Title: [USA-MA] I am a real estate agent and I accidentally showed an apartment that was not for rent. The tenant tried to extort me for money and when I refused said she would call the cops for trespassing. Should I be worried?

Question:
So a few days ago I was showing apartments to a client of mine when I brought her to a building I hadn't been to in a while.

My first mistake was not checking the doors carefully for numbers, the apartment numbers were actually painted the same color of the door so they were barely visible.

I was going to show apartment #1 and was told it was on the left side of the building. So I walked into the building and used the master key that I had gotten from the landlord to open the first door on the left. There were only two doors on the floor so I assumed they were #1 and #2.

Halfway through showing the apartment the tenants come home and seem very surprised. I had contacted them earlier so I introduced myself and apologized for surprising them.

Turns out I was in the wrong apartment and they were not apartment #1. When they told me that I started apologizing and told them I was sorry for the confusion and left. They followed me out into the hallway asking me for my information, which I gave to them and proceeded to start freaking out at me.

Screaming things like "THIS IS TRESPASSING" and "I COULD HAVE SHOT YOU" etc...

They kept grilling me for why I was in their apartment but no matter how many times I kept explaining to them it was a mistake no answer was good enough. Eventually I left and went back to my office.

I found out they had called the office claiming that I was laying on their furniture, that I was also high and that they are going to call the cops. My broker tried calming them down but the woman seemed hysterical and unreasonable.

So eventually I got back in contact with them, apologized again and they actually apologized for the way they acted so I figured everything is fine right?

**NOPE***

They also (for the first time) claimed that I had tracked mud all over their apartment and that they wanted me to pay for the cleaning.
I asked for pictures and the pictures I received hardly looked believable. The mud splotches were tiny and didn't even look like footprints, but more like clumps thrown on the ground.

Not to mention it was a warm day and all the snow has melted over here, so I wasn't tracking through any mud on my way over there.

They wanted $100 for the cleaning to which I said that it was excessive so I would give them $40. They didn't seem to like that and started bringing up calling the cops again. I told them that I didn't track mud through their apartment and I surely wouldn't pay so much for something that could be wiped up with 1 wet paper towel.

Not long after I said that they said they were calling the cops and hung up. Then they started texting me saying things like

"If you're not here in 15 minutes (with the money) then you're gonna lose your job"

"You're moms a crackhead it's no wonder you're retarded"

"we're contacting the police now"

So...should I be worried? Please let me know if you need me to elaborate on anything.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Tell her to file a police report and stop contacting you. The more you engage, the more she'll turn up the crazy. I don't see anything criminal here and highly doubt the police would, either. And whatever you do, don't give her any money, it'd just make her feel she's got a legitimate complaint and she'd increase her demands. Good luck with this, she sounds awful.Answer #2: Calm down, there's nothing to worry about.  Here's the trespassing statute for MA.  [Mass General Law 266.120](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter266/Section120) says:

>Whoever, without right enters or remains in or upon the dwelling house ... of another, ... **after having been forbidden so to do by the person who has lawful control of said premises** ... shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days or both such fine and imprisonment. (emphasis mine).

There can be no crime of trespassing without first having been told not to go or stay somewhere.  Unless they had a "No Trespassing" sign on their front door, they have little more than empty threats.

Stop communicating with them.  Stop agreeing to pay for stuff.  Stop apologizing for things you didn't do.  And don't let yourself be bullied by them.

In fact, if they persist in sending harassing messages you, you'd probably be well within your rights to make a [telephone/electronic harassment complaint](https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/partiv/titlei/chapter269/section14a) to the police.


Title: How seriously is rape within marriage taken by the UK police these days? I'm in the UK.

Answer:
 You might try /r/LegalAdviceUK.

But I would assume it's taken as seriously as all other rapes.


Title: (Ga) I got arrested for suspended license, no insurance and suspended registration. My insurance company had a typo with my VIN which caused my registration to be suspended

Question:
So in December I was driving home for X mas when I was pulled over. I was told that my license was suspended, my registration was suspended and I didn't have insurance.

I was flabbergasted, and discovered that there was a typo with my VIN in Progressive's system that caused the state to think I didn't have insurance. I fixed both of those problems immediately. The license was my fault, I had gotten a ticket out of state and had forgotten about it.

My question is, I have my trial tomorrow. What do I do? Bring proof from my insurance company that there was no lapse in coverage? That should clear up two of those tickets, ideally.

I assume I'm going to have to face the music with my license.

Thanks for your help

Answer:
 If you have a court date, and don't have a lawyer, I recommend you ask for a delay in order to obtain a lawyer. (Or get one *really* fast.)

The suspended registration / no insurance tickets are nothing out of the ordinary and proof from your insurance coverage should be helpful there. But I would definitely get a lawyer for the suspension since it can involve jail time and a conviction on your record.


Title: Two girls were just kicked out of my university library for going around offering Redbulls to people who wanted one. They were not pressuring anyone, I declined for example, but they were kicked out citing solicitation. Is this acceptable?

Answer:
 >Is this acceptable?

Sure.  The school likely has rules in place for that.

And offering *free* products to someone to promote your product can be solicitation, especially in a school library setting where people are there to study and not have random girls walk around trying to give them Redbulls.Answer #2: Yes. Of course.

They weren't disciplined, just asked to leave. It's not a big deal.


Title: (WA) Neighbor ia flying his drone over my property

Question:
Washington, Snohomish county

We live in a community of homes that sit on 1-2 acres each, so we are not exactly close to each other and he definitely has space to fly the drone on his own property. Starting last week, this neighbor with whom I don’t have any contact otherwise and just recently moved in, has been flying his drone every day for 15-20 minutes over my property. I specifically followed that drone to see if it goes above other properties but no. It takes off in his backyard and flies straight over my yard, circling, climbing and descending. We have a pool and my wife is oftentimes tanning by the pool which makes me annoyed because this drone has a camera attached to it.

The fun thing is, this stupid ass is probably just learning how to fly it and a week ago it dropped on my property. He came knocking saying his drone “had a malfunction” and landed in my backyard. This was his first day flying it so I didn’t know what he was up to and gladly returned the device to him. I saw it was a Karma drone with a GoPro attached. Next day he started creeping.

I would like to know if I have any rights when it comes to the airspace above my property. This stuff doesn’t fly super high and it’s also recording (although I don’t know how to prove this). I have recorded the drone flying over my backyard on 4 separate days, while my wife was lounging by the pool. Isn’t this invasion of privacy? What are my legal options - HOA? Sue him? Report to the police? NASA (joke)? Thanks.

Answer: Knock on his door and request he stop. Report back to us after you did that and the results. We can go from there.


Title: Can someone take a photo of you without consent?

Question:
Edit: Forgot to add that this is in Colorado, United States

Me and my boyfriend were cruising in our truck and happened upon a field where clearly vehicles had been going mudding since there was a full on "race track" going around it. We didn't see any signs saying private property or no trespassing so we decided we'd have a little fun then go on our way. Well low and behold after one lap a car comes out of a nearby mobile home park and waves us down. We drive out the field and pull up beside the car that had flagged us down to see what was up. As soon as we pulled up the man in the car started taking photos of us (in our truck) without saying anything beforehand. A bit freaked out and startled we both covered our faces as fast as we could and started trying to get the guys attention with "hey hey hey" and "whats going on?" he tells us it's private property and someone broke into his shed and stole things a few days ago. We politely explain our situation and that we were just cruising and would be on our way. This guy still had an attitude as he said "Well the cops are gonna find whoever's doing it and I'll call them if i see you again"

I completely understand not being allowed on his private land but is he allowed to just start taking photos of us and threatening to call the cops without even explaining why and when there were no signs saying no trespassing or private property?

Edit #2: Okay thanks to the people who let me know in a polite way that I have a lot less privacy than I initially thought. I had no clue someone could take a photo of (specifically not just a photo with other things in it) me in my own vehicle or infront of my own house. Thought that stuff would begin to cross into stalking territory. Again, thank you to the people who did let me know in a polite manner.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Yes someone can take pictures of you trespassing or on any public or private property where you have no expectations of privacy. Answer #2: You do realize that you're photographed basically every time you leave your house, right? Ever use an ATM? Ever been in a store? Ever seen a news broadcast where they are videotaping everyone who walks by?


Title: Roommate stole my cat(Service animal)

Question:
Looking for advice here I guess ill set everything from the start.

I got out of the military in Sep 2015 at 100% from the VA. I moved to Clarksville TN to move back in with my " Best Friend " from highschool who also was getting out of the military. When I moved in to the town home I moved in with him, his gf and he had 1 cat already.  While I was staying there we decided to get a 2nd cat which we got from his gf's friends. I grew very attached to the new cat which I named Buu from the M on his head as a dragon ball Z reference. Fastword a few months and he breaks up with this girl and she leaves and now it's just me, him and the 2 cats. He tells me that I can have Buu and I agree because I was paying for him to be fixed and have his shots.

We move out of that place since I had arranged a new apartment because I didn't want to live there with him and her before they broke up so he moved in with me since the lease was up on the town home. He lived here with me for 4 months which the entire time I was taking care of the cats, buying food, cleaning boxes, buying litter, buying flea baths for my cat and several other things.

Well he moved out today and when I asked if he was going to pay rent for the passed 4 months since he hadn't paid anything he said no. So I went to get the property manager and I come back to him gone along with my cat.   This cat has helped me everyday with dealing with my PTSD by taking my mind off things and calming me down. I have receipts of all my purchases for my cat Buu over the passed 8 months The vet has my name down as the owner in their system.   I called the police already and filed a report but I am just wondering what else I can do. This has messed with me in alot of ways and I physically hurt without my animal anymore. The cop said the warrant for them won't be up until Monday but I am just stabbing in the dark here I want my cat back asap.

