of "If you have the facts on your side, hammer the facts.  If you have the law on your side, hammer the law.  If you have neither on your side, hammer the table."

He's hammering the table.


Title: Is there a law about taking money without explaining why they are taking it?

Question:
I have moved my daughter into a new day care due to me getting a new job. I pay every 2 weeks on pay day. She started in October and I noticed that my payments weren't being taken out of my bank account. I notified the manager and she stated she'll look into it. In the mean time, I'll keep track to see if it pulls out. The next pay day comes around and nothing had come out, so we tried again but this time I paid for 4 weeks to cover what i owed. From my online banking and calling to make sure, it took it out of my account but didn't go into theirs yet. My end was good. I tried to keep up with the situation but the manager kept looking into it. We had been on the same page about payments and she even said at one point "I don't know what's going on. Maybe you'll just end up with free money."
January comes around and my entire bank account was drained. They took all the money that I owed, plus extra from the time I noticed it didn't work. I went in and asked what is going on. The manager stated her machine wasn't sending any payments to the bank. The accountant was at the bank figuring things out. They did not notify me that they were going to just take all the money out at once. I could not pay any other bills at this point so I'm furious. This also happened to other parents as well but I haven't gotten to talk to them yet. I do know that one parent got their account drained as well.
Is this legal? What should I do?

Answer: I think some clarifying details would be helpful here. Did you supply your bank account information to the day care and authorize the company to withdraw what you owed automatically?


Title: Legal custody of Grandchild (TN)

Question:
My wife and I are getting ready to apply for legal guardianship of our 7 year old grandson. His father has had custody of him for the last couple years, but the child has some behavioral/mental health issues that have gotten him removed from more than one school and nothing seems to be helping. We are hoping to be the change of pace that he needs, but we also need to get him on our insurance so we can get him into therapy/counselling. Both parents are in agreement.

My question is how much should I put in the application for custody? I spoke with a lawyer some time ago that said to be vague in the paperwork, but honest if asked in court. Should I detail everything or just say he is coming to stay with us because we all feel it's the best thing for him right now? I just don't want to open a can of worms if I can avoid it. Lord knows, we've had enough of those already.

Answer:
 You need a lawyer for this. a real lawyer - not a subreddit.

You said both parents are in agreement. So this is a voluntary adoption? If that's the case, it should be pretty easy and cheap. There might be home visitations, etc. But as long as both parents are on board, this should be possible.

Assuming this is a voluntary adoption . . . just do what your attorney said - be vague, but be prepared to answer questions.

Quite frankly, if both parents are agreeing to the adoption, and both adopting parents are agreeing to the adoption, and the child is to young to have a say . . . it really isn't the court's business why you all want the adoption. They don't need to know the details.

They'll probably want to make sure nothing shady is happening. The child isn't being sold into the sex trade, you're trying to get a hold of some trust so you can spend it on yourselves, etc.

If this isn't a full adoption . . . you're just letting the child live with you for a while, then it's *really* not the courts business.


Title: Brother-in-law bought car from me right before filing bankruptcy. CA

Question:
I owned a car that I used for track racing on a hobby basis. I recently sold the vehicle to my brother-in-law. We had a very simple contract we found online, he paid cash, we have already done the paperwork for the title and notified the DMV.

A couple of weeks later he crashed the vehicle. He had not gotten proper insurance for track racing either. I haven't seen much but I'm guessing total loss based on photos and what he said. I mention this because it means this sale can't easily be reversed in a way that makes me whole.

It turns out my brother-in-law is now filing bankruptcy. I do not know what kind.

However, I am worried about whether this could be bad for me since he paid me a large sum so soon before filing.  As I understand it sometimes things can be reversed based on the order at which creditors are entitled to money (amateur reading online). Basically I am wondering whether there is any chance I could be required to pay this money back (in which case I wouldn't get anything out of it, since car is toast).

Answer:
 There are two kinds of transactions in bankruptcy law that can be reversed:

(1) Fraudulent transfers.
(2) Payments for an already-existing debt

What you describe is neither of these.  Instead, it's a contemporaneous exchange of value.  He gave you $1000, you gave him something worth $1000.   (Or whatever the value is).  As long as the $1000 is about what the car was actually worth, you're fine.

Bankruptcy does not undo those sorts of transactions, because your brother-in-law didn't actually change position -- he just became a bit less liquid.  Instead of having $1000 in cash, he had something worth $1000 that he (or the trustee) could then sell for $1000.  True, he wrecked it, but that's on him, not on you.


Title: [Japan] My friend was fired when she (politely) declined a date from her boss. What legal recourse is available? How likely is a successful suit?

Question:
My friend just finished a study-abroad in Japan and liked to the country so much that she got herself a work visa and a full-time job. After working for a month, her boss asked her out. She declined. Three days later, she was fired.

Rather than rage impotently at sexism, I've tried looking up Japanese laws on gender discrimination to find a path for her towards rectification. However, I'm not a lawyer and I don't speak Japanese, so I haven't been able to find specific information. Does my friend have legal standing to challenge her firing? Can she sue for compensation? Is the EEOL even relevant here? Is the fact that she is a white foreigner (albeit one with fluent Japanese) an additional obstacle? I would be grateful for any proactive action she can take. Thank you.

EDIT: Weirdly, I triggered LocationBot even though I have "[Japan]" in my title. So, to clarify for those with the intelligence of LocationBot: this is a question about laws in Japan. Japan. Japan. Japan.

Answer:
 My sister on work visa was actually fired from a job in Japan with gender discrimination.  She went to the Labor board and reported it (don't ask me how though).  She basically went through a process much like unemployment in the US in mediating what happened and after about a month was awarded a salary for a while.

HOWEVER, to stay on a work visa, she also needed to get a new job ASAP.  I think she said that she only had 60 days or so.  Again, not an exact answer.  Fortunately she found one shortly after being fired for 'insubordination.'

From what they told her on the board, gender discrimination against foreign females is particularly common because most of them do not know recourse, or are afraid of being forced to leave the country.Answer #2: I am nearly certain that we don't have anyone who is knowledgable about Japanese Law here.


