Title: Thirteen years of this hell.

Question:
I divorced my ex in 2005. I initially asked for full legal and physical custody of our three children, but after my anger dissipated and I thought I saw change in his parenting, he had previously been indifferent towards them, I asked for joint legal and physical. His lawyer never made an appearance, so my lawyer drew up papers, and even found a place he could legally sign them. I figured his lawyer was inept, turns out his lawyer was non existent. Five years later after many fights and me covering his ass I took him back to court. He had taken a piece of floor trim and left bruises on my middle son, I had pictures and a police report with the kids statements at the time. Somehow we ended up getting an amended court order that only stated he wasn't allowed to drink in front of the kids, which was the source of our discontent before the floor trim incident. Then appx two years ago after a particularly bad fight between him and the two youngest boys, ages 13 and 16 at the time, I came home to them crying and saying they were never going back, he had cussed the youngest and threatened him to the point th then 16 year old, easy going non confrontational, one had to step in and'save' the youngest. They were only a day early for custody exchange so I called my ex, calmly and asked him if they could just stay and calm down, but they never went back, he never asked for them to. So I took him back to court, this time for being in contempt and not paying his half, and not abiding the no alcohol terms. He had been using my 16 yr old as a designated driver, and both boys as babysitters for his two younger kids by a different ex wife, so that he could go to his friends and party to the point of passing out and took all four with him, on school nights, weekends, all the time! Then would cuss them and physically assault them if they disagreed or complained. Needless to say I got full custody, legal and physical, in return for no child support. However he was supposed to pay half all medical. Including an already agreed to orthodontist. Which btw I paid my half in full up front to avoid having to beg every month for his half. That order was put in finally in August this year. As soon as it was in he closed the account connected to the orthodontist. He has had no in person contact outside of Thanksgiving dinner at his parents, which he left early to avoid them. They went there on their own, planned with their grandparents. He didn't invite them. Today my youngest has an appointment with the orthodontist, they will most likely reschedule pending payment. I'm unable financially to foot his half. He's told my son he can't pay, won't pay.
What I'm wondering is where do I go from here?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 I spent way too long going through your post trying to summarize it. I don't believe the Ex's history of abuse is relevant to your current issue. Upon reaching the end, it seems like your actual legal question is:

"OP has sole custody of her children. There is a court order for Ex to pay half of children's medical bills, including an orthodontist (for which treatment has already begun and OP has already paid her half). Ex is refusing to pay his half of the bills and the orthodontist will likely not continue treatment without payment. What should OP do?"

I am not a lawyer; hopefully by making the question clearer, there's a higher likelihood that a lawyer will come in and be able to provide helpful advice. I suspect that you will need to go back to court to hold him in contempt for not complying with the court order. If he genuinely does not have the money, you can't get blood from a stone. I wish you luck in getting what you need.


Title: [Ohio] My employer may close, can they really keep my belongings?

Question: We're having a rough time at work, and many people are concerned that the office may be closed in the near-ish future. Someone mentioned that they're not keeping much personal stuff at work because if the office closes we may not be allowed back in to get our personal property. I have a bunch of textbooks, decorations, framed certificates,  and even office supplies I purchased myself. Would it really be legal for them to not let me back in to collect my stuff? Should I be quietly emptying my office, just in case? I don't want to look too much like I'm moving out, since it's not exactly a done deal that we'll close, but I also don't want to lose my things if I'm not allowed back.

Answer: Yes, it's possible you might not be able to retrieve your belongings.  Or at least it might become very difficult.  Quietly removing personal belongings is probably prudent.  Only keep what you need there, and take your stuff with you when you go each day.


Title: Stranger walked into my apartment

Question:
So someone just walked into my apartment on accident. We just had a baby 7 weeks ago and our dog bit him on the arm. He asked for the vet's info to make sure she is up to date on all shots and vaccines, which she is. Vet called me to OK to release the info to him.

Is this my fault? He had one puncture wound it wasn't anything terrible but now I'm concerned. My dog is obviously very protective right now because of the baby. Any advice? He said it was totally his fault but now I'm worried he will try to involve the complex or something ridiculous when he walked into the wrong apartment.

Answer: I don't see how you are liable if an intruder broke into your home. Cause that's what happened.Answer #2: You don’t need to give vet info. They illegally entered your home. FYI- if you don’t have your Ohio dog license get it ASAP! Answer #3: Give your dog a treat. She protected you and your family from an immediate threat. She's a good dog and you have nothing to worry about. The man that was bitten would have to incriminate himself to try anything.Answer #4: You're not going to be liable for anything. You don't have to give the guy any info either. But this sounds like a mistake and the guy knows it was a mistake. I assume you don't want him arrested. He probably feels bad but also wants to make sure that he isn't going to get rabies or something. Answer #5: Where do you live? That info may help.


Title: I need help, please?

Question:
Ok, I live in Indiana and have had my 2 Daughters kept from me. I am their father, their mother and I were not married. I have signed a paternity affidavit for both of them. I am being kept from them because of allegations that were taken to cos. They have closed their case and basically told my daughters' mother not to allow contact with me. There has been no legal actions taken against me and I did not do anything to either one of my daughter's. I just want visitation allowed, however the lawyer I contacted said that since cps
Was involved, no judge would allow it, and also went on to say that since I was not married to their mother I have no rights. Please give me your advice?

Answer: In order to get visitation you are going to need to go back to court, however like the lawyer said if CPS was involved in blocking contact it's not looking good. You are going to need a family law attorney to move forward.


Title: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Workplace

Question: erased for privacy. thanks guys

Answer:
 >I foolishly tell my boss that he needs to buy a carbon monoxide detector. His eyes light up and he says that he will do that tomorrow.

no, that's exactly what you are suppose to do.  this whole scheme to somehow catch the company doing something wrong is pointless.

it could be the forklift, the heating system, or just trucks idling near the building.  they sell CO detectors at hardware stores.  get one and install it and then call the fire dept if it goes off and evacuate the building.


Title: I'm curious about possible emotional damage from being assaulted with a jar of spiders

Question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/3elifj/my_boyfriend_24_m_pranked_me_in_a_horrible_way/

I was very fascinated by this and wondered what the legal consequences might be, if any. Let's say general United States, and Colorado.

Answer:
 [This seems to be an odd trend on /r/relationships today.](https://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/3ek5kx/my_27f_sisters_25_f_fiance_25m_is_suing_me/)

E: this also quite possibly the only example of IIED I've ever seen posted on this sub.


Title: [Hypothetical] Is it legally rape if a paid sex worker does not perform the service and refuses to return the money?

Question:
Just to be clear, I have never nor do I ever intend to engage the service of a sex worker. This is just a hypothetical situation I thought of. I know rape is and can never be justified ethically or morally. I was wondering however, in this situation:

Say a sex worker (escort, prostitute, call girl, whatever you want to call it) is paid beforehand to perform a sexual service, in a country where such a service is legal. However, she then refuses to perform said service and also refuses to return the money to the customer, for whatever reason, despite being able to. Is it legally rape if the customer then forces himself or herself on the sex worker, or is it just them taking what they already paid for?

I know in the U.S for example rape can be defined as "Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." Going by this definition, is the customer charged with rape, while the sex worker is charged with (stealing? Fraud? Whatever the crime of not performing a promised paid service is called)?

And I realise that the customer could lodge a police report, file a lawsuit, or a complaint to the sex worker's employer instead, but I was just wondering if this would legally be classified as rape or simply taking a service he/she already paid for but was refused.

I apologise if my question offends anyone I know it's a sensitive topic, I was just wondering hypothetically.

Answer:
 It would be rape to have sex with a sex worker who no longer consents to sexual contact. Having paid for it does not change the playing field: at most, even if the actual transaction is legal, you might be owed a refund, not access to someone's body.

It is _emphatically_ not rape to fail to follow through on a transaction, even one of a sexual nature. It's plain old breach of contract (which is not a crime, but rather a civil cause of action), and nothing more.


Title: Received a '3 day notice to quit' today. Not sure what to do next.

Question:
I live in California, I've been renting a room for about 7 months.  On the 1st of Dec my landlord changed the rules of the house to things I disagree with. That's fine. I gave my thirty day notice that same day.

She is now giving me a 3 day notice to quit for not following the new rules.  She says she has found meth at my door and claims a ton of things that I have no idea how to prove are false.

I'm quite lost as I only have about 15 days until I leave.  Any idea on what to do would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: After the three days pass, she can sue you for unlawful detainer.  You will need to send in a response, and then go to court.  She will need to prove that you violated the terms of the lease.  Given that you are going to move out in 15 days anyway, this will probably be moot, but you still need to respond and go to court. Answer #2: So what happens now is that if you don't leave, she can attempt to legally evict you. That will involve going to court and you can both tell your sides of the story.


Title: My brother [35M] has been served with court papers demanding child support from the mother [32F] of their 6 year old child. Curiosity questions.

Question:
Before I begin, I will note that my brother will be hiring a family law attorney to answer the pleading and sort this out, so he will be in good hands. Therefore "he needs to get an attorney" is not terribly helpful, though understood. This is more for *my* curiosity and understanding than it is for actual advice, which he will receive from his attorney. Throwaway because I am easily identifiable in my regular account. This is happening in Maryland.

