Title: First speeding ticket and drinking question?

Question:
So I was coming back from the bars with some of my friends, and I had one drink. I knew I was sober and then driving back I was pulled over for going 39 in a 30. I Really wasn't sure I was going that fast but he has radar and I was surpassing another car to merge onto the lane without slowing down. The officer was questioning me and asked where I was heading from blah blah blah, I told him I was at the bar picking up my friends because I thought he followed me all the way from there. I also told him I had one drink and he gave me a sobriety test and I passed. He gave me the citation and told me to go on my way. Everyone was saying I got super lucky I didn't get a dui and blah blah but I think I handled the situation well. Now, for the big question... If I fight this, can they use some video of me saying "I had one drink" and will it be used against me? I did pass the sobriety test he gave me and he just said to pay. Will this also go on my record? I didn't wanna escalate the situation, so I was being honest about everything.

Oh and I have never been pulled over for anything ever before this, he didn't even give me a warning. This is in Illinois as well.

Answer:
 Anything you tell the police can be used against you. I'm not sure you got lucky as much as you made the right decision to have just a drink and the officer didn't have probable cause to arrest you for DUI.

In the future, do not volunteer  verbal information to the police officer, but politely comply with any instructions given.

Just pay the ticket and move on.


Title: [CA] I’m a victim of false impersonation. My brother gave the police my information.

Question:
My younger brother (21) gave an officer my DOB and name when he was pulled over for driving without a license, insurance, and registration. At the time he had several warrants out for his arrest, two of which were non-violent felonies. 3 days later he was arrested and served almost a month in county jail. He’s now on probation and has a “strike” on his record. He’s also sober and we’re starting the process getting him to rehab for the first time. I’m starting my job hunt after graduating and would really like the charges from his false impersonation removed from my record. I’m set to appear in court for “my” charges soon, and have all the evidence to prove it was actually him. I know false impersonation is a wobbler in CA  and I don’t want my brother to be prosecuted with a felony and sent to prison when he’s really attempting to turn his life around. I would appreciate any advice on how to navigate this situation.

TLDR: younger brother provided my info to the cops. I want to clear my name without sending him to prison. He’s got one felony strike and is on probation. The probation and strike were issued AFTER the false impersonation.

Answer:
 You have two choices.

1.) Take the hit for his crimes.

2.) Tell the court what happened and he likely gets charged with the new crimes of identity theft, etc.Answer #2: Make your brother pay for his crimes.  The option is you have to eat the penalty.  You need to decide how much family relations means to you and how much love exists between the two of you.  Personally, I'd be very pissed off that my own brother got me entangled in this mess and tried to get me involved in his crimes.  There wouldn't be any hesitation on my part to clear the air and make him take his medicine.  He committed the crime, he deserves the time, not you.


Title: How to serve

Question:
Today my wife filed for custody of her daughter, we don’t expect the birth father to show up in court as he hasn’t even responded to a text message in almost two years so she is going to represent herself.

When we filed with the clerk of court they asked us to pick someone to serve the birth father with papers, we chose my wife’s brother. What we are worried about is that he is very likely to refuse to sign the papers he’s served with if his parents even admit that he’s home. What recourse does my brother in law have in this case if he either refuses to sign or does not answer the door?

Answer: Get a process server.   Process servers are usually reasonably priced and know what the hell they are doing.


Title: (CO) School is harassing my 13yo daughter about suspected drug use

Question:
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible.  Last Tuesday, an 8th grade girl brought pot brownies to my daughter's school.  A total of 7 girls ate them, and unfortunately, my daughter gave in to peer pressure and ate some.  My daughter came to me after school and told me what happened, and we had a talk about peer pressure, and being the one to stand up if you think everybody else was wrong, along with some grounding. Word got around, the girl who brought them was suspended, no school punishments were given to the girls who ate it.

Fast forward to yesterday.  My wife works at the school, in the 4\-6 grade buildings, so not directly in my daughters building.  A nurse stopped her and said, "Hey I just wanted to let you know you're daughter was fine, I just think she was upset there were so many adults in her face" . This is the first we have heard about ANYTHING to do with my daughter.  Yesterday morning, the assistant principal pulled my daughter into the office, told her she wasn't acting like herself, that her eyes were red, "are you allergic to anything", and that my daughter needed to see the nurse.  They called a nurse down from the 4\-6 building WHERE MY WIFE WORKS to examine my daughter.  She was told to follow a light with her eyes, and to walk a straight line.  At no point were we made aware that any of this was happening.

I spoke to the administrator this morning and basically told her that I felt they were harassing my daughter, and that they gave her a field sobriety test, all without our knowledge.  If the nurse hadn't stopped my wife yesterday, we would have had ZERO notification from the school that anything had happened.  More information has come to light today, the nurse has since had a bought of conscience and had come to my wife today and told her that she wasn't comfortable with anything that happened yesterday.  The administrators wouldn't leave the room as the nurse was examining my daughter, despite being asked to leave by the nurse.  The nurse said they were literally IN my daughters face, and gave an example to my wife, almost nose to nose, saying, "tell us whats going on".  The nurse is a very young woman, who is on a year to year contract and it was obvious when she was talking to my wife that she was struggling with herself, but she had to tell my wife the truth.  I'm concerned that if we ask to have a larger meeting, she wont be as forthcoming, due to her employment situation.

To my question, basically, is it legal what they did to my daughter?  She was basically held against her will in the office for 45 minutes, despite telling everybody and anybody who would ask that she was fine.  They examined my daughter, against her will, all without reporting it to us.  And my wife is literally a 3 minute walk away, hell, they called the nurse from HER building to come down, why wouldn't they say, "Grab her mom when you come".  Its obvious to me they were trying to hide it.

Answer: You're seriously asking if it's ok for school administrators to check whether or not a 13 year old girl that is on drugs is on drugs?


Title: (Minnesota) Employer says my commission means they don't have to pay me for some of my work tasks.

Question:
I am a massage therapist for a small company, and when I was hired I had to sign all of my orientation paperwork to be hired. One of those documents cited my pay structure, and it says I am only paid a commission for the time I am in session, all other tasks performed are unpaid, unless I am in session for less than 50% of my scheduled hours, at which point I am paid a lower hourly rate for the whole of my scheduled hours, whether or not I was in session. At the time I did not know about exempt or non-exempt pay structure, and so did not ask. A couple of months later, after a conversation at work suggested this structure we had was not legal, I looked up federal law regarding commission. It *seems* to say that, unless I am an exempt employee (I am not), I must be paid for all time I could be working, whether or not I am working. In other words, if I'm scheduled, I must be paid. I brought this to my supervisor, who at first agreed it was concerning, then after a conversation with corporate, brushed it off with platitudes like, "Do you want forced labor? Because that's what will happen." and "They have lawyers, don't you think they have thought of this?" When I pointed out the flaws of that argument, he shut me down by saying we make more than minimum wage overall (much like servers), and said that makes it legal, and said I shouldn't gripe. My question is whether or not he is right? Am I, by being commissioned, not entitled to pay for time I am not with a client? Is this worth pursuing?

As a side note: this company also pays well below average for my position, part of my concern is that it follows the model of a certain massage chain, as do most spas. In fact, to my knowledge, virtually all massage spas pay their therapists this way (commissioned well below market pay rate, no pay for time outside session.) which is also why my supervisor saw no issue.

Answer:
 IANAL, but I did work a commission job a long time ago. Is it possible that you are paid on commission with a sales draw? The wording seems a bit strange, but it may be somehow structured in a similar way. Is your "session rate" double (or more) your "hourly rate"? If so, it seems like that might be the case.

The basics of a sales draw are that essentially you are "guaranteed" a certain hourly rate. If you make more via commissions then that's how much you make. If you make less, you keep your commissions and then your draw kicks in and supplements your pay up to the "guaranteed" rate. That way you are always being paid above that guaranteed rate (presumably at least minimum wage) and your employer can't get in trouble for that.