Title: Help I think I found CP

Question: Okay today I was sufing pornhub and I put japanese filter for some japanese porns. And I found seriously wrong video. I didn't clicked the link but thumbnail was playing by itself. At the beginning, the girl was covering her face with clothes so I didn't noticed what it was. But as the thumbnail started to play itself, the girl seriously looked like a young girl. Seriously young girl. I was so frigtened and quickly pressed next page. I know some Asian pornstar look ridiculiously young. However, in this video, she seemed too young to me, like an actual child. I wanted to report the video but on the other hand I didn't wanted to click the video. Now I'm so freekin paranoid and just wanna jump out to the window. Will I get trouble into trouble for this? Help I'm only 17 years old and I seriously don't want to be a sex offender for watching cp ahhhhh

Answer:
 Cool out. You did nothing wrong. You can likely report this directly to porn hub. They don't want to host CP. Answer #2: There are some really, really young looking 18 year olds in Japan. Add on the fact that for those video they dress them up to look and behave even younger. If it was any kind of professional production it's most likely not illegal (though creepy as hell) but as others have said, report it to PornHub.

Either way, you won't get in trouble just for accidentally viewing it even if it was. Just don't download it.Answer #3: /u/cypher_blue   ^^^


Title: [TX]Roommate might be getting fired by head chef for being female.

Question:
My roommate recently got hired as a chef for a non-chain "high-end" Italian restaurant (by recently, I mean it's been 4 months.) A majority of the kitchen staff are all veterans of the restaurant business; mostly everyone, including my roommate, all know each other in and out of work and how each performs - so it's like a well oiled machine and everything USUALLY runs smoothly, until one of the head chefs butts in.

Context: There are two head chefs - the one my roommate is having a tussle with is an Italian that we shall call Boiardi for right now. The other head chef, who is respected in chef circles in this side of Texas, completely respects my roommates skill and how quickly she took to the menu(saw it first hand) - her 2nd week they put her on the food truck, and she took that on like a boss.

Boiardi has the owners ear and pretty much runs the show - decides the schedules, does the interviews along with the other head chef, and might have the ability to get someone fired.  For the first month my roommmate worked there - everything was fine and the restaurant ran smoothly, hours were good, and customers were happy.  This past month, my roommate told me that her hours were getting cut along with another female chef - everyone else had the same shift.  So for the past month, the restaurant has been understaffed and people were complaining that it was taking too long for their food to get to them.  Keep in mind, the only person in charge of the schedules is Boiardi.

Two of the other chefs told my roommate that Boiardi exclaimed "Women do not belong in my kitchen" and "I do not want [roommate and other lady chef] here".  Boiardi has never liked my roommate, but hired her cause literally the whole staff knew that my roommate works hard and keeps lively in the kitchen.

My roommate also heard through the grapevine that Boiardi was looking at 3 applications for chef from men and that they might be hers and the other female chefs replacements if Boiardi has his way.

I asked one of the other chefs if my roommate may be getting low hours due to performance or something, he said my roommate has no marks against her: she has never been late, works well with everyone besides Boiardi (granted Boiardi doesn't work well with anyone in the kitchen), has already gotten compliments from customers, and lives 1/4 mile away from the restaurant so she can spot anyone when it comes to their shift.

tl;dr My roommate is getting shafted in hours by Head Chef that two people can testify stated "Women do not belong in my kitchen" and that he does not want her there.

If she and the other female chef get fired, do they have any legal standing even though Texas is an at-will work state?

Oh, also - the other head chef said that if it comes to that, to seek legal advice.  I just want to know if there is anything that should be suggested to my roommate as well

Answer: If the company has 15 or more employees they can not discriminate based off sex. Yes if she can prove in court she was discriminated against she can be awarded damages. Do not count on other employees to testify, they may not be willing to lose their jobs on her behalf. She can not force them to keep her employment, so she should expect to be fired. It can take a long time to win a court case so before she does anything she should line up another job.


Title: (WI) ex struck our child. I'm terrified. How can I protect my child?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 First, you need to get an attorney to help you address this.

I'll gloss over a few things that I would expect your attorney to tell you.

First, you need to follow the court ordered parenting plan.  If visitation needs to be restricted, or more structured, it needs to happen through the courts.  This can be done through protection orders, ex parte hearings, modifications to the parenting plan, reports to CPS, etc..

There are a lot of tools at your disposal.  Let an attorney help you pick which one to use, because it's an important decision.  A common defense to using the wrong tool [in my state, which is not your state] would be "abusive use of conflict".

I would also expect your attorney to suggest that you bring your child to a therapist.  First, if he is being abused, he needs therapy.  And, also, having signs of abused documented by a therapist is much more compelling evidence than coming from the other parent, who will be cast by opposing counsel as non-objective.

If you are ultimately going to be bringing motions to the court, it is important that it is done correctly, and it is important that your hands remain clean throughout.

Get an attorney.


Title: Could this be considered extortion?

Question:
So me and a "buddy" took a trip from arkansas to lousiana for mardi gras this year. we got pulled over on the state line for speeding, he had a bunch of drugs in his posession, though he could have pinned them on me, he didn't. i dont know why he didn't. Since then he has taken half of my checks for 4 months, with the threat of pinning the charges on me if i didn't. It is recorded in facebook. and im not sure about the recording laws in arkansas, but if i can i will record the transaction.
As as a side note, i am currently on 5 yr felony probation in arkansas, will felony charges in lousiana transfer to arkansas and send me to prison? If i am successfully able to charge him with extortion could i still somehow get in trouble with my PO? This "buddy" of mine is the biggest piece of shit schiesty fuck i have ever had the displeasure to meet and hang out with.

edit;;; OK so my buddy just told me as soon as he told the cops all the charges were his, that was it. He cant just change his mind and pin them on me. Is this true or not? I believed him when he said his lawyer said he could just tell the lawyer it was my shit and put the charges on me? If so this changes everything.

Answer:
 >the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.

So, yes. It's extortion. AK does seem to be a one party consent state so as long as you're taking part in the conversation, record away.

The other stuff isn't quite as cut and dry so it's probably best to talk to a lawyer about it, but him extorting you does not get you off the hook for anything you may or may not have done. If you're arrested it'll most likely effect or be effected by your probation and that can mean any number of things, none of which that I can think of are good. Probation means stay out of trouble and driving around with tons of drugs in the car isn't exactly that.


Title: Is it legal to record a call to the FBI for help?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 You can't make the FBI investigate or prosecute this case or any other case.  Call recording is a state by state issue and you didn't tell us where you are.

Call a lawyer and sue.


