Title: Forced to plead guilty on a speeding ticket

Question: I got off an exit in a rural town in Ohio to go to a gas station that was listed on the exit sign. The gas station ended up being a couple miles away on a different street. I was on the street right after the exit looking for the gas station and missed whatever sign list 35mph. It must be recent since I don't remember my car telling me I was speeding or even thinking I was speeding. I go around a round about and immediately see a 35mph sign, which I followed. I passed 2 cop cars and right after that I had a cop car behind me with his lights on (I think it was the cop car I passed that did not have someone pulled over). I pull over and he tells me that he caught me speeding back on the first road going over 50mph. He said he would knock it down to 50mph and that my court date was on July 12, but I could call to get it moved or an extension on the payment since the date was soon and I was going out of town. I wasn't sure whether I should pay the ticket and risk insurance going up since I am not sure exactly how fast I was going or to fight it. I called twice on Wednesday and left a message, but had no response. I called again today and found out the court is only open on Wednesday's meaning that I can't reschedule due to the fact that next Wednesday is my court date. Do I just plead guilty since I can't make it? Is it worth hiring an attorney and can they even represent me if I am not there? Is it worth fighting? I feel like it is unfair that I have to plead guilty despite the officer telling me it was ok to have it moved.

Answer: 5 over. Fight it. 10 over. Maybe, fight it. 15+ not worth it. Pay the fine. Get on with your life. Stays on your insurance record for three years. Pay premiums. Don't speed.


Title: Got an e-bay message from a user (he introduced him self as a lawyer) for selling educational software. He is threatening me under laws of US with huge charges. But I'm an eastern European. Will it still apply to me?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Were you by chance "selling" Autodesk software keys?


Title: Question about fraud liability in autopsy utilities dispute [VA]

Question:
Hello Legal Advice,

In April I moved into an apartment as one roommate moved out. Our names were swapped on the lease.

I went into the Utilities website and put in my payment info and paid for the month of April. I set up text payments going forward and used this to pay the water bill for May, June, July, August and September. 174 dollars.

The guy who moved out texted me to meet in the lobby last night. We meet and his new roommate is there. They pulled out papers showing that he never canceled his auto pay and that his account was charged for those months, May-September. They played hardball talking misdemeanor fraud and small claims. I tried to talk them down "you guys might be right, I want to set this straight, give me 24 hours to check my credit statements and call the Utility to verify...."

They grudgingly agreed to give me 24 hours.

So I check my statements and sure enough I was not billed for the months mentioned. I log in on the Utilities and our bill states that last week the Utilities credited a different account the EXACT total he wants me to pay.

So I call the Utility company and they inform me he had called, explained he had forgotten to remove his account information and that he should be refunded. Instead they credited his NEW account leaving mine with the $174 balance. I asked when they would inform me of this!

Either way. I email him and say look "you got your money refunded. You cannot get paid double for this. This is between you and the Utility"

He emails back that he didn't want Utilities Credits. He wants Cash. And he will pursue fraud charges against me.

I understand how small claims works. If he wants to pay the 60 to put it in the calendar I can go with the evidence that he has been refunded and win! And simply be out a day of work.

I'd really rather not be charged with a crime. I feel like my only defense would be that I wasn't aware what account the texting system was charging from. I did sign up my info and pay the first month's bills with my own money! I can prove that! Does that prove my innocence through lack of intent? Should I call a lawyer?

What would PD say to him with these types of complaints?

State of Virginia.

Thank you for the help.

Edit: tldr guy I swapped leases with is saying he wants to sue/charge me for accidentally using his autopay on utilities. Less than $200. How worried should I be?

Answer: Was anyone else disappointed to not find out what autopsy utilities are?


Title: Discrimination against "beliefs / freedom of expression" in a public University.

Question:
I attend University of Missouri of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO. There is a dorm floor (4N) that has imperialistic japan flags hanging for the public to see from the street. This makes me greatly uncomfortable, but they get away with it because they say it is freedom of expression, or something similar.

So to combat this, I bought a 1940 germany flag and hung it up. It was confiscated within 20 minutes of it being hung up due to it containing "a symbol of hate" which they explained was offensive.

I have contacted the title IX coordinater for my school her assistant said that she will contact me on monday.

My question is, what is the likely outcome?

Answer: Everyone will think you're a nazi. That's the likely outcome.


Title: Someone handing out my phone number for their medical bills

Question:
I have had a cellphone number for the last three years that has been getting calls from debts collectors. The frequency of these calls were about once a week for the first year which dialed back to about 1 call every two weeks the second year. Now it is down to about once every two months. I asked the last collector how long the debt had been active, and the debt had been recently bought meaning that the former owner of the phone is still handing out the phone number for numerous medical bills.

Using my phone number on a Best Buy loyalty card, I saw the individuals information flash on the screen as he had not updated his number from mine. Finally, after three years I have obtained his information.

Here is my question. As this man is handing out my number for medical bills for procedures that had happened within the last year- what are my options for legal recourse? He is obviously scamming the system, and a simple letter to his house asking him to knock it the hell off seems less than a slap on the wrist. I debated on just giving the debt collectors his current information, but that also seems light as he has gotten off the hook for three years.

TLDR; Former owner of my phone number has been handing out my number for the last three years and I have been dealing with his debt collection calls. What are my legal options.

Answer: Debt collectors are fairly easy to shake. Just send them written notice that they are no longer allowed to call this phone number. Keep record of the date the notice was sent. If they get bold enough to call you, file an FDCPA complaint, and your phone should be silent from them on out.


Title: Is my boss breaking the law, or just a lazy asshole?

Question:
So, I work at a nursery in WA, and it's a real ma and pop shop. All the employees write down their hours and at the end of the pay period, which is 1st to the 15, 15th to the end of the month.

It's very, very, very rare that we get payed before the 17th, sometimes it's 5 days after the pay period is up and no checks. if you ask about it they tell me they can wait 5 days because he just hasn't had time to write them. Is this legal?

Another thing, it was the 1st, and that's when my rent was due, like many... So I ask my boss, we getting paid today? He says no, okay... tomorrow? No... okay.... but we're closed on the 3rd. If I don't pay my rent by the 3rd then I'm 150 bucks in the whole, I told him this and he said "it's not due until monday" Monday was the 4th! The checks didn't come out until the 5th.

Is there anything I can do?

Answer: Most people are paid 1-2 weeks behind; 5 days is a very short time between end of pay period and receiving your paycheck.  I would suggest budgeting better in the future.Answer #2: That's perfectly legal and something you are just going to get used to and budget. Payroll shouldn't be rushed. Someday if you work for a large company it may be up to 2 weeks delay.


Title: Father Disowned me, wants money back

Question:
Long story short, my father is disowning me and wants $5000 that he deposited into one of my accounts back from ~7 months ago.

He sold my truck (mine in regards of 16th birthday gift, still under his name,) then deposited the money in my account and I bought a new car under my name in another state. Does he have any backing on reclaiming the $5000? His name is not on my bank account. And the only backing that I have about the reason for the money is in texts.

I'm 20, almost 21 and in the military. My bank and dad are in OK, the new car was bought in MS, and I am currently in GA.

Answer:
 It would have been considered a gift. Legally he has no right to it. He could try and sue you in small claims court, but it's very unlikely that he would win. Answer #2: NAL- make doubly sure your father's name is NOT on your bank account in any way ( it probably still is if this was an account he help you set up when you were a minor) you can set up an account with USAA for free super easy to deposit checks Etc if you need a new bankAnswer #3: Make backups of the texts.

But as others say, very unlikely he has a right to the money.Answer #4: Since you're in the military, you're in luck. If you're active duty, just go to your base JAG office and consult with them about next steps if any are needed. They can assist in most civil situations and are completely free of charge.

If you're a reservist, you may not have JAG reps at your drilling station so you should be able to google your closest JAG office. You're in Georgia so obviously Benning is available for example.

Move your funds into a new account just to be absolutely sure your father does not have access. Also, and not really legal advice but practical advice from an old soldier but I would inform your leadership of the situation, or ask to utilize your commanders open door policy to inform him/her of the situation. I've seen it a million times, if your father is desperate enough he will call your commander and ask him to intervene.


Title: Sister wants a divorce, abusive brother in-law refuses. options?

Question:
Sister has no income of her own, BIL will fight tooth and nail in court for custody of their kids(sister had 2 from previous relationship, they have 1 together) we're working on gathering as much evidence of his abuse as possible, and starting the eviction process( he lives in a residence on our property). We're in Oregon. Any advice is appreciated.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: If he's physically abusing her, file for a restraining order, not an eviction. File for a divorce and ask for a restraining order as well.


Title: Can my ex-friend make me take down photos they took from my social media

Question:
I’ll try to keep this brief.

Basically, someone I used to be friends with is being a bit of a douche now that we aren’t friends anymore.

On my Facebook profile I have some photographs that they took. Think photos from a holiday we went on together, including photos of myself that I asked them to take. They gave me permission to use them but are now trying to turn around years later and make me take them down.

I know that they haven’t consulted with a lawyer but I am wondering if they have any standing?I’m based in Australia.

Answer:
 Legally they would have a copyright to the photos. At least in the United States, I cannot comment directly on Australia.

That said they almost certainly aren’t going to do anything so don’t worry about it.


Title: US-SC My son and his fiancee are getting married. She is Spanish and they will soon be facing immigration law. Will it be easier if they get married in his hometown stateside or in St. Thomas, USVI where they are moving? He has not consulted an immigration lawyer yet.