Title: Help - Narrowly avoided prostitution sting. Still worried.

Question:
I'm a fucking idiot. Bored at home alone and browsing the internet. I start texting with "prostitute" via my WORK PHONE. I even send a picture, like an even bigger idiot. Here is the convo below. I got all the way to the parking lot before googling the number. It said it was sheriff prostitution sting. I'm terrified they will find me. Not sure if I actually broke any laws. Do I need a lawyer?

I'm in St. Louis

Help.

Me: Hey, are you available?

Her: Yes I am

Me: Great. You're by the blank? What are your rates?

Her: Address

Her: Donations for my time are 120hh 200hr 80qv

Her: Is that doable for u baby?

Me: It's doable

Her: What's your age and race???

Me: I'm 32, white, professional (Pic)

Her: When did u want to hang out

Me: Soon if you're free

Her: I'm available now

Her: How long would it take u to get here

Me: 30 min

Her: ok cool u wanting hh or hr or qv

Me: qv

Her: Head my way

Her: Address

Me: omw

Her Let me know when ur 10min away

Me: Ok.

Me: Sorry, not gonna make it. Chickened out.

Answer:
 That last text probably saved you.

As a general rule, withdrawing from a criminal act before it is completed is going to protect you from criminal liability.  You quit before you were arrested and before you got to the point of no return.  (It's possible your state has some weird rules, but assuming your state's laws are normal you can't be charged with solicitation here.)Answer #2: What is hh, hr, or qv?Answer #3: I sincerely doubt the police will waste the time to ruin your life for something they can't even arrest you for. I understand you're freaking out, but I'd be more worried about my employer monitoring my texts than the police tracking you down over almost committing a crime.


Title: In a tough spot, I think I'm totally screwed. Please tell me why I'm wrong.

Question: I have been falsely accused of Sexual Battery. My half of the police report reads like I'd admitted to guilt, which I hadn't. My lawyer seems to think I did it, and seems unwilling to actually help me. He told me I have a 100% chance of being convicted. Fairly certain all the judge will need as evidence is her accusation as I have given my lawyer a mountain of evidence that proves my innocence. What should I do?

Answer: Fire your lawyer and hire a better one. Answer #2: Tomorrow morning, get on the phone with your state bar association. Find another lawyer before you have breakfast. Make an appointment immediately. If they seem more capable, then toss your first lawyer overboard and work with the second.


Title: how to respond to false claims in email

Question:
Ex-roommate tried to blackmail me to live for free. He has then moved out, but he showed you shouldn't trust him.
He made several false claims in email. I want to send him an email giving the details of the utility bills, but I want to make sure that doesn't imply I agree with any of the content he wrote in previous emails. How to do that? [calif]

Answer:
 >I want to send him an email giving the details of the utility bills, but I want to make sure that doesn't imply I agree with any of the content he wrote in previous emails. How to do that?

Dear John:

You owe me $xx for the utility bills.

Sincerely
OP

PS.  I think everything that you said in your previous e-mails was complete and utter bullshit.


Title: Stalker Ex-Boyfriend from Five Years Ago Still Stalking (MO/IL)

Question:
Hey everyone, thanks in advance for your help.

My ex boyfriend, who broke off our relationship on Easter in 2010, began stalking me shortly after we broke up. He would harass me via phone (call me drunk on his motorcycle and asked me what I was going to do about it), constantly called and messaged me on all forms of social and regular communications, so I blocked him. He then used his friends' numbers to call and contact me, and wrote across random friends' and family members' profiles to have them tell me to contact him.

Finally one weekend I went to visit my parents and stayed at their house in a different town. He had another one of his friends call me at like 3am that night. I obviously didn't know who it was so I answered and he said something along the lines of "Kyle's coming for you." That morning I wake up to his business card stuck under my windshield wiper. Makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

Anyway, I went down to the police station and finally had an ex-parte granted. A cop called Kyle and said (verbatim), "There are plenty of fish in the sea and there's not a judge alive that wouldn't see this is as stalking so leave her alone." I then filed for a full restraining order, which I still never know if it was served because he kept dodging them, and they kept not caring.

Fast forward to today. Kyle has come out of the woodwork a few times here and there--trying to find me on social media and such. But in the last day he's created a new Twitter and LinkedIn so that he could re-add me, and asked if I "had a minute" on Twitter. I blocked him there and declined him on LinkedIn, but my biggest fear is that he knows that I'm coming home, back to Missouri from Illinois, for the holidays and might be gearing up to do something serious (he's got a massive gun collection, and clearly no shame), or at least for some serious harassment.

Being a Chicago resident but virtually splitting my time between St. Louis and Chicago makes the filing process difficult, and I also don't want to spend hours on my life on this fucker that has already taken so much from me. I also worry that, by having him served, he will be getting exactly the attention he is seeking, perpetuating this for who knows how much longer.

So...r/legaladvice, let me know what you think, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Answer: File for a restraining order again, set up security around where your house going, and if you find him near your home, call the police.


Title: Ex-girlfriend wants me to surrender my dog.

Question:
So here's the deal my ex-girlfriend whom I tried to block from all sources keeps contacting me about surrendering my dog because she thinks I can't take care of him. I paid for him in cash by myself when we were together but he has stayed with me all his life and on the papers it technically has both of our names on it. I live with my parents and my younger sister and he's like our family dog. He got into an accident one time last year and lost his leg and ever since then she thinks one day that I am not home someone will take him out and he will die (yes she is crazy). She says she will go to the fullest extent of the law and get a lawyer to do this. Please help me reddit I love my dog and so does my family and we don't have the money for a lawyer right now incase she really goes through with this.

Edit: I live in North Carolina

Answer:
 > I live in the U.S.

Given that Congress has not seen fit to pass any laws regulating dog ownership, that's not an adequate location.

Don't talk to her. No lawyer is going to take her case. Nothing is going to come of this. If she *does* sue you, don't ignore it, but I would be beyond shocked if that actually happened.


Title: Tailgating/grilling in a parking lot

Question: Does anyone know what the rules are about tailgating in a parking lot? Like, can I pull up into a grocery store parking lot (or some other store) and start grilling in the parking lot? When I looked this up online, I haven’t found any specifics on it not being illegal, just a bunch of rules from venues/sporting arenas about tailgating in their lot. Any ideas?

Answer: Not illegal per se, but you’d need to have permission from the property owner to be there or you could be asked to leave. Refusal after that point would be trespassing.


Title: Inaccurate police report says I threatened an officer with a weapon, but I didn't.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I wasn't charged with anything so it's not like it's on my record, right?

You should still check your record and see if anything comes up in a background check. You may be subpoenaed to the trial though. I would say to not worry about it until you get court papers; wouldn't hurt to have an attorney number handy.

>http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/i-disagree-the-police-report-written-after-car-accident-what-can-i.html

Not the same but similar idea. Theres not much you can do. I would point out that there are two discrepancies which are in your favor: (obviously) no evidence of a dog bite and you werent arrested for threatening a cop with a weapon.   Answer #2: It's not on your record, but they could still charge you with within the applicable statute of limitations. If you are asked to testify, contact a lawyer who may recommend that you plead the fifth.


Title: Do people really end up on the sex offender registry for urinating in public?

Question: I see that mentioned all the time and I was just curious if anyone knows of any real situations where that happened.

Answer:
 No. Allegedly it has actually happened twice, but when you dive into the actual events and the criminal backgrounds of the guys involved it becomes obvious a local newspaper was sensationalizing the story.

I don’t have those sources on hand right now, but I can dig them up again if any detractors can come forward with the names of the individuals involved (eg proof that it actually has happened).Answer #2: Maybe in the small hick towns. Here in sf they shit right in front of you. Nobody says a thingAnswer #3: Actual enforcement seems very rare. I don’t have to add anything to the other comments regarding that.

These however are the states that have the possibility for it to happen enshrined in their laws. I wouldn’t piss of the judge. Pun intended.