My nephew was born in 2009. At the time, my brother ("Steve") and my nephew's mother ("Sarah") were together but neither married nor engaged to be so. They both lived at my parents' house (she moved in while pregnant). When the child was about 8-9 months old, Steve and Sarah split. It wasn't necessarily ugly - my brother was unhappy about it and carried strong feelings for Sarah (I speculate he still does/did until recently, but we've never spoken of it.) But overall, the split was amicable and they co-parent fairly easily. Sarah moved out of my parents' house, which is the third move of hers that my brother funded 100%. (He also gave her significant sums of money for various things - I do not know how much, how often, or for what. He still carried a torch for her and I am certain he believed that if he had a chance of "winning her back" that being helpful and kind was the way to go. I don't know if that's even relevant.) Since approximately 2010, they have shared custody of my nephew, pretty much 50/50. He is with dad 3 days/nights of the week, then with mom the other 3, and then alternating every other Saturday. They make all of the decisions about his wellbeing (medical, school, etc.) together.

Currently my nephew is not in school but will likely be starting either this fall or the fall after that. He does attend daycare on occasion, but mostly when Steve's and my mother is unavailable to watch him. Steve and Sarah have enjoyed free childcare (even during Sarah's time with him, on occasion) via my (Steve's) parents for the entirety of my nephew's life so far. Our parents are retired but physically very healthy. Sarah's parents are local and retired, but not physically healthy and cannot watch nephew by themselves. Therefore my parents have been called on with regularity, from both parents. My brother only asks my parents to watch him when he goes to work, and infrequently to put him to bed while he goes to another obligation. Needless to say, Steve and Sarah have saved a big chunk of money on childcare in the last 6 years.

Steve has always worked. He works a commission based job, and is very good at it, and he makes a modest amount. Sarah has always worked at a restaurant, I was never sure of her position, it was either a hostess/semi-manager/server/whatever. She made enough money to live on her own (with a roommate) downtown. I can't pretend to know how financially secure she was, or is now.

Sarah, in the last year, decided to go back to school - medical school, in fact. Whatever that means, whatever stage she is in, I do not know. I believe she finished undergrad years back, but I am not certain, so I don't know how many more years of school she is looking at. Sarah decided halfway through the school year that she didn't have time to attend college classes and work- not just full time, but at all. So she doesn't. My nephew is currently (and always has been) on my brother's health insurance, and my brother pays for daycare when they need to use it (once a week or once every other week or so). I am not sure if they alternate who gets to claim her as a dependent. or if he always does. I know he has in the past. Recently my brother told Sarah that he was going to need her to help split childcare costs next semester/this summer (I do not believe she intends to take summer classes but I do not know for sure), because their schedule was going to be a bit more tight and not sure if my parents will be able to watch him for as frequently as they do now.

Yesterday a sheriff appeared at my parents' house to serve court papers to my brother. Sarah is demanding child support of $180 a month due to various expenses. In addition, her pleading states the she is the custodial parent. However, from the day my nephew was born, they have had joint custody in all ways, 50/50, not even unbalanced (and definitely more than enough to satisfy the 35% rule). That's irritating because it is not true. And the total is not the issue here- my brother puts his son first and foremost, and his son will have proper care come hell or high water. It's more the principle of the thing that I am curious about. My brother is hiring an attorney to help answer the pleading. Steve and Sarah were never married, but they never established via court order a custody or support arrangement ("oh we can work it out ourselves, that won't happen to us.") He is now upset because she has taken it to another level, and believe it or not, $180 is a fair amount to some. Sarah believes she is owed this because she has zero income. She claims she has no time to work, go to school, and be a parent.

I was looking into "voluntary impoverishment," but I cannot discern whether electing to go to school and not work at all qualifies for "voluntary impoverishment" or not. I know going to school and being unable to work full time does, but am unsure about not working at all. She is absolutely healthy and capable of working and earning money. And now (curiously after an argument in which my brother stood up for himself and told her she was going to have to pull her weight with some of nephew's expenses) she wants money from him, after 6 years. Again, I understand it is not much, but it's the principle of it that I am curious about. But I just don't see her excuse for not working at all as reasonable, and I think her imputed income should be considered. Obviously I realize there may be factors that I am unaware of, but if so, then Steve is unaware as well. She has only told him that she can't work because "school takes up all of her time, and she can't work in days she has [nephew] because it would interfere with their 'bonding time'." I'm sure my brother would love to not work on the days he has his son, also, but alas, that is not reality for most people.

So, what could happen, here? Does my brother owe child support here? Is she just taking advantage of him, or are her reasons for having zero income legitimate? Would a judge tell her to get a damn job? (That is my personal POV - she doesn't have nephew 50% of the time- make it work, everyone else in the world does, ffs.) So please, if you have any insight on this situation, please let me know. Again, for the third time, no one is relying on advice from this and he is getting an attorney. This is almost exclusively just for my personal understanding. Thanks.

**TL;DR** - Brother and his ex-gf have a child. They split, unofficial custody arrangement is 50/50, and my brother pays for healthcare, daycare, and extraordinary expenses. He works full time, she decided to go to school (premed) and not work at all. She falsely claims she is the primary custodian and wants child support (admittedly a very low amount - my brother will either agree to pay it, or will ensure that all of his needs are met) and surprises my brother with court documents rather than trying to work it out as they have in the past. This post is solely for my understanding of the situation and the law, not to advise him or even share this post with him.

Edited to add TL;DR and remove personal feelings and a few expressions made out of frustration. To note - I do NOT hate Sarah. I actually like her, and think she's a great mom. I also understand, as previously stated, that the amount is not a lot. My brother will absolutely make sure his son's needs are met. I am asking these questions to understand in principle. I admit that I am biased in this situation, and I really am trying not to be, and I just want to understand if all of it is reasonable. Your comments are helping me understand that it is, so thank you.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > Does my brother owe child support here?

That question is determined by far more factors than are present here.  You've only got one side of the story here.

> Would a judge tell her to get a damn job?

Maybe, but likely not.  She's in medical school, for craps sake - it's completely understandable why she's not also working.  Those 3-4 days of "free time" you says she has are likely put towards schoolwork.Answer #2: Let your brother work this out. Child support and a custody agreements are common and I'm surprised it's taken them 6 years to get around to it.

I get it. You hate Sarah with a passion that is usually reserved for new girl friends. You have done nothing in this but try to say she's a horrible, lazy, greedy person - but you don't know. You just throw out accusations - but you don't really know. What she does in her free time is none of your business. How she supports herself is non of your business.

As for what you can do? Stay out of it. Custody and child support will be determined by the court.Answer #3: 180$ to fund a drug habit?? Either way 180 is pretty low. Lawyer probably tells him to accept it as she could probably get more.


Title: PLEAS HEP, My school blackmailed me and lied about my rights is any of that illegal?

Question: Last week my friend told me to look at an account on Instagram that had a photo of me on it but it was private so I followed it. Turns out it was an account that was making fun of teachers and making jokes about other students so I unfollowed it. Yesterday I got called into the office and they asked me if I had anything to do with the account and I said no and they were like okay but after I left I messaged a group of my friends asking if they knew who was running it and one of my friends admitted to running it and he said he would shut it down and 2 mins later he did. The next day I got called down to the office again and the principle told me "2 minutes after you talked to us the account was shut down so we know that either you run the account or you are in direct contact with the person running it. We would like to see the messages on your phone" I said no I don't feel comfortable with that but then they said "if you don't let us see the messages on your phone now than there is a police officer outside the school that will take your phone and search it for us" because there were some photos on my phone that I don't want the police seeing I gave them my phone and they took some photos of some shit and than said "well we will investigate this more but as of now you may be suspended" im wondering if there is anything illegal they did there because they lied about my rights and essentially blackmailed me but I'm not going to Perdue anything legal until I know if anything they did was illegal. Trying to get into university next year so a suspension will really hurt my application.

Answer: Same thing happend to Marcia Brady when she was going to have a slumber party and the principal blamed her for drawing an unflattering photo of her teacher :)


Title: Medical Marijuana Employee Informed My Employees I Was On Site

Question:
First I would like to say I am the Manager of multiple restaurants in Maryland, and so my face is seen by lots of people on a daily basis.

I had been trying for months to get medical marijuana to address physical ailments which have effected me my entire life.

I finally get my medical card, and enter my first dispensary. I did not recongnize anyone in the establishment, and after filling out paperwork and being intrigued how this was going to go down scanned the room pretty well. A lady calls me up and I share with her my medical issues, she in turn recommends some products, I thank her and walk out.

A day or two later an employee, whom I'm friends with, comes to me and says "hey I heard you were at ABC Dispensary". At first I was shocked. I admitted to it, at this point how could I refuse, and acted cool about it. He said that his exgf sold me it, then promptly said to him to not tell me that she told him because she could get in trouble. We're friends, so I'm sure he thought I would shrug it off, but I was discussing medical issues with this person. Its not a "customer" that saw me and informed a staff member, it was one of their own certified employees.

I called the store and the manager offered me points as a reward for their "lack of privacy". I asked him if this was a HIPPA violation, and he didn't know. I told them I would not be returning ever again, and now I have to drive 30min+ to pickup in the future.

Can the mmcc licensed dispensary reveal their patients to non employees?

Answer:
 States where medical marijuana is legal and also where medical information is protected by state breach notification statute are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, and Rhode Island.

Not Maryland.

It's a common misconception that because marijuana is federally illegal that HIPAA* (being a federal law) wouldn't apply. For example, HIPAA covers situations in which a person discusses with their doctor, or is treated for, taking illegal drugs.

That said, is a dispensary a covered entity? [Here is a very good overview.](https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/are-medical-marijuana-businesses-61349/)

Ultimately, *even if* this was an HIPAA violation, all you could do would be to file a complaint with HHS. There is no private right of action for an HIPAA violation.


