Title: What are some issues that are addressed by the judicial system that really should be left up to the legislative system, and visa versa?

Answer:
 There’s a lot of shit that the Supreme Court has to deal with because Congress is gridlocked and ineffective. So we end up with SCOTUS having to make rulings on policy issues. One recent examples is the imposition of sales tax on online sales.

It also means that SCOTUS appointees are now super politicized. It matters whether they are liberal or conservative because we know that SCOTUS functions as a policy-making body (despite its intended role of just being a check on the Legislative and Executive branches).


Title: (NY) International student prescribed Concerta

Question: I have a 4 month prescription for concerta for my semester. The prescription and the name on the bottle are in english. Is it legal for me to have a 4 month supply with me in the US or should I carry a 30 day or 90 day supply? (I read that a good rule of thumb for carrying prescription medicine into the US was a 90 day supply)

Answer:
 If you are ONLY going to be in the US for 4 months, as an exchange student or something, I would suspect that a 120 day supply would be ok to bring. Bring your prescription and a letter from your doctor, and if questioned on quantity by US Customs, outline your concerns about the cost of healthcare in the US. I would suspect the "rule of thumb" is because most aliens are only admitted for 90 days.

However, in many ports of entry you will go through customs without your luggage, and they will only pull it to search if they see a very large quantity of pills in incorrect packaging.Answer #2: US Customs say this:

Prescription medications should be in their original containers with the doctor's prescription printed on the container.  It is advised that you travel with no more than personal use quantities, a rule of thumb is no more than a 90 day supply.  If your medications or devices are not in their original containers, you must have a copy of your prescription with you or a letter from your doctor.  A valid prescription or doctors note is required on all medication entering the U.S.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/67/~/traveling-with-or-mailing-medications-and-medical-devices,-such-as-needles-or


Title: Update: Breaking lease after burglary ( mn)

Question:
I am on mobile and for the life of me I can't figure out how to link my first post. Sorry.

But what happened was my landlord broke into my house and stole over 30k worth of stuff.

He was arrested and I moved right away.

He had a court date yesterday which was continued.  I was not there as I was told I didn't need to be. I'm not really sure what part of the court process he is in.

The police returned (well, I had to pick up) some of the recovered items including my washer and dryer. (No shit, he stole my washer and dryer)  I just purchased them a few months ago for about 2,000 for the pair and they were returned damaged to the point that they don't work. The washer anyway, the dryer is just dented and missing some parts.

There is still other property I am  waiting to get back and am not clear on the timeline or condition.

It turns out to receive my deposit back there is a separate court. I will file soon with them.

my insurance company doesn't seem to have the same sense of urgency I have and so far I have not received a check from them.  My coverage is 15k max for this kind of thing so anything over I would need to sue the landlord for.

It doesn't seem the insurance company is offering an attorney to help me out with this.  But, it does seem I will get at least a portion of the loss from them "soon".

I do plan on taking the landlord to court to recover the entire loss. I'm waiting on what I get back from the police. Or do I even need to?

Answer: Restitution may be included in the final disposition of his case, but that can be slooooooooow. You can sue him on your own if you want but who knows if he has any money right now. If you got a judgement you could try to collect in the future.Answer #2: OP's [original post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3ch83x/breaking_lease_after_burglary_mn/).


Title: My stepson was violent today. I'm a US resident (non-citizen). Options for defense/police?

Question:
(posting as an alt account). Location: USA.

Today, my (under 18) teenage stepson got into a heated argument with another family member. Long story short, about an hour or two later, I witnessed him shove his mother (while handing over his phone - taken as a punishment). I told him not to push her, and he yelled "What're you going to do about it?", and pushed me with both hands. I did not touch him.

I told him I was going to call the police, but my wife stopped me. He then went to bed.

Afterwards, she told me that she didn't want me to call the police, but I told her if he's violent or I feel threatened, I'm going to (and I would).

I have two concerns:

1. I'm applying for citizenship. If he decides to attack me, and I'm forced to physically defend myself, then that's not going to look good for my immigration purposes, since one of the questions I have to answer under oath in the next few months is:
"Were you EVER involved in any way with any of the following? D. Badly hurting, or trying to hurt, a person on purpose?"  This is a test of moral character. I don't ever want to have to say 'Yes, my American teenage step-son'.

2. He's eventually going to be applying for college/jobs, and if he's arrested/charged/whatever, that won't do him any favors. It's also going to fracture my relationship with my wife's family, and his bio-dad's family.

I have emailed myself my full account of what happened, so that if something happens in the future, I have it to fall back on, at least. The last time he laid hands on me was in March 2016, according to a similar write-up I did then.

I read a few random articles on handling violent teenagers, and several mention calling the police as an option. I will not tolerate fear and violence in my house.

Aside from working on the root causes/relationship, what should I do to protect myself, and other family members if he chooses to become violent again?

Edit: Add clarification + location.

Answer:
 >"Were you EVER involved in any way with any of the following? D. Badly hurting, or trying to hurt, a person on purpose?"

Im not sure it counts as trying to hurt someone else when you're just defending yourself


Title: Employment agency is demanding a copy of bank statement to prove my last agency job stopped paying me. However, I sell adult content online in my free time and don’t want them to know. Will they see this as ‘self employment’? What can I do?

Question:
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 They may. All you can do is ask whether they count that income or not.

Deliberately hiding information in order to receive better benefits is a variety of fraud. If you feel you need to withhold that information, you already have your answer, at some level.


Title: (Ohio) State Trooper Gave me a seatbelt ticket for having my seatbelt on, but having the shoulder strap underneath my left arm

Question:
I was driving down the Highway, and I get pulled over by the Ohio State Trooper. He immediately asks me why I had my seat belt on wrong. I was wearing the shoulder strap underneath my Left arm. I do this frequently when I am smoking a cigarette and driving because it is simply easier. But my seatbelt was on, and buckled in.

With that being said, he gave me a $65 seatbelt ticket for not wearing my seatbelt.
He said that it’s a different story if it’s an older vehicle and doesn’t have the shoulder strap, but since I have the shoulder strap (and it was underneath my left armpit) he said he has to give me a ticket.

I’m not going to get a lawyer and accumulate a bunch of legal fees because it’s just a $65 ticket that will not be a point on my license or raise my insurance rates... but can I contest this at the municipal court? I pay the city and the county enough in a year for taxes, and having to pay a $65 ticket for THIS is really grinding my gears.

Answer:
 Ohio code requires you to wear "all of the available elements of a properly adjusted occupant restraining device." You were unequivocally not doing that. You are welcome to plead with the judge, but you don't have a reasonable legal argument.Answer #2: [http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4513.263v2](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4513.263v2)

> (B)   No person shall do any of the following:
>
>(1)   Operate an automobile on any street or highway unless that person is wearing  all of the available elements of a **properly adjusted occupant restraining  device**, or operate a school bus that has an occupant restraining device  installed for use in its operator's seat **unless that person is wearing all of  the available elements of the device, as properly adjusted;**

The argument is that wearing a shoulder belt under your shoulder that is intended to go over the shoulder is not "properly adjusted," and that wearing it under your shoulder is not "wearing all of the available elements of the device, as properly adjusted."


Title: My friend signed a contract and handed over her credit card info for a "coach" and the coach refuses to let her leave the program [Online, USA]

Question:
A woman I mentor sometimes, let's call her Katie, recently got in touch with me and she told me she's paying $1000/month for a group coaching program. It's all online and the coach facilitating this (let's call her Rita) and Katie are both located in the USA. The coach lives in North Carolina.

I can't access the contract, since they did it over HelloSign (she's trying to send me a copy of it) but apparently this coach does not allow termination. Katie is NOT asking for a refund or anything like that. She wants to give up all materials related to this coaching program and terminate further charges.

Apparently, Rita does not have some sort of secure payment processing program (such as Stripe or Paypal) to accept payments. You have to directly give her your credit card information over a video call and then that information gets handed to her assistants and logged in Slack (a chat program much like Discord). So, Katie cannot just go into Stripe/Paypal and cancel recurring fees. I've advised Katie to tell her bank to not allow these charges and even report them as fraudulent, but she is scared since she signed an online contract saying that once she signs, she legally must pay for the coaching. No refunds, no backing out.

Katie is also terrified that if she terminates payment by force (changing credit card info or something like that) then Rita will sue her for the rest of the money and cause even more of the headache. The total cost of this program is $8,000 and Katie has already paid $2,000 and is not interested in continuing the program. Again, she is NOT asking for any sort of refund.

How can I help her? What can she do? I googled Rita's name and she has nothing but glowing, positive reviews, podcast interviews, etc. People love this woman! I even tried googling her name with variations of the word "scam" or "rip-off" and I don't see anything.

Any sort of help would be awesome. Thank you for taking time to read this!
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 The credit card companies would be interested in the fact that the credit card numbers are being stored in slack.  insecure storage is a violation of the merchant usage agreement.

[https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/securely-storing-customer-card-data.php](https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/securely-storing-customer-card-data.php)

[https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/pdfs/pci\_fs\_data\_storage.pdf](https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/pdfs/pci_fs_data_storage.pdf)Answer #2: >I googled Rita's name and she has nothing but glowing, positive reviews, podcast interviews, etc. People love this woman! I even tried googling her name with variations of the word "scam" or "rip-off" and I don't see anything.

From your narrative it sounds like your friend Katie is trying to rip off Rita. If she signed a contract that she was going to pay $8k for the course and it has no early exit clause, she is bound by it. Unless Rita has breached the contract, Katie has to pay as she legally agreed to.Answer #3: This whole thing will be dictated by the terms of the contract.  Some contracts for annual services may not allow for early termination before the time of renewal.