Arizona, Ariz. Rev. Stat. 13-3821 (if the individual has more than one previous conviction for public urination-two if exposed to a person under 15; three if exposed to a person over 15);

California, Cal. Penal Code 314(1)-(2), 290;

Connecticut, Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-186, 54-250, 54-251 (if the victim was under 18);

Georgia, O.C.G.A. 42-1-12, 16-6-8 (if done in view of a minor);

Idaho, Idaho Code Ann. 18-4116, 8306, 8304;

Kentucky, Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. 510.148, 17.520, 500, 510.150;

Massachusetts, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272 16, ALM GL ch. 6 178G, 178C;

Michigan, Mich. Comp. Laws 167(1)(f), 28.722, 723;

New Hampshire, N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 651-B:1, RSA 651-B:2, 645:1(II), (III);

Oklahoma, 57 Okl.St. 582.21, 1021;

South Carolina, S.C. Code Ann. 23-3-430;

Utah, Utah Code Ann. 77-27-21.5, 76-9-702.5;

Vermont, Vt. Stat. Ann. Tit. 13, 2601, 5407, 5401.


Title: [ON, Canada] Sold a car privately, no end of issues with the car and the buyer. Where does my obligation end?

Question:
I'll try to make this succinct, but it's a bit complicated and it's stressing me out.

Late 2017 we decided to sell our 2nd car which wasn't being used.  It had been sitting relatively idle on our property for close to 2 years. I'd driven it a couple of times, but it wasn't seeing regular use.

It's my wife's car which she bought before we met one another.  She bought it from the dealership, but it was a floor model and had some kms on it.  This will come into play later.

I had it safetied to sell, and posted it on a bunch of online marketplaces, including Kijiji, Facebook and the like.  I had advertised it as a single owner car, and laid out all of the details as I understood them. I was very up front that it had high kms, had just had approx $2500 sunk into it, etc...

After not having much interest, but having provided some people test drives, etc... in January 2018 someone with solid interest contacted me.  We meet up, went for a test drive, I threw in a set of winter tires, and it was done, and at a much lower price than I had originally listed. I really just wanted to be done with it. (I am not a fan of buying/selling online). The safety had lapsed, and I said I would pay for the safety again, and discounted that from the sale price of the vehicle.

Then it started; on the drove home from picking up the vehicle, the car's "check engine" light came on. The buyer called and I asked him to take it to the local mechanic I'd been using since he was familiar with the car.  I covered the cost of those repairs since it happened *on the way home* from picking it up from me.  My mechanic said "Why? It's not your problem anymore.", but I thought it was the right thing to do.

When the new owner goes to get it safetied, they find another issue wrong with it, AND discovers the record that shows it has been owned by not 1, but 2 owners.  He is upset and feels like we/I had mislead him.  I told him it was impossible and I checked with my wife.  This is when's she retells me the story of how she came by the vehicle, saying it was a floor model. I ask him for some details, and yup, it was registered to the dealership. Not having sold a car before, nor buying a floor model, I had no idea. It didn't cross my mind.  Anyhow, I end up splitting this bill with him because I now feel like I've mislead him as well, because he was adamant that he was only considering single owner vehicles.

I think that's the end of it and the last I hear from him is mid-January.  I block his number because honestly, this stuff stresses me out.  Until today, 3 months later.  (I don't know why the number-blocking didn't work)
He texts me that he's found another $3000 worth of problems, his mechanic says the car has been "abused", and has asked me to pay half of the bill.  He mentions small claims court in his message and that he's kept records of all of our conversations.

So, I'm stressing again and don't know how much of a case he has. I mean, I think the responsibility is on the buyer to do his/her research on. The vehicle in a private sale. He could have run the VIN and gotten the history ahead of buying, which would have shown the 2 owners, and saves us both the headache. I can't be expected to provide an unlimited warranty.

Where does my obligation end?
Am I at risk of being (successfully) sued in small claims court?
If yes, would it extend to more that $1500 in damages + legal fees?

Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 > Where does my obligation end?

Your obligation ended when you signed over the title. The fact that you've humored this guy for so long already is just silly. Tell him, in no uncertain terms, to stop contacting you.

Unless you lied to him about the condition of the car he has no case. It's an old car, with high mileage, that you sold him for ~$2,000. He should expect it's going to have issues.

If he files suit (which he probably won't) just show up and tell the judge you were honest about it being an old car and having problems.


Title: (Virginia) Do my parents have to pay me to work for them?

Question:
I very recently graduated from high school an am currently on summer break before I begin school in the fall. During this time it has been decided by my parents that I either have to A) Get a job. Or B) Do construction work with my father.

Several times however he has said to me that I am lucky to be getting paid all, since apparently parents do not have to pay their children to work for them. This has mostly happened as a result of me complaining that he had paid me less than he initially said he would.
To my knowledge I am not registered as any sort of employee to his company (his company is a small business that he owns, and he occasionally does work with friends of his and their children, as well as my younger brother)

The question is, is he required to actually pay me, and if so, is he allowed to pay me less than the agreed upon sum if there is no employment contract of any sort?

Answer:
 If he is in construction, his insurance may not cover you if you are not an employee and you get hurt, or cause damage on the job.

[By law they have to pay you.](https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/youthlabor/employmentparents)


Title: One of my employees fell over at our employee Christmas party and broke a chair. We were having it at a casino where we rented space. The staff of the casino approached us concern. Should I direct my staff not to say anything?

Answer: They're probably wondering if they're gonna have to make an insurance call.


Title: [FL] Moved into brand new townhouse complex, everything is broken, no one is fixing anything

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Do NOT withhold rent ever. Send a certified letter to the complex management calmly explaining your issues/concerns. This may be important later. Gert everything in writing. If that doesn't work check with your college about tenant rights.


Title: Should I take out all my contributions from my Roth IRA and use them to pay off my car prior to divorce to protect them?

Question: My soon to be ex has asked for half of my Roth IRA. If I remove the contributions I've made and use it to pay off my car would that lessen the amount she gets?

Answer:
 Not likely. She knows it exists. So she can still ask for half the cash value (if it is considered a marital asset which I assume it is). And half the value of the car. Or the whole car.

You need to speak to a divorce attorney and stop trying to hide assets. Answer #2: Hiding assets will result in you paying her attorney to pick through every line of every account you ever had, among other repercussions.


Title: My boss is an idiot and wants me to pay another employee cause of his own payroll mistake

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It should be corrected via your employer rather than you paying your coworker cash otherwise both of you will have issues with taxes, ss and the like. But it's not your money and you can't keep it.


Title: [Oregon] My ex is trying to divorce me but we were never married

Question: My ex and I broke up late last year. We weren't married but we had a pagan ceremony a few years before. We didn't get a marriage license and the person who married us was just some member of the coven. Yet somehow she has managed to serve me divorce papers and is asking for spousal support. Can I contest this on the grounds that we were never married? And what proof do I need?

Answer:
 > Can I contest this on the grounds that we were never married?

_Maybe_, but you need an attorney.

Oregon generally does not recognize common-law marriages (based on conducing oneself as a married couple or on extended interdependent cohabitation), but the fact that you had an actual marriage ceremony _and_ operated as if you were married is likely to complicate things. A divorce court is, at least, the correct venue to address this in.

It is possible that "no marriage license, go away" will ultimately turn out to be a complete response, but you should not rely on that if your former partner has gone to the trouble of petitioning the courts. Show up armed.


Title: Aus - my kids' (8 and 10) dad leaves them sleeping unattended in the house when they stay at his place. Can I stop him from doing this?

Question:
xpost from r/relationship - because ex-husband told me my POV is unreasonable. Looking for perspective there, and legal advice here.

As the title says, my ex leaves our kids unsupervised while they sleep. He goes out to exercise for up to an hour and a half, 2 or 3 times in the week the kids are at his place.