Answer: House pets are viewed as property in legal situations. You can sue him for the value of the cat if it's legally your cat.


Title: I was caught doing 95 on a 60.

Question:
I was recently stopped by an Illinois state trooper going 95 mph when the speed limit is 60. I was in a car full of people (stupid, I know) but my bladder was about to explode from all the water I drank before. Still, that's not an excuse.

Anyway, I was completely oblivious to the state trooper cause I was trying to find an exit that had a rest stop/restaurant I can stop at. He pulled me over and ran my plates and license and I explained that I had to use the bathroom.

In the end, he ended putting that I was going 94 MPH on a 60 and that I have a court date. He said it might not look like much but he was doing me a favor. I was very grateful cause I know he could've taken my license. He ended making me sign some supervision and I was on my way.

Now, I've been getting all this mail about having a traffic attorney represent me on my court date. The state trooper was nice and assured me that I would have to pay a fine if I just showed up. But the massive amounts of mail has me concerned that I might need a lawyer present. Should I have a consulatition? What's my next step?

Answer:
 This is the favor he did you:

If you are charged with Speeding 26 miles per hour or more over the limit in the State of Illinois, you will need legal representation.Speeding 26 to 34 miles per hour over the limit is a Class B Misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and/or up to a $1500 fine. Speeding 35 miles per hour or more over the limit is a Class A Misdemeanor, punishable by up to 365 days in jail and or up to a $2500 fine.


Title: An apartment complex gate hit my car and damaged it. Should the management company cover this? (California)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So you saw the first car go through, tried to beat the gate, and lost.

What are you claiming? That the arm malfunctioned somehow? It sounds like it worked just like any other gate arm I've ever seen, you just tried to sneak in and didn't make it.

Answer #2: > Should I expect them to cover this?

No.

You should, however, expect them to bill you for any damage you did to their gate arm when you attempted to tailgate another vehicle into the gated area.

One vehicle per gate opening is standard for every access gate like this that I have ever seen. It is not the fault of the complex that you used the gate improperly.Answer #3: Sorry, it's your fault for thinking that the gate would stay open.


Title: How are city governments legally able to report a parking ticket to credit reporting companies

Question:
A friend had a ticket knock points off his credit score, but how is that even legal? What is the justification they have for reporting to the credit reporting agency? Doesn't that require consent?

Location US, Vermont

Answer:
 He has a debt.  They can report that debt.

He can dispute it if he wants.

If debtors needed specific permission to report unpaid debts, the average credit score would be higher.Answer #2: > Doesn't that require consent?

Lol no? What the fuck sort of sense would that make? If that logic prevailed then people could theoretically do whatever they wanted and have spotless credit because they didn't consent to negative things being introduced to their report.


Title: California - Large shipment late, possibly lost or stolen. What exactly is the shpiper liable for?

Question:
I had a very large shipment (several hundred pounds of equipment) shipped from California to another state for a trade show. The trade show started on Thursday and I had the shipment sent several business days before that. The scheduled delivery arrival date was Wednesday. On Wednesday I was informed by the shipper that our shipment was “lost” and that no one had any idea where it was. They said that it might arrive Thursday or Friday. It never did. We ended up having nothing in our booth for the trade show.

What exactly is the carrier/shipper liable for OTHER than the original shipping fee? Can I demand or ask for compensation of our trade show fees (our transportation, booth fee, employee fees). If the shipment ended up being stolen (at this point they still have no idea where it is), are they liable for the value of the shipment?

tldr:
Shipper lost large shipment, caused us to go to trade show empty handed. Apart from the original shipping cost, is the shipper liable for things like trade show booth fees and employee fees?

Answer: What does your contract with the shipper say about lost merchandise?


Title: Land sold ilegally And i want complete land.

Question:
A Person acquires a piece of land  initially.After some years he transferred 70% of his land on her wife's name.
After he did so,he sold me complete piece of land i.e 100% to me by doing a frod as only he signs on legal papers during selling and not her Wife.
After 3 years her wife sells the 70% land on her name to another person.
So the complete land is nw sold to me(100%,of which in real only 30% is mine) and 70% to the another person.
Now i come to know all this matter today and confirmed to the person who sold me 100% of land  by frod and he says that he has done a frod and telling me to take back the cost of land from him.
But i dont want to take money,i want full land.How can i get it?
I am fromMuzaffarpur, Bihar,India and the seller is from Darjelling,Assam,India.

Answer: I'm sorry but I doubt that there is anybody here who knows the laws in India.


Title: My boss refuses to pay me for 30 mins that I worked... is that OK?

Question:
he started going through my timesheet and crossing off the .5's (i take a 30 min lunch break sometimes) He said "we pay for hours not half-hours" as if that should be obvious. Is there anything I can do? Is he justified in any way? should I just start taking full-hour lunches? I'm in College Park, Maryland btw
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 That is not legal. The maximum rounding allowed by the FLSA is quarter hour if it's consistently rounded down for 1 - 7 minutes and up for 8 to 14 minutes.  Show him this:

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs53.htm
Answer #2: Out of curiosity, are you given a 1 hour lunch, and **choose** to work half of it some days?

If so, you may be out of luck here; if the company's policy is a 1 hour unpaid lunch, you may not be able to choose to work part of it and get paid for it.


Title: urgent: my roommate's boyfriend needs to leave, but we can't evict him without problems.

Question:
hey y'all, coming to you from Michigan, USA.

so my roommate (lets call them M) and i are stuck in a pretty bad situation. M and i rent a flat together, and M's name is the only one on the lease. about three months ago M started dating A long distance. M loves A, learned that A has an alcohol problem because of stresses in his life, and convinced A "you have a really shitty life where you live, up north, come down here and we'll help you get clean and start over." he agrees.

he's only been here a month, and while he hasn't caused TOO much property damage, he has gotten black out drunk and fucked up way too many times. we told him "you need to cut back or STOP drinking and go to AA" but he insists AA doesn't work, he doesn't have a problem, etc etc.

fastforward to this week. M and i had a week long vacation planed for 8 months now. its was this last week. we tell A "this is your test: if you can stay sober this week, you can stay. but if you drink then we want you out." he agrees. then proceeds to get blackout drunk the day we leave, and every day since.

we told him, on the phone on the third day "you're DONE. when we get home we're packing your shit and you're finding somewhere new to live." he was drunk and said things like "i'll be gone before you get back." but when he sobers up, he doesn't remember the conversation and insists "you two said i have until October to move out!"

the night we came home from vacation, he promised he'd be sober to talk to us about his options. of course he wasn't, and this was the worst i've seen him drunk. he flipped between being depressive and suicidal to aggressive and slamming things/doors, grabbing our cell phones and by the end grabbing M by the arms and waist, looking ready to punch them both times. i called the cops.

cops came and helped escort him out, (with him yelling "FUCK YOU" to us as he left) but explained to us in secret that they legally can't FORCE him to leave sober without a proper 30 day warning and eviction notice. ("of course if he doesn't know that, hey may just leave when you tell him to. and we can bluff but if he calls it, our hands are tied.")

we WOULD call our landlord and get an eviction notice...but he's not SUPPOSED to be living here. our lease clearly states "only 2 persons may live on the property." so now i feel like i'm stuck with him because we can't get legal help without getting in trouble ourselves.

he spent the night in the drunk tank, and should be arriving home today but we don't know what time. we have all his stuff packed in boxes in the dining room, praying he made arrangements to get picked up and go live elsewhere. but i worry he hasn't done that and expects to come back like nothing happened. what do we do???

tl;dr: roommate's alcoholic boyfriend has been living here a month, its not working out and we need him gone but can't get an eviction notice without being evicted ourselves for secretly housing a third roommate.

Answer: M is his LL. M gives him proper written notice to vacate. M files for eviction if he doesnt leave. That is the only option right now


Title: Somebody changed my last name shortly after my birth, now I can’t get a correct copy of my birth certificate (IL)

Question:
Hello, I’m hoping someone will have insight on a kind of odd clerical problem.

When I was born my mother gave me a last name that is similar to my father’s but not exactly the same. Let’s pretend his last name is Smith, my last name would be something like Smaithe.

My whole life I’ve had a notarized copy of the birth certificate that was first issued for me, spelling out my correct last name (Smaithe). This is what I’ve used, this is what is connected to my social security number, driver’s license, taxes etc etc.

I was recently in my town of birth, and wanted to get a new copy of my birth certificate as the one I have is getting a little ragged and aged. When I went to to do this, the clerk was able to find one under “Firstname Smith” but not “Firstname Smaithe”

All of the other details match except the last name. The clerk said somebody may have changed it shortly after I was born (this is something my paternal grandfather might have done, he took issue with the name my mom chose) or possibly a clerk “fixed” it in their system, assuming my real last name was an error.

Anyway according to their records “Firstname Smaithe” doesn’t exist, and I can’t get a new copy of my birth certificate. I was told a judge would have to change it.

Given that in every other legal system my name is correct, I’m not sure what to do here. Take very good care of my current birth certificate and ignore it? Seek out some sort of correction legally? What happens if I get married or die before fixing it?

Any advice is appreciated, of note that I’m very low income currently.

Answer:
 Use your current birth certificate to get a passport. A passport can be used for any situation where you would use a birth certificate.

Just saw low income, passports do cost some money. Maybe take care of it until you have money for a passport.


Title: Jaguar Dealership was supposed to fix my F-type but used it as their personal car for a week. All caught on dashcam. What are my legal options?