Title: A legal brainteaser I cant seem to wrap my head around (USA if it matters)

Question:
If this doesn't belong here please let me know and I will take it down.

Ever since learning that there was such a thing as being declared legally dead without having a body (I know, weird right) I have had a question/brainteaser about being legally dead and married. Note: I am not a lawyer, I am not in this situation, nor do I know anyone who is in this situation. Its just a hypothetical question I came up with.

**The situation** Suppose a couple get married and one of them ends up shipwrecked on a deserted island (for reference we will now call them P1 and their partner P2). Eventually they get declared legally dead and P2 moves on and, because P1 is legally dead, gets remarried.

Now suppose that P1 makes it back to civilization.

**The question** Who is P2 married to? P1 or new spouse? How would this be determined legally?

I really want to know the answer to this and I figured that this is probably the best place to ask.

Answer:
 This has happened, most commonly in time of war, and the current, 2nd marriage is legal.

The 1st marriage ended when P1 was declared legally dead.

The ruling of someone being legally dead is reversed if they are later found alive, but this does not invalidate the legal end to the marraige of P1 & P2 if P2 has remarried.


Title: [Tn] my father is about to pass what I formation should I get from him?

Question:
Hey yall I found out today my dad's kidneys are shutting down the doctor says he doesn't have much time to left.  He is still coherent enough to answer questions.  What important I formation do I need to get from him before he passes? He's very secretive.  He's keeps a lot of stuff in a lock box in the house but me and my brother don't know what's inside of it.  I know we need insurance stuff, his bank stuff, but what other legal things do I need to get before he gets really bad?

Thanks in advance

Answer:
 Location of the will, and any unknown heirs due to dirty family secrets.

Location of deeds/titles for any real property he owns.

Email and bank passwords are helpful too.
Answer #2: Where is his will, and who is the executor named in the will? If there is no will, as soon as possible look up the statutory requirements for a will in Tennessee and make sure that he writes down how he wants his property distributed and properly executes the will. Don't rely on his oral statements.

Also, if not mentioned in the will, how does he want to be buried? Does he have a cemetery plot? Who should/should not be invited?

Now is the time to make sure you know what he wants.


Title: [CA] First speed ticket going 49mph on 25mph with $210 ticket. Best way to not appear on record?

Question:
It looks like the officer was nice enough to not ticket me with over-25+mph, and, from what I hear with my friends, $210 seem to be pretty cheap for a speed ticket. However, I am worried about the increase in insurance premium, so I am most interested in the speed violation not appearing on record.

&#x200B;

Given that this is my first speed ticket, I had several questions:

&#x200B;

1. I heard you get an official notice with the court date and all. I got the ticket in the Mariposa County, and I currently live in the Santa Clara County. On my ticket that I got at the time of violation, "YOUR COURT DATE" fields are empty. Should I be getting the official notice then? Not sure if they still send notices across counties. Also, I heard this notice would tell you if you are eligible for driving school instead?
2. My friend has told me to call the judge and ask to replace it with the driving school so that no points appear. Is this a valid approach?
3. If the step 2 requires some dedicated legal lingo, I would rather hire a legal professional to increase my chance. Would hiring a lawyer worth it?

&#x200B;

Answer:
 >offense 36 cfr 421 c

Were you on federal land?


Title: (PA-US) What to say and what to avoid saying when trying to ask the court for leniency?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Whatever your lawyer advises you to say, not say.

You are asking a question that is dependent on your specific location heck, your specific judge. We can't tell you what your community considers worthy of leniency and what doesn't. Answer #2: > Should I even try to plead that I don't feel like what I did was a crime in any way shape or form?

Definitely don't do that. Illegal is illegal, no matter your personal feelings on the matter.Answer #3: It's less about what you say and more about what you do. Go to an NA meeting, sign up for a substance abuse course. Enroll in college. Dress nicely, shave, speak clearly and answer only when spoken to and be humble.

What you want to do is convince the judge that you made a mistake, you want to change and a harsh sentence isn't going to help you change. But you need to show that you are making every possible step right now.

There are no magic words that will grant your leniency.


Title: [Maryland] Plaintiff(s) claim $600k total in damages when actual costs are $50k

Question: There was an accident that took place around May involving my father, we were supposed to have a traffic case today but it got moved to a later date. My father received two tickets and the paintiffs have 2 witnesses(one of which was not present at the incident and the other was in the plaintiffs car). Our argument is that the paintiff did not yeild- right of way when he was supposed to as required by maryland law. The 2 paintiffs are claiming 600k, 500k and 100k respectively, but on one of the papers we were handed it showed the costs to be exactly 50k(income and vehicle costs). Is a claim such as this high normal? The paintiff was on crutches, and showed no physical damage other than that. Is there a way we can protect our assets, and I am going to college. I am sorry if this is the wrong sub-reddit and if my grammar is bad, I am just very nervous. And yes we are seeing a lawyer.

Answer: You have insurance, right?  Call your insurance company.


Title: [Calif.] My credit card expired and my gym- which I haven't been to in months- continues to bill me without a card on file. If I tried to work out there today, they would deny me entrance based on the past amounts owed. Can they legally continue to bill me for a service that is being denied to me?

Question: The amount owed is petty- like $90. I'm just curious more than anything. Not looking to get into small claims or anything like that.

Answer: Why don't you just pay the debt? Why even get this into legal territory?Answer #2: You are paying for a membership. If you have not canceled your membership you are therefore still required to pay and they are allowed to not let you work out until you're current on your bill


Title: [NC] Our neighbor told us he'd killed seven people. Roommate is freaking out and wants to move. What are our options here?

Question:
Alright I'll try and lay this out simply, thanks in advance for advice.

- I moved in to an apartment with one of my friends. For personal reasons we had to move quickly and we found what looked like a nice place for about 650 a month. 325 split between the two of us, not including the cost of utilities. As far as housing costs go in our area this is pretty cheap and we were happy to be able to find something. It wasn't in a bad location and the building itself is sound but we maybe weren't as thorough about getting to know the other tenants as we should have been.

- Roommate had been getting along with our downstairs neighbor. Was talking with him on sunday after church. He asked her how the services went, she asked him if he went to any of the local parishes, he expressed sadness about some terrible event in his past and how he felt like he could never set foot in a house of god again. Roomie, thinking that this was run of the mill anguish about some kind of accident or mundane past transgression, tried to assure him that forgiveness was for everyone all that jazz. He responded not for him, that he'd killed at least seven people (maybe more) and done other terrible not elaborated upon things (implied rape). Roomie nods politely, tells him she's very sorry to hear that, and quickly excuses herself from the conversation. Calls me 5 minutes later absolutely losing her shit over the phone. I rush home and sit with her through probably the biggest panic attack I've ever seen. I considered calling an ambulance for her several times but after about 10 minutes she could function again. I asked, once she'd calmed down, if she thought he could have been joking with her. She thought seriously about it and said no, he'd seemed genuinely upset when he said it and not sarcastic or deadpan.

- Our next door neighbor (lets call him Mike) comes over shortly after asking if everything was ok. We tell him what happens and he tells us that our downstairs neighbor had told him the same thing in largely the same context. Mike had actually called the police about it last year, but he said they came and ran his licence and when that didn't produce any outstanding warrants they left. So at this point our downstairs neighbor is either terrible at jokes, mentally ill, or a serial murderer.

- Roommate is not having any of this, she wants to move. I know we have no legal grounds to break the lease so we would be paying double rent until the landlord re-rents the apartment to someone else. I could feasibly afford this, roommate cannot. I offered to stay here and absorb full cost of rent while she looks for other housing (I'm still leaning on 'bad at jokes' as an explanation for all this but then again I wasn't there when he said it). However she's panicky; and after this the idea of trying to room with a stranger sends her stress through the roof just about as badly as living here does. We're about 4 months in on a year long lease. Honestly I'm not really comfortable living here after this but I'm more ok with toughing it out until the lease is up and then moving. Unfortunately this is a mental health issue for roomie as she struggles with PTSD and I think this apartment would be literally unlivable for her now. Even if he's not actually a murderer schizophrenia (or behavior that resembles schizophrenia) is one of her major triggers.

Is this something we can bring up with our landlord? Is there any kind of leniency we could ask for with regards to breaking the lease? Would finding potential new tenants before we move out be a possible solution so that at most we only owe maybe two months rent instead of 8? Would it be worth it to make another police report just so they know he's been saying this to more than one person or would that be a waste of everyone's time?

Answer:
 If I were your landlord, I'd tell you to just not talk to that neighbor anymore and not to bother me over such stupid things.

You can ask for leniency for breaking the lease, but not liking a neighbor who hasn't caused you any harm isn't really grounds for a landlord to do so.

Finding new tenants could lower the amount of penalty you have to pay, but that depends entirely on the wording of your lease.

Why bother the police?  He hasn't committed a crime that you're capable of proving and would be wasting their time.Answer #2: This isn't grounds for her to break her lease.


Title: [CO] Interviewed with a company, didn't take the job, they're using the logo I showed them in the interview now as their logo.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Wow. That's ballsy. I'd start by sending a cease and desist letter. You can find templates online, but you can get a lawyer to write one for fairly cheap. A letter from an attorney will be taken more seriously.

If they refuse to cease and desist, you'll have to sue them.Answer #2: You might want to pose this question to the fine folks in /r/Design as well. I'm sure they have experience with people ripping off their work. Answer #3: You can sue for copyright infringement if you can prove you created it its not licensed.Answer #4: These kinds of cases aren't very common here on /r/legaladvice. I'd like to see how it turns out.