Question:
I'm sure this is a petty question but with the current political atmosphere, the couple is tense.  They are moving to the US from Thailand and have been living together for 3 years.  Would the process be "cleaner" if they were married at "home"?

Thanks for your time.

Answer:
 What visa is she using to enter?

Since she is a Spanish national likely entering on the Visa Waiver Program as a tourist,the cleanest answer would be waiting 90 days after entry to the US to get married,or at least that long til he files for her.

If she enters as a tourist and marries within 30 days that is presumed to be visa fraud. After 60 that is the discretion of the examining officer. After 90 she is allowed to have changed her mind.

Or,the legally cleanest process is to do a fiancee or spousal visa through the US embassy in Thailand. You may want to ask r/immigration for more specific advice,or skip a step and check out visajourney.com or immihelp.com


Title: Brutally got my facebook account disabled. Any chance to sue FB?

Question:
Hello
I was trying to sell adult goods on facebook as I sold other kind of products as usual to multiple facebook communities. I happened to forget nudity was forbidden on facebook. But the package contained a naked woman.

I made a mistake unintentionally. But I got my account disabled instantly. I am not able to login to my account. I tried to appeal to FB many time to recover my account. But they refused to do so.

This has made a huge loss to me as I have got so many personal data (including pictures and videos), so many friends' connection, and so many chat records(including some business details) on the server. I lost everything by their single act.

Is there any legal way to force facebook return my person data?

Thanks for any advice in advance.

Answer:
 No. You violated Facebook's TOS. Answer #2: >I lost everything by their single act.

You lost everything by your single act.  You can plead with them, but that's about it...Answer #3: > Is there any legal way to force facebook return my person data?

Not really.  You could, conceivably, sue them, but given that they're completely in the right for disabling your account, you won't win that one.Answer #4: You lost everything because you violated their rules. Even if you hadn't you have no recourse.


Title: LA - What happens when a stalker files a restraining order against the person they are stalking/ harassing?

Answer:
 They might be granted an emergency order if they lie about the circumstances. Once a judge weighs the merits it'll get removed and they risk criminal prosecution for filing a false report.Answer #2: Probably nothing because the victim wants to stay away from them already, right?Answer #3: It is not possible to simply "file a restraining order".

Restraining orders can be obtained on an ex-parte basis only in emergency circumstances, such as when there's a basis to believe that the order is necessary to prevent serious harm or to prevent an abduction. These findings must be evidence based and that evidence is sworn. The granting of any restraining order, temporary or otherwise, is an exercise in judicial discretion, it is not an administrative matter (although peace bonds and undertakings share some similarities).

Even then, an ex-parte restraining order is only temporary. The restrained party is given an opportunity to respond in a full hearing. If the allegations giving rise to the TRO are fabricated the party that obtained the TRO may be charged with perjury.


Title: Is unknowingly reverse-pickpocketing someone a crime?

Question: In season 3, episode 5, at about 45:00 of better call Saul, Jimmy plants a battery on his brother to show that his illness is pure psychological. He did this by having a witness bump into him and slip it into his breast pocket. Would this be illegal? As far as I can tell, no because there is no damage, but something about it just feels... wrong. Thoughts?

Answer: Probably. The crime/tort is...well...actually it’s called battery. It involves a harmful or offensive touching of a person or things closely associated with them (like clothes, or kicking someone’s cane out from under them). So even if the (electric) battery can’t actually hurt him, it could still be considered offensive to violate someone’s personal space like that.  Plus “harm” can be psychological/emotional harm. So if you know someone has a crazy irrational phobia to something, and you intentionally touch them or their clothes with something that harms them emotionally/psychologically, you’ve met all the elements for battery, with a battery.Answer #2: I wonder if chuck could sue for emotional distress, intent to cause harm, or something.


Title: (CO) I went out to a bar with a female friend last night and I think someone put something in her drink. What do I do?

Question: I went out to a bar last night with a friend who I had drank with before. I had two drinks and she made it halfway through her second drink and started to get extremely sloppy and intoxicated. I'd seen her drink way more and be fine, but I didn't think much of it because I thought maybe she'd been drinking before we went out. She wasn't in great shape and so I took her home early and she started vomiting on the way home, was becoming increasingly incomprehensible with her speech, and was having trouble keeping conscious. I made sure she was safe and cleaned up and the thought that someone could have spiked her drink didn't really occur to me until I woke up this morning. What actions should I take? I tried a bit of both her drinks and was fine, and I can't think of a point where someone could have slipped something in her drinks because I was standing by them whenever she was away. Do I contact the bar? The police for surveillance footage? Do I need to take her to the hospital to get tested?

Answer:
 The police aren't going to investigate someone who thinks they were drugged at a bar and are now home safe.

You are basically describing someone who drank too much. If she or you are concerned for her health, you may visit the hospital.Answer #2: > I tried a bit of both her drinks and was fine

There is also the possibility she took something herself (or some kind of medication) that didn't react well with the alcohol she drank.


Title: My hearing impaired grandfather has had kidney disease for years but just found out about it yesterday because his doctor never spoke loud enough for my grandpa to hear and understand any of it. Who do I report this malpractice to?

Question:
Our state is California and my grandpa is in his 80's. I'm not exactly sure what insurance he has too but I can find out.

I was at the doctors with him because it seemed his diabetes was getting worse and his doctor thinks my grandpa doesn't need to see a specialist for it. My grandpa had been getting swollen ankles and pain in his hands, frequent bathroom trips or none at all for an entire day. I brought this up to the doctor during the visit and he said *"Yeah that's from the kidney disease."* I turned to my grandpa to ask if he knew he had kidney disease and he was absolutely shocked and terrified.
I explained to the doctor that my grandpa is hair of hearing (which he knows) and that he needs to speak up so that my grandpa can hear and understand what is being said to him. The doctor didn't seem to care and outright dismissed what I just told him and didn't raise his voice so my grandpa could hear.  I had to relay the entire conversation to him. This is the first time I've gone with him, and he's been going to this doctor for years. All this time my grandpa was never really able to hear him so he's had no idea what's going on with his health.

Both me and my grandpa agreed he needs to start going to a different doctor so we're getting started on that right away, but my god.

It's infuriating. To think that someone who is responsible for his health and wellbeing would not insure something that crucial is *thoroughly communicated and understood* is just insane.
In the meantime I told the doctor that my grandpa needs to see a specialist for his kidneys, which he tried to talk us out of, of all things.

To think that if I hadn't gone in my grandpa would not even know he needs to make changes to his diet, his medication, just, everything. And he's been doing horrible lately and now I know why. This is absolutely unacceptable. This would of gone on until it got bad enough for him to be in the hospital.

I don't know who to report his to, maybe some kind of board, the insurance company, I have no idea. This is definitely some kind of medical malpractice and something needs to be done about it besides me moving my grandfather to better care.

Answer: I understand your anger but are you saying your granddad would go see a doc and just mime himself through an entire check up?


Title: [NY] Landlord entered without notice and went into both my and my roommate's rooms

Question:
Hello everyone,

I'm a university student living in an off campus apartment with a roommate.

I was on campus for most of the day, and my roommate works overnight so she was at home sleeping. In the middle of the day, she texted me saying that our landlord came into the house, went into her room, and was looking around before he noticed that she was sleeping in bed. When he saw her, he apologized and said he didn't realize that anyone was there. There was no notice given from the landlord that he would be coming, and I personally have not heard from him since I paid my rent in the beginning of the semester.

Later this night, I found a key on my bedroom floor to another apartment in the house (there was a label on the keychain). It was near the foot of my bed, near where my storage drawers are. This leads me to believe that he also went into my room, and since I was not home, I am suspicious that he may have went into my drawers, though I'm not really sure.

The place where I found the key was nowhere near the entrance to my room, and every time I've seen him show the apartment to potential renters, they only peek into the bedrooms briefly. I have no way of knowing what exactly he was doing in my room, but considering where I found the key, it's pretty obvious that he really went deep into the room.

As I said before, neither of us knew that he would be coming, and the whole situation just seems very suspicious to me. This is the first time either me or my roommate have lived off campus, so I'm not really sure if this is even something the landlord should be allowed to do.

I don't know whether or not I should tell him I found the key, or if there really is anything I should do in this situation. It just seems really odd, my roommate was pretty upset about it.

I'm just wondering what I should do here. I'm going home next week after my last final, and our lease here is up at the end of the month. It just seems like a really bizarre situation.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Well, in most places, it is illegal for the landlord to enter the property without 24 hours notice and sometimes the tenants are eligible for reduced rent, deposit refund, or civil penalty from the landlord if you can prove it's an issue in court.


Title: My wife left the state after i found out she was cheating on me.