Question: I have hours of footage from the dealership using the car to pick up food on multiple occasions, take the car on joyrides with the top down, and even picking up strangers in my car. The alignment is messed up now, it was not when I dropped it off. I am upset and want to take legal action. What are my options?

Answer:
 Contact them, advise them of your evidence and that you are taking your car in for a quote elsewhere. Ask them how they anticipate compensating you.

If they don’t, send them a demand letter for repair + rental fees for the week they had your car.

If they decline, sue them.


Title: Colleagues refuse to wear seatbelts. I’ll be fired if I refuse to drive them… is this legal? (Georgia)

Question:
I’ve been tasked to drive myself and other colleagues to and from our job site in the morning and at the end of the day. We are using a company van for transport.  This isn’t my primary job, just something that got assigned to me unfortunately.

**The issue:**

My colleagues refuse to wear their seatbelts, but I’m the driver and I’m pretty sure I would get the ticket and be responsible for paying it out of my own pocket (and whatever may go on my driving record). If I refuse to drive them because of this reason, and I’m fired for ‘causing trouble’ or ‘refusing to work’ are they technically firing me for not being willing to break the law?

I know this might be trivial to some, but I can't afford getting ticketed and I want to keep my record clean.

I’m not sure how else to approach the situation other than putting my foot down and refusing to drive, which would end up in a firing.

Answer:
 You got an HR department? If so, report them for violating state law while working. Or talk to your boss about it.Answer #2: I believe (but am not totally certain) that this falls under the whistleblower protections administered by OSHA. You may want to reach out to them for an opinion.

http://www.dol.state.ga.us/em/employment_laws_rules.htm

Answer #3: If an adult is not wearing a seatbelt, then that adult, not the driver, gets the ticket.

At least in my state.
Answer #4: OCGA § 40-8-76.1

>(b) Each occupant of the front seat of a passenger vehicle shall, while such passenger vehicle is being operated on a public road, street, or highway of this state, be restrained by a seat safety belt approved under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208.

"Occupant," not "driver." To contrast, in the immediately preceding section, it penalizes the driver if a minor is not properly secured.

Still report it to OSHA, though.


Title: Might be going to jail for fishing without a license.

Question: I got a citation for fishing without a license (mine had expired).  I missed the court date on the citation due to my muffler falling off on the way there. So now I have a fta bench warrant. I have no idea how to handle it and am not dumb enough to show up at the clurt house and ask. How do I fix this? Or is there a better forum to ask on (this is US raliegh nc)

Answer:
 You are not at risk for going to jail for fishing without a license.  You are at risk because you missed a court date.

You need to call a lawyer.Answer #2: OP based on the combatative nature of your responses here, and coupled with the two laws you've broken... well... you got a troubled road ahead of you son.


Title: Conditions changed after dog went back for surgery and vet still decided to perform surgery.

Question:
Kentucky - Backstory: Yesterday I came home to vomit from my dog on the carpet. She is a repeat (twice) offender of eating foreign bodies (ie: socks, baby wipes, etc.). So I noticed the same symptoms from the previous cases and decided to take her to the vet. While I was there they suggested to run chest and abdomen x-rays to diagnose the faint cough she had as well as what was making her vomit. The x-rays were inconclusive so the vet presented the following options:

1. Ultrasound to see if that would reveal an object with most likely a 20% chance of showing anything.
2. Give fluids under the skin, anti nausea meds and send home and watch to see if she improves or gets worse.
3. Admit her overnight with IV fluids, more effective than under the skin fluids, and watch and take x-rays in the morning to see if anything was visible.
4. Exploratory surgery to see if they could find an object.

I figured with options 1-3, they were not solving the problem of what was causing her to be sick and she was showing the signs of it being a foreign body, so I decided to minimize cost and go straight to surgery. I get a call post-op from the surgeon that says while they were prepping her for surgery that she passed a foreign body (white cloth like material) and he consulted with another vet and they decided to proceed with surgery. I feel like I should have been notified that she passed a foreign body and asked if surgery was still the route I would have taken. Knowing she would have passed a foreign body, I would have went with option 2 to see if conditions got better. I did sign a consent form for the surgery so I don't know if because of the change of conditions between when I signed it and when the surgery happens still applies? Thoughts?

EDIT: The surgery found no foreign bodies

Update: spoke with the vet and practice manager today. They agreed that the surgeon should have contacted me prior to surgery. Very civil conversation, dropped charges from $3,500 to $800 and thanked me for being understanding.

Answer:
 Baby wipes hardly come in singles, so assuming your dog swallowed more than one and surgery was needed was a reasonable decision.

Multiple baby wipes could have become balled up and lodged in the intestines, requiring surgery (or killing the dog if not caught).

Also, since you signed the consent form for surgery, they had your approval regardless.

Did the surgery find anything?


Title: Infection from contaminated medical products

Question:
Michigan

Hello, all! Two weeks ago I received a synvisc injection, which mimics the fluid in your knees for arthritis relief. I went to the hospital two days later in severe pain, with my knee three times it’s normal size. Cultures taken at the er came back positive for bacteria three days later, and I had emergency surgery that day. I was admitted to the hospital for four days, and I had to have a central line in my arm so that I can receive iv antibiotics once daily for the next month. I developed phlebitis yesterday, and had to have a second line installed in my other arm. I also have to have a nurse come to my house weekly to draw blood and change my dressings.

The doctor called today to tell me that the bacteria has been traced to a contaminated lot of the injections, which has been recalled. My insurance is covering the majority of my expenses, but I’ve missed a considerable amount of work and the costs are still going to be fairly high. Is there any kind of recourse I would have against the company for infecting me?

Answer:
 >Is there any kind of recourse I would have against the company for infecting me?

Sure, you'd need to speak with a personal injury and/or malpractice attorney once you've healed.


Title: Employer withholding too much taxes?

Question: My husbands current employer never gave him a W4 to fill out we realized and after two+ months noticed (because of looking over his other jobs withholdings) the employer has been withholding too much taxes. After some online research I found the company would auto file for him as a 1 (if he refused to fill a w4 which he did not, he was never given one to fill out in the first place) when he should be claiming a 12 in allowances. This has left him paying over $100 in excess tax each paycheck since he started. What do we do now? His employer is refusing to offer a w4, fine whatever we can print one ourselves and have him turn it in to them. But what do we do, or they, about the excess taxes he has been paying? We estimated well over $500 in excess taxes he's paid so far. I've found minimal info through the IRS website saying they SHOULD repay him but they are saying they don't have to? So, what next? We are in Seattle WA. Thanks for any info and advice!

Answer: If he's been overpaying, it will be refunded to him by the IRS when he files his 2017 tax return.


Title: [WI] Girlfriend of 7 years (who lives with me), how do i "evict" her?

Question: Long story short, girlfriend of 7 years has lived with me at my current residence (which i own via a land contract) for about two years. I want her out. Her name is not associated in any of the contracts, and all the rent is paid by me to my land owner. What is my legal recourse here in getting her out?

Answer:
 Step 1: break up with her
Step 2: give her mailed written notice that her tenancy is ending in X days.

X varies wildly by jurisdiction and the fact that you're living in the unit as well. In some jurisdictions it'll be 7 days- others 60.Answer #2: You will have to legally evict her by giving her written notice per the laws of your state.  Answer #3: IANAL: take pictures of everything too.  Since you can't block access to any parts if the house or change locks I would take pictures of everything in case of damage.  I have an excel sheet with every valuable item and serial number I have (for fire or theft purposes).  Then do the back up method of 3-2-1.  3 copies of photos in two locations, at least 1 offline.


Title: What is the legal responsibility of reddit running a subreddit called r/SuicideWatch and having posters discuss feeling suicidal or planning to commit suicide?

Question:
Do they have to report the users IP address to a suicide prevention institution or what? It's difficult to believe it has no responsibility with users discussing significant thoughts or plans of suicide, as the mods of the subreddit claim. Thanks a lot for your help!
Location: Mass

Edit: 2nd part of the question- how legal would it be for law enforcement/mental health workers to monitor websites like the subreddit r/SuicideWatch and record users IP addresses and posts-particularly posts that would indicate a user is a threat to themselves- then attempt to intervene directly into the users life by contacting their local PD or emergency workers? After all for someone tasked with the job of preventing suicides, R/SuicideWatch seems like a pretty juicy resource if you are looking to make a big impact without regard to the ethics of doing so.

Answer:
 >Do they have to report the users IP address to a suicide prevention institution or what?

Nope.

>It's difficult to believe it has no responsibility with users discussing significant thoughts or plans of suicide

Yet it's true.  The internet is not a mandatory reporter.Answer #2: The guidelines specifically state that /r/suicidewatch does not have the ability to trace the source of any posts.  In general, the guidelines state that it's a place of support and nothing more.  Given the guidelines, if any duty could have been created in the first place due to the situation (which is doubtful, considering the context and inability of many people to do much, if anything) it is waived.  Essentially, there is no legal responsibility resulting from the existence of /r/suicidewatch.


Title: Did I do anything illegal here?

Question: So I live in Washington where the legal age is 16. I am 22 and was on tinder when I matches with a girl and she said she was 16. We both liked dogs and we showed each other pictures of our dogs. We talked for a day then I jokes and suggested we hang out and walk dogs and stuff strictly as friends. Because we had similar senses of humor. Then she just blocked me on everything. This all happened within a day or two. Did I do anything illegal here that I could be arrested for? To be clear I am just wondering since it freaked me out she blocked me from everything and I never ended up meeting up. No sex talk just two people who talked about dogs and stupid memes.

