Title: [FL] Wife fired from her teaching job for something she didn't do

Question:
TL;DR - Wife fired for inciting "bad morale among the staff;" staff supports her and says she's not involved

The day before school started, the principal at my wife's school was let go for reasons unknown to everyone at the school. The principal was loved by most of the staff (including my wife) and a lot of people (*not* including my wife) are extremely mad about it.

My wife is an extremely rational person and knows there's nothing she can do about the principal being let go. Because she's so calm and rational, people come to my wife to vent. My wife always tells them the same thing... "We don't know why she was let go... there's nothing we can do."

When many of the teachers (*not* including my wife) decided to send an email to the superintendent and then protest the principal's firing at the "Meet the *NEW* Principal" night, my wife told the other teachers that their email and protesting is a bad idea. Also, she had already met the new principal so she didn't even attend the meet event or the protest.

Last Friday (at the end of the first week of school), my wife was called into the office and told she was being let go because she has been seen talking privately to the protesting teachers. (She's her grade level team lead. Part of her job is to talk privately to other teachers and help them address their concerns.) Other teachers caught wind that my wife was being let go before she even left the campus and explained that she had no part in the email or protest. However, the superintendent refuses to listen and insists that my wife has incited "bad morale among the staff."

(In case it matters, some but not all of the teachers that wrote the email and protested were also let go.)

Is there anything we can do about the wrongful termination?

Answer:
 Does your wife belong to a union or have an employment contract?

If not, and she was just a salaried employee, then she is at-will and can be fired for almost anything, including this.


Title: How do you get out of being a consigner?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The bank would need to release him from the loan obligations. The only way he can do this on his own is by paying off the loan.

His GF can try to find an alternate co-signor, but the bank would need to approve of the change.


Title: Is it legal for an employer to not allow you to call the cops?

Question: My sister-in-law called my wife crying saying that a customer has found her full name, possibly her residence, and is insisting that he is waiting outside for her. She told her manager and the manager told her that if she calls the cops she will be fired and that he doesn't feel like it's necessary. Is this legal? She works in TN and I can't find anything about an employees rights to emergency services.

Answer: Everyone has a right to emergency services. Interfering with a 911 call is a crime. She needs a new job, if her manager doesnt care about her safety she doesnt care about her at all.Answer #2: Call the police regardless. You're also unemployed if your dead.


Title: [Oregon] Conflict of Interest? Can I be sued for leaving my current job?

Question: Hi Reddit.  Here is my current predicament.  I was laid off from a professional engineering company a couple of months ago.  I recently received two job offers from a company located near me in Oregon and another job in Texas.  I was torn between which job I wanted to accept.  The job in Texas offered a higher salary and is more prestigious but I also really liked living in Oregon and wasn't sure I wanted to relocate.  Because I was torn, I ended up taking BOTH jobs.  I signed both acceptance letters and started working at the job in Oregon yesterday.  I realize now that the job in Texas really was the better choice and I really want to quit and start at the job in Texas next week.  I am concerned though if I would be liable to be sued by my current employer for conflict of interest since I accepted the offer while I had already accepted the latter.  Both jobs are At Will employment but my question to you is if I would be breaking the law by quitting and taking the other job.  Also if I were to do that, could my current employer contact the other company and tell them what I did?  I know I fucked up but I would appreciate any advice so I can make the best decision for today.

Answer: Did you sign an employment contract? If so what does it say? If you didn't sign an employment contract you can quit right now never returning to work and there is nothing they can do.


Title: Tax Preparer Messed Up Tax Returns and IRS demands $4000.

Question: I filed taxes in New York with SmartTax and the preparer added some educational credits for my children and me that the IRS are now demanding we pay back, totaling $4000 and increasing. What kind of recourse can we take against SmartTax for messing up our taxes like that?

Answer: Some preparers will cover interest/penalties if they make an error, but they're certainly not going to pay the tax you owe.


Title: [CA] Problems with our lawyer

Answer: On a side note. How the hell did this ever come up as a good idea?


Title: AZ: Wife and I bought a house on a golf course and we get dozens of golf shots into our yard a month. This is dangerous and wasn't disclosed during the real estate sale, do we have any recourse?

Question:
My wife and I bought a house on a golf course and we get tons of golf balls in our backyard, to the point that we feel unsafe out there during the day. This wasn't disclosed during the sale process, and my mother (not a lawyer, but generally pretty smart) seems to think it should have been, especially since it hinders our use of the backyard.

It should be noted that we live in an HOA that, as a general rule, prohibits golf ball nets (though variances have been allowed). My wife and I would like to get permission from the HOA to put up a net, and my mother thinks the previous owner should help with the cost, if not pay for it outright.

Any thoughts on how to proceed with these two questions?

EDIT: Thanks to /u/Zanctmao, I've received the advice I was looking for. Not the answer I was hoping for, but it is as I suspected.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 > This wasn't disclosed during the sale process

Did you not go look at the house and see a golf course? Or look into what was surrounding your house. This is not something that the seller has to actively disclose to you, you could have just looked it up yourself.

>my mother thinks the previous owner should help with the cost, if not pay for it outright.

They have absolutely no obligation to pay any portion of the costAnswer #2: I bought a house on the beach and didn't know about the sound of waves, who do I sue?!


Title: Do tenants ever win in cases against large companies that control apartments nationwide? I'm thinking about taking them to small claims court but don't know if it's pointless.

Question:
Location: Boulder, CO

I recently moved out of my old apartment complex. I had a pleasant stay as a resident. There were only one or two issues I ran into the entire 7 months I stayed there. I WAS going to write very positive reviews for them after moving out and recommend the apartments to my friends. Then I received an e-mail that drastically altered my opinion.

I had been wondering when I would get my security-deposit back. Today I received a message that they are not giving ANY of my deposit back and also that I owe them $500+ for damages on top of that. I have heard of places finding reasons to keep deposits, but I've never been charged $500 extra on top of that.

I took very good care of my apartment. During the move-out walkthrough inspection, the inspector told me he was looking for any big-ticket items that needed repaired and found nothing. I even swept and mopped before leaving even though the people working the office told me not to worry about it. I took pictures of everything before leaving for my records. I sent them an e-mail asking for justification for the charges.

They broke the charges down like so:
-Carpet Clean $75.00
-General Clean $80.00
-Blind damage $52.30
-Carpet Replacement	$576.14
-Damage Charges - Drip Pans $36.00
-Total $819+

I told them I had pictures before and after of the carpet and that there was nothing wrong with it. They said they found a stain underneath which wouldn't have been found during regular inspections. They then sent me a picture. It bothers me though that the time I took to take pictures of everything is useless because there is no way for me to know whether this stain was present before I moved in if it is only visible from the underside. There is nothing during my stay I can think of that would have caused any stains, let alone something that ruined the entire carpet.

I also find it odd I was charged for professional carpet cleaning on a brand new carpet. Is that standard?

The blind charge is ridiculous because I reported the broken blind to their office when it happened. I pulled the string and the string broke. It was a cheap blind. The lady in the office told me not to worry about it. She made no mention of the $50+ it would cost me.

I have written them and threatened legal action and horrible reviews on any online outlet I could find, but it didn't sway them. Is there any chance of fighting these charges? I just don't have money to throw around, especially when it's going towards replacing their things that were either defective or possibly damaged before I even took ownership. I just don't know what evidence I could provide that I am in the right.

Should I just pay the bill and learn from the experience?

Answer:
 They are counting on you rolling over and taking it, which is what most tenants do. File a small claims action - it's relatively simple and you don't need an attorney. The cleaning charges will likely stand, but the carpet replacement sounds pretty suspect.Answer #2: You shouldn't necessarily pay the bill. You can file in small claims court [for the return of the part of the deposit which you feel you should get back] which is very inexpensive. It's not as David vs. Goliath as you might think. I'd give you a few items to consider:

* Professional carpet cleaning charge is pretty common and legal in most states.
* The 'General Cleaning' charge is also probably going to be hard to dispute. The amount they charged isn't unreasonable.
* Have you told them that you advised them of the damaged blind before you moved out?
* The 'Carpet Replacement' in the big ticket item. It's not clear from your narrative- do you have photographic evidence that the stain wasn't there when you moved out?
* Did you get a copy of the move-out inspection?

The key point is that you're going to be able to *prove* (not just mentally know to be true) that the damages they're claiming either 1) weren't caused by your and/or 2) weren't there when you moved out.


Title: Can my workplace force me to work at other sites if I was only hired to work at one?

Question:
I'm currently a level 1 med aide at an inpatient treatment center. Besides my site, there are two additional sites. These two additional sites are in some of the most dangerous parts of my city. This will come into play later.

Due to state regulations (Missouri) that all the sites must follow, you have to have a level 1 medication aide certification to pass medications to residents. My manager who was hired recently found out that my coworkers and others who work at the other two sites are not level 1 med aide certified. They have medical assistant certification, but regulations state that medical assistants cannot pass meds especially not narcotics.

I'm certified, but the others not being certified is starting to affect my job. At my site we have two people on each shift. The other sites have only one person and in addition to that one person needing to be med level 1 certified, they also need a class E license to transport clients. My manager alerted upper management of certain employees not being certified to pass meds. Now all of a sudden they started caring about everyone being certfied when the vast majority of those who are uncerfied have been passing meds at their site for 2-7 years. Their solution is to move my coworker or me from our shift to one of the other shifts since both of us are certified.