I asked him to stop doing this and he refused. I have offered to go to his house so he can go exercise, and I’ve offered for the kids to stay at my house that night. He refuses.

Is this legal? Can I stop him from leaving them unsupervised?

Answer:
 This link may provide you with some information. There's no law anywhere in Australia stating at what age it is or is not ok to leave children unsupervised. They all use vague language that depends on the situation.

It's basically one of those situations where as long as nothing goes wrong it was legal, but if something does go wrong they can be majorly in the shit.

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/australian_laws_about_leaving_children_alone.html

Edit: If you have a court ordered custody arrangement it *may* be possible to have conditions built into this. But it's a may be possible, not a certainty - you would need to consult with a solicitor


Title: Could this be considered illegal ?

Question:
Throwaway account ofc.

I would just like to know if I were to post the number of a certain scumbag on 4-chan or a website like it, could I be charged with something ?

&#x200B;

Some insight - This scumbag sexually assaulted my 8 year old niece but he can't be charged because my niece is to afraid that he would come after her again. So the police can't do anything because she would not identify him.

&#x200B;

I have his number as they started talking on a group about My Little Pony ... She thought he was an 8 year old girl in the neighborhood.

I myself don't know the full story of what happened because she wont share with anyone except the psychologist, and the psychologist wont share because she is afraid it would betray the trust of my niece.

Answer:
 >I myself don't know the full story of what happened

Then you run the risk of being sued for defamation.


Title: What are your thoughts on this case? Houston Dad shoots and kills daughter's boyfriend. The subtle definition of an intruder, reasonable belief, and defense.

Question:
What do you think of this?

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/24964786/hcso

Some people are claiming the dad will be able to claim justified force, but I'm not so sure. As far as I can read the Texas code I found [here](http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/SB00378F.htm), it seems that the father would need reasonable evidence that the boy had actually physically broken into the house, not that he was just there unlawfully. Additionally, I find it hard to believe the daughter's quick denial of knowing the boy should constitute reasonable belief.

What do you all think? Is the father home free, clearly guilty, or is it extremely vague and impossible to tell with only the information here?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 I don't know that he's home free.  However, the daughter's denial of knowing with him, coupled with the boy's refusal to follow commands, plus his reaching for an unknown object, certainly lends in the father's favor.

These situations are **very** fact specific, and I hesitate to make any  further guesses given that we're hearing a barebones recitation of the story.  But this is, so far, more in the father's favor than not.


Title: Local police posted humiliating video of me breaking into abandoned building on facebook, asking for my name. Went to station with lawyer to show acknowledgement. Post still remains up 24 hours later

Question:
Hi. I'm a 19 year old guy, about to go off to college. No criminal record whatsoever, and I am a pretty diligent student, with much community service, although I doubt it matters here. Anyway, about a week ago, I was exploring this huge abandoned mental institution with two friends, and I came across what appeared to be the administrative building. Now, while this whole campus had slowly been losing funds and various buildings became closed down and decrepit over the last decade or so, I knew that it was conclusively abandoned with the land sold to the city only about two years ago.

We felt inclined to explore this building, which seemed newer, because of a fallout shelter sign on it. I noticed a camera, that looked relatively new, next to the door. I felt at first, panic, but then I thought to myself that it would be weird if there wasn't a newer camera left on such a building due to it only being fully closed two years ago. We had brought a bat, but first used a stone to break through a glass layer next to the door. I felt unease with the camera right there, which I assumed to be out of commision with the rest of the campus, so I decided to break the camera down on a whim with the bat. Incredibly, incredibly, stupid assumption. I completely agree. We eventually got in another way, and we then found the building had already been completely spelunked by some others before, with much vandalization and graffiti inside. We left shortly after.

Yesterday, I received a text from a friend who follows the local town's police facebook page, which told me I needed to look at the page immediately. I was shocked to see myself looking through same camera with the bat in my hand, on my way to break it. In the corner of the picture were my two friends, and a video was included showing me throwing the stone, and breaking the camera. We all look like absolute hoodlums, myself especially, and it requested any information about us to be given to the authorities. Soon, both my friends and I would receive calls from a local detective, telling us he wanted to talk. I contacted my dad's best friend, a lawyer, to help me handle this properly. He said he wanted me to go to the police station, with him speaking on my behalf, simply to show an apologetic face, request an application for civil complaint instead of a file for criminal charges (I think), and find out what we could of what they planned to do and what they knew happened. So, we did so, and I learned they already knew and were sure of the identities of my two friends and that they were the ones involved.

It has been over 24 hours now, and the post is still at the front of their page, with about 20 thousand views, multiple shares, and filled with awful, even violent, comments. All three of us are being endlessly contacted by those who have seen it and know us, ranging from past colleagues, to relatives, to authority figures. Is it really lawful to keep the post up, despite knowing who we are now? Is there any way to request it to be taken down? This is deeply going to affect our futures and relationships and will only get worse as the photos stay up. I'm still in the process of obtaining a permanent lawyer, but I feel this is a matter that needs to be dealt as soon as possible. Much thanks to anyone with an idea on how to handle this.

Answer:
 The video is the least of your worries. You need to be talking to a criminal defense attorney not the police. And probably the video can stay up as long as they want it to but you didn't provide a location
Answer #2: >Is it really lawful to keep the post up, despite knowing who we are now?

Yes, they can keep the video up even though they know who you are now. It may even be a moot point to take it down now, given that after 20k views it's probably been saved and reposted. If they arrest you, they can also post your mugshot online if they are so inclined.

>Is there any way to request it to be taken down?

You can contact the police department and politely ask about having it taken down. I do not believe they are required to do so, however, and probably will not do so. You could ask your lawyer about other options for getting it taken down but I would not expect to be successful.

>This is deeply going to affect our futures and relationships and will only get worse as the photos stay up.

Yeah, probably. It's not the photos that are at fault for this, however. And you really need to be focusing on your potential criminal charges given that you admitted to breaking and entering to the police.


Title: Under investigation for a missing girl?

Question:
So I was traveling across the south US and stayed in El Paso, TX a couple of weeks ago. I have a bad habit of browsing escort listings and contacting people to see what they will say, so I proceeded to do just that while in my hotel room for the night in town.
Last week I missed a couple of calls from the "El Paso District Clerk." I finally answered one and it disconnected almost immediately.
Today I received another call from the same number, answered it, and was asked a couple of questions about a "missing girl" connected to one of the phone numbers I had texted.
What I gathered within a few minutes of the call is that, apparently, the girl on the ad I had viewed was underage and is now missing. [The extent of my conversation with her was me texting her (asking for a massage) and her replying with something in Spanish. I wasn't super intrigued and do not know Spanish, so I did not continue the conversation.] The guy on the phone told me that I am on a list of 21 suspects being investigated for this girl's missing persons case. This was about 15 minutes into the call.
Then he began to tell me that in order to remove my name from the list, I would need to take a pedophilia exam (is that a real thing?) with a psychiatrist that they would provide. Since there were no facilities for this near where I live, I was told that I could be done over the phone. Then he told me that to continue in that direction I would have to pay a "prostitution fee" (I think that's what he said) of roughly $2,000 that would go to the law offices (in the Domican Republic) that were being used by the family of the girl. I told him that I would not be able to afford this (I do not have a very high income) and he was willing to work a deal with me to pay 50% when I get paid (this Friday). He said that I could make the payment directly to the law office using Western Union.
He also got me to text a number of his supervisor, Agent R. Gomez, to confirm that I would make the payment and proceed with the pedophilia exam once I get paid on Friday.
These guys know my home address, my father's name (he's the owner of the house), my phone number, my name, and they have a copy of my text conversation with the phone number from the escort listing.

It seems weird that they would have gone to the extent that they did to scam me, but I know that $2,000 can make some people come up with a pretty lofty story.
Is this a real situation? Do government officials make calls like these? Is a pedophilia exam even a real thing? What do I do?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Dude, this is a scam. It’s a variation on the sexting with a girl then her “dad” informs you that she’s 16. Block the number and move on with your life.

