Title: Got in a car accident and now being sued.

Question:
State is Florida, this didn't happen to me, but my sister. Car accident between my sister and another gentlemen, the guy's car was damaged but not too bad, while my sister's car's front was totally destroyed. The man proceded to walk off and buy some cigarettes (that wasnt necessary but thought i would include it). Insurance information was exchanged and my sister believed that it would be the end of that. Two months later though she recieves a letter informing her that the man is now suing her for medical bills. I don't know if his insurance covered it or not, but since he is suing over medical bills then i guess not.

Neither my sister or the man were distracted driving or under the influence.

Answer: Do you have a legal question?


Title: My fault fender-bender, but the other driver wouldn't stop [New York]

Question:
Today I was driving on a highway and had a MILD fender-bender with the car in front of me. He slammed on his brakes, I slammed on mine. I managed to stop mostly in time, but there was definitely contact. I knew immediately I was at fault, even though he slammed on his brakes. The problem is...the guy never pulled over. He kept driving as if it was business as usual. I know we were on a highway, so there aren't many ideal places to stop, but I followed him for about 10 to 15 minutes, even as we passed pull-offs and the like. He made no signal to me or any attempts to communicate.

I know I'm the one at fault, but realistically, what should I do now? I don't remember the guy's plates and had nothing to write them down on (as we were driving) so I can't get in touch with him. From what I saw, his bumper looked fairly clean, and I only have a scratch maybe the size of a quarter.

I don't want to call the police and, essentially, turn myself in for leaving the scene of an accident that is, by textbook definition, my fault, but I also don't want to contribute to the idea that I'm trying to "get away with it." Any ideas?

Answer: Realistically? Do nothing. I suspect he just didn't want to bother, or maybe he had reason not to want any risk of police involvement. If you do hear from him, or the police, just tell your side of the story.


Title: Mom passed away, had me on joint checking account, she has sizable medical bills. Will that joint account have to be used to pay those bills?

Question:
The title pretty much says it all. Been a tough few weeks.

Mom only had Medicare and medicaid, then had a stroke and was in the ICU for 19 days. We expect her medical bills to be sizable.

She had recently sold her home and I’ve confirmed that I’m a joint owner of the account where that money was deposited several months ago. The bank has been informed that my mom has passed but we have not received the death certificate yet to confirm it with them.

Will we need to use that money to pay all those bills, or does the money come under my ownership and become off-limits from anyone trying to get those bills paid off?

Thanks.

Answer:
 You may want to consult a lawyer specializing in probate and Medicaid estate recovery.

The money is officially yours for now *but* it's possible that Medicaid may seek to recover the funds under their Estate Recovery program, the details of which differ state to state.

On the one hand, homes are often exempt from estate recovery, but the fact that she sold the home before her passing may change things.

In sum, it's complicated and you should seek legal help.

Also, Good luck, and I hope you're getting the support you need right now.Answer #2: If it was a joint account with right of survivorship, then by law when you prove to the bank that she passed, then the account becomes solely yours. This passes outside of probate, and is excluded from the estate.

You will want to check with a lawyer that is familiar with medicare/medicaid law to see if the government can claw back any of the money of the account.


Title: [Texas] Got into a fight with a person over a year ago- we have not spoken since. Today this person sent my job a fax with a fake criminal complaint saying I kidnapped and threatened someone.

Question:
The title says most of it. My co-worker received a fax and let me know immediately. It was a paragraph about how I and 4 other people held someone against their will and threatened that person to concede to our demands. It goes on to say that the person held strong in the face of our threats and then we safely returned them back home.

The bottom of the page had a case number. I called the Court and the case number was real, but had nothing to do with me or this alleged case. The letter itself was obviously not from a legit source- no cover letter, no header, no contact, and a few spelling errors.

I traced the fax number and it's a dead end from what I can tell. So, I have no solid proof that it is really this person. The person I suspect did this has been convicted of similar crimes and have also done this to other people they have gotten into disputes with- sending letters to people's jobs with accusations as heinous as child abuse.

The fight that happened over a year ago was about leadership in our activism community. Our group of people decided to just leave and let them lead the main group. Since then we have not made contact or spoken with them at all. I have not been engaged with the activism community at all for over a year.

I don't want money. I just want some assurance that this person won't contact my employer or harm people close to me. I scheduled a consult with a lawyer, but I'm not sure if this is even a case worth taking. I just want to know how to protect myself from this person.

Answer:
 You can give the document and any relevant information on who you might think is doing this to the police. They will investigate. There's no way to ensure that they won't attempt this again.

There are very few examples of libel/slander on r/legaladvice. If you got fired for this, then I believe you would be the exception (as in, you would have grounds to sue).


Title: [IL] Cannabis

Question:
About a month ago, I was given two tickets. One for possession of cannabis, and another that simply says 'paraphernalia.'

I recently received a letter in the mail stating that I am required to appear in court.

I am requesting help, because I am uncertain as to what the possible consequences are, if I receive an adverse decision, and I am uncertain as to whether or not I am able to say anything in my defense.

-------------------------------
**Background information, if relevant:** My friend and I are sitting in his car, at a forest preserve. An undercover officer approaches my friend and tells him that it is past the hours of operation, and that we were not allowed to be there.

The hours of operation are from one hour after sunrise to one hours after sunset. The sun was still visible when we were approached by the officer.

When I had told the officer that it had not been an hour after sunset, he responded by saying that they enforce the law according to 'official sunset.'

Official sunset for that day was 8:28 PM (US Naval Observatory). The time that was written on the ticket says 9:35 PM. Officer asked my friend if he could check the car, friend agreed. Officer then asked my friend if he could empty his pockets. Friend pulled out a I pipe that I had legally bought. There was a substance loaded into the pipe.

I claimed ownership for the pipe. He then asked what the greenish looking substance inside the pipe was, then asked if that was mine as well. I said that I was not sure. He said "okay" then started writing up tickets.

He asked to search my car. I allowed him. He searched my car, as well as my backpack, and did not find anything.

------------------------------
If anyone would be willing to provide help, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer:
 lol, man you guys are gutsy for arguing with a cop about sunset times whilst being in possession of paraphernalia. I'd just nodded, said sorry I'd forgotten the times and left.

Do you have any priors? This could all be dismissed by particpating in a drug court if your county has one.


Title: Need advice: keep being charged for cancelled membership.

Question:
Hey Friends
I cancelled a gym membership in April as did my SO. She keeps being charged for membership and maintenance which has added up for the past few months. We engaged BBB but the organization already has an F rating and is notorious for these issues. Evidently they’ll even go into collections if you cancel the registered credit card. What can we do to stop these payments from occurring since BBB couldn’t help?

Answer:
 The BBB is old people yelp. They have no actual authority.

Dispute the CC charges and make a complaint to the state attorney general.

This is presuming you cancelled according to the contract signed with the gym. Answer #2: Did you SO get any written confirmation of cancellation?Answer #3: You could call your CC provider and say the charges are fraudulent since they are.Answer #4: Were you under contract to pay for a certain amount of time?


Title: House buyer trying to walk away from contract

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Why did you accept the offer without securing the deposit?

If she does walk away you might be able to sue her for damages (eg, then difference between what she was offering and what you end up getting with another buyer, plus any extra costs) but litigation is expensive.

In either event, you should start by talking to your lawyer on the deal.


Title: Prenuptual Agreements

Question:
Location: United States

Is it possible to sign a prenuptial agreement that keeps each individual financially separate from their spouse, but still married?

Like in a situation where a woman is marrying a terminally ill man who will incur medical debt during their marriage and doesn't want to take on that financial burden?

[Just wondering because of this](https://np.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/comments/4vdxyh/teen_battling_bone_cancer_marries_high_school/d5xqgj4)

Answer: Not a prenup no, but depending on state you may or may not be liable for spouse's medical debt. Lookup "(your state) doctrine of necessaries medical debt". Of course the creditor can also come after joint assets and things like that.


Title: Lawyers of India, I am 19 and very recently decided to stop being a hindu and stop attaching my name to any religion/caste. I don't get any kinda reservation anywhere on any basis anyway so it's not like I am benefiting from it anyhow... (Please read the details below and help me out)

Question:
 (contd.) Just now I was filling up my personal details in a college application and there under religion, there's an option to opt for 'Atheism-Humanism'.

So can I just choose 'Atheism-Hinduism' if I was born into a hindu family and all my family members are proclaimed hindus? Also, what will be the legal/technical consequences of it if possible. (Just so you know, I am applying for SRM, Chennai which is a private college)

Also, Just below religion, is the section asking my caste and it looks like I must select a caste anyhow. It will be helpful if you can comment on that also.

Please elaborate in detail whatever you say, and answer with a legal PoV, not philosphical/religious.

Answer: Unfortunately, theres probably very few lawyers of India on this sub. Its mostly American, with the occasional Canada lawyer coming by for a little chat. /r/LegalAdviceIndia exists, but it's a bit slower. Sorry, I hope it works out for you.


Title: Question regarding insurance if you are attacked by your spouse.

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Off Topic Removed

Answer: Medical insurance doesn't care about fault. They just pay the bills. You can pay the co-pay or out of pocket expenses out of your joint account.


Title: Arrested for "harassment" after taking a candid picture. Jamaica Queens New York

Question:
I got on the Long Island Rail Road and took a picture of a women who had her legs and bag on the seat. After I asked her to move over so I can sit down. She told me to take another seat but I insisted she move over because she was blocking the seat I wanted. She got up had some people scoot over across the aisle from mine.

