Title: My grandmother has been kidnapped by doomsday preppers!

Question:
Sorry for the long read ahead, or if it’s not in the appropriate sub.

I (42F) have a grandmother (96F) that we’ll call “GG.” She is the mother of my father, Calvin (69M), and matriarch over a large extended family. Although she only had three children, herself, she has many grandchildren, and now great grandchildren, who she dotes on. Despite the literally dozens of us being scattered across the country, GG dutifully remembers each and every birthday, and makes sure to send heartfelt, beautifully-written birthday and Christmas cards every year. My father has set her up with Facebook, and GG very much enjoys poring over the family pictures we all post, posting loving comments and dispensing well-wishes, etc. To say that my GG is the epitome of kindness and purity would be an extreme understatement.

My father’s older sister is a woman we’ll call Deborah. Deborah is, and always has been, very devoutly religious, and not the type of religious where you keep to yourself and concentrate on living a morally pure life. Since I was a girl, she has constantly lorded her faith over everyone else, lambasting other family members for their “sins,” trying to convert people at every turn, and generally carrying on an air of holier-than-thou pretention. She touts creationism, is staunchly anti-vax, and is obviously very, very conservative.

All of these are traits that she’s passed on to her two daughters, Susan (45) and Nancy (44). Myself and my six siblings (all in our late 30s to mid 40s) aren’t at all close with my aunt and cousins because of our differing lifestyles. Most of us don’t even have them on social media, as they are constantly spewing rhetoric that conflicts with our own set of values, and we’ve just chosen to live our lives and let them live theirs.

Deborah, Susan, Nancy, and all of their spouses and children live together in a southern state nearly 1,000 miles away (we live in the Midwest), where they spend their time trying to pull “offensive” materials from local school curriculums while prepping for the impending apocalypse. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll just refer to this conclave as, “The Preppers.”

A few months back, GG hopped on a plane and flew out to visit the Preppers. She was supposed to come back last month, but then COVID-19 hit. The Preppers said that GG was welcome to stay with them for as long as she wished to ride out the pandemic. Typical of her generation, GG doesn’t fare very well with technology, and over the years my father and brothers have had to help her multiple times with accidental log-outs, lost passwords, etc. Since GG was going to be staying with the Preppers indefinitely, and since she wanted to keep up with everyone on Facebook, my father gave GG’s passwords to Susan’s husband, Bob. This turned out to be a colossal mistake.

Over the course of the last few months, GG’s activity on Facebook began to stray from the norm. She would leave likes and comments on pictures that were months and sometimes even years old, and her posts became laden with multiple emojis—a signature that had never been in my grandmother’s wheelhouse, but was a known go-to for Susan. The comments left didn’t “sound” like her normal comments. We became suspicious that the Preppers were logging in as GG and snooping through her Friends list, looking at profiles they wouldn’t have access to with their own accounts. We had no real concrete proof of this, so we didn’t start slinging accusations around.

She also began to “share” right-wing propaganda that became increasingly “out there.” Within the last few years, GG *had* leaned conservative, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that she’d be posting this. We felt that, although her opinion was probably being unduly influenced by exposure to the Preppers, she was capable of making her own decisions, and out of respect for GG and her beliefs, we left it alone.

Last week, the governor of the Preppers’ state lifted their COVID-19 restrictions, and very shortly, pictures of GG and the Preppers eating out at a local restaurant appeared on GG’s wall. Several people in our family expressed concern on the thread regarding GG’s lack of a face mask in the midst of this pandemic. Bob swooped in, saying that their “freedoms” would not be abridged by a “hoax” (they think COVID-19 is a hoax), and that GG understood and appreciated this. My sister told Bob that she wasn’t speaking to him, she was speaking to her grandmother, and told him to stay out of it. When GG did reply, her comment oddly mirrored Bob’s.  Nevertheless, we told GG we loved her and only had her continued safety in mind, and that was that.

Fast forward to yesterday. GG shared a diatribe misattributed to Trey Gowdy that minimalized the COVID-19 crisis and implied that it was all a conspiracy against Trump. I was going to share a link to the article, but Facebook is already flagging it as “False Information.”

By this time, our concern for GG had reached a tipping point. A couple relatives, including my dad, jumped on to let her know that the quote was misattributed, and then my brother, admittedly a known smart-ass, advised GG not to inject any Lysol no matter what she was told (by that time, it had become clear that he was speaking to The Preppers, not GG). Once again, Bob swooped in, demanding apologies from my father and brother and threatening to unfriend and block them from GG’s account if they failed to do so.

Predictably, this resulted in a heated back-and-forth, with my side of the family asking two resounding questions: 1.) Was it GG demanding an apology, or was it Bob? and 2.) Who the hell did Bob, the spouse of a granddaughter, think he was hijacking GG’s account and arbitrarily deciding to cut her off from certain family members, including her own SON?

At that point, my father checked the settings on GG’s Facebook account, and was informed that her password had been changed in the midst of the argument. The Preppers indeed now possessed the power to unfriend and block as they pleased.

In the end, that’s exactly what they did. My entire side of the family, from my father on down, ended up getting blocked from GG’s account one by one. The argument thread was deleted, replaced by a single comment supposedly from my soft-hearted, 96 year-old GG that said: “Anyone else? Bring it!!!”  (We learned this from a cousin who escaped the purge).

Subsequent phone calls to my GG’s cell phone and to the Preppers’ phones have gone unanswered. My father sent a text to her phone asking, “Mother, are you o.k.?” He received the following reply from her phone number:

“Of course she’s o.k., Uncle Calvin.” - Susan

I personally sent a text to GG’s phone this morning, and received the following reply:

“We told your dad she’s fine. Go crawl back under the rock you came from.”

So, probably unbeknownst to her, my religious fanatic cousins have hijacked my GG’s Facebook account, and now apparently her phone, and completely blocked us from her life. Who knows what they’ve told her, if anything? At this point, we don’t know what our next move is, and don’t know what can be done legally, but we are obviously very, very concerned for our GG.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer: You'll need a TL;DR added to this. Please include your location. If you think someone was kidnapped call 911


Title: 26 weeks pregnant, went to hospital for illness, hospital ran illicit drug screening without my knowledge or consent

Question:
Maryland.  I am 26 weeks pregnant.  Last week I came down with an illness that left me with a fever and cramping.  I went into the Labor & Delivery ward to get checked out and make sure baby was OK (which they are).

While I was there they ran my blood work 2 times.  They told me they were checking for infection.  I was released the next day after receiving IV fluids and antibiotics.

I have an online portal that allows me to see my test results and message my doctors.  I was scrolling through yesterday and saw a yes labeled “Abuse Drug Panel II”.  I opened the test up and saw the results:

Methamphetamines: negative
Cocaine: negative
Opioids: negative

Etc, etc....

all of the results were negative as I am not a drug user.

So my question is, I did not consent or have prior knowledge that they were going to test me for illicit drug use.  Now I do not want to pay for the tests, and even if my insurance covers it, I don’t want them to pay the hospital either.

I’m probably out of luck because the hospital makes you sign a “consent to treat” document prior to being admitted.... but this is ridiculous.

Do I have any grounds here or do I just drop the subject.  Is this par for the course?
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: It's pretty routine. Hospitals need to know what, if anything, is in your system before administering drugs. There can be major side effects or interactions they have to be prepared for


Title: Just a question! If someone is convicted of a crime and sent to prison, then breaks out, and is able to prove his innocence, how much trouble is he in?

Question:
Say a man is convicted in court for murder, and is sentenced to life in prison. He then breaks out of said prison (without any damage to people or property), and is able to prove his own innocence beyond any reasonable doubt. What will happen to him? What charges will he face? I live in Norway, but as most people here (I would guess) are from the USA, answer as if this would have happened in America.

MODS: This may be beyond the scope of this subreddit, as I am not talking about any personal legal case. If this is not appropriate here, please delete this post and if you would be so kind, direct me to someplace where this question would be appropriate. I am just curious :)

Answer: Well escaping from prison. They may give him time served.


Title: (Illinois) Car Accident. Insurance of at fault driver has failed to pay my medical bills on time and it has now gone to collections.

Question:
I was in a car accident back in October 2016. I was at a complete stop at a red light when the person behind me hit me and crushed my car between hers and the car in front of me. The officer gave her a citation for failure to stop. Two days later I was having a bad headache and everyone urged me to go to the hospital to have it checked. I didn't end up having a concussion.

Ever since I first received the medical bills I have forwarded them to her (at fault drivers) insurance agent as I am filing my medical claims through them.
After the first time I sent the forms, I was mailed the forms a second time to fill out with copies of my bills. I did so again, called the agent and left her a message that I had already mailed them many weeks earlier but am mailing them again. A couple more months pass by, and I receive the forms AGAIN. This would be the third time I'd have to fill these forms out with copies of my medical bills to her.

The letters were threatening to send my bills to collections. I called and let them know my situation. They took down the name, phone number, and mailing address of the agent and told me to disregard the bill as now they'd be sending it to her. I also called the insurance agent (she almost never answers her phone when I call) and told her it's very suspect that twice now this piece of mail just seems to get lost before it gets to her, and asked for her office location so I can just deliver it myself in person since it seems we can't trust the US Postal Service to bring it to her. She told me I can scan the forms and send them in an email. I did so immediately. About a week ago she emailed me again letting me know I need to sign another form and send it back before they can really take care of it. I did that immediately as well.

Today I received a letter from debt collections asking for over $500 on behalf of the hospital. I plan to call them tomorrow to try and sort this out.
My concern now is, are they still liable to pay it now that it has gone to collections? Also, my car was deemed a total loss in the accident but there is still a balance of over $3,000 owed on it in the loan... do I take this to small claims? My insurance only paid what they determined to be the value of the car.