Title: Employer is zip-tying fire extinguishers shut (USA)

Question:
Throwaway because I like my job. Basically my employer maintains and checks their own fire extinguishers throughout their facility (medium/large retail chain) and instructs those who check the extinguishers to replace damaged safety pin retainers with zip-ties. This has the unfortunate side-effect of effectively locking the fire extinguishers shut. Upper management is aware and still wants it done this way, leaving the lower folks to physically tie them.

As it stands, many extinguishers are unable to be operated unless the zip tie is cut first, as the safety pin is tightly zip-tied to the handle.

Who can I report this to, and could I potentially face repurcussions from doing so?

Answer:
 Fire Marshall is your guy. Tell him there are untagged extinguishers, tell him how long you think they've been untagged as well. They require annual service, and a hydro every 6 years.Answer #2: If you mean like [this](http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/29236/why-is-there-a-beaded-tie-on-new-fire-extinguishers) then read the commentsAnswer #3: also, if the fire marshal is unavailable, your company's property and general liability insurance companies would looooove to hear about this. Probably moreso than the fire marshal even. Answer #4: Obviously call the fire marshal and report this as it is ridiculous.

I had to use a fire extinguisher a few months ago. There were three of us in the room trying to put the fire out. The nasty black smoke, hypoxia, and the general heat and chaos meant that even finding the extinguisher was a huge chore (there was one in the room with us but of course we couldn't see it). Once we did get the extinguisher, pulling the pin--with no retainer or seal whatsoever--took the combined efforts of all three of us. I've never been so disoriented and confused. If it had been zip-tied the whole building would have gone up.


Title: My boss told me I have to clean out recycling bins by driving them to a wastewater treatment plant to clean them........

Question:
I work at a convent(place where nuns live) in Wisconsin USA.  I am a floor care technician. I clean  floors all day long. Another job my department has is taking out trash and recycling bins. Sometimes I help with this and once a week we clean recycling bins. There is a boiler house across the street with a wash bay in it. The guy in charge of said building decided he didn't want us using the wash bay anymore. The COO of the convent them ordered us to use a room at the wastewater treatment facility owned and operated by the convent.  I was given a key and directed toward a maybe 12'x14' room with a drain and hose.  Also in this room is an auger funneling human waste into a five gallon bucket. Also electrical panels and grates on the floor leading to the slurry that I was suppose to open up and hose the water and filth into. This seems a health
and safety hazard. It smell's horrible and was making me feel sick. Is this legal?

Answer:
 I’d probably start by filing a complaint with OSHA. https://www.osha.gov/workers/file_complaint.htmlAnswer #2: NAL but I just spent 4 months renovating an active wastewater treatment facility.

Do not enter that room without the proper PPE and understanding of the hazards. Generally waste drop off rooms with screeners are not only biological hazards, but have high concentrations of toxic and combustible fumes.

Contact OSHA as a start, and personally now would be a time to use the right to refuse.Answer #3: Requiring you to perform duties outside what you're customarily assigned IS legal.

If these changes result in a situation such that you're basically force you to quit then that may not be legal, the term for which is constructive termination. If they can't afford to pay you, or don't want to employ you, they have to fire you. This has to do with the collection of unemployment benefits. You don't get them if you quit.  This would be an issue for the Department of Workforce Development (Dept of Labor) https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/

If the issue is concerns for your health and safety, but otherwise feel it's well within something you're able and willing to do, then DWD is one resource, you can also contact the dept of health services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/occupational-health/workers.htm  and the federal agency OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration is another resource. https://www.osha.gov/oshdir/wi.html

Often tho, the best first step, is talk to your employer and see if they even know this is a concern. It's possible the person who sent you out there has no idea that's a lift station and just knew it as a utility closet with plumbing - or something along those lines.


Title: I found out someone with my same name and bday has the same Social Security Number

Question:
New Jersey

In April 2018, I ran my credit report on Experian and discovered that there was a car loan of $12,000 for a BMW on my report. I immediately filed a police report but there was nothing discovered to help resolve this issue of identity theft and I was told I was not responsible for that loan, and it disappeared off my report temporarily.

Fast forward to November 2018. I was trying to purchase something using my Bank of America credit card at a store, and I had been told it was denied. When I tried to open up my BoA account, it was completely deleted. I couldn't access the account because the log-in no longer worked, the money I had in my account was gone with the account and my credit card was unusable. I couldn't get access to BoA to resolve this issue for a few weeks due to other reasons. In early January, my account suddenly reappeared without my knowledge until I was notified my credit card bill was past due, and my credit took a hit as well being charged interest on my balance.

On February 4th, 2019, I got a call from Chase notifying me that someone had come into a Chase Bank, provided my name, birthday, and SSN, and had demanded that my accounts with the bank be closed immediately. They called the number on the account and confirmed that it wasn't me so they did not do anything. I went to the police shortly after for another report but nothing came of it again.

I did some of my own digging and managed to find the phone number and address associated with the BMW account and got a hold of the person who had opened up a car loan on my account. It turns out I was speaking to someone with my same exact name, exact birthday, race, lived 2 towns away from me in NJ, and had my same exact Social Security Number. I met this guy in person, we showed each other our birth certificates and SSN cards and confirmed this was a mix-up.

Next month, once I'm back from college, we will be going to the SSN office and settling this. However, the other person and I are very upset this happened, as this has affected our lives and financial well-being in one way or another. I can't apply to new credit cards or loans and get approved for an apartment in New York because my SSN and credit is in a freeze. He has not been able to get approved for a credit card for a similar reason. We were wondering if there is any legal action that can be taken as a result of this mixup by the government and the Social Security Administration.

Thanks for all the help!

Answer: Successfully suing the government over an administrative foul-up is close to impossible.


Title: CA. Went to the ER and medical team found addy

Question: Basically, the title. Took a tab that caused a medical emergency. Is the medical team allowed to inform the police that I was in possession of Adderall without a script?

Answer:
 Of course they are.

Stop doing illegal (even illegal to just you) drugs.


Title: A Detective wants to talk to me, can I refuse?

Question:
A detective left me a voicemail asking me to return a call to him.  I didn't obviously so days later I got a letter in the mail from him asking me to contact him, it's " important " .

I really don't want to but I would like to know what would happen to me if I choose not to contact him at all period and can I be arrested for not cooperating?

Answer:
 It's simple... you refuse contact unless you are officially charged with something.

At that point... you consult a lawyer. A lawyer cannot provide much assistance unless you are charged.