She then said something like "what a rude thing I bet you took a picture of me you fucking creep". I responded that I did take a picture of her and she began rudely asking me to delete it. She then called the police.

Three police board the train at Jamaica station and ask to talk to me. They wanted to know why I was taking pictures of people on the train without there permission. One cop takes the camera from around my neck and tries to look through it I lightly pull on it and ask him to stop. They keep asking why i take pictures of people. Then a second cop touches my camera and i say officer please dont touch my camera and lightly pull it away.

"ok your getting arrested" i am handcuffed and walked down to the transit station. Searched and placed in a cell.

Some other procedural stuff happened like a suicide survey. But around 1:20am i was released and given a pink carbon copy summons. It is hard to read but I am being charged with "Harassment (repeat annoyance)"

I looked through my camera and realized the last 5 pictures including the one of the women had been deleted.

I was told the women said I took multiple pictures of her (which i did not) keep pointing the camera at her (I didn't do this either) and made her get out of her seat (which she chose to do after I told her to move her legs and bag)

Should I have recorded the encounter on my phone when she said she was calling the police? I need to appear in court and am worried please give me advice.

Thank you

EDIT: Some clarification... This all happened boarding the train to getting handcuffed within twenty minutes.

I am an 18 year old male this is my first arrest.

I took a picture before I asked her to move her legs then took no other pictures.

She claims I harassed her by pointing my camera at her this is not true.

After she got off the phone with the police she said "go ahead take more pictures" but i did not.

I need advice on what to anticipate upon going before a judge. Also what evidence i should bring. BTW i was able to recover the picture deleted by the cops.

Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 You'll need to consult with an attorney.

I'm assuming your charge is [New York Penal Code 240.26](http://ypdcrime.com/penal.law/article240.htm#p240.26), which says that a person is guilty of harassment when:

>He or she engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts
which alarm or seriously annoy such other person and which serve no
legitimate purpose.

There are really two issues here.  The first is whether you engaged in repeated conduct that annoyed the lady.  The second is whether you had a legitimate purpose for doing so.  [Public photography is not a crime](https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers), so this case could come down to street photographer versus creepy upskirting subway guy.


Title: The IRS mistakenly declared me dead. I spent $4000 to fix their mistake, I lost my financial aid from school, almost lost my house and was investigated for tax fraud (California)

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer:
 OP, you might take a look at this article.  Others are in the same plight as you.  But it was almost certainly not the IRS who declared you dead--that info probably made it's way up the food chain.

This is actually good news for you, in that while the Federal Government will be very difficult to get that money from, if a local source, like a bank or county office, was the source of the error, you will be much more likely to get your money back.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/10/16/living-mistakenly-declared-dead-banks-ssa-irs/Answer #2: I'm very confused about this. What were you arrested for? Impersonating yourself? Where did this $4000 go? Estate taxes? Fines? Financial Aid repayments? You went to jail for some sort of fraud? Answer #3: >my school wouldn't let a dead person enroll

I call troll.  How would the school know you were "dead".  Do they normally check to see if you're alive when you show up to the bursar's office with money?  No.   Note that OP hasn't responded to anything.


Title: how do i not say something dumb when speaking to cps?

Question:
i got married at 17, became pregnant with my son (who is now 2) and i soon realized that my husband was verbally abusive and slothful. i started working at a strip club in order to take care of my family,  and me and him split after a few months. he left town and never came to visit our son, and he went a couple hundred dollars over several months. stripping and being a single mom took a toll on my mental health, but i couldn't stop stripping because i wouldn't be able to afford my apartment, car payment,  daycare, etc. with any other job that i could get at my age and experience level. at this time, my estranged christian mom back into my life. she told me that she wanted us to be family again , and she and my step dad would love to watch Gavin while i got back on my feet and saved money to move to a nearby city, so i even though it hurt my pride, i let him go with her.  as soon as i was away from baby , my depression and anxiety got worse, and my defenses were down. i was in a really bad place. before this time, I had only smoked weed here and there, but one night,  i let my stripper"friends" pressure me into doing a line of coke with them, and once i had opened that door, there wasn't any going back for me. i did it every time that it was offered to me last summer. approximately 20 times. one day i was headed to work, and i got pulled over by an officer for a missing license plate (winds had blown it off) and she searched my car and found a baggie with a line that i didn't realize was in there,  so i went to jail.  i never told any of my family a word, i called a friend and he came and bailed me out. that experience scared me so much that i knew that i had to leave the club and take responsibility for my actions, so i never went back.  i got a job as a hospice caregiver, the pay was much less , but i started to heal mentally. about 3 months later, it was my sons second birthday, i had plans with my mom to come spend a long weekend with him,  and to interview for a few jobs in the area. i was ready to get everything together so that i could make the move. i was 2 hours away from arriving at  my moms house ( i lived 6 hours away) the day before his birthday, and she called me and told me not to bother showing up,  and that she would be taking me and my ex to court for full conservatorship.   i went to the police department, and they told me that they could only do a welfare check,  and they suggested that i go with them to the house the next day just to see what was going on. when we went the next day, no one was there.

The police told me that i had to get a lawyer to file for a writ of possesion, but my lawyer decided to pull a sneak and just get some final full custody permanant orders between me and my ex, because in the state of texas, once you have someone's kids for 6mo+, you have a much better chance of getting custody, and we didn't want me to be grilled in front of the judge about the 6 months i was nearly absent, or about the drug charges .
(these proceedings took about 1 month)

so after that, i had to find my moms new address with the help of some mutual friends.

 me, my ex, and his dad, showed up with my court orders and my step dad handed him over, and i quickly  moved to the city with my sister and her family until i can afford my own home here . my ex lives in the same city and watches Gavin Sometimes.

my mom tried several things to try to take my son from me. she found out about my drug charges and threatened to tell every one about them if i didn't sign over custody.  she also said if i signed over custody, that she would pay for my new apartment and car payment so that i could stay home with my baby. (like that makes any sense)

she is a relentless person, now she has cps up my ass. she sent them to the place i used to live, and of course i wasn't there, so they called me and transferred the case to my new city. my lawyer didn't want me to get tripped up on questions about the drug charges, so he told the cps lady  that i could just bring him to their office so that they could see that he's alive and healthy,  she agreed.
me and my sister   took him that day at 4pm.  he was throwing a fit so i carried him inside. the cps worker came in and told me to bring him against the wall so that she could take pictures of him.  he attempted to throw himself on the floor, so i picked him up and held him up with my hand around his back, after she got a picture of his front,  she had me turn him around  and lift his shirt . there was a slight red mark from where my arm had just been, she snapped pictures and started to get snappy with me. asking me " what's this bruise on his his back?"
"does he bruise easily?"
and i responded  "that's not a bruise, that's where i just had my arm."
she said " oh OKAY".  and left very shortly after.

my attorney spoke to her the next day, and she told him that she would be petitioning the court to make it mandatory for me to do an interview with her.  this was one month ago.

i don't know if she's gotten and orders, but she apparently figured out our address,  because she left her card in our door yesterday and today.  And I know that she's not going away. I'm nervous about talking to her because I know that CPS workers are very good at verbal jiu jitsu, and she's already proven that she is looking to twist things to make me look bad. How do I handle her moving forward? My son is very well taken care of, I'm drug free and happier than I have ever been, I just want to put this whole situation behind us and I don't want CPS sticky little fingers in my business any further.

I've looked up several tips like making sure that I record her when I talk to her, I'm making sure that I don't sign anything that I don't read thoroughly. What are some other things that I need to do / don't need to do to in this situation to make sure that i don't get burned in any way?

Answer: Just don’t look bothered and don’t say any more than you need , answer questions simply and be quiet after . Don’t make conversation and CPS has no right to come inside your home without warrant


Title: [California, USA] Can my school force me to take my website down? or Can they take legal action against me for running my website?

Question:
Back story -

I'm a sophmore in high school and a couple months ago I made an anonymous confessions twitter account. The basic idea of the account was that users send in twitter direct messages and I post them anonymously. The account blew up over night with over 800 followers and my principal noticed. The confessions people sent in were pretty bad, you know how high school students can be. They said things along the lines of how certain girls do certain things.. sexual things. I should also add that the twitter account had the school's initials in the @ name and the schools logo as the avatar. The next morning my principal called me down and took my phone and looked through the twitter app to see if I was the guy (I allowed him to). They called my mom and basically forced me to get rid of the account. He also said that I was lucky their lawyer isn't suing me for using their school's logo. I didn't get any other punishment, I went to school the next day as normal.

Which brings us to present day -

I opened a website that's based on sending anonymous confessions. This website has NOTHING to do with my school, it doesn't have their logo, name, or anything that they own. The idea is still the same, students can send anonymous confessions and there is a 100% chance of "bad" things being said about students.

So my questions are.

* Can my school force me to take my website down?
* Could they have sued me the first time around when I made the twitter with their name and logo?
*  Is what I'm doing illegal?

(The website has the same idea as the popular app Yik Yak, if you'd like to get a link to the site please PM me.)

Answer:
 So aside from your questions, I'm going to give you some general legal advice:

Take down the website. You're opening yourself (and your parents) up for a lot of liability due to those "confessions" and the impact that they could have on other individuals lives. The content of the "confessions" posted sounds pretty unregulated (and unsubstantiated) and frankly immature. You're basically using a website to spread rumors about others, which could fall under the guidelines of cyberbullying.

Lets say someone commits suicide because of a rumor that was posted/started via your website. That individuals family can sue you (which would technically be suing your parents since you're a minor) for damages.