I am completely clueless on how to handle this. I have tried to reach out to a lawyer who was giving me free legal advice, but she stopped answering my calls and told me she was busy.. I also lost my job recently and am not able to afford the price lawyers are asking for consultations.
I read that these medical claims would no longer be considered "valid" after two years and I am worried at the rate things are going it will be dragged out to make it so...

Answer: Find a lawyer who handle's personal injury claims.Answer #2: As far as your loan goes--you still owe the money. Insurance won't apply to that and you won't win in small claims court on that.


Title: Is it okay to be paid less than minimum wage?

Question:
I hope it's ok that I'm asking for a friend, she's not a redditor but is looking for advise for what to do. My friend currently works at a place part time, but receives less than minimum wage. Her boss told her that if they work for 3 months then they can request a raise to minimum wage. She was wondering if this was allowed, she's not a waitress or a job that really receives tips so I don't think this falls under a category that is exempt from paying minimum wage. Is it even worth trying to pursue because it's a part time job, or the risk of losing her job?
This is in Ontario, Canada
Edit: more specific location

Answer: No, except if she is an intern/in training or in a specialized field that waives minimum wage, it's not OK.


Title: [IN] Tenant stealing electricity. Is this criminal?

Question:
My parents own a 4-plex. Recently my dad has had considerable mental problems come up due to old age and I've figured out that he cannot manage day to day things anymore. In that vein, I've taken over things like paying the bills.

While paying the electric bill, I've noticed that the building's electric (covering things like outdoor/hallway lights and laundry room) suddenly increased a few months ago and now follows trends that indicate an air conditioner on the line (there is no air conditioner, and each apartment is metered separately). [Like this](http://i.imgur.com/vgHBJ5o.png). I'm certain one of the tenants is taken advantage of my dad's condition and is stealing it so they can avoid paying for it. I'm also fairly certain I know which tenant it is (we've had issues with them before and my dad still refuses to accept it and evict them). So far I haven't been able to see any extension cords or anything of that nature. I think they may have gone in the attic (the door to it is right outside their apartment) when my parents were away and may have spliced one of their outlets to the other line.

So my simple questions are the following: Assuming I can find a spliced line (we're calling an electrician to come by), other than the obvious civil penalties that we could sue for, is there any possible criminal penalties that could be incurred? Is there some way that they could argue that they "didn't know" the line was hotwired or otherwise weasel their way out of it, and if so, what is the best way for us to head that off?

Answer:
 You should contact your electric company and have them investigate as well.It could potentially be criminal, could be a faulty meter, could be another issue entirely.

If you find a spliced line, report it to the authorities.Answer #2: >is there any possible criminal penalties that could be incurred?

You can call the police and report a theft.

>Is there some way that they could argue that they "didn't know" the line was hotwired or otherwise weasel their way out of it, and if so, what is the best way for us to head that off?

Since you say this spike in electrical usage started only a few months ago and that wires don't splice themselves, it would appear to be a deliberate act. The only way this tenant could plead ignorance is if someone spliced the line prior to their tenancy and the current tenant started using more appliances.


Title: MIA bio father, and my son is supposed to visit him in 3 weeks. What can I do?

Question: I currently have an established parenting plan in Montana, and it states that my son is supposed to visit his dad for three weeks in June and July. I have been trying to set up arrangements for pick up/drop off but every time I call his phone is disconnected. I have learned that he has a suspended drivers license due to a DUI, he doesn't have a house or at least a place for my son to sleep. The last contact I had with him was in March. This is all very concerning and I do not know what my options are at this point. Do I have to follow the parenting plan if I cannot get ahold of him? Is there a certain petition that I can send the judge to get the parenting plan canceled or changed quickly? Any advise is welcomed and I'm very thankful for it.

Answer:
 If you cannot get a hold of the father at all you don't have a plan.  Do you have another way of contacting him, like through his parents?  What does the plan say about hand-over?

If you are concerned that he doesn't have a place, and cannot be reached, petition the court to Modify the Parenting Plan.  https://courts.mt.gov/portals/113/library/forms/pp_packet/pp_mod_contested.pdf


Title: [IA] This is embarrassing. I am getting dental work done that costs around $6,500 and insurance is paying $1,500 and I had to finance $5,000. The finance company did not have my correct address and the statements weren't coming to me and now I received a "Right to Cure" letter in the mail/

Question:
Long story short. This is very embarrassing for many different reasons.

I'm getting dental work done and the cost is $6,500 with insurance paying $1,500 and I had to finance $5,000. (I know, I should have taken better care of my teeth - I'm embarrassed to be having this much work done)

The finance company were sending me statements for the past 2 months but I wasn't getting them because they had the wrong address for me (the application had the right information) it was entered wrong on their side.

All of a sudden I get alerts from all the credit monitoring companies that I have a late payment on my credit report.  It's from the finance company.

I called them to see what was going on and when I was verifying my information, they told me they had the wrong address and they were going to fix it and send me a new statement. They took off the late charges and said the new bill would reflect that. I asked them if I owed them anything and that I would make a payment over the phone with them but they told me to wait for the new statement to come in the mail for the amount due.

A couple of days later the statement came in and it has the minimum amount due as $363 (my payments are for $121/month). I made an online account and payed the $121 on Saturday.

I called them on Monday explaining that I couldn't afford the other $242 because I didn't budget for that (2nd embarrassing situation).
They told me they would look into it and take care of it.

On Wednesday, I received a "Right to Cure" letter in the mail telling me that I have until August 31st to pay the $242 and bring my account current and continue with the contract or else they would use their rights under the law to collect the money from me.

I called them again and they told me that the minimum amount due is $242 because I didn't pay for 2 months even though it was an error on their part. (they also had my email address wrong as well).

I was told by the dental office when I applied for financing that I would receive all the information in the mail and the payments won't be due until the work has been done... They're still not done the dental work as I still have 2 or 3 more visits (another embarrassing thing) and so I never thought about the dental bill.

So here I am, unable to sleep because I don't have the money to pay them. I was never late with payments before. My credit score tanked because of it. I know it's ridiculous that I don't have an extra $242 to pay them. But that's the way it is. I might be able to pay another $121 towards it by the end of the month, but it'll be tight.

Can anybody tell me what is going to happen? Am I screwed?

Please, don't ridicule me. Please don't kick me while I'm down. I just need to know what is going to happen after the 31st and this isn't paid. I'm already screwed because of the late payment on my credit reports.

Thank you for any advice.

Answer: If you don't pay on the loan then they can demand the whole amount immediately; they can impose significant late fees, penalties, and interest; they can report you to the credit reporting agencies for nonpayment; and they could sue you for the money.


Title: Woman is contacting me about her illegitimate child

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You don't have to take a test unless you are ordered to by the court.  You can tell her in so many words that you are not willing to take a paternity test unless ordered to and to stop contacting you about this child unless she is looking to establish you as the legal father.

The court will not order you to take a paternity test if paternity has already been established.

If paternity has NOT been established OR has been contested and you are a potential father, the court may order you to take a test.

If the child is not yours, you can walk away.

If the child is yours, you need to step up and be a father.  No sob stories, no excuses.  YOU KNEW what unprotected sex can lead to and you engaged in it anyway.  AT THE MINIMUM this will include financially supporting the child, but I would strongly encourage you to actually be a father to the child.

Edit: while it is not essential in a question so general, please note if you have further, more specific questions, we will need your STATE.  Laws on this matter vary widely between states and answers may differ depending on your location.


Title: (VA) PTO Denied after leaving work early and asking for time off.

Question:
My dad, my brother and I work in a big construction company(focusing on metal framing, drywall, ceiling etc.) They have jobs VA DC and MD. We were currently building condos. My family was planning a vacation and have made a request to use our PTO. Lately the company are under staff and are under a lot of pressure to finish the job but this is a vacation (going to Disney world) we were planning before hand and made a two weeks notice of our leave. The day after we made our request, one of the foreman made a negative comment on my knowledge about work and my dad took it the wrong way. I have been promise a promotion in the company for a year but have not done so yet. they always make up an excuse. My father express his discontent to the foreman about the company always trying to put me down. We did not resign, we just decide to leave work early and ask to move up our vacation. We are planning on going to back to work. I email the owner claiming the foreman said we resign. How do I approach this. We have about about 70 hours of PTO each.

Here is the email I sent and his response.

I am requesting time off for my dad, brother and me. As you may have heard, yesterday my dad, brother and I left Lupe's job early. We did not quit. We, specially my dad, have been under a lot of stress lately cause of a family member (dad's brother)being terribly sick sick. We were planning taking our vacation in order to visit him while at the same time try to enjoy a family vacation. We decided to move up our vacation as it seems the stress started affecting my father's mood at work and our overall peformance. We will come back Monday, August 10 un stressed and ready to finish Lupe's job. I do apologize for our sudden leave. Here is my new temporary phone number as I have misplaced my personal phone 2 days ago if you would like to speak to me personally (xxx)xxx-xxxx. I have attached pictures of our PTO Leave Request Form we filled out Tuesday.

Thanks in advance,

Response:

I have spoken to (foreman) today and he told me that yesterday you made a few comments expressing your dissatisfaction with (company) and left the job site. We assumed that you, your father, and your brother have resigned from your positions with our company. Your PTO request is therefore denied.

Answer: Sounds like you walked off the job without approval. Just because you get upset doesn't give you the right to unilaterally decide to start your vacation early. It sounds like they had every reason to assume you quit, as you decided to leave work early without your foreman's permission.