My issue is that I signed up to work my site. I have not been trained at the other sites and I do not have a class E license to drive the transport van. Additionally, the other two sites are in very dangerous areas of my city. There are constant car jackings and robberies in the areas of the other two sites. They also do not have a gated lot. You have to park on the street and walk to the site. I'm a female and young college student and I don't feel comfortable going over to the other sites. Also these other two sites would add an extra 15 minutes to my commute in rush hour (my current commute is already 30 minutes).

I explained this to my manager and she understands my concerns. She tried explaining to the managers at the other sites and the director that I don't want to go to the other sites and that she would have to check if my coworker is then willing to go over instead. They said my coworker and I have no choice. They went on to say it's part of our job to float between sites if the other sites need help.

I'm sure this isn't in my job description and I'm not paid as a floater. Also I don't think they can legally make me work at the other sites because I haven't been trained for them and I don't have a class E license. I have no problem quitting, but if they fire me can I take any legal repercussions? I don't think I'll be at this job much longer since they don't even take certifications seriously and don't even know regulations.

Answer:
 If it's a requirement that you have a Class E they could fire you for not having it or require you to get it. It's only $20, you may be able to ask them to pay for it on return for you working that site.

But in general, asking you to work at another site is perfectly legal. Where the site is located doesn't matter.


Title: [CA] Someone put a religious poster up in a workplace cafeteria (with other posters from the community). Can I put up an atheism poster without consequences?

Question: The walls of a workplace cafeteria are used for community posters (events around town, party invitations, etc). Someone put up a religious poster (talking about their religion and why its correct). Can I put up an atheism poster talking about why God doesn't exist? If I quote verses from their religion's book, is that also OK?

Answer:
 Complain to your HR department if you have an issue with someone else's poster.

Engaging in a petty poster-war with a coworrker is likely to threaten your employment.Answer #2: Do you want to start a pissing contest at work that could end up with you being fired?


Title: Tricked Into Putting Title in my name under false pretenses, now what?

Question:
Hi, all.  I've gotten myself in a bit of pickle (hasn't everyone here?) and I need some solid neutral advice, because everyone around me is offering solutions I find impractical and that will only further embroil me in this situation.

**Background:**

I live in NC.   I am currently No Contact with my father, and have been for almost a year this time (we've been no contact for 8 out of the 12 years since I turned 18).   I am no contact with my dad because he is an intelligent manipulator, he is scary good at making me believe he wants a relationship with me - then turning around and using me or exploiting my relationships to his advantage.   When my grandfather passed away in 2013, I went to the funeral, had a civil dinner with my father and then SO and left with no intention of speaking to anyone in my family again.  At this point I had been no contact with my dad for over 5 years, since he threatened to use his contacts in CPS to take my daughter from me.   Then Stepmother called me; my dad had attempted suicide and was being committed.   At my SO's encouragement, I resumed a relationship with him, though we were still low contact for the next year or so.

In 2014, my SO and I are planning our wedding when we learn we are pregnant.  I call my dad to tell him my news and then he tells me his.  He is going to prison (state level), for Medicaid fraud, and is set to report to the processing center in 3 weeks.  He was sentenced to 7 years (plea deal) and served 18 months.  During his sentence I went to the prison every two weeks.  His wife left him and he convinced both me and SO that she had been responsible for cooking the books for his therapy practice, and he had only taken the fall for her.   He also blames our crap relationship on her, saying he didn't come around because she didn't want him to.  I fall for every word.  I want a parent so badly that I believe him (my mother is out of the picture too - different story).  He gets out of prison and makes these grand plans for us to renovate a house together.

As part of his home renovation plans, he purchases a small pull-behind trailer.  He tells me he will buy it if I will register it and apply for a license plate, then I will have free use of the trailer for whatever I need it for.  Sounds good to me so I [stupidly] agree.  A short time later, shit hits the fan.

**A tale of renovation and restitution**

We are in my dad's hometown looking over the house he wants us to renovate.  It is a 3/2 ranch style, with an attached garage and 2/1 apartment over the garage.  The plan is for us to renovate the house and for my dad to renovate the apartment.  This home was owned my grandfather's wife and was built by her first husband, later "fixed" by my grandfather - so we knew it would need some work.  But we didn't know how much until my foot went through a soft spot in the floor. (As an aside, I should probably mention the garage apartment is in great shape, and needed very little work- the house probably needs to be destroyed it's in such bad shape) No big deal, we can get a renovation and repair loan, right?  Wrong.  My father's brothers and sister still own the house.  I ask why it's not in his name, my aunt starts to say something about restitution before my dad shoots her his "shut up" look.  So we try to pursue the subject further.  He won't consider letting us have the house in our name so that we can get a loan against it for the needed repairs.  He wants us to make the repairs with our savings and earnings.   He won't answer my SO's pointed questions about timelines, feasibility or even consider sitting down with a family attorney so we can hold the deed so we can get a loan but still protect his rights in the process.  So we take a step back saying we really need to think about this before jumping in, and he stops talking to us.

I had forgotten about the trailer until I got a tax bill a week ago.  I remember what my aunt had said so I started doing some digging.   My dad owes the state of NC over $300,000 in restitution (treble damages).  And he has restrictions on how much he can earn before the state garnishes his pay (he's taken a low paying job to avoid this), how expensive of a car he is allowed to own (he's in excess of this) and he cannot own any real property without the lien against him being levied against the property.  Now I'm 100% certain he had me put the trailer in my name to avoid the state finding out about it.  In summary I now "own" a trailer that I have no access to, that the state may have rightful claim to if it were in my father's name, and that I owe taxes on (minimal, less than $40).

The crux of the issue:  I just got my real estate license.  I cannot afford to have any tinge of my father's misdeeds touch me or be involved in his hiding property from the state (especially now that I'm sure that was his intention).  I'm not sure if my license is at risk or not, but I need this out of my name.   Ive thought about signing over the title and leaving the recipient blank to fill out as he chooses, but I have no guarantee that he will take it out of my name, and may leave it there and not pay the taxes out of spite.  My SO thinks I should call the state and report it, but I'm afraid this will leave me liable to scrutiny or prosecution.  My friends think I should repo it (not worth the trouble even if I could find it).  I just want it gone so I can move on with my life without my crap family.

So r/legaladvice, what do I do?

Answer:
 >with my Ndad

*sigh*

>So r/legaladvice, what do I do?

You tell your dad to take the trailer in his name or you are going legally take it from him and sell it because it is *legally* yours.Answer #2: > Ndad

This will be... poorly received here.  You'd do well to change it.

I would contact him and tell him to either re-title the item in his name or I will repossess it and sell it.

But that's just me.


Title: My son's ex girlfriend is telling people he raped her

Question: We're in Ohio. He had several friends as witnesses the night in question that can vouch for him that he did not touch her. She's telling people he did nonetheless. What can he do to protect himself and his reputation from this vengeful nightmare of a girl?

Answer: Get an attorney and have them write this family a letter saying that if their daughter doesn't stfu they are looking at a very expensive defamation lawsuit.  And tell your son not to talk about this all. I know I'm sure he wants to defend himself and maybe say terrible things about her but anything he says can be used against him by this other family. If they aren't complete idiots they will get their daughter to stop.


Title: Threats over the internet.

Question:
I live in Massachusetts and a "friend" has been threatening to give me "presents and he said to another friend that he intends to give me his "razors." i have images of these chatlogs and i was wondering if this can be considered a criminal offense, since I'm tired of him doing this. We are both over the age of 18. thanks in advance.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 > We are both over the age of 18.

Could've fooled me.


Title: [USA/OH] (Cleveland) - Currently renting a home in west-side Cleveland. RNC is this summer. Concerned that landlord could get greedy and evict us / not renew lease before the convention to make a quick buck. Thoughts?

Question:
As the title says, I rent a house in a west side city in Cleveland, Ohio (in Cuyahoga County).  So far, I am on good terms with the landlord as I've never been late with payments, I don't trash the place, keep things in working order, never had the cops called on me, and alert them to any issues that come up. I have been renting in this place for the last three years.

The Republican National Convention is in Cleveland this year, and many landlords (for both single family homes / duplexes, as well as apartment buildings) are being rented out for that entire week in August for absurdly high prices in relation to the area. For example, I came across a listing for a house in this same city as I being rented out for around $45,000 for 5 days, when on average (assuming $1000/month) most tenants would pay $12,000 a year. As far as I know, most hotels in the area are already booked solid for the event, and new hotels were constructed just for the convention. I believe that some of the families that own single family homes are going on vacation that week just so they can rent their property out.

My concern is that the landlord will follow suit and attempt to evict me or not renew my lease in order to make a quick buck. How legit is this concern?  I know that Cuyahoga County, Ohio has some of the strictest tenant laws in Ohio, so I feel *somewhat* safe. My lease contract states that I have to give the landlord 2 months notice if I plan on vacating (barring unforeseen emergencies), otherwise my lease automatically renews for the following year. However, it becomes a tight situation because my lease (if I choose not to renew) would expire in July.  The convention is in August. Therefore, it's possible they could attempt to pull the rug out from under me in May. Note that I do not have any evidence to support such a situation, but it really is a concern that I have.

If this could possibly happen, is there anything I can do to protect myself (besides not doing anything that would motivate them to evict me for any reason)?

Answer:
 Your landlord likely isn't obligated to renew the lease at all and can serve you notice of his intent to not renew it according to the terms of the lease you signed. Answer #2: >If this could possibly happen, is there anything I can do to protect myself (besides not doing anything that would motivate them to evict me for any reason)?

You can sign a new lease now for a term that includes the August period. Your landlord has no obligation to renew your lease.


Title: [North Carolina] long overdue on HOA dues, they sent a letter of lien and foreclosure

Question:
We owe about two grand to our HOA, so they're suing to place a claim of lien and foreclosure

If I simply pay the amount listed in the lawyer's letter, can I still lose my house or will that put a stop to further proceedings?