Title: (USA, CA) Sent our son to child psychologist to address gaming addiction. Instead, psychologist has been playing video games online with our son outside of scheduled sessions and encouraging him to pursue a career as a "professional gamer"

Question:
Our son is seventeen and spends far too much time on his computer. This has had noticeable negative effect on his grades and we had noticed that he spends much less time with his friends since last year, when he started playing online shooter games into the latest hours of the night. When this began to impact his grades my wife and I made the decision to cut off his internet time, but finding a schedule that works has been an uphill battle - he frequently complains about depression when he can’t access his computer and says that we are restricting his future as a professional game player. He is clearly addicted based on his behavior. We are currently struggling to find a balance between restricting access to the computer and allowing him to engage his interests, since taking away the computer altogether has proved disastrous for our relationship with our son. At a family friend’s request, we began taking him to see a local psychologist who specializes in teenagers.

We were a touch skeptical when one of the early meetings involved our son taking his laptop to the office so they could play one of the shooter games he plays together, but we were assured this was a method of setting the groundwork of mutual understanding between the psychologist and our son. We were led to believe this would be a grounds for them to relate to each other on while moving forward.

However, we recently discovered that at some point our son and the psychologist exchanged gaming tags and began playing video games online outside of their sessions. While we knew that they would have to exchange these tags in order to play online during their sessions together, we were not informed that this would allow communications to continue outside the office. According to our son, they have been playing online shooter games during late hours and he has been encouraging our son’s goals of making money by airing his game sessions online. To a layman like myself this seems like the opposite of the right advice to offer to someone who is suffering from an addiction. Meanwhile, our son’s grades have continued to decline.

We only have our son’s word to go on at the moment that he has been playing games with the psychologist in his downtime, but the psychologist’s gaming tag have appeared in our son’s logs for his recent play sessions.

We are going to confront the psychologist on this this coming week. If we are able to confirm this has been happening, is there an avenue to pursue legal recourse? No professional should be encouraging this sort of damaging behavior just because he values skilled partners for his gaming sessions.

Answer:
 You can contact the licensing or professional organization of which he is a member if you believe the psychologist has acted unethically.

You are the one who controls your child's access to a computer and the internet. His therapist does not. You have every right to simply take the video card out of his computer or block his internet access via your router if you want the games to stop. That's your right as a parent. You also have the right to tell the psychologist to stop playing games with your son.

And yes. Professional gamers can make a ton of money. The ones who do are very, very good and that's pretty darn rare. Answer #2: I don't want to sound like an ass but:
Your son is a minor. If you don't like his mental health professional or his conduct you can take him to a new one. It's not illegal per say but it's worth calling up the psychologist's professional organization and asking their opinions on the ethicality of these actions.


Title: I haven't been a good father...legal advice

Question:
Before I begin I'd like to start by saying that I haven't been a great dad. I know I've been a piece of s***.

My son is 6 years old and his mother and I separated when he was almost 3. We lived in Texas with me and after we separated she moved to New Jersey with my son. She never put me on child support. We had agreed to deal with the matter privately between us.

I sent Child Support payments sporadically but never kept a record of them. I would go to the bank and deposit into her account. I also had my son on my health insurance those three years with the job I had.

At the beginning we went through a mediation that gave me visitation time with my son ( meaning he would come to Texas). I have visited him several times and  have had no issue when I'm there.

The problem is this. I have started sending regular child support payments and have been keeping track for just the past few months. I want my son to come to visit me in Texas and his mother isn't letting him come.

I've come up with a plan to place myself on child support. What things will happen when I do this as far as back owed child support and visitation?

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 You have a court-ordered agreement that you get visitation? If not, you need to get a lawyer and file for one.

If you don't have an agreement then get a lawyer and file to create one.

Absent a court-ordered agreement, mother is free to refuse to send the child to you.

Not a lawyer.


Title: [TN] Abandoned wooded lot caused damage

Question:
There is a four acre wooded lot across the street from my property and between a neighboring family and my Dad's. The owners don't live anywhere near here and in my lifetime, have only visited it once.

Our neighbors, my Dad, and myself have all had to clean up trees that've fallen from that lot onto our properties. Trees from that lot have repeated fallen on our cable/power lines knocking out our services. Last winter, in addition to knocking out our cable and power, a tree crunched my mailbox.

Due to the ice storm we're currently experiencing, several trees fell onto our road, knocked out our power/cable (again), and completely destroyed my mailbox.

I took plenty of pictures, and my Dad, neighbor, and I cleaned up the trees.

What legal recourse do I have to either get reimbursed or preferably get them to abandon or sell the property to us?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer: For reimbursement contact your homeowners insurance.  Force a sale?  Not likely by any stretch of the imagination.


Title: If a person commits a crime as a minor but isn’t tried until after their 18th birthday, are they tried as a minor or as an adult?

Question:
Does the date the charge was made play into this?

I’m in the U.S.

Answer: They're a candidate for being charged as a juvenile, but people can be charged as adults for crimes they committed as minors. It could happen either way.


Title: Employer required I get a fingerprint card and TB test, I did not get reimbursed. No longer employed there, card is still valid. They want to keep the information “on file.”

Question:
Long story short, employer needed someone in a big hurry who could pass a state fingerprint / criminal background check. I paid the fees and was not reimbursed. It was very chaotic at the time. When they returned from out of town, they “no longer needed my services”, which happened to be staff with a valid background check.

They want to keep the card “on file” for a year in case the state audits them. I don’t want them using my info as a responsible party if I no longer work there.

Thank you.

Answer: You didn't post a location but in general it is normal for employers to keep employee records for the very purpose you stated, audits.


Title: Cant file a police report because we exchanged information after car wreck.

Question: Greer, SC. It's my dad's car and my husband was driving it. At an intersection this guy reversed into the car. It's a minor but expensive to fix dent on the hood. My husband trusted the other guy and the guy at fault offered him to pay to get if fixed without involving insurance. Yes, big mistake,and it's biting us in the ass and we are learning our lesson. Couple of text later, it looks like the guy is not paying and also we believe he doesn't have insurance. We finally reported it to our insurance but they asked for a police report. Husband went to file a police report but was told that he couldn't because information  was exchange. We still have text messages to prove the other guy is at fault and we have his license plate number.

Answer:
 That's about right.

At their heart, traffic accidents are civil matters.  The police take a report at the scene as an uninvolved third party to document the driver's statements, damage to the cars, and other things that might later be disputed.

Once you exchange information and leave the scene, there is really nothing for them to report beyond what your statement is, and you can give that directly to the insurance company.

Your insurance company *prefers* a report, but they almost certainly do not *require* one.

If your insurance company won't get involved, your recourse is to sue the guy in small claims court for the amount of the damage caused.


Title: Unfair medical bill due to hospital mistakes. Best way to argue? Effect on credit score? [Virginia]

Question:
**Will setting up payment plan affect my credit score?** I don't want this to impact my credit score but I also cannot pay for the bill.

I used the below arguments to try to persuade UVA to write out the bill, but unsuccessful. **What other arguments/key points should I focus on to persuade them?**

**tldr**
UVA emergency room and hospital staff members including nurses and doctors LIED to me to make me pay for $5200+ fees for 24 hours of emergency services, room&board after being admitted through emergency, laboratory, and other fees. The bill is a LOT of money for a recent grad that is independent and needs to support myself and even support my family.

From the day I received the bill, I already called UVA health systems (billing, financial assistance, patient rights, etc.) and Kaiser multiple times. If I don't get the bill paid ASAP, it will detriment my credit score. Now, I do not know what else to do. Below is what I learned from the multiple back and forths, which is extremely unfair:

If I don't get the bill paid ASAP, it will detriment my credit score. Now, I do not know what else to do. Below explains the unfairness I learned from the multiple back and forths:

1. UVA hospital and emergency room medical members said that since I was an instate UVA student who receive full financial aid, they will cover the charges. They lied to make me stay at the hospital longer.

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2. UVA emergency room and hospital staff said not many doctors are there that day so I need to wait for the doctor to come NEXT DAY to check my condition before I can leave, which PROLONGED the hospital visit EVEN MORE.

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3. The Emergency room staff members told me "everything will probably be covered", and a UVA hospital staff took my insurance information. So, up till I received the bill from collections in the mail after getting back home from being out of town, I thought my insurance covered everything, because I did not receive any call or email regarding the bill. UVA health systems knew I was a UVA student, so they have many ways to contact me, and yet they never contacted nor emailed me about the bill or insurance. UVA health systems waited more than 90 days to contact me regarding insurance (Kaiser Permanente's plan under Obama Care) so that it was over my insurance's 90 days claim limit.

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4. I gave a medical staff my insurance info within the time frame that my insurance requires UVA hospital to get authorization for my visit. I even signed a paper to have my information released to Insurance while I was at the hospital. However, after going back and forth with UVA health Financial Assistance, I realized UVA health billing LOST MY INSURANCE INFO (or UVA health billing is lying about not reeving my insurance information). UVA health systems not only failed to ask for Kaiser’s authorization, but also purposefully made it so that it’s past the period that Kaiser will accept a claim for a non-kaiser facility emergency visit. If UVA emergency room and hospital contacted Kaiser and filed the claim to Kaiser immediately after I provided them my insurance information at the hospital, there wouldn’t have been a problem with Kaiser.