Keep us updated OP!Answer #5: Bit of a long shot, but if you're lucky, Google Street View might be your friend. They periodically drive places they've already gone to update imagery, but you can access the historical imagery from the Street View site. It might just be that they've gone by the store prior to your involvement with the company; if you can show, using their pictures, that it didn't have that logo before and now it does, that would strengthen your case some.Answer #6: 1.) Get pictures.

2.) Hopefully you have timestamped proof that you designed the logo before they started using it, and hopefully it's unique enough that they can't just say it was a coincidence.

3.) ??????

4.) Profit


Title: [Nebraska] My car was vandalized at a stop light. What's my next step?

Question:
A group of kids threw a beer bottle at my new car at a traffic light for seemingly no other reason than me looking at them wrong, or me driving a car much nicer than theirs. It was a car full of kids that pulled up next to me at a red light and were all staring at me, have no idea who they were. They were all drunk/drinking. Light turns green, drive ten blocks to the next red light, one of the kids rolls down his window and throws a beer bottle at my car and put two good dents on the drivers side. Then they drove off with them all flipping me off. I got their license plate number, and a picture of their car.

I called the police and an officer met with me about 15 minutes after this happened. He seemed extremely lethargic about the situation and even had the nerve to ask me "They aren't going to tell me you did something to their car too, are they?". I explained to him it was random, and they were drinking, and I have their license plate number which I gave to him but he didn't have much of a reaction. He gave me a card with the "case number" and said I may have to identify the person out of six others and he'd contact me when necessary.

One of my questions is, why would I have to ID someone when I have the license plate number and car model? Isn't the driver/owner of the car responsible?

It's been a week and I haven't heard anything. I want to press charges and I want justice to be served. The fact that those kids are still out their potentially doing the same shit to someone else infuriates me.

What steps do I need to take? Also, is there a way to find out this persons info from his license plate number?
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 > why would I have to ID someone when I have the license plate number and car model?

That doesn't prove who was driving or who threw the bottle.

> Isn't the driver/owner of the car responsible?

For an accident? Sometimes. For an assault? No.Answer #2: Did I miss the part where you called your insurance company and gave them all this information? The cops aren't the ones that are going to pay for your car repairs, or make these assholes pay.

Wanting to see these jerks charged, and getting your car fixed, are two different things.Answer #3: > even had the nerve to ask me "They aren't going to tell me you did something to their car too, are they?"

It's not" having the nerve to ask" it's called doing an investigation. He doesn't know what happened. And more often than you would expect, someone will call the cops after having instigated an incident in the first place. So your righteous indignation, while sincere, is not appropriate here.

> I want to press charges.

That's not up to you. You filed a report. That's all you can do. It's up to a prosecutor whether or not they press charges. It doesn't sound like they have a winnable case. You can't ID the bottle thrower, and that is necessary to prosecute the case successfully.

>What steps do I need to take?

You took all the steps you can. It's out of your hands now.

 >Also, is there a way to find out this persons info from his license plate number?

Yes, but what do you plan on doing with the info if you get it?


Title: got knocked out in a car accident, the cop took the other sides story and believed it without asking my side (knocked out)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Contact your insurance company.

If you have no memory of the accident it'll be rather difficult to challenge their side of the story because it could actually be true.


Title: Do I fire my incompetant employee for poor quality work or because she told me she's going back to school next year?

Question:
 I am a professional Canine Stylist and own a respected small salon. I have a detailed 12 month Apprentice program designed to take a civilian who likes dogs and turn them into a knowledgeable, confident, independant groomer by 1 year (max). They are paid as w2 employees during their apprenticeship, which is a good deal for an untrained civilian who is learning a lucrative trade while developing new skills. I have successfully taken 2 employees through this program, and trained at least 8 others throughout my career. I only hire one Assistant at a time, as I like to be able to work closely with that person.

She signed an Employee Policies and Procedures booklet, Keyholder's Agreement, Confidentiality statement, 1 year Non-Compete (a condition I set because I offer and teach completely unique services), and an agreement to begin my Apprentice training program.

Unfortunately, her performance has been lacking. She doesnt retain or even acknowledge training, corrections, or advice. She ignores direction and flat denies her low-quality work. She consistently "forgets" to give me crucial information requested by clients, resulting in customer dissatisfaction. I have coached her, worked with her, tried to come up with alternative ways to teach her, and have been forced to formally dicipline her by way of detailed signed warnings. She is on her final warning.

Nov and Dec are my two busiest months of the year and I felt terrible firing her before Christmas (she has 2 kids) but today she told me that she is going back to school fulltime in the spring.

The entire purpose of traing an Apprentice is so they can eventually work alone and allow me to take a two or three day break from my business without losing money. Since this employee's performance is poor and she obviously has no future with my business, there is no reason for me to keep training her. I could hire a new assistant that wants to learn and invest my time and energy in building them up.

When I fire this employee tomorrow, do I tell her that her plans to quit at the beginning of 2017 are what finalized my decision? Will that give her the opportunity to collect unemployment? Or should I just stick to the (documented and signed) warnings of poor performance? A combination of both?

Answer:
 Assuming you're not in Montana, and assuming you aren't signing fixed-term employment contracts, then you're (edit: almost certainly) legally in the clear either way. You don't have any obligation to explain the reason at all.

If you terminate an employee for poor performance and want to contest their unemployment application, you'd better have a paper trail.


Title: My boss is charging me $2500 of excess after an incident that I don't think was my fault. I haven't signed anything since starting the job.

Question:
I work for a car manufacturer and I sometimes demonstrate the capabilities of the car to customers. There's one exercise I do with another employee where we're both driving in a straight line and I gently merge into the other car and that car automatically veers away after identifying the car coming close to it.

The system didn't work and I made light contact with the other car. It made multiple scratches to the door, however they are not very noticeable.

My boss is now charging me $2500 in excess to pay for the damages. I have not signed anything and I believe it was a malfunction of the car.

What should I do?

Answer:
 Did you ever agree to pay for damages like this?

What is your location?

Are you in a Union or do you have an employment contract? (might be rellevant).Answer #2: Contact the Fairwork Ombudsman. It's against the law to require employees to pay for workplace accidents. Answer #3: > What should I do?

You could start by providing your location.


Title: Threatened to be sued for Malicious Intent to Defraud

Question:
I've been living in PA for about 6 years now, originally from Tennessee, and I've recently received a phone call from a process server saying that they received documentation from professional legal services saying they are going to sue me for Malicious Intent to Defraud a company \(the company being a store in Tennessee\) for 2k, they are planing on getting a judgement against me \(may 15th?\) and garnishing my wages. I can settle with them today for $1200.

I obviously declined, I have no idea what they are talking about. But they did have my social security number. They threw out some case number which I've spend some time trying to crawl through PA dockets to find but seems to mean nothing \(maybe their internal case number?\)

I got another call today from professional legal services saying they would like to settle before heading into pre\-litigation.

I've received no documents pertaining to this at all. Is this a scam? It sounds quite real. I also have not been served.

How can I even hire an attorney if I know nothing about who is trying to sue me or why?

Answer:
 > from a process server saying that they received documentation from professional legal services saying they are going to sue me for Malicious Intent to Defraud a company (the company being a store in Tennessee) for 2k, they are planing on getting a judgement against me (may 15th?) and garnishing my wages. I can settle with them today for $1200.

Scam. Process servers don't offer settlements.

If they actually used the phrase "professional legal services", another hint it's a scam. Just word salad to intimidate you.Answer #2: If it's a real process server, you need to deal with this. Offer to meet them at your nearest police station to receive service, then proceed from there. Either they'll be glad to get service of process done, or they'll find some excuse not to - in which case you can be _fairly_ confident that this is a scam.Answer #3: Did you have any business with the company in TN?

As Malicious Intent to Defraud isn't a statute in TN that I can find or am aware of, and is closer to the Intent to Defraud US criminal statute mashed up with TN's Malicious Intent verbiage this seems very scammy.

u/derspiny is correct in offering to meet at a police station to be served will give you a pretty swift answer.


Title: Roommate assaults me and I retaliate, mother wants to sue me

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Who knows when you ignore the basic instructions to provide location. You both need to deal with your drinking problem that much is clear.


Title: [Germany] Site redirected to illegal page (Possibly NSFW)

Question:
Hi guys im completeley new here so im sorry if i do something wrong. This is a throwaway account.
So i live in germany and was searching... well porn. I just googled stuff like  "hot teen p***y" well normal stuff
I just opened the first page and there was a pretty hot looking teen but she looked like atleast 18 so i wanted to open the video...
Well it didn't open the video but opened a new webpage instead and well it was obviously a cp site...
There where pictures with a description "16" "10" an so on .. at first i didn't realise whats happening but after like 2 seconds i immediatly closed the window.. The 1 picture of the 10 year olds omg it was horrible.... My question is is it possible that i can get into problems for getting redirected by a website thats on the first page of google ? I hope you guys can help me and sorry if i did some mistakes im still in shock...

Answer: You're fine. Stop going to sketchy porn web sites.Answer #2: Wash your eyes with soap. You will be fine.


Title: Dog sitter released dogs and missing

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You're always welcome to file but I seriously doubt you will win an emotional damage suit. Your only real damages are the loss of the dog, but unfortunately they are viewed as property. Unless the dog was a pure-bred of some valuable breed their value is going to be less than $100.

The law is kind of shitty regarding dogs I know, but you don't really have much recourse.