Question: So I'm on mobile, sorry and this will be all over the place, sorry. So me and my wife have been together for 5 years married for 1 year. We lived in Colorado, and moved back to my home state of Tennessee. We left because we couldn't afford it after our apartment after she had lost her job, and "couldn't find another" My wife has never really been a great wife or mother or girlfriend but she had me convinced she was trying to do better, and that she loved me. She had a history of sexting with other guys when we were dating but it was in the past. We just had our daughter come into our lives and I forgave her and we moved on. We come to Tennessee living with my grandparents for the first few months. Before we got her I let her know my grandparents are as old school as it comes and that she needs to be a better mom and wife or she'd get on their bad side. She didn't find work after 3 months, she wasn't being a better mom or wife. She was doing the bare minimum she needed to, and I couldn't handle it anymore. I reached out to my dad who we've both been very close to. We all sat down and had an intervention with her to try and see how we could fix anything. She was out of the entire conversation just staring at the floor or off to the side not making eye contact just giving very short yes or no answers to everything. Not a single tear came out as I was pouring out my heart on how I felt neglected and the kids arent being loved and cared for like they should be. She really didn't seem like she cared at all. During this discussion I went upstairs to get my son who woken up from his nap. I notice wife's phone on the bed and something in me tells me to check it out. She was sexting so many guys it was ridiculous. She even was talking to 2 of them trying to meet up. After the intervention we didn't get anywhere with her. I talk to my dad outside and ask if me and the kids could stay with him. He says yes and I should scoop them up get everything important while she's downstairs. I told her I knew everything that's been going on and that she's not good for me or the kids. She bursts into tears saying she needs the kids as I'm buckling them into my dad's truck. I tell her she can have our car, and our savings (1k$) and she could stay at my grandma's and I could bring the kids over and she could come to dad's house to see them. She cries for awhile as we drive away. My grandma later told me she showed up with the cops and they asked if she could get her bag and asks if the kids are okay my grandma says yes. The cops tell her wife doesn't feel safe staying here so shell go somewhere else. That was the last night I saw her. She's been blowing up my phone for the past 4 weeks saying how I'm hurting the kids by ripping them away from her and it's parental alienation. She left 103 missed calls in one day. Then she just stopped contacting me. I haven't responded to her as advised from my dad. But she has a history of mental illness such as depression and anxiety (diagnosed) and Multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia (undiagnosed) along with self harm. I don't feel safe with her being by herself with the kids especially with something so life changing going on. Today my grandma called and said wife was on fb live and said she had been staying with a friend for the last 3 weeks in Colorado. Not once did she say anything about our kids. So I want to be able to have full custody of the kids, and no visitation for her. What do I do now? I've contacted a lawyer and we're having a consultation on Monday but I'm worried I won't have enough money for the retainer.

Answer:
 >So I want to be able to have full custody of the kids, and no visitation for her.

That is probably an unrealistic expectation. The bar for removing visitation/custody if pretty high.


Title: Bio-dad back after years of no contact

Question:
Hi everyone, I just wanted to see what the thought was among people with legal knowledge on this scenario. Ill also be contacting a lawyer but it just happened today and I wanted to see what I'm in for here.

My wife has a child from a previous boyfriend who is now 7 years old. The childs biological father left when she was 6 months old (after doing things like spending their rent money on hunting clothes, which led to an eviction notice, grabbing her son by the collar and screaming  curses in his face because he was sniffling, etc).

Since he left he has made 0 attempt to contact my wife or his daughter in the last 6.5 years. Even his brother once messaged my wife wanting to see our daughter and she let him come meet her, etc, but the ex-boyfriend has never messaged or inquired whatsoever.

Now me and my wife are married and in a stable relationship, good income, house, etc. We've been together about 3.5 years. Her ex also now has a wife and kids, I'm not exactly sure what hes been up to but I know for sure he's been arrested at least once in that 6 years.

Today, out of nowhere he messaged us saying (fairly respectfully at first) he wants to see our daughter, we both told him we werent interested in that at all, and in the course of 4-5 hours he's gotten into a full head of steam and is now sending all kinds of "THIS IS MY BLOOD, THAT ISNT HER FATHER IM HER FATHER YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME" type messages to us.

It feels to me like he should have absolutely no case to claim any rights to a child he clearly abandoned, especially now that the child is in a happy and loving home with a stable family life etc. What are the chances he could win a court battle to receive almost anything? (we arent interested in even allowing him visitation, I think he's a terrible influence and not entirely all there mentally. He also has not paid any child support from the time he left until now, he never offered and my wife never wanted to come after him for it because she was just interested in having him out of her life)

Im in Eastern New Mexico, United States

EDIT: will this have any effect on my adopting her legally, or changing her name legally? My wife wanted me to add that she began proceedings to terminate paternal rights a few years ago but never finished the proceedings. Her lawyer did however tell her at the time that 1 year of no contact was considered abandonment and that at the time she didnt think there would be any trouble whatsoever terminating rights. She was unable to even locate him to contact him, having to post an ad in the paper to even attempt contact.

Answer:
 _Right now_, he is likely her legal father. However, if there's no custody order in place, then your wife has no obligation to provide him with access, just as he has no obligation to return her if she's with him.

As he's been gone for six years starting when the child was still an infant, it's very likely that, should your wife do the smart thing and sue for custody, his access to the child will be _extremely_ limited. It's even somewhat possible he would get no access at all, given his history, or that you and your wife could push through an adoption against his consent.

Your wife needs to speak to a family lawyer as soon as possible and get professional advice, so that she can start the wheels turning on custody. She can likely get an emergency order maintaining the status quo while that happens, so that if he abducts his daughter, she can have the police bring her back.Answer #2: That's a very long time to abandon your child. I've never worked with a family like this where a parent who abandoned the child got any significant custody to speak of.

I would get a good family attorney and go to court if he's interested in pursuing this.


Title: [Georgia] Comcast is going back on their word, upping my bill balance despite recorded evidence of what they told me it would be.

Question:
When I got my bill from Comcast last month, it showed a balance that was $79.90 higher than it should've been due to some incorrect failed install fees. Some (recorded) phone call later, the CSR I spoke with on the phone told me she had adjusted my bill, that my new balance was $65.51, and that the next and subsequent months my balance would return to the $103.92 it was supposed to be. The reason it was less than a normal balance on that bill is because I was without service for 10 days, so they refunded me for those days I didn't get/use.

Fast forward to last week, I get a bill for $150+ with a "Unpaid balance" of $79.90 from my last bill, and a $10 late fee. I call them up, explain that I was told by a Comcast CSR that my bill had been adjusted to $65.51, and that's what I was told to pay last month. They don't care, and they're not adjusted it in retrospect. I play them the recorded phone call in which the CSR clearly states that my balance is $65.51 and to only pay them $65.51 for that month. They continue to not care and state that they're not going to adjust it in retrospect, the only thing they'll take off is the late fee. I ask to speak to a supervisor, a brief 15 minute hold later I do, and the supervisor tells me that despite what the recorded phone call says, he won't remove the back charges, only the late fee.

I'm sick of Comcast's crap. I've already signed up for another ISP and they'll be out here Friday to install my service. But when I go to turn in my Comcast equipment, I'll only want to pay them the $103.92 that my bill should've been, and they're gonna want the $150+ they think I owe them.

I've already filed complaints with BBB and the FCC in hopes of having one of those rare high level folks call back about it, but assuming I don't get that call by Friday, what can I do about this bill dispute?

***Edit:*** I've gotten a lot of replies about trying to use public shame. I'm not against it, but for the effort it would take to get it "out there and noticed", I feel I should reiterate I'm not interested in having Comcast publicly shamed to try and fix my account. I've already decided to leave them. I just need advice on how to handle this billing dispute properly so that they can't hit my credit with "unpaid bill" or some shit like that.

***Edit 2:*** 3 days after I've filed the complaints, and guess who called me today! And surprisingly enough, they said when they called that they were calling in response to my BBB complaint. Got my bill adjusted to the balance it's supposed to be, and AT&T will be coming out Friday morning to install my new service, my Comcast service will be terminated by Friday evening. Thanks for your help, everyone!

Answer:
 Try tweeting Comcast. Companies take twitter contact absurdly seriously, I assume because it's publicly viewable.Answer #2: This is how Comcast makes a good chunk of change. A few months ago a Youtube video went viral in which the creator did the same thing as you, played back CSR recordings as proof of a promised price. Comcast denied over the phone, so he went to the media. His matter was resolved immediately once publicized.

Unfortunately not all of us have that luxury. I have read success stories of customers writing CRR letters to Comcast Corporate offices. Start with the regional offices and then write to national. Threaten to go to the media - they hate that. If you send the letters and give it a little time I firmly believe they'll honor their CSR's original figures.

It sucks to have to do this, but there's a reason Comcast is one of the most hated companies in the world.


Title: Roommate recorded me having a panic attack through my bedroom door and shared with landlady - California

Question: I know it's illegal to record audio of a person without their awareness, I'm just not sure what I can do about it. The landlady knew before I moved in that I have PTSD and have painful body-locking panic attacks at times. It's embarrassing enough having them, but the guy I'm saddled with as a roommate is trying to claim that hearing me struggling to calm down on the other side of my door is causing him a disturbance of peace. He even lied and said I was screaming, though the landlady told me she could barely hear anything when he shared the recording with her. Can I press charges against him?

Answer: You're right about his video being illegal. California requires two party consent and you obviously didn't - and wouldn't - consent to his recording. You can certainly report him to the police and they *may* charge him. You could also sue him civilly for violation of privacy or - more practical than legal - file a complaint with your landlord. You're absolutely within your rights to seek legal action but, honestly, it will be considered pretty minor.Answer #2: You can sue him, under [California Penal Code 637.2](http://law.onecle.com/california/penal/637.2.html) for $5000.


Title: [CA] Employment terminated after employer tried to lower my salary, refuses to pay for 30 day notice period (unprofessional attitude)

Question:
**TLDR; Contract terminated without cause, but employer disagrees. Should I take my employer to Small Claims Court for refusing to pay for 30 day notice period?**

I started a new job about a month and a half ago and it has just been terminated about a week ago. On the contract, there are two clauses about termination:

* The contract can be terminated with a cause any time
* The contract be terminated without a cause with a 30 day notice period

About two weeks ago, we had a conversation in which to things happened at the same time:

1. They wanted to lower my salary by about 1/3. They just stated that I should sign a new contract, which I politely refused.
2. They said they needed me to be the next day in a location about 3 hours away from our regular office. I said I was able to be there, but I would have to figure out how to arrange this.