Is your website really worth it? I'm not seeing the point of your needing to create an environment where you encourage rumors and bullying. Answer #2: Your idea isn't original, see Littlegossip. And echoing what others have said, stop being an immature twat and take the website down instead of entertaining yourself over other people's suffering.


Title: Someone stole my pouch of money at work & my manager refuses to even talk about it...

Question:
I work at a bar/restaurant in Canada, as a bartender. I brought a Sephora makeup bag (which was expensive itself) with $70 in it as my float. Some way or another, I ended up leaving it behind the bar. When I came back for it, my manager refused to even acknowledge me as I brought it up, going as far as ignoring me completely and going back to his laptop. Someone commit theft at my workplace, and frankly, the manager seems extremely suspicious by the way he refuses to talk about it.

I'm at a loss for what to do, it was my hard earned money. Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 If you find out who took it, you can report them to the police and/or sue them for the money.Answer #2: Security camera over the cash? Most places have them for cash theft. Would be good to see who was in the area.

My money is on the management stealing.Answer #3: you should have called the police. you can still file a report. the manager isn't a cop.


Title: Someone stole my guitar tab, what do I do

Question:
I recently posted an Eagles Of Death Metal guitar tab to /r/qotsa as well as ultimate-guitar.com, and a user in the reddit thread asked if it was okay to post it to ultimate guitar. I said no, I already did. He copy/pasted it and is now getting credit for it, despite posting it after mine. I appealed my tab being rejected and his accepted and I just got [this email.](https://i.imgur.com/3vEZh9h.png) Can I take him to court?

**UK**

Answer:
 Do you make money off your guitar tab of another persons song?

What damages do you think you are suffering?


Title: Can a post office refuse to hold mail?

Question:
ok so my friend recently got her learners permit, however the dmv refused to mail the hard copy to our current address (shes staying with me over the summer). the problem is her current address is to the college go to and the schools post office (which is an actual post office) apparently refuses to do anything for you if you arent currently in classes during the term (in this case that would be summer classes). is that legal? my thought is if it is in fact illegal to do so, my friend could go to the manager and use that as leverage. it just seems so stupid that they codnt hold a letter for a student who is already registered to come back in the fall, or maybe mail the letter in another letter to our address.

i apologize if this is not *exactly* withing the realm of this sub, i just didnt know where else to post this.

so the dmv, our college, and her temporary residency (my house) are in Virginia. we're also both over 18. please let me know if any more information would be useful.

Answer: The problem is that your friend is not living at the college address right now. The USPS will not forward certain official government documents, both to confirm that the person who should be receiving it **is**, and that this person actually lives at that address.


Title: [NYC] a leak in my upstairs neighbor's bathroom flooded my room and broke my computer. can i somehow get money from them? i do not have renter's insurance :(

Question:
i just moved in the beginning of this month.

long story short, i come home to my room covered in water and my computer sitting in small puddle on my bed.  i call the landlord and plumber and finally 3 days later they get into the apartment above me and find there is a huge gap in the between the tub and the wall.

the plumber figures the tenant left the water on to let it get hot and it must have been aimed directly at the gap.

my roommates had called the landlord a month ago in reference to a similar leak in the bathroom coming from the ceiling, i share a wall with the bathroom so it was probably caused by the same thing.  so this may be neglect.

my computer cost me a lot of money and i need it for work.

thank you for any help.

Answer:
 You can sue them if you can show they caused the damage, or you could maybe sue the landlord if you can prove there was a plumbing issue that should have been fixed.

/facepalm on not having renters insurance.


Title: Is this legal? What are the repercussions I could face for doing this?

Question:
I've created a bot that plays an android app that pays you to play. It's one of the many scratch lottery games. I don't want to name it. So far I've won over $100 and haven't been banned. The tos says that bots are not allowed. So I assume I'll get banned soon. I live in the us.

So is what I'm doing legal but against their rules? Or is it possibly illegal?

Secondly, I'd like to start selling my program online to others so they can do it too. Would that be legal?

Answer: I'm going to guess you are violating their EULA. Which means that you'd then be encouraging others to violate their EULA.


Title: Am I able to legally put a recorder in my 5 y/o's pocket at school?

Question: We are in Wisconsin. He has been having issues with bullies all year so far. I didnt have any proof until he had 3 nasty scratches on the back of his head. The day after that I came to pick him up from school early (a few weeks ago) and saw through the locked(!!) door that a substitute teacher was watching his bully hit and shove him. There are cameras in the classrooms and they caught it. But the sub was not fired. All they said is that they have some new safety rules in place. I do not trust them but I have to go back to work...I have already lost my 2nd job since I had to call in for 3 weeks straight. The only thing I can think to do is give my son a recorder and see what happens in the classroom...

Answer: Your state matters here. However do not do this. One party consent states need you to be part of the conversation to be legally recorded,  two party needs everyone involved to be aware of the recording, unless you are in public.


Title: Pizza restaurant is not delivering advertised services.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 You want to sue a pizza place because they won't deliver??  You have been "forced to pay the other pizza place"?!?  My god.  I hope this is a troll post, because if not it exemplifies every stereotype about overly entitled sue-happy Americans.

You don't need legal advice; you need life advice.  Seriously.  99.9999% of people would just move on and order pizza somewhere else.  If you really feel that this pizza place has caused legal repercussions to you by not delivering, then your sense of what is owed to you is completely outside the norm.


Title: Large bank chain let my girlfriends account get 100% withdrawn 2,000 miles away from where we live

Question:
Long time lurker, first time poster. I would really appreciate the help of this great community. This is in Arizona.

My girlfriend and I both make fairly decent money for our age. She has been with her bank (large multistate chain bank) for years, and has quite a good relationship with them. Good credit, large account balance, never even been a day late on a payment. This morning, someone withdrew the entirety of her account, down to the last dollar.  It shows up as a pending charge for protein powder In the state of Florida. As for who wants thousands of dollars worth of protein using someone's money who's 2,000 miles away, i do not know.

The bank says that they can't do a thing at the moment because the charge is "pending" but once it goes through they can act on it. But due to the charge being pending, she can not access her funds until the charge goes through.

I was wondering what steps we should take to ensure the return of her money, and how to deal with this situation since she effectively can't access any money for god knows how long. Thank you very much in advance, I apologize of formatting is an issue, as I am on mobile.

Answer:
 >The bank says that they can't do a thing at the moment because the charge is "pending" but once it goes through they can act on it.

This is true.  They cannot do anything until it goes from pending to posted.

>I was wondering what steps we should take to ensure the return of her money, and how to deal with this situation since she effectively can't access any money for god knows how long.

Have you talked to the fraud department at the bank?  Although they might not be able to do anything until it is posted, they should be aware.

What did they say you should do?


Title: Traffic stop rights - Being forced to sit in the car

Question: Is it legal for a policeman during a normal stop to make the person sit in their car rather than stand beside it? We were in a mostly empty parking lot out of traffic, no danger and the policeman threated to arrest me for obstructingif I did not get in my car. I asked him how I was obstructing justice standing beside my car while he walked 50ft back to his cruiser. I realize it was a good idea to listen, but I'm really interested in his legal authority to threaten me with obstruction. It seems to me he was more concerned with compliance rather than any real authority to tell me to do that in that scenario. This is in NC, by the way.

Answer:
 >  I asked him how I was obstructing justice

Because you were ignoring a lawful order.  During a traffic stop, he has absolute authority to handle the situation.  You do not.


Title: Wife and I are legally married, getting divorced soon. Landlord gives ME and only me a 3 day eviction notice for being gone at a friends house for 5 days.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Evictions don't work that way.

Abandonment applies when the whole house is vacated and no one is living there.
If your landlord actually wants to evict, he's going to have to show cause... like the rent not getting paid, or some sort of breach of the lease.  he cannot evict you separately from your wife if you're both on the lease.  You both have an equal right to stay.

Also, with abandonment, you have the right to notify the landlord withing the time period that you are in fact still living there and have not abandoned the property.

I'd go to his office with a written notice explaining that you still live there.

Also, proper eviction are done through the court.  Only the police can bar you from living there after a proper eviction hearing.  If he tries to evict... show up at court and challenge the eviction.

You do need to notify him that you are still living there.  I'd do it in person, in writing and with a witness.


Title: My (25f) sister (16yo) wants to come live with me, but mom (45yo) doesn't want to lose child support [Arizona to Colorado]

Question:
My teenage sister and my mother don't get along. My mom gets along fine with the other people in the house, and so does my sister, but the two of them are awful to each other. It's to the point where I'm seriously scared they might hurt each other physically or psychologically. I told my sister that she can always stay with me if she needs to, but she wants to straight up move in with me next year. Finances aren't a problem. My husband and I could afford to have her for a couple years. But our mom doesn't work, and my family lives off of disability and child support. Losing my sister's child support would be detrimental to their finances. On top of that, my mom says that SHE would have to pay ME child support if my sister lives with me. My disabled brother and 10yo sister are cared for by my mom, so I don't want to fight for child custody of my sister and risk her losing the other two. So, is there any way around this? Can I have, like, co-guardianship over her or something? Or have her live with me during the school year and send her back for breaks? Is there any legal win-win outcome that I'm not seeing?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > teenage sister and my mother don't get along.

That's down-right normal.

You need mom's permission. However, if you talk to her, maybe she'll let your sister come over for the weekends or something? Give them space for a bit.


Title: I f'd up (yes I'm a scumbag)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 TL;DR: I slandered a woman by claiming I'd shagged her when I hadn't, and she's going on about calling the cops or suing me or something.