If the cops were looking at you for kidnapping a hooker they’d be on your doorstep.


Title: Can I be arrested if someone saw evidence while they were trespassing?

Question:
[VA]Some neighbors literally walked into our house(no knocking, just opened the door and walked in) and may have saw some street signs.  We promptly told them to leave and get off our property. They threatened to call the cops on us for stealing those signs.

Is eyewitness evidence of them seeing the signs admissible in court or enough evidence for police action. Does this count as trespassing?

Thank you

Answer:
 Get rid of the street signs, and stop stealing them. If you are over 19 years old, it's pretty sad to still have those.

Get a lock for your door.


Title: (NY) Community College asking for tuition for a Semester unattended

Question:
My wife spent a year at a Community College in Missouri, after which she could no longer afford to attend. This was the 07/08 school year. We married in 2011, and a few months ago, we tried to get her transcripts from that year, but the CC refused, saying that she still owed them money for the 08/09 school year, totalling 1500 dollars. She did not attend the school during that time. She never even registered for classes. We asked the school to provide proof that she registered for those classes and therefore would be required to pay for them, but they responded that due to a change in their records system, they no longer have records going back to that year.

Long story short, they will not release her transcripts unless we pay $1500 for a service she never requested or received, and they have no proof that she owes them.. What can we do?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Did she follow the proper withdrawal procedure according to the college's policies?Answer #2: >We asked the school to provide proof that she registered for those classes and therefore would be required to pay for them, but they responded that due to a change in their records system, they no longer have records going back to that year.

Then what makes them think she attended?  They're looking at *something* telling them that she enrolled for x number of classes.  If they have no proof of classes she enrolled for, how would they even give her a transcript?Answer #3: I don't see the school back tracking on the tuition charges so I would ask for an un-official copy of the transcripts.

--Take the unofficial transcripts to the new school and find out how many credits would potentially transfer in to their program.

--Then do the math.  If she is going to save more than $1,500 in tuition from the credits transferring in, paying the fee would be worth it.


Title: Restraining order against an organization I was previously employed by

Question:
Hi all,

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First time stopping by here. I've tried to include only facts, tldr at bottom.

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I worked for X organization for approximately 3 years, my last day with them was last Friday. Over the course of my employment I was essentially on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If something technical broke, and no one else could fix it, it was my job to do so. Approximately 100 days ago, the VP of the division I worked for fired my boss, the Director of IT. There was no business continuity plan in place, and the day the termination happened the VP told myself and everyone in the department that no one's job was safe, and they were bringing in a consultant to determine what the organization should do, re-hire, hybrid MSP, or outsource.

About 60 days through that 90 day period, the VP decided that the organization was going to outsource all of IT, but expressed that I and one other person were extremely valuable to the org, and had non technical positions they would like to move us into. That night I began aggressively looking for a new job, I've been in IT almost 20 years, and did not want to devalue myself by becoming non technical, and I was already being underpaid at the non profit I was employed by.

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I applied to organization Y, which was a vendor to organization X and had a phone screen that week, and a phone interview the following week. During the phone interview I was made aware organization Y had reached out to organization X, and I was brought up in conversation, at which organization X had stated that organization Y should not "come after me" that I was critical to the success of organization X.

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I immediately informed who was now my direct manager, the VP of organization X that I was aggressively looking for a new job as a direct result of the decision to outsource my job. During the conversation they asked if I would be happy at organization Y, to which I said yes. They indicated that they might be able to "help" me land a job and market me to organization Y. I informed them that I had an interview that afternoon and a few later that week.

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I updated organization Y of the conversation and organization Y continued in the interview process with me, and I had 2 additional panel interviews, and a number of other interviews with other organizations in the following 2 weeks. Discussion had occurred about how I might feel about supporting organization X, as they are a valuable customer for organization Y, and I indicated I would be happy to as I would any other customer of organization Y.

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I landed my dream job, with organization Y, with no more apparent interference from organization X. I turned in my 2 week notice, and transitioned my responsibilities to mostly non technical staff, but the best suited personnel organization X had available, or to whom I was directed to by my VP.

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4 days before my last day, my VP announced out of the blue they were also leaving the organization and announced they were speaking with my future employer about discounts or consulting hours since I was leaving. In this meeting someone said organization Y had poached me. I corrected them by informing everyone in the meeting that my leaving was a direct result of the decision to outsource my department, and that I had applied to organization Y, and they had responded to my application.

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I have been with organization Y for 4 days now, and it appears that organization X is getting consultation hours, discounts etc. Tomorrow I will be meeting with both my VP at organization Y, and my new manager to discuss supporting organization X in ways outside of my normal role.

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I believe I will be asked if I'm able to or willing to help organization X, but I have no desire to do so. I am concerned however that saying no will jeopardize my future with organization Y.

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Are there any precautions I can take to protect myself, or maybe a restraining order against my former employer to restrict contact? I believe my former VP viewed me as a piece of property, they tried to stop me from leaving, they tried to sell me to a future employer, and they seem to be manipulating the situation to continue to use me.

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TLDR; employer fired my boss, kept me in limbo for 60 days about having a job, outsourced my job. Attempted to stop a future employer from hiring me, thought they could sell me (finder fee?), and are now wanting to use me at a new job to support them in a way outside of my regular duties. How can I refuse to do more than my normal job, without affecting my chances of remaining employed, or is there such a thing as a restraining order against a business or person of a business?

Answer: So, there's no restraining order?


Title: How to give up parent rights

Question:
I will try to explain this situation but it involves children and divorced parents. I am not even sure where to start with all this to give an accurate picture.

But, in a nut shell, how would one parent give up their parental rights/custody? In the easiest way possible? One parent currently has no say when it comes to serious issues; for instance, the children would greatly benefit from therapy but the other parent refuses to agree to getting them help. This is person has to be in control at all times.

So basically, the other parent is feeling frustrated, helpless, and defeated. And feels it would be easier to just give up custody, since they already have no say.

Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 If there is no court order then either parent can agree to let the other parent have complete custody over the children.  I'd suggest putting the agreement in writing.

A non-custodial parent cannot give up their obligation to provide child support to the custodial parent.


Title: Giving alcohol to people over 18 but under 21?

Question: Just a curious question, I know giving alcohol to minors is a serious offense, but what about giving it to a person who is legally an adult but still underaged as far as the law goes? Is the person still shouldering some of the liability for the drinker? This would be a US question more so than Europe.

Answer:
 Depends on the state. In California, you can possess and consume at age 18 on private property.

Edit: here's a link to a Washington Post article about which states allow underage drinking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/18/where-teenagers-can-legally-drink-in-the-u-s-yes-really/Answer #2: It depends if you are related


Title: [California] My dad paid his handyman friend to change a toilet in a condo. He did it wrong and the condo flooded, damaging other condos.

Question: Hello everyone. My brother has a condo he rents out. He asked my dad to change the toilet and my dad paid his handyman friend to change it for us. Well, he did it improperly and it ended up flooding the condo after they left. The water ended up damaging 3 other units and some of their personal property. The handyman won't pay for the damages. Will we have to pay for it out of pocket?

Answer: I'm not sure, but each homeowner's insurance should cover their own damage. If they sue, then you should consult a lawyer. Next time, hire somebody licensed who has proper insurance (A million is the usual minimum).


Title: Car was parked and someone rear ended me and stayed parked.

Question:
So I was walking to my car and I have to park on the street where I live, and found the car behind me had his license plate crushed into my rear bumber. He just left like that and whent inside I guess. So I started taking pictures and then he comes out and says why am I taking pictures and I said that he had dented my bumber. He said no and then got in his car to back up. He clearly had dented it. But he starts to points out a different dent and says "what you going to blame that on me to?" I said no but you did just dent this part. I asked for his insurance and all and he refuses and his family comes and and starts to say don't worry about it and just walk away. So I then call the cops and I just put in a report. And i have  pick it up next week.