Title: 95 mph in a 70 zone speeding ticket (17yr old)

Question: Ohio. I got pulled over going 95 mph in a 70 zone. I'm 17 years old and haven't gotten a ticket before. The next step is juvenile court because I'm a minor. What should I expect as a penalty and is there anything I can do to help myself at this point?

Answer: Get ready to walk/bicycle/bus/Uber a lot.


Title: family getting harassed by dads ex-boss.

Question: my dad quit his job because he was getting over worked for little pay. so he started working for himself. His now ex boss didn't like that and says my dad is stealing his work. the ex boss told someone that he has a book dedicated to my dad to get him out of the county.he has called multiple people like the EPA ( EPA guy said he needed certificates which he has and sent them proof). we have caught this guy staring at our house at multiple times of the day. i have 1 bad photo of him leaving(watching us) and 1 bad video of him driving by rubber necking (he has no need to drive by our house). hes threatening places we get work from telling them he will shut them down if they give us more work. we know he has guns (and is a felon for a couple drug charges but says he had his rights restored) and the way hes been we've been a little scared. we cant move cause hes slowed our business down and we don't have enough money to. what can we do to stop this? we live in south Carolina

Answer: Go to the courthouse and request a restraining order.Answer #2: Get security cameras and a restraining order. INAL but if memory serves, in some states having a restraining order against you prohibits your possession of firearms.


Title: Roommate got charged with Driving While Addicted (CA, USA) and none of us know what that means or how likely it is to get a conviction

Question:
Okay so!

My roommate was driving in Orange County. It was 3am. She was pulled over because her headlights were out, she doesn’t have plates, and her back end was smashed.

She had been drinking earlier that day. But she passed a field sobriety test. And never admitted to drinking nor using drugs. They did not attempt to blood test her nor drug test her.

After checking her address, the cops realized she had been arrested two days before for sleeping in her car. And also realized the address given was a sober living.

This is probably right about when they started profiling her for the Driving While Addicted charge.

I’ve been trying to research about this law but it’s really confusing and it almost seems too vague to actually convict someone.

So if anyone has some clarity on how this charge works that would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve met a couple people who have gotten this charge but had been dropped for various reasons.

Answer:
 That charge doesn’t require the driver to be high when driving. It means the cops determined that she is addicted to some kind of drug that would case problems when she starts coming off of it (think opiates).

Just looking up that she had a recent address at a SLE isn’t enough to arrest someone for it. Chances are there are more to the story then what’s being told to you.


Title: Abandoned vehicle in a grocery store parking lot

Question:
I live in Michigan and at the local Meijer there is, what I believe to be, an abandoned vehicle. It's been sitting in the same parking spot for at least a couple months now, snow has been plowed around it and the rotors have a completely thorough coating of rust. I frequent the store and I've seen it in the same spot as far back as August. I'm personal friends with a store manager and they have considered reporting it, but haven't due to the type of car and it's location being in the back of the lot.

I understand that the owner would have 20 days to claim it, and if they don't it goes to public auction. I don't wish to buy the vehicle in the aspect that if it came to endgame, I would not have nearly enough money to buy it at public auction. Is there a way to request possession of the vehicle prior to it going to auction if the owner does not claim the vehicle?

Answer:
 > Is there a way to request possession of the vehicle prior to it going to auction if the owner does not claim the vehicle?

No. There's a process for a reason. You can't just take other people's stuff without going thru the process. That's theft.


Title: Is it against the law for people to let their dogs poop in my yard? I live in city limits on a busy street.

Answer: The city most likely has requirements that pet owners clean up after their animals. If not, there is always a possible littering charge (knew a client that got littering for puking out a car window in the highway)


Title: My job is killing me.

Question:
So I'm a full time student (20M). In order to get some money on the side for expenses I took a job at a restaurant being a counter worker. When I first started working I gave my availability as whatever times I wasn't at school so they can have as many times as they need to pick from. After I was done training I immediately started working 6 days a week doing 40+ hours. At first I needed to get me mind of some things so I didn't complain but after a few months of balancing school and work it became impossible. I would skip school so I could sleep in and make it in time for work. It became way too much. I even started working 7 days a week sometimes. Two months ago I started begging for more days off because it was too much. They gave me one day off guaranteed but would still call me in to do other things for them such as deliveries. I still make counter wage when doing deliveries and I know they don't report my tips from the deliveries because I'm not officially a driver. This was great for me but they would do this often, having me start on deliveries then switch to counter or vice versa. Whenever I get my schedule it's only the day I'm working and what time I start. I never get an end of my shift. It depends on the rush which I understand but as of late I've been held from going home and switched to doing other jobs around the restaurant such as prep kitchen work because they scheduled too many people for the counter. I gave my notice for when I'm quitting (May 11) earlier this week which is way more than 2 weeks time but they say they will still need me after and want me to stay longer. I barely want to stay now for my grades are slipping and they aren't treating me with respect in the workplace; forcing me to stay 9-12 hours sometimes, switching me to different positions at will and asking me to do things I shouldn't really be doing such as managerial work (counting tips, emptying the register, etc) with little to no intention of promoting me (I've asked). I want to know if there is anything I can do to leave earlier than the date I've given them or even something I have the legal ability to do to make them stop giving me a hard time. I just want my life back.

Edit: I live in NYC

Answer:
 > I want to know if there is anything I can do to leave earlier than the date I've given them

Yeah.  Just don't show up.  You're free to stop working for them at any time.  The whole "two weeks notice" is generally just a courtesy.

Absent a contract you can quit at any time.Answer #2: You can leave anytime you like, you don't need to work out the two weeks.

In other advice even if your employer is not tracking your tips you have to, and you have to report them as income on your taxes.


Title: [Los Angeles] My girlfriend just completed her 90 day trial period as a contracted worker and the employer is trying to change her contract due to the new overtime laws. We are unsure if she is a contracted employee or at will.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >[Company] may terminate the Term of this Agreement with or without cause and without any advanced notice.

is the very definition of at will


Title: (CA) What are some legal issues I might run into throwing a 300+ private event at a Warehouse

Question: The warehouse belongs to a friend in LA, the private party will include a concert and alcohol with no sales only donations. We have diligent security. My concern is the cost vs liability of forming an LLC event venue business or just hosting the party myself and purchasing insurance.

Answer:
 You want to run an event in California, and in Los Angeles of all places?  You're going to need permits up the yingyang... a little Googling tells me you'd likely need:

- Permit to post fliers
- Permit for [temporary special event](https://www.ladbs.org/services/core-services/plan-check-permit/types-of-plan-checks-permits/special-event-permit)
- Permit for [live entertainment](http://www.lapdonline.org/police_commission/content_basic_view/9142)
- [ABC permit](http://www.abc.ca.gov/forms/pdfspc.html) to even have alcohol on the premises

You should definitely LLC this to limit your liability, but in CA that's $800 mandatory tax plus filing fees before you've even started.  You're also going to need proper sanitation for so many people, but that will be borne out as part of the permit process.Answer #2: 1) Fire and occupancy code violations, 2) other use violations (e.g. land is zoned industrial and not for use as an entertainment facility), 3) premises liability if someone gets hurt by a condition on the property, 3) underage drinking liability, 4) liability for property damage, 5) claims from your guests if the event is not as promised (see, e.g., the infamous Fyre Festival), 6) claims from your performers for breach of whatever agreements you have from them, and 7) claims from your guests and performers for anything else that may go wrong (e.g. the show must be cancelled for some reason, not enough tickets are sold, performers back out, guests want refunds for various reasons, etc.).   There’s probably more to worry about, but that’s what I could come up with off the top of my head.


Title: What are the steps for classifying my house/land as private property?

Question: I believe my property is labeled as "residential" with the tax assessor. How do I get this changed to "private?" I have no debts and no mortgage. Thanks.

Answer:
 It already is private.  "Private" just means "not owned by government".

"Residential" is a zoning term. It means someone lives there, as opposed to a farm ("agricultural") or a business ("commercial").Answer #2: What do you mean by "private"?

Is this a SovCit thing?


Title: [California] Man hired to do hardwood flooring, given a huge sum and later refused to do the job. Money is gone, so is the wood, and he.

Question:
So recently, a friend of mine hired a man to do hardwood floors in her new house. She found this guy, let's call him HW, through another person.

Cue earlier this Monday, she meets HW, they agree to do the job. HW says he needs money for the materials. She says how much? He says $10,000. So she gives him the money (as a check of $10,000) to go purchase the material. She also wanted him to take out the carpeting in her house, which would have been an additonal $500. That same day they were supposed to meet up to put the flooring in her house, but he didn't show up. So she ended up paying some other laborers to remove the carpet.

The next day, the wood is at her house and the process hasn't started yet. HW calls and asks for another $2,000. She asks why, he says that the wood he bought was more expensive than the money she gave him, so he had to cover the cost out of his own pocket. He said that he had to pay $2,000 extra for the materials.

So she, feeling a little suspicious, asks him to produce a receipt. He claims that he's not allowed to give receipts, or to produce a receipt of purchase. Friend says that she won't give him the $2,000 or pay for labor unless he produces a receipt of the materials he purchased with her money. So HW hangs up. HW calls again later to say that he quits and that he feels cheated, and that he'd be coming the next day to pick up his tool box that he left at her house.

The day after that, my friend was able to get some laborers to start on the hardwood flooring process at her house. By midday, HW still hadn't shown up at her house to get his tool box. So she leaves for about 20-30 minutes to do an errand while the laborers are there working. As it turns out, when she left HW had come with another guy to take his toolbox AND the wood that was being used to do the flooring. One of the laborers told her that HW had come in while they were working and while she was gone to take the things. They thought that HW was also going to be putting in flooring as well.