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5. UVA health systems only billed Kaiser 2 weeks ago after talking back and forth with UVA health; UVA health did not even know until I continued to dispute with them that they lost my insurance. When I called Kaiser, Kaiser said UVA health did not ask Kaiser to authorize my out-of-network emergency visit. However, I GAVE UVA HEALTH STAFF MY INSURANCE INFO WHILE I WAS AT THE HOSPITAL. UVA health systems made mistakes yet they will not accommodate my requests to reduce the bill, even though they know I was unemployed and cannot pay for the bill.

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6. UVA health did not let me use my phone. When my phone ran out of battery, the staff said they don’t have android chargers. Knowing above, they made me contact friends who can pick me up at the hospital BEFORE they can let me leave which PROLONGED the hospital visit because I need to wait for friends to call me back which was nearly impossible since I couldn’t use my phone.

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7. UVA health systems and financial assistance people PROLONGED the process EVEN MORE by not filing my documents correctly. My income is way below the minimum to receive medical financial assistance, and I was unemployed. However, they put into their system that my financial status was greater than the minimum amount to receive financial assistance.

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8. After many back and forth, most recently, UVA health/billing said: Kaiser is out of network so even if Kaiser doesn’t pay my bill, UVA health financial assistance cannot give me any financial assistance. This shows how unfair UVA health systems is in many ways. First, it doesn't make sense that even though my insurance won't pay for me, I still won't get any financial assistance JUST BECAUSE I have this insurance that won't even pay me. Two, it was due to UVA health system's mistakes that my insurance will not pay for me. If UVA health had processed my insurance and contacted my insurance on time, I only needed to pay for the max out of pocket amount. Kaiser said I only need to pay 10% max out of pocket for emergency visit (and being admitted to hospital through the emergency room). However, UVA health systems needed to contact Kaiser to get authorization. HERE, you see how this situation can be viewed as UVA health’s evil goal, since they delayed contacting Kaiser for many reasons listed in above bullets.

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9. A UVA faculty member sent me to the UVA emergency room and did not know my insurance expects me to go to a Kaiser facility. The closest Kaiser facility was more than 2 hours away. So, being sent to the UVA emergency room was out of my control.

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10. I disputed with the above reasons, as well as my family situation to UVA health. My sibling got into car accident; my mom works as a waitress earning minimum wage; my other family members had emergency surgeries; my bank account is almost at the minimum for which I need to pay fines but I still need to pay for my sibling and elderly's medical bills. When I disputed with UVA about how unfair it is, they said “well sorry but you have to pay. You should have gone to a Kaiser facility even if it's 2+ hours drive away”. How can they expect me to drive 2+ hours under emergency situation, and how would the professor know I need to go to a Kaiser facility under emergency?

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11. The UVA health billing, payment dispute, financial assistance, patient rights people hung up on my phone call multiple times. They also said a management person will call me back multiple times, but no one called back.  What’s the point of even having patient rights group if they do not consider the patient’s situation at all.

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12. At least 3 of my friends also encountered similar situation where they were billed ridiculous amount just with a quick emergency visit at UVA hospital. You can imagine how many others whom I don’t know also encountered similar situation.

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13. I called Kaiser multiple times too, and they said they can't pay because UVA health didn't ask for authorization. UVA health is at fault for all unfairness listed above and for my insurance claim being denied.

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14. Kaiser is also at fault for having ridiculous restrictions for payments (need to file claim within <90 days, hospital need to ask for authorization, etc.). Now I have to pay for UVA Health's mistakes and Kaiser's unfair policies.

I really have no capability of paying this bill. I also have to feed my family and pay for my family members' medical bills without an income. Really desperate for help. Thank you so much!

Answer: That is a wall of text for it to boil down to basically this: The nurse and doctors don't know how much something is going to cost at the ER. They are there to treat you, not know the intricacies of your insurance policy. Their *priority* is for you to receive the treatment you *need*, not the treatment you can *afford*.  The onus is on you to know what your insurance will and won't cover.


Title: Dad convinced me to take out a car loan in my name and has not yet made payments

Question:
Hey all, not sure what to do here, so I figured I would turn to reddit. My dad has had a troubled history with money, and was finally starting to get on track when his car broke down. It was not worth it to fix, so he turned to me to help him take out a loan for a car. At first, I was just going to co-sign, but since his credit is so bad, I had to become the primary buyer (I know, many red flags here). I was very hesitant, but he is my dad and I wanted to help, and I trusted that he would be able to make the payments on time. Well, fast forward to today, and the loan account is \~24 days delinquent. I texted him last night and asked him to pay, no response. Same thing this morning, and I was a bit more stern. Still no response. I called the loan servicer and they told me that there is a scheduled payment for the this Friday, but obviously I don't know if it will be made. They told me his last payment (the one that is late) was scheduled but not made (obviously). They have reached out to him but he has been unresponsive.

This is really upsetting to me because the late payment will reflect negatively against my credit. I have never missed a payment, and I am a recent college graduate with student loans trying to build up my own credit so that when it comes time to purchase a house, I will be in good credit standing. I know that I can't just 'get out of the loan' so I am not sure what to do. Since the loan is in my name, I do own (at least part) of the car, so I suppose I can threaten possession of it, but I don't want it, or the responsibility of the loan, since I have my own vehicle to pay for.

I appreciate the help.

Answer:
 Your recourse is to make the payments yourself, and then sue your dad for the amount that you paid.

Also, if your name is on the title of the car, then you can repossess the car and sell it to pay off the loan.Answer #2: You are legally on the hook for the loan. Is your name on the title as well?


Title: Question about false advertising

Question:
I work for a small company in the weight loss industry. We do things like sell cookbooks, give presentations, and post on our blog about different food items and recipes. Our marketing department provides all the collateral, and it has concerned me that we do not use real pictures of our "diet" food for the images we display.

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For example, let's say one page of our cookbook contains a recipe for pancakes. The recipe outlines pancakes made from our protein powder and topped with sugar free syrup. But the picture next to the recipe is very clearly a picture of a large stack of normal pancakes covered in regular syrup, maybe with butter on top. You can imagine countless other ways that this can occur with various food items across various mediums.

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Is this practice misleading enough to have legal implications? I have always been curious. Thanks for reading.

Answer:
 A friend is a commercial photographer at a studio that specializes in food (cookbooks, menus, print and television advertising, etc.) and she's made it very clear that the industry standard is that the actual item of food must be shown prepared with the actual ingredients and following the published recipe, etc.

I'm looking for an actual legal cite but the section "Visual Depiction of Food" in the American Bar Association whitepaper on Advertising Food Products may be interesting to you: https://apps.americanbar.org/buslaw/blt/2009-05-06/ernst.shtmlAnswer #2: Is this an MLM company?


Title: My sister ran away at 17, messaged my mom as soon as she turned 18 and she's saying my mom is legally obligated to give her sensitive / important documents, is this true?

Question:
This probably will sound very rushed and a mess.

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Quick backstory: my sister ran away October 29th with a boy. She was in her senior year of school. She snuck out, left all her stuff, and had zero contact with us ever since July 1st.

When she contacted my mom again, the only thing she said to her was this:

*I need to get my belongings, my paperwork, my money that I worked for (she worked at Panera's). Do your job as my mother and return my things to me today because this should be the most important thing on your mind.*

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My mom is really emotional and hurt by this and ended up text arguing with her. Long story short, mom has my sister's money simply because the authorities suggested to take out the money in her bank account just in case someone did take her and tried to access her bank account.

Mom's got her last paycheck's worth + her overall savings (which totals up to 3,500) and she will give this to her.

Mom had long since donated her clothes.

As for her paperwork - mom really doesnt want to hand this over to her. **Is she legally obligated to hand over my sister's passport, social security, permit, etc to her?**
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Yes. She’s 18 therefore her documents belong to her. Side question if I may. Why would your mom want to keep those things from her? Punishment for running away?Answer #2: Yes. Those documents belong to your sister.


Title: Can designation as an emotional support animal be back-dated?

Question:
Sorry if this is a dumb question - I just inherited the apartments from my parents this year so I am still learning. Thanks for your patience.

A tenant moved in April 1st. He brought a dog and paid the pet deposit.  He has paid a pet fee of $60 every month.

Now he has emailed me indicating that he has been discussing his dog with his therapist, and that he believes his dog is a support animal.

He scanned a letter (attached to the email) from a therapist.  It states, "It is my professional opinion that [tenant] will benefit emotionally from a canine companion for emotional support."

According to the letter, the tenant has been going to the therapist since October 13.

The tenant told me in his email that based on this, he should not have been charged a pet deposit or pet fees.

1.  Can this be back-dated? Should I be refunding him $480 for pet fees for April-November?  (Or all of November, or pro-rate from the date of the letter...)

2.  Should I be refunding the pet deposit?

3.  If I should be returning the pet deposit, can I do an inspection first and make deductions for animal-related damage?  Or does it need to come out of his rental deposit at the end of his lease?

Edit:  The location is St. Paul, Minnesota.

Answer:
 This bullshits getting out of control.

That being said, I would like to profit from this.  Does anyone know just how "professional" a therapist needs to be?  If I set up a website where I produce letters attesting to someone's needs for an emotional support animal and charge like 50 bucks a pop what laws would I have to consider?


Title: My parents are trying to evict me. I'm 20 years of age. I live in New York. I don't pay rent. Do I have any ground to stand on?

Question: I've read that an ejectment proceeding is required to evict an adult child in New York. I have no idea what to do.

Answer: You got 30 days to find a place. Go on, you're ready.Answer #2: If you wait for your parents to evict you through the legal system, then you will have an eviction on your record, which makes it very difficult to rent elsewhere. Make plans to get out before that happens.