Title: [CA] Can I refuse to hire people because they are not atheist/agnostic?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No.

Religious belief is protected by the constitution.


Title: [Michigan] eBay user stole my RedBubble shirt design, made $378. How do I get my money back?

Question:
I know, some will say that amount of money is not worth pursuing, but that's almost as much as I made on RedBubble for all of 2014. Long story short, this guy copied and pasted my graphic onto his own t-shirts and has sold 31 of them already, profiting $378.

I already reported the listing to eBay, but I know they can't do anything about the money. Is there anything I can do to get it back? If not, can I somehow talk him into paying me?

Edit: He's UK ebayer.

Answer:
 Do you own the design you used on redbubble?  I only ask because I am always curious about design copyright etc and I nosed through your posts.  You seem to do a lot of fan art, if the design was art based on someone elses characters etc you might not have any claim at all and the copyright holder may have a claim against both of you.Answer #2: You can sue him, but you'd probably have to do that in his state.

I don't know if you could talk him into voluntarily paying you. Depends on him.


Title: Someone I know is publicly impersonating a Veteran

Question: I have had interactions with an individual who is impersonating a Veteran. This person has publicly, for years, tormented and attacked many people over the past few years. He has publicly stated that he is a veteran, and has been publicly lauded by city officials for his “efforts”. Does anyone know who to contact regarding such an issue?

Answer:
 "Stolen Valor" has been deemed constitutionally-protected free speech *unless* he's doing so to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit.

So is he just saying he's a veteran to get handshakes and pats on the back?  Or is he milking the free buffet at the local Shoney's on Veteran's Day?  That will be the difference maker.  If it's the former, there's nothing you can do other than call him out on it.  If it's the latter, then the owners of businesses he defrauded can file a police report.


Title: [NJ] 4 tenants renting home. Landlord allows her children to throw parties in the summer.

Question:
I'm in a bit of a peculiar situation and want a bit of advice.  I live in a three bedroom house with a pool in the back yard.  There are four tenants who live here (one lives in the laundry room, but that's another story).  All of us like each other and have become friends.  The landlord, who owns the house, decided it was okay to let her two daughters come over with their friends and dogs to throw parties in and around the house, primarily in the back yard where there is a swimming pool.  Here are a few key notes:

1) They come at all hours, randomly, but usually in mid day on weekends between 11am and 6pm.  Sometimes as early as 9am, and sometimes as late as midnight.

2) They always bring two dogs.  One dog always swims in the pool with them, and one dog is always let into the house and wanders around.

3) They bring their friends, and give their friends keys to the house.  When they throw large parties, there have been up to ~20 people in the back yard, and up to ~6 people in the house.

4) They use the kitchen to make food, mix drinks, and store leftovers.

5) The noise is incessant because they play loud music and constantly yell at their dogs.

6) More than once, both directly and indirectly, I have caught her daughters' friends going into my room.  By indirectly, I mean that I set the door in such a way that I know whether someone went into the room or not.

Myself and one other tenant have spoken with the landlord, who told us that we were both exaggerating / lying.  Whether we were or weren't is not the point.  The point is that it's completely inappropriate for her children to have ready access to the house at all.  Do I have any rights in this situation?  Are there any documents I can show to the landlord that legally aid my position against her and her daughters?

Answer:
 This may be the unicorn situation where OP's right to quiet enjoyment has actually been violated. Anyone more well versed in LL-tenant relations want to verify?Answer #2: What does your lease say about pool use? How do they have access to the house? Do they have keys?

I agree with you, totally unacceptable. You rent the property and that should be the end of that. If she thinks it is okay for her children to use the property they should rent it from her.

I am concerned what would happen if the daughter or a friend was injured while at the property. Do you have renters insurance?Answer #3: IANAL, but hopefully someone can answer as to whether or not notice of entry would apply in this case. Landlords own property, but that doesn't allow them free access to enter (or for their children to enter) without advance notice, unless it's an emergency situation.

This doesn't seem like an emergency, nor does it seem appropriate for non-tenants/someone who isn't the landlord to have keys to the home.Answer #4: You have the exclusive use of the home you are renting and any amenities in the lease. You should meet with a local tenants legal aid group to get information from people who know the local laws. In most areas you can get free legal help for tenant landlord related issues. You could possibly break your lease and find a new home but it depends on your local laws. Do you have one lease for the whole property or does each person have a separate lease for their room, and use of the common areas? Do you want to get them to stop or to move to a new home?


Title: Can I bail someone in the USA (West Virginia) out of jail from the UK? I am a US citizen with US bank accounts. I just can’t physically visit the bail bondsman.

Question:
Hi, I hope I’ve flared this correctly.

I am a UK resident who is currently in the UK. I have a family member who did something stupid and ended up in jail in West Virginia. He is meant to be emailing me (apparently people in jail can email - who knew!) and I know he will ask me to get him out.

I won’t be doing so.

There are many reasons why I won’t be bailing him out (and neither will anyone else) but it isn’t my story to tell. I can just say I’m in agreement with my other family who are still in his life that it is best for him to be where we know where he is and where he is hopefully harder pressed to come to harm. I am not bailing him out because I love him and want him to live. Please do not think I am cold.

I don’t wish to lie to him when the request inevitably comes. I would love to say it is simply impossible for me to pay from the UK, but is this really the case?

If not, I will tell him no. I would rather him be angry with me and alive than the alternative. He’s been angry before and gotten over it.

I just hope there is a way I can make him feel like he hasn’t lost one of the few allies he has left in our family?

Thank you for reading!
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Woah!  Slow down!  This is a common scam.  Try to contact your family member by means other than email.  Ask in the email what jail they are being housed at and call in person.  Make sure to ID them.  DON'T WIRE ANY MONEY until you know for sure that this is your family member.


Title: (CA)Landlord keeping deposit for pet stains, no pets

Question:
So we moved out December 15th. Apartment is in perfect condition I have pictures for proof. We did a walkthrough before we surrendered the keys and they manager said that everything looked good, but they had to rip up the carpet to make sure there were no urine stains. The estimate they gave for if they found anything was $300-$400. I wasn’t concerned because we didn’t have pets. Well I called today just to ask how much I should expect the check to be, and they said they are keeping $700 because they had to replace the carpets in both bedrooms due to pet stains. I asked if they had any photo evidence from now and before I moved in because there had been no pets in the unit. She said they didn’t have any proof but they replace the carpet every time someone moved in so it had to have been from us. Obviously we couldn’t look underneath the carpet when we did the walkthrough upon moving in, and there was nothing stated in the lease that this was a normal part of move out inspection. We plan on demanding the money back and taking them to small claims if they don’t agree, but will picture evidence be enough? It’s been issue after issue with this apartment complex and I just want to be done with them.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > they said they are keeping $700 because they had to replace the carpets in both bedrooms due to pet stains...She said they didn’t have any proof but they replace the carpet every time someone moved in so it had to have been from us

They are taking from your deposit because they had to replace the carpets.  But they replace carpets every time someone moves out.  If I were you, I'd have a problem with THIS part, especially if you happen to have the latter in writing or voicemail.

Edit: Also, good on you for having photos!Answer #2: Did you also have pictures from when you moved in?  Definitely dispute this as you didn't have pets.Answer #3: Well if their policy is to rip up the carpet to "check for stains" every time a tenant moves out, of course they're going to "find" stains every time, otherwise they have to foot the bill for re-laying the carpet... Answer #4: Slightly off topic question but is it common practice to rip up a carpet to look for stains when the carpet looks fine?


Title: I'm at a loss on what to do. My insurance is denying test that could save my life

Question:
My question is what can I do. Is there a law that might help or a civil action i can take.

I have gone thru the appeals process and going through it for the 4th time.

I received a call today saying that the test had been denied again and that they were appealing it and I would have to reschedule for August

I am very close to losing my job not to mention the 3000$ or so I have already lost and the financial hardship this has put me in. Once I am terminated my insurance will be canceled, and to be honest I believe that is what the insurance company is waiting for

I work in law enforcement, in KY. While I was at work I passed out.

Luckily there was another officer there. and was able to get a nurse.

She said my pulse was erratic. I went to the cardiologist on 4/25/2018 and the doctor set up a stress test and I had to wear a heart monitor for one month. The results from the heart monitor showed a v-tach at one point. It shows my heart rate dropping to 30 and accelerating to over 100 for no reason. Apparently, it dropped very low and is the reason I passed out.

The cardiologist wants to run a nuclear stress test and the insurance company has denied it 3 or 4 times. The doctor keeps filing an appeal and the insurance company keeps denying it. The doctor wants the nuclear stress test to see if I have a blockage. Otherwise, the cardiologist believes it is an electrical problem with my heart. The reason Anthem gives for denying it is, "Based on your age and health history the requested test is not necessary.”

My FMLA is going to run out and then not only will I lose my job, my insurance will be cut as well. I have missed 2.5-3 months of work and expect to get laid off any day now.

This insurance refusing this test, Is not only going cost me my job but in turn, could be putting my life at risk because they feel I'm too young.

Answer:
 >The cardiologist wants to run a nuclear stress test

That's an extremely expensive test and not the only manner by which a cardiologist can detect blockages. I bet your insurance *would*  cover a less expensive procedure like a cardiac catheterization and angiogram.
Have a discussion with your cardiologist about alternative testing procedures.Answer #2: So this isn’t legal advise, but I’m a cardiac nurse.