The cops won't care and she's probably not suing you.


Title: [New York]Fiance left me and walked out on my kids, and is now trying to call the shots. Need custody advice.

Question:
2 weeks ago my fiance walked out on me on left my kids too. She is staying at different friends houses and doesn't even have a license ajd git demoted at her job. But she does have full support from her friends. Now i have another post in /r/depression that explains some of what happened. I never hit her, abused her or anything. So her leaving was a complete shock. I even took a cut in hours so she could work more at her job, and started being a stay at home dad more. I do have a job but regarding the circumstances I now can only do 3 days a week one week and 4 days a week the next.

I have been trying to be rational and fair through this. And we both agreed to take the kids 3 days one week and 4 the next. With christmas around the corner shes now trying to say that she wants to take the kids to her friends dads house for christmas instead of them being here with their family. It would be their grandmother, uncle, aunt and me here. And to try to keep it civil and so she could be with her kids, I invited her to be here too.  And at her friends dads it would only be her and people my kids don't know.

She is now trying to say that I am being unfair and trying to keep the kids from her when I even invited her after she walked out. Regarding our agreement, my days would fall on both christmas eve and christmas day. My family does christmas on christmas eve and so does her friends family and i told her they are staying here for christmas eve. But to keep it fair she could have them for christmas day. And she absolutely refuses saying that she wants to take them for christmas eve too. I dont know how she feels she can call the shots when she walked out of her Home and walked out on the kids and I.

My question is, seeing as how New York is a mothers first rights state. What would be most likely to happen if i went for custody first? I would also like to know what would happen if she went first?

Anything else you would need to know just ask. My brain is an absolute mess through all this and shes made this so difficult that I know I left stuff out.

Answer:
 Assuming you've established paternity over the children, then in the absence of a court order each parent has 100% legal authority and custody at all times, same as the other parent. Meaning as long as they aren't trespassing or assaulting the child or other parent (i.e., ripping the child out of the others arms), then they each have equal power in deciding where the child goes. So she could agree to let the child stay with you, then when you drop him off for school, immediately pick him up and move them across the state. Unless there is a custody order in place, neither of you can force the other to do anything. Which is why a court order actually tends to DECREASE problems. Yes, the structure is more rigid, and it will probably trigger child support payments; which might otherwise be avoided. But it sets the rules so that each parent knows what is acceptable, and what is not. It allows the order to be the bad guy, so the two of you can actually coparent effectively. A good order will iron out all the details, especially common problems like holidays. Maybe you do Christmas Eve this year, and she gets next year. Puting in the effort early on saves a ton of headaches in the future. What are you going to do if she wants to move out of state? Or to split medical expenses?

There are many, many reasons to have a family law attorney draw up an agreement. There are very few good reasons not to.


Title: How can I get my Girlfriend away from her abusive parents. Indiana + Pennsylvania

Question:
  Hello, I have a very serious (for me and her) problem, I am 17, and will be 18 very soon, and my girlfriend of 2 years will turn 16 a week after I turn 18, her parents are very abusive to her, every time we video chat she shows me a new bruise or cut, or other mark, all if them caused by her parents. She always said she can muscle through it, but what happened today has made me so angry that if she wasn't two states away I would have killed her father. He took an entire 12oz bottle of dish soap, and forced it down her mouth, forcing her to drink it because she asked him to stop smacking her. She called me right after it happened and I told her to go vomit, iv heard about people being hospitalized after that kind of thing.

 She lives In Pennsylvania, me, in Indiana. I need help! I discussed this with my parents, they said they would adopt her if thy get the chance, however I need to know if I can get her to testify if she could request to be emancipated, so we could go and get married, so she would be away from those abusive bastards.

Please, I'm begging for advice, how can I make our dream happen.. How can I save her life, because at this point, she and I are both afraid they are going I kill her..
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Call CPS.


Title: Are strikers allowed to detain customers?

Question:
Currently Stop and Stop workers are striking in MA and RI. My mother in law shops regularly at stop and shop. For her most recent visit, she was detained by workers that were striking and told she was unable to enter the store.

Union arguments and crossing a picket line removed here. What is the legality of this? Can a worker that is striking, stop someone from crossing the picket line?
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer: No, that's most likely an NLRA violation.


Title: Indecent Exposure at gym

Question:
At this gym which is located in Lawrence, Kansas, I have a friend, Male 16, who indecently exposed himself to an older female. What exactly could be the punishment?
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Were there any kids around at the time? That's a biiiiiig deal with regard to this charge in KS.


Title: Sis in Law took over 6k

Question:
Hope that this is the right place to post. I live in Houston, TX and I'm seeking serious seeking advice. I have a grandmother who has Alzheimer's (undiagnosed but almost positive it is), and a few years ago before she got worse, she set up a bank account with my sister in law on it (who also has a past of doing shady stuff). My sister in law had her name on it because she help set up the account with my grandmother. Fast forward to now, my sister in law has taken over 6k from my grandmother without her knowing due to her illness, and has spent it on cars and expensive trips, amongst other thingws. Is there anything legally we can do since her name was on the account? It infuriates me when people steal from elderly or sick people.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 This is definitely a lawyer up situation.

Each state has laws regarding banking that are in addition to Federal banking statutes.

Since her name is on the account jointly she may have the right to withdraw funds without notification.  I hear of this with married or dating couples with joint accounts.  It all depends on state law regarding the relationship between the parties, if it was business or personal accounts, etc.

Consultations are usually free to lay out basic facts and get lawyer opinion before retainer.  A reasonable lawyer will not take a case he/she cannot win.

The fact your grandmother has a cognitive illness may help if a state or Federal statute exists dealing with that.  Again a lawyer is best friend IMHO.

Edit: Clarification.


Title: Can my employer force me to work on Saturday's if I have religious obligations?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Unfortunately Saudi Arabia doesn't have much protection for Jews. I'm sorry.Answer #2: >I work at a church on Saturday's, and can't just stop going.

Can you clarify this? Is this a side job you have? Volunteer gig? Are you attending a prayer/service/mass?

>Can they ask me about my religion and to be more specific?

Yes. Actually, what church is this?

> Is that legal?

Yes.

Answer #3: Does your religion forbid you to work on Saturday?  Where are you located?


Title: [Pennsylvania] Law(s) regarding "right-to-work" and "forced" union membership.

Question:
Hi all!

I was hired to work for a union-based employer who told me that I had absolutely no choice but to join the union upon hiring if I wanted to get a job with them. I had been searching for a few months so I was willing to take almost anything as far as work was considered, so I signed the paperwork and was hired.

Now that some time has passed and I've advanced pretty far up the ladder (I'm now a manager as needed), I've been really curious about whether they broke the law by telling me that I absolutely had to join the union, considering the fact that I've also been told that Pennsylvania is a right-to-work state.

Interestingly enough, as a manager, I know that others who have been there longer than I have didn't join the union when they were hired.

Can anyone offer me some guidance or advice on this?
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 PA is **NOT** right-to-work. There is an attempt to make it-right-to work but it's not law. You can be forced to join the union as a condition of employment.

As an aside, *finally* an actual question about right-to-work.


Title: [CA] Neighbor double parks six cars taking up all the street parking...

Question:
Hello,

I know this may be silly, but hear me out...

I live in Los Angeles and parking here is rather difficult. Street parking is the only option in my neighborhood. My neighbor from across the street has six cars that she double parks on the street. Her row of cars spans upwards of six houses horizontally. The reason she does this is that she uses her driveway and front yard to sell junk 365 days out of the year. By junk, I mean used clothes, furniture, etc.

What are my options?

Answer: Call code enforcement about the store in the front yard, contact parking enforcement about the parking.


Title: Marrying someone who is already married in another country

Question:
This is for the United States. We're in Massachusetts but willing to travel.

What are the road blocks? What are the best states to do it in? The other country is in the former Soviet Union and there are two kids involved (both here). We really don't want to have to deal with the husband again, so I'm just wondering how difficult this avenue would be.

Answer:
 It would be considered bigamy, and illegal in all 50 states. They need to get a divorce from their current spouse first. Every state asks if you were ever or are you currently married on the liscence form. If you answer that you were previously married, you'll be required to show a divorce decree. If you lie on the form, that is a form of perjury; with all the associated consequences. In addition, if found out it could invalidate your marriage.

It does not matter that the first marriage took place in anther country; the divorce can still be done here. But it needs to be done.


Title: Divorced Parents and Bankruptcy Chapter 7

Question:
Hi you all this is the first time that I am posting here and I am trying to help out my mom because she is not very fluent in English.

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My dad is apparently filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy (which we found out after he already filed for it), shortly after my mom got a call from an appraiser saying that they are calling on behalf of the trustee and wanted to schedule a time to come and appraise the house.  This call surprised us because my parents have been divorced since 2004, the appraiser said that my dad's name was on the title of the house until 2015 so it could be a possible asset of his. I told them not to come at this time but now we are worried that we will lose the house. The house is now fully paid off and the title belongs solely to my mom. I went back to look at their divorce papers and it looks like there was a section for community property (we live in CA) in the divorce papers, but once again my dad's name wasn't removed from the title until 2015.

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I guess my question is 3 parts. The first is that could the trustee have legal claim to take the house by saying it is one of my dad's assets? The second question is should we allow the appraiser to come in or wait until they get a warrant? The last question is should be looking for a bankruptcy lawyer even though my mom is not the one filing?

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I'm new to all of this and it came as a surprise to my mom and I just want to make sense of all of this. Thank you so much and if I am missing anything please let me know!