Answer: You didn't do anything you could get in trouble with the police for. I believe Tinder TOS is that you have to be 18 but that's not a crime. Likely "she" wasn't a she and was trying to pull the "I'm her father pay me money or I go to the cops" scam and once "she" realized you weren't a pervert looking for an underage girl they blocked you.


Title: Landlord terminated lease, reason for termination not in the lease.

Question:
Hello everyone.

We received a letter recently stating we have six weeks to move out of our place, May 31st. As opposed to August 31st as per the agreement.

Management company stated this in a letter taped to our door. The reason given is that the owners, overseas doctors, are retaking possession of the house.

They say we are legally obligated to pay May rent. I say, since it's not stated anywhere in the lease agreement that we can be kicked out for this reason, no we don't. My question is there someone/s I can contact with questions on this?

All rent is up to date, never late on payments. I'm Cincinnati, Ohio. Thanks guys.

Answer:
 If your lease says August 31st, then that is the soonest they can request you leave provided you are not violating the lease.

Reply and advise them that you will be out on August 31st as your lease specifies. You can give him the option to buy out your lease for First +last month and moving expenses to leave earlier.


Title: I [30F] kicked out a disruptive student [30M] with a full refund. He is harassing me and my other students, threatening to force me to pay him money I don't owe him.

Question:
**UPDATE:
I have applied for a personal safety intervention order and have been granted an interim one (which has the same effect as a final one). The court hearing for the final order is next month, but in the meantime this guy is officially no longer allowed to contact me, or contact anyone else about me, or write about me online, or come to my sessions or interfere with me in any way. Feeling so relieved!! Thank you all for your support and your really good and solid and kind advice!**

Original post:
I run a community class for adults twice a week in my city (in Victoria, Australia) where I teach arts for no profit (my students pay under $4 an hour to help me cover costs). One of my students was always disruptive and self absorbed, creating trouble for other students and not letting me teach productively. I tried to be patient and giving for the longest time, truly believing that I could help him develop a better attitude and learn something. He started preventing others from learning in serious ways and made the atmosphere negative and toxic so I had to take the difficult decision of asking him to leave. I offered him a full refund and my best wishes for his future.

He didn't respect that and insisted he wouldn't leave because he'd invested too much in this class. I tried to call him but he wouldn't take my calls. He got aggressive and threatened to sue me. He started emailing my other students, including people he had no business contacting, and tried to destroy my reputation. I found out only because one of my other students forwarded some of his communications to me. Other people have since contacted me asking for refunds which I have given without questioning since I care more for people's good will than money (although it is at a loss to myself). I have also refunded this student's fee for this course in full.

I have no way of knowing what has been emailed to who. What I do know is that this person is a liar and is vindictive, and the emails forwarded to me by my other student showed that our communication had been edited by him before he passed it on.

I have firmly asked him never to contact me or come to my classes again but he has repeatedly threatened to ignore my wishes and come to my next class (in 8 hours from now) to compel me to pay him more money (refunds from previous stand alone classes that he completed before this current course began).

He knows fully well and has admitted to others in writing that he knows I have warned him not to come to any of my sessions again.

This has seriously screwed up my week, I've been an emotional and anxious wreck, and my work has suffered a lot. My strategy has been not to engage with him at all since giving him his refund, but he doesn't seem to showing signs of getting over it. I really believe he intends to come and disrupt my class tonight. If he does come tonight, I'm going to call the police and I'm also going to seek a restraining order that prevents him from disrupting future sessions and prevents him from harassing me and my other students.

What else should I be doing/considering?

**TL;DR - I kicked a disruptive and toxic student out of my community arts class, gave him a full refund. He got really mad and is trying to bring me down by harassing me and my other students, threatening and intimidating me, and demanding more money.**

Answer:
 Call the police. What he's doing is harassment. Answer #2: [Personal Safety Intervention Orders](https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/find-legal-answers/personal-safety-intervention-orders) are easily to apply for. You will need to meet with the court registrar at your local [Magistrate Court](http://www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au/) (possibly give them a call in case you need to make an appointment). Fill out the [form](http://www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au/forms/application-personal-safety-intervention-order-psi01) ahead of time if you are able.

During your meeting they'll ask about the situation and your application (basically just outline what you've written here) and arrange a court hearing for your application that will usually occur in the next 2-4 weeks. You can apply for an interim order to protect you in the meantime which is usually heard that day. Ask the registrar about this, especially if he turns up tonight. In the meantime (and afterwards) call the police if he shows up and continues to harass or stalk you. I'd like to think that the wind will very quickly be blown out of sails once the police and courts get involved and he realises there are actual consequences for being an ass.Answer #3: IANAL, but would OP be able to successfully sue for defamation if the harasser is spreading lies that are costing her students and money?


Title: [Pheonix, AZ] I won judgement against my landlord for $900 in small claims court. How do I collect that money ?

Question:
Long story short, my house had normal wear and tear, but landlord wasn't accepting that fact and insisting that I had caused that damage. He repaired that damaged after my lease ended and cut that cost from the deposit.

I found that unreasonable, I had pictures and all the proofs, so I filed in small claims court myself. He told his side in court. Judge found that I was correct. He passed the judgement in my favor and I'm entitled for $900 in deposit.

How to proceed from here? How do I collect that money?

Answer:
 It's a little beyond this subreddit to go into the gory details, but in general you can find out from your bank what bank your past rent checks were deposited into (ie. you can find your defendant's bank).  Then you can garnish your defendant's bank account from his bank, and have the bank send you what the defendant owes to you from the defendant's bank account.Answer #2: If he won't pay you voluntarily you have to garnish his money.

You can garnish rent owed to the landlord by a tenant (they pay you, and not the landlord) or his bank account. Forms (and basic info) to do that here:
https://www.azcourts.gov/selfservicecenter/Self-Service-Forms/Garnishment-of-Non-Earnings


Title: My job took my commission away on a sale

Question:
   So, I’ve been working at this bicycle shop for over a year and a half, and for probably about 5 months in sales. Never really had any major issues, sure the owners are dicks sometimes but my manager is a really nice guy and it’s a good job I don’t hate going to.
   Today, I sold a bike to a guy that was pretty expensive. The bike had a 30% discount on it. We have a points systems too for bikes that are not discounted, so if the bike is discounted we have to be sure to press the “points exempt” button.
   Well long story short I forgot to press that button. So the customer had points on his account too. No big deal, we went in the system and corrected it and took the points away and the customer never knew about it and nothing was ever purchased with the points. So problem solved, right?
   I thought so. But then I look in the system 2 hours later, and they switched the bike from the sale in my name to the sale under “unassigned.”
   This was not a cheap bike. It was a few thousand dollars, it was a decent chunk of commission. And they took it away from me just like that. I spent days talking to this guy on the phone, hours with him today testing different bikes, it was 100% my sale and my money.
   My manager texts the owners asking what the deal with this is.
   One of them responds this:

“If her check was shorted $300 I doubt she she would think it was just a mistake. And she’s right, it’s not fair.  It’s her responsibility to insure her sale is invoiced correctly. If it is not, it’s her fault. It is a mistake. Mistakes at the register cost money.”

  The company never lost any money from my mistake. It was corrected easily. Plenty of other people have made this mistake before and they have corrected it, they just wanted to make a final point with me.
  I’m going in on Monday to talk to the owner but if they leave the sale under Unassigned I plan on walking out and quitting.
  But am I legally protected in any way to get the commission I earned? My interaction with the customer and selling the bike is on camera. I live in the state of Florida if it matters.

Answer: I don't see a state, but most states have a department of labor that would get involved over this.  You could file a complaint and it would be illegal for them to retaliate against you.  However, they could also fire you 4 months from now for being late by 5 minutes 1 time.Answer #2: Research the agreement you have with the owners


Title: Wrongfully towed? You be the judge. Next step?

Question:
So I was towed the other day,  I was visiting my girlfriend. I was parked in visitor parking. A new policy had been implemented that requires visitors to attain a parking pass. The signs citing this new policy are not clearly relaying permits are needed.
Did the apartment complex full fill it's duty to informing visitors of the new policy.
So that the scenario is clear.
The complex did not have personnel at the guard house available to provide the pass.
The policy was not properly conveyed to visitors.
I sent this message to the complex and I had a sit down talk as well requesting they reimburse me.
What's my next step if they don't?

Unites States, Texas

Edit: I'll take it from here.

Answer: I can give a 99% guarantee that your girlfriend was informed and didn't inform you.  People visiting apartment complexes are visiting someone.


Title: Upstairs neighbor is tormenting my grandparents - police don't do anything

Question:
My grandparents live on the first floor of a small apartment building. On the second floor lives a neighbor that keeps complaining about the smell of weed penetrating into his apartment and he thinks it is coming from my grandparents.

For a few weeks, he would sporadically come down and knock on the door aggressively asking them to stop smoking weed but my grandparents do not smoke anything. they are 80 and 70 years old. Each time he came down to their apartment he knocked more aggressively. Eventually he would just go downstairs, bang on the door and leave. I caught him in the act one time and called the police. The police did nothing and said didn't seem aggressive at all and left.

&#x200B;

About a week after, human shit was flung onto the windows of my grandparents apartment that are exposed to sidewalk right outside the apartment building and I have a strong feeling it was him.

&#x200B;

Now, sporadically, we hear what sounds like a sledgehammer being slammed against our roof(the upstairs neighbors floor).

&#x200B;

Also to note, I confronted the guy a few times and explained that my elderly grandparents live here and they do not smoke anything. Speaking to him is how I learned about his problem with weed smell. Also, every-time he smells it, he opens all of the windows of the lobby of the building and props the building door open.