Why can’t you just get a cardiac catheterization?  It’s much cheaper and more accurate than a nuclear stress test at detecting blockages, which is probably why your insurance is denying you. If you do have a blockage, they will have to do the cath anyway to stent you or to get pictures for your bypass surgeon. If you have a medical reason why you cannot get a cardiac catheterization, that needs to be addressed with the medical review people at your insurance company, but it sounds like you’ve been through the whole appeals process. Your recourse is pay out of pocket for the test (often hospitals will cut the price by a lot if you take this option) or tell your doctor you need them to order a different test to check for blockages. Answer #3: If you can't get an approval for it, you're going to need to pay out of pocket if you want the test.


Title: What happens if, hypothetically, you rip off the do not remove tag from a mattress?

Question: Asking for a friend

Answer: You would be standing there with a tag in your hand.


Title: CA - Are live/work tenants considered commercial leaseholders? Are commercial leaseholders entitled to compensation should their space unexpectedly become unavailable?

Question:
California - My partner and I recently held a lease for a live/work property.  This property was zoned for both commercial and residential use, and as such we operated a retail/commercial business out of the space and also lived in it.  Our original lease lasted one year, and the lease stated that we would automatically switch to a month to month lease after the expiration of the initial year.  Obviously, as business owners, we fully anticipated remaining in the space due to the nature of establishing a business and retaining customers.

Unfortunately the landlord contacted us 60 days prior to the expiration of the year long lease and informed us she would no longer be offering the space for rent after the lease ended.  She said she would be using the space for her own commercial purposes.

I believe this act is somewhat retaliatory on the landlord’s part given that during our tenancy we had some issues regarding parking.  These issues were unrelated to our lease because it was a dispute between us and a neighbor over street parking on public land.  That said, we had some bossy neighbors who did not appreciate that we parked (on the street) in front of their house, and they definitely voiced that to our landlord.  Police were involved and we were found to be in the clear, but it certainly caused some tension.

I include this only anecdotally because proving retaliation would be difficult in court.  My real question is regarding our rights as commercial tenants.  Do we have any?  The lease does make mention of our permission to operate a commercial business, but I’m not sure what exactly counts as a commercial lease.  During the parking dispute, my landlord informed me in writing that I didn’t have a leg to stand on because I was in a commercial space while the neighbors were residential.  From some research I’ve done, it seems we may be entitled to some compensation as commercial tenants being booted from a commercial space, but I can find anything solid or consistent on this.  A few websites I’ve read have basically said that unless the tenants are somehow in breach of their lease, a commercial tenant might be entitled to a bit of a settlement from their landlord upon being asked to vacate, lease expiring or not.  Additionally, I’ve read that six months notice is more appropriate than the typical 60 days needed for residential.  The live/work setup seems difficult to define from a legal standpoint.  I do have a meeting with a lawyer tomorrow morning, but I’m coming here first to see if anyone might have more insight in case this is all a waste of time.  Thanks for reading!
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Your lease ended

You are month to month

The owner can end the contract with you

My commercial property lease was 10 years, but that is the deal I had.

10 years you have more security but more risk.

1 year less security less risk

month to month no security with only 30 days of risk


Title: Will I stand a chance to win in small claims?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You're not covered by any lemon laws and this is all your own fault, so fix it and learn from it. You need to have *anything* with an engine fully vetted by a mechanic of your choosing prior to purchase. As-is sales are all risk and little reward for buyers.


Title: Is a restaurant allowed to take back tips from an employee after a customer come's in the next day asking for the tip back?

Question:
The manager at my work asked my girlfriend earlier today to pay the restaurant back $13 because a customer came in asking for it back after they paid and signed the receipt the previous day. I think gratuity was added to the bill and they tipped on top, but my girlfriend made clear to everyone gratuity was added and the customer who came in said he heard her, but wanted it back.

The fact it was only $13 isn't the problem, my question is if the establishment is allowed to make her pay that tip money back in this situation? Is it legal or just a dick move?

If you know of a better subreddit than this, do let me know! This happened in Arizona.

Answer:
 No.

Once the patron leaves a tip that money becomes property of the employees. The owner of the establishment can not make her pay it back.

They can, however, fire her.


Title: Tenant's service dog bit neighbor

Question:
Our tenant failed to disclose the service dog in writing at time of application. After tenant was caught with an unapproved dog, she claimed it was a service dog. The certification paperwork she since provided shows it was certified AFTER she moved into the house and we asked about the dog. It has since bitten the neighbor's daughter. The backyard isn't fenced so the dog was just tied out back in the open. I, as the landlord, don't want to be held liable if the dog attacks again. Can I ask the dog be removed if it's a service dog? Per the lease, pets must be removed if they cause a nuisance/danger.

Also, per the lease, tenant is required to obtain and keep renter's insurance and provide proof to landlord upon request. I've since been told by our managment company that she does not have renter's insurance.

State is NC.

Answer:
 It likely wouldn't be protected under ADA, as a requirement of a service animal is they don't interfere with their environment. Biting people is certainly going to make it's status as a service animal questionable.

I'd suggest contacting an attorney to help with the situation to avoid any pitfalls.

As to her not having renters insurance, I'd immediately issue a cure or quit notice. If she doesn't immediately get/show proof of a policy, evict for violation of the lease.


Title: [ONTARIO CANADA] My Condo is charging me $15,000 for water damage

Question:
This is related to a condo unit that I rented out.

Last week there was a scheduled water shut off notice from the condo (9am to 5pm). The tenant left the unit for work (9am) noticing the water has not been shut off by the condo yet. She came back (5pm) to find the bathroom being flooded with the faucet on. The tenant saw a slip that said contractors has entered the unit at noon when she came home. She is sure that the faucet was off because she'll notice the faucet since water was not shutoff yet by the condo . She called the contractors and they denied that they left the faucet on.

Today, the condo management team sent me an email, asking for water damage payment of up to $15,000 because the flood has effected 5 other units.

What should I do in this situation? What kind of legal cost am I looking at?

Edit:I've sent an email to the condo to ask the contractors for the damage. They have replyed back with

"It was confirmed that our plumbers did not touch the faucets. Notices were sent out prior telling all residents to keep the taps closed.

As well, there was an email sent to you the owner specifying that there was repairs were required by the unit owner to ensure future leaks would not occur"

What should i do with the information i have?

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer, I'm not Canadian. I'd start by making sure to preserve the slip left by the contractors and calling my renter's insurance. I'd also point out to the contractors that the apartment wasn't flooded when they entered hours after the tenant left for the day.Answer #2: This is why you have insurance!  But given the evidence it sounds like the contractors entered the unit to open an upstairs tap and drain the water so they could work on the pipes.  Of course they denied that they left the faucet on because they will be responsible for the damage.  Also, try estimating the overflow rate of the faucet to see how much water would come out of the faucet per hour.  There is likely a huge discrepancy between the water being left on from 9:00am versus the workers turning it on at say 2:00pm and letting it run until 5:00pm.

Ignore their email, anything you say now can be used against you in their lawsuit.  If you get sued turn it over to your insurance or get an attorney.
>Today, the condo management team sent me an email, asking for water damage payment of up to $15,000 because the flood has effected 5 other units.


Title: Can a law enforcement agency legally make me delete an instagram post?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 It's entirely possible they are only getting you for *some* of the fines they could. If you don't cooperate they could unload the whole magazine.Answer #2: > Can a law enforcement agency legally make me delete an instagram post?

It's very unlikely.

> The part where I think they might be over-stepping their bounds was when they told me that I would have to take down all of the photos and videos we posted from that area.

I agree.


Title: Female (17) Friend of Family Staying with Us

Question:
I live in SC. My wife's friend's daughter, 17, is staying with us because there were some domestic issues in her home. She plans to stay until she leaves for college this fall. I'm not sure when she turns 18.

Am I putting myself in an unnecessarily risky situation when it's just me and her in our house?

Thanks in advance!

Answer: Life is risky. So yes? I mean, anything can happen. Anyone at anytime can lie and abuse you if a crime and cause a lot of problems in your life.


Title: [Los Angeles] got pulled over leaving a theatre parking lot after watching a movie, expired tags and driving unlicensed. Officer didn't sign the citation and didn't fill in many details. Let me drive home after.

Question: What are my options? What should I do?

Answer: Pay the ticket, go to court and defend yourself, or ignore it and get arrested.


Title: Received citation with friends name

Question:
About two weeks ago I was drinking at a party when the cops showed up and they took down info for those who weren't 21 (I'm 20). Thing is I was blacked out and do not remember much. My friend told me I gave the cop our old roommates name (he no longer lives with us, we live in the U.S. and moved backed to Canada) a fake birthday, a fake phone number, but for some reason our real address. So sure enough when everyone else received their citations, we received one at our house in our old roommates name.

Basically, I screwed up big time and want to know if there is a way out of it. Could I just send the letter back with a note saying he no longer lives with us? Almost as if to play off as someone else gave the fake info? I don't want to screw over my old roomate and because he is in a different country I feel like this could work. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Are you a troll?

Its not gonna just go away.


Title: Sold truck to old roommate- think i may have gotten burned.

Question: So about 3 months ago i was in a bad spot for money and sold my 87 dodge truck to my old roommate. He was to pay me $400 and a stereo system. He gave me $200 and the stereo system up front- but still hasnt given me the rest of the money. Its been 3 months. He has been more than cabable of paying it back, but hasnt. He has put a lot of work into the truck and fixed it up, and now hes planning on driving it. But, the title is still in my name and the truck is not insurrd. If he drives it with no insurance, it will bite me in the Ass. Im getting fed up. What would be the legality of "repoing" the truck? None of our deal was recorded on paper, just a handshake. Im from billings montana if that makes any difference.