Title: My family’s dogs have been threatened by an old man walking down our road.

Question:
VA

My family and I live down a private drive and We own the portion of the road that is on our property. We’re dog lovers, so of course we have a few dogs, 3 of which pertain to this story. There’s Donald (hound) and Milo and Penny (pitbulls.) Donald is old and poses no threat to anything whatsoever, as well as penny. She is very slow and wouldn’t hurt a fly. Milo is young but he’s been raised right and anyone he meets he kisses and loves on them. So Just recently an old man has taken to walking down our road everyday, which is perfectly fine by us. The problem is, that as any dog would do, they bark at him as he walks by. They’re on an electric fence so they can’t get close to him, but even if they did, all they would want is for him to love on them. Last week the old man went out of his way to get close to the dogs (Milo and penny) and beat them with a stick so much so that the stick broke. He also threatened the CHILDREN, saying that if we don’t control our dogs that he will shoot them. Ever since this incident, he’s been walking down our road, as well as some of his friends. We think they’re trying to bait the dogs to do something, which of course they won’t. The old man has called the police, and the deputy said that we were in the right and that the old man has no right walking down our road, which the deputy told the old man. My question is that since he’s been told not to walk down our road, could it be considered stalking if he keeps doing it? He’s obviously doing it to watch our house. Sometimes he even stops in the middle of then road to watch our house if he thinks no ones looking. This is the TL;DR and a bit jumbled but any and all advise would be much appreciated.

Answer: Call the police again. They will most likely trespass him, because he’s on your property without permission, for starters. He also might be looking at assault or animal cruelty charges as well. Answer #2: Can you set up security cameras?Answer #3: Be proactive about this because now that he has attacked your dogs, they will probably bite him on sight next time. Then you'll have a much more difficult time managing the facts. Answer #4: Put up a gate if you can, he doesn't need to be on your road PERIOD.  Seriously why is he coming down a private drive?  He may be doing this to try and get bit so he can sue or maybe he is just mean and wants the dogs to be put down.  Regardless keep him away form your dogs and your dogs away from him.Answer #5: Even if it is a private road or portion, see if you require a "no trespassing, private road" sign. If so, ask for one to be put up.


Title: My sister went insane when the doctor prescribed a second SSRI.

Question:
My sister has always been a normal girl. Has had depression she's the youngest of 3 and the only girl. She is now 18 One day about a month and a half ago my mom texts me about getting a new bird and my sister following up texting me "what's wrong with Mom" figured nothing because new animals usually aren't a sign of hard times or bad things.
She procides to tell me she thinks our mom is gay. And my mom tells me my sister was acting crazy and said her friends came to take my dad to get medicine from the doctor. (Probably for his gayness or other diagnosis she made up I know being gay isn't a condition needed of diagnosis to be clear so does my sis when she is in her right mind)

So I take my sister into my apartment because she felt my mom and dad were "making her feel crazy" so she tells me about how she's worried about my mom and dad but there's no specifics she acts like there whole marriage is a sham and they have sad life's. She's crazy and this is just the start I ask her about the new meds and they are LEXAPRO she had been on ZOLOFT for 2+ years. And apparently she had had it stop working so they added lexapro. She had VALUME is low dose to help with he new meds? Or switching?

So then by the end of the night she is crying and she finally goes to sleep and when she wakes up in the middle of the night she says "grandma gave me flu shots and brainwashed me" I tell her I would never allow this to happen and grandma is an old bat that is incapable of these things and try to talk her down. I give her half a valume and later another half to calm her it seems to work. The next morning I give her her Zoloft and take away the lexipro. I ask mom about how she's been and when the new meds were started. Exactly a week and the day after taking new Lexapro she quit her job/lost her job. She broke up with her boyfriend. As I type this I am very upset as This is a terrible red flag to do this the day after a new med is taken.

She went to the psychiatric ward shortly after for about a week I'd say and she said crazy things like these people are actors and she says the same things as before flu shots family/is gay friends mom brainwashed her and controlled her medicine and doctor. They diagnose her with schizophrenia wrong as can be. After a week she's out but things get bad again she hurts herself and later gets out at night claiming she was sexually abused and the police that picked her up because she was at a local store demanding a cab to South Carolina to see my brother. She's in the ward for another 15 days. And won't let mom or dad see her as dad had "Forced her to perform sexual acts of the police". Parents have no clue about her meds or condition as she's 18.
She gets back out and is improving but is still up and down as of now.

Ok Short story my sis goes bonkers with paranoid hallucinating and false memories after being perscibed Lexapro on top of Zoloft after being on Zoloft for over 2 years. Less than a week and she became practically insane the doctor was a general doc and both perscibed meds were about the same dosage and valum was used for the side effects.

PLEASE REDDIT YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE. I need as much info as I can get I believe she has/had seritonin toxcisity. She's 18 probably weighs a few bucks over 100 she's tiny but this should not have happened.  This was not a result of drugs although the psychiatric ward claims she was on "spice" and it takes a long time to come off of although she smokes weed I can tell you that this was not the case and her meds were the cause. They also said she had multiple personalities and schizophrenia.

Worst experience of my life (worst thing she  has ever gone though for sure) I thought I lost my sister she still isn't the same.

Sorry for my terrible everything this post is bad im on mobile

I posted about the double ssri on a throw away account to a page on Reddit r/ask a doc or something everyone told me 2 ssri's wouldn't cause this and she has had a psychotic break and that it most likely wasn't medication related but my Googleing says different.

I believe this is malpractice or something as the doctor perscibed 2 ssri's of similar dosage and I don't think you should do that as it can cause seritonin toxcisity that is why I posted here I need advice for legal action.

Answer:
 > everyone told me 2 ssri's wouldn't cause this and she has had a psychotic break and that it most likely wasn't medication related but my Googleing says different.

I’m going to go ahead and say your “googleing” knowledge doesn’t trump that knowledge belonging to a doctor. Have her go see another doctor to make a determination.

Answer #2: No. The doctor isn't required to anticipate that a patient may suffer the worst possible side effect when prescribing a medication. SSRIs are documented to have this effect (and it happened to me also) but the patient gives informed consent to take them.Answer #3: Facts:
1. You are not a doctor.
2. You are not capable of diagnosing anything.
3. You shouldn't make decisions about what medications your sister should take.
4. Discontinuing an SSRI is dangerous, especially cold turkey and without a doctor's supervision.
5. What you believe to be malpractice is standard practice.

So. In short QUIT TRYING TO PRACTICE MEDICINE AND LAW WITHOUT LICENCE.


Title: [KS] Can an employer demand no eating during shift?

Question:
Another question about my girlfriends terrible employer (for those that remember, my last qyestion was if she has any legal recourse for her $5000 in hospital bills since her employer refused to give her the insurance paperwork until it was too late for open enrollment, and refused to make an exception due to their own neglect).  Yes, I'm aware she needs to find another job, but I'm wondering if this practice is legal.

It's fast food, working for Boston Market.  She is now being told that she is not allowed to eat **ANYTHING**, from work, home, or another restaurant, during her shift including breaks.  I can understand that she can't eat while working, but on her breaks?  And for no other reason cited other than "those are the rules"?  Tell me this isn't legal, maybe I've just been spoiled in my jobs.

Answer:
 If they're telling her she can't eat during her breaks, then they need to be paying her during her breaks. Otherwise, they can't tell her what she can/can't do during her breaks. I'd report it to the Department of Labor. Answer #2: It is shitty, but legal.  In fact, under Kansas law, employers are not required to provide breaks or meal periods at all.
http://www.dol.ks.gov/Laws/FAQlaws.aspx

You can see how it compares to other states here.
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/meal.htm


Title: I received a "notice of abandonment" for a car I sold 7 months ago, do I need to do anything?

Question:
In June the motor started dying in my car (2002 Malibu in otherwise good condition) and it was too expensive to repair so I bought a new car & requested online quotes from a bunch of salvage services to get rid of the old car.  The only service that actually gave me a quote was an out-of-state company that offered me $160 and engaged a local salvage company to come tow the car.

As agreed, I gave the car title to the tow truck driver; I think I was supposed to sign it but the driver couldn't figure out where/how it was supposed to be signed, so he just took it and gave me the $160 check.  I cashed the check, no issues.

A few weeks later I received a call from either the out-of-state company or the local salvage company (not entirely sure) saying they never received the title.  I explained that I'd given it to the driver & they said they'd have to send me a form to sign to let them get a replacement title.

I received a form called "power of attorney for title replacement" with a note saying JUST sign it, don't fill anything out, just leave the rest of the form blank.  I didn't want to open up any possibility of letting them steal my new car, so I wrote "2002 Chevy Malibu" and the VIN in the relevant spots, signed it, left the rest blank, and mailed it to them.  This was months ago.

Yesterday I received a certified letter from the local salvage yard.  It basically said "Notice of abandonment: your vehicle will be sold on a lien sale unless you claim the vehicle within 45 days and pay off all charges due."

Can I just ignore this?  I already got my jack-squat $160 check back in June, I don't really want to waste any more time on this.

Location is Arkansas

Answer:
 > Can I just ignore this?

It's never a good idea to just ignore matters like this.

It sounds like the car was never transferred out of your name. Did you contact the DMV to see what their records show?  If this is the case you might owe substantial fees if it's been sitting in a lot all this time.Answer #2: NAL, former leo here.  Always, always, always except always sign your title when you sell or buy a vehicle.  Also date the title appropriately.  It can save you so much hassle down the road, as I'm sure you've discovered.