At this point, they freaked out and started yelling at me. I remained calm, but was not able to somehow calm them down. They ended the conversation by giving me the week off. Very strange outcome, but since I just started this job, I ended up writing them an email the same evening to say that I was glad that they expressed their concerns and that I was looking forward to continuing the week after.

At the end of my "week off", they terminated my contract through email, saying there was a deadline to meet that week and that they would not be able to meet it because of my lack of performance and availability. After the termination, I requested to be paid for the 30 days notice period, but they refused saying the termination is not without a cause. All these emails were written quite unprofessionally, sometimes with sentences that repeated themselves or didn't have any grammatical structure (just sounding very angry and unprofessional alltogether).

I have contacted an attorney and they say that my employer is "dumb" for not paying me the 30 days and say that I am better off going to a small claims court rather than contacting an attorney. Now I have no idea how to do this, and what my chances of winning are.

1. Is it worth taking this to Small Claims Court? I already figured out the money for the 30 days is under Californias $10.000 maximum
2. What are the steps if I want to pursue this? Should I contact my employer first to officially state I don't agree there is a cause for termination?
3. Should I gather evidence of my willingness and ability to work and if so, what would count as such?
4. Should I gather evidence of them trying to lower my salary and what would count as such?
5. What are the timelines and deadlines for Small Claims Court?

Sorry for such a long post. Any help and advice is appreciated!

Answer:
 File a wage claim with the DLSE instead.  I believe they can handle this situation because some CA labor law statutes do not apply when there is a written contract, but others do apply.  I recall a DLSE opinion letter on this.

Gather as much evidence as you can, take these guys to conference, and hopefully you get an award or a right to sue letter.  If you get the DLSE to side with you, it's a lot more powerful in court and then you have more options, like recovering legal fees if the employer appeals the DLSE.


Title: If someone harasses you and threatens to sue you, and you refer them to your attorney, and they get in the habit of harassing your attorney, are you responsible for your attorney's fee for the hours spent getting harassed? [MI and other states]

Question:
This is in MI but I also want to know if the answer is the same for KY and other states.

The issue is not that an attorney is presently getting harassed.  The issue is whether this is one of the risks of getting an attorney involved in this kind of situation.  That the costs might spiral out of control because the harasser might persistently waste the attorney's time indefinitely.

Answer:
 First, the client is responsible for all time the attorney spends on their behalf, unless there is another agreement in place.

The client can instruct the attorney to, for example, speak to the 'harasser' once, and then ignore them.Answer #2: I guess it depends on what you mean by "harass". But if you hire an attorney to deal with someone on your behalf, yes, you will pay for their time spent dealing with that person. In all likelihood your attorney will tell them to put up or shut up, and then proceed to not respond to anything but a lawsuit.Answer #3: Assuming your fee agreement with the attorney was the usual billable hour method, you would be responsible for time spent on the matter. But an attorney isn’t going to spend much time trying to reason with an unreasonable person.

“Oh you are going to sue? Then serve a complaint or STFU”. (hangs up).

Person goes to attorney’s office:  “I’m not talking to you. Have your attorney call me or communicate in writing only. GTFO or I’ll call the police.”

Answer #4: I want to know why you think your attorney would actually stop and talk to this person who is harassing you lol.  Like...they just won't answer their calls.  The attorney won't engage him anyway unless he's just a moron.  Answer #5: This is a strange question. If you hire an attorney to represent you, then yes, you are obliged to pay their fees according to the terms of your fee agreement. If your attorney spends time talking to the “harasser” or reading messages from them, then yes, that time can be billed to you.

You can certainly instruct your attorney not to engage with this person or to take other steps to minimize billing.


Title: I was rear-ended in traffic and got a ticket. Halp

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > The only evidence that I wasn't leaving a safe following distance is hearsay from the Hummer driver

That's not hearsay.  Hearsay is repeating an out-of-court statement made by someone other than the person testifying and offering that statement as proof that the statement itself is correct.

Hearsay would be if the Hummer driver testified that after the accident you told him that it was all your fault that you hit him.  That would be the Hummer driver offering your statement as proof that it was your fault.

The Hummer driver was a witness, however, and his testimony about his own experiences is not hearsay and is completely admissible in court.  It is not hearsay for the Hummer driver to say that he felt two distinct impacts.

> I can find the exact distance I would have to be from the hummer, and then compare that to the Dept. of Transportation's recommended following distance. Would doing all that help my case at all?

Unlikely.  How far away you were when he stopped has nothing to do with whether you hit your brakes soon enough to stop in time.  You could have been three miles behind him when he stopped.  If you didn't hit the brakes until you were 5 feet from him, you'd still be at fault even if you were three miles away when he first stopped.  What you need is some evidence that you actually stopped and that the pickup truck pinballed you into the Hummer, which the headlight distance doesn't get you.


Title: (Ontario, Canada) Very recently turned 13 and Canadian and parents threatening to trap me in Egypt if I remain Atheist

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 Not legal advice, but please bear with me.

please make sure you are browsing securely, and without leaving traces.

OP: PLEASE REMOVE ALL THE IDENTIFYING INFORMATION FROM YOUR POST (age, dates, locations) as far as possible

I would take a step more, and delete all posts, comments, and after delete your account. Then create a new account that you will use to post about "kid stuff"

I might be paranoid, but to explain myself, this is not a case of just being "atheist", this is a case of "leaving islam after having been muslim", aka apostasy.

Legally, apostasy is usually treated as blasphemy, a crime in Egypt ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_law_in_Egypt  )

More important,  86% percent of muslims in Egypt believe that leaving Islam should be punished with death ( http://www.pewforum.org/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-beliefs-about-sharia/ )

So, OP, your situation is VERY serious. If ANYONE you know reads this and recognizes you, you'll seriously damage yourself

My suggestion is to fake a re-conversion, and to hold tight until next June, when you are in Canada again.

I would not count on the Canadian Embassy to be willingful to keep a minor inside, separated from his parents.

And the moment he walks out of the Embassy, he'll never be able to go back there. The law will be on his parents's side

best luckAnswer #2: If you're an Egyptian citizen as well Canada can't do anything for you.

Head down, go to mosque, be a good Muslim. See the light. When you're back in Canada, run to.CPS. Until then, act the part.


Question:
Is the fed chair technically a federal employee?

The Fed is self funded, not funded by the government.

Answer:
 Ok, s this is a bit complicated. The Federal Reserve Banks the 12 member banks of the FRS are not federally owned and are semi-private and not funded by the government. The Board of Directors is a 13th organization in the FRS and is under government control. So while the presidents of the 12 banks aren't federal employees the Chair is.

Source: I used to work for the fed.


Title: I feel my neighbor is being unreasonable and inconsiderate with his parking. What can I do?

Question:
I live in a suburbs where my neighbor's house is attached to mine. As such, we have regular street parking in front of the house as well as a small space in the back of the house, connected by an alleyway. The street parking is crowded so my neighbor parks his car at the back of the house.

The problem is that his car is parked with the exhaust facing the house and I leave my back door open much of the time, so the fumes go straight into my house. He leaves the car running for about 5 minutes every time he uses his car, so it's not a brief thing.

I've asked him 2 or 3 times if he could park the other way but he says he can't because if he does, he can't see incoming cars or people while backing out. I get that it may be a little inconvenient but I don't think it's something that should cause me to choose between breathing fumes or running around my house to close my windows and doors every time he uses his car.

So, I have two questions. There used to be a fence between our properties when I bought the house 15 years ago. A few months after I moved in, he took the fence down under his own volition when he renovated his area. The fence was actually on my side of the property and I didn't quite understand why he did that but the deed was done so I let it slide.

Now, because of the exhaust issue, I'm wondering it is possible to get him to replace the fence (to route the fumes upwards and away from my house), or if there is any way to force him to park his car the other way.

**tldr:**

* Neighbor's car exhaust fumes are coming into my house.

* I've asked him 2 or 3 times to park the other way.

* He says he can't because he can't see incoming cars or people when backing out.

* Is there any other way to make him park the other way or get him to replace my fence to route the fumes up and away?

Answer:
 I don't see any way of forcing him to do this. Try working out an amicable agreement if possible.

If its really that serious you replace your own fence.


Title: Hit by drunk driver, just want a new car

Question:
Sunday at 1:30am a friend and I were driving to get food and we were coming up a long hill and at the top there is an intersection with yellow flashing lights and the cross street is flashing red, at the top of the hill I check both sides of the intersection and see nobody there and proceed as normal.

Just after entering the intersection my friend (front passenger) points and yells holy shit, next thing I know there's a truck coming at my face, I swerve away and the truck hits my rear door causing my car to wind up about 30 feet away up in the grass facing south, I was headed east.

Thankfully neither of us received any injuries and haven't felt especially sore or developed a headache, [my car](http://imgur.com/hIon5rH) - [is kinda fucked](http://imgur.com/t8iO3t1) I do know he was so drunk he didn't know what he hit, just that it was a vehicle, and that he is active military, I just want a new car and don't want to get stuck in a financial issue because of this, my vehicle was a 98 Chevy lumina so I won't get much for it from insurance.

State is Nebraska, if I need to add more detail I will happily, I'm going to call my insurance company in the morning.

Answer: You are only owed the cost to buy a used 98 lumina. You don't get a new 2015. Sorry.


Title: Can I be sued for someone injuring themselves while chainsawing on my property? (Canada)

Question:
Hello

I have a whack of trees that need chopping. They are all fallen and a few cuts with a saw will get them to be a bit more manageable

I posted an ad for free wood and a lot of folks are saying they will bring their saws and take a bunch away

That’s perfect. But. Can I be sued if they injure themselves?