I'm having trouble with the legalese so any help would be much appreciated.

Answer: Too much at stake to ask the internet.  Speak to the HOA, check your CCRs, ask a real estate lawyer.


Title: Police being very unhelpful re rape investigation

Question:
UK. I'd just moved to a new city and was raped by a guy after going on a date and accepting a lift home from him. Initially police were brilliant, but because it turned out the incident happened on the outskirts of the city it went to a different force to investigate.

Initial police had provided me with a replacement phone (took my actual one away for investigation). They were really helpful, gave me their number, told me it wasn't my fault etc. Took me to specialist centre and they were great. Previous investigating woman thought there might be a handover to a different force and told me this would be in a room and explained to me in detail.

Nothing was explained, it went to the different police force and they've been awful. Didn't even meet the investigating policewoman until like 4 months in. I had to ring them multiple times as they never provided me with a letter or contact details. Eventually got email and phone of the woman investigating.

Issues:

- She called multiple people without my consent (including a friend's ex-boyfriend) just because they were contacts on my phone
- She did this before making me sign a consent form for her to contact people (the people on this form weren't even the randoms she'd phoned earlier)
- She accused me of lying when I said the previous police force had given me a phone and offered to put credit on it (asked me where all the credit was that they'd promised to put on etc, 'obviously they haven't'
- Refused to put credit on said phone, have had to buy new phone, 9 months into investigation and not got any of my clothes etc back yet
- I called a helpline and they said I should speak to my ISVA (? something like that). I said I didn't know what this is - apparently everyone going through this process is provided one by the police?
- When I asked the policewoman about this ISVA thing she told me there'd be no point giving me one as I don't live in the area (rural place outside city, I live in the city)
- I emailed her after remembering more info regarding social accounts. She asked for the password to all these accounts. I hesitated in giving this and she told me I was obstructing her investigation, asked me what I was hiding and said she felt like she had no support for me. I asked her where my support was and she said it wasn't her job to hold my hand and drive me around to counselling (!?!?)
- Told her I'd been feeling suicidal etc and she said I should have a list of phone numbers or call 999 if I 'feel that bad'
- Said she wanted access to my Facebook. Gave ger passwords etc. She said she'd tell me in advance when she'd change the passwords and remove my access. She did it 2 minutes after she left my flat without warning me, then said she had to do it so I wouldn't delete anything... so basically she's suspicious of me or lying to me, one or the other?
- Never contacts me. Bail date came and passed and I had no update as to whether he was free or getting charged or anything. Her colleague had to tell me it was being extended

Basically not happy at all. Feel like I; getting no support at all. She was in my flat (the one time I've ever met her) telling me that this was going to ruin his life and I should think about what Im doing. Bit of a bad situation as I would like to complain but she's overseeing this entire case so what happens if I do???

Answer:
 If you are unhappy with the investigation you have some options.  You can contact the officers boss and make a complaint.  You can also contact the victim advocate (often called Victim Witness Coordinator) in your area and discuss it with them.

However, you cannot dictate the police officers investigation.  It is their job to do.

I am sorry that this happened to you and wish you the best of luck in the future.Answer #2: Try over at https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/

Also you might want to think about making a complaint to the IPCC about this policewoman.Answer #3: >When I asked the policewoman about this ISVA thing she told me there'd be no point giving me one as I don't live in the area (rural place outside city, I live in the city)

She was probably talking about a [Independent Sexual Violence Advisor](http://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/isva/) (ISVA), which I believe is a lot like a "victims advocate" here in the US. You should try to get one, since they may be able to help you.

If the policewoman is resistant to assign one, insist. You may even want to contact her station or the courts to ask how to get one if she's resistant.


Title: [NY] Is there a type of partnership that would give 2 siblings the same legal rights and financial benefits as a married couple?

Question:
My twin brother and I (both 30 years old) have already tied ourselves to each other legally and financially through wills, power of attorneys, living will/durable power of attorney - as well as granting each other full access and control to all of our individual financial accounts.

Although our accounts are marked as individual, and we pay taxes as "single," we consider our money to be shared. We jointly own all of our other property including cars, house, etc.

We have lived together our entire life (minus 4 years in college). Neither of us have any inclination of getting married or sharing assets with anyone else.

Is there anything else we can do?

We're very frustrated because there are benefits of marriage/domestic partnerships that we are ineligible for - such as filing taxes jointly, sharing a health insurance policy, inheritance tax conditions for spouses, and being recognized as a "couple" by employers...just to name a few. At both of our companies for example, our employers will pay to fly a spouse for business trips. Meanwhile, if one of us is away for an extended period of time, we have to pay for flights ourselves because we're not considered a significant other.

Compared to the ideal traditional marriages, we also think of each other as "life partners." We just don't have sex.

Answer: Sorry, that's just the breaks. Only married couples get those benefits. You can't marry your brother.


Title: Bank won't show me my recent activity and is closing my accounts because of suspicious activity.

Question:
Like the title says, I couldnt log in to my account online so had to call in. I was told that the bank was closing all of my accounts due to suspicious activity but I cant find out what it is. I have 3 accounts (1 checking, 2 savings) and I have never been overdrawn on any of them other than a breach a year ago to all of them (around the same time as this bank had a public security breach.  I reset all accounts and credit cards and everything went on as normal after that.

I went to a branch and they had to call in to someone who refused to give me any information and said that no one else would either. I have to close out my accounts and start over with a new bank.

Do I have any legal recourse to stop this or at least get my account activity to see what they are talking about? I have never had anything like this happen and dont know what to do. Also, anyone know of a good bank to transfer to?

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer but businesses don't have to accept you as a customer. If they have returned all your funds and closed the accounts then I would just as soon go to a credit union and get a new account there.

If they are closing your accounts and seizing your money then that would be another story.


Title: Mail delivered to my address that I didn’t order but it has my name on it

Question:
Specifically it has my and my wife’s names on it and we didn’t order anything and nobody we know has said they sent us gifts. The first was some bracelets and this second is a necklace. I’m wondering if this is some scam or something I should be concerned about. I’m going to check some accounts but I don’t think my card was used. Is there something I should be doing legally? We did open them but they’re addressed to us so I didn’t think it would be illegal. Specifically it’s addressed to “(my first name) (her first name)”, not using our last name

EDIT: Location North Chicago Illinois

Answer:
 It sounds like [brushing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brushing_(e-commerce). This is especially likely if the jewelry was pretty crappy.

You can keep the stuff, but should look to see where your account or other info might have been compromised.


Title: If states can pass more restrictive laws than federal ones (guns, overtime, etc.) why does California need a waiver to have stronger emissions standards?

Question: Thanks.

Answer: Because the Clean Air Act expressly forbids states from passing laws that add to emissions standards.


Title: Roomate wont stop smoking weed.

Question:
My spouse, my 6  month old, and I recently moved in with a roommate who is also our cousin. Before we moved in, the cousin told us that they smoke a lot of weed, but would never do it in the house. We didn't like that but rent is really cheap for our considerably large house so we said okay, as long as it isn't done in the house. They promised they never would.

Literally the day after we moved in, the whole house smelled of weed, the scent was coming out of the vents. We asked them to stop, they apologized and said they would. The very next day, it smelled of weed again. We said something, and they said that they had tried to put a fan in the window and stuff the door to stop the scent but apparently it didn't work. We told them that it was coming out of the vents anyways, and we aren't comfortable with them smoking in the house with our son and that they can't have the weed in the house either.  they said they keep it in their car anyway and would start smoking outside. we said fine. two days later, house smells of weed again. this time they had tried covering their vents, but still, it didnt work. we mentioned it, they said they'll stop. Every single day since, without fail, for two months, they smoke inside and its obvious that they arent keeping it in their car since they smoke without ever leaving their room.

we dont have the money to leave and no where to go. my spouse is working on joining the military but even if that pans out, it will be several months before we will be able to move out.

since they are family, we really dont want to get law enforcement involved, but my concern is that if they get caught up with the weed, will it affect my family, especially since i have an infant? i have absolutely no drugs in my system but i obviously know that they have them. Can i be guilty of not reporting it?

Answer:
 Your spouse should get one of those over-the-counter marijuana tests to determine if their exposure will cause them to test positive when they go through their enlistment physical.   It's just good information to have.

Yes, it's possible that you could be charged with "constructive possession" of the marijuana if police search your home for some reason and the marijuana is found.    It's a very good defense to say "it was all found in the exclusive room of another person" but it's not a perfect defense.

Similarly, if there were a CPS investigation, the fact that there is marijuana use in the household around your infant could be a consideration in their assessment of the health and safety of the home.

You cannot be charged with not reporting your cousins use of personal-consumption amounts of marijuana.

Most folks don't have police searches or CPS visits in their homes, so the probability of trouble is small.   But it's nonzero.


Title: Would this be parental kidnapping?

Question:
Hey folks. Throwaway for obvious reasons. Here’s the short-ish version of what I’ve got going on.

My (now) ex-gf and I have 2 year old child. I do not live with them, as I work out of state and visit them on weekends. This weekend is a long weekend for me, had great plans of spending it with them. However, I found out that my gf has been cheating on me. We’re splitting up and things aren’t friendly. Feeling all those feels that one would. Anywho...

Tomorrow, my ex-gf will be bringing my child for me to hang out with for the day. My thoughts are to take my child back with me for the weekend, two states away, to see my family and allow me to be around my support system.

I plan on just asking her first to make sure it’s cool, but if she says no, what risks do I run if I take my child for the weekend, anyways?