&#x200B;

Today, we heard the banging, I went outside to find all the doors and windows open, and I also found a pile of human shit very close to our front door.

I have smelled human shit close to the entrance before but today is the first time I actually see it. Along with a cigarette b.c the guy upstairs smokes cigarettes as well.

&#x200B;

The last time they police came they suggested to try and record him before they left.

&#x200B;

IDK what to do at this point. Please help.

Answer:
 Setup cameras, if you catch him doing that you would have a ton of recourse available. If that doesn’t work, what I would do personally I cannot recommend on this sub.Answer #2: You have a bunch of separate issues.

1.) His complaints about the weed.  If he shows up at their house, they should call the police.

2.) Banging from upstairs (possibly unrelated).  If he's disturbing them, they should call the police.

3.) Doors and windows open.  Complain to management.

4.) Human feces- no evidence that it's him.  Call management to clean it up.


Title: Crowdfund an apartment for homeless woman through winter

Question: As the temperature turns brutally cold, several neighbors are considering crowdfunding an apartment for a very kind old homeless woman whom we see regularly. The goal would be to help her through the winter on a month-to-month basis until the weather turns better, say in March or April in our area, rather than to perpetually pay her housing.  What is the worst-case scenario for this idea from a legal standpoint?

Answer:
 You are going to have to find a landlord who will rent to her.

It likely may require one or more people to be financially responsible for any damage to the unit.


Title: My car was stolen at the beginning of January, but I keep getting DMV mailers to pay my taxes.

Question:
Am I supposed to pay, even though I don't have the car?

Thanks!

Answer: Did you inform the DMV of this? Did you ask for their process? What if the police find your car next week and give it back to you?


Title: VT, USA - How to make sure my child's father is never involved.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I never went to the police because he took the laptop so I had no evidence

What is with this mentality?  They are police. They investigate crimes, you don't need to create a ready made case for them, put a bow on it, and deliver it to them.  They could have taken the laptop with your statement.  You wasted tons of time.

If he pops up? You can argue that it's not in the best interest of the child for him to be involved. It's going to be hard to prove anything related to to the laptop, since you waited 6 years to say a word about it to anyone.


Title: Ex boyfriend resurfaced and acting bizarre. I'm not sure if there's any legal action I can/should take. [WA and IL]

Question:
I'll try to spare details that belong in /r/relationships, but here it goes.

I broke up with my ex boyfriend a little over five years ago. His drinking was getting out of control and he was having anger issues. His behavior was bordering on abusive and pretty damn scarey. I was offered a job in Washington, so I took it and broke it off with him just a few days before I was due to leave. There was an incident with him going to my old apartment in a drunken rage when I wasn't there and a neighbor threatening to call the cops until he left, but I got that story second hand from the neighbor, and I doubt the cops were actually called. Just to be safe, I packed up what little I had left there and stayed at a hotel the next town over until my departure date.

Fast forward to early last week. I went back to Illinois to visit some friends. On my last night there some of us went to a restaurant with an outdoor patio area. As we're sitting there eating, I hear a voice shouting my name calling me a bitch, whore, all sorts of other things. It's him. I have not seen or heard from him since the break up. He's drunk and yelling about how he has unfinished business with me. The restaurant staff asked him to leave. He refused and knocked over a table. They called 911. The police came. He calmed down a bit once they got there, but he ended up leaving in the back of the car. I talked to the police, answered questions, they said most likely no serious charges would stick. I flew out the next morning (last Monday).

Fast forward to Sunday, I got a Facebook friend request from him. I declined it and blocked him. He followed me on Twitter. I blocked him. He added me to his circles on Google+. I completely forgot that existed. I checked and my profile is blank. I intend to keep it that way. Then on Monday I get a direct message on Twitter from a new account of his saying "hope you like my package." I assumed he meant to attach a dick pic and forgot, thanked God for small favors and moved on.

Today when I got home from work there was a package on my porch. No return address. The label says it was mailed from my former zip code.

It's still sitting on my porch. I haven't opened it and I'm debating if I even should. I don't know what to do. Mark the package return to sender and hope it ends there? (Although with no return address I'm not sure what the post office will do.) Call the police? Should I call the police here in WA, or in IL, or both? I'm not *too* concerned about my safety because of the distance, but honestly, a bit worried.  Perhaps I need a paper trail of this just in case? I have no idea what happened with anything from the incident back in Illinois. Roommate wants to open it and see what it is before deciding, but I can't fathom what he would put in there that would make me not want to go to the police. If I do go to the police, what's next?

Answer:
 This is when you call the police and report a suspicious package.

I'm also in WA, and once got an odd package (no return address, cardboard tube, two weeks after I returned from a deployment...). The cops came out and opened it with their robot. It was fun to watch, and turned out to be junk mail.

The police were very nice about it all, and reassured me that they'd rather come out to open something that turns out to be harmless than respond after someone has opened a mail bomb.Answer #2: First step would be to call your local police. Stay safe.Answer #3: Report it as suspicious and have the police open it for you, then file a restraining order citing his prior arrest for harrassing you among other things.  Answer #4: I would be hesistant to open it. It is probably something gross or scary. I would advise to be careful though because he has your mailing address.


Title: Let neighbor borrow lawn mower. Now his landlord won't return it.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You can sue your neighbor for the value of the mower and file a police report if you think it was stolen.


Title: Dealership Sold a Car with GUN under the seat

Question:
CALIFORNIA: Weve been driving the car for months now, got a call this morning from the dealership saying the previous owner of the car called the dealership because he believed the gun was in the car. I found the gun which was loaded. Some may call me stupid for touching it but I felt like i needed to make sure the firearm was clear. Its was loaded with hollowpoints. My question is two part, One: Should we be worried in any way of imprisonment?, Two: Can we pursure legal action against the dealership or gun owner?
Its been a crazy week for me, I appreciate any responses from this community.

Answer: what legal action are you looking to pursue? what damages do you have?


Title: Arrested and held in police station in Ohio for offenses that do not carry jail as a punishment. Do I have a cause of action against the officer?

Question:
So I was pulled over for some BS reason, not stopping for a sidewalk when leaving a gas station (who knew that was in the revised code?) and not using a blinker when exiting the gas station. Anyway, lo and behold when the officer runs my license it comes back suspended (this was a suspension for failure to show proof of insurance for an earlier ticket, the BMV never gave me notice of the suspension or I would have cleared it up). So the officer gets out of the car, orders me out of mine, and proceeds to cuff and arrest me, takes me to the holding area in the police station, and keeps me there until my brother can bail me out an hour or two later.

Both the failure to stop and the failure to signal are minor misdemeanors where jail is not an option for punishment. Additionally, the DUS is an unclassified misdemeanor without jail as a punishment. The relevant code section is the following:
335.074 - DRIVING UNDER LICENSE FORFEITURE OR CHILD SUPPORT SUSPENSION.
(a)
No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon a highway or any public or private property used by the public for purposes of vehicular travel or parking in this Municipality whose driver's or commercial driver's license has been suspended pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2151.354, 2151.87, 2935.27, 3123.58, 4301.99, 4510.032, 4510.22 or 4510.33.
(b)
Upon the request or motion of the prosecuting authority, a noncertified copy of the law enforcement automated data system report or a noncertified copy of a record of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles that shows the name, date of birth, and social security number of a person charged with a violation of subsection (a) of this section may be admitted into evidence as prima-facie evidence that the license of the person was under suspension at the time of the alleged violation of subsection (a) of this section. The person charged with a violation of subsection (a) of this section may offer evidence to rebut this prima-facie evidence.
(c)
Whoever violates subsection (a) of this section is guilty of driving under suspension and shall be punished as provided in subsection (c) of this section.
(1)
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c)(2) of this section, the offense is an unclassified misdemeanor. The offender shall be sentenced pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2929.21 to 2929.28, except that the offender shall not be sentenced to a jail term; the offender shall not be sentenced to a community residential sanction pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2929.26; notwithstanding division (A)(2)(a) of Ohio R.C. 2929.28, the offender may be fined up to $1,000.00; and, notwithstanding division (A)(3) of Ohio R.C. 2929.27, the offender may be ordered pursuant to division (C) of that section to serve a term of community service of up to 500 hours. The failure of an offender to complete a term of community service imposed by the court may be punished as indirect criminal contempt under division (A) of Ohio R.C. 2705.02 that may be filed in the underlying case.
(2)
If, within three years of the offense, the offender previously was convicted of or pleaded guilty to two or more violations of subsection (A) of Ohio R.C. 4510.111, or any combination of two or more violations of subsection (A) of Ohio R.C. 4510.111, or Ohio R.C. 4510.11 or 4510.16, or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, the offense is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree and the offender shall provide the court with proof of financial responsibility as defined in Ohio R.C. 4509.01. If the offender fails to provide that proof of financial responsibility, then in addition to any other penalties provided by law, the court may order restitution pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2929.28 in an amount not exceeding $5,000.00 for any economic loss arising from an accident or collision that was the direct and proximate result of the offender's operation of the vehicle before, during or after committing the offense for which the offender is sentenced under this section.

Anyway, I don't have multiple offenses on my record to where jail time would be an option. What I want to know is, were they wrong to hold me on bail, and do I therefore have a false imprisonment cause of action (or something else) against the officer/city? Thank you for your help.

Answer:
 Not familiar with Ohio law, but you weren't held in jail "as punishment" for the offenses.  You were arrested and then released on bail.

Unless Ohio statutes forbid arrest for those offenses, then the officer acted legally.