Answer: I think the trustee is investigating the circumstances of how your fathers name came to not be on the house any longer.  Under the bankruptcy code the trustee can “look back“ for up to two years to try to take back assets, and can use an even longer period of time depending on what the statute of limitations for fraudulent transfers is in your state. For example, if the house is worth $500,000, and your father conveyed his interest in the house to your mother for no consideration two years ago, the trustee can try to take back your fathers interest in the house and use it to satisfy the debts he is trying to discharge.  Your mom needs her own lawyer to look at this situation and advise her accordingly.


Title: [TX] Talked with someone on tinder whos age was 18. We sexted then scheduled to meet for sex. They then told me they are 16. I took screen caps and deleted. Could I face charges?

Question:
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 it's likely a scam. Their dad/police officer/you name it will be "contacting" you because they want you to pay for their daughters phone/therapy/etc.

Block, delete and move on


Title: Fell asleep in uber and attacked by police

Question:
So this happened a while back and I wasn't aware this subreddit existed till now. I guess it might be too late to to do anything but I just want to know more about my legal rights. I was drunk one night after clubbing and was in an uber ride home when I fell asleep(over 21 so no underage drinking). Apparently the uber driver drove me back to my house but couldn't wake me up because I was dead asleep, so he called the police. I have no clue what happened but apparently(from my phone conversation with uber after I reported the incident), the police arrived to wake me up and I was aggressive with the police(?) and I got pinned down, handcuffed and sent in an ambulance to ER. I sustained a pretty serious fracture due to whatever that transpired between me and police. I don't remember anything until I was getting cuffed and put into the ambulance. I vaguely remember being pinned on the ground but nothing much and I have no clue what I could've done to piss off the police to warrant any of this. All of this happened right outside my house so there was no need for ambulance or anything, but now I'm getting a heavy ass ambulance bill and ER bill.

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I'd like to know if I was in the wrong or if there's anything legally I can pursue. I honestly don't know what laws I violated since I'm not underage drinking nor did I intentionally cause any trouble, since police came to me to wake me up and I didn't attempt to cause any trouble first hand since I was just asleep. I didn't do anything at the time because all the stuff we hear about on the news about police getting away with all sorts of brutality means I probably won't achieve much even if I report, but now I'd like to know if there's anything legally I could've done, and if anyone legally knowledgable can explain to me what laws I broke. I also didn't pursue anything since I was intoxicated so I don't know what the laws are regarding action under intoxication, nor can I prove anything since I don't remember what I did. Anyways, any feedback is appreciated.

Answer:
 > I'd like to know if I was in the wrong

No one knows, including you. You admit you have no memory of the events, but the police clearly thought you were a threat of some sort.

> nor did I intentionally cause any trouble

You can't say that for sure, since you have no memory of what happened.

Answer #2: I've seen people with no history of aggression be violent when blackout drunk. My advice to you is to seek help. If you drank so much you passed out and couldn't be woken up and once woken up you have no memory of the event, you might have a drinking problem. Binge drinking is dangerous and severely ignored. Answer #3:  Your best bet is to petition the police department for a copy of the body cam footage, if any exists, and if the department's policy lets you obtain the video. Fair warning, it might show that you were completely in the wrong.


Title: Roommate is a toxic little shit. His name is on the lease. Mine is not. What happens if I move out after the 1st of month (rent-wise)?

Question: A coworker of mine rented me out his spare bedroom. I’ve found a new place to live, but it may not be available until just after the 1st. I never signed anything like a lease. This guy is impossible to communicate with being the toxic little shit he is. My question here is l: Say I moved out on the 2nd/3rd and didn’t pay him rent for that month. Could he legally do anything about it? He’s the type of person that argues every parking ticket and nothing is ever his fault, so I’m assuming he will try something.

Answer: Technically you are his month-to-month tenant, so of you leave without giving 30 days notice he could sue you for one month's rent.


Title: [New York State] Own a house, tenant occupied, trying to sell... she keeps declining showings and when she does allow them, the house is filthy.

Question:
So the tenant keeps declining showings saying she can't accommodate the requested time (which is usually a weekend time or evening hours) and when she does approve one, she leaves the house filthy and messy.

Then she complains to the property manager that me trying to sell the house is obstructing her ability to live her life in peace and quiet.

We give her the required 24 hour notice of a showing and she still declines them.

The last showing she approved, my realtor went with and she said the house was filthy and very messy and smelled of dog pee in multiple rooms. My PM already knows we will be keeping the deposit to replace carpets.

In the meantime, she declines the showings and then the interested party just moves on when she can't give an alternative time that works for them so I'm likely missing out on potential offers.

Is there any way to force her out without getting sued in the tenant friendly state of New York?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: Is the tenant currently on a lease?


Title: [PA] If you buy a home, not knowing that the previous owner joined an HoA and you never signed any paperwork with the HoA, do you still have to join, pay dues and follow their rules?

Answer:
 HOAs are generally empowered by covenants that run with the land. Those documents are on record with the rest of the land title information, generally in the county recorder's office, and should have been included in the title search as well as in the seller's disclosures.

Those covenants cannot be avoided, other than by not owning the land.

If you had title insurance, they may take a claim if you were not made aware of an HOA obligation that turns out to be enforceable, depending on the exact circumstances and on the terms of your title insurance policy. If you didn't get title insurance, and if such a material cloud on the title was not disclosed, and you were - for some good reason - not able to discover it yourself, then you and a real estate attorney may be able to recover some of the costs from the seller. In either case, if the HOA actually exists and is properly formed, the property will be subject to it, and you'll still have to pay the dues and abide by the bylaws and covenants.

If the HOA is _not_ empowered by a deeded covenant, then you likely aren't obligated to take on the contract. That would be very unusual, and you should seek independent advice before you do anything further.


Title: [Virginia] Dad struck on a Motorcycle at Red light, What are the driver charges?

Question:
My dad was at a red-light stopped to turn left, and what the police told me is that a lady rear ended him from behind going 35 miles per hour, running him over. He had to be airlifted to the hospital and has been there for a few days. He is going to live so manslaughter isn't a factor. But I asked the police what the charge would be and they said they couldn't tell me yet. Does anyone have an idea of what the driver will be charged with.. if she is even charged at all? Thanks.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: I've seen many cases like this where the only charges were traffic citations like failure to stop, speeding, etc. The police usually don't see it as their job to get justice for the victim here. That's up to the civil courts and insurance companies in a lawsuit.


Title: Boyfriend was in car accident a year ago, didn't have car insurance but wasn't at fault.

Question: Last year my boyfriend was in a car accident that totaled his car. The other driver ran a stop sign. The police were called and a report was filed. My guy didn't have insurance and he was still making payments for the car. We filed a claim with the insurance company (Legacy) the other driver provided but the car is his parents' and we don't believe he was on his parents' insurance. Legacy said they would contact us but they never did. Other things came up, we had to pay off another debt and I am expecting. We have been making payments for the car still and still owe quite a bit on it. I was wondering if there is anything we can do. We live in Colorado btw.

Answer:
 You never heard back from the other insurance company?  And you just let it sit for a year?

Re-contact the company and see where your claim sits.  If they don't pay out the claim, you'd need to sue the other driver.


Title: My spouse asked me to fake an invoice so he can get money out from his business loan -- How bad is this?

Question:
would you do this for your spouse? I am in Texas

My husband just started a new business.  He got a loan from a big bank. But each expense must be approved — they don’t give him a large lump sum.

He is very aggressive with taxes/accounting. Has always teetered the line imo.

Anytime I question him — he gets extremely angry at me.  I usually avoid the fights. T

Well, his business is not doing great and he wanted to get an additional 15k out of the loan before the deadline.  Essentially, he needed to claim all the money.

I have a business where I do graphic design. He told me to write up an invoice and submit — so the bank would pay me the fee for my services and then I would hand over the money to him.

I told him I felt this was dangerous and illegal.  He said so you want me to PAY YOU for your services?  You are my wife — you are insane/  I would never ‘charge’ you if I did anything for you — and now you want my money?

I said no, not really.  I just feel that either you avoid it all together or you let me do the job and just pay for whatever I would have to pay my outsourced work.

He asked how I could possibly even be his wife.  I’m not a teammate— according to him and that I appear to be out for myself.  He SWEARS that he can do this by just stating that he elected to cancel my services and that’s why he got the money back directly.

I found out he also did this with a bunch of computers.  He bought 20k worth of computers — and then went and returned all of them when he got paid for this ‘expense’ with the receipt submitted to the bank.

**tl/drHow would you respond to your spouse if he asked you to fake a purchase order so he can get the cash out of his business loan — and you found out he has returned items that the bank approved — so he can go back and get the cash instead. I was in relationships community and they suggested I ask here to see what kind of trouble -- if any -- this could cause**

Answer: Fraud is still illegal.Answer #2: I can't shake the feeling that the answer has not changed since the last time you posted this question.


Title: [TX]Neighborhood kids are constantly getting in my backyard to use my pool. Can I enforce the castle doctrine on them?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer:
 No you cannot threaten to shoot kids. That won't go well. You know they have no intent to harm you.

Call the police every time. Answer #2: No, you cannot shoot kids just because you're too cheap to properly fence off an attractive nuisance.

Jesus H. Kickboxing Christ.Answer #3: >I'm allowed to shoot them?

I know that you seem to enjoy your pool, well forget about that pool if you even attempt to do this, that house (including the pool) will likely need to be sold to cover your lawyer fees, and if a jury thinks that you shouldn't have shot those kids then you won't enjoy seeing your wife everyday for a pretty long time.