Thanks

Probably relevant info: We’re unmarried. No parental agreement or court order exists. I’m named on the birth certificate. Trip would originate in Colorado, (their home state) and go through Wyoming and South Dakota, then back.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: It's not kidnapping. It's not illegal. Both parents have the right to travel with the child. However, even though you would be breaking no laws, taking a child out of state despite the other parent's objections tends to look *really bad* in an eventual custody battle. (And, just because, this is not a gendered issue. It goes both ways.)


Title: Drug use and other favoritism at work.

Question:
Let me start off by saying I've been working here for 15 years and it's gotten worse yearly as more and more people are being hired.

Here's the question and issue, I'll be straight to the point.

My place of employment is managed by a person that seeks out new employees that are weak minded so he can be looked up to. Then those same employees, once he forms some kind of a relationship with them of trust, he has them watching and telling anything and everything that happens at the job.

He has a outside of work relationship with these people,l. After work they spend time together.

Examples of favoritism : Someone comes in late, misses a day, goes to break early, gets into a arguement (usually with just them tho), sits down while waiting on work, he gets a call or a picture from his new best friend.

Here's the kicker.

When they do something wrong he immediately makes up a excuse for them and has their back.

Now the drug use. From the first day I've been working there people have smoked weed. And honestly I could care less about what people do as long as it doesn't affect me. But the past few years me and other non drug users have witnessed plenty of people exchange drugs and come into work while under the influence (or fo to break and come back noticeably in drugs). And you know what the manager says? "If we did a drug test we wouldn't have but a few people left" and yes he has told this to everyone working there.

He has a small group of people he treats as outcasts, people who don't bow down, hang with him, or use drugs. And he treats them terrible compared to the rest. With threats of being fired if you do like it, to just plain out telling them to just quit and find somewhere else to work.

He has free reign because the headquarters is to far away to get the owners involved, or at least to prove anything to them.

Our company headquarters is located on the west coast, we are on the east, so is there any actions I can take to get this taken care of?

Thx!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 What is the legal question here? Should you report the drug use to authorities?

Document everything you can and look for another job.


Title: [TX] I (non-custodial parent) need to modify my child support order to reflect my new income. It is now, and has been for a year, about 40% higher than my income filed with the court 3 years ago. Can the judge move for an order of retroactive child support payments?

Question:
I understand that I am obligated to report any change of income to the court. I've been procrastinating because my exwife and her husband moved with my kids to another state on a pipe dream that is slowly draining them. I don't want to help further their endeavor by adding more money to the cause.

Yes, I am aware of the moral implications. No, I'm not happy with myself about it. I've decided on just telling her tomorrow that I received a raise and if she'll file with the court here in Texas that I will adjust the child support to the correct amount. The question at hand is whether she can, or will, be awarded retroactive support.

Anything?

Answer: It is possible.  If your court order states you have to report a change of income and you didn't, and then the judge finds out about it, the judge is not going to be happy.


Title: My brother and I inherited $25k each from our grandmother last year and we gave it to our father to protect so that we could get full FinAid in our last year of school. Just asked for it back to find out it's all gone...

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > we gave it to our father to protect so that we could get full FinAid

Do you mean tried to hide assets so you could receive funds you otherwise would not have?


Title: My mails are being forwarded

Question: About a month ago, I stopped getting mails under my name (got only junk mails). All my credit cards were not coming when banks sent them out multiple times. I left a note in my mailbox saying that I want my mail with my number on it. I got a call from USPS about a week ago that my mails are being forwarded because previous tenant had same last name as mine. USPS lady told me that they will send him a letter with my info but I haven’t heard from the previous tenant. I heard from my landlord that he’s not really a friendly guy, so I’m thinking I’ll probably not hear from him. I’m trying to get his number from the real estate agent but I’m not sure if the agent will give his number. I know his address (my bank account address keeps changing to his address - it’s his address, confirmed by USPS lady) so I thought maybe mailing my own letter to him? I was wondering what actions can I take to get my mails in my mailbox? I was going to start green card apply process but I can’t without a good mailing address...

Answer:
 The mail forwarding system (last I knew) was largely automated. Because you have similar names the system is going to continue to forward your mail incorrectly for up to a year. Unfortunately your best bet is to get a PO box and then manually change all your addresses with your bank and other institutions to the PO box.Answer #2: So what happened is that your former roommate filled out the mail forwarding card and checked "Entire Family" instead of "Individual Only".

With "Entire Family," everybody with that same last name will get forwarded. Contact the Postmaster and have him/her fill out the PS-3546 form. They'll want to check off the "Change to Individual Only" option.

I'm pretty surprised the mail clerk you talked to didn't just do this. It's literally part of our job.Answer #3: My dad and I have been fighting with the USPS for the last month on mail forwarding. We have different first names but the same last name. We've gone to the post office, we've submitted 3 or 4 forwarding requests. I'm not entirely sure it's fixed as now I'm getting his mail again. His is supposed to go to a PO Box. I've selected Individual instead of Family on the forms, no luck. Even the clerk at the post office did one for him and it still got screwed up.

Good luck, the USPS isn't really great a followup communication when you send a trouble ticket either. You may just need to straight up start up a new PO Box and hope that works.


Title: (Ireland) - I'm getting abused and harassed from a family member. It's been happening for a few months. Would the Gardai take it seriously if I was to report it.

Question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/3bhxo0/harassment_and_abuse_from_family_member/

I wrote this earlier in the week after a weekend of hell. I'm getting abused and harassed from my sister for a few months. She was home last weekend visiting storming about the place.

She's upped the messages of abuse. She's now threatening me about my work, phoning my employer and telling them slanderous crap on how I used hit children in my teens while babysitting in which I never did.

Answer:
 You need to contact the guards or the police or someone in a position of legal authority ASAP and let them know what is going on.  That may or may not work but at least you get a record down of what she has been doing.

If that does not work you need to go to court and get a restraining order against her barring her from coming to the house or contacting you and perhaps your mother as well. It may come to that based on your first post and this one too.  If she violates the restraining order she will have handcuffs on her wrist for sure.

Your sister sounds very cruel and vindictive. You have my sympathies. Answer #2: In my experience, the guards are very good about this stuff. I would go to the station and ask to have a chat with someone about your options. Make a list of specific incidents, dates and times. (You will need to start keeping a diary of the harassment anyway.)

Bear in mind though that if you do need a barring order, a judge has to sign off on it. That will be next to impossible to achieve until Monday unless you sprint to the court right now.


Title: (CA) Selling iPhones on eBay a person from outside the US

Question:
Hey everyone,

I listed my iPhone 6 on eBay for a reasonable price and someone bid on it and then he sent me a message through the eBay messaging service and the guy asked me if I could ship to Azerbaijan. I didn’t see any issue with it after some quick googling so I said yes. We settled on a price of $400 USD plus shipping ($25).

A few hours later, the guy from Azerbaijan, let’s call him Carl, asked me if I would be open to selling him some more iPhones and shipping them to him. He asked me to go to the Apple store and buy 5 phones and ship them to him and he would pay me for the cost of the phones plus tax and shipping and give me $100 per phone, extra.

I was a little suspicious, seems fishy right? So I said I’d think about it. I did some more googling and talked to my friend who works at the Apple store and he told me that there’s nothing wrong with it from his perspective, there’s nothing suspicious to him about someone who comes in and buys 5, 10 even 20 iPhones, he said it happens all the time and he suspects that people buy them for resale in other countries. Apparently Apple products are really expensive in every country except the US mostly because of import tariffs.

So I said yes, I’ll buy the phones, send me the money, let’s do this.
So he sent me $5,500!
And I withdrew it from PayPal and it’s now in my bank account.

From what I can tell, it’s all on Carl’s end as far as any illegality to the transaction. He is supposed to pay import taxes on the iPhones and he is trying to evade those. Could I get in trouble for that?

What about the income tax I would have to pay on my profit? I sell things on eBay all the time for a small profit and I never declare that on my tax return but I suspect that in this case it may be different. He has paid me on PayPal. Both transactions cleared fine.

Should I use a different mode of transferring the funds?

All advice appreciated, thank you!

I’m in California and the buyer is in Azerbaijan

Answer:
 Stop and do not proceed.

I bet that the Paypal transactions get reversed in a week or two and you wind up in the hole.

This is a scam.


Title: TEXAS - I run a non-profit fundraising type group that focuses on men. Am I allowed to refuse entrance to women?

Question:
That title is awful but here's the details -

The group I run was specifically setup because there is a female counterpart to our group that is running and successful in my area. Basically, we meet up to benefit a charity and ask our group members to support said charity, we're a fund raising organization for other charities, essentially.

The idea is that it's a fun night out for the guys, they get to drink a beer or two and our gimmick is that it's dudes only. We partner with a female equivalent and in the past, when women have asked to join we've directed them to that group and it's never been an issue. Recently, I've had a woman who would like to join and does not wish to join the female group, she's adamant that it's not right to deny her entrance to our group based on gender, which I totally understand.

The issue comes in because my board of directors and a lot of members have been very direct in the idea that this is for guys ONLY and half the allure is that it's a guys only group, again, there is something that is almost exactly the same for women which has been around longer, I started the group after realizing there wasn't a male option.

Am I allowed to enforce our rules on that or is that gender discrimination and could I be opening the group up to some unwanted legal action? I'm really trying to be nice about it but I'm just stuck on this one, I politely introduced her to the female groups and she very forcefully declined.