She has called the police, and they should be on their way soon.

She has the contact of the person who referred her, the guy's name and phone number. He also told her he was a priest. What else can she do to get the $10,000 back?

Answer:
 Before giving the guy money and signing a contract, your friend verified that the guy is licensed with the state's contractor board, right? That's how you get his address, and if he's really gone, you can collect against his bond. Answer #2: Cancel the check immediately!! Most banks on such a large amount will not clear the whole amount at once. They step it, like $2,000 then 5,000 etc.

Thats a lot of wood to buy. Go to the nearby lumber yards and describe the guy. He may be a regular and they know him.

Take photos of everything immediately.

Create a log immediately of what happened, who what where etc.

Finally if he continues to avoid the calls go to the attorney generals. There are whole divisions which focus on consumer fraud.  It doesnt mean the money will be coming back any time soon if they dont start an action against him.

Also search his name and local sites its possible others have encountered this person.

The main goal is to get the money back without resorting to court. Even if you to agree to a couple of thousand for his time.

Litigation is costly and uncertain. Most importantly if hes a scam artist he probably doesnt have any assets to satisfy any judgement.

Good luck.


Title: Friend stole my laptop

Question:
Throwaway because my husband is on reddit... We had a girl staying with us for a while, we were trying to help her get back on her feet. She is in prison now, I guess there are some people you just can't help.

She finally found a place to move into, and so I let her pack up while I was at work, then I drove "her" stuff to her new place. I didnt know it at the time but she took a lot of my stuff, but it's mostly clothes and stuff I didn't mind, because she was homeless before. She really should have asked though. She took my laptop though. She probably knew I wouldn't realize it was gone for a while. I wasn't using it until I went to school because I wanted a nice newish computer. So I had it in storage.

She moved out two weeks ago, and got arrested one week ago. Out of the blue I found out I will be starting school sooner than expected, so I went to dust off the laptop and pow it was gone.

Since she was my friend and living with me, can I declare it stolen? She didnt break in yanno... Also like I said it was two weeks ago.. I think her roommate has it now, I asked his neighbor and the neighbor said he saw him with a new laptop, fits mines description. I don't even know if he knows it was mine, he might have thought it was hers. I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. How do I move forward? Am I just fucked?

Edit:  THE CASE IS CLOSED!
I got ahold of the roommate. He said she was keeping 'her' laptop at her grandfather's for safekeeping. He's seen it. He did not know it was mine. I'm off to go knock on a random old man's door. Woooo.

Answer:
 >Since she was my friend and living with me, can I declare it stolen?

Sure.  Her living with you and being a friend does not mean she cannot steal it.  You can report her for stealing it.

>How do I move forward? Am I just fucked?

I would talk to the police and file a report.  Give them all the information, including where you think it is now.  They will investigate.  Perhaps you can contact the roommate and ask for it back.  Let him know it belongs to you.

Ultimately, you may have to sue her for the value of the laptop.  However, that is probably a last resort because it sounds like she doesn't have much money and would be difficult to collect from in jail.


Title: Legally what does "reasonable" mean in dollar value?

Question:
I work at a private company in California, I am low-level manager. Employee who said to me his back hurts and no chair we have is good so he wants a chair that costs $400 that he says will help. Boss said no when I relayed request.

So employee says he'll get a doctor note and the ADA says we have to do it. I said ok (politely) and am waiting for the note. Is there a cutoff as to what is "reasonable"? Like, if the chair was $100 then I think my boss would have said yes and if the chair was $3000 nobody would think that was reasonable. No? I Googled it but there is no price value put on "reasonable".

Answer:
 We're not going to be able to put a dollar value on it, because reasonable accommodation depends on the business.

If the $3,000 chair would create undue hardship for your business (it more than likely would) then you could deny the claim.

Is $400 the cheapest the chair goes for? Is it a specific chair the employee wants, or just a type of chair? Answer #2: Good office chairs aren't cheap.  I'm sitting on a Herman Miller Embody right now.  The one I have at work was about $1200, and the one at home has a few more options and was about $1600.

I bought both of them after I was having back issues with the chairs I had before (~$200 at work, ~$400 at home, but the padding was wearing out).

$400 is extremely reasonable if you're not getting a 1-2 year chair from Staples, especially if it resolves or prevents a medical issue.

EDIT: Here's a nice document on ADA & Ergonomics, includes specific legal cases.

http://www.auburnengineers.com/drupal_files/Ergo%20and%20ADA2.pdf


Title: Years of unpaid traffic tickets. Help!

Question:
Let me start by saying this is in NC and spreads across 3 different counties. I'm 22 years old and have had many traffic tickets in the short time I had a license. They range from failure to stop at a stop sign, a fender bender, speeding, and driving without a DL. I can't remember exactly how many it is but I have at least 3 in one county and 2 in two different counties and the oldest one I can remember is from July 2015. I've been a dumb teenager and have been paying for it these past few years now. The main reason for not paying my tickets or showing up to court was lack of money and some ignorance in my part. One of the counties I had a ticket in I paid a lawyer to go for me cause I did have an arrest warrant for not showing up the first time. I paid that ticket and was informed months later the I had to pay court cost about a month ago but did not get the notification as I moved to a different address.

&#x200B;

My question is how can I figure out how many tickets I have without the chance of getting arrested? Can I just pay them and get a fine or is jail time an option at this point? None of the stop ever turned into an arrest but the last cop did ask if I was going to take care of the tickets.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Usually, you can simply pay your traffic tickets online [here](https://www.nccourts.gov/services), it's usually pretty quick and accurate as to the outstanding tickets. But, that normally only works up until the court date, I guess you could try to clear at least some of them. Once you get a bench warrant issued it turns into an altogether different problem.

I would recommend sitting down with a lawyer again and going through everything with them because jail time is an option from the moment that you fail to appear in court. It's not years of jail time, but they will hold you so that they can be sure that you actually appear in court.


Title: [VA] Friend driving in Orange County, VA and cited with ‘reckless driving’, wants to plead no contest instead of not guilty,.

Question: Friend has a clean record, +5 points VA license, no criminal record, has already taken a defensive driving course in good faith. I was in the car and there was no way we were going “79 mph” as we had just moved from the left to right lane after being tailgated by multiple cars for going too slow. Officer was in an unmarked vehicle yet claimed we “slowed down” after seeing him. Officer put wrong car body type, and wrong race on ticket. In the state of VA reckless driving is a misdemeanor so she is rightfully very stressed about it, but also doesn’t want to hire a lawyer and thinks that pleading no contest is the best course of action. She thinks that pleading not guilty will make it look like she’s “calling the officer a liar” and doesn’t want to be confrontational. Legal Advice, please help!

Answer:
 > no criminal record

It's very likely this will no longer be the case if she pleads no contest. This is a misdemeanor criminal charge which will show up in public background checks. She needs an attorney.

>  Officer put wrong car body type, and wrong race on ticke

The car isn't what's going to end up with a criminal record, and the race of your friend is irrelevant.

> but also doesn’t want to hire a lawyer

Why? Because she's cheap? How much more does she think it will cost in the long run with a criminal record?

> She thinks that pleading not guilty will make it look like she’s “calling the officer a liar”

Just no. First of all, disputing the account of a police officer can be a perfectly valid legal strategy in some cases. Secondly, that's not what pleading not guilty is. The cop won't care. He will show up to testify if necessary. This is his job it's not personal.  She's just another person he cited with reckless driving, the main difference here being that most are smart enough to hire an attorney.


Title: Our Wedding Videographer is going out of business - they are violating our contract. Do we have any recourse?

Question:
We hired our Videographer in November of 2017 and have a signed contract showing that date. Our wedding was in April of 2018. The videography crew showed up, everything went fine.

Per the contract we are supposed to receive our wedding video 6-12 weeks after the wedding, so we were expecting to have it by July. It’s now October and after they ignored multiple emails from us, they sent us an email stating that they would be going out of business and can not get us our wedding video for an additional 3-6 months. They are claiming that they are going out of business due to hurricane Irma affecting their revenue. Even though Irma hit 2 months before we ever approached them or signed a contract.

Based on their current estimates they will be at least 6 months late on what is stated in our contract.

Do we have any recourse here? I told my wife we should ask for a partial refund along with the raw footage so we can take it to another company to be edited. She doesn’t want to rock the boat with them. I’m concerned they will eventually go out of business and never send us our video.

Thanks
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 No recourse that you do not appear already aware of.

I would prioritize getting your raw footage first and above all else.  Then, once that is secure, ask for a refund since they materially breached the contract.

It's very likely you will recover no money as they likely have no money left to refund you, but you can certainly try.Answer #2: You definitely need to act fast. I find it suspicious that they can quote you another 6 months; I think the video is either of crappy quality or they somehow lost it.

Please tell me you didn't pay everything upfront already? Regardless, I would send a letter/email detailing your demand (raw footage) within a set time, no more than 30 days. Reference the contract again. Don't mention the threat of suing or court. When that time expires, just sue them. If they are truly going bankrupt then this may be a dead end but I doubt they are.


Title: Was threatened by a man with a knife and his pit bulls and wondering about what I can do.