Title: (AZ) Apartment manager says the Apartment was rented out almost immediately after we put in our notice and renewal will involve a move to a different apt.

Question: Put in our 60 day notice. Circumstances came about that changed our ability to move. I called to let them know. Left many voicemail as they didn't answer weeks ago. Went in person today to find out why there's been no communication from their end, and supposedly our apartment is rented out already. We must move? What are my options? Can they do this?

Answer: Yes. You put in your notice. Now you have to move, as you agreed to do. Answer #2: Of course. You put in your notice, and they acted accordingly. They have no duty to honor "take backs." (Where would it leave the new tenants if they did?)


Title: Civilly Sued for accident I was not at fault in

Question:
I'm going to keep this short. A year ago I was 17 and was in an accident that totalled both cars. I was originally cited at fault. I went to traffic court and proved I was not at fault and all was good. Now a year later I have court coming up and im being sued for 25,000. I have my lawyer and I'm not worried about paying (I have insurance) but I was curious the legality of that and now that I am 18 and he can sue me would a countersuit be possible since I was not at fault. And possibly a countersuit in the same court hearing because i have to travel a long distance because I moved away. Thankyou in advance

Edit location Virginia US

Answer:
 > I was originally cited at fault. I went to traffic court and proved I was not at fault and all was good

Those two statements don't necessarily go together.

You can be "not guilty" from a criminal standpoint, and still civilly liable for the same incident.  The fact that you got out of your ticket does not mean that you were not at fault for the accident.  The traffic court did not rule you "not at fault", they found you "not guilty" of that one specific violation.

Your defense needs to be on the merits of the civil suit.  Unless you have some specific item to counter-sue on, you have no suit there either - you can't countersue just because you're mad that you got sued.


Title: Can I monetize my Youtube videos on Disney property?

Question:
( Florida ) I keep finding different answers from no to yes. Which is it?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: You mean, videos you took while visiting Disneyworld / Disneyland?


Title: [New York] becoming emancipated

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 [this should cover most of the basics](http://www.lawny.org/index.php/family-self-help-140/other-family-law-self-help-75/142-emancipation) .  But before anything else, you need to be 16.

Edit-  Also, your post history has some big [red flags](https://np.reddit.com/r/BipolarReddit/comments/4kxxyw/unsafe_sexual_decisions_when_manic_and_dealing/).  Maybe you should worry about getting help before trying to decide that you can actually make it on your own.


Title: Animal Abuse - HELP!

Question:
Hey guys, I recently quit my job at a local a PetSmart in New England due to animal cruelty.

Every animal that falls ill in our care is taken to back room called the Isolation room. It is intended to be a quiet place off the floor to allow some peace for a sick animal who is recovering from illness or injury until it is well again and can be transferred back to the floor to be adopted or sold. Most zoos and aquariums have this ideology as well and it is something I agree with.

Where I disagree is that I was asked to knowingly falsify the medical charts of several sick animals so the management would not have to bring them to the vet. Every animal in ISO is given a chart that lists it's illness/injury, what treatment was taken to care for the animal, and what the current status of said animal is.

I was asked to not write down that a couple of the animals were declining or regressing in health so that a manager would not have to bring them to the local vet and sign off on the vet bill stating it was simply cheaper to have it die out back than pay for it to be fixed or euthanized.

I have watched animals starve to death, dehydrate to the point of a protruding rectum, bleeding from orifices due to respiratory diseases, broken limbs never mending properly, and body parts necrotizing and rotting until infection kills the animal.

I am fully aware that animals die and that diseases and injuries will happen, but then they knowingly refuse reactionary care and will refuse to provide a comfortable and clean space for ill and I mud animals. What legal action can I pursue to help bring some justice to this situation. What agencies are advisable for me to contact?

This has to stop. I am no fan of PETA or other animal activist extremists! but they have made excellent points and I have seen first hand the death toll that these stores bring to animals.

Answer:
 >  I am no fan of PETA or other animal activist extremists!

Good because PETA isn't exactly against euthanizing perfectly healthy animals themselves.

>  What legal action can I pursue to help bring some justice to this situation. What agencies are advisable for me to contact?

If you are specifically aware of behavior that you believe is outright animal cruelty, you can call the police non emergency line when and if necessary.


Title: [USA] What laws/things do we have against abusive terms of service

Question:
For instance,

A lot of companies are adopting the clause "we can terminate your account without refund at any time for any reason."

How can I protect myself from that?

Answer:
 TLDR:

-OP spent $3k on League of Legends.

-OP got pissed they perceived being matched with shit players as a conspiracy.

-OP got banned when he was a little shit about it.

-OP wants to now sue.Answer #2: I'll take a crack at it:

No, there's nothing you can do. Even if you have rock-solid, indisputable proof that they don't like you, that's irrelevant, because the contract says they can cancel your service because they don't like you. In fact, here are some other reasons they can cancel your service:

- They really really don't like you.
- You had a dispute with one of their employees.
- You told them you don't like their product.
- You gave them a bad review.
- You called them a bunch of fat-faced jerkheads.
- It's Tuesday.
- It's not Tuesday.
- It might be Tuesday.
- They feel like it.

What part of "any reason" do you think doesn't really mean "any reason"?Answer #3: You can choose to not do business with them. That is your only recourse. I doubt the company will be willing to negotiate a new contract just for you.


Title: Can I notarize a benign but silly document?

Question:
I'm trying to maintain a few long distance friendships, largely through cute handwritten letters and packages. Lately some a friend and I have been sending each other "awards" for friendship over the last few months, first ribbons, then mugs, and now a small trophies. I'd like to take this to the next level and issue my friend a notarized and framed certificate of excellence. Can this be done or will any self-respecting notary public laugh me out of their office? If this can be done, what considerations should I take when drafting the language for the certificate?

(Yes, I know this is dumb and arguably a waste of money, but I love my friend and I'm really amused by this!)

Answer:
 I don’t know what state you are in, but in California, notaries only verify the identity of the signer. They don’t really care about the document (except to record the name in their book). You would want to make sure you have the correct notary acknowledgment on your certificate. Google “notary acknowgement + your State” and copy it word for word. If you don’t have the correct notary language, the notary can’t sign and stamp it.

It will probably cost you $10-$25 dollars, depending on the state.


Title: Can a restaurant kick me out for no apparent reason?

Question:
I work for Postmates. For those that don't know, it's a delivery service in which you drive to restaurants or other stores and order food or buy other items for people, pay with a prepaid Postmates card, and then deliver it to the customer that ordered.

I went into Burger King tonight after I got an order through the Postmates app. As soon as I walked in, some lady manager cleaning tables started accosting me from across the dining room, asking if I am with Doordash. I said no I'm with Postmates and walked up to the register to order. She followed me and then went around behind the counter and asked what order I am picking up. I said I'm not picking up an order, I am not with Doordash. I also had a large hot/cold bag with "POSTMATES" clearly displayed on the side of it. I told her I was there to place an order. I started reading off my order. The first item of about 10+ items was a frozen Fanta lemonaid. As soon as I read off the first item, she barked at me and rudely cut me off saying "you're in the wrong restaurant, we don't have no frozen lemonaid here, you need to go find the correct restaurant."

&#x200B;

I again tried to explain I am with Postmates and I am here to place an order. She again cut me off and said, you're rude, get out. She basically didn't want to get off the Doordash thing for the longest time. So I immediately took out my phone and started recording. I was just in shock I guess what was happening here. From there it just turned into somewhat of an arguement, with her basically acting spoiled, running around saying "Get out" and she supposedly called the police, but they never came after I stood there for well over 20 minutes talking to her and some other employee. Finally after some time I just decided to take off and go work on other deliveries. She followed me out of the store calling me a "white fucker" and saying things like "fuck your white ass piece of shit" and just on and on with it. She was Asian. This occurred in Auburn, Washington.

&#x200B;

I have most of this encounter on video. I'd like to know if I have any sort of legal recourse for the store kicking me out in the fashion that they did and the racial comments she kept making as I got in my car. I legitimately was not rude to her, I just wanted to place and order and go about my delivery. I've been with Postmates, Uber, and Lyft for almost 5 years now.

Answer: Its a Burger King.  Even if its franchised, contact Burger King corporate and complain.  You have on video, a Burger King employee yelling racial slurs at you.  That video getting out would be very shitty for them, so making you go away would be priority #1


Title: An employee at my college stole my laptop, is there any way i can get my money back?

Question: Hi, so one day in September, I had left my laptop in a classroom. I left and when I realised I left it, I went back for it, it was gone. I told the police and I gave them the last location for it because it had pinged a location far from here. 2 or 3 weeks later, the police told me he had a family emergency and he might have something, two days later, the police they caught the person and their lawyer said that they would pay me 800 dollars for the laptop if I didn't press charges. I agreed as long as they did not threaten me. The police said he would work out a money order for me so I could get the money. The next day, the police calls me and tells me that the person revoked the deal and quit their job at the school (turns out the person was an employee for the college I go to) in order to run without paying for it. The police told me that they would try to catch them and to call the dean of students and tell them everything about the situation, the case number and the officers name and they would reimburse me for the laptop since it was an employee at this college. I did just that and a week later, the dean of students call me to tell me they gave it to Human resources because it wasn't a student at the school and then HR would be calling me later. I waited a week or 2 before calling human resources and they told me they would talk to the officer about this and I would get a call soon. (Note: it took a lot longer than what I put in order for them to give me the right person to talk to because I feel like their support in any field isn't that great.) I get a call today and they tell me that there isn't any way I can get reimbursed for my laptop because they don't do this. It took two whole months for this and I don't have a good laptop to take to college in order to get work done. The one I have overheats frequently and dies when it's unplugged for just one minute. I need a laptop for college. Is there any way I can get money for my laptop because I feel like it isn't fair for the employee (or ex employee) to just get away with stealing my laptop without me getting anything back. Please help and thank you!