Answer: Transfer the title to him immediately and sue for $200 if you want. The risk to you of him driving around with no insurance is huge.


Title: How to get out of my lease in ohio.

Question: My girlfriend and I are looking into moving to o Missouri where I am from. We currently live in Ohio and our lease for our apartment isn't up untill October. So that means pulling our daughter out of school at the beginning of the year and putting her in a new school after it's started. Also it will not be appropriate moving weather. So is there any way to get out of our lease before the lease is up. My girlfriends friend said because we are moving out of state we should be able to get out of it but, I thought I'd reach out to the experts 😉 before I tried anything. Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks all!

Answer:
 Does your lease say how to break it? Sometimes you can by paying extra.

If not, you should try working something out with your landlord.


Title: How do HOA transfers work when someone dies?

Question:
This isn't in regards to any actual case, I'm just curious. If a state is necessary, let's say my state, Texas.

As far as I'm aware, HOAs are really just a type of contract attached to a property. When the first owner of a property buys it from a developer, they sign the HOA agreement. In the HOA agreement, there is language saying something like, "I agree to require anyone who buys this property from me to sign this same agreement before I sell it to them." Through this mechanism, the HOA agreement is maintained and passed from owner to owner.

But something I recently wondered was, what happens when someone dies? Say I own a fully paid for house with an HOA. I die and I will the house to my child.

Here, there is no sale. The new owner just simply has full ownership of the property without signing any agreement. If I were  living and sold the property without having the buyer sign the agreement, I could probably face heavy legal action from the HOA. But if I'm dead, they can't exactly sue me.

So in summary, how does HOA transfer work when there's not an actual sale involved in the transfer of a property? This could be either through death or maybe I just quit claim my property to someone.

Again, this is purely hypothetical. I'm just curious how these things work.

Answer: The HOA is attached to the property and title. There is no getting out of an HOA. When the title passes to the new owner, so does the HOA and all the responsibilities.


Title: [WI] [Long] Reporting my childs other parent to social services

Question:
I'll try to do the cliff notes version:

Child born 2007
Mother and I split 2008.
We have joint custody and placement.
Realistically though, he spends about 50% time at my house, 30% at his mothers and 20% at his maternal grandmothers
Since then, I've moved a total of 3 times, owned my own home with my now wife (step mom) since 2014.

Mother has moved 19 times since 2008. Currently owns her own home (bought a $20,000 'as is' estate sale home), is in a state of disrepair (basis for my question).

When she first moved into her home, she had a live in boyfriend and a roommate. My son slept on a blanket in the dining room. Roommate moved out, my son got his own room, but still no bed. I offered to buy a bed for her home if she couldn't afford it so my son didn't need to sleep on the floor, but she bought one instead.

There is now a new roommate, so my sons bed was moved into his mothers room. He shares a bed with her on some of the nights that he's there, unless her boyfriend is spending the night, in which case he sleeps in his own bed - but they have to clean stuff off it as she uses it for storage when he's not home.

His mom started a bathroom remodel 'about two months ago' and they currently have no tub/shower, bathroom sink, or washer and dryer. His maternal grandmother occasionally grabs his clothes and washes them at her house. He has no place to brush his teeth or wash his hands after utilizing the bathroom because the only sink left in the house is the kitchen sink which is 'always filled with dirty dishes'

My son is also a bed wetter, and as he is embarrassed about it, hides and lies about it. At our house we do morning checks to see if laundry needs to be done and if he needs to bathe before school. This doesn't, nor could, happen at his moms as there is no way to clean his body or bedding, so he sleeps in dirty bedding, and has dried urine on himself for days. He see's this as normal, and doesn't care.

I spoke with his maternal grandmother the other night, and she says she is appalled at the living condition, the new roommate has a dog that leaves feces all over the house, but no one cleans it up.

This is just the latest in a long line of issues (Seriously, I have 15 pages of notes of living situation changes, hygiene concerns, and concerns of her taking his ADHD medicine) - they've lived in hotels, campers, tents, etc, my son knew how to 'sponge bath' in a gas station bathroom, because they had no working bathroom (a running theme it seems) and almost every member of her family has mentioned social services at one point or the other, but when asked, always says they wont speak to social services against their family member, and would lie to protect her.

How do I report her to social services, without making life more difficult for my son? Is it even worth it, or is Social Services basically a joke that won't do much to improve his living situation? I know she'll know I was the one to report, and will do everything she can to make life difficult for myself and our son, and theres the possibility that nothing will change?

I talked to a friend that's a social worker a few years ago, and they advised that it wasn't worth making a report as social services was so back logged due to the opiod crisis that a dirty home with a non functioning bathroom was so low on the priority list, that nothing would be done beyond stirring up shit between his mother and I, and he'd ultimately be the one to suffer.  She pointed out that the state defines neglect as

>(12g) “Neglect" means failure, refusal or inability on the part of a caregiver, **for reasons other than poverty**, to provide necessary care, food, clothing, medical or dental care or shelter so as to seriously endanger the physical health of the child.

While my wife and I are able to take him full time, and would love to give him a full childhood without the struggles he's had, I know Social Services won't take him away from her, nor do I want her out of his life, I just want him to not have to live the life he is half the time.
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 >he sleeps in dirty bedding, and has dried urine on himself for days

This is definitely worth reporting. This isn't "a nonfunctioning bathroom", this is neglect. Forcing a child to live caked in urine is unconditionally neglect. There's no question here at all.Answer #2: Is there some reason you didn't report her to CPS/push for full custody years ago?

Also, has a medical professional addressed the bedwetting? Because that can be a sign of sexual abuseAnswer #3: >I talked to a friend that's a social worker a few years ago, and they advised that it wasn't worth making a report as social services was so back logged due to the opiod crisis that a dirty home with a non functioning bathroom was so low on the priority list, that nothing would be done beyond stirring up shit between his mother and I, and he'd ultimately be the one to suffer.

 u/napalmenator, in your experience, which I know is not all encompassing, is this an incredibly weird sentiment from a social worker?


Title: Trying to understand an argument in court: attorney argues that his client should be released on bail because he doesn't have a history of violence...but he was robbing people at gunpoint

Question: I understand that an attorney's job is not to convince everyone of the defendant's innocence, and everyone deserves someone to competently represent them...but how/why does an attorney argue that someone who's admitted to robbing 2 people at gunpoint isn't dangerous?

Answer:
 He is **alleged** to have robbed people at gunpoint. He was not convicted of it and is deemed innocent until and unless found guilty. Not all "admissions" are admissible as evidence in court.Answer #2: At a bail hearing, they're not arguing about whether he's guilty of that particular crime, just whether he'd be a danger to society if he was released, and whether he'll show up for his trial.  Having no history of violent crime helps to show that he might not be a danger, so the defense will present that argument.  They'll also usually note his ties to the community, and that he has a steady job and family in the area (assuming he does) to show that he's not likely to skip the trial and head for the border.

The prosecutor will argue that the crime he's accused of makes him dangerous, and that he's facing a long prison sentence, so he might just abandon his job and flee.  He has a more difficult argument, because he can't prove that the guy is guilty of the current crime yet, but he might bring up any criminal history he can find.

The judge will decide whether to allow bail, and how much will ensure that he comes back for his trial.  Also, he might set some conditions, like not leaving the city/county/state, wearing an ankle monitor, or surrendering his passport.


Title: (CA - Orange County) CSU makes a semester scheduling mistake. Instead of fixing the problem, lets me take fall by delaying graduation

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Unlikely.  Talk with your staff to try to stay on top of this and find an alternative plan for action.  You can always consult a local attorney as well.  It is often better to utilize institutional resources first: your mileage may vary.


Title: Age of consent under UCMJ

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Probably legal.

But definitely a terrible idea.

You're 20.  You're in the military.  You've been through basic training.  You've lived on your own as an adult.

You have a job.  You have training, education and experience.  You have adult responsibilities.

You know what she has?

**Goddamned algebra homework.**

And cheerleading practice.

And a curfew.

This girl is not old enough to see a rated R movie on her own yet.

There is no fairytale ending here for you together.

Let her go be a kid and find a WOMAN your age to date.Answer #2: It's a horrible idea, but not directly illegal. Just remember two things: Article 134 means it doesn't have to be explicitly illegal; it just has to be service discrediting. Second, she's already lied to you about her age once. How much you want to bet she's actually 15 (assuming she exists at all, and isn't a Nigerian scammer)?


Title: GA - My sister’s boyfriend sent me porn that my sister starred in. Is this revenge porn?

Question:
We’re in Georgia.

My sister has been in this mutually abusive relationship for a couple of years. Whenever they hit a rough patch, he starts sending me stuff. Allegations that may or not be true, like she’s an escort, meth addict, suicidal, etc.. For what it’s worth, she denies everything.

A few months ago, he sent me video of, and screenshots from, a porno that he produced and my sister “starred” in. It’s definitely her, though of course her real name wasn’t used. To save her from embarrassment, I’ve never told her about this.

I’m assuming she had some reasonable expectation of privacy/anonymity in this matter, right? Does this therefore constitute revenge porn? Could *I* press charges in any way, or would any action have to be left to my sister?

Thanks to anyone who has time to help.

Edit: Appreciate the concern, but please limit comments about how terrible my sister’s relationship is, and how I should be doing more to help her. My sister is in her thirties and is in control of her actions. She chooses to stay connected to this person, so I'm doing what I can to destroy his life in other ways. Like legal ways. I'm doing my best here.