Can I draft something for them to sign prior to stating that any accident is their responsibility?

Thanks!
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 Yes, yes, and a properly written contract might protect you. If you have been paying attention to this sub, you know how this can bite you on the ass.

How a properly licensed, bonded, and insured contractor. Or don't.


Title: Hit and run (and panic attack)

Question: 2 days ago I commited a hit and run with my new car( it had the provisional plate). I was trying to park and hit a car behind me so I panicked and parked a bit further. I don't know if someone got my plate .The damage on the front door of the other car was minor but further than just scratches. I did what I had to do in the area and an hour after I left, with a huge panic attack the whole time. Got to my house and changed the provisional car plate to the actual one that I had just gotten, which I don't know ig its relevant. Now I do want to repay the owner of the other car but I don't know if it's safe to go back and admit guilt .Should I try to negociate and give the person money for the repair ? or is just better to wait to see what happens (if anything ever happens) and go through a hit and run court process

Answer:
 > I did what I had to do in the area and an hour after I left, with a huge panic attack the whole time.

So to be clear, you were having a panic attack too bad to stay and deal with the accident, but not *quite* bad enough to keep you from doing everything else?

You owe for the damages you caused.

You also committed a crime.

There could be consequences both ways.  I'd talk to a lawyer before proceeding.


Title: Possible eviction situation, does the owner have grounds?

Question:
IMPORTANT! I receive public funding for my housing. For the past two years I have diligently notified my buildings office manager and placed several requests for my leaky window to be repaired or replaced. On their end there was no acknowledgement, even after explaining the leak was beginning to cause water damage to both the management company and office manager. There has been no communication on their end for the majority of this time. It was not until I requested an inspection from my housing authority (that they recommended I do), and rent payment was being delayed that a manager of several properties owned by the company came by to examine my window.

He stated my window and patio would be replaced. A month and a half went by after this despite being told the ordering of parts would take two weeks. Contractors came by a day or so ago, installed the new patio and prepared to do the same with my bedroom window. No one told them about the water damage or lead paint (my building was constructed in 1975). I was told the work would need to be done in steps and that they would return tomorrow (which they didn't). My patio and window did not pass the housing authority inspection, which is a condition of the contract signed by myself and the owner (by proxy, the office manager).

Today I received a call, and had a conversation with my office manager that was definitely a veiled threat. She was pressuring me to sign paperwork essentially stating the work was complete, and multiple times stated if it was not signed, I would need to find a new place to live. Until the repair is finished, my rent will not be paid, that is literally what the barrier is. I told her I needed to communicate with the housing authority about the situation before signing off and ensuring that both parties are communicating with each other.  What I want to know is, can I be evicted? I want to state I live in the U.S. and in the state of Minnesota.

I am so stressed, have done nothing wrong and until I moved into this apartment, I was homeless for an entire year and before that a domestic situation. I am just so afraid of being displaced again. I am reviewing my lease agreement, and although I've only skimmed it for now, seems the company is in the wrong legally. Many MANY thanks in advance for reading, I hope someone can help me.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You are protected under federal law

Talk to your housing authority, your landlord wants you to commit fraud


Title: A woman jumped out of her abusing husbands car only to be brought back in with no one helping her

Question:
In Egypt, 4 hours ago, I saw a car moving by and a woman jumping out of it speeding and rolling over, aparantly her husband hit her and so she jumped out, he went ahead to pick her up and put her back in his car yelling at her while she was screaming, I tried to help and the man tried to punch me, there were people near the woman, once people were told that she was his wife everyone just stopped caring, and helped her get into his car even though she was crying prusmably againist it but she did not make a fuss, I tried getting her out of the car but the door was locked and he drove away, I got most of the car's license plate on memory and wrote it down, I asked people and went to a nearby clinic to get some explaination, apparantly this is all too common here and every one is too scared to go to the police in fear of abuse them selves for reporting it, specially since she is his wife, police being corrupt here is a thing but I assume that these basic things are at least solvable, I was told not to report it so I don't get in trouble, what the actual fuck? is there anything to be done, there is at least a court system in this country and lawyers and stuff, is there anything I can do? every one just completely wrote it off, I was told I was correct but there was nothing anyone was willing to risk to help, is there anything to be done? does anyone have any insight about how bad this is? what is going on? this should be a legal case

&#x200B;

Sorry for a few spelling mistakes but this should still be readable, thanks

Answer:
 I don't think anyone here will be familiar with the Egyptian legal system and what your options/risks would be

It looks like domestic violence has not yet been explicitly criminalized in Egypt, though there are efforts to change that. And a portion of their penal code has been historically used as a defense in those situations

> The provisions of the Penal Code shall not apply to any deed committed in good faith, pursuant to a right determined by virtue of Sharia law.


Title: Just found out major TV/Internet provider is responsible for my water leak, what should be my first steps?

Question:
Hi Everyone,

I apologize for the long post, but here is the story.

I live in Oakland, TN (right outside of Memphis).

I received my water bill for February to March usage in the beginning of April (they bill out a month behind). That water bill was almost $350 - WOW. I immediately called my local water company to inquire, and they said they would send someone out. A few days went by and no word, so I called the water company and they said I probably have a leak based on how fast the water leak indicator was spinning.

I didn't see any wet spots in the yard that indicate a water leak, I called a water leak detection company ($550) to perform a leak detection - for those that don't know, it's so expensive because they pressurize the line and probe and listen for the air pressure escaping to pin-point the leak. The company states that they found the leak under the slab of the house, and that it cannot be repaired because it's CPVC, and CPVC cannot have a fitting on it below a slab (they stated it's against "code"). They offer to run a new water line from the meter at the street to my house water line as the only solution, for the small price of $6,500 - WOW.

I decide to get the insurance company involved - of course, they don't cover plumbing material or labor. So, they would pay for part of the new line (from the house inward, but not the trenching of the yard or the pipe, or labor). I decide to get a second opinion from another plumbing company, and they state they can run a new line for $2,800 - much better! I decide to go ahead and get a quote from a third plumbing company, and they state that CPVC can be repaired under foundation - the whole "code" thing is only for new construction when building a house (must be one continuous run of CPVP, no fittings).

I decide to go with the repair under the slab option so insurance has to foot most of the bill. So...insurance writes me a check which will cover most of the expenses. The work is(was) scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week. They also offer to pay for a second leak detection, so I say "sure, why not have piece of mind before my whole bathroom is destroyed".

The second leak detection company came out today and pinpoints the leak almost immediately, and it's not in the bathroom - WTF. In fact, it's only a few feet from the water meter. He digs up the spot, and there is a large void of washed out dirt, a cracked CPVC pipe (leaking 150 gallons an hour), and there is a EFFING FIBER OPTIC CABLE right under the CPVC that very apparently hit and broke the water pipe. Guess what, the TV/Internet provider happened to be installing fiber optics in my neighborhood in DUN DUN DUN - February.

So, I've already paid $550 for one leak detection, $425 for the second, $325 for the water bill, and the next water bill is supposed to be over $750. Not to mention the emotional and financial hardship. I've lost sleep, my blood pressure has gone up, I've been feeling ill at the thought of having to pay crazy money for the plumbing repair, I've had to wake up in the middle of the night and turn my water on and off so my pregnant wife can use the freaking bathroom for the last 2 weeks. It's been a nightmare...

I want to get an attorney involved, I want my money back, and I want to be compensated for my emotional trauma. What are the first steps I should take?

Answer:
 Your first steps should be contacting the internet/cable company as well as letting your insurance know it is the cable company's fault.  If the cable company doesn't fix the issue and compensate you your monetary damages, then you sue.

>and I want to be compensated for my emotional trauma.

Not gonna happen.Answer #2: I would also check with the water company to see where their responsibility lies. Where I live the meter inside my house is the end of my responsibility. If the leak is past that point, it is the water companies responsibility.

If that is also the case where you live, let them handle the replacement. Answer #3: > I want to be compensated for my emotional trauma.

How much do you think that is?


Title: Angry airbnb guest trying to get us back online using fake craigslist ads, stealing our identity, and threatening our business - what are our options?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Listen to your lawyer friend.


Title: Citibank pushed my 74 yr old fathers home into foreclosure after insurance claim was filed. Mortgage is current. New Hampshire

Question:
Update: Scheduled a meeting with an attorney nearby who "specializes in suing mortgage companies". Hopefully we're on the right path.

Things to know:
- Mortgage Payments never lapsed
- $40,000 remains on the mortgage note
- Insurance funds for claim totals $25,000
- Property is valued at $300,000
- House is uninhabitable for 11 months; my father's health has seriously deteriorated from displacement and stress now of losing his home of nearly 50 years

Backstory:

Sixteen months ago, my father unknowingly lapsed on his homeowners insurance. Learning this, CitiMortgage (note holder) purchased hazard/catastrophic insurance for the home.

Eleven months ago, a plumbing issue caused raw sewage to backup into the home, destroying the basement (partially finished), 50% of the first floor, and the bathroom on the top floor.

When I went to help him is when I learned the insurance was not his regular homeowners  policy. No big issue, we filed a claim with the insurance provider: Assurant. They said to hire a remediation company to stop the problem, demo the damaged areas and clean the property. We did.

Assurant was impossibly slow to provide guidance or answer questions. It took 3 months before we even understood how much would be covered. Still they wouldn't release funds to pay the clean up company.

Forward 3 months, I'm told the insurance funds have been sent to CitiMortage and they will be handling disbursement. I can actually see the funds sitting in the online account with the mortgage.