Question:
I live in BC, Canada. Last night at about 1:30 AM I was walking home from a friends house through an area I don't normally walk through. I went to turn up a road that I thought veered to the right to get to my destination. I started walking up this roadwhile looking at my phone when all of sudden I hear footsteps and look over my right shoulder to see a huge white pitbull running right towards me like a bat out if hell. I hear his owner yell at him to let up and then saw a guy following the dog towards me with a knife in his hand. He had gace tattoos and was scary. He yelled at me "Who the fuck are you?! What the fuck are you doing?! Do you know them?!" and pointed up the road.

Wondering who he meant by them I looked up to see that the road that I thought veered to the right was actually a cul-de-sac, so I think he thought I must have been going towards these houses to get up to no good when really I was just trying to get home. I said "No I don't I thought the road curved" and he got even more aggressive and told me to get the fuck out of there before he grabs his other two pit bulls. Keep in mind this whole time he's very aggressive, has a knife and a snarling pitbull at his side. I said sorry and obviously turned around to get out of there and I said "Sorry dude I'm not doing anything wrong." And he said "Yea because you're fucking leaving!!"

I was naturally pretty shaken up by the whole thing so I just walked home cause I didn't want any trouble, but in retrospect I should have called the police. I know I don't have any legal action to take against this guy but should I still phone the police to let them know about this incident? This area is next to a high school and is full of kids. I know it was really late and he was probably suspicious as to what I was doing but still, he can't be sicking his dogs and running up on people with a knife for just walking on the street. Thanks in advance for any advice.

P.S. as I was leaving he was yelling to the pitbull "Watch him, Adolf! Watch him". So that along with the face tattoos gives you an idea of the kind of guy he is.

Answer: You can still file a police report.


Title: This police person in my building (and other police)has been really messing with me for years.

Question:
My property was searched when I wasn't around (i have video evidence).They got people in building  to pretend to like me who I thought were romantically interested but just were messing with me.
Vancouver , WA

Answer: Are you now or have you ever been the victim of gangstalking?


Title: [USA-CA] Dispute with landlord over security deposit agreement culminates in 3 day pay or quit notice

Question:
Seven months ago I got a new roommate for an apartment I had been living in for 12 months. As part of my original rental agreement, I paid a full months security deposit.

When asking for approval for my new roommate, my landlord stipulated that he wanted an additional half months security deposit on top of what I had already paid. I was uncomfortable with that and expressed it. He said he was basing it on the new tenants credit score, and “Once we have a track record of on time payment and you’re (me) satisfied with him as a housemate, then I’ll refund [the additional half months security deposit”. I expressed my misgivings again, and he followed with:

“I collect a security deposit from the new tenant for both of our benefit. I will refund the security deposit in six months once we have a track record from the new tenant”

We talked more about it and he changed it to “a few months” and then I agreed.

After three months I approached him asking for the refund. He cited the original six months, and said lets wait until then. I didn’t feel like arguing so I let it go and waited.

A month or so ago I texted him about it again. Now he says we will schedule an inspection, he will stop by and if everything is satisfactory we are good. An inspection was not part of the original agreement, and was never mentioned in any form. He is never home so no inspection was scheduled.

This month I got tired of being jerked around. So I paid half the months rent and said ok we’re good now. Since then it’s been nothing but threats, culminating in a 3 day notice to pay or quit on my door last night. Somehow he can’t schedule an inspection we never agreed upon, but he can get someone to the house to tape papers to my door lickety split.

At this point it’s not about the money. I am angry at his constant shifting the goalposts and now at his bullying. Is this worth my time, though? Should I get a lawyer and fight this or just pay and keep taking the shaft? I've called one and am waiting to hear back but obviously I don't have alot of time. Thanks

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: you didn't pay your rent, he can evict you.  you can't just withhold money from your rent. that's not how it works.


Title: Am I allowed to call the police on my boss if he doesn’t give me my check?

Question:
First off, I am a minor. I had been working for my employer for over a year before I left as of about two or three weeks ago. I asked him politely if I had any money this friday (12/22/17), because I forgot what days I had worked the past three weeks. He replied, “Your paycheck is the least of my concerns during christmas time.” He said more, but it’s not important. I’m expecting there to be a check for me there this friday afternoon, and if not I was going to take legal action if I could, but I didn’t know if I could since I am a minor.  I know there’s gotta be something about withholding checks from employees, but I’m not sure what steps I could take if he does some shit like that or just makes it harder for me to get it. I did see this though in the rules of this subreddit if you have been withheld a paycheck:

 “You should contact your local labor board and file a complaint. It is easy and you do not need an attorney. You will have to have been a regular W2 employee. If you are contractor or 1099 employee, you will have to sue in small claims court.”

 Thank you all so much. I will be replying as often as I can, and again, thanks for your help.

Location: Ohio

Answer:
 If you are not paid in full this Friday, start from here:

https://ohio.gov/working/rights/

Read about your rights, call them for help, see what paperwork you need to file where in order to get your wages.

You will be fine - your employer should handle this before the Dept. of Labor gets involved, if they know what they are doing.


Title: [TX] How to sell my car to my neighbor in installments while legally covering my ass

Question:
Hello,

My neighbor wants to buy my car ($1500) in $200 installments, paid monthly.

Basically, I want to draw up a little contract that stipulates the terms. If I just type something up in MS Word, and we each sign it, is that a legally binding document? Or would I have to get it notarized, or use something else?

Answer:
 IANAL, but I have personally bought and sold over 50 cars during the past 20 years as a side hobby/supplemental income. Financing any amount, especially only $1,500, virtually never works out for anyone involved. If your neighbor is unable to get a loan for that small of an amount, there is probably a good reason.

That being said, the ONLY way I would consider this is if you maintain possession of the car and title until the balance is paid in full.Answer #2: No, no, HELL NO!! You will get the first $200 and thereafter you will very likely get nothing. Tell your neighbor to come back when he has $1500 cash in hand.

In the meantime, if you want to just sell it, put it on Craigslist.Answer #3: If your neighbor cant get external financing for $1500, there's a very good reason.

You could absolutely write up an agreement and get it notarized, but that isnt the issue you should be concerned about.

The important thing is whether you can actually **collect** on the money they owe. Even if you go to small claims, and even if you win there's no guarantee you'll get a cent.Answer #4: You can write it on a banana peel. Whether it's legally binding or not will depend on what it says.


Title: My friend was in an accident last night and both refused to call the police. Neither have insurance. Help moving forward? [Michigan, US]

Question:
I'm going to do the best I can relaying this information. If there is anything I should add please let me know and I will make an edit.

My friend left my apartment last night and we received a call within 15 minutes that he had been in an accident. We thought he was hurt and went to him immediately. When we got there both parties were still there and unharmed. We urged them both to call the police, but since neither had insurance they did not want to do this.

The story: He was getting on a major freeway with a short entrance ramp. He saw her but assumed she was in the process of merging. He glanced over his shoulder to check if he could safely merge and looked back to see her brake lights. He was very close and was going to hit her so he swerved and he only clipped her. His car was driveable but fairly messed up. Her car did start as well, but we left before she did so we don't know what happened after that. I stayed in my vehicle because I did not feel safe standing on the side of such a busy freeway. They exchanged information but did not take photos of the damage only of each other's registration and license plates. If I had felt comfortable, I would have got out and told them to do that, but I was feeling incredibly unsafe and wanted off the highway (honestly, I thought that was car accident 101, but it didn't happen).

He had to work at 4am and we *really* wanted off the highway so they exchanged info and we headed back towards our apartment, found a place to park his car and came back inside to figure things out. He tried to find someone to cover his shift, but was unable so he had to go into work.

They called about 6 times last night at around midnight and he responded with a text that he had to work in a few hours and would contact her tomorrow. He has since sent her a text message and has received no response.

We aren't sure of what to do at this point. Any advice would be amazing. This guy is my best friend and like a brother to me. I want to help him as best I can.

Edit: Is it too late to call the police?

Answer: Your friend will likely be responsible for their own damages, and the other party will have to fend for themselves. There is no insurance to call in this situation, and because no police were called, there is no report as to who would likely be at-fault.


Title: My mother was greatly insulted last week, can we issue court proceedings on that person?

Question: Early this month a cousin from my mother side of the family, came from Iraq to deal with questions on regard to some kind of family lands near Texas which of whom my mother and I are the landlords a land inherited from my grandfather who he had both when he came from Iraq, during the war. In the inheritance, nothing had been ever written about that side of the family living there, on the original will, and he came playing some kind of will, telling that half of the lands are his and on his side of the family, my maternal cousin. It is written quite loud and clear that he is after money, he insulted my mom by splitting into her face that she had multiple divorces and rels, one of whom was whit my father who is bisexual and currently whit her husband, and one whit her ex-husband calling her ‘’whore’’ if I can put the correct term of word usage. It is not only that but he also splinted at her face telling her why you ‘’don’t execute your son because of his bisexuality’’ and stuff like this her current husband my step-father had beaten him and trashed him over the door. My question is, can we issue, a court proceeding on the grounds of discrimination, women insult and immersion of women right, on a person who doesn’t even live in the US or we have to sue him on the international court.

Answer:
 If insult is suppose to be assault, you can call the police an file a report about him spitting in your mothers face. Though your stepdad may be arrested as well for beating your cousin up.Answer #2: Spitting in someone's face is generally assault. It may be difficult to prove.

Saying mean things isn't a crime in the US, and there's no international court that'd take this sort of case either.


Title: [FL] Employer Is Trying To Force Me To Do A Commercial For My Workplace

Question:
I'm in northern Florida and my firm is going to change my shift in an attempt to force me into recording a commercial for them to use on social media (and I'm assuming local tv).

I've stated to my direct supervisor that I am not interested but he is adamant about me doing it and stated that he will change my schedule the day of to coincide with the camera crew.