The police "think" you're associated in some manner with "something"... but they don't have enough evidence to charge you with anything. They'll never explain what the matter is over the phone. They're simply "fishing"... hoping you'll come in and freely give some explanation or details to prove their "hunch".

They're out to find a "bad guy"... and chances are good that will somehow end up being you if you agree to an interrogation.

Interrogations are never "pretty" and will leave you thinking you're the 21st century equivalent of Al Capone.

Been there... done that.

Let them make the first move without any help. You owe them absolutely nothing unless you are charged.


Title: [Michigan] In the process of divorce, we're reach an agreement that we've both signed. Do I need to be at the final hearing?

Question:
Long story short, her lawyer got the date changed for the final hearing, so I no longer have it off of work, and given the very short amount of time until that day, I doubt I'll be able to get it off.

Do I need to be there if we're already reached an agreement on everything and signed off on it?

Answer:
 > her lawyer got the date changed for the final hearing,

Elaborate on this. Normally a party cannot unilaterally change a hearing date. If this particular judge *does* allow unilateral changes, then *you* should be able to do it too. Right?Answer #2: Tell your attorney. If you are not represented call the judges chamber and tell them you are pro se you can't make date. A good clerk will get you and wifes attorney on phone to mutually pick a date.


Title: Suspended, Pending termination due to not breaking Federal DOT Regulations.

Question:
Hey everyone,

   Think my case is pretty straight forward. I'm a local beverage delivery driver. We operate without Log books in our truck because of the 100mile air mile DOT exemption. Law states that  if we operate within 100 air miles, return to the same location daily then we are exempted from having to use log books as well as the 30min mandatory break. This is if we return to the location within a 12 hour period.

&#x200B;

Basically because of the Holidays, I had about 1600 cases in my truck. I had 24 stops. Many of these deliveries were on an off day. They had no idea I was coming a day early. Plus many of them were getting deliveries in the morning when usually in the afternoon vice versa. I had an EXTREMELY long day. Everything that could go wrong did, customers making me wait 20-30mins for manages to arrive to 90case deliveries taking me an 1 1/2 hours to complete.

&#x200B;

Long story short, I called management. Told them I was absolutely drained and was bringing back my last 5 stops. They were all tiny, about 50 cases worth all together. unfortunately they were all spaced out so my next stop was 20mins away FURTHER from my warehouse. At this time it was already 7:40pm. I've been clocked in since 7:08am, official starting time is 7:30am. I am already over my 12hours. But for some reason my company thinks I am allowed to drive an unlimited amount of time.  Phone call consisted of them telling me they had 6 trucks out, I responded "I Don't care, I'm exhausted and no longer feel safe operating my commercial vehicle."

&#x200B;

I brought the truck back, did all my end of shifts requirements, and clocked out at 8:22pm (30min drive back to the warehouse.) On my way home, the safety manager calls me at about 8:40pm asks me why I brought the truck back what happened, told him I was exhausted and didn't feel I could safely operate anymore. He told me I was suspended pending termination....

&#x200B;

Fortunately, I am in the Union. They 100% agree with me and are currently fighting for my behalf. My company has been working drivers from 2am in the morning until 6-7pm at night. Having them work in the warehouse to order select because we are short on warehouse workers, then having them take a route out. Which I know is 100% illegal.

&#x200B;

Question: Is it worth seeking a lawsuit? I have a meeting Thursday, but If they don't end up firing me I am unsure if I want to work for a company that disregards me as an employee as much to try to force me to break federal law. If a Drunk Driver was to smash into me, and I was found over hours. My life would be over, I would lose everything. It isn't a risk I'm willing to take.

Answer:
 If everything in your post is as you say it is, it would definitely be worth your time to talk to an employment lawyer.  It might be tricky to find one that has experience in your same field or in working with DOT and that type of enforcement, but your Union reps may be able to point you to a resource they've working with in the past.

Speaking of Union.  If they do not endorse your termination and you are terminated, odds are extremely good they have funds, a lawyer, or both available to you in order to fight this.


Title: I’m a reporter who lost my published work when Gothamist shut down today. Is there anything I can do?

Question:
Location is California.

I had some published work posted on a Gothamist site, but was not a full time staff member. Today they shut down and supposedly deleted all of their archives. Is there anything I can do legally to recover this?

Answer:
 http://kpetrovi.ch/e-clips/

Recovers your articles from the Google AMP cache.

Act fast and you may be able to snag everything.


Title: My brother in law had to get his appendix removed to avoid a rupture, and his medical insurance are refusing to pay since they claim it wasn't a medical emergency. Is this legal?

Question:
I found out about this very recently. My sister's fiance went to the hospital a month ago, expecting to get antibiotics for some stomach pains. The physician there tells him that he needed an appendix removal, otherwise it would be dangerous to keep it as it was. After agreeing, he went through an eight hour surgery for the procedure, fully expecting his job's medical insurance to cover the costs.

After calling the insurance company, the company **insisted** that since it wasn't a medical emergency, he couldn't be covered for the costs. He's called a few lawyers and even made an appeals, and they all say that it wasn't an emergency despite getting a statement showing that it was danger to his immediate health. Now he has to pay $20,000 dollars out of pocket even though he had been paying for insurance from his work for exactly this kind of occasion. Is this legal? It doesn't make sense to me that medical insurance can promise one thing, and then refuse their service despite being in dire need for surgery. A part of him now wishes he'd let his appendix rupture, just so that the insurance would cover the costs.

Is there anything or anyone he could contact about this situation? It doesn't make sense to me that an insurance company could so blatantly deny medical payment that they've been promising as a provider. Is there anything that can be done about this issue?

Answer:
 > he went through an eight hour surgery for the procedure,

That's weird.  A appendectomy should take like 30 min.

> fully expecting his job's medical insurance to cover the costs

You mean his personal insurance right?