Just based on interaction I've had with wrecker companies, it sounds like the proper process to go through to get a vehicle re-titled.  When a business (such as a wrecker company) has a vehicle with no title (which is pretty common) they have to go through the DMV to get it declared abandoned so no one can say they stole the vehicle.  I would call your local DMV and ask them (it might even be on their website) to see if there is anything you need to do.  In my state if you do nothing then the vehicle is declared abandoned and a title will be issued to the new owner.


Title: Therapist who sexually assaulted me as a minor is still practicing and was never charged

Question:
Hello. This is an alt account so i can have anonymity.

I am a 24 year old male in Florida, USA. When I was 16 years old, at the end of 2010, my parents decided to send me to a youth drug rehab program. My father thought me smoking weed warranted that but that is not the issue.

While I was there I felt incredibly out of place and uncomfortable, as I didn't fit in with any of the other teens who were long time users of hard drugs like heroin and pain killers and cocaine/meth etc. As a result I tended to spend time with the counselors as much as possible. There was one in particular, an older man who was not my private therapist but was for many of the other clients and ran several groups. He was very nice to me and would often take me off the grounds with him in his car and would get me things that I wouldnt have otherwise been allowed or able to get such as candy and soda or fast food and the occasional cigarette. I thought he was just a good therapist and that he saw something in me or something. Looking back it all seems so obvious. I will also add that he frequently took us as a group to events at his megachurch, was an active member of their community, and had introduced me to his wife, sons and daughter who were all around my age at the time.

On Christmas eve 2010 he took me off the grounds and to the main offices where we had sat and talked before. He unlocked the doors and we went in. He kept the lights off and he began to touch me. Prior to this he had placed his hand between my legs once while in his car coming back from him getting me Subway. I was trapped. Literally had no option in the case because I was a minor so I could not simply leave the rehab or the police would be sent to hunt me down and take me back, so I had had to just take it that time.
So back to Christmas eve. I really don't want to go over all the specific things he did to me as just typing this is hard to do but I have to do something. He did not rape me, but what he did certainly was sexual assault as he touched me under my clothes in areas such as my chest, buttocks and genitals.

The next morning, which was Christmas, my whole family came to visit me and I felt horrible. i broke down crying in my mothers car after I convinced her to be alone with me and told her everything. At first she didnt want to believe me. I didnt want her to tell my father but she did and he didnt believe me and thought I was lying in order to get out of the rehab early. Finally we went and talked to the director of the program and I gave a written statement. I had to then go to group and sit in a room where the man who had done this to me was in sole command of about 20 teenage boys like myself.

I spoke to the police and they took a statement. The next day I was informed that the therapist had been fired and I never saw him again. Nothing ever came of it but I didnt care because I was 17 and in high school and wanted to forget everything about the nightmare that was being sent to rehab in the middle of high school, especially the part about being molested.

Anyway, a few years went by and I got into harder drugs and sent myself to rehab. I was in and out of the system for a few years and it was hard, but one day, probably about 3 years ago by now, I was in with my therapist at the program I was going to and I saw something I shouldn't have. It was the file of a new incoming patient, just left out on a table. I saw it and was horrified. Under the section that said what detox center the patient was transferring from was listed his primary therapist along with a photo. It was the man who did this to me.

I had a bit of a meltdown but I was with a therapist. I told them I wanted something done but as far as I know nothing was. I looked him up recently and he appears to still be practicing. I informed a medical review site of what he had done and they emailed me that they could not keep the post up.

So now it has been almost 8 years since the incident, but not quite. still just about 7. I need help. I cannot accept that this man abused his power like this and did this to me, a child, and I'm sure others because he told me he had only had 3 patients who he "treated the way he treated me", and that he is not only unpunished but STILL ALLOWED TO PRACTICE AS A THERAPIST! Please someone help me. Please. I dont know what to do or who to talk to, how could the police have done nothing?

Could I potentially sue the treatment center I was in for the incident? It's only secondary but I feel like they also did nothing to follow up in order to protect their own image. I'm disgusted and scared for other people, especially children who are literally seeing this man for therapy. This man who has a wife and kids and is not in prison for what he did to me. WHY? Please help me

Answer:
 Have you filed a police report?

There is no criminal statute of limitations on sexual assault in FL. https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/floridas-statute-of-limitations-of-sexual-abuse.html

Unfortunately, it looks like it's too late for civil action. But the police can still investigate.


Title: [MN, US] I was forced to go to the hospital and now they’ve sent me a bill that I can’t afford. What can I do?

Question:
A few weeks ago I tried to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. A few police officers got to me before I could do it and forced me to go to a hospital. They told me that if I refused that they’d put a hold on me and I’d be stuck there for 72 hours.

I just received a hospital bill in the mail for $2,500 and I don’t have the money to pay it. I don’t know what to do. I can’t lose that money right now but if I don’t pay it I was told by a friend that they’d send it to collections and it’d be taken out of my bank account anyways.

What are my options?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Doctor here, call the hospital billing department. Tell them you are in a horrible situation and are unable to pay the entire bill. Ask them if there are any hardship discounts they would be able to apply, or you would be able to apply for. They may knock a portion off the bill. If you can, they may also be able to give you a discount for paying in cash. If none of this works, you can also ask them for a payment plan, which you can spread out to help you in the meantime. I'm so sorry all of this si happening, and I hope you're on your way to feeling a lot better than you were. Please don't be afraid to reach out if you feel you are in crisis in the future, it may seem like a huge sum right now, but in the grand scheme of things your life is worth so much more than a few grand (hell, you can't even buy a casket for less than a few grand). You can get through this. Answer #2: Call them and see what your options are.


Title: Insanely loud leafblower operator at my neighbor's house, what do I do?

Question:
Los Angeles, CA.

I have been living in a house for about a year and a half now. My neighbor hires a gardener that comes every Tuesday morning. He starts using his leafblower around 8AM. I don't wake up til 9 - 10.

I have expressed my concerns with the leafblower operator myself. But he didn't stop. The neighbor is rarely home and I don't see them very often.

Anyway, this morning he did it again ignoring my concerns. I had a minor surgery last night and my doctor didn't prescribe any pain killer. I was still in pain and didn't get much sleep. At 8 am, I woke up to insanely loud noise next to my bedroom. We're talking about 10-20 feet away from my bedroom window here.

I talked to the guy again but he got defensive this time. I even offered him to do it at 9 and I will be fine with it. he said I can call the police if I want and he'll tell them he operates his leaf blower at 8 am and everything will be fine. Which leads me to believe I don't think he knows the use of leaf blower is illegal

[But the use of leafblower in Los Angeles is illegal in any residential area.](http://bss.lacity.org/investigationandenforcement/GasPoweredLeafBlowerEnforcement.pdf)

My questions:

1. Am I understanding this ordinance correctly and this apply in my situation? Esp this applies to all cities in Los Angeles area including (San Gabriel Valley/San Fernando Valley)

2. During my "conversation" with the guy this morning. He kinda implied that I would be responsible for his lost wages if he loses this job or unable to use the leafblower. Will I? I understand anyone can sue anyone over anything but will his claim have any validity?

Thanks!

Answer: Have you followed the steps outlined in your link to report violations of the statue? Because that would be my next step if I were you. Answer #2: Just to be clear, are you absolutely sure his leaf blower is gas-powered? The ordinance makes it clear that electric leaf blowers are acceptable.Answer #3: I'm a bit confused...so you get this person to stop using an gas/diesel powered leaf blower and he comes back with an electric one, which is just a noisy. What then?


Title: [Wisconsin] My girlfriend has been sexually abused by her step dad for years and her mom doesn't believe her

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 1. She doesn't need to worry about damage control. That is not her responsibility **at all**.

2. Her stepdad is an abusive shit, and this kind of financial bullshit is just another method he uses to abuse her and her mother. The courts will not allow him to leave his family destitute and there are organizations for victims of abuse that specialize in helping people like your GF.

3. Mom is deeply screwed up in her own right, and I'd bet dollars to donuts comes from an abusive family herself.

Your GF needs to tell someone. If she won't, then *you* need to tell someone. This is a situation where she cannot protect herself, and you may have to stand up and do the right thing even if she's not going to like it.


Title: [Vermont] - Driver with no license or insurance rear ended me

Question:
[Vermont] - Last night I was a passenger in the front seat of my parents car while my brother was driving. We were stopped and sitting at a stop light. I was turned and faced toward my brother talking when we were hit from behind. We got out of the car and the guy behind us says he has no license or insurance and to please not call the cops. We pull over to asses the damage.  The damage didn't look bad as his car punched two holes in the bumper from the license place screws. Their car was an old beater while ours is aging luxury car so parts are not cheap unfortunately and I feel bad since it's my parents car.

We exchange names and phone numbers. I got a video of the damage, their faces, and us talking about it. They said a $20 touch up marker would fix it but I disagree. My brother said he saw the passenger with open beer in the front seat but he mentioned it after we left. We ended up not calling the cops because the guy was nice and said he was just starting a new job and getting his life together. I didn't want to ruin someone's life over a fender bender.

We get home an hour or so later. By now the left side of my neck, shoulder, and back is stiff/sore and I have a headache. I went to sit down and I got a sharp pain in my lower back. I've hurt my back before (who hasn't) and this fender bender feels like the straw the broke the camels back to re-injure it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dying in pain. I'm uncomfortable, definitely not doing anything active for a bit, and just worried it won't properly heal.