Because you:

1: didn't reasonably believe that deadly force was immediately necessary.

2: you might be provoking the person against whom you intend to use deadly force.


Title: [KS] Company shorted me 10+ hours on my paycheck

Question:
I recently worked for a newly-opened restaurant in my town. Our first check was to include all the hours we work during training, and by my count we worked 35 hours yet was only paid for 23 of them. I have proof that I was present and on the premises.

I haven't cashed the check and haven't made contact with management yet (it's the weekend) but I'd like to be prepared when I confront them.

What are my options?

UPDATE: Thank you all for your suggestions, they're greatly appreciated. I called today and spoke to the general manager and he agreed there probably was a mistake. He said that whatever hours were missing were going to be put into the check on the next pay period.

Answer:
 > What are my options?

Your first option is to ask them about it.  Believe it or not, mistakes happen.  Especially during the first few hectic opening weeks of a new restaurant.Answer #2: First, ask them about it


Title: [Berwyn, Illinois] Constant phone calls at 4am from someone in Texas and California, calls of obscene nature, various numbers, how to stop?

Question:
I keep getting phone calls at 4-5am in the morning, often from a guy with a Texan accent asking about things like "Are you a Trump supporter",  "what's the color of your underwear", "would you suck the dick of Arnold Schwarzenegger?", "would you fuck a random guy in a Pizza Hut" and other obscene questions.

My husband wants to block these calls, but they keep coming from different numbers and it's affecting my sleep.

I've also had a call from some guy in California ringing me at 3:30am in the morning asking about whether I'm dieting and my bra size and whether I need to lose weight.

This is causing me stress and has gone on for two weeks now.

Do we need to get an attorney to stop these people? Is this a scam?

We've never heard from either of these people before now, and certainly never given our number out to them.

Legally... what are our options?

Answer: You can file a police report, but the simplest answer is to change the settings on your smartphone to only ring at night for people you want to hear from.


Title: Can a police officer legally order you to exit your vehicle upon learning you have a CCW and a firearm in the car, even if the initial reason for the stop was a broken light?

Answer:
 Sure.  It doesn't give them the authority to search the car or anything, but they can have you step out of it as a safety measure.Answer #2: A police officer can lawfully order you out of (or into) your car for any or no reason if you are lawfully detained as part of a traffic stop.Answer #3: I’m a police officer. I can have you step of the car during a traffic stop for any reason. I have done this on the side of the road many times for safety reasons.

Technically, learning that you have a CCW and have a firearm in the vehicle would be irrelevant in the matter of asking you to step out of your car during a traffic stop.

Additionally You can be patted down for weapons only. A search of evidence for criminal cause is not permitted. In other words, if I pat you down, I can’t pull out a bag of coke from your pocket and arrest you for possession. A lawyer would have a field day with that one.

Answer #4: Cop here.

Yes we can, but it’s an asshole rookie move in my opinion. If you have a CCW permit, you are one of the good guys. You have been through the same background check as I have and I have no reason to think you are a threat to me.

Also, is a person more dangerous while sitting down facing away from me, or outside the car? It’s just plain stupid.

Final thought. Never volunteer that you have a weapon unless asked. I advise my friends to answer the weapon question with “there is nothing illegal in the car officer” only let him/her know you have a CCW is if directly asked or if you are ordered from the vehicle


Title: Mailing legal prescription from US to Canada

Question:
Hi all! I don’t know if this is the right place for this, but here goes...

I had a friend visiting from Canada and he left his legal prescription bottle of Adderall at my place. I’d like to mail it back to him, but every time I mail something to Canada, I have to fill out a customs form and state what’s in the box.

Is it legal for me to do this? I’d hate to pay for international shipping just to have it confiscated by customs.

Thanks!

Answer:
 You do not want to do that. Your friend either has to come back and get them or try and get a new prescription from his doctor.

Trying to send controlled drugs across international borders **will not** end well for you.


Title: My friend (18) is getting kicked out of there house by there parents. Her parents are threatening to call the police on her if she gets her stuff without them being home. The house is her legal address. Can she get in trouble for getting her things without them being there?

Question:
Sorry if the flair is wrong

Also I'm on mobile so sorry for the bad formatting.

As the title says my friend is getting kicked out of there house by there parents. Her parents don't want her to get her belongings without them being there and are threatening to call the police and have her arrested for breaking and entering/burglary. The house is her legal address. Can she get in trouble for getting her stuff. If so what can she do to get her stuff safely.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: She can call the police and ask for a civil standby while she gets her belongings out of the home.


Title: Recently Fired (unjustly, in my opinion): What are the Merits of Fighting for a Better Severance Package and/or taking Legal Action?

Question:
So my GF was recently let go from her job. In her shocked state, she was extremely polite and professional during the exit call with HR (rather than outraged). She has yet to do the severance paperwork. They offered 3 weeks pay, after being there for about 2 years and a month.

We strongly feel everything about her release was super shady and unjust. Her boss put her on a performance improvement plan 3 months ago, seemingly out of nowhere and apparently because he was power-tripping. (He appears to pick one person to rag on for 6 months until he ultimately fires that employee. My GF is the 3rd victim in the past year and a half. The only person this boss answers to is in another office on the other side of the country, so he virtually has free reign.  In "he said, she said" situations, his supervisors listen to him.  The only thing he seems remotely good at is playing the social politics of the work place.) Anyway, at the time, she refused to sign any document formally acknowledging she had done the things he was accusing her of doing (basic things like not meeting deadlines, etc.) She fought back at the time, asking for any examples where she had missed a deadline, to which he could not provide a single one. You get the gist.  In the end, she signed some other draft of things she can "work on", which was much more akin to a future goals document than anything, but we're sure they were trying to pass it off as a performance improvement plan of sorts.

Additionally, she has every record of unprofessional and unfair emails and conversations he has had with her and other employees for the past 2 years. She even has audio recordings of some of her meetings with him, including the one where she was let go.

Our main question: is it worth being aggressive with HR before signing papers? She tried to reach out to HR a couple months ago after some of this started getting serious, but they never responded. She has the emails she sent. They completely ignored her. Can she put up a fight now, essentially explaining everything she has on the company and her boss and threaten legal action? Is this at all likely to scare the company into "settling" with her, in a manner of speaking, by giving her more now in order to avoid it going any further legally? Most importantly, is there any potential downside to doing this? Is there anything bad the company could possibly do to her as a result of her being aggressive now?

Thanks in advance all!

**Edit to include location:** New York, U.S.

Answer:
 > 3 weeks pay, after being there for about 2 years and a month

That's pretty decent, many places offer one week per full year.

>  In the end, she signed some other draft of things she can "work on", which was much more akin to a future goals document than anything,

The documentation that she is not performing up to standards that HR will look at. Unprofessional boss is at least professional enough to leave a trail to justify the firing to higher ups.

> she has every record of unprofessional and unfair emails and conversations

Being an unprofessional jerk to your employees is legal.

> Can she put up a fight now, essentially explaining everything she has on the company and her boss and threaten legal action

Unless she can show she was discriminated as part of a protected class and was fired for that reason, there really isn't an actionable cause based on what you wrote (unless labor laws in your state, wherever that is, have additional protections).


Title: Equifax will not remove duplicated records. How do I resolve this? (x-post from r/personalfinance)

Question:
After spending years doing the personal finance responsibility shuffle, I am ready to buy my first home. Unfortunately, an old public record is causing a 70 point penalty on my Equifax credit report.

I submitted disputes with Transunion and Experian. They accepted the updated court documents and immediately updated the entries. In 2014 (7 years after the lien), the entries dropped off and my score with them is phenomenal.

Equifax is not so kind. They refuse to change the release date and still report it as 2012 (which means it will not drop off of my credit report until 2019).

Even worse, the public record appears on their report in two separate entries. One using the court docket number, the other using the state lien file number. The lien amount (to the penny), the date filed, the state it was filed from, the 2012 release date - are all the same.

EDIT: Equifax called me yesterday and fixed the problem. The representative I spoke to was extremely helpful. She looked through all of the documentation with me and manually removed the entries. I removed some personal information from this post but would like to leave it for anyone who could use the replies.

Answer: When you said FRCA I assume you were going for Fair Credit Reporting Act? Yes, you should immediately talk to an attorney that specializes in Debt Collection.


Title: Adding large sums of money to my bank account/What are my rights ?

Question: I don't have much in my bank and about one and half week ago, one of my friends that I'm trading (cryptos) for went to the bank and transferred 5k to my bank account and i used it to buy bitcoins on coinbase once the money arrived. Now he gave me another 5k check to deposit into my account to use to buy more bitcoins. But i want to know my rights and i don't want them to freeze my account or hold any checks. What are my rights, how should i go about this. I'm in New Jersey.

Answer: You're involved in some type of scam I can practically guarantee it. There's a reason this "friend" wants to use YOUR bank account and not his and it's not because he wants to do your a favor. How do you know this person?