Answer: You can sue the thief for either the return or value of your laptop.


Title: Can a hospital refuse to allow people to leave when there's a missing patient?

Question:
Based on this [Not Always Right post](https://notalwaysright.com/a-very-secure-argument/118116/) (image link below).

[https://imgur.com/a/45X5ds4](https://imgur.com/a/45X5ds4)

I can understand why they'd want to have such a strict policy, but is this generally legal in the US?

Answer: Yes, it's legal. Essentially, the hospital staff (security) is locking down the building until the police arrive to take over the investigation. There is a real danger of witnesses or evidence (the child) leaving building. If the child is found first, then no harm, no foul, and everyone not involved is free to leave again.


Title: Employer asked if I was pregnant

Question: One of my supervisor's asked me if I was pregnant. I'm not pregnant but I feel the question was VERY inappropriate and none of my employer's buisness. I work in a call center so even if I was pregnant it would not have any affect on my ability to do my job, so there is no reason to ask. I know that it's illegal for them to ask questions like that during the interview, but are they allowed to ask those type of questions once I'm employed? If it matters I work in Oklahoma.

Answer:
 It is not illegal to ask. It would be illegal if they used the answer to make decisions regarding your employment, such as cut your hours/pay, or terminate you for being pregnant.

Being an idiot and asking personal questions is not on its face illegal; we would have to tear down all the houses to build prisons.


Title: Are parents responsible for damage done by minors?

Question: I live in Oklahoma. My neighbors kids were climbing on my car and damaged the paint/body of the car. Nothing really major, but definitely noticeable and I'm pretty upset about it. My car is not the first that has been jumped on or damaged and the mother has been warned about this happening in the past. She basically lets them go out side and play unsupervised. I have talked to my car insurance company and i have also filed a police report. I asked the officer and he said he just doesn't know how to handle it from here and that he will talk to his supervisor and we will go from there. My question is, Is the mother liable and what do i do to get my car fixed?

Answer:
 You can certainly sue the children & parents in small claims court. Generally parents are liable for the damage caused by their minor children.

You can get some quotes for the repairs.  Then you should ask them to reimburse you.  If they tell you to pound sand, then you can sue on that basis.

However, collecting is more difficult than winning.  And you have to decide whether you're willing to start a feud with a neighbor over it.


Title: Minnesota - My friend is being sexually blackmailed. Who should she be reaching out to for help?

Question:
My friend (female) had a sexual relationship with a man who she told me was stalking her. When I asked some more questions, I came to find out she was sending nude photos/videos to him at his request,  after she had broken ties with him, because he was threatening to send content she sent to him previously (or that they videotaped together IRL) to her father or other family members.

She told me that she doesn't know this person's name, but he was able to figure out her's and her family's information. She has this person's via Kik, Snapchat, instagram, and a (fake?) Facebook account.

She thought that since the person was not threatening physical violence and she didn't have a name that law enforcement wouldn't care. Certainly this fits coercion or some type of newer sexploitation law.

*Who should she be reaching out to? Police? FBI? DA?*

Answer:
 That's the Honeypot, Sterling. How did you fall for [the Honeypot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeypots_in_espionage_fiction)?

However, unlike spy fiction, [extortion in the real world is a crime](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=609.27). She can speak to the police now, if she wants to. If he does distribute intimate material of her without her consent, [she should definitely speak to the police](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=617.261).


Title: Legal advice ASAP

Question: Hi, I need some legal advice. I’m wondering if I can expose someone on Grindr, without getting in trouble with NJ laws. I would like to give his description on a profile while avoiding any details about him. Is that possible? Like height, body type, age, ethnicity, fetishes? Maybe insta? Pls help! :) ty

Answer:
 Are you saying you want to make a fake profile with his pictures? Why would you risk doing something like that?

There really aren't enough details of what you're trying to do here or what you're hoping to accomplish to answer your question. In some scenarios you MIGHT be ok, in other scenarios it could be considered under some cyber harassment laws.

As always, sometimes the best path on the internet is just to block and move on.


Title: Car backed into by girlfriends neighbor

Question:
I live in Oklahoma and last week my girlfriends neighbor backed into my car and caused a decent amount of damage to the front bumper. I got her name and phone number, but she is kind of a sketchy individual and asked to wait like a week before contacting the insurance company about it.

I called her back today and she gave me her insurance info, but asked to wait until Sunday to contact them because she wanted to file a police report tomorrow, basically saying that is when the accident happened.

I think its pretty obvious that she didn't have insurance when she hit me, got insurance last week, and now wants to wait until her coverage starts to file the claim. What should I do? I just want to get my car repairs paid for.

Answer:
 > What should I do?

First, do *you* have insurance?  If so, contact them and let them handle it.

Either way, do **not** lie to anyone during this process.  You do not want to get involved in an insurance fraud scheme.Answer #2: You should report the true facts, with no lies, to your insurance company.  If you report the matter to the police, or if the police interview you in regards to her report, tell the truth.  If you lie for her then you can be criminally charged with fraud since you would be her accomplice.

If you want to help out this girl then tell her in advance that you will not lie or misrepresent the date of the accident.  This leaves her with the option of paying you out of her own funds or letting you claim it with your own insurance company and letting them decide if they want to pursue her or not.  Of course if you claim it through your own insurance company and they do not collect from her then you're going to be out your deductible.


Title: [Virginia] My friend lost his home in a fire over a month ago, reported it right away of course to the house insurance. His insurance agent admittedly hasn't even looked at the case yet. Is there a statute saying how long they have to at least review it?

Question: The fire marshal, investigators, claims adjuster (third party, small town, no corporate agents here), and everyone else that needed to investigate and report all did so within a few days, the insurance company has the complete information they need. The agent admittedly went on a vacation the day the claim came in (completely understandable, just unfortunate) so there was a delay. But here it is over a month later and they are still saying the case hasn't even been touched yet. This isn't about a payout, its simply about them admittedly not even so much as looking at the claim. Is there a law about time frames to at least review the claim?

Answer:
 I don't believe there are specific regulations, but the state's Bureau of Insurance may be able to help:

[https://www.scc.virginia.gov/boi/](https://www.scc.virginia.gov/boi/)

Now, his agent wouldn't normally be the person driving the case. Who he really needs to be speaking to is the cases's assigned adjustor. Does the case have one yet?Answer #2: If and when your friend calls the state board of insurance (and even on calls with the adjuster) make sure they drop the phrase “bad faith claims handling” into the conversation. That usually lights a fire under the insurance company’s ass. Insurers lose major points for bad faith claims so they’ll want to take care of things sooner than later.

Source: I am an insurance broker :)Answer #3: You may want to as on r/Insurance as well if you don’t get many responses here.


Title: North Carolina - was the victim of a hit-and-run accident...

Question:
In North Carolina-

Spouse and I were the victims of a hit and run accident. No injuries thankfully, but our car was totaled. We were very shaken up. Other car clearly at fault driving wrong way down 2 lane highway, other car fled the scene. State trooper arrived and he wrote us a $258 ticket for Failure to Maintain Lane Control. State trooper said he couldn't prove there was ever another car there so we were the only people he could fault. I'd like to contest this ticket out of principal but the court date we were assigned is when we are going to be gone on vacation. Definitely not worth it to me to change the vacation or anything. Is it worth trying to get this court date changed or should I just say screw it and pay the stupid ticket?

Thanks.

Answer: If you want to fight the charge, you can request a new court date, just an extension of the one you have. Call the clerk of court or judge's office to do so. Used to work for the local DA and people do  this all the time, especially if they don't have the cash. It's very common for court dates to be extended.Answer #2: For the future, a dashcam would be of great help here. It's a shame the other party fled.


Title: Is it illegal for my dog to poop in your yard?

Question:
Recent dog-walking excursions beyond my apartment complex have left me wondering about the legalities of poop disposal. [I started a thread asking about putting poop in dumpsters](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6r5rhl/is_putting_dog_poop_in_dumpsters_trespassing/?ref=share&ref_source=link) and residential trash cans. Most seemed to think that utilizing trash cans other than my own and explicitly public ones would constitute trespassing.

So, if it is trespassing to bag the poop and toss it in a nearby can, is it legal for me to just leave the poop in the grass?

For what it's worth, I rarely find myself in this situation. I always bag poop, and 99% of the time it goes into my apartment complex's dumpster, or the local park's trash can. However, if someone were to threaten me with trespassing for tossing the poop into their trash can on the street, would it be legally permissible to leave it unbagged on their grass?

Has any dog walker ever been prosecuted for either tossing poop, or leaving it in the grass?

I am located in the US, but am most interested in Michigan, PA, and Ohio.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Your can absolutely be fined for not cleaning up after your dog. It's disgusting and irresponsible. You  should keep it bagged until you can dispose of it properly. If that means holding a bag for a few blocks so be it.


Title: Friend of mine passed away and his mother is trying to get money claiming it 'belongs to his estate'?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Wait
 "Friend of mine went to jail"
 "I paid his bail"
 "HE PAID ME BACK"
 "I got a check from the courthouse."

So did you get paid twice?   I can understand why she feels it belongs to the estate..


Title: Landlord wants me to pay for re-painting the entire apartment. Should I go to war with him?