Answer:
 Not lawyerly advice, but something to look in to: Freemasons are a men-only group and do plenty of charitable work. I suggest looking to how they are set up as an example. Shriners, Scottish Rite, Knights of Columbus are other examples. Being worldwide, I'm certain you can find a Lodge from one or more of these groups in your area if you're wanting more information on it.

IIRC, Order of the Eastern Star is generally the female counterpart. A quick Google search tells me that they do accept men and women though.Answer #2: the way to do it (correctly) is to have a 501(c)(7) for the social aspects and a separate 501(c)(3) for the charitable.  A hassle, but doable.  The idea is you charges dues to the 7, run the social activities and then the 3 handles the contributions.


Title: [Upstate NY] [Landlord - Tenant] Lost power due to storm on Wednesday, landlord advised us to leave, do I have any recourse?

Question: Edit: Thank-you /u/betty-boo

Answer: is the lack of power due to the negligence of the landlord or due to  reasons outside of his control? If it's the latter (i.e., because of the storms), some type of insurance would be your only recourse.


Title: My Father (dec) has had his house seized for a crime he didn't commit because he had the same name as the criminal

Question:
Australia

Ok, so this is kind of a long story which happened yesterday when I received a letter stating that the house my dad owned had been seized to pay back debt and it was issued by the court. The house, which is now in my and my sister's name has been seized by the police and is about to be sold to pay this \~$2000 debt. Obviously, at first, I was extremely confused and basically thought it was some type of disgusting scam and had no knowledge of what my dad's "debt" could've been.

&#x200B;

So this morning I call the lawyer that issued the documents and he says the "debt" is for court fees and my dad had an outstanding arrest warrant and that the police had been seized. I then ask him what crime my dad committed in the first place and he tells me that he "attacked a lady with a sword" or something along those lines in a town that I know for sure that my dad had never been to in his life. I then say my father was in his 60's and had passed away earlier this year and there is no way it could've been him.

&#x200B;

Turns out a man with the exact same name assaulted a lady with a sword and the police looked up his name in the electoral roll and found out where my dad lived and gave this information to the lawyer who then based the case on this information and the court issued a seizure on what is now my house off false information.

&#x200B;

I'm wondering how the hell I can get out of this situation and if there is anything I can do to retaliate against the people who made this huge mistake which has emotionally affected me as I only just lost my father earlier this year.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: You might get better answers if you post to /r/AusLegal/Answer #2: might want to try r/AusLegal as this mainly deals with north america


Title: HELP: Got another hotel in my holidays

Question:
sooo, long story short i booked a 4* hotel and i got the tickets and the confirmation that everything got booked and stuff. today we landed and got picked up at the airport and the driver told us that wo get another hotel becaus the other is closing during winter...its also 4* but its like really small and dirty and no sea-view like in the other hotel.

if anyone has advice on if a can get another hotel and on how this whole thing lookslike on the law side of thing that would be perfect

Answer: This sounds suspiciously like a scam. Check your original booking, go to the hotel physically and see if it's closed.


Title: Can I take money that was willingly but wrongfully given to me?

Question:
USA, Californian here.

I got a strange email with a job offer. It was a listing I had applied to, and the response was to immediately congratulate me on being one of 2 final candidates.

The long yet vague email informed me that I had "earned" the chance to do 1-2 weeks of paid probationary work for the opportunity to "win" an interview, along with a full time position with benefits. Which... what?

The place seems to be real despite the strangeness of the email. I responded that I would be thrilled to proceed, just to see what would happen.

They followed up to ask for my name and address for which to send initial payment. All this without telling me what tasks I would be assigned. I provided my information but stated clearly that I could not take paid work until I was provided a contract.

The followup response totally ignored my previous email. It looked like it was copy pasted. It informed me that a check was on the way. It outlined what my specific tasks were (which included depositing a portion of the check they were sending me into some other person's account.) Very sketchy.

I responded once again saying I could not take paid work until I received a contract.

No response after that. But the check arrived! Now I'm looking at a Cashier's Check for $2400 that I never asked for. And I clearly (and in writing) stated that I was not taking money in exchange for services until presented with a contract. Which I never received.

I have half a mind to cash this thing because A. Serves them right for sending money to people they've never even spoken to for services I never agreed to render and B. because hey free money

Could I really just cash this check and go on with my life?
Also, is it possible that this is some sort of scam that I'm missing? Like cashing it gives someone in North Korea my bank account number allowing them to steal my identity?

Help please! Thanks.

Answer:
 How the hell do you not realize this is a scam?Answer #2: This is a scam.

You cash the cheque, then they're going to require you to pay some kind of fee to them, then the cheque gets bounced or a chargeback is issued, and you're ultimately out some money.

You could cash the cheque if your own bank is not going to charge you NSF fees but don't spend it and definitely expect it to get reversed. I'm not sure why you would do it though. Maybe to mess with them?


Title: Im going paperless, my parents provided me with a paper copy of their legal will and testament. Do I need to keep the original or can I scan it in?

Question: (Kansas)

Answer:
 Both would be good.

You probably have a spot for your SS card, birth certificate, vehicle title, etc.  Just keep this with other important stuff that can't be paperless.Answer #2: In most places, you still need the original paper will. It's one of the few documents where a digital copy is definitely not the same.


Title: Dentist botched around 20 dental fillings. Any recourse?

Question: I apparently don’t have very good teeth, and to date I’ve had probably well over 20 dental fillings, all last year, and all by the same dentist. I just found out one needs a root canal, and all the rest need at minimum redone and at worst pulled. Not only can I not afford this, but I also do not want to lose all my teeth at age 22. Is there anything I can do to at least cover the cost of the redo? Medicaid paid for the initial ones, if that makes a difference. Going back to that dentist isn’t really an option either, as I don’t want to risk them messing up again, and I live well over 1000 miles away from them. Thanks for any help.

Answer: If you have only seen one dentist, you should at least get a second opinion from another dentist on the condition of your teeth.  Many dentists are ... aggressive ... in finding that you "need" fillings, root canals, etc.Answer #2: Medical malpractice is beyond the scope of this sub. I recommend talking to a lawyer who specializes in malpracticeAnswer #3: Are you sure they need to be redone and the new dentist isn’t pulling one over on you?


Title: Am I right to sue?

Question: I made a card trade deal with a fellow redditor for 150.00 of my cards for a 150.00 card of his cards. I sent my cards first with confirmation  and have proof he has received them. He has not sent me any cards in return. I have his full first and last name, address and phone number.  I work for a major airline so I was planning on flying to his city renting a car and filling small claims paperwork. Am I in the clear to sue?

Answer:
 Yes.

If you want to really drive the point home, you can also report him to his local police for fraud, and to either or both the FBI and US Postal Inspectors for mail fraud.Answer #2: The truth is: anyone can sue for anything so you're fine as far as that goes. To win, though, that might be more difficult. Make sure you have all the documentation about this trade. Everything. Email, texts, everything.Answer #3: Please update us if you go through with this, scammers are scum who feel invincible to any consequences. I'd love for one to get some harsh reality and be forced to reevaluate their actions.


Title: (UK) Father and his Girlfriend split up. She has a restraining order for him to not be able to enter the house to collect his possessions. Can I legally go in and get them?

Question: Pretty much what is said in the title. Haven't seen the documents her solicitors sent him but all sounds restraining ordery. He can't go into the house or see her. Also my dad said something about the documents stating that "he left on his own volition".

Answer:
 You cannot legally enter a home which is not your own without the owner's  permission (meaning in this case the person who inhabits the house). If your father only recently left the building, gives you the keys and gives you explicit permission to enter his home and return with his possessions you would have a reasonable argument.

However if it is not his home or he left it some time ago it would be difficult to argue you had the home owners permission to enter.

I would recommend trying to talk to the ex-girlfriend. She might understandably not want to see an ex-partner in a bad break up but may accept you as a neutral party to retrieve his property.

If she will not do this in an informal context with you I would consult a solicitor who will be able to give you a more detailed plan of procedure to return his property.


Title: I ordered $1,500 dollar rims online[CA]. I'm an idiot.

Question: This company says in their return policy that you have 30 days to return the rims if they are not installed. Ok great, I jumped the gun and ordered the rims. When I ordered the rims I noticed I made a mistake in the sizing. I emailed them 1 day after I made the purchase. I asked them to "Please cancel my order". I received an email stating that these rims are custom and they can't provide exchange or refunds. I look on the page where the rims are at and much to my surprise the message of no refunds is tucked away on another tab on the product page! There was no indication that these specific rims deviated from their normal return policy during checkout. So I emailed them telling them I would contact my credit card company. I call my bank and they say they'll put a stop payment and give me temporary credit for the time being while they resolve this matter. I'm thinking great they'll cancel my order. So I get an email today with an automated tracking number to expect these rims because I'll need to sign for them! I'm thinking holy smokes I don't even want these rims why would I sign for them if I already got my money back. If I don't sign for these rims will I be in the clear when they return them to the company? When the credit card company is trying to figure out what happened with the rims I don't want the rim company saying they were delivered and were signed for so it's our money. I've never been in any sort of dispute like this with a company so any help in how I should handle this situation would greatly be appreciated.

Answer:
 > If I don't sign for these rims will I be in the clear when they return them to the company?

No.

>When the credit card company is trying to figure out what happened with the rims I don't want the rim company saying they were delivered and were signed for so it's our money.

The company is going to say that you ordered rims which were labelled as no refunds due to their customization and that you are not entitled to a refund. The bank is then going to reissue the charge to you.


Title: San Francisco, CA. Signed a lease, informed landlord of intent to terminate, deal, never moved in or paid any money. Landlord intends to sue for 1 month's rent.