Title: Competitor called the health department because I published a photo of an orange

Question: I work at a magazine, we recently did a photoshoot and we had a florist make us a bouquet of greenery and they put some cutie oranges in the bouquet for artistic reasons, at no point were these oranges consumed or marketed as edible arrangements. There's a florist in town that makes arrangements with fruit and vegetables mixed with flowers and she is threatening to call the health department and have us and our florist fined because we used the oranges and we don't have "the right licensing or a commercial kitchen".  I called the department of agriculture and after they got done laughing, they said we didn't do anything wrong as long as we didn't trespass or steal the oranges (we didn't do either). I want to stress that at no point did anyone eat the oranges (they were hot glued into the bouquet) and we did not market them as edible. It was purely an artistic choice. Am I missing some law or can I just tell her to pound sand? I'm in Texas by the way

Answer:
 It doesn't sound like you guys sell these so she can get bent. Health code, in this case, only matters to food made for sale consumption. You are free to make decorations for your magazine since the item itself isn't for sale. Now she might report the florist if the florist is making edible arrangement without the proper health and safety standards. Ianal Answer #2: Federal food code (FDA 2013) doesn’t care about whole, uncut fruit. You don’t need a commercial kitchen to display (or even sell) oranges still intact and in the peel.

Edit: [source](https://www.dshs.texas.gov/foodestablishments/farmersmarkets/faq.aspx#4) (it’s the 5th question, “do I need a...permit..?”)

Edit #2: that’s so aggravating I would take photos of your shop visitors eating fruit you provided in your non-existent, non-commercial kitchen and send them to your competitor. Title it “spite fruit”. Please, do it for me.


Title: Charged with shoplifting, discovery received, calling city attorney this week...

Question:
I was charged with shoplifting about two months ago.  I requested and received the discovery, just finished looking at it.  There's nothing incriminating in there, really.  Just the statement from a loss prevention (LP) specialist and the police report.  The facts are, I picked up a few items, walked around the store, picked up a few more items, pocketed a few items, paid for some items and not others.  When approached by LP I consented to detainment, returned pocketed items and then was arrested, let out on bail.

SO, my question is, how should I go about talking to the city attorney?  I think I have a pretty good shot at getting the case dismissed. Any strategy advice?  This is my first time ever getting in trouble in any way, so also my first time representing myself.  I've spoken to an attorney and he/she talked me into going pro se (self representing).  He/she suggested, "this isn't rocket science" and there are very few roads this could go down, and convinced me I can navigate this on my own.  I tried to pay for the advice, but they wouldn't take my money!

The possible roads, I've been advised are either dismissal of the case for lack of good evidence or deferred imposition for no priors.  I'm told there's no reason a city attorney would want to drag out a case over $15 of stolen merchandise.

Other pertinent info: I'm 30, employed out of state and have a clean record.

Answer:
 >There's nothing incriminating in there, really.

Except everything in the report, as related, is incriminating.

Unless there are other facts, this is about as open and shut as a retail theft case gets.

>how should I go about talking to the city attorney?

You should communicate with the city attorney through your own criminal defense attorney.

>I'm told there's no reason a city attorney would want to drag out a case over $15 of stolen merchandise.

That doesn't sound like good advice.  These kinds of cases are a city attorney's bread & butter.


Title: Renter having a guest over every night, how to stop that - NC

Question:
I rented a room out to a student and how she has her girlfriend over every night. She notified me that she is moving out at the end of the month and her girlfriend cooks and sleeps over every night.

I don't want her there all the time and have told her.  Unfortunately I did not put anything about guest in the lease.

I'm trying to find a legal document about when a guest becomes a resident of the place but not having any luck.

Answer: It's only a couple of weeks, let it slide. You can write into future leases that you can't have a guest sleep over more than X nights a week, and maybe the threat of eviction will keep them from doing it.


Title: [PA] Township cut a mature wisteria down on my property without permission.

Question:
Facts:

- The township came, and without my permission or knowledge, cut down a massive wisteria plant on the edge of my property.

- The property deed has no public easement, and the wisteria was located entirely on my property, climbing up a nearby pine tree.

- I have photographs of the tree after it was cut--they left the cut pieces right on my property.

I feel as though this is a complete violation of my property and home, and I suspect the law would agree with me. I would like to proceed with pursuing some form of compensation as a result of their actions as that wisteria was beautiful. I'm in contact with a lawyer, but would like perspective from others who may have experience with these types of situations to make an informed decision.

Please feel free to solicit additional facts as necessary and I will do my best to reply. I will not post photographs or identifying information, for obvious reasons.

Thank you kindly.

Answer:
 If it was on the edge of the property, was it near a corner, bend, intersection, or another property's driveway? You will find that localities have broad authority to regulate the size and height of landscaping that could affect drivers' visibility, though specific townships and counties may set different heights and setbacks.Answer #2: In addition to the rights the township has related to roadway visibility, wisteria might also be banned by the township as an invasive species:

[http://www.docs.dcnr.pa.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr\_010301.pdf](http://www.docs.dcnr.pa.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_010301.pdf)

You might want to check your local laws.Answer #3: When you say edge of property do you mean by the roadway? Almost all government jurisdictions have rights from the road that extend onto private land for various reasons ( telephone poles, sidewalks, sewers, future improvements). This would also allow them to trim back plants or trees that can be deemed hazardous.


Title: Okay, I’ve put this off long enough tonight. The VA sent me someone else’s test results along with mine in an envelope labeled to me.

Question:
I’m well aware of what a huge deal this is, and wondering if all my missing documents have been packaged up and shipped to someone else like in this case.

The letter was labeled to me, and had my results on top. The pages were stapled in pairs individually, so I’d doesn’t appear to have been anything other than carelessness.

I opened the letter, read my results, and then set the first set of papers on the table. Then I skipped over everything important name-wise with the second sheet, and my eyes locked on the BMI results. Those... were definitely not my numbers, nor have they ever been if I can recall.

I glanced at the name and snapped the paperwork shut thinking I had just opened someone else’s mail. I snatched up the envelope and it was addressed to me, so I was able to breathe again. Just then, the reality hit. I spouted off a, “what the F***‽” (not sure of the language etiquette in this sub.) This got my two friends attention. I briefly explained myself and both of their jaws dropped. We all three had a moment of, “this is SO not alright..” and then proceeded to discuss the what if’s of the scenario.

I’m so lost as for where to go from here. I’ve mulled it over all day long and if this were any other place I’d probably be discussing this with legal counsel in an office, but this is the VA. Does the same thing apply? Would that be a douche move on my part?

This seems to be the standard of the place so far, and I just got my primary care transferred there. I no longer feel comfortable with my documents in their possession, but receive some benefits through them.

I truly don’t want to make waves, but I honestly don’t this bringing it up would make a difference seeing how everyone complains that the place is old as dirt and hasn’t changed for the better in ages.
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer: This is a fairly minor and very common HIPAA violation. People are human, and they occasionally make mistakes. You can report it to HHS online, and/or to the privacy officer at the facility.