He started telling the cops and his family that I backed up into him... (I have not moved my car for a week but I just check up on it from time to time. New boosted board owner and commute with that lol.) Basically he could of said sorry and here's like 50$ and I would of been fine. But since he was an asshole to me and tried to scare me away. I kinda want to do all I can .

I have a video of him crushed up against my bumber and him driving backout as proff. What should I do? Is there anyway I could be at fault? Should I even bother? I have never had any claims or crashes on my insurance.? New jersey u.s.a

Answer: Your video of him backing up isn't proof he hit your bumper. It's proof of him backing up. I'm not denying your story, just that your video doesn't prove anything. You can file under collision on your insurance if you carry collision bit its possible it could be under your deductible. Or you can sue him in small claims court. No way to know if you'd win there or not.


Title: 90mph in a 55mph - Colorado

Question:
So I got caught this morning on US36. 55mph posted limit and I got caught at 90mph in the express lane.

Cop gave me a ticket, with 6 points written in the box and no dollar amount and said I had to appear in court. He said he wasn't giving me a misdemeanor.

This is my first ever traffic violation/ticket. Does anyone have any vague idea on what I could get hit with? The court is Westminster municipal.

I've seen online that the standard points &a fine are on offer but also potentially jail time?! Any experiences or advice would be useful.

P.S. I've already got in touch with a attorney, just awaiting to hear back.

Answer: Your attorney will know the most likely outcome but come on how dumb do you have to be to be doing 90 in a 55 that's just plain reckless driving I'm shocked he didn't give you a misdemeanor.


Title: [OH] I've been living in my current apartment for less than two months. My landlord wants my decision to renew in 7 days.

Question:
Columbus, OH

Moved in to my place late August.  My landlord just emailed me saying that they require intent to renew within the next 7 days.  If we choose not to renew in the next week, they will start showing the property 7 days a week, 8am to 10pm, for the next 10 months until they find a new renter.

My lease does not include any language about when the tenant must provide intent to renew.  It does include the standard clause of landlord may enter for "showing apartment to prospective tenants (after vacating notice has been given)."

Do I have any right to delay the renewal notice decision?  I don't feel comfortable saying I'd like to renew when I haven't experienced the property in anything other than warm weather, over a set length of time to see how things hold up, etc.  I'm also not thrilled about becoming an open house before I've lived in the unit for 8 weeks.

I was unable to find any provisions on a minimum amount of time before renewal notice must be given in Ohio.

I appreciate any insight you're able to provide.

EDIT 1: Lease is 12 months.

EDIT 2: Landlord manages a number of buildings and this was sent to the entire lot of them, not just ours or our unit.

EDIT 3: Other tenants say that they give notice via email, but it can become a multiple times per week for a number of months deal as they rent out all units.

EDIT 4: Big shout out and thanks all around to everybody who has and is continuing to provide opinions and expertise.  I really appreciate the time each of you has taken in helping me out here today, and feel much more informed about my options and the best courses of action in my situation.  Appreciate ya!

Answer:
 does your LL hate you and want you to leave?  this seems like a harassment scheme.  maybe say you do intend to renew and then drag your feet on signing the lease...

it will be very difficult to litigate or enforce your rights against something like this that is only arguably unreasonable.  you could refuse access and wait til they attempt to evict you for it and then make your case.


Title: Hypothetical: How does the law deal with emergency medical services?

Question:
I tried googling but only found message board answers from non-lawyers/scholars.

I assume that if I'm unconscious and an EMT or doctor decides I need a test or treatment they will perform that treatment and then I would be held liable for the cost of that treatment.

What is the legal history around this situation? Are there cases where a patient has sued because a hospital performed obviously non-life saving treatments or tests while the patient was unable to consent and then charged them?

Thanks! Location: Oregon USA

Answer:
 You are correct that if you are found unconscious, medical personnel will do what they can to help you survive and regain consciousness and then bill you (or insurance) for it. This is because the law has a presumption that you want to survive and if you are unconscious your consent is assumed.

I used to teach lifeguards. One of the first things we would cover in first aid is to get consent before treating anyone. When covering care for someone choking, a common question would be, "what if they say no?" and the official policy of the Red Cross and the facilities I worked at was to wait for them to pass out and then treat them. Also that they were an idiot, but we didn't tell the trainees that.

The complication with this comes with DNR/DNI. But, only medical personnel have to worry about those. And if you are in a position where those matter, your company's legal department will have a policy.


Title: [NV] My employer is paying me below minimum wage in my state, is he allowed to do this?

Question: My current employer, Save Mart, is paying me $7.60 an hour, my states minimum wage is $8.25, are they allowed to do this because I'm 17, or because of benefits I might receive etc?

Answer:
 A qualifying health plan benefit can allow you to be paid below the $8.25 minimum wage, as can certain conditions for disabled employees and employees under age 20.

There ought to be a big old Minimum Wage poster someplace near the timeclock.


Title: [Upstate NY] Disobeyed A Traffic Control Device -- go to court or not?

Question:
I was pulled over yesterday on I-87N in Clifton Park, NY by a State Trooper when he clocked me at 81mph in a 65. I haven't been pulled over in 10+ years and have a clean record. It was unintentional as the speed limit had just increased from 55mph (work zone) to 65mph and I was accelerating downhill as I was passing in the left lane. I never drive that fast so I'm honestly just mad at myself.

Now the trooper cut me a break by giving me a ticket for "disobeying a traffic control device," which I understand is a commonly written ticket for first-time offenders. It's the same thing as running a red light. 2 points vs. the 4 my speeding ticket would've been, which shouldn't affect my insurance premiums. I'm guessing a $250 fine.

My question is -- should I go to my court date and politely explain what happened in hopes for a reduction to a non-moving offense, or should I just plead guilty by mail and pay the fine? It wouldn't be a tremendous hassle for me to get there because it's on my way home from work. OTOH, if it's just going to save me $50-100, I'm not sure that's worth the hassle to get out of work early.

I'm not trying to make excuses for what I did, just looking for some advice from anyone with experience. Thanks!

Answer: My feeling is: don't look a gift horse in the mouth. You did get a break, don't expect to get another one.Answer #2: Just for perspective, failure to obey a traffic control device (1110A) is what people are usually hoping to plea bargain *to.* That said, it's not like the charge will go up if you go to court. It's just up to you to decide what your time is worth.


Title: [Los Angeles, CA] Firm in the UK keeps phoning me up constantly with double-glazing sales calls, morning, noon, night, how did they get my number, and can I stop them?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 In the UK we have a free service called the TPS. It means your number should not receive unsolicited calls, in fact I think it makes it an offence to call you. You add your number on their website. I don't know if it will work for a US number but may be worth a try.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html


Title: they said post this on offtopic: life is for living: 7 steps towards when is there going to be a global law that says life is for living life?

Question:
1. First, you'd need a global legal framework. **solution: easy, make one**

2. No such thing exists - "international" laws are the result of a maze of treaty arrangements and international coalitions, any of which could disintegrate under the right circumstances.

3. Given some countries' deep mistrust of anything that might threaten their sovereignty, this is something of a large order. **solution: destroy those nations, get rid of them**

4. Then, you'd need to frame your position in some legally-meaningful way, within that framework. "Life is for living life" is nearly meaningless **solution: i have a 1-page report that fully cover what living life means, for example anyone that does law outside this one golden rule, just shoot them, and if anyone disagrees just rid of them**

5. Then, finally, you'd need to find some other way to address the real and bona fide issues people face. **answer: this is obviousy a huge problem ppl face**

6. Making a feel-good law won't make war, poverty, natural disasters, old age, disease, or simple bad luck go away. **nor do many laws do that, that's what science & actual tech/tools are for**

7. How do you plan on addressing breaches of this law, internationally? **solution: global to kill those ppl**

comments from /u/derspiny

Answer:
 You are asking if it is possible to conquer the world for the purpose of promulgating a vague manifesto supported by a one page report, relying on technology and science to solve actual problems, and then killing everyone who breaks the law?