Question:
Background:  Found a room for rent on Craigslist in a 2BR/2BA brand new construction condo in SF. Met the condo owner, seemed like a good fit at first. He requested cash payment of the security deposit and first month's rent to secure the room, as there were supposedly a number of other interested parties. Given the competitive nature of the housing market here in SF, this seemed reasonable, although initially he said that a cashiers check would suffice. I completed an online background/check through a third party service, provided references, proof of income, the standard stuff. He created a lease and I signed it. I was then unable to obtain the specified amount in cash money due to bank regulations, as it was a large amount of money to withdraw at one time and required approval of a supervisor who was not present at that time. I informed the "landlord" of this, and received a response that made me question his personality and intentions. He then informed me that he would also be requiring every month's rent payment in cash for the duration of the lease, which felt not only extremely suspicious but also unreasonable. I then decided that pursuing this any further seemed too risky and untrustworthy to proceed with, and I notified him by text message (as most of our communications had been) that I would not be moving forward with the lease. Later that day we spoke by phone, and I informed him verbally that I would be unable to move forward with the lease due to financial concerns. I also verbally confirmed with him that he would allow me out of the lease without penalty, and after enduring a chiding lecture about communication practices we ended our conversation. Later that day i get a text message requesting payment for 3 days worth of lost rent. I ignore it. A week later he calls and states he is taking me to small claims court to sue for 1 month's lost rent unless I agree to pay him that amount. I tell him thank you for calling but I'm hanging up now.

My plan:  Seek consultation with a tenancy lawyer.

My questions:
1. How likely is it that he wins this case?
2. Should I just try to settle before it gets to court?
3. Is his unwavering demand for all payments to be made in cash money suspicious and unreasonable, when he refused any other form of payment that I offered?
4. Was his verbal agreement to terminate the lease without penalty enforceable?
5. If I were to obtain a voice recording of him confirming that he made that verbal agreement would it hold any weight?
6. Exactly how much is the most he can sue for?

Thanks, /r/legaladvice. Apologies for any typos or spelling/grammar mistakes - I'm composing this post on mobile.

Edit:  I've been reading up a bit on this website, but I'm not sure how reliable the information is. AFAIK this guy is not a licensed property manager, which apparently renders the contract unenforceable? Not sure if I buy it...
 http://www.caltenantlaw.com/ResLaw.htm

Answer:
 First, I would look for the deed for the apartment, to see if you were talking to the actual owner, since cash+craigslist screams scam at me.

That said, you are likely liable for at least one month's rent, depending on the contract terms you signed (which you need to review). Assuming that he owns the property, and the lease doesn't give you an out, I would see what amount short of a month he would settle for


Title: Neighbor threatening legal action :(

Question:
Any feedback would be appreciated.
I will cut a long story short.
5yrs ago I purchased a house which is located on a hill. Shorty after moving in my neighbor who lives on the lower side of me, approached me and explained that she had a lot of water running through her garage and that she had her whole house re stumped through her insurance as a result. She believed there to be an issue with a particular storm water pipe that ran underneath a concrete foot path on my side of the property.

I  acknowledged the issue right away and had a qualified plumber come and have a look at it, he said the pipe was fine. I told the neighbor the result, she asked if I had used a camera down the drain, I did not and told her so. She then asked if She could have someone come around and check it with a camera as she believed it to be cracked. I said sure. Her plumber came over and cleared the pipe also, I got the neighbor and her husband to come around whilst her plumber was there and he told her my storm water pipe was fine. She replied by saying, but they are old terracotta pipes, so he should have them replaced! The plumber told her that they were fine and there was no need. Unfortunately we live on a hill, and unfortunately for us, water does run down hill.

It is now 5yrs later and the neighbor asked me to have the pipe checked one again as she is getting water running through her house. I didn't really see the need in doing this again as it takes time and money and also my pipe was cleared earlier, so even if it is cracked now I don't think it would be the cause of her problem.

Soon after we received a letter in the mail stating that she will pay for someone to come out and have a look at the pipe, if cleared she will let it go, but if it's cracked then she requires us to get it fixed along with paying for any damage caused to her house. If we did not respond by weeks end then she would seek legal advice.

We replied by saying that we will organise for a plumber to come out and have a look by weeks end. We have since had a plumber come and look at the pipe, he found 4 hair line cracks and a drop in lvl which left a 5mm gap in the pipe. He does not believe this to be the cause of any damage to her property.

However, if I inform the neighbor of this, then I have no doubt that she will sue for damages to her property even though I and the professionals believe it to not be the source of her damage.

Where do I go from here? I do not have a lot of money to seek legal advice at this point in time unfortunately. I was told by my insurance company that public liability insurance should cover me? However "should" is not really that re assuring lol.

Please guys, any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Answer:
 Tell her that you had had multiple plumbers offer their professional opinions that the problem with her house is not your pipe, and if she insists on suing, those plumbers will testify to that fact. If she goes the next step, tell that to her lawyer. At that point he will probably convince her to drop the case. You can do this without a lawyer of your own.

If she, and her lawyer, decide to proceed with the case after that, get your own lawyer. Answer #2: I personally would not tell her . But if your concerned with the pipe . You can get a pipe liner to seal any cracks or gaps . Cured in place type liner there is lots of information on these types of liner's . Just to help completely rule you out as being responsible for her water issues . Proper grading is priceless when done correctly . Water always wins .Answer #3: I think the key here is:

>We have since had a plumber come and look at the pipe, he found 4 hair line cracks and a drop in lvl which left a 5mm gap in the pipe. *He does not believe this to be the cause of any damage to her property.*

If a qualified expert says it's not the cause of damage to her property, she won't have a leg to stand on.  She sues you, you bring the plumber who says she's full of crap.  Answer #4: Thanks guys, really appreciate u all taking the time to comment :)Answer #5: Not legal advice, but you can try putting some dye in the water going into the pipe to see if it is coming out anywhere it is not supposed to be.


Title: [Florida] I believe that my home is improperly zoned and I want out of my lease before something happens due to bad neighbor relationships on the same property. What are my options?

Question:
tl;dr Single-family home in Seminole County, FL is being leased by two families as a multi-family dwelling but shares a roof, a hot water heater, septic/sewer, and utility meters.

Hi, friends. In August of 2016, my family moved into the "guest house" a rental property of a home in Seminole County, Florida. The unit is, for all intents and purposes, a house in and of itself; it has a kitchen, two bedrooms with full bathrooms, a laundry room, wall units for AC, and entrances. The unit, however, shares a roof with the "main house," in addition to having shared utilities, including water, sewer, and septic, and only one carport/garage. The property only has one officially designating postal address without a Unit A/Unit B separation.

Some information about our lease and the property/landlord: the main house is rented by the landlord's granddaughter, who allegedly will inherit the property with his death. Their unit, referenced in my lease as Unit A in regards to the shared parking and the utilities, is about twice the size of ours and fairly updated with central heat and air, new fixtures, etc. Our unit is much simpler but has been a good fit for our family. We hadn't had any troubles living on the same property with the exception of our utilities: per our landlord's explanation, our unit is allotted $100 a month in utilities and Unit A is allotted $200 in utilities. Any overage between $300-$400 is paid by us and any overage over $400 is paid by Unit A. There was a large argument regarding this last month as we have consistently paid the $100 overage due to a doubling in utilities since we moved in while Unit A has had pennies on the dime in comparison. Upon consulting my lease, I discovered that the lease in fact stipulates that any overage is to be paid 50/50 by both properties, meaning that we have overpaid every month since we moved in.

That being said, until last week, that had been the only concern and our families have gotten along well.

On October 1st, I had a friend come to stay with us. She was here October 1st through 4th and then again this week on the 8th and the 9th. She is in the middle of moving and just needed a place to crash. My neighbor sent me a text yesterday telling me that my friend needed to be gone as I was not allowed a sub-leasee per my lease. I tried to explain that she had only been there for five overnights and that she was not a sub-leasee. Upon consulting my lease, I determined that there was no stipulation regarding length of guest stay and that as she had been legally parked on my side of the driveway, she was not in violation of the lease. The discussion devolved into my neighbor threatening eviction as she was the acting property manager, which is the first explanation of that to my knowledge, and that since she was taking the property over, she was allowed to read and make judgments on my lease.

I guess my question is this: what the fuck is going on right now? I don't even know if this house is legal for us to live in and now that eviction is being thrown around, I just want out of my lease. My neighbor is allegedly taking the deed and property over come November. Does this void my original lease and allow me to leave? Please help.

Answer: When does your lease expire?  Until the expiration date, both you and whomever owns property are bound by what is written on the lease.  If the original lease has expired, and there's no auto-renewal clause in it, then you become a month-to-month tenet and either you or the landlord can give the proper notice to remove you or you to leave.


Title: The side airbags in my Chevrolet spark deployed for no reason. Can i sue? Will it be fixed for free?

Question:
They literally popped out with NO IMPACT. I was driving down an empty street. At first I thought another car hit me as soon as I was smacked in the face and I heard ringing in my ear. It caused me to start swerving but I slowed my car down and parked in a neighborhood. I was in so much shock it took me a few minutes to realize I wasn't hurt, no one else was involved and I never hit anything. There is absolutely no damage to my car. So they can't say oh well they deployed because you were in an accident! My boyfriend and friend came to pick me up and help me get the car home. It ran just fine but I'm not driving it until it's fixed.

I actually found out there has been a recall on it for years. I am pissed and shocked I was never told when I bought it. I've had it for only a couple weeks. That was extremely dangerous what happened. It could have ended a lot worse.

Answer:
 You should talk to a dealership or Chevrolet directly about getting it fixed.