Title: [Ca, USA] Stole $115 of merchandise from a store.

Question:
Hello. I am 20 years old and I'm an idiot. I walked into Target to buy some school supplies (total about $3-4 before tax) and stole electronic item worth $80 as well as the school supplies. It was something I had wanted and I noticed it didn't have one of those spidery security devices on. I wasn't approached or stopped but I'm sure I was very obviously caught on camera. I've shoplifted one time before, 1-2 years ago, at the same Target store. A water bottle worth $30. So grand total is ~$115.

I don't know what to do. I don't want the item anymore. I don't have a criminal record, but obviously one doesn't until one commits a crime/is caught.

It was in a mall and I just walked away on foot. No car so no license plates. I've shopped at this store semi-regularly, using my debit card, so I assume they can find my personal details through that, or other Target black magic. Is there anything I can do to mitigate this mistake? I don't expect I can very well waltz back in, item in hand, and ask for clemency.

Am I likely to be charged criminally?

This was not a pleasant experience and I definitely do not want to repeat it.

Answer: You could be or you couldn't be. The anxiety you're feeling right now is a natural consequence of breaking the law. Remember this the next time you're tempted to do so. Don't go back that Target for a while and don't steal anything ever again.


Title: Can bars in Canada sell legal drugs or add non-alcoholic powder that can stimulate you for ingestion?

Question: I commonly frequent clubs in Toronto and the drug scene is absolutely massive in nightclubs. In an effort to keep illegal drugs out of clubs and reduce risks of overdose in our city, is it legal to sell drinks that can invoke similar effects to drugs if all of the chemicals in the drug are legal? Are bars allowed to sell pills? Thanks!

Answer:
 My only advice is to warn you that the sort of drugs I think you are referring to are NOT a safe alternative to "reduce risks of overdose." These drugs are hugely unregulated and untested, and they send people to the hospital with SERIOUS side effects all the time, sometimes even resulting in death. These drugs exist because unscrupulous people who want to make money without going to jail will take a class of drugs that is illegal, then slightly alter the chemical formula and have it produced in China, then resell on the street, at clubs and bars, and at gas stations. They aren't illegal, merely because the legislature can't keep up.

My personal opinion...if you're gonna be a drug dealer, deal real drugs. They might be illegal, but at least the people using them know what the true risks are when they use them. It's really sad to hear about kids smoking Spice/K-2 or snorting bath salts and ending up in the hospital with seizures and long-term disabilities because they didn't want to smoke some harmless weed and fail a drug test. And while cocaine is far from harmless, at least it has predictable effects when compared to bath salts.


Title: Mother recently arrested for a "Breach of Peace 2nd degree" and the cops did it very shady...

Question:
A little background on the arresting officer and my mom: So my mother has never been in trouble a day in her life, she's 55 years old and lives in Connecticut/US. She recently had an issue where a "friend" stole a wood stove from her home (and left a bunch of expensive tools at the house) so she went to the police. One of the officers was very rude and treated my mother with little respect so she went over his head and requested someone else on the case which made him angry.

The incident: My mother was in a parking lot when she saw her ex sister-in-law, who has made her brother's life a living hell during the divorce/custody battle, so my mother lost her cool and shouted out the window "Hey red-headed skank, burn in hell!" and drove away. Stupid, yes. Anyway the ex sister-in-law went to the police claiming that her life was threatened and then sent a message to my mother on facebook "hahahaha you just put another nail in your brother's coffin". My mother told the police what she had said in the parking lot and that she never threatened her life and showed them the message on facebook. The police said that if anything it could be a breach of peace for shouting vulgarity in public, but nothing serious and that they will look into the matter.

The arrest: My mother was at home when she got a call from the police asking to come to the house to look at the tools that were left at the house by my mother's friend who stole the stove. My mom said sure and then an hour passed and no one came. She called asking if the officer was coming up or not and they told her that the officer left for the day and then said "oh wait no she should be there in 10mins". My mom waited and a half hour later the original douche cop was there with another officer my mom didn't know. They asked her to come outside (mistake now, yes we know) and asked my mom to show them the tools in the shed to take pictures. After that the douche cop said that they were there also on another matter and arrested her for the incident with her sister-in-law. They never presented her with the arrest warrant (not sure if that's necessary) and then kept her handcuffed in the car for an hour before bringing her into the station where they finally read her her rights and searched/booked her for this "crime".

What I want to know is if what they did was legal. They came to the house under false pretenses and then arrested her for something else - which in all honesty is a joke charge to begin with in my opinion. She has no criminal history prior to this so I'm seriously confused why it went down like this aside from the bully with a badge getting off on humiliating her.

Thanks for any information you can give. I know my mom did a really stupid thing and then did something even more stupid by admitting to the police what she did when there was no evidence to begin with aside from her word against my mom's. I'm not worried about the case (especially when we manage to hire a lawyer - the arrest happened late saturday and the court date is set for monday so it's late notice to get a lawyer for her), but I want to know if the conduct of these cops was legal because it sure seems shady as fuck to me.

Answer: There's absolutely nothing shady here. Your mother committed a crime and was arrested for it. If she doesn't commit crimes she won't be arrested.Answer #2: Nothing illegal at all.  Nothing shady. No arrest warrant is needed to make this sort of arrest. All in all she needs to defend herself on the facts of the case and not the behavior of the police.


Title: Can I legally sell the items a tenant left behind if I suspect they are stolen? NJ

Question:
A tenant left behind all this stuff that is worth quite a bit collectively. He did not claim them within the allotted time after lockout (I believe it's 30 days by law). I suspect some of it is stolen, but I have no confirmation of this. Can I sell them, or do I have to do some kind of due diligence to find out their origins?

What do I do if I have already sold something, and it turns out to have been stolen? Does the buyer still own it?  Would I be on the hook for the items value?

Answer: Selling stolen property is a terrible idea.


Title: Attorney said I have less than 24 hours to accept settlement offer

Question:
Hey everyone. Last Thursday I had a settlement meeting and we couldn’t come to an agreement. Today my attorney called me around 3pm saying that he wanted my ok for him to accept an offer of $190k (I’m 25 and legally disabled to injuries sustained by the accident 4.5 years ago. TBI)

I was not in the company of my husband and my attorney wanted my ok right away. I told him I felt the offer was incredibly low especially since he’s taking 1/3 and asked him how long I had to decide and he told me either tonight or tomorrow or they would rescind the offer. Does this sound right or is he trying to scare me into accepting an offer I’m uncomfortable with?