Question:
NJ resident here. My landlord did an inspection today and gave me a call saying he says he smelled smoke and sees that we have been smoking. We have smoked but nowhere in the lease does it have a "no smoking clause". He says due to the smoke we need to pay to have the entire place painted to get the smell out. I think that's total bullshit.

I think he is just finding a way to steal our security deposit and have the entire place repainted for free. Problem is, I'm pretty sure this guy is in the mob, so I'm kind of afraid to go after him. What can I do?

Additional information below from the inspection of that affects anything.

-co2 and fire alarms had dead batteries - true but no fine so long as we replace them

-fire hazard as there was a mini fridge in front of the window to the fire escape - don't know how a mini fridge stops me from going out the window, if anything it helps boost me up

Answer:
 smoke odor is a damage; the particulates from smoking can trigger asthma, allergies, and other issues. It's really difficult to rent a smoked-in apartment.

Remediation involves air filtration, complete repaint, and (generally) new carpets.


Title: fraternity might default on lease, can I get stuck for payment (Oregon)

Question:
So basically, the older guys in my fraternity kind of screwed us over, signing a long-term lease at a house that wasn't the greatest, and now about 1/3 of it is empty and there's a very real chance we might have to break the lease. Our treasurer says every active member will get stuck with a share of the six-digit penalty, regardless of whether they drop as a result of this, and that another nearby fraternity went through a similar ordeal and had to sign promissory notices in front of a judge. What are my options (besides meeting with a lawyer, of course)? I guess I don't see how I could be stuck paying off part of this fee, as I hadn't even rushed at the time the house was signed, and have never actually lived in said house or put my name on any paperwork regarding the property. Is the treasurer blowing smoke or am I in a tried-and-true pickle?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 (1) Don't take legal advice from the treasurer.  He probably has no idea what he's talking about.
(2) Read through your fraternity's organizing documents and what you signed when you joined.  Is there anything in there about members being liable for debts of the fraternity?
(3) How is the fraternity organized?
(4) You might consider dropping immediately -- would help avoid the risk.
(5) Talk to your university administrators in charge of fraternities.
(6)  Penality?  Why?  Have you seen the lease?  Normally, it would just be "pay rent until we find somebody else to move in."
Answer #2: Talk to nationals, get their legal team in.


Title: Company might fire me, do they still have to pay commission?

Question:
Hi,

So I very recently closed a very large deal for my company. We're talking a deal in the millions, which means over $250k in commissions for me.

Unfortunately, I haven't been getting along very well lately with some of my companies sr management. I won't get into the nature of the disputes as it's irrelevant (nothing over the top, typical style/personality disputes.) The company is also not doing great financially at the moment, so I think I might be getting fired soon.

We get paid our commission on the 30th of the month following the sale. Our annual sales plan (which we all had to sign) states that in order to be eligible for a commission payment, we must be an active member of our sales organization.

So if they fire me before the end of Feb, could they get out of paying my commission?

EDIT: The company is HQ'd in California, but I live in Mass.

Answer: If only we knew your location so we could tell what state laws apply!  If only there was large, friendly text places that reminded you to post this information!


Title: Sexual assault in middle/high school help

Question:
I'm asking for someone else who doesn't use reddit. The daughter was sexually assaulted in junior/high school by another student. There was a witness, the kid was arrested, and put out of school for 2 months. The school is allowing him back in, and the parents are petitioning the school for their procedure and plans on how they are going to handle this kid, but the school won't release such details. The family finds it pertinent to understand how they plan on dealing with the assaulter of their daughter. Is it illegal for the school to disclose this info or is the school just being difficult.

Sorry there isn't alot of details. Their ultimate goal is to just have the kid moved to a special school. Is that unobtainable? There's just alot they are being left in the dark about.

Edit: new jersey, us

Answer: Restraining order?


Title: The ex-husband of my deceased mother is messaging me for my mother's death details. They divorced over 40 years ago. Why?

Question:
I am in Australia. My mother divorced the ex-husband in the late seventies in Texas, then remarried, separated, and passed away in the early 2000's, in Australia. I contacted him in 2015 due to a genealogical project I'm working on and he was surprised to find out she had passed away.

Now it's 2019, and he's sent a very polite message asking for the death date/place for a "government form". He is remarried from the 80's. Can anyone think of what this could be after 30+ years? Social security? What forms would require this information?

Thank you! I promise I'll post an update.

Answer:
 In the US, any couple that was married for ten years or longer has some Social Security options once they reach the age they take distributions (in the 60's). Also, if they had both names on any asset, he may need to document her passing away in order to sell it.Answer #2: 1) Perhaps he's remarrying in a jurisdiction where he has to describe how his last marriage ended, or in the Roman Catholic Church, where the new marriage will be easier to undertake if his previous wives are dead. (The RC church still takes a dim view of remarriage after divorce).

2) As another poster pointed out, if your mother was a high earner, and they were married for more than 10 years total, and he hasn't remarried someone else, he can apply for Social Security retirement benefits based on her earnings record when she was a U.S. taxpayer.

3) If he's got a job that requires a security clearance (intelligence or defense industries), this entails a lengthy biographical questionaire.

4) You might google all the states your mother lived in, the phrase "unclaimed property" and search for all the variations of all the names she used during her time in the US, just in case there's a lost bank account or something out there waiting to be claimed.Answer #3: Could she have been a beneficiary on a pension or IRA mandated by divorce?  Life insurance policy?Answer #4: Maybe ask him what it is about?

It might be for social security - you might want to also check for unclaimed property wherever your mother might have lived in the US


Title: (SC) How to legally/financially set up a campaign for a university-level student election?

Question:
Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but I am looking for the best way to be able to set up a checking account for a campaign whose finances I am running for a student government elected position at my university.

This may sound trivial, but there is a significant amount of money (a few thousand dollars) involved with these races, and we need to be able to receive donations from businesses and make payments to vendors without using any of our personal funds.

I've done research on the matter and it looks like to set up a  bank account we'd need a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) from the IRS... What is the process like for this, is there a chance we could actually be audited?

I'm just not exactly sure what direction to head with this. It's a relatively short term situation (6 months), but I want to make sure any liability associated with an organization like this would be kept separate from the campaign staff and candidate as individuals. Could this be considered a 501(c) non-profit by the IRS?

Any input would be greatly appreciated, especially from someone with experience with something like this.

Answer: Go to student activities stat.  You are in way too deep and need to learn the policies about campaigning for student positions *at your specific institution.*  This is an internal event, not a community one.


Title: Man asking me money for watching porn site

Question: He's asking me money saying that I watched a porn site and he got a screen of me. He says that he will post it to my contacts if I don't give him 10000 usd. He knows my name. What to do, I am terrified

Answer:
 It’s a scam, 100%, super common, it’s a scam.  That said, even if it were not a scam, if someone contacts you and threatens to blackmail you then you have 3 options

1) call the police and let them investigate as blackmail is illegal.  The blackmailer may release the blackmail information

2) block and ignore the person.  The blackmailer may release the blackmail information

3) do what the person is blackmailing you to do and become their bitch for life.  Once you comply with blackmail you have told them that they have something valuable on them.  Silence cannot be purchased, only rented, they will come back at some later point in time.

I don’t know what option I would pick if I were in your spot but I know which one I wouldn’t.


Title: Assaulted and lost a quarter of my front tooth.

Question:
I'm not positive this is the right place to tell this story, or if my re-telling of the story is going to be clear enough but I'm going to try my luck. I'm a New Jersey resident.

Last Thursday my friends and I were at a bar and everything was going well the whole night, I had a couple of beers but wasn't at all intoxicated. Fast forward to the end of the night when everyone was leaving and a lot people are in the parking lot. Theres an argument between someone I know and a stranger. The bouncer sees this and instead of making sure no violence occurs he promotes/instigates the fight. The two kids fist fight and the person I know walks away Okay so I go up to him and speak with him, that's when this very large man (another bouncer from the bar)  starts powerwalking over to me with rage in his eyes and pushes me, I'm shocked so I throw my hands to my sides asking "what the hell?". The next thing I know I get punched a couple of times in the face and mouth and fall to the ground. My brother called the police right away, a quarter of my front tooth was punched out of my mouth. The police came and talked to both parties of the incident. The next day my father and I picked up the police report and it said I was the victim of simple assault and such and such was the suspect. I have the papers to file a complaint but was wondering if there's anything else I should be doing.

I'm curious if anyone has any legal advice on the events I mentioned above, any comments or insight will help a bunch. I appreciate it very much.

Answer:
 >I have the papers to file a complaint but was wondering if there's anything else I should be doing.

Have you gone to the doctor to rectify your medical ailment? Outside of filing a complaint against him, you will want to contact a personal injury attorney to look into suing the bouncer for damages. You can also file yourself in small claims court if your claim falls below the limit. Answer #2: There's a criminal consideration here and a civil one too.

For the criminal piece (i.e. someone being arrested for punching you) you have limited ability to move it forward. It's up to the police to peruse the matter. If you want to 'file a complaint' as you mention in your narrative, this *may* encourage the police to push the matter further.

For the civil piece (i.e. you recouping the cost of your damages) if you have a police report that identifies an employee or contractor (the bouncer) of the club as the person who struck you, I would contact the management/owner of the bar and ask them to reimburse you for the cost to get your tooth fixed (and any other related costs). If they refuse, your recourse is to sue them in small claims court.


Title: [CA] My relative broke into a home. Homeowner was renovating and he fell through her stairs, has a broken arm and bruises. Will this affect his case at all? He needs a wake up call and a reality check

Answer:
 im sure it wont effect any criminal case if it doesnt include restitution, or if its a civil  for damages to the property.

also, haha .