Title: Being Terminated for "THEFT"

Question: [deleted]

Answer: 10$ pizza slice? What kind of pizza is this?Answer #2: You could argue that you didn't reasonably believe the pizza was stolen property when you received it. That argument will probably fail because you know employees aren't allowed to give away corporate property. You could definitely be fired for that.Answer #3: You should file for unemployment if you are fired, and if you are denied, appeal it.Answer #4: Is the girl who gave you the slice being fired as well?Answer #5: was it on a plate or given in a container? if it was in a container you could argue you didn't know until you sat to eat it and at that point the policy is not to accept food after it crosses the line. offer to pay the pizza price, apologize, get reinstated, quit, and find a job somewhere else. That's ridiculous they aren't going after the other employee as THAT employee stole the slice. you unknowingly accepted stolen goods. so you should just forfeit the slice (can't now) or pay the price. (again though, in my mind it should be the other employees job)


Title: [Update] A Politician hasn't paid me for being his Field Director

Question: [removed]

Answer: [First Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3fws03/politician_hasnt_paid_me_for_being_his_field/)


Title: Just got billed ~$700 after meeting twice with a law firm about their business startup package; about 3 hrs total. No prior discussion of rates or that these sessions would be billed. I get that this is just "how the industry works," but $700 right now is a problem. Any options? Please advise.

Question:
The full (as condensed as I can) story:

A small software firm in **New Mexico** hired me for the Summer to help them launch a new product nationally. If things go well this Summer, they want me to sign on as a founding partner as soon as I'm willing (I want to see some sales first). It was also up to me to find a law firm to create our founders agreement. I met with a commonly recommended group where I lived, **Colorado**, who work with many startups. The first meeting they told me all about their startup package and how I should proceed. The second meeting we met so they could advise me on how to negotiate my equity share.

I'm not looking for free legal council, I realize they have to charge. And I want to pay. I guess I was under the impression that these sessions were part of the $5000 flat fee they said they charge for their Startup Package. And I'm not completely naive, I realize this is "just how it works" but there was no discussion or rates or when I would start being charged. I feel blindsided! I'm certainly not asking for them to not charge me but I had no idea I was spending this much money! In any other business this feels like it would be considered bait-and-switch or fraud. Is that crazy to think!?

So, do I have any option here or can they do this just cause that's the convention and "I should have known"? Can I say no? Can I say "wait one second, we didn't discuss rates or when billing would start, let's negotiate this." Can I say, "add it to my tab?" I do very much intend to go with them (or at least I did before this happened). Can I say, please include this with my startup package? In a few months, this shouldn't be a hangup.

I mean, I get that to a lot of you out there $700 is laughable but I wasn't authorized to drop $700 for a few hours! I'm probably going to have to pay this out of my own pocket right now. The startup firm I'm working for is the definition of bootstrapping. I realize some of the legal council was directly for me, personally - but again, no discussion of rates or when billing started? Who does that? And $700 for me right now is a huge pain in the ass. I just graduated from a masters program, am broke, and the startup is paying me peanuts.

AND! at the bottom of the bill it says "Payment is due upon receipt of invoice." WTF does that mean? The invoice is delivered and it's already late? Obviously not, but - I mean - How long do I have to pay you guys? A day? A month?

Obviously I get spun up talking about this. I feel very perturbed and am sure I'm reacting emotionally so I need someone to level me out, tell me what's going on, what my options are if anyone can - if there are any.

Whew.

Okay, thanks in advance.

I've cross posted this to /r/startups and will probably post it at /r/smallbusiness, maybe /r/entrepreneurship, etc so sorry if you see it multiple places. I'll of course be following them all.

Answer: I don't know what Colorado's ethics laws are, but I know that in my jurisdiction it is unethical to bill a client unless you have a fee agreement in writing specifying the charges.  Perhaps a Colorado attorney can chime in here and let us know if there is an analogous rule in CO.  Regardless of the ethics rules, I would say it is incredibly poor form for the law firm to not explain the charges before the meeting.


Title: My mother bought a stolen tablet. Original owners of the tablet think my mom should get in trouble for knowing the person who stole the tablet.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Here is another question that needs to be answered. If it is stolen property, was there a police report filed? If the folks who claim that it was stolen from them have filed a report with a description of the item (especially serial number) that is pretty definitive. If not, you have to ask why.Answer #2: here is a question OP needs answered: how can they make sure that they are returning the tablet to the owner? Like make sure it's not just someone colluding with the seller pulling a scam.


Title: Name changed without a marriage license or court order...

Question: My wife and I got married without a "marriage license" back in 2012. It is understood that in the State of Pennsylvania, after 2005, common law marriages are no longer recognized by the state. We gave evidence to have her name changed on her social security card and driver's license, through the Social Security Administration and the DMV, by providing our "commemorative marriage certificate," which they accepted and made the change. For 7 years, my wife has been operating under her married name substantiated on her Social Security card and Driver's license. The issue is, in 2020 there is a new mandate of the "Real ID" for traveling on commercial fights, entering federal buildings etc. and they stated that a "commemorative marriage certificate" will not be accepted for proof of substantiating a "legal" name change, which they require evidence of in order to successfully apply for and acquire this new identification. We would like to know what should be done now in order to remedy our dilemma retroactively as her name has already been changed and all of her legal instruments without a marriage license or court order.

Answer:
 Why don't you just get legally married?  It's a trip to the courthouse and some signatures, not like planning a whole wedding party for family.Answer #2: Might need to get some other documents to bridge the gap to the Real ID. The social security card is a good step though, can likely use it to get a passport in her new name, and then use the passport to get the Real ID driver’s license.

Meanwhile, if you want the advantages of marriage, get legally married with a marriage license and everything. For example, if you’re filing state and federal taxes as a married couple, the state and feds would likely consider that tax fraud. If you have a family health insurance plan that requires you to be married, they can bill you or even sue you for what it would have cost you to buy a second individual health insurance plan. Without healthcare proxy documents, if one of you needs to make medical decisions for the other, the hospital can refuse to let you and the parents or other legal next of kin might choose differently from you. If one of you dies, the other will not inherit, but the legal next of kin will.


Title: [CA] GF's aunt was killed by a drunk driver who never stopped. After getting caught, the driver has pleaded not guilty. Why?

Question: What are the benefits of this? There are eye witnesses and video. He flippin license plate fell off from the impact and led the authorities to her. She was also drunk, had previous suspension of license because of DUI. What gives? Trying to make sense of the not-guilty plea...

Answer:
 Because he probably has an attorney and pleading not guilty means he will probably get a reduced sentence. It's really never a good idea to plead guilty.Answer #2: You always initially plead not guilty.  A guilty plea comes later when the opposing attorneys work something out if possible. Answer #3: Pleading guilty even if caught red-handed in the act is common. The accused may try to get a lighter charge or sentence this way. Answer #4: Because "being caught" is not necessarily the same as "guilty". Perhaps her car was being driven by someone else.

Because "being caught" is not necessarily the same as "prosecutor can prove it". Perhaps the investigators made a procedural error and evidence has been tainted.

Because "being caught" is not necessarily the same as "slam dunk case". Perhaps her lawyer knows how to play the game well enough to get a better plea deal but needs her to plead not guilty first.

Bottom line, there are innumerable steps between committing a crime and sentencing.  You can't infer someone's thought processes from a single binary choice at one point in the proceedings.

Be supportive of your GF, and leave worrying about the case to the DA.


Title: Got an interview call with an 'American' name for the same position I was rejected for with my real 'ethnic' name

Question:
Hi,

&#x200B;

The title gives a good summary but I replied to a position with my real name. I'm an international student and the job description mentioned "visa sponsorship available". I thought I was qualified enough for the job but I soon received a rejection in my email. It was a cookie cutter rejection email that they send to everyone.

&#x200B;

This was a month back. Last week I saw that they still have the position open. So I made a new email ID with an Americanized name. Changed the name on my resume to that name and lo and behold, I got a reply saying they want to discuss the position with me. I replied to them telling them what had just happened.

&#x200B;

It's not just about this one company. I did this only to check for myself if my name was holding me back. Are there any laws that protect me or other international students from this happening in the future? Did this company violate any that they can be held accountable for? If so, how?

&#x200B;

Location: Texas, USA.

Job is in New York.

Answer:
 Or, having the job unfilled for that much longer, they had lowered the standards they were willing to accept at that point.

The time delay negated any real proof youd have to make the claim. Answer #2: This is a real and valid complaint that occurs sometimes implicitly or sometimes not. There are several studies that show the bias based on name , age, gender or race. How to best deal with this bias is very tricky. I personally believe in letting the market sort these things out if your value in the market is passed up by a bigot; only the better for tolerant well meaning companies. I don't understand the desire to join a team you're not welcome on. There are so many examples of teams, companies, and even countries collapsing throughout history due to their failure to adapt. Unfortunately there are too many stories of very talented individuals who aided the intolerant and ignorant knowing they are not welcome but wish to take the easy more traveled path.


Title: Passing a Stopped School Bus

Question:
My daughter received a citation for "Unlawful Passing of School Bus - First Offense" in Polk County, IA. This is a mandatory court appearance. She was issued the citation at home by a Sheriff's Deputy. The bus driver reported the incident. The bus was equipped with video cameras. We have not seen the video or had more than a glance at the still images that were part of the record the Deputy had with him. My daughter is adamant that the bus continued to roll toward her with the amber lights on and only deployed the stop arm as her car and the bus were alongside each other.
My questions are:
*Can we obtain the still and video images prior to the court date?
*If yes, from whom?
*Will any of that matter, or does traffic court come with such a presumption of guilt that she's better off to just take the expensive fine, suspension of driving privileges (at least potentially), and continued driving restrictions on her license and be glad it isn't worse?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: You can't pass a school bus that is flashing its warning lights, regardless of the stop arm's position.Answer #2: I don't know the law there but once they turn on the amber lights you're supposed to stop here. It sounds like she was unclear on the procedure for stopping re: school buses and got caught doing something wrong even if unintentional. She should probably go in and pay the ticket and find out if there's a way for it to drop off her record eventually. Answer #3: You probably want to get her a traffic ticket lawyer. Doing so can considerably lessen the fine. The rest of your questions depend on the court you are in.