Thanks

Answer:
 It is possible that the opposing party placed a time limit on the settlement offer. If your attorney is lying to you about that, then that is an ethical violation. Unfortunately, no one here is in a position to know whether that short time frame is one of the conditions of the offer.

I will say that in normal litigation, everyone is busy. Lawyers grant extensions all the time. However, whether this makes sense in the context of your case is impossible to say.


Title: [OH] An internet mob falsely accused my husband of a crime and caused him to lose his job. What can we do?

Question:
Here's the bare-bones summary as we are afraid of retaliation:

An internet mob has come after my husband, accusing him of a crime he did not commit. They have used his full name on posts shared across social media hundreds of times. The group does not want to involve the police, so no formal accusation or legal investigation has been made. This group has harassed my husband's employer into asking him to resign, which he did.

We do not know the people who are spearheading this campaign. Can we get restraining orders against strangers? Is there legal precedent to sue for libel on social media? He has no desire to sue his former employer for wrongful termination. I am mostly worried about future employment, as this group has announced they will similarly come after anyone else who employs my husband in the future.

Edit: Let me clarify that when my husband resigned he understood what he was doing. He holds no ill will towards his employer and, again, he has no desire to sue for wrongful termination.

Answer: Why in Anne of Green Gables would your husband resign over a false accusation? He should have denied it and made them fire him. It will make it harder to get unemployment now, although he should still file and report that he was asked to resign.  Getting the identity of anonymous internet peoples would take a substantial amount of effort with no guarantee of success. Answer #2: You said that he resigned. Why did he do that? If he voluntarily left, he has 0 legal claim in that regard. You should speak to a lawyer about slander & libel. They are very fact specific cases to pursue and it's an interesting area of tort law.


Title: Had a job interview yesterday. Interviewer dropped heavy table on my foot. My foot is killing me. Possibly broken. Bruised in multiple spots. Got an email today they are moving on without me. Should I sue? What would you do?

Answer:
 Before anything else, go to the doctor. If you are going to sue, you need to determine damages, and the longer you wait, the easier it will be for the company to claim your injuries came from elsewhere.Answer #2: Can't really sue for anything until you go to the doctor, get your foot checked, and figure out how much money you're out due to their potential negligence.Answer #3: You should contact them and explain the situation to them. Personally, I wouldn’t sue unless they refuse to work with you. They might turn around and fully cooperate. Worth a try. Answer #4: First step is going to the doctor to see what is actually wrong.  I walked into a box of books twice in the same night (I’d just moved and it was dark and didn’t know where the switches were) and my foot was black and blue and swollen. I had to wear an orthopedic shoe for 2-3 weeks and it wasn’t even broken. Hurt like hell and couldn’t bear weight without the shoe.

I’d ask them that considering the injury if they need you to go to a specific emergency or urgent care faculty (like if it were workmans comp) and follow that procedure. They should have documented your injury and cover any affiliated expenses. Answer #5: Ya.  I would ... See a Dr to assess damages??


Title: [VA] Can our apartment company disallow us from using our local cable company and force us to use DSL?

Question:
Howdy! Coming to you from Virginia.

Much to our surprise, we discovered after we moved into our current apartment that our management company apparently "has a contract" with Verizon and some local DirecTV reseller to only allow internet and TV service through those companies (respectively).

The only service Verizon offers to our address is DSL at 3 Mb/second, which is painful because the addresses around us just outside of our apartment complex is serviced by Shentel (cable TV and internet). We've contacted Shentel and they said they do service our street, but that the apartment company is likely blocking them from servicing our apartment.

Is this legal? Can an apartment company only allow one provider? There's no clause in our lease that mentions anything regarding this issue. I've also done some googling, and have found a few articles that seem to indicate the FCC doesn't allow this – but now I'm here for a second opinion.

Thanks!

Answer:
 Yes, this is likely ~~legal~~ allowable as to internet service, because the FCC does not (yet) have the full authority to regulate internet service providers.

The FCC does have [rules preventing exclusive agreements between apartment complex and cable service providers](https://federalregister.gov/a/E7-25349), however, which have been [upheld by federal appeals courts](http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/Opinions/Published/121331.P.pdf).

You should report this exclusivity agreement with the cable service provider to the FCC.

EDIT: Adjusted my language to be more accurate.


Title: Can I leave my apartment without notice if I have no lease? (MA)

Question:
Basically I've been living in my apartment for 8 months. It's a dump and the landlord hasn't fixed any of the problems we've told him about. We've sent photos, made calls, and nothing.
We have a bad leak in the bathroom that is destroying the foundation, the floor by the toilet is soft and I'm afraid it will collapse. And with spring coming we will totally get termites.

My neighbors and roommate are a nightmare. I had to file a police report against my neighbor for coming into my bedroom and harassing me. And my roommate steals from me.

I can't afford to live in this hovel any longer and my landlord is absent.
I have no lease, can I just leave? I don't want to pay $600 to live here and I have another place to stay for a while.
Will my landlord be able to take any legal action against me?

Answer:
 You are a month to month tenant and must give proper legal notice in writing. Generally thirty days or one month. Yes you landlord can sue you for not giving notice. See the wiki tenant section for more info.Answer #2: The other answers are correct, but just to clarify, the 30-day notice requirement doesn't prevent you from *moving you and your stuff out immediately* if you have another place to stay, it just means you're *obligated to pay rent* through the end of that period.

And since it sounds like you have legitimate safety concerns, the sooner you are out of there the better.

Do you have a security deposit you are hoping to get returned?


Title: Landlord towed car by mistake, failed to tell me who towed it / where they towed it, couldn't find it for 23 days. Can't afford to get it out now. [18M] [MN]

Question:
My landlord's office requires you to have a sticker in your window to park there. I am going through financial trouble right now after losing my job and sold my car to pay rent and bought a cheap junker for 400 to get to and from work. I couldn't get the sticker off the window of my previous car to put on my new car - it came off in a bunch of pieces, left the paper backing behind, etc., so I went into the landlord's office and asked them for a replacement sticker. The secretary said she couldn't find the stickers right then so she'd ask someone where they were later, and mail me one. She said she made a note in the mean time so I wouldn't get towed or anything.  After I left she emailed me and said she found the stickers, and put one in the mail and I should get it in a couple days, and not to worry about it until then.