Please advise.

Answer: What is your legal question?  You either do it and stay employed, or refuse and risk being fired.Answer #2: You have the right to refuse. And your employer has the right to fire you for it. Answer #3: Your job is whatever your employer is telling you to do. If you do not want to do your job, you may quit. If you refuse, he may fire you.


Title: 18 year old girlfriend moving in with me

Question: I am 20 years old and I have been dating my girlfriend for 2 years now.  She will be turning 18 in November of this year.  We are wanting to move in together but she is still in high school.  I know her mother would not approve of this choice (she is an abusive bitch).  If we go through with this, is there any way her mother would have any legal leverage over anything that we try to do?  I don't want to get the police involved and I want her to be able to graduate at the school that she currently attends. We live in a small town in southern Illinois if that helps.

Answer:
 Once she's 18 she is an adult. Her mother can make her life difficult by refusing to provide her financial support, but that's about it.

It would be wise of her to separate her bank accounts and her property from her mother *before* she decides to set this drama bomb off. Probably a good idea to tip the school off as well that her mother no longer has authority to do anything on her behalf.Answer #2: My wife moved out at 18 while still in High School.

She wrote her own absence notes and signed them herself.  This caused a row with the school.

She presented the school with her lease info and the the fact she did not live with a parent and they eventually accepted it and it was not a big deal


Title: [MA] Falsely accused of sexual abuse, person is demanding "hush money," do we just pay?

Question:
Hi all,  I want to keep this as vague as possible.  Our family is falsely accused of sexual abuse of an underage person.  Obviously you don't know me and you don't know if I'm telling the truth or not, so please for the sake of this conversation just assume that we're not guilty.

The long and the short of it is that the person is demanding a large-ish sum of money (think new Toyota) to not go to the police and file a report.  Half on Wednesday 21 DEC, half at a later date.  This is a person with a list of priors and active warrants, mostly civil though, if any of that matters.

Some of the family just want to pay and be done with it, even false allegations are extremely damaging.  We have a reputation here and it's a small town (Western MA, lots of small, tight knit towns), and can't really move to another part of the area.  Some of us (msyelf included) are really upset that we tried to help this guy and it's come to this.  Maybe this is just a really expensive lesson in pick carefully who you try to help.

We tried to stall for time but it was 21 DEC or it gets reported.  I really don't know what to do - we could pay and still be okay, but at the same time it just feels extremely wrong.

EDIT: throwaway acct, obviously.

Answer: No. Document the hell out of this, go to the police. If they take it to social media or actually reports it to police, get a lawyer to see how you can address it without stepping over the line yourselves.


Title: I crashed into a coworker. We both don’t have insurance or a drivers license. She’s trying to bill me for all the damages. How can I protect myself from being taken advantage of?

Question:
I rear ended my coworker this weekend. My car is totaled while hers is just scratched and nicked.

She filed a claim to my insurance, but they told her they wouldn’t cover it. I’m assuming it’s either because my name isn’t on my parents insurance or because her name isn’t on her parents insurance.

No police report was filed

We both don’t have drivers licenses

This happened in Texas

She’s trying to get a claim at a body repair shop and want to invoice me the bill. I am hesitant because I don’t want to get overcharged.

At the day of the crash I forgot to take pictures of her car. She is trying to make me pay for the damages done to her bumper, trunk, spoiler which are all reasonable to an extent. However she is also trying to bill me for damages done to her tires and a shattered front headlight light bulb.

During the day of the crash she told me in passing that since we both have insurance she’s going to tell them she lost her gas tank plug. She wanted to basically scam the insurance company.

What are some things I should tell her to save myself some money? Could she sue me even though we both were driving without insurance or driver licenses?

Answer: You are responsible for all damages you caused. She can sue you. You do realize that if you get into a serious accident you and your parents will be sued into bankrupty, right?Answer #2: If she told me she got rear ended and lost her gas tank plug I’d look at her stupid, but from damage you’ve mentioned it sounds like it’s gonna be worth about 5-6k .. If you’re familiar with a shop that you trust take her car there and get a quote as well


Title: Car accident question-he hit me and doesn't want to go through insurance

Question:
Yesterday, I (F 26) was hit by a 23 year-old kid pulling out of his garage. He plowed through the left front driver's side. We got out, checked the damage and saw that his car was still drivable and mine was not.
He immediately admitted fault and said he and his family would like to pay for the damage. I called the police to see if they needed to come out and they said since there was no property damage that we needn't.
I called AAA to come tow my car to the nearest body shop and got all of the kid's information including insurance. He asked if there was any way we could do this without insurance since he's young and probably doesn't the insurance spike. He then said "unless it's crazy expensive" then we'll get insurance involved.

It's at the body shop right now. I ended up spending 8 hours in the hospital yesterday because I hit my head so hard that I worried I had a concussion (I don't). My friend who came with me to the hospital panicked when I told him the kid didn't want to go through insurance and said no way in hell should I allow that.

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question but I've never really been in an accident like this before where it was 100% someone else's fault. I guess I want to know:

I don't have collision insurance on my car-will I have to pay anything for the repairs? I live paycheck to paycheck and even $100 would hurt me.
Will his insurance cover any of my hospital bills?

Thanks! I'm in Los Angeles, CA.

Answer:
 Go through insurance. It is what its there for. Call his insurance company and make a claim against him. They will want to know all of the details.

Also send the medical bills to his insurance. He should be more careful and hopefully this is an eye opener for him.


Title: Geico attempting to collect a false insurance claim against me

Question:
I live in the Portland, OR area, and back in November 2016, I received a letter from a collection agency (Jonathan Neil &
Associates INC) stating that I owed Geico about $10k. This was the first time I was ever contacted about any kind of debt to Geico. I do not have a vehicle or a driver's license, as I take public transit everywhere. In the letter, it stated that my "driver's license" would be revoked if I did not immediately pay the debt.

Confused, I went onto Geico's claim center website, put in the claim number attached to the letter, and requested more information. I received an automated email back with the phone number of someone I can call if I needed immediate help. I waited for a week for an email back, and then called. The representative I spoke with, Monique, stated that the claim was for a vehicle accident back in March 2016. I explained to her that it was not me, as I have never had a driver's license and do not own a vehicle. She got snotty, and asked me where my address was obtained from. I pointed out that most information can be obtained from the internet nowadays. She said she'd handle it, and I never heard back from Geico. Guessing that the issue was resolved, I forgot about it.

Well, I just received another letter, this time from another collection agency, trying to collect on the same claim. I will not be paying Geico a debt that I do not owe them. What legal actions do I have available to me?

Again, I have never had a driver's license, I have never owned a vehicle, and I have never been in a vehicle accident. I do know that there is another woman living in the area with an almost identical name to my maiden name (our middle names are different, but still share the same first initial), but I have no contact with her. I know about her because our applications to the same college got combined into one two years prior, and she called me when my information replaced most of hers. I legally changed my name in December 2015.

Answer:
 When you're notified of the debt, you should [dispute it in writing](https://consumerist.com/2007/07/18/sample-letter-for-disputing-a-debt-collection-notice/).

[More information from the FTC](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection)Answer #2: Send a dispute letter. Keep it simple and direct. "Dear (debt collector), I am disputing the below-referenced alleged debt. Please validate said debt and provide proof of assignment. Sincerely, (you)". Send it certified mail with a signature receipt -- about $6.

If it's been less than 30 days since this new debt collector contacted you, this will force them to go back to Geico and get some basic information. They are required by law to cease collection attempts until this is finished. The catch is that this letter MUST be postmarked within 30 days of the initial contact from the debt collector. If it's over 30 days, the letter does no good; they can legally ignore it.


Title: I need help, ASAP.

Question:
I got a message yesterday while I was asleep on a chat site saying they will pay me (and the other several people they messaged) for making a girl's life hell. Then sent a link that included all this girl's personal information ranging from her real name, to her phone number, to her physical address along with all her family's facebook. (Who I have already attempted contact with to no avail.) I won't link what I was given for her safety and confidentially. But I need to know who to contact to report this and steps to take because I don't know the person that sent this information.

We were instructed to bully her to the point of suicide. Of course, I am doing the opposite.

I live in Louisiana, they, in New York.

Edit : The message: ... https://imgur.com/gallery/YbLaA

UPDATE: Authorities have been notified, they are sending a sheriff to meet me at work so I can pass on what I know.

UPDATE 2: I told them everything, they said they couldn't help me, that I would need to call the Sheriff department where she lives. Which I'm about to do so, I will continue to update.

UPDATE 3: I called the local police where she lived, apparently I needed the sheriff's where I live to make a police report. But they pretty much just laughed at me, saying they couldn't help. About to contact the local FBI cyber crime division.

UPDATE 4: IC3 report made, thanks to the generous asshole  that sent "the message" I had all the information I needed to help the girl. Still no response from her family. Facebook is a bitch when it comes to messenger.

UPDATE 5: I messaged a few people that I trust about it so that they can also try to report it as a third party. Which apparently is possible and I'm glad it is. I also made a facebook post (with limited information of course) to inform other people of its happening. I also let everyone on my friends list on the chat site know not to mess with that bull no matter how much they would get paid because they will likely get linked to the crime if it is investigated and because it's a sick thing to do.

Edit: I just want to say thank you to everyone that has been helping out along the way today. You people are the best, it's good to know that I'm not the only one that would go out of their way to help someone they don't even know.