I went to an urgent care today and saw a physicians assistant. I told him what was up and for now he recommended rest and a lot of Ibuprofen. He said to come back if it continues to bothers me as they have an orthopedist who knows chiropractic stuff. On Monday the car is being taken to a body shop to make sure there's not any other damage we can't see. We have a $500 deductible though.

I don't want to be some asshat or some weenie claiming whiplash in a low speed stop light rear ending but it would be really nice to see a Physical Therapist or chiropractor to make sure it properly heals. I just graduated college so I don't have the money myself to pay for it otherwise I would.

Answer: You could sue him, assuming he even gave you accurate information. I hope you got a picture of his tag. But If the guy has no license and no insurance he probably doesn't have much money. You made a decision that not holding him accountable for the accident was more important than getting help with your medical bills.


Title: [Ontario Canada] Previous tenant of my current apartment won't change their address.

Question:
The previous tenant of my current apartment which is a family of 9 that used to live in my single bedroom apartment until the landlord found out how many people were living here and had them evicted refuses to change their address. The tenants moved out and moved into an apartment in the next house over. I've lived in my apartment for 2 years and 2 months and I am still receiving their mail. They have failed to change their address in that time.

I took their mail in for the first few days with the intention of bringing it to the post office and having it forwarded or returned to the sender but the previous tenant knocked on my door and explained the situation that they haven't had time to get their address changed and asked if I could just leave their mail in the mailbox and they will come pick it up.

Okay, no problem, I get it, they seem like nice enough people. A few months go by and I'm still getting this person's mail. I get a bit annoyed and have a friendly conversation with them and ask if they can change their address. They say they will comply and will change it that week. Six months in and they still haven't changed their address. I asked the landlord about what the story was on them and he told me the whole deal about how there were 9 of them living in this tiny apartment (I don't know where they all fit). So again, everytime I see the previous tenant, which is a lot since they don't appear to have a job, I ask them to change their address. Every time I get "Oh yeah, I got caught up in blah blah blah" some bullshit story about how they will get to it that week.

Eventually 1 year and 6 months in, I see they've purchased a used dodge. Shortly later, I start getting mail for them from the dodge dealership where they bought it. At this point I'm very annoyed and have lost all patience because it's obvious that they have still been using this address as their mailing address. I began taking their mail as soon as I see it, writing "not at this address, return to sender" on it, and putting it in the post box at the end of the street.

I did notice that some of their mail is (for lack of a better term) welfare cheques. I believe these people are somehow committing some sort of fraud with having multiple mailing addresses. I believe they are living together to save on rent and telling the social services or whoever that they have 2 separate mailing addresses so that they get more assistance. As a citizen that pays taxes and contributes to society, I do not appreciate this at all and I do not want my hard earned money going to them since none of them work yet many of them seem perfectly able-bodied to do so.

Just within the last month the previous tenant came knocking on my door in a big steam yelling and screaming that I've been stealing their mail because they got a phone call from a company that was trying to mail them asking if they need to change their address. I told them that I kindly asked them many times before to change their address and I no longer had patience for their situation and I've been returning their mail to the sender. I want to put an end to this but I do not know what legal steps I can take or who to report them to. Please give me advice on what I should be doing.

Answer: If anyone can open your mailbox, you might want to change it to a locking one so the neighbour can't steal your mail as revenge.  Or get a P.O. box temporarily.Answer #2: You could give a call to your local Ontario Works office and let them know you are getting mail at your address that is meant for someone else and that the individual moved out two years ago. If they aren't committing fraud, no harm done and OW will require them to change their address (at least with them).Answer #3: Down in the states, I kept getting someone else's mail.  So I went to the post office and asked if there was a way so only mail in my name would be delivered.  They handed me a card and told me to fill it out and put it in my PO box.  Haven't gotten anything from the previous tenants since.


Title: [IL] Signed an apartment lease with a wrong birthday - does it make the lease invalid?

Question:
My wife and I have just signed an apartment lease in an apartment building.

We got the lease on an email from the leasing agent with a wrong birthday. It was off by several years (probably mistook a letter for another) but all of the other details (name etc) are correct.

I emailed her that she should correct the lease (it was late at night) and she didn't see the email by morning, in which we already met in person to see the unit again.

I told her again that the birthday is incorrect and she said that it's too tedious to fix it in their system and that she doesn't want to do it.

We signed the lease, thinking that it can't cause any problems on our end and only potentially harm them if we want to move out early. Is that true? Can it harm us in any way? We did send an email that the lease is incorrect and signed it manually on a copy she printed the next day.

We didn't move in yet and we're hoping that they'll deliver on everything. The building is a little old and we had to compromise for financial reasons. We just hope that the management is fair and that we won't be screwed with poor maintenance in case anything breaks. The fact that we may have a "way out" calms us down.

TL;DR: Signed a lease with one of our birthdays listed in a wrong year. Informed leasing agent and she disregarded it (she was overall sloppy and overworked but the building was nice). Worried that it might hurt us. Could it also save us if management is bad and we want to move out early?

Thank you! This communtiy is amazing.

Answer: That doesn't change the terms of your lease at all and is not a "way out". You still signed it.


Title: Ex is trying to give me a felony for “animal cruelty”

Question: Okay so a couple weeks before my ex and I broke up he bought a snake. Well one day I get to go take him out so I can hold him but he’s not there. We empty everything out of the cage, turned the room upside down looking for him and still didn’t find anything. He tells me he hasn’t had any interaction with the snake for a whole WEEK. So we’re both not sure when he actually got out. We left his heat lamp on and cage open with food and water and figured he had to be somewhere in the house and that he’d turn up eventually. I’d even sent my friends texts in a group chat saying “(boyfriend) lost his snake. How do you lose a snake?” and stuff like that. He’d also told me the day he’d got the snake he was so tired that he didn’t even put the snake in it’s cage and just slept in the bed with it. Well almost a week later we get into and argument that leads to our break up. Bright immature and frustrated it I’d sent him a text saying something along the lines of “oh by the way I threw spagooter (the snake) out the window” Let me clarify I did NOT do this I’m literally vegan and studying to become a vet.   And I’m afraid this one dumb comment Is going to ruin what I’ve been dreaming of and wanting to do for years. I can’t even eat animals, how would I kill one? I guess my question is would they be able to give me a felony change for animal cruelty for just one text?

Answer: confessing to a crime can certainly be held against you.


Title: Help me !! I may be scammed. What do i do?

Question:
This happened couple of days back.. a girl (age 18, ***, tx) replies to my how are you msg on okc with her cell number. I text her on that. She sent her cleavage pic and ask for one back, i sent a decent one. She tries to find out what i do for a living, i answer. I asked same, she says she helps her mom. She says i am sexy, are you single ?. I say yea. She without asking sends one in her panties and says she is turning 17 next month and hope i am not mad and guess i want her to delete my num. i say damn, its risky. She says send a good pic. I ask what kind ? Nude ? She says yes lol. I say its scary. She says she will promise delete. I say do you have kik. She gives kik id. I ask her where do u live and if she goes to college and ask here to send more pics since she doesnt look underage. She ignores those ques and sends a NUDE one without me asking. I ask her are you real ? She says wtf i am. I text her in kik. anonymously in kik, i said hot tits. She says send pic. She send another nude one. I suffer a moment of weakness and ask dick pic ? Its hard!! And she says yes and i Flash!!!  2 hrs later i get on her number - anonymous , my wife saw saw this phone and saw kik where you asked my 16 yo daughter to send pics. I NEVER ASKED HER for nude. If you dont want law, callback now and explain shit or we will hire lawyer and have your ass in jail. I suffer another weakness and reply i am sorry , this wont happen. :( .. over phone, i say sorry, we can talk this out.. she says i am amanda, recently moved to city near *** from south carolina.. how do you wana sort this out. I said i will think abt it and callback. She says her husband will call me back .. he DOESNT. I dont respond, she says since "u want" law to be involved, we will call monday morning and goto police for charges, see you at station. Sunday morning i get a call from "det smith" saying, explain to me, i said, i have a lawyer and i dont wana talk. I asked his id and full name and which dept. he doesnt mention id, says he is detective david smith from investigation dept of *** police station. He said ask ur lawyer to call me back and report to that imaginary station at 10:45 monday without giving address. Well ***, tx doesnt have a station.. his number traced to a landline in city where i live, near ***. She kept stressing in this manner - "since this is what you want , blah blah".. both mothers and daughters number traced to a different name in SC. I talk to my lawyer, he says they are trying to extort money and asks me to block them including so called detective and change number. I DID.. so i didnt give them a chance to talk about money. I am scared at what might be happening behind the scenes. What if this is real. What if that was police indeed? What if that was a minor indeed? Do you guys sense an obvious scam ? My sending pic despite she claiming 17 and saying sorry, wont do again is making me feel bad about how this may end up. I am hoping this is a scam and by ignoring, it will fade away.. they dont have my real name, address. Now not even the new phone number. They have couple good photos and one genital no face..

What do i do next ? Stay quiet ? Do something proactively? Hire Priv det ? They still have the transcript no matter what. Isnt them going to police if they were real, put their daughter in equal trouble too for sending inappropriate pics ?

Answer:
 Detectives don't give you a call when you're being accused of a crime, they just come over.

Block, ignore, move on.


Title: [WI] A crazy woman has been following my fiance and I since Thursday, at what point do we get the police involved?

Question:
Hello LA.

Thursday, I was driving home from work when a blue Ford Fusion pulled out in front of me and cut me off, I barely avoided a collision. Not the smartest thing to do, but I pulled along side them at the next light and flipped the driver (a youngish woman early mid 20s) off. She looked confused. I drove off and she pulled into my lane and followed closely.