Well she was wrong, my car got towed for lacking the sticker. I didn't even know it was towed at first, I thought it was stolen. The landlord then told me it was towed by company X, but company X said they didn't have my car. So then I was at square 0 again.  I called every towing company in town and reported my car missing to my insurance and police.

It turns out that company X wasn't available when they wanted to tow my car so they called a different towing company from the next town over. That towing company reported the tow to that town's police department, but not my town's, so when I called and ultimately reported my car missing my police department didn't know anything about it.

It took 22 days to figure out that my car was at the next town over (as of yesterday, today is day 23.)  The fees racked up to a towing fee, short term storage fees, towing fee to their long term storage facility after 14 days, and then the long term storage fees after that, almost $2,000 total.

The police have said this is a civil issue between me/my landlord and my landlord/tow company. My insurance have pretty much said the same thing and that they can't help me if it's a situation of it having been towed.

My problem is that right now the fee to get my car from the tow company is a few dollars short of $2,000, and I don't have it to get the car out, the car is only even worth $400. The landlord said there is nothing they are willing to do to help, they admit that it "probably" shouldn't have been towed but won't help me get it back, and finally just said "go ahead and file a claim and we'll let the court decide." Someone from the county office told me I have to pay to get the car out and then sue the landlord for the 2000, but I can't file in small claims against the landlord until I am actually out the $2,000 to get it back. And they said that I cannot sue for just the $400 the car is worth because I have the option to get the car back and am just choosing not to.

I am at a total loss for what to do because that car is now the only real thing of value that I own and is my work transportation (I have been walking for the past 3 weeks but cannot keep doing that).  If I don't get the car back I'm not going to be able to keep this new job and then I'm going to end up even worse off.

(FYI I have nothing I can sell, no one I can borrow from and I already tried to get loans but couldn't and I tried to get a credit card but can only find secured credit cards where I have to put the money in an account and keep it there so that doesn't help at all. Some nice people at personalfinance gave me a long list of things to try and tried to help coach me through some of them but nothing panned out and they have no more ideas and neither do I unfortunately).

I have no idea what to do now and would appreciate any advice.

Answer:
 Have you tried explaining this to your apartment complex.  They're going to have to pay, regardless of whether they do it now or after you go to court.  If they realize this, they might just pay the $2,000 to get it back.

But you need to talk to them today.  Tell them the bills go up every day, you don't have the money, and you have to get it out, now.Answer #2: You should check the towing regulations for your town.  If the truck was called from the next town:

(1)  It might not be authorized to tow in your town
(2)  It might not have followed your town's towing regulations

Specifically, on (2), they are often required to notify the police of the town where the tow occurred.  Sounds like they didn't do that.Answer #3: You need to mitigate your damages ASAP, which means collecting the car. Now you have damages to sue for.


Title: Can the USPS hold our mail due to potholes in front of our mailbox?

Question:
Today we received a letter from our rural mail carrier stating that all of our mail will be held at the post office until potholes in front of our mailbox are filled and fixed.

My dilemma is whether they are allowed to do this. This wasn't any kind of legal letter either. It was simply written by the carrier on a missed delivery slip. I figure this would be something the county would have to fix as it's just off to this side where you would pull over if there was something wrong with your vehicle.

Answer:
 Yes, they can do this.  You have to have your postal box in a place that is not a hazard to the USPS drivers or equipment (just like they can refuse to deliver to homes that have dogs, that are in such bad shape they could fall over and hurt someone, etc....).

Your remedy here is to either: (a) get the city to fix the hole; (b) fix the hole yourself with some ready-patch from Home Depot; or (c) move your mailbox further down the road so it's not by the pothole.


Title: [WA] My boyfriend (18M) and I (18F) are looking to get a prenuptial

Question:
My boyfriend and I are getting married as soon as possible for an important reason that I will not list here. We are not doing a ceremony; we just want the license. His family is not aware that this is happening, and we would like to keep it that way, but my family is aware and are in support of this. I am not changing my name.

The question we have is how would we go about getting a prenuptial and how important is it to have one in the state of WA?

Any other helpful advice/information would be appreciated! Thanks.

Answer: Prenuptials are written to protect separate assets. If you have less than $2,000 to begin with it is not likely you need a prenuptial. Washington is a community property state, which means that anything acquired after your marriage is generally owned 50-50 by both partners. If one of you were to inherit a large sum, that can be maintained separately in the absence of a prenuptial. But if that were to happen, I would advise you to seek legal counsel.


Title: Fired for sexual harassment. Need help. M,17

Question:
So today I walked into my job and was called into my managers office. I was told that I had been taking pens out of girls pockets (I admitted openly that that had happened *once*{she said girls pockets like it happens twice} and was very apologetic) and was also told that I had been touching girls butts. I was told that the actions were strictly against the employee handbook and rules and that it was considered sexual harassment and I was told I was fired. The thing is that she didn't show me proof or and this all seemed very convenient. I had always felt uneasy around my manger. She never said hi to me when I walked in and would always talk to others about their sports and such but never me and would constantly tell me to do stuff after I had just gotten done doing something else while other employees whould chat right in front of her. Both of the girls I'm friends with (one not super friends but friendly and have talked to her at school before) and one I'm friends with and snapchat and talk with a lot at work. An employee that's close to me said he dosent see any of them saying anything like me touching their butt even if I did. I have a sense that my manager fired me because she just didn't like me and used the sexual harassment card as a way of not giving me any chance of fixing my error. I need help. I'm 17 and am worried if this will fuck up my whole life. I asked a manager I'm close with to talk to her about it and he said he'd contact me tomorrow to inform me what she said. How should I continue? Should I go and ask for proof? I am worried that I may touched a butt jokingly and that going there and demanding proof will just cement the accusation and make it so finding a job later in life or make going to college will be impossible. I'm so scared. Please help.
Edit: Vermont

Answer:
 >  I'm 17 and am worried if this will fuck up my whole life.

No. People get fired. Big deal.

> How should I continue?

By looking for a new job.

> Should I go and ask for proof?

You can ask but they don't have to provide any.

>  I am worried that I may touched a butt jokingly

Simple. Don't touch people without their permission.

> and demanding proof will just cement the accusation and make it so finding a job later in life or make going to college will be impossible.

No. Calm down. Just behave better at your next job.