CitiMortgage demands inspections, that the world (clean up) was actually done. We'd already had TWO previous inspections for the same thing. This 3rd inspection never gets scheduled by CitiMortgage for some unknown reason. I inquire by phone about this; I'm told that we have to complete a large packet of information (redundant to what the insurance company already did). Fine, so I submit. Can I have some money now, I ask.

No says CitiMortage, as the hos is now in foreclosure status with LAW firm. Why? Nobody can tell me. CitiMortgage won't talk, and the LAW firm said they don't know the reason.

I get a demand for payoff ($40,000). Call to inquire as to why it's even in foreclosure. Nobody can tell me. After finally threatening the LAW firm with legal action, I was told the foreclosure would be halted for now.

In the beginning, this was about resolving an insurance concern. It has escalated to a point of pretty severe hardship for my father.

I'm not sure how to proceed. I feel there is grounds to file suit for gross mishandling of everything.

I've spoken to a couple of attorney's. Nobody seems to know what to do with it.

Advice? Referrals?

Edit: received notice recently of Class Action suit against CitiMortage for use of this particular insurance company.

Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 File and attorney registration and disciplinary complaint against the foreclosing attorneys.

You call them and ask why it's being foreclosed and they said "dunno.?"

They're supposed to KNOW before they file SUIT.

And, yes, you need to lawyer up. ASAP. Also, considering the equity in the home, maybe get another mortgage to buy out this awful one? Pay them off and be done?


Title: Roommate can't make rent, 3rd month now, and if we don't pay the full amount tomorrow, we're getting evicted. What happens to me? Can I sign a lease elsewhere? Orlando, Fl.

Question:
I'm looking at renting a room elsewhere cause fuck this shit. We're pawning things in the morning but if we don't get enough, then we're being evicted. even if we get enough, the chances of her having next months rent by the 5th, is slim. I'm not paying for it.

I realized that I can probably sign a new lease before I get evicted, as I was originally going to find a room without a lease, but this increases my options. I know I can legally be on as many leases as I want, but what happens to my old lease?

In four months I graduate and move back home to Europe (international student here), and as much as I'd like to not have an eviction on my record, I'll take it if it means getting away from that place and not having to worry about rent.

How does that affect my credit? If I pay my credit cards (2) on time every month, and this comes up, do creditors see that? Ahh. I hate the situation I'm in.

Answer: it definitely comes up. you will still owe your landlord money even if you move out.


Title: My dad threatening to kill my wife, seemingly out of blue. What should I do?

Question:
So my parents are close to 60 yr old and they've gotten along great with me and my wife for quite some time. I swear they've loved her more than me since we married. A couple of weeks ago my mom and dad were here for my daughter's 1 yr-old birthday party. They brought a slide and swing set that she can't use yet since she can't even walk. I said thanks and that we should just leave it boxed up for now since we only have so much room. I told them she'll probably be able to start using it in a 6 months or so. They seemed fine with that idea and didn't show any signs of being upset. The next day my dad messages and says I really insulted him. I didn't think he was really serious, so I laughed it off. Now he's sending [this](http://imgur.com/MfmGKgn) to my wife.

*Some context is needed for whatever understanding can be made of this psychotic texting. My wife is Pakistani and I'm an American white guy. She's not religious at all and even though my parents seem to be finding religion these days, we never really practiced during my youth and hardly ever attended church.*

Now, I plan on calling my mom tomorrow to see if she's upset too ... but I can't very well have anyone threatening my family, regardless of relation. What steps can I take to prevent my madman father from carrying out his threats? How hard is it to have someone institutionalized? Is that even a realstic possibility? My brother just sent me screenshots showing that my dad is also saying God may tell him to kill me now. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm in California BTW.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Severe personality shifts is one of the signs of a stroke. Get ahold of you mom, and see if she can get him in to ER (yes it's an emergency) and have him checked out.Answer #2: Your Dad sounds like he could be ill. To go from loving your wife like a daughter to that is extreme and is indicative of a stroke/alzheimers.

You can either confront your Dad, or confront your Mum and ask to see where he's coming from. While I wouldn't suggest you refrain from calling the police if you're in any actual danger, police officers are NOT mental health professionals and cannot use the reason that "this guys acting aggressive because he's not well" if he reacts badly to them.Answer #3: Call your mother, like today.  It sounds like your father is going around the bend pretty hard.  I'm not a fan of the police given their history of overreacting badly.

I don't know your father, but my reaction to that would be "someone needs to look at him, to make sure he didn't have a psychotic break," or possibly "his sense of humor is terrible."  Depends on context.

In any case, talk to your mother.  Call the cops only if you believe he is a real active danger, and you can't get a psych eval instead.  The Supreme Court just held that the cops killing an unarmed mentally ill woman was just peachy (because she had a knife, and they didn't have to take into account her known mental illness).Answer #4: Your best bet is to call the police, they would do a wellness check and take him to the hospital if he is having some sort of episode.


Title: Will I goto jail for my DUI?

Question:
Hello. I just turned 18 on April 29th, 2019. I live in Colorado. I was kicked out on my birthday and I believe it was on the 30th that I decided to go stay with a friend. The next morning his roommate, whom I had known at that point for about 10 hours starts asking me for a ride.. I was reluctant at first because I had been drinking, but I ended up saying yes because I felt bad. I give him a ride, the whole way there we’re drinking this bottle. I pull up to his destination, the bottle is gone, I ask for gas money and he gives me 2 Xanax bars which would be 4 mgs. All I remember is taking the Xanax and saying goodbye, then I woke up in the hospital with a ticket about a mile long. I got a DUI, a DWAI, driving with an invalid license, and reckless driving resulting in an accident. Don’t worry no one got hurt I hit a fence at 5 mph I guess. I know my blood alcohol level was through the roof and when they drew my blood at the hospital, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and mdma were present. Many people I have asked tell me mixed answers. Some tell me I’ll be going to jail for sure, others tell me I’m just gonna get pounded with probation, classes, community service, etc. this is my first charge as an adult although I did get an assault charge as I minor but I received a deferred sentence. Please help me I made a horrible mistake and I’m stressing very much over this.
Topic:
DUI

Answer: It's possible. You absolutely need a lawyer to minimize the damage here.


Title: "Just a friendly reminder, looking at child porn is not illegal"...

Question:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/9gnusu/serious\_redditors\_who\_are\_mods\_of\_any\_social/e66d3gz/?context=3&utm\_content=context&utm\_medium=message&utm\_source=reddit&utm\_name=frontpage](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/9gnusu/serious_redditors_who_are_mods_of_any_social/e66d3gz/?context=3&utm_content=context&utm_medium=message&utm_source=reddit&utm_name=frontpage)

I know that simply accessing Child Porn is illegal regardless of if you manually download here in Australia, but this guy seems pretty certain that at in his country (I am guessing the USA) that you can look all you want just not hit the save button. I am very skeptical, but can someone help me out with giving me some example US legislation so I can hopefully help the 400+ people whom upvoted his comment from inadvertently ending up in prison >\_<

Answer:
 The ugly truth is that Reddit has a vibrant and active community of pedophile apologists, ranging from folks who are themselves active pedophiles all the way through to people with carefully-reasoned philosophical positions that require that they defend child pornography legally even if they believe pedophilia and child abuse are wrong morally. And they have as much access to bots and other bad-faith attempts to manipulate the discussion as anyone else does.

In other words, don't trust the upvotes.

Without knowing a specific jurisdiction, it's hard to say. Where I am, intentionally accessing child pornography is unambiguously a crime:

-----

**Accessing child pornography**

(4.1) Every person who accesses any child pornography is guilty of

(a) an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 10 years and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of one year; or

(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction and is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years less a day and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of six months.

(4.2) For the purposes of subsection (4.1), a person accesses child pornography who knowingly causes child pornography to be viewed by, or transmitted to, himself or herself.

-----

This pattern is fairly widespread.


Title: My boss wants me to go from being "on call" 4 hours saturday morning to being "on call" all weekend with no compensation. Is this legal?

Question:
I work as a field service technician for a company that rents heavy equipment. When I took the job 4 years ago I agreed to work 10-hour days Monday through Friday, and be "on call" from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. For this "on call" time I would get paid 3 hours. If I did get a call and had to go out in the field to repair equipment, I would get paid for that time as well. (Work for 4 hrs, get paid for 4 hrs +3 hrs "on call") 2 years ago my boss informed me that at a manager's meeting they decided to only pay the three hours and then if I had to go out in the field they would pay me anything over that 3 hours. (Work for 4 hours, get paid for 4 hrs) Fine. I didn't argue. Well this morning I recieved an email from my boss stating I am expected to be "on call" all weekend. He said it was "just" to answer calls, talk customers through problems, and 99% of the time (after noon saturday) the work can be pushed off until monday morning. This is with no offer of compensation. Is this legal? It seems like they are demanding I work 44hrs a week unpaid. Aside from that, I have 2 small children and when I started I made it VERY clear that I value my family/free time over anything else. I work in Nebraska if that matters. Is there any legal grounds I have to resist this? I don't want more money, I want my weekends.
EDIT: I am an hourly employee.

Answer:
 My response would be to email your boss back "While this sounds like an exciting opportunity, I'm happy with my job responsibilities as they currently stand. If you would like to add more responsibilities, I would be happy to discuss with you what compensation I would require to complete those duties."

They can ask you to do whatever they want. That doesn't mean you actually have to do itAnswer #2: I worked an ambulance district where you were required to be on call (sober and ready to drive to the base) for your shift. But otherwise, you could go home, have another job, etc. as long as you could put on your boots and be at the station in a reasonable amount of time. But this employer paid me minimum wage for the full 24 hour shift without overtime so I was happy.