I figured she was pissed because she followed me approximately five miles to my apartment parking lot. I am expecting an argument so I get out of the car ready to argue. Instead she politely asks me why I was mad. I tell her she pulled right out in front of me. She apologized and said she didn't know the area then asked if I lived here (the apartment building). I said yes. She said it looks nice and said I must live here with my girlfriend. My adrenaline was high still from all the road rage stuff and I pretty much told her I wasn't interested and fuck off (I'm also engaged but I didn't tell her that). She just stared at me and I went inside.

Friday, I came home from work and she was standing outside her car outside my apartment building, in 20 degree Wisconsin weather. I asked her what she was doing here. She said she was meeting a friend here. I said you have a friend in this building, who? She said yeah, I do, what do you think I'm lying? At this point, really starting to suspect she's mentally ill. I don't know of the politically correct way to say it but she has "crazy eyes." I told her to leave me alone. She said she wasn't here to see me, she was meeting a friend. I told her she was crazy and she said I was crazy for thinking she was here to see me. I said I was calling the cops once I was inside. I went inside and told my fiance she was here again and we watched from the window as she left. We ultimately didn't call the police because we didn't know what to report and if she did have a friend in the neighborhood we would really be reporting nothing. But she clearly said she had a friend in the building and then left without meeting anybody after I confronted her.

Tonight (Saturday) we were at a neighborhood bar approximately a block or two from our apartment. My fiance saw the same woman walk into the bar and look around. She went to the far end of the bar and briefly talked to the bartender before leaving without buying anything. We don't know if she followed us there or was looking for us or even if she saw us. We had been friendly chatting with the lady bartender she spoke to all night so we explained the situation to her, the bartender said she asked if "john or jan" were here (bartender couldn't hear her totally due to loud music) and when the bartender said she didn't know anybody by that name she left. Neither my fiance or I are "john or jan" or anything similar.

Does this rise to the level of criminal harassment yet and should we get the police involved? We bet almost everybody would think she's mentally ill if you met her and we're also fairly certain she is following us but we also don't have any proof and she hasn't threatened us in anyway.

Answer:
 You don't have criminal harassment yet.
What you have is an odd series of coincidences that from either side *if both parties are innocent* could look creepy but neither are doing anything wrong.

You've done a good job of documenting and you should continue to do so but so far there just isn't enough to go on.


Title: [Massachusetts] M [23] Arrested for Tresspassing, Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest - First Offense

Question:
So last night I got really drunk and tried to get into an apartment I was renting out for the week during a work. The only problem: I was in 555 Spruce (not real location), I was banging on the door of 455 Spruce.

When the officers arrived, I told them I was trying to get home and I was cold. I told them I was a writer and that I had a digital audio recorder on me that was on at the time. Immediately after telling them that, I was thrown up against the wall and told that I was being placed under arrest and to stop resisting.

I told them I wasn't resisting and that I have history of concussions. Next thing you know the officers on scene begin to slam my head multiple times after being placed in handcuffs.

I was arraigned this morning and released on my own recognizance. The lawyer that I'm working with said all of my charges would likely either be dropped or that I'd be put on a type of probation that would have my charges erased after finishing probation.

Along with that, when I went to pick up my stuff at the police precinct later today, the audio recorder was missing even though the desk sergeant was asking about it when I was being booked. The reason I'm so preoccupied with the recorder is that if it was recording (which I believe it was) it could point out some of the inaccuracies in the police report and possibly help my case.

I'm really nervous and panicky right now since this was my first offense. I'm not sure what to do and I'm unsure of my chances.

What do I do?
Who do I talk to?
What are my chances?
Will I be okay?

Thanks.

Answer: Listen to the advice of your attorney. He knows your case better than anyone.


Title: Can you force a Father to legitimize their children so an order for custody and visitation can be established?

Question:
State. Ga. Unmarried and two children together.

I left the father over a year ago but we established a verbal contract with visitation.  For the most part we adhere to it and with argument when changes need to be made sometimes it happens.  As time goes on when it's time to pick the kids up to come home he pushes the meet up time later and later. It's a 45 minute drive to our meet spot which is half way.

He refused to legitimize them in court, he has issues with the government. In my state if he's not legitimized the kids then we can't establish an order for custody or visitation.

I have tried and tried to keep the kids in contact with their dad. Holidays weekends every other week in the summer. I've exhausted all routes to compromise and not have to withhold them from seeing him. Now it's come to a stressful situation where I can no longer bend over backwards to adhere to what he wants. I know this is a battle of control I just feel awful saying if you want to see the kids then you need to take me to court. But today because pick up time wasn't what he wanted, I'm being forced to drive an hour and half to go directly to his town to pick up my kids. And drive them back the hour and half home. I'm exhausted, we have work and school tomorrow. My emotions are tattered and I'm just tired of trying to make things work when clearly I'm being taken advantage of and no thought for the children involved is even being considered.

Can you legally force a Father to legitimize their children without witholding the children from visiting? I.e. take me to court if you want to see them.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You're under no legal obligation to allow him to see the children. But here's the issue, he can still not adhere to the court visitation schedule. The only person that's going to fight to adhere to it is you.Answer #2: Yes, without a court order you don't have to let him see them. However you should really go to the court and file for support/custody arrangements first, because it won't look favorably on you if you suddenly withhold them after establishing a relationship.

Even if you get along normally (which is sounds like you don't), a formal acknowledgement of paternity and support/custody arrangement is good to have because you never known when things could turn bad. It also gives the kids rights in case the worst case scenario happens and he passes away. All and all it's good to have formal arrangements regarding children.


Title: I wrote a web app for work on my own time, I was fired, it is not working now the owner wants to sue me.

Question:
Throwaway account.

I wrote a web app for work, it is not working now the owner wants to sue me.

Business is in Georgia, I am currently in Florida

Ok, about 1.5 years ago I worked for a small business as a sales agent.  I was not a very good one, but on my own time I made a server run web app that made my job and sales much easier.  Since it worked well I gave the link and password to a few other sales agents to see if they found it useful.  Then after working there for 9-10 months I was fired during a “restructuring”  basically they were not making enough money and the easiest way to save some was to fire someone.  I was not the bottom performing agent, but the 3 agents below me were related to or friends of the owner, so I got canned.  I was thinking of quitting, and the owner did not fight the unemployment claim, so I accepted it and moved on.

A few days ago the app stopped working.  I got a call from my former boss who found out I was the one that had written it and wanted it back up will a whole list of new features.  I told him I would look into to it and to email me the list of new features that he wanted and I would see if we could work something out.

First I found out it stopped working since the server was taken down for non-payment.  I called the company and tried to get it reactivated.  They made me answer all the security questions and asked stuff like what day/time I setup the account.  I had the original emails and everything else saved in a password manger, and I asked why the 3rd degree.  Turns out someone else claiming to be be me tried to get the account activated.  It did not work since even though they knew the correct answered like my mothers maiden name, I used fake answers so they failed each verification question.  So my boss or someone working for him tried to activate the account without alerting me.

I got into the account, reactivated the tool, downloaded all the logs, and then deactivated the app from the server with a UNDER MAINTENANCE page put up. I checked the logs and the password page was accessed 300-400s a day, which is huge and hard to do since I was on a shared server.  I set it up thinking it would only be used 20 times a day max. I then checked with someone I worked with and still kept in infrequent contact with.  Turns out about 2 months after I was let go, sales went up, two to three times better than when I worked there, some of that was due to the web app that I had made.  Owner had found out I was the one who made it very quickly, but never contacted me until it broke down.

I looked over the requirements the Owner wanted, found out I would have to completely rewrite the app, and put it on a private server, since the major complaint was that it is slow.  I figured $8000 for the new app and $350 month for maintenance, which would cover server and bandwidth cost. This is very reasonable given the proven profits that the web app had brought, and when he was waiting for the new app with all the new features to be activated the old one can still be used.

I put all this into an email, and gave a basic time table, and a copy of my free lancer work contact and sent if off.  With in an hour I got an angry email and phone call, threatening me to put the app back up now or I would be sued for the thousands of dollars of lost profits, how he owned me, and would make sure I never worked again, and threatened to kill my cat.  Owner also wants the accounts turned over to him, both my email, web domain and web accounts.

Now I know that Owner has sued people in the past about stuff and had lost most of these suites, it was half a joke around the office.  He gets angry easily, and is a general bully when Owner does not get  Owner’s way. Now I pretty sure I can win if Owner sues me, but I want to make a few points out.

1) I have the phone call and emails recorded, when ever some one calls me there is a little blurb at the beginning that all calls are recorded for quality assurance.

2) I wrote the web app in my own time, on my own laptop.  But I also used my own laptop for work use, since one was not provided to me.

3) The app I wrote, did pull a lot of info and compiled it, including data I entered in on the products that I was selling at the time, this included photos not owned by me, am I screwed by this?

4) My cat died shortly after I moved, but he did threaten to kill it.

5) What type of lawyer do I need, what should I counter sue Owner for if he brings this to court.  I will have to travel a bit to get back to Georgia and take time off my current work, losing money.

6) I made a gmail account that I made myself was used for both work and running the web app, I have moved the web service to another account since, and changed my passwords, but he is demanding both be turned over to him.

Answer:
 Can we have a r/ProRevenge followup on this one? Answer #2: >It did not work since even though they knew the correct answers like my mothers maiden name, I used fake answers so they failed each verification question.

props for opsec, OP