You have no injuries, so nothing to sue for there.

>I am pissed and shocked I was never told when I bought it. I've had it for only a couple weeks.

Did you buy from a Chevrolet dealer?  It can take time for manufacturer notices to catch up with used car buyers.Answer #2: Contact Chevrolet, they will fix it. Any time you buy a used car, you should google "recall by vin" it brings up a .gov website, you type in your vin and it tells you in there are any safety recalls. It is probably wise to check every few years even if you buy new, my 2012 Toyota has a airbag recall that shoots shrapnel, I did get a recall in the mail, but I haven't moved since buying the car. They should give you a rental car to use if it takes awhile to fix.


Title: [WA] CPS worker showed up at my door. I have no children. CPS worker doesn't believe me and has been making phone calls in front of my place for the last hour.

Question:
Honestly, I have no idea what's going on or what's about to happen. A CPS worker showed up at my door about an hour ago and wanted to see 'my child'. Well, being an unmarried single guy I have no children, and am near 99.99% positive I've never had any. I explained this to her, but she seemed to be under the impression that I was hiding something from her. She wanted to come in to get a look around, but I refused on principle. She let it slip that someone reported me for having a kid 'off the grid' that I abuse, or something like that.

The only way I could possibly see something like this coming about is that I watched a friend's kid for a night about a month ago, and my neighbor is nosy as hell. Beyond that, I'm at a loss.

She's off making calls in front of my place, presumably to the authorities. I know the 'don't talk to the cops' mantra is probably going to apply here, but is this one of those cases where I let them in to see that my place is the quintessential bachelor pad and let them tell the worker to fuck off?

Answer:
 Update:

A couple of police officers (verified badge numbers) stopped by and started asking questions. I was barely able to get a word out before they started calling me 'Paul'. I'm not Paul. There was a moment of realization between the three of us then they asked for my id, my insurance card, and cross-referenced that against the car in my driveway.

So yeah, turns out it was a case of mistaken identity. She was supposed to go to  '123 se Xth st' not just plain old '123 Xth st', approximately.

The officers were cordial and apologized for the inconvenience and left. Sorry folks, my carbon monoxide detector was in good working order, no crazy drama.Answer #2: That sounds awful, no you can't come in unless you have a warrant.  I understand that you are just doing your job and I actually do support your agency investigating these reports but in this case just doing your job means getting a warrant and if you come back with one I'll be happy to give you access to the legal maximum.  Good day.Answer #3: I'm starting to wonder if there's a CPS based identity theft scam going around. I've seen a few instances in the last year of people getting strange visits from "CPS" workers who seem to have an ID badge (which is easily faked by people faking state issued ID cards for identity theft) and eventually asking for financial information, which seems odd. It would be a fantastic cover, most people are terrified of losing their kids and are inclined to cooperate.


Title: Can I Have a Section 8 Renter in Virginia Evicted for Housing an Extra Person (Who is Harassing Me)

Question: I live in Virginia. There is a person in my building who is harassing me. He lives with another person who I know gets his rent paid for through either Section 8 or some other organization who works with people who are poor / have been homeless / have mental problems. I've pleaded with the owner of the apartment to kick the person out, but they have refused. I would like to know what I can do to get them both kicked out at this point. My rental company has been completely useless to date. All they seem to care about it the rent money. Thanks for your advice!

Answer: I don't see what Section 8 has to do with this. You can report the harassment to the police.Answer #2: Nothing. You dont own the property.


Title: [NJ] Road raged ice cream truck driver called police on me and falsely claimed I had threatened him with a firearm. Was stopped by police at gunpoint and cuffed, then released.

Question:
I'm driver for a car transportation company. An ice cream truck driver became very upset because I was driving too slow for his tastes in a semi residential area. After he had turned away, I was stopped by three police cruisers and told to exit the vehicle at gunpoint. They placed me in cuffs on the hot sidewalk for over two hours while they searched my vehicle (I had no firearm of any sort and didn't even communicate or argue with the ice cream truck driver), then they apologized to me and explained how they had received a report that I had threatened someone with a firearm.

Can I get compensation of any sort or file a defamatory suit of some kind? How could I be detained in such a manner without evidence? At the very least, is it possible to take legal action against the person who made the false report?

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 New Jersey supports suing someone for defamation per se, which means you don't have to have specific damages to seek damages. This means you can sue the ice cream guy for falsely disparaging your promiscuity, health status (in certain circumstances), or alleged criminality.  Brandishing is a crime, and by falsely reporting you to the police for doing so, you might have a case. That said, if you want to pursue it, you should consult a lawyer who could inform you exactly how strong your case is. My guess is you will have trouble getting money from an ice cream truck driver, but who knows, maybe he's independently wealthy, and that's just his side gig.Answer #2: Get a copy of the police report, a copy of the 911 call, a copy of the dashcam footage. Sue the ice cream guy and his business and possibly the cops.

Another thing you can do is ask the cops why they aren't arresting ice cream guy for making a false report of a crime.Answer #3: I don't think you have any recourse.  The police were operating on a report, and acted reasonably in the context of the report.  The crime -- and make no mistake, it \*is\* a crime -- was committed by the other driver, when he made a false report.

Alas, since it's a criminal matter, you have no jurisdiction or authority.  You have to simply trust that the police will do their job, investigate, and press charges against the man who lied to them.  Not sure how likely that is.


Title: New York - Federal Case. Lawyer won't respond to my father.

Question:
My dad was arrested in a group of 30 people on a federal case. They want to give him serious time and he gathered what money he can from family and friends to hire a federal lawyer, best he can afford. My father isn't a native English speaker. He requested I translate for him.

The lawyer doesn't respond to texts, he doesn't respond to emails, and he never return calls when you leave a voice mail (actually, he had me do all that). I tried whatever phone numbers/emails he gave me and what my son can find online. The last time we needed him was when the court appointed probation(?) officer told my dad there was a court date coming up in a week. I live in California. Plane tickets are expensive this close to the court date.

I feel like I'm taken advantage of. What can I do?

Answer:
 If you feel like the lawyer isn't communicating properly with your dad then you can call the New York Bar and they will help mediate the problem.

If you continue to have problems with this lawyer then find a new one.


Title: Will this stop me from getting a DUI

Question: So you get pulled over by a cop while driving drunk and you have your trusty floor vodka on hand. So you roll down your window and drop your keys out of the window in view of the officer. Then chug half of a bottle of vodka. Will this avoid me getting a ticket for driving drunk because i got drunk in my car without the possession of keys and all the tests wont work because i got "drunk" in my car.

Answer:
 No.

Because alcohol doesn't magically affect you as soon as you swallow.

So all the roadside tests will be from what you drank before.  The only thing you'll have possibly eliminated there is the officer noting an odor of alcohol, which could be from the vodka.

Other than that, they get all the roadside tests.

Then off to the station for a breath/blood test.  They can take two tests, 30-60 minutes apart, and mathematically calculate the rate your BAC is rising, and then go back and figure out where you were before you chugged.

Still get convicted.


Title: Estee Lauder Skincare product causes skin burn

Question:
I gifted Estee Lauder daywear cosmetics to my wife. After using it for a week, she noticed her skin was getting dry and itchy. She discontinued. Now her skin has peeled off. Areas look like it suffered chemical burns.

We want to sue Estee Lauder. Online reviews show we aren't the only ones having problems. Theres been stories of people rushed to the ER.

Any recommendations? Should we seek out a class action lawyer? How about a plaintiff's side personal injury firm? What about consumer rights advocates? Or the FDA?

Answer: Has she seen a doctor? That could just be an allergic reaction.


Title: [Fort Collins, CO] Paternity and Child Support

Question:
Hey,

I hope posting this is cool. This is a throwaway because I don't want my brother to find out I'm taking his business to the internet. Let's call my brother Jose and his user girlfriend Maria.

I'm worried that Maria is trying to use him. My brother Jose is about to marry this girl he was hooking up with. She stopped replying his texts after they had been hooking up for a few months. He is 27 and she is 29.

When Maria left him she was posting all over Snapchat that she got back with her first BF- a scumbag that is 35 who just got back from prison over in New Mexico. His name is Jesus.

They were together for 3 weeks at least until Jesus got picked up by ICE. It looks like he will be sent back to Honduras- he is in jail right now. This happened 2 months ago. A couple of weeks ago Jose told me that Maria told him she was pregnant and that he wants to marry her.

I told him to hold up on that and wait till she had the baby first because the timing is sketchy and Jesus could be the dad. He got mad and said he is going to marry her because he is a better man than our dad.

This is important because our dad was a fucking scumbag that left our mom because he didn't have his shit together. We went through a lot of shit because of him and it messed us up. I'm better now, but Jose has always been wierd about it and always wants to prove that he is better than our dad was. Nobody ever says he will be like him so I don't know what his deal is.

Now Maria knows about Jose's hangups with being better than my dad and has been using it against him. She said she didn't tell him sooner because she didn't think he would care since our dad didn't give a shit and other fucked up shit like that. It really fucked him up.

I'm worried that Maria just wants to use him for child support. Jose is doing good now- he got a new work truck and his landscaping and snow removal business has been going really well. He's got his own crew and all that. In fact, Maria only told him about being pregnant after she heard he got the truck. We live in the same neighborhood and she knew how to get to him this whole time so why wait to tell him till he got the truck. He paid cash for it too. Real suspicious.

This just doesn't feel right to me and I think that Maria is trying to marry him now that he is doing good. I think the baby is for Jesus but he can't do shit for her from Honduras so she wants to get Jose to be the daddy.