Answer:
 It will depend on how the "porno" was made. If your sister has signed her consent to distribute and/or signed the rights to the "movie" (or in any other way gave her consent to distribute the porno)

You could report the matter to the police yourself but it would be better coming from her. The illegality of revenge porn hinges on whether or not the victim gave their consent, so they would need to speak to her to get a statement regardless.

Georgia does also however have more general obscenity laws - the boyfriend may have (I am not familiar enough with this law to make a comment either way) committed an offence under this statute - you would have to ask the police.

https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-12/article-3/part-1/16-12-81/

 Answer #2: FYI “revenge porn” or distributing pornographic material without consent is a felony and it should be reported.. think about the other women that this guy may have done/will do this to.

Also, the police will keep your sister’s name and everything confidential.. Answer #3: Because your sister originally intended the video to be distributed, it is not revenge porn under [GA law](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2014/title-16/chapter-11/article-3/part-3/section-16-11-90/)--see section (e)(4).

However, if you have told him to stop contacting you, and he continued to do so, be more successful with a police report or [harassment](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2015/title-16/chapter-11/article-2/section-16-11-39.1). It may depend on how often he has contacted you after you told him no.Answer #4: Unfortunately,you don't have standing.

You can either tell your sister or the police..one of them would have to pursue charges then the prosecutor would decide whether or not to press them.Answer #5: Probably not revenge porn but you should talk to your sister anyways. Someone needs to help her.


Title: Dog [maybe] Bit Child (NC)

Question:
I was at a party on Saturday when a small child was “bitten” by my friend’s dog. The child was not being properly supervised by her parents. No one actually saw the dog bite the kid (1.5 years) although she was bleeding and needed 4 stitches when we heard her screams. At first I thought the dog had jumped and busted the girl’s nose, she claimed she was bitten.

The dog is up to date on shots and not aggressive. This dog is 80lbs+ and could have easily KILLED the kid if he wanted. If the dog did bite, it was only a nip. Parents actually mentioned their child has been bitten by their own dog for pulling tail/etc. but their dog is small.

Anyway, the parents are demanding the dog be put down. This isn’t even my dog and I am pissed! He is current on shots and a very sweet boy. We offered to hide the dog at our house until everything settles down, but the owner is very upset at the entire situation.

If the owner doesn’t put the dog down what will happen? Can the parents legally demand the dog be killed when he’s up to date and normally non-aggressive?

The dog was tied by chain in the yard when approached by the child. Said child had been happily playing fetch with the same dog for 20 minutes or so prior to the incident. Unsure where parents were at the time.

Answer:
 4 stitches is not a minor dog bite injury.  The dog is now a "dangerous dog" as far as North Carolina law is concerned, but probably was not at the time it bit the child.  That complicates the parent's ability to bring a dog bite claim for this bite, but makes the dog's owners liable for any future bites.

If the parents report the dog to animal control its possible, though unlikely, that the dog will be put down.  Dogs usually only get put down when the victim was maimed or there are prior complaints about the dog's behavior.

Hiding the dog will only get your/the dog's owners into more trouble and increase the likelihood of animal control taking action.

Also people love saying that dog bite victims only get out of pocket expenses for some reason.  Dog bites are very valuable cases, even small injuries can result in large settlements.  A dog bite that results in large, noticeable scars on a female child are basically a personal injury attorney's wet dream because that will result in a huge settlement.  But that's something that will be covered by a homeowners or renters insurance policy under most circumstances and so not something your friendly likely need to worry about.


Title: How can I protect myself from filial responsibility?

Question:
I was raised in Pennsylvania and moved out of state immediately upon reaching 18. I never went back and have had no contact with my family in almost 20 years. My parents are getting close to nursing home age. They're also vindictive people who could squeeze a penny tight enough to make it scream. I'm worried that their caretaking facility will try to track me down and force me to pay their bills.

I'm wondering if there are any legal steps I can take now to protect my assets later- just in case. I am married and file taxes jointly. I have children and will own my home free and clear in the next 5 years. I live a very simple life but I have significant savings. Would a trust protect us? I'm not looking to hide assets illegally.

Answer: Short answer is you can't. The law isn't written with an easy out as what would be the point if it had an easy out. You can be sued for the long care costs your parents aren't able to pay and the government doesn't pick up.  You should talk with a lawyer or financial planner experienced in this but there is no magic button to make this law go away.Answer #2: Wait....I am confused.  Is OP saying that he/she could be legally responsible for paying the debts of his/her parents?  If so, I did not know this was possible?  How can a child be responsible for their parents debt?  Answer #3: If OP hypothetically offered to place them in a nursing home in another state (hawaii springs to mind), sets them up for a bit then leaves them to support themselves, is that likely to come bite OP in arse?


Title: [California] Being granted access to someone else's storage unit

Question:
I am an adult living in California, as is my brother. Our mother is estranged and we haven't had contact with her in a couple of years. She emailed us yesterday telling us she moved to another state about a year and a half ago and has been maintaining a storage unit local to my brother and myself. The storage unit contains a lot of family heirlooms, as well as some newer things she purchased while living on her own before moving and starting over.

Via email, she offered to mail me the key and gate code to the storage unit so my brother and I can take whatever we'd like. She says she doesn't want to pay for it anymore so everything will go up for auction anyway. She gave me all the information about the storage facility, their contact info, and a general list of what can be found in there. Again, via email, she gave us full permission to take anything we want and do whatever we want with it--keep it, sell it, leave it in the unit to get confiscated, whatever. Some of these things (especially the family photos) are deeply important to my brother and I'd like for us to be able to get them for him, but we'd like some of the other items, as well.

As of now, I plan to call the storage facility and offer to show them the email as documentation that we've been given the key, the code, and permission from our mom to remove items. There's a small fear in the back of my head that we could somehow be accused of robbing the unit if we're not careful. I don't know how it really works to retrieve items out of someone else's storage and want to protect us if she's setting us up in some way (she's estranged for a reason). Are there any other precautionary measures we can take?

Please let me know if you need any clarifying details. Thank you for any help in advance!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Don't worry about it. Just go get the stuff. Print out the email and bring it with you, just in case. But it's very unlikely that anyone will give you trouble. Don't invite scrutiny where it's not needed.

There's an outside chance that, if you contact them and tell them the situation, (that your mother intends to default on the unit) they will take steps to keep you from getting anything out of the unit until they're paid. Don't invite that trouble.


Title: Landlord is showing off our unit often when none of us are home (MN)

Question:
I have been subleasing a duplex unit for about 5 months with the leasers being my roommates. The rental company has been touring our unit on a near weekly basis letting the leasers(my roommates) know that it will be toured and at about what time. More often than not they don't show up as we are leasing the unit until November and most people don't want to view a unit up for lease in 10 months.
The rental company doesn't give them a key to enter and never sends anyone with them its always just prospective renters. I don't really want to show off my own home to someone that might lease it after I'm gone that's not my job but moreso I don't want unsupervised people meandering through my home. I have a good amount of video games and consoles and don't want anything stolen that I might not notice immediately. But more than theft I don't want any strangers in my home 10 months out from our lease expiring.

edit: I totally forgot about our cats! We have 2 cats as well who are very well behaved but I would hate for someone to have an allergic reaction or be scratched by them but more than all that I don't want some idiot to accidentally let my cat or my roommates cat out.

Answer:
 [The relevant MN statute](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=504B.211#stat.504B.211.2) says the landlord may enter with reasonable notice for reasonable business purposes. However, it says reasonable business purpose includes "showing the unit to prospective residential tenants during the notice period before the lease terminates or after the current residential tenant has given notice to move to the landlord or the landlord's agent". Since you guys have not given notice, and this is not within the notice period, and the landlord/rental company is not accompanying these people, I'd guess this wouldn't qualify as reasonable.

You may want to find a lawyer near you who can draft a letter notifying the landlord/rental company that this is likely violating the statute and/or advise you how to proceed from here if it continues.


Title: Am I able to walk at a high school parking lot at night? I was stopped by cops.

Question:
I was just walking and talking on the phone around 1AM. Suddenly I get blinded and stopped by two cops who said someone reported two people walking here and asking me all these questions. Obviously I told them the truth and that I was by myself.

They told me I should go home. I asked them is it ok for me to be walking there? Are schools a public place? I'm not breaking in or anything and there is a stadium/track that is left open that people go to walk at.

Could I get in trouble for going back? I've walked there for two years with no problems before now.

US/Texas

Answer:
 schools are public property (assuming it's a public school) but private spaces that have a right to limit access. In addition, you aren't there for any legitimate reason.

Seriously, there has to be a better place to "walk" than a hs parking lot. Particularly at 1am. Answer #2: The grounds of a school are similar to a park and are often closed at 10PM or so depending on the town.


Title: Sorority girls constantly trespassing what can I do.

Question:
I like in Reno Nevada, and I made the mistake of moving in to a house behind sorority row. I have had nothing but problems and was even threatened with legal action by them for "harassment" because my roommate was telling them not to park in front of our house.

They didn't follow up but they are constantly trespassing on our property, littering and loitering, blocking our driveway with their cars, and they've even stolen from our porch.

We've tried calling the cops and they say they're too busy, and we've been trying to get the fraternity and sorority life advisor to do something about it and so far nothing. I am getting so frustrated because if I was trespassing on their property and blocking their driveway and stealing their things, I would be locked up weeks ago.

What can I do? Please help.

Answer:
 Is Nevada in the middle of a drought right now? Because motion activated sprinklers are cheap, effective, and entertaining. Answer #2: > and they've even stolen from our porch

Did they steal mail?Answer #3: try this: http://i.imgur.com/WBmYO1H.jpg


Title: [Ky] Received bonus of 150 check yesterday and proceeded to cash it the next morning. Went into work that evening and was notified the bonus was a mistake and was supposed to be on someone else's check, and that it would be taken out of my payroll in the near future.