I doubt you are capable of achieving this, and it doesn't sound like it would even make for a half decent book, let alone a better world.


Title: Legality of getting someone's information from reddit and handing their s/o screenshots of their activity.

Question: So I basically got ahold of some es contact info on reddit and wanted to send their s/o screenshots of the insane stuff they say about them and that they might be in great danger. If I sent the screen shots via mail is that legal? This dude needs to know what his s/o is planning and asking about on reddit. Super scary there is people like this out there but I don't want to go to police yet, leave that to him.

Answer:
 As long as you don’t use it to gain something like money, it’ll be fine. It’s public information.

Also, if you believe someone is in danger, contact the police immediately, as in right now.


Title: Is this blackmail? Is it illegal? NC - USA

Question:
TL;DR: scumbag boss at hotel ignores chain's rules and overcharges guests. Corperate rep came by yesterday and I learned that if customers call corperate they can get refunded all these excess charges and boss will have to cover this plus extra fines. I was really sleep deprived and wondered if it was OK to ask boss to buy my silence in not alerting guests of all this money they could get back. Also just curious if it's okay for me to even tell the guests at all.

Update: Okay, didn't take long at all to realize the blackmail thing was a terrible idea, I really don't know how that wasn't more obvious other than I really was just super sleep deprived and mad that boss is nickel and dimeing good guests, who are just too poor to pay up front for a week at a time.

To clarify, the corperate rep knew they were doing this, and didn't approve, but wasn't going to do anything about it, he just said that if a guess calls they will be charged for the difference plus extra fines. I talked to them about it and their new "solution" is to check guests out in the computer system every 7 days so the computer thinks they are never there longer than 7 days although it's still pretty obvious.

So am I liable if I were to tell guests they can call corperate and get money back for being over charged?  Obviously I won't do it until I'm leaving this job anyway but there are a few guests here that are really nice peoe, don't cause trouble, and struggle to pay rent day to day, when they are being charged $52 instead of the $33 they shold be getting charged.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Tldr:

My boss is a slime and I want to do what is right... Unless I can blackmail my boss and profit.Answer #2: Just report all the violations to the Franchise rep on your way out the door so they can decide whether to terminate the affiliation. If you ask for the buyout, the owner will just terminate your employment and have you escorted from the premises without being able to access the database to alert overpaying customers. Unless he's an idiot.


Title: Pros and cons of US citizenship

Question: In USA. I am considering applying for US citizenship instead of just renewing my green card. I plan to stay here long term, though have some underlying hesitation though not entirely sure why. Not sure if this is the best sub, but Wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts for or against? An example could be that if I ever left and returned to my home country, then I would be subject to us taxes on foreign earnings (unless I gave up the US citizenship). What else?

Answer:
 >An example could be that if I ever left and returned to my home country, then I would be subject to us taxes on foreign earnings (unless I gave up the US citizenship).

This would only apply if you make quite a lot of money.


Title: [MN] Emotionally abused 17 year old friend wants to leave home. Last time she left (for a shelter), she had a runaway report filed. Is there anything she or anyone else can do?

Question:
Her mother is a hardcore conservative Christian, and is unhappy with her due to her being bisexual and dating a girl. Recently, she ran to stay at a shelter, only to find that the police had been knocking on doors looking for her in a nearby town.

Her mother constantly abuses and neglects her. Among the things she does:
-Does not allow her to see a doctor.
-Does not allow her to obtain an ID.
-Holds on to her birth certificate and SSN, thus causing the problem above.
-Does not allow her to obtain a job.
-Stood by while she was abused physically by her father and brother. (Both are no longer in the household.)
-Allows her very little money to buy new clothes, if at all. (Her shoes are falling apart.)
-Rarely allows her to socialize. (The only time she's allowed out other than school is to a church group, which has made local news for being cult-like.)
-Has considered sending her to a "faith-based program for troubled teens". (This one scares me. I've seen documentaries on this, such as "Kidnapped for Christ", and read r/troubledteens regularly. These places are not therapeutic at all.)

Is there anything she can do? If she's afraid for her life and leaves, is there any leverage she has?

Answer:
 The only one of those that may be legally actionable would be withholding medical treatment (and standing by for the abuse, but you make it sound like that's no longer an issue).

Unless she is able to convince CPS that she needs foster care, which seems unlikely under these facts, she needs to ride it out until she is 18.

Can she find a compromise, like a more modern and progressive church group? One that her mother won't necessarily approve of, but can't object to because it's still a church?

She can also likely get shoes or clothes from her congregation if she asks.


Title: Scammed on localbitcoins

Question:
So long story short I opened a trade on localbitcoins.com to sell bitcoin for around 20k cash in mail. The buyer had great feedback and over 500 sales so he seemed legit. He sends "package" and I release bitcoin. Days go by and finally the package is delivered to an address far away from mine. During this time he got negative feedback from someone else claiming he scammed them for $6k  by sending blank printer paper. By this time he is now banned and no where to be found.

Obviously I want to press charges and try to get my money back or at the very least send him to jail for a long long time. What are my options? All I have is his real name, username, messages and that's about it. But his phone number, email and driver's license are all verified on localbitcoins. I messaged support asking for their help. Hoping they give me his information so I can seek legal action against him. What should I do? Any advice is appreciated.

Answer:
 Legal Advice: You can report the fraud to the police.  If localbitcoins actually has his info, they might be able to track him down and arrest him.  He probably submitted fake info, and you're probably boned.

Rant:

> 20k cash in mail

Why would you ever do that?  In what other context is a deal that involves sending tens of thousands of dollars of physical currency in the mail not obviously a scam of some sort?

> He sends "package" and I release bitcoin

Why would ever do *that*?!  I mean, if someone really wanted to send me cash via mail, I suppose I'd let them.  But I certainly wouldn't release any inventory to them until I had the cash in hand.  Why didn't you just wait until the cash arrived?

Isn't the whole point of *local*bitcoins that you are dealing with in-person transactions?


Title: Cops took my phone and then arrested me for disorderly conduct after catching me with a gram of weed in Boston, where it is legal. I have video recording.

Question:
I was in Boston Common and as I was walking through an undercover detective asked if he could have a word with me. He told me he had just seen me buy weed off a man in the commons and he needed to search me. I complied and informed him that I had about .5 grams of weed in my pocket and I also have my massachusetts medical license, which i presented, and told him I didnt buy weed off of anyone in the commons and that I buy at a dispensary.
           He told me he didnt really care and that I was not in trouble because weed is legal anyway he was just trying to clear the commons of drug dealers and he needed me to say how much I paid the guy as proof the guy is selling weed and not giving it away. I told him Im sorry but I dont know what hes talking about and asked if I was free to go and he told me I was not.
              At this point i informed him I was about to start recording the conversation and he told me i couldnt so i started recording anyway and asked him on camera if he was sure it was illegal for me to record. He didnt answer and told me to wait while he ran my record to see if I had any outstanding warrants. At this point in time he called another officer over and as she was talking to me he grabbed my phone and stated something along the lines of- "chapter 99 you didnt inform the officer who jusy walked up you were  recording so i am taking your phone. "
         he then stopped the recording and they told me they were letting me go but confiscating my phone as evidence. As they were walking away I screamed help i am being robbed and  they ran over to me and told me that now i am being arrested for disturbing the peace. At this point in time they took my weed, my pipe, my lighter, and my mass medical id,and sent me to jail.
            7 hours later when i was released on bail no recording of them taking any of these possesions was anywhere and i did not recieve any of this stuff back, even though it is legal to possess weed and my charge was disorderly conduct. I have court at 830 tommorow morning, what should I do. Also i have the video I can post it if it is confirmed i was in my rights to record. Also while i was in jail the officer used my iphone to email himself a copy of the video. Can anyone give me some advice of what I should do?