Edit 2: Thank you guys. I know a lot of you are saying I'm the hero here. But look at the comments, the real heroes are you guys. I was lost, I didn't know what to do. And you guys advised me how to go about the situation. All I did was follow through with the elected will of Reddit. It's every one of you guys that helped me go through with this, that are the true heroes of this story. If anything new happens, such as follow ups or replies from the family, I'll let you guys know. And I'll link them this post to show them the real heroes behind it all. You guys.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Police. Right now. If they don’t say they’re going to escalate to FBI, you should. ASAP.Answer #2: OP you're a hero, today. Thank you for doing the right thing.Answer #3: Go to the FBI website and submit a tip to the cyber crimes division and have the local authorities made privy to the situation in the area where the girl lives.

Doing this could really help this girl survive the attack. You're a good person for trying to help her.Answer #4: Hey OP, if you end up in touch with the girl/her family, you can point them at the Crash Override network. If all it is is this one shitty ex being an impotent shithead, she won't need it, but if anyone falls for his (definitely fake) claims, or he gets the wrong people involved, CO can help.

You're doing great, thank you.

http://www.crashoverridenetwork.com/Answer #5: This is called "harassment by proxy".  In some states there are statutes making it illegal.  Give the police all of the information that you have and see if they can investigate.Answer #6: Contact the police with the info you have. Just because they made a fake account does not mean the information cannot be looked up. The ISP carries data, the website and all of that information can be subpoenaed.  Answer #7: Not legal-related, but OP you are an awesome human being! I wish there were more people like you.


Title: Sister using my name in traffic violations

Question:
My sister has been using my name in traffic violations, and unlike in the past, I have caught this one before the court date. (The past two times, I have had warrants out for no shows on tickets that she got.) The newest one shows that she had MY driver's license. I have started the process of going through the courts to challenge the ticket and get an investigation started. I have also tried to contact the police officers involved to get their help in the matter. This tactic has been helpful in the past.

My question here is, do I get a new driver's license? I am not sure what will change on this other than the number. The officer I spoke to today said that they can put in an order to cross reference my name with her's as an alias so that whenever someone gets pulled over and uses my name, her's will come up to.

Has anyone had this issue before with a successful resolution? So far, no finances have been affected to my knowledge. I do have an account with a company that monitors that. Thanks in advance for your help.

Edit: I live in Arkansas.

Edit 2: Update: So here is what I did in case anyone is wondering how to take care of a similar issue. I had to go down to the traffic court and file a report stating that the person who go the ticket was not me. Then, I took a copy of that report to the police station and gave it to the officer in charge of this kind of thing. She was the one who would look into my case and see if there were any grounds to repeal/expunge this ticket from my record. I did not get to speak with her while I was there, but spoke to another person in the office, gave her my story and a copy of my ID. I called the officer in charge a few times to make sure that she had everything she needed and to ease my mind. I was given a new court date. (I had to call and make sure it was on the docket as it never showed up on the court website. Constant vigilance, people!).

My attempts to contact the officers in charge of the case were futile as they never answered my phone calls, emails, etc. Plus, the officer I spoke with said that the traffic cops give out so many tickets like this that unless something was really off, they probably wouldn't remember it or my sister.

I went to the court date scheduled and was in and out in about 15 minutes. Tickets were expunged from my record and was told to seek a lawyer to get my sister to stop doing this. As of right now, there is little the cops can do to keep her from doing this again as she has my name and birth date and looks enough like me.

I also did not get a new license as my sister did not actually have mine, the box checked on the ticket was just that there was a current license in my name in the system. I was told by other officers that it would not make a difference anyway.

Answer:
 You need to file a report against your sister for the identity theft.

The downside to cross referencing the names is that when YOU get pulled over, her name will come up too.  Then you have to prove that you're really you.


Title: [FL] Moviepass rolled back on a feature that was one of the main advertised reasons i bought it

Question:
I got moviepass in December because it allowed me to watch one movie a day, every day, in various different theaters, as long as it's not 3d. One of the main features they advertised was that you could even see the same movie more than once, which was the primary reason I got it, since I like to watch a few movies several times.

I got it *specifically* for infinity war, so i could watch it several times, but now they changed it

But today, there was a required app update that made it so I can't see any movie I've already seen, which makes it practically useless for me. I called them and that said they're just "going back to how it was before" (before i got it) and they no longer allow it. So then i asked for a refund on the next 8 months (because I got a whole year) and they said they can't give a partial refund.

Is there anything I can do?

Thanks

Edit: just to be clear, I would settle for a refund, but I'd waaay rather have a moviepass that works the way they said it would

Answer: Ask again for refund, try to get an email address. So you can put your request in writing. When they refuse, call you credit card company and do a chargeback. Answer #2: Did you read the contract?


Title: What do I need to protect myself when allowing people to play in my pool?

Question:
I purchased a house that has an in-ground pool. Apparently there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood and the previous owners let them all use the pool during the summer, and it seems that they would like to continue to do so.

I am perfectly fine with this, but before allowing it I want to make sure that I'm not going to be held responsible for any accidents or even deaths that could possibly happen.

If I have a lawyer draw up a liability waiver and have the parents sign them,  is that enough to protect me in the event of an injury from a slip or even a drowning if that were to occur? Is there some other, better way to handle this?

edit: Arizona

Answer:
 There's no document you can offer that will make you immune.

If it were me, I'd double check that my homeowner's insurance covers the pool and liability for human injuries related to it.  I'd consider a permission slip instead of a legal waiver, and specify that you can't be responsible for injuries; the pool will not always be adult supervised, and if they reject these terms then they shouldn't allow their kids to use it.

I'd also buy a first aid kit (most pool injuries aren't going to be drowning, it's going to be a stubbed toe or something) and take a CPR class just so if anything happens I'm not fucking useless.Answer #2: Make sure your homeowners insurance covers users of your pool.

Buy an umbrella liability insurance policy as an add on. Answer #3: An umbrella policy.


Title: Paid rent through an app, landlord says we're late on rent (Florida)

Question:
Long story short my husband and I have been paying for our rent via money orders despite our apartment complex having an online presence and ability to pay online.

We decided this month to finally use it. We paid rent on Oct 2nd through their app. We get the receipt, all is fine and dandy.

Today, Oct 3rd, I go to take my dog out and they've put a notice on my door that my rent is late. It was 5:10pm(10 minutes after their office closed when I went to take her out and had only taken her out thirty minutes prior so, they waited until the office was closed or nearly closed to inform me of this.

Additionally, they state that if rent is paid after the 1st of the month (our lease agreement allows us to pay between the 1st and 3rd) we cannot use the app to pay. Only money orders. On the top of this notice it states "effective October 1st 2018". This had never been communicated to us in anyway, ever and again we only received notice today, on the third .

Anyway, this all basically boils down to them saying that they don't have my rent payment and I will be incurring late fees but the money has already been taken from my account. We paid it, they have it. Bank transactions and e-receipts from their app to show it.

We will be talking to the office in the morning but, we can't afford to give them a second rent payment if they demand it and we paid on time so the late fees they're threatening seem outlandish. Are we actually liable to pay more/again?

It may not be relevant but the app is a legitimate one but this place is a bit iffy on their business practices.

Answer:
 This sounds like it'll be fixed when you go to the office in the morning.

Most likely their information that you paid wasn't updated.


Title: Work hasn't given me OSHA required HepB vaccine. (FL)

Question:
I work in an industry that has to offer workers a Hep B vaccine. I’ve been requesting one since I started in August. How much time has to pass before it is past a reasonable time (in OSHA’s view) to get it? I’ve brought this up a couple of times, and each time I am given the run around (we lost your paper - fill out a new one, oh who did you ask before?, etc). What are my next steps assuming it continues to not happen? I don’t think they are being non-complaint on purpose, but rather nobody wants to do their job and the vaccine has become a hot potato.

I'm about to just get it out of pocket, but I keep feeling like I'm going to show up to work and they're finally going to make good on their word.

Answer:
 Get your own and pursue reimbursement for it, if you get exposed while arguing with them, money can't buy back your health.Answer #2: > How much time has to pass before it is past a reasonable time (in OSHA’s view) to get it?

 Why are you asking us like you can't just ask OSHA?
https://www.osha.gov/html/Feed_Back.html


Title: My father died yesterday at 58, I'm 23 and in another state, how do I ensure Mom is ok when I can move back or move her up?

Question: I'm not sure what this post is for besides asking "what do I do?" I live across the country(new job), I'm flying home today for my mom and to set up the funeral, but how do I support my mother through this when I have to fly back to work next week? She works but has already said she can't afford the house without my dad, her support system down there is non-existent-he was the charismatic one, she's quiet and has much less real connections..and I'm not even close to being ok because I forgot to call the night before he died(Idk if I can forgive myself). It was a sudden death, he wasn't sick and was just 58.. idk what to do

Answer:
 I'm so, so sorry for your sudden loss. My deepest condolences.

First: nothing is an emergency now. The worst thing has already happened. Everyone - you, your mother, and everyone else - can take some time to process, grieve, and seek professional legal advice and mental health counselling. Things are not going to fall off the rails this week, or even next week.

Hospital staff, funeral directors, and others who work with families in these circumstances are often a wellspring of good advice and referrals. An estate attorney can help her wrap up her husband's affairs and settle the estate, which may include things like selling the house and liquidating assets, as well as hunting down any benefits (either from his insurance or from pension programs) that she may be entitled to as his surviving spouse. If he left a relatively small estate, she may be able to handle that process herself, as well, but a professional will generally be better-informed and more equipped for any oddities or unusual elements.

_Please_ speak to a grief counsellor, as well. It's very easy to be overwhelmed at times like this, and a good counsellor can make a huge difference.