Question: [Ky] Received bonus of $150 on my regular paycheck yesterday and proceeded to cash it the next morning. Went into work that evening and was notified the bonus was a mistake and was supposed to be on someone else's check, and that it would be taken out of my payroll in the near future. The 150 was labeled as BONUS on my check

Answer: If they had shorted you $150, you'd want it made up to you, right?  This is no different.


Title: Brother in law forcing nieces into public school against my sister's permission

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 _Right now_, without any custody orders in place, neither parent has any real limits on their custody of their kids. He can enrol them in school; she can de-enrol them when they're in her care. Putting them in and pulling them out of school repeatedly isn't going to be in the kids' best interests, though, so they should negotiate something while the divorce works its way through.

Longer-term, this is ultimately going to become part of the child custody part of the divorce decree. Personally, I can't see a judge ordering that a child _shall not_ be enrolled in school, but weirder things have happened. More likely, one or the other parent will be given decision-making authority over education, with the option of going back to court to seek a modification if the parents have a serious dispute about it. The courts are _likely_ to favor the kids going to school, not only for educational reasons but also for their social development and welfare, but your sister's lawyer can help make the case that the kids will be better off if she makes educational decisions.

[The Washington Bar Association](http://www.wsba.org/Resources-and-Services/Find-Legal-Help) has some options for finding legal help. If she can't get in touch with any of those programs, then there's very little to do other than calling around and asking nicely if they'd be willing to work on a payment plan if they take her on as a client.


Title: DUI court case 4 years ago

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Why am I getting this punishment when I have lawyer.

You are only getting that punishment if you agree to it.  You can go to trial.

> Is this unjust?

No, going to court is not unjust.

> Am I being treated unfairly by either party?

No

>What can I do?

Go to trial

>What would be the sentence if the judge denies the plea?

Maximum sentence for first time OVI is 180 days in jail.

>Can I do anything about the lawyers lack of help?

The lawyer can't force anyone to grant his motions or give him a better plea


Title: I bought a house and the seller did not disclose a major issue.

Question:
Hi all! New here, just closed on my house two weeks ago. I purchased a complete reno from a flipper/investor that was advertised on the MLS as new heating, plumbing, and electric. The day after I moved in, there was a major clog that I couldn't fix myself so a plumber was sent out by my home warranty company. Long story short, my home with "new plumbing" has a cast iron sewer line that is corroded. This was not listed in my disclosure documents from the seller, wasn't mentioned to my realtor, and it wasnt caught by my inspector. The quote to repair it is $25k (!!!!!!). Most of the expense is coming from having to dig up my driveway to replace the sewer line and then repave it. Do I have any recourse??? Can I ask the seller to pay? I am located in Atlanta, GA.

My lender called me and said this is a big issue with the seller because they were supposed to disclose that for my lending. Also another issue is that it was not disclosed to Atlanta Housing Authority who gave me a $25k down payment grant.

What are my options? I was under the assumption that this house had new plumbing and I feel like the seller should have disclosed that. My plumber said there is some new PVC plumbing under the house but not ALL new. He also said there's no way the seller wouldn't have known when they installed the pieces that are new.

Answer: That doesn't sound like something that would even be included when replacing the house plumbing. That's the line from the sewer system to the house, not the plumbing within the house.


Title: Employer changes scope of work, but nothing else

Question:
Backstory: I’ve been working with this company for 8 years.  The company started out small and was merged into a larger company.  I was promoted 2 years ago to a supervisory role, and the person who’s spot I filled was promoted up.

Issue: The company is letting 20 people go at the end of this year, and my employer is telling me and the co-workers at my level that we will be absorbing their work.  We are told that we will be deadline oriented, work as many hours as needed, including weekends, and to answer our personal phones on the weekend for work related items.  Zero compensation increase even though the position being absorbed is a significant promotion.

Question: I agreed to a job with a scope of work and a matching compensation.  Can my employer change that on me without accepting it at my compensation or without a negotiated compensation?

I live in Michigan
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 How much do you earn? Are you paid hourly or salary?

The only thing that raises a flag here is answering your phone off hours. If you are hourly this might entitle you to overtime, or at least extra pay.

But in general, no. Your job at work is "whatever your boss says it is".


Title: I stole money from a student organization I’m in, and I got caught

Question:
First of all, I know, I’m an ass. But here’s the deal. I served as treasurer for 2 years of a student org. We had a business bank account that was legally under my name as well as the organizations name; but I was the only authorized user of the account and only person with access. We had a spur of fraudulent activity and I told the .org about it; turns out it was our past treasurer. However, problem is, I had also been using the debit card for basically whatever I wanted. They asked me for the bank records and I basically ghosted them because my term was up. Now it turns out they subpoenaed the bank account and got access to all bank statements. They referred me to the university’s office of student conduct and now my diploma AND transcripts are on hold until the case is resolved. This is detrimental to my plans for graduate school which I was going to send my applications out for at the end of this week.

It totaled a few thousand dollars. I asked the president if I could pay it back directly, but I guess they are a bit sour and they said everything will be handled by the office of student conduct. I am willing to pay back the money but she is refusing to let me pay directly which is putting my graduation/transcripts on hold and potentially setting back my future an entire year if I can’t get those applications in.

My question is how I should approach the meeting with the office of student conduct. Am I technically guilty if I was an authorized user on the bank account? I spoke to a bank representative a while ago and they said an authorized user can technically - legally a make any purchase they want. But I dont know if this changes because it’s a student org / technically a business bank account.

There were also numerous cash deposits into the account throughout the 2 years. Some of these were me paying my own money back. Others were from members paying for dues, etc. in cash. If I said all cash deposits were myself paying the organization back, is there any way they could prove otherwise? There is no record at all of cash transactions.

Answer:
 The very first thing you need to do is accept that you STOLE money from this organization.

Very likely felony amounts if it’s in the thousands of dollars.

It’s also very likely that if they subpoenaed bank record then they are not messing around.

You will probably be contacted by the police.

You will probably be expelled.

This is a big deal. You should worry about not going to jail instead of not graduating on time.

You need to:

1. Stop admitting to people that you’re guilty.
2. Contact a lawyer for the strong possibility you are approached by police.
3. Borrow/beg so that if they decide to let you pay the money back you have it all. No payment plans.
4. Get a clue. This is serious shit.


Title: Drug use found while ex-fiance taking care of our son. Violence occurred, called the cops and now she says I punch our kid. NJ

Question:
I come home from a 12 hour shift. I immediately noticed some beer bottles littered on the countertop and recycling. I looked around in the living room, I found a bottle of percocet. Searched the baby's room, I found a bag of weed in a robe and in the bathroom, tissue with semen.

I confronted her about having/using drugs while taking care of my 13 month old son and also having other men over my apartment while with my son. She denies everything and we get into an argument. We were supposed to raise our son together but now she's threatening to take him to Florida to her 3rd boyfriend who just got out of jail. She wanted to do 3 months there with the kid then she'll drop off the kid and I take care of him for 3 months. I told her that's not possible, I do not want strangers taking care of my son and that is away from our support system of our parents. How about when school starts? How is that going to work. I told her that she is not taking my son anywhere without my consent. Then she says, I can't go to Florida without my son and the argument worsens with her threatening to have her out of jail boyfriend kill me (he's tried before by trying to run me over with a car, me being stupid, I chase and hurt him bad. They never talked to the cops and I was arrested, I fessed up, convicted a felon). She's already taken him out of state to God knows where without my permission twice the past two months.

While the argument was happening, our kid falls while walking around and hits a sandal. She grabs him and started cursing at me. He has a mark on his upper lip. She starts pushing and hitting me while holding our kid. I told her to stop it or I'll call the police. She says, "If you call the cops, I will kill you." 911 was called, gave my address and reported domestic violence and drug use. She smacks my glasses away and my phone away and continues hitting and kicking me while holding the kid while yelling, "HELP! HELP! PLEASE SEND SOMEONE! GET AWAY FROM ME!" She's blocking me from opening the door to the cops. She opens the door and says I'm trying to take away her son and I struck the kid. The officers told me to go in the other room.

Had I not audio recorded the argument, I would have been the one in handcuffs. I went to the police station with my baby and told them the reports. She is charged with harassment, simple assault, and terroristic threats. I slept at my parent's house with my kid.

The next day, I went to family court to put a restraining order on her and was served with a restraining order from her saying that I struck our kid and I planted (her boyfriend's) the percocet bottle in her purse. She has temporary custody. My heart sunk. I file one back and tried to appeal her temporary custody as the courts were closing in a half an hour. I wrote that my kid is not safe with her because of drug use. They called her in and got it appealed, temporary custody goes to my mom. I allowed 9-1 everyday visitation. Now child protection services is calling me because she says I struck our kid. I gave them a copy of everything and she was surprised that I was the one who got a copy of domestic abuse support papers. They wanted to take a picture

I go to work and returned home and my kid's legal documents-social security and birth certificates gone. The title to my car gone, my nursing license gone (but she left her certified nursing aide license), and my the folder which had evidences and things I was charged with (which I was going to use against her) gone and even the kid's crib which is pitiful. I went to three precincts, called 911 because my restraining order was violated. No one helped me, I called my local PD again and they sent two cops over and wanted to arrest me and take my kid away. They have only gotten her restraining order! I showed them my copy and they say I just have to sue  her back for anything she's taken.

Child Protection is sniffing around, I am the only one cooperating.