I've told him to wait until the baby so we can get a dna test but he won't listen to me or to anyone. What I want to know is what will happen if he marries her, she has the baby and he finds out it isn't his? Will he still have to pay child support? What if he gets a divorce after he finds out?

I'm real worried because he is really going overboard- he is blowing what he saved up over the summer on buying stuff for her and the baby she moved in and she quit her job and just keeps posting the shit he bought her on Snapchat.

I'd appreciate any advice. I don't want him to get fucked over.

Answer:
 Well, I think you need more relationship advice than legal advice, because nothing much matters if Jose isn't going to listen to you or us.

However, to answer your questions, yes, he could theoretically be on the hook for child support if he marries her before the baby is born and later finds out that the child is not his. It will depend on various facts such as how long it is before he finds out he is not the father (assuming that he isn't) and whether the actual father is around and/or interested in being involved, etc. Getting a divorce won't immediately change things but the important thing would be getting a paternity test as soon as the baby is born and, if not the father, making sure that this is established in the divorce.

If you're able to convince him to wait to marry her until after the baby is born, perhaps you can also convince him to get a paternity test done prior to the marriage. I don't know him and don't know if anything would change his mind, but maybe you can suggest they wait to get married until after the baby is born so they can plan a nice wedding, and that getting the paternity test protects him because it will establish right away that this is his child, in case Jesus comes back. It also makes sense, if they are marrying for the child, that they wait until a child is actually born to do so. I don't know that any of this will work for someone who is that far deep but all you can do now is let him make his own mistakes and hope for the best.


Title: dollar CAR RENTAL charges $2800 for 12 day rental. SCAMM???

Question:
My friend Nick visited me in LA from Asia and rented a car from Dollar Rental. He made his booking online for $511 and when he went to pick up the car, he purchased the cheapest insurance and took the agent's offer of $60 for a newer vehicle upgrade. He signed off the paper work and took off (he didn't check his receipt at this point).

After 12 days, Nick went to return his vehicle and received a $2300 receipt (in addition to the $511 he already paid) See below for breakdown of cost.

vehicle upgrade $60per day = $720

liability, insurances, premium road side assistance: $786.60

(LDW @ 31.99 per day + LIS $17.58 per day PAI,PEC @ 6.99 per day + premium RD SVC $8.99 per day )

concession fee recovery (I was told this was an airport fee) $253.52

tablet GPS: $263.88

other taxes and fees: $276.21

total: $2300 + $511 rental =$2811

I'm assuming the agent took advantage of Nick being a tourist and not being perfect in English. But Nick is not stupid and definitely didn't sign up for $60 PERDAY upgrade and specifically chose the cheapest insurance option. Do agents get commission? How do they charge more for an upgrade than the cost of rental? The upgrade was just for a newer model of Mustang - it wasn't no Mercedes that's for sure.

I already called Dollar - they transferred me 2 times, hung up on me once, wouldn't give me the contact number to the LAX location. All they told me was that the receipt was signed by Nick, therefore he approved the charges and there is nothing they can do.

I understand it's Nick's fault for not checking the receipt but this is ridiculous. What are my options to fight this and get some of the charges back? I can't believe he got charged $2800 for a 12 day Mustang rental . Any advice will be helpful!!!

Answer:
 So he agreed to every premium service, and airport dropoff, and a performance car upgrade, and a gps rental, read nothing, and he's surprised all those premium services are expensive?  This isnt a legal issue, it's a learning opportunity.Answer #2: > What are my options to fight this and get some of the charges back?

None.  You're not a party to the issue.  Nick is.  He's the one who would need to speak with Dollar Rental about the charges and the contract that he signed when he rented the vehicle.Answer #3: Nick needs to read what he signed when he picked up the car and the estimated charges. A Mustang is absolutely an upgrade so it sounds like he agreed to these things without understanding them.

You can't do anything. They cannot and should not talk to you, their sale was with Nick. You can assist him and translate but you can't dispute this for him.Answer #4: That's expensive, but I don't see anything obviously fraudulent.


Title: Does state patrol really need a search warrant for my stolen car if I give permission? (WA)

Question: Hi, my vehicle was stolen from my garage. The state patrol pursued the thief across multiple counties before he ditched the vehicle and took off on foot. I have not been able to get an answer on whether there was an arrest made or not. In the mean time, the car is held as evidence and state patrol says they need to wait for a search warrant to look inside the car for my other stolen property. Said it would be around a week before the warrant is approved. I need to find out whether it's worth the deductible to file a claim with homeowners insurance, and that will depend on whether my computer etc are still in the car. Why is my permission not good enough for them to search my car?

Answer:
 I live in WA and had to wait weeks for detectives to get a warrant to take something from me in my own home I wanted them to have.  Not going to get into specifics of my situation, but if they are hoping to make a criminal case here, the prosecutors tend to prefer police obtain a warrant even when you've given consent.

*edit--I can typing!*Answer #2: > Why is my permission not good enough for them to search my car?

It likely is.

But if they want to wait for a warrant, they can wait for a warrant.Answer #3: Have you spoken to your insurance agent about the issue?  Explained any work or school tasks you're not able to accomplish in the meantime because you don't have your laptop and don't know whether you need to buy a new one or not?  They may have advice on solving the pragmatic concerns, even if they can't make the police work faster.

And yes, the police are covering their bases.  They want a warrant so that there's NO CHANCE that you somehow tank their conviction by later trying to argue you didn't give proper consent.  If they get into the car and find a joint in the ash tray and you panic and hire a lawyer to fight the search...  well...  they're just following procedure.

I agree with the comments about talking to the impound supervisor and asking if perhaps THEY can go look through the window and tell you if they can see a bag that matches your description?

Also, man, this is the opposite of how this question usually works in this sub, huh?  I've never seen anyone come here asking "How can I get the police to search my car more quickly!?"


Title: Legal question about taking neglected cat of neighbor to a shelter.

Question:
Hi,
The house next to my fiancé and me is occupied (I'm not sure if she owns or rents) by a polite but odd, frumpy, and reclusive woman.  She seems to not be home all that much and when she is there it seems she hardly comes out to her yard or porch and shows zero interest in socializing with us or the other neighbors.  There are times when I will be doing yard work or getting the mail, etc. and will say hello and she will not respond or give an uncomfortable smile and retreat quickly into her house [My brother has Asperger's Syndrome (AKA Autism Spectrum Disorder) and I suspect she may have the same issue but would need more interaction to really have a sound clue on that]. To my question/issue: she has a very sweet cat that she introduced as hers the one and only time we both really met her (I've spoken to her very briefly here and there) when we moved in after purchasing our place about one year ago.  Since then, the collar we both remember seeing on that occasion has been removed and he's always outside.

I'm not sure of how she would react if I asked her about him and I'm not sure if she's the sort of person who would take him to a shelter. I know my brother has a lot of issues speaking with people who are strangers and doesn't take criticism (or anything perceived as such) well for the most part.  Further, we live in Ohio and typically have very cold winters in this region and last year was no exception.  We built him a little shelter in between yards and he managed to survive last year but I'm not sure he could make it through a more severe one.  I looked into it and I'm not sure what legal grounds I may have for taking the cat to a shelter. He's **extremely** friendly and would likely make a nice addition for a variety of people.  Also, some sites noted that she could be in trouble for animal neglect if I report to the authorities but I would rather avoid that if possible. I really don't want this cat to die from hypothermia come November or December. In sum, she seems to have no interest in taking care of him and taking him to a shelter seems like a sensible option but I'm unclear about any legal issues of removing him.

TL, DR: strange (perhaps autistic) neighbor is neglecting her cat and I want to take him to a shelter but unsure if that's illegal.

Answer:
 He's someone else's property; they stated it plainly to you, and you are aware of it. Do not steal the woman's cat. If you think the woman is abusing her cat, call municipal or county animal services and let them decide, they are professionals at it.

Bear in mind the typical total adoption rate of shelters tends to run around 15%, and the rest are euthanized. The adoption rate for adult cats is typically about 7%. You might do best for the cat to leave well enough alone.Answer #2: So you've diagnosed this "frumpy" woman with a severe mental disorder because she doesn't want to socialize with you?

And now you want to steal her cat over some utterly unstated "abuse"?

Have you tried walking next door with a batch of baking and talking to your neighbor?Answer #3: You can't just take her cat. That's stealing.

However, you can contact your local animal control or some organization, like the [Ohio SPCA](http://www.ohiospca.org/cruelty-investigations), who handles animal cruelty and neglect investigations.


Title: Hypothetical: if the police offer for you to take a found dog that wasn't yours, is it now yours?

Question: This recently happened to a friend. She had found a dog with no collar, chip, or anything identifying the owner, and it was picked up by the police, who offered it to her if the owner couldn't be located by the end of the day (presumably, that is when they would've otherwise taken it to the pound). My friend declined, and fortunately, the owner was located. My question is, since the police offered it to my friend, would my friend become the new owner automatically? This was in Illinois if that matters.

Answer:
 > My question is, since the police offered it to my friend, would my friend become the new owner automatically?

No.  The police cannot unilaterally transfer ownership.


Title: My work has no safety department and doesn’t report to OSHA.

Question:
Hello! I have concerns about some unsafe work practices going on at my place of employment. I work for a water company. We have a fairly large client base, but we are a small organization (only 23 employees). I have been working here almost a year and I have noticed some very unsafe acts. Whenever I bring up concern I’m immediately dismissed and told we don’t report to OSHA so it’s okay. I ask about who is in charge of safety within the company and no one is. I don’t know what I can do as the new guy but I also don’t like being told to do unsafe things.
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer: Why not just make a safety complaint to OSHA and see what happens?