Title: Tennessee - Roommate Wants Dog, I'm Allergic

Question:
My roommate wants a pet. Regarding pets, the lease says nothing. The landlord verbally told us there would be a pet deposit of $XXX, but nothing in writing or in the lease whatsoever.

The final two clauses say:

"Lessor reserves the right at any time and from time to time to prescribe such additional rules and make such changes to the rules and regulations set forth and referred to above, as Lessor shall, in its judgment, determine to be necessary from the safety, care, and cleanliness of the premises, for the preservation of good order or for the comfort or benefit or Resident's generally.

Any special items or terms or conditions which may be agreed upon by both the Lessor and Lessee may be set forth in writing upon this agreement. There are no other agreements, written or oral, not contained within this agreement."

I am really bad allergic to everything I've been tested for about 6-7 years ago, including dogs, severely. I don't break out into hives or anything, but my skin gets red from a dog's paws and my nose runs around dogs, harder to breathe through my nose, etc. Not deadly by any means, but not sure if it's relevant.

I was wondering if it would be legal for roommate to bring the dog in, and if there would be anything I could do to keep the dog from living here.

Thanks

Answer:
 Notify your roommate, in writing, that you will suffer great medical harm if a dog is brought in to the apartment. If they still choose to do so, knowing that it will cause you harm, you would have a very solid case.Answer #2: You can ask the roommate not to Answer #3: How much longer left on your lease?

Honestly, if your roommate is insistent, if your landlord doesn't care (other than the deposit), and if your lease doesn't mention anything specifically about both tenants needing to agree, then you are pretty much outta luck if your roommate brings home a dog.

Non-legal advice: if you are living with someone who doesn't care about your allergies and is willing to bring home a dog that will make you miserable, then you need to get out of the lease ASAP and move.


Title: Impersonator made a fake LinkedIn account of me that is 1st result on Google Search

Question:
The fake LinkedIn is the first thing that pops up when searching my name on Google. I assume it might've been created in the past month or two because it wasn't there before; I believe I am having trouble being hired because of it.

The profile uses my real name, and has the profile pic from my real LinkedIn, but it is distorted to make me look ugly. It lists the wrong majors (I am a college student) and displays a low SAT score.

I think it has caused me to be denied from a few jobs I have recently applied for online; not entirely sure, but it is the #1 thing that pops up when HR would google my name.

I reported it to LinkedIn, however I am unsure how soon it will be dealt with. There is no customer service number for the website, so I am a bit anxious that it won't get resolved or that it'll be ignored.

How would I go about this? Is there any better way to get the profile taken down, or at least modify my own profile to have it be #1 on results instead of the fake one?

Answer:
 >I think it has caused me to be denied from a few jobs I have recently applied for online; not entirely sure, but it is the #1 thing that pops up when HR would google my name.

So make them aware that this profile is fake in your cover letter or initial interview and provide them with your correct profile right on your resume.

LinkedIn should clean it up, but you cannot really rush them.Answer #2: It’s your roommates.


Title: What are the consequences for trying to talk to/learn about my sister against my father's wishes?

Question:
I'm a 25 year old guy living in Rhode Island. I have a 13 year old sister. About 3 years ago, in a very messy situation, I became estranged with my borderline abusive father after he became convinced I was not his child. I barely interacted with him as an adult, and that was mostly because he had custody of my sister, who I love to hell and back and who told me more than once she wished she could live with me instead of her parents.

My father told me he would make sure I lost all contact with her and that any attempt at contact, even sending a christmas card (if I were to find out their new address) would be met with legal consequences, and for the last three years I haven't had any contact and have made no moves to do so. I planned to keep to that, just hoping that at some point she would reach out to me, not knowing what else to do.

Recently, and perhaps this was unwise, but I was just desperate to find out something about how her life was going, so I asked someone I thought might know. I was forwarded a video of her performing, and my heart just melted. But that's all I wanted - I just wanted to know she was alright. I wasn't going to try to contact her.

But apparently my attempt got out - I've gotten a rather hostile message from my father saying the school had been put on high alert that I am attempting to violate her privacy and safety, that she has been warned that I have tried to contact her, that I will absolutely not be allowed to contact her, that even if she wants to contact me it will only be allowed if I submit to a paternity test first (and pass, since if I fail I was never her "real brother" and so she'd be better off not knowing me), and that she will not want to contact me anyway.

So that's the situation as it stands.

Did I do anything wrong, here, legally?
Is there a risk of crossing the legal line if I were ask about her in the future? Now that I know one of her social media accounts that she posts performances on, am I doing anything wrong by continuing to follow them so long as I don't talk to them?
Would there be legal consequences if I *did* decide I wanted to send cards or letters or unilaterally communicate in some way?
Is there anything I should definitely avoid doing, legally, if I want to try and restore this relationship as soon as possible?
Should I just remain no-contact, and if so for how long?

I'm at a loss here, any advice is appreciated.

Answer: Not a lawyer...but until he issues a restraining order against you, you're not doing anything illegal...if he's already mad you could push him to do so...unless she is legally emancipated, he is her legal guardian and can keep you from her until she is 18 years old. I think. Not a lawyer.


Title: Forced Entry attempt at apartment - deterrence legality

Question:
I live at an apartment complex Austin, Texas. There have been several instances in the past two years where people have attempted to make a forced entry in to my apartment. Without knocking on the door, they push on it very violenty and insert some kind of device in to the key slot. I suspect the device may be a bumpkey or some other illegal entry device.

On the three occasions on which this has happened, I watched these people fumble around, with my hand firmly on deadbolt. On the first occasion, I waited for the guy to give up and leave. On the second and third occasions, I punched my door very firmly. They trembled and quietly said something like "this maintenance and we want to blah blah blah" before quickly walking away. The attempted intruders were all physically small immigrants, male and female, who spoke English with a (probably Latin) accent.

I am almost certain these are attempted burglars, because I have never seen them working here, and because the official policy of maintenance is to knock on the door and announce their presence repeatedly, before entering the home.

I would like to know the legality of the following actions:

1.) Forcibly restraining persons who attempt to enter the home without knocking, and detaining them until police arrive.

2.) Shooting anyone with a black powder rifle (not considered a firearm by law -- I am a convicted felon who can't own firearms) when they attempt to enter the home without knocking or announcing their presence -- even if they are maintenance.

3.) Blitz-attacking intruders with a baseball bat, when they attempt to enter the home without knocking or announcing their presence -- even if they are maintenance.

4.) Tasering people who attempt to enter the home without knocking or announcing their presence -- even if they are maintenance.

5.) Placing a sign on the front door that "strongly encourages" staff to knock on the door and announce their presence to the residence of a "gun owner". Is this a first amendment right?

Thank you.

Answer:
 > 2.) Shooting anyone with a black powder rifle (not considered a firearm by law -- I am a convicted felon who can't own firearms) when they attempt to enter the home without knocking or announcing their presence -- even if they are maintenance.

Although not a "firearm" under federal law, you need to check your state's felon-in-possession law to see if the state includes black powder guns as "firearms." If they do, you're in violation of that law.

> 5.) Placing a sign on the front door that "strongly encourages" staff to knock on the door and announce their presence to the residence of a "gun owner". Is this a first amendment right?

You're basically confessing, in writing, to violating felon-in-possesion laws if you do this.

The other things are "maybe." You can defend yourself using *reasonable* force if someone enters your apartment without permission, but if they run away, you can't chase and detain them. Whether or not the force you listed in the above scenarios is reasonable really depends on the situation.


Title: If you lent $20,000 to a friend ....

Question:
If you lent $20,000 to a friend a year ago, and they won’t respond to phone calls or even text back...

Originally they promised to pay this back stat...

It’s been months and they haven’t paid back a penny... At what point is this stealing?

What should I do?

Thx

Answer:
 It is never stealing. You have it to them

You can sue.

If they have no money, you likely won't get anything


Title: How to publish our video games for free without having law issues?

Question:
Hello everyone, we have a very small team of game developers who enjoy to make games for fun, and we want to publish our games \(for free\).

**We do not want to trademark or copyright our work, but we also do not want that our games to be claimed by others, what can we do?**

Please note the followings:

1. We use our made resources \+ other bought / free resources for our games
2. We do not want to publish the games under our real names
3. We would want to build the games under our team name
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 If you don't want others to claim your work, you need to copyright it. Once copywritten, you can release it under something like a Creative Commons licence, which lets others spread it without having ownership.
Answer #2: >We use our made resources + **other bought / free resources** for our games

If you're using resources that you didn't create (especially purchased ones) you also need to consider any licensing restrictions on those resources. They might limit just how public domain you're allowed to make things.


Title: Can I still get an american citizenship?

Question: I am born in Canada to a American father and a Canadian mother. Around the time of my birth my father created a US passport for me, and my parents divorced shortly after my birth 1 to 3 years after (not exactly sure). I have a strained relationship with my father and I am not sure he could help me meet the requirements for applying for a passport. I was wondering if I could acquire evidence of US citizenship without help from my father? According to the US consulate in my city they require [these](https://ca.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/citizenship-claims/) criteria for applying. According to that I need him to present proof of US citizenship and evidence of residence in the US. I contacted him to help me but he has distanced himself from me, I realized I should have gotten this earlier I am 22 years old. Any help would be great thanks.

Answer: Ummm... not sure you want that right now