A neighboring ambulance district, however, had similar policies but they dropped you down in pay after 8 pm because then you could sleep... Until a call came in. Then you started making base pay again. After a class action lawsuit the district was forced to pay "back pay" for all the night hours that people had worked for a few years and they changed their policies. That was in Missouri.


Title: [IN] I have been gifted a (shortened) firearm, and I'm not sure that it's legal.

Question:
This week, my uncle gave me a Marlin 336 rifle, chambered for Winchester 30-30, in Mississippi. The thing is, it survived a house fire, and now both the stock and barrel have been significantly cut down.

I've read that Indiana recently legalized sawed-off *shotguns*, but I haven't been able to find any solid information on sawed-off *rifles.*

Does Indiana restrict this kind of firearm and, if so, what's my best course of action?

**UPDATE**: Having found a tape measure, I measured the rifle and it seems to be illegally modified. So I think the best course of action will be to thank my uncle, return it, and forget that I ever saw it. Thanks everyone!

The rifle: http://i.imgur.com/loXhwvF.jpg http://i.imgur.com/OyWUE2l.jpg

Answer:
 It's federally prohibited if the barrel is less than 16 inches or the overall length with stock extended is less than 26 inches; unless you have a federal tax stamp. Answer #2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-barreled_rifle

TL;DR If the Barrel is less than 16"; unless you did paperwork and paid a fee before taking possession it is very illegal. Moving it across state lines probably only makes it worse.

You might see if local law enforcement has a program where you can surrender it "no questions asked". If not I would render it permanently inoperable and throw it away. The gun itself is <$1000 and isn't worth the risk to hold onto it.


Title: [Florida] Denied home insurance claim due to damage caused by state protected animals

Question:
Long story short, I found a maternity nest of bats in my attic around early May. After making many phone calls, and being turned down, I was told no one will do anything for me until August 15th because bats are protected by Florida law during their mating season. So now that the time has passed, the bats have been removed and I filed a claim with my insurance for the $6,900 bill for the attic restoration. Bat guano is highly toxic and the disease it carries (Histoplasmosis) can become airborne, contaminating all insulation and getting in the air system so it was important that it got fixed immediately.

My insurance company denied the claim stating my policy says it does no cover damaged due to animals. That's all understandable but what about protected animals that I was forced to allow to live in my attic or else be subject to fines and penalties? Do I have any recourse with the state? Can I go back to my insurance company and fight the denial?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 I believe I can answer half of your question, the insurance part.  I don't see any basis for fighting the claim denial because this is a loss that's doubly excluded.

First, as you know, homeowners policies typically exclude "loss...caused by...birds, vermin, rodents, or insects."

But second, homeowners policies typically exclude "loss to property...caused by...acts or decisions...of any...governmental body."

Check your own to policy to see if anything's different from what I'm quoting, I'm looking at pages 8-12 of a pretty standard ISO coverage form [PDF](http://www.iii.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/HO3_sample.pdf).

I don't know if you have any recourse with the state.


Title: Intellectual Property between federal government and programmer. Who keeps the rights to the code?

Question:
Hello,
Over the summer I worked as an intern for a federal agency. During my boredom, I decided to learn how to program an iphone app on their behalf. They were impressed with the idea and paid $99 for the Apple developer fee. I worked on this app for lets say 3-4 hours a day at the agency and then at night basically everyday and on my weekends. My SO also volunteered her design skills. At the end of the internship, I submitted the app to the app store and was approved. This is a free app (no profit generated).

I had planned to continue to push updates to it of my own will (even though the internship is over). Now, my old boss has asked for the code and all login information. I don't think they will do anything with the actual code but who knows. I provided him the code/logins after briefly saying that I believe I retain the rights to the code but would give over anything else. I wanted to retain some control over my product/talk to any programmer they hired after about the code and walk them through my thinking before turning it over. Anyway, he told me that because they paid the $99 and I worked on it during work time, it was their code and he threatened to have an attorney call me if I wanted to press it further.

Of note, I performed duties in a completely different role most of the time, unrelated to programming. Therefore, I never signed any agreements that I would relinquish rights to any code I created. I have also been told that federal agencies are prohibited from creating their own iPhone/Android type software and it must be done by a third party.

It's all a moot point now I suppose, I am just interested in learning how to best protect my work in the future. I would be interested in hearing any opinions and would like to read relevant laws pertaining to this! Thank you!

Location: Colorado
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 For the record there is absolutely no doubt that the agency in question owns your application.

 If you want to be a thorn in their side then your girlfriend can try to get compensated by the agency for her design.

Here is an excellent resource for you to begin your journey: http://copyright.lib.utexas.edu/whoowns.html


Title: (CA): Neighbors trimmed tree left in my driveway

Question:
Greetings

For the last two days a tree company has been taking down a large tree on the neighbors property.  This morning, when I went out I noticed that most of the cut tree was left in my driveway, blocking access for me to come and go.  I contacted the tree company and they told me they would be out to finish and remove the tree today, but after several hours they still have not come.  I'm wondering what legal steps I can take if they do not come out today, especially since tomorrow is Sunday and they may be closed that day which means I'm pretty much locked in the house all weekend. I'm guessing I can find someone to remove it, then take them to small claims court for reimbursement, but wondering if there's any other options.  thanks.

Answer: Your neighbors are the ones you should be speaking to about this.  If you did have to sue for the cost of removal at a minimum you would name both parties in your small claims suit.


Title: [IL, USA] My mom works as a fast-food worker and they don't pay her overtime, transferring hours to the next period

Question:
Sorry for the long title.

My mom works for a big fast-food restaurant as a manager and has held that position for multiple years. For a long time, whenever she (and other employees) have gone into overtime, the ones in charge of the payroll take the overtime hours and transfer them to the next pay period, effectively reducing her pay. Is it advisable to seek legal help? It's a franchise owned restaurant and the reason many people don't speak up about it is that they are illegal immigrants.

Answer: It's illegal. Keep good documentation and go to a local labor attorney ASAP.  They're likely to speak with her free of charge and will likely look to collect their fee directly from the employer.


Title: (TX) University charged my card a tuition payment because it had previously been used to pay a $75 fee on my girlfriend's account.

Question: [removed]

Answer: You need to call your card issuer immediately and dispute the charge. If you fail to dispute the charge immediately, you could be liable in part.Answer #2: So you authorized the $75 fee and they decided to charge additional payments? I don’t see how you could be liable for that. You need to disputed it with your bank/card and have her contact them tomorrow to either give them a different card or remove what is saved in their system under her account.Answer #3: Have her talk to the University. They'll certainly reverse the charge and apply it to the correct card.


Title: Pennsylvania: Attending a college party w/ minors while being over 21.

Question:
Hello,

I'm hoping for some insight into the possible legal ramifications of me attending a college party this halloween.

My GF is 20 and I'm 23. She wants me to do the whole couples-costume thing and I thought it'd be a fun outing to do with her as well! However, all of the parties she goes to are house parties and frat parties where there are a bunch of underage drinkers attending.

My question is: if I was to go to one of these parties and they were broken up by the cops for whatever reason, would I get in trouble for being > 21? I really haven't been in this situation before so I'm not sure of how this usually all plays out.

If I would get in trouble, would the situation be any different if I personally had NO alcohol the entire night?

I would really like to have a fun time with my girlfriend, but even though she's only 3 years younger than me it's tough having to sidestep all of these underage drinking troubles we encounter!

Answer:
 Yes, you can be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and/or similar charges. Doesn't matter if you drink or not.

(I speak from personal experience here -- I was in the same situation with one of my ex's. Sucks.)


Title: Youtube, someone stole my music and is challenging the copywrite

Question:
So, I'm just looking for general advice here, and I'm not sure what to do next, so I'll just explain the situation. Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Recently I found that a song made by me and remixed by an artist  was uploaded onto youtube under a false name and with no credit given to either of us. One video had almost 400k hits. The video said that the artist was The Weeknd ft partynextdoor, two huge artists in the music industry and two people the up-loaders were absolutely not associated with. I contacted the artist who remixed my song before going through with a copy-write strike and he said it was okay if I did it. We provided sufficient proof that it was our song and the video was taken down.

A couple days later I got an email saying that two people who uploaded it, who are definitely associated with each other, claimed fair use and is fighting the copywrite. Now I have ten days to provide a court order. I checked through youtube about fair use and found one of the "Four factors of fair use" was this:

"4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

Uses that harm the copyright owner’s ability to profit from his or her original work are less likely to be fair uses. Courts have sometimes made an exception under this factor in cases involving parodies."

This definitely falls under that, in my opinion, because it totally robs us of all credit.

Just looking for what my next step should be. Thank you for your time.

Edit: My location is NY, USA

Answer: Get a lawyer, you very likely have actual damages here that could be pursued.  Especially seeing they have likely profiteered off of this.


Title: friend jailed in Virginia for $2mil of heroine, had no knowledge

Question:
Hi all. This is my first post here. I'll just get straight to it. I have a friend who’s working for a trucking company that transports cars in California. He was delivering several cars to Virginia and was at a weighing station. They asked to inspect and he was more than willing to assist. The first and only car they happened to inspect had $2 mil worth of heroin and he was booked. He’s been in jail there for the past 3 weeks and had no knowledge that he was delivering the extra baggage. His bail was first set at 100k, then lowered to 35k, now presently down to 18k. Employer is unwilling to help with any collateral, most family as well with the exception of his wife and an older son who is able to work. A couple friends, including myself are willing to help in anyway possible. Wondering what are our options at this point? I, personally, am suspecting employer had to have known. This friend is a family man with not only the son, but two younger daughters and was the sole provider for the household. He’s also a man of a motorcycle community and always offered to work on bikes in his spare time, often for free, or not charging an arm or a leg. It may be too late to try and get him home for the holidays and this is all he wishes for at this point; to be home with his girls.