What I know:
She is drug dealing with her current boyfriend but I have no proof to support that.
Last week she calls me and tells me to look in the baby's bag because there's something there, take it before my mom sees it. It's a small bag of cocaine. I took a picture of that and have the phone call recorded (without her consent obviously). I found that small baggy and a bag of molly too.
I have pictures of what I found the day she was arrested.

Me? If they drug tested me, possibly only weed in my system, I have not done anything the past week. I am not a daily user.

Now what? This is a nightmare! I am already overwhelmed by all this. I just want my son to be safe! i don't want her to take him away from me. I meet with child protection on Monday. I have a friend over at DYFS and he tells me to have her parental rights terminated. I'm not trying to keep my son away from her family or her, I just want her to stop using around my kid and stop trying to kid snatch him to florida. I'm currently looking for a lawyer right now.

Answer:
 >he tells me to have her parental rights terminated.

Your friend is an idiot. Her parental rights will not be terminated for this. You guys will have some sort of custody and visitation order.

You need an attorney Monday to fight the custody battle. That's your best option. Other than that you are at the whim of the judge who it seems already decided that mom is going to be the primary parent


Title: Mechanic did nothing to my car for 3 weeks, is now telling my insurance it was actually there for a month. Screwing me out of the check to repair my car, What can I do?

Question:
To sum up what happened quickly I was driving on the freeway at night and i got sideswiped and the other driver ran off. I called insurance the next day and filed a claim, they approved it within a week and sent the check to the shop. with the money, The shop kept giving me the run around for 3 weeks so i decided to take my car back and take it elsewhere. I called the insurance i let them know what i was doing and they put a stop payment on the check and i took my car. the shop owner called the insurance and said my car was there a week before it was actually there. I went in 5 days before the incident for a SRS light issue and he failed to do a proper diagnostic check and had no idea what was causing it. He is using that receipt AND he changed a lot of what was firs there, like the description and work done, filled out a lot of the missing information such as license plate and VIN , added fake details on that a tow truck was there 5 days before the actual accident happened, and changed the date!! and my insurance believes him and put a stop payment on the check. SO i took my copy of the receipt to an insurance investigator and nearly everything is different. It is extremely obvious and the insurance invesigator representative said it was evident and he likes my chances. except He just called me and said he needs phone records and other reasons to why he cant give me the check. What are my options? He forged a receipt and I have the proof that he did, investigator is siding against me and I have feeling there may be laws that protect people from this sort of thing? Is there some sort of FCC I can call and get help? please help, ive never been in this situation. thank you! im probably going to need all the help i can get

extra information: i live in california, the damage was to the rear right tire and suspension. he claimed he was ordering parts within the 3 weeks but he was waiting on a subframe from a junkyard. i asked him which one and he told me, Luckily i went to school with the guys who owned and they told me he didnt place any orders. when i went to collect my car, he said he just spoke to them and they told him another 2 days at maximum, right after i got off the phone with them about the situation and they said they havent even heard from him. obviously he was lying to me and now hes lying to my insurance. Ive proven he is lying with an actual document which i submitted to them which shows he forged a receipt and is making stuff up, and using my signature of the old receipt to verify this new receipt. im not sure why this is getting prolonged any further.

Answer:
 The state licensing agency may be able to help you.  You can file a complaint here:

https://www.bar.ca.gov/Consumer/Complaints/index.html


Title: oklahoma. Expunged DUI. Lying to insurance

Question:
I have an expunged DUI.  Can I lie about it to auto and umbrella insurance?

If I do and they find out later can they refuse to pay out claim?
Topic:
DUI

Answer: As a general rule, it is not advisable to commit insurance fraud.


Title: I work as a non-exempt, hourly employee. I worked an hour and a half over time on Monday. My employer gave me Thanksgiving and Friday off, paid, but "rounded" my hours up to 40 instead of actually paying me for the two days off and my overtime.

Question: As the title says, I work as a non-exempt, hourly employee. My employer planned to give everyone at the company Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving. On Monday of that week, a few employees and I worked an hour and a half of over time. Instead of paying us the over time my employer said he "rounded" us up to 40 hours. The other employees only worked a standard 8 hours, yet still got the full 40 hours for the week. I know it's only an hour and a half and he gave me two paid days off, but I still feel like this is wage theft. Is there anything I can do about this?

Answer: It may feel like it but it's not. They were not obligated to pay you those holiday hours. Answer #2: So instead of paying you the 1 1/2 hours extra you worked on Monday they gave you two full days off with pay instead? You realize you benefited from that, not the other way around?


Title: With the winter slowly creeping in, I have a question regarding parking lots

Question:
I live in Virginia, where winter has taken it's sweet time coming in. I acquired my first sporty car back in May and I'm excited for the snow. I've been dreaming of taking it into an empty snow filled parking lot and letting loose. My question is the legality of it in the state. The two options near me for big open empty parking lots are a local high school and a church. The school is public property and the church is private. Provided that the lot is empty and no one is in danger, would it be illegal to do some winter driving in either of these lots? If I were on the church lot and someone asked me to leave, I certainly would, and if an officer came to the school lot and asked me to leave, I would obey, but if I'm not told to leave, would I be breaking any laws?

Edit: Thanks for the responses. It doesn't seem to be worth the risk. I'll save that kind of driving for a track.

Answer:
 If you do not have the permission of the owner to practice "winter driving" (read: doing donuts) on their property, you are probably trespassing even on the school lot.

And because there is liability for the property owner if you get hurt, that permission is extremely unlikely.


Title: Police want to talk to me (MA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I was just wondering if in this case, my silence can be used against me since I didn't explicitly pick up their calls or answer their emails and invoke my Fifth amendment rights.

No. Look, if the police have been calling and emailing you for months they already think you're guilty. Not talking won't make you look more guilty, it will make you look like a guy who isn't interested in making a full confession. if you're arrested, get an attorney obviously. But until then just continue to not talk to them. If their case is at a dead end and the only chance they have is you making a confession, don't give them that chance.


Title: [US/Florida] Lawn maintenance person left all his equipment at my house and has disappeared.

Question:
This may be a bit detail heavy, but I figured I'd add in everything since I don't always know what is relevant or not with legal stuff.

A guy came to my door a few weeks ago and said he'd mow my lawn. I had never seen the guy before and was reluctant, but he had his equipment with him and could start immediately. Since my last maintenance person had ghosted me I said ok since my lawn was looking a bit shaggy. He got to work but quickly realized he had no gas, so he asked for a $20 advance, which I gave him. He got gas and a bit later began working at mowing and so on.

Around five o'clock he came to the door and asked if I wanted him to continue or not since it was getting dark. I said I'd prefer he come back when it was light, and he agreed to show up at 8am. He asked if he could leave his equipment in my backyard so he didn't have to load it up again, and I agreed. He also asked for half the payment since he had done about half the work. Seemed fair, so I agreed to that as well. He left, and the next day it was raining. He didn't show up and I thought nothing of it, expecting to see him the next day. I threw a tarp over his lawn equipment and pushed it under my eaves so it would stay dry.

Then he didn't show up the next day, or the next. I called his number but it went to voicemail, which was full. Later I got a call back from the number but it was a different person, saying that he was "in a situation" and it could be a while, but she didn't know how long. She didn't know anything about equipment and we quickly ended the conversation.

My inclination is he probably got arrested. My friend who worked in construction a long time backed this up, saying it was not uncommon. Guy would get a little money and get in trouble only to turn up weeks or months later like nothing happened. I'm pretty sure the guy isn't scamming me or else he is the worst scammer ever since he left about $500 in nice lawn equipment with me in exchange for about $60 and two hours of work.

I have a few questions though at this point.

1) What is my obligation to maintain or protect his equipment? I feel like I accepted some responsibility when I said he could leave it, but only for a day or two since he said he would come back to finish it the next day. I don't plan on letting it deteriorate, but I have nowhere to really keep it protected long term.

2) If he doesn't show up again, does the equipment eventually become mine? After how long is it considered abandoned? If he ever returns I fully intend to let him retrieve the equipment, but I wonder is there a line or date where I am more obviously in the clear to use it myself to finish the job.

3) My real concern is that it isn't his equipment at all. If a third party comes to my house claiming it is their equipment my inclination would be to tell them to come back with police. Not that I wouldn't believe them, but I would want police present when the transaction was conducted in case it was an elaborate scam or some misunderstanding I don't want to be in the middle of. To that end, do I have an obligation to contact the police about the equipment? I have nothing to go on that it may be stolen or on an unintended extended loan except intuition, so my feeling is no.

That is about all I can think of. I don't intend to let him finish the work either.

Edit: Thanks for the advice, lots about calling non-emergency police. But what is the legal situation if they aren't stolen and he never comes back?

Answer:
 I would call the local police non-emergency number.

Ask if they know of someone looking for a stolen mower of the type left in your yard. I bet there is a missing mower.

I think you could finish mowing your lawn. Answer #2: Call the non-emergency number, explain what's happened and ask for an officer to attend to see if it matches the description of any stolen equipment. If it was his, even if he was arrested, it holds value and I would have thought his family would have wanted to have picked it up by now.Answer #3: I am not saying this is your situation, but here is one I have encountered. Guy shows up to do work, asks for an advance payment for a reason- goes and gets his drug fix, comes back and works for a bit or rest of day, then asks for an advance on rest of payment, whether rest of work is done or not; then goes out and gets busted by trying to buy drugs off police. Does not return for weeks, comes back asking for equipment and to finish job, then immediately asks for another advance payment for random reason.Answer #4: Call non-emergency police number and ask them what to do with abandoned property.