Edit: They're currently holding him for reasonable doubt.

X2: omgnqqb is my brother

Answer:
 According to heroin.net (which is apparently a thing), the street price of Heroin is $200/g.

That means your friend was transporting over 20 pounds of heroin.  At a density of 1.56g/mm^3, it would take up a volume of only .2 cubic feet.  That would be pretty easy to hide.

That isn't legal advice, I was just curious how easy it would be to transport $2 million worth of heroin and not notice.  Fairly easy, assuming I didn't garbage up my math.Answer #2: An 18K bond is incredibly really low for such a a charge. Try contacting a bail bondsman, they usually require 10-15% of the bond amount. The big issue is that even if he is bailed out, he may not be able to leave the state of Virginia, pursuant to pre-trial conditions. Most important thing is for your friend to hire a criminal defense attorney ASAP and to keep his mouth shut.


Title: Possibility of getting Married to Canadian Citizen while in the United States- help

Question:
Hi everyone.

My girlfriend and I have a question about the legality of her coming over and potentially getting married. We've known each other for two years and haven't had an opportunity to see each other; however, starting in October, she's going to have an extended stay over here for a few months so we can spend a lot of time together in the United States within California.

We've teased thoughts of marriage and overthink things so we were wondering if within a period of time (ex. in 3 months after her stay) we decided to tie the knot, is that allowed? It looks like there is no law prohibited that, more so making it difficult and trying to dissuade fraudulent cases of intent or something like that. It's hard to not worry when we're always thinking about the future and just being prepared for anything. We don't want her to get in trouble for a stupid reason.

Thanks.

Answer:
 It would be legal to get married.

It could be very complicated to get her a green card or a spousal visa, as the length of your relationship would definitely be questioned.    You would likely want to consult an immigration attorney before getting married to make sure that you don't screw yourselves over on that front.

... it's also not very smart to be making marriage plans with an online girlfriend you've literally never seen in person.

But it is legal.


Title: Parked in a reserved spot in my apartment complex that I thought nobody owned... woke up this morning to find my leased car keyed twice, HELP

Question:
In Texas, specifically Dallas.

Backstory: the apartment complex I live in guarantees parking in their gated lot as part of our rental agreement; however, they have been repaving areas of it so one section is cut off and nobody can park there. I came home last night around 5 AM to find that all the parking lot (including the visitor's lot, which is usually full at night anyway) was completely full. I made a judgment call between parking in the open handicapped spot, leaving my car in the middle of the parking lot road and what I thought was the safest option, parking in a reserved spot that I thought nobody owned. I woke up this morning to move my car and found that someone had keyed it badly. Not just clear coat or paint, but dents into the metal.

After speaking with my roommate, I found out that someone does own that garage (which is right below my roommate's room), but they usually leave quite early, so we never see them. I think it's reasonable to assume that the owner of the garage keyed the car, but there are no cameras anywhere on the parking lot, so I can't prove anything.

The parking lot is gated, but the gates are frequently left open and the complex does not issue parking stickers of any sort to identify who is a resident/non-resident. The lots are usually full of people who don't live in the complex, especially considering that it is gated and walking distance from a university that holds huge tailgating events that attract a lot of public attention. I have routinely noticed people follow cars in through the gates, bypassing the security code. Additionally, there is an all access gate code that everyone seems to know. I only found out about it because I once forgot my gate remote and asked someone if they lived here and could let me in. They told me they didn't live there, but that there was a "master code" that everyone knew and gave it to me. Considering this, the whole point of "gated" security becomes moot.

I took pictures of the scratches that are dated as of today, but not of the car in the spot. I also do not have recent pictures of the car to show that it wasn't damaged prior to this morning.

What can I do? I'm a college student and definitely cannot afford to pay for the damage to this car, and I'm reasonably sure that the individual who owns this garage keyed my car instead of doing the normal thing and getting it towed- which I would have understood.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Report the damage to your insurance (if you have comprehensive). If not, live with the damage. You have no proof who did the damage. If you call the cops without proof, nothing will happen. Next time don't park where you aren't allowed to park.


Title: (MO) Landlord won’t fix insulation issues causing the unit to be extremely cold

Question:
To preface this I live in low income housing, if that makes a difference.

Currently the temperature has dropped and it is unbearably cold in my loft. It’s all brick and cement but there are gaping cracks in the corners where they meet. This is an old warehouse that was converted to housing. The windows are 12ft tall and poorly insulated as well. Right now my electric bill is $350, and next months looks like it will be even more. I’ve reported the issue, they inspected the furnace, declared it working, and left it at that. I honestly can not afford, nor can I comfortably stay here if it remains this cold. Right now the heat is set to 66, but it cannot get above 63 due to the heat escaping through the cracks. If I turn it off, the temperature drops quickly to the mid-50s. If they do not fix this quickly, what can I do? Do I have grounds to break the lease? I hope it’s not expected of me to keep my heat running 24/7 when I can’t afford that, or live in a loft that stays at 63.

Here are some pictures of the frost on the inside of my windows rn: https://imgur.com/a/smd3I

Cracks in the wall where air escapes: https://imgur.com/a/iEumn

Answer: As a practical matter for the windows you could cover them with plastic window insulating film. It’s pretty effective at minimizing drafts around windows. Answer #2: Who did you report it to?  HUD, or your landlord?


Title: [JACKSONVILLE, FL] Step mother recieved the wrong injection following post surgery appointment.

Question:
My stepmother recently had leg surgery and went a physician for some follow up shots. She was given the options of: a shot every 3 months, I think cortisone. And a series of 3 shots of some sort of "gel" administered every week. Insurance only covered the first series of cortisone and not the gel, so she opted for that one.

There was a fire alarm as the shot was being prepared. After that distraction the shot was administered and my stepmother proceeded to check out of the office. She was told to come back the following week.

Fast forward to the next week and as my stepmother checks in she is informed that she has a $350 balance from the previous visit. After a slight rigmarole it was discovered that she was given the wrong injections during her previous visit. The office manager and another nurse confirmed my stepmother's denial of this specific procedure. The office then insisted that she be charged, and naturally she declined and left the office.

I guess I'm just here for information and opinions on what she should do.

Answer: Try to get ahold of the physician.  The office manager may be attempting to cover their mistake.Answer #2: NAL or insurance broker. In addition to the other person's advice, I would recommend following up with the insurance in finding out what course of action your stepmother can take in regards to the claim filed. If it wasn't an injection that was authorized by the insurance the cost of the procedure has to come from someone. Being able to give them something in writing that both the provider's office and the patient agreed not to pursue the gel will help remove any flags on her account with the insurance.


Title: [California USA] My sister's boyfriend came into my parents house and assaulted me.

Question: So I was laying on my couch playing video games and my sister came home. I always greet her with and insult such as bitch, dumass etc. But not in a mean way but in a brother sister type of thing. I guess her boyfriend got really mad and pulled me off the couch and started cussing me out and started to get physical. I didn't respond back but my father quickly got out of bed and started to yell at him and he started getting aggressive with my father. My father and I told him he was not welcome in our home various times before but he still comes without permission. My question is what can I do to legally asses this situation. Do I get a restraining order or do I sue him? I'm twenty years old.

Answer:
 So he was attacking you and your sister didn't ever think to mention that you were joking and this is normal behavior? Answer #2: How exactly did he get physical and aggressive? What damages did you suffer as a result of his actions?

How does he continue to come without permission? I'm assuming your sister is bringing him into the house and assuming you both live there. How old is she?Answer #3: You can't bar him from the house as your sister can invite him in. He did however assault you so you should call the police and report the assault. Then file for a restraining order.


Title: So I live in Australia and I bought a car from an auction with no fault codes on but once I got home the check engine light came on and o looked it up with a scanner and they seem to have cleared the codes but didn't fix the problems.

Question: Yeah It also came with warantee too but it only starts after three months, Is there anything I can do about it legally?

Answer: Usually the warranty ends 3 months after purchase.  Not starts then. You might want to check your paperwork again.


Title: Gave my dog up on craigslist, but changed my mind

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Legally speaking, the dog is property.  You gave the dog away.  Unless he specifically violated an agreement he had with you as condition of accepting the dog, you have no recourse.

You can certainly go over there and ask politely to see the dog.  He's not required to allow it, but he might.


Title: Can I be sued in NY for being robbed of a borrowed item?

Question: So I was holding a class ring for someone ~$800 value and inscribed with their name etc... I was mugged at knifepoint and lost it. Even though they saw me right after and how shaken up I was, they are demanding the value of the ring from me, and saying they will sue me for it if I don't pay. I have paid $100 so far and said I would pay the whole amount over time, I just can't pay it all right now... but they want to be paid right now. What are my options here?

Answer:
 Sure, you can be sued.  They'd need to prove negligence or something similiar on your part.  Answer #2: It sounds like you might have had a bailment.  You might be able to be sued by this person if your state recognizes this kind of suit.

Your friend might have a different cause of action because you started paying for the loss.  This possible assumption of the debt may bind you to pay the full amount.

Given the value of the item, I don't know if you want to contact a local attorney.  But you can generally find an attorney who will do a free consult that may just give you some quick free advice.

Edit: Clarity

Edit2: Did you file a police report?