Answer:
 You should be arrested for calling it Boston Commons alone.

Plead not guilty, take the public defender.


Title: Need some Car/Assault/Insurance/Girlfriend/Police Advice

Question:
Los Angeles, CA

Crazy stuff just happened within the last hour and my first thought after feeling lost is to create a throwaway. I'll hit the main points(leaving out details) just so this wont be super long and kinda need timely advice. Well lets start with the beginning.

So my girlfriend and I are arguing on the phone, she sends a pic of her wrists cut, she says not to go, so of course like the concerned BF/idiot I am I go over. I get there, she gets in the car, we are talking and then her ex-BF shows up. Some words are exchanged and then he hits my car with his car.

We take off to get away from him and he chases. I call 911, they direct me to nearest Police Station, ex-bf still chasing. We get to Sherrifs dept, ex doesn't stop, keeps going. We tell cop what happened, then Ex shows up at the Police Station. Ex tells cop I abuse GF, which led them to question her and me. As far as Ex hitting my car purposefully, they said they can't "prove" that and only wrote a traffic incident report saying ex is at fault in "accident." I wanted to press criminal charges, but they weren't having it and said they can't. Cops say they have to take GF to hospital to have her evaluated. I leave and they said I can get report in 3 days.

Now, what the hell do I do? Should I tell my insurance company that I told cops it was on purpose/that guys is nuts? Can they possibly get the cops to file the criminal charges? Small claims court against ex? I can prove that he hit me and he chased me just not sure if I should get a lawyer immediately(have him deal with criminal charges) or wait on insurance/report?

Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 >Now, what the hell do I do?

Dump the GF and block her number/facebook, etc.


Title: (GA) I was fired from my job "at will" and spoke with my HR rep a month and 2 weeks before that I was feeling discrimination from my boss

Question:
Per the title, I was recently promoted to a new team (Me, my boss and two others) with a new boss at my job. I was a rather quiet and alone individual at work that showed up to work, did my job and went home. I worked multiple on-call weeks which meant my weeks were on regularly over 40 hours, roughly 50 hours a week. The company does not give official performance reviews but has un-documented "One-on-One" conversations with the manager of the team and the individuals on the team separately.

There was no confusion that my new boss seemed to dislike me. I attempted to rectify this issue on multiple occasions by trying to have a conversation on why we had a disagreement that seemed to hover over the both of us. These were met with no success.

On May 2nd, we had our first One-on-One with us being on a new team. In this meeting, my boss informed me that did not like the quiet and loner nature in which I carried myself. I informed him that this was how I carried myself and being able to focus on my job is what is most important to me and not the personal conversations of our lives as I like to keep my personal life and my work life separate, that I like to come to work to be professional as in my past personal relationships tend to get in the way of professionalism when working in an office environment. As this conversation continued going on, my manager told me, "I do not think you fit here." ,  asking me if I was "Sure, that I wanted to work here." and "I should look for other places to work".

I proceeded to leave the meeting and spoke with a higher manager in regards to the conversation that I just had. In this conversation the manager informed me that I should, "Just do the best job possible and everything will be okay."

On May 5th, I emailed our third-party HR representative and informed them that I was currently feeling as though I am being discriminated against in my work place and that I felt uncomfortable as my manager is currently threatening me for my job. I have never had any complaints from clients or other co-workers since the year that I had been working at my job and now my new boss is threatening me to resign.

After this email was sent I assumed that everything was okay as the conversation never came up again, I continued to work with no complaints from anyone and continuing to work scheduled overtime.

On June 24th, I was scheduled to have another one-on-one meeting with my new boss again which I felt would go over smoothly as the month was going rather well. We were shorthand with a colleague going on PTO but I handled everything smoothly and accurately with no performance complaints at all. When walking into this meeting the HR rep was also there and informed me that they were letting me go "At Will". I requested a reasoning for the firing and she informed me that I was not a "culture fit" for the company and that they were able to do this. I requested what the reasoning was on the termination papers but she also informed me that there was no definite reason as it was at will.  She handed over forms for a General Release and gave me 7 days to sign the papers and that when receiving the separation notice that I could inform her what I would like them to write on said paper for unemployment or future employers.

I have currently not signed these papers as it seems like a 'We will give you X amount of money to not make a case' paper and signing it will be agreeing the wrongful termination that I was given.

 I am here asking what is there possible that I can do? I have spoke with friends and colleagues and that have informed me not to sign the papers as it seems as though I could have a case on my hands against my previous employer. I apologize for any information not given as I am new to the whole legal side of the world and am confused with moving towards with any of this.

This is a throwaway account so I am willing to answer any questions given or to give more information without giving out too many details.

Answer: They don't have to give you a reason for firing you, hence at will employment. You will have to prove that they fired you for discrimination, but it would have to be based on discrimination of a protected class.


Title: Minneapolis , I believe my landlord is controlling my heat somehow via a second location , is this possible ? Is this legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You know, it's entirely possible that your HVAC has a problem.

Have you consulted with an HVAC professional?

If not, you may want to look into a mental health professional.... normal people say "my heater is acting up, time to call HVAC" not "my heater is acting up, my landlord must be controlling it remotely just to screw with me."


Title: [NYC] Landlord/Management Company won't install security chain on my apartment door

Question:
We live in NYC in a large building with probably 80 units.. I contacted the management company about installing a security chain on my door and was told that "I am free to install one, but management isn't responsible for this"

I found this online:
The landlord must provide a peephole in the entrance door of each apartment. Landlords of multiple dwellings in New York City must also install a chain-door guard on the entrance door to each apartment, so as to permit partial opening of the door (Multiple Dwelling Law § 51-c; NYC Admin. Code § 27-2043).

I sent this to the management company and was asked "is it in your lease?"

I'm a bit confused... what should I do? Should I buy a chain and install it and deduct the amount from my rent? Should I file a complaint somewhere? I just want a security chain on the door... I'll do it if it's my responsibility.. but if it's the landlord's.. I'd rather not be bullied..

Answer:
 Chain locks are about $10. How much is your time worth? I'd guess you've wasted more than that just googling the law Save the fight in you for the big things. Answer #2: well if you want to keep playing back and forth, you can tell your LL that the requirements of the housing and building codes are superior to a lease.  and you can tell them that you'll call 311 and get an inspector over there who will issue a violation (there may be a fine associated with the violation, there may not be, idk what level violation that would be).

or you can just instal it yourself.

you can't win against an NYCLL. they can always make your life shittier than you can make theirs.

but you are right.


Title: How does "age of consent" interact with developmental disabilities?

Question:
(Disclaimer: I apologize if I have used any improper or offensive language or concepts in laying out this hypothetical. I'd welcome any corrections on that front so I can learn how to speak and think about this issue more appropriately.)

Let's say that my son has Down Syndrome, and has the effective mental age of an elementary school student. He'll probably never be able to live on his own, but he should be able to have a job and take care of his day-to-day life reasonably well as he grows older.

Let's say my son turns 18 years old, and he tells me that he's fallen in love with someone and wants to move into their house, and maybe get married someday.

If my son's partner is also 18 years old (or older), but does not have Down Syndrome or other developmental disabilities, does this implicate "age of consent" concerns because my son, although physically 18 years old, is not traditionally considered to be mentally equivalent to an 18 year old person? Or is only his physical age relevant?

If his mental age is relevant, is there some way to have my son assessed to determine whether he can give legally-effective informed consent to have romantic relations with and/or marry his partner? (I'm assuming the parent can't just "give permission" for this sort of thing on the child's behalf.)

What if his partner (over 18 years old) also has Down Syndrome? Can they / do they both need to get assessed to make sure both of them are "over 18" and have the capacity to get married? Can one of them claim to have been the victim of child sexual abuse if the other is of an "older mental age" than the other?

Input for any jurisdiction would be interesting to hear.

Thanks.

Answer:
 Age of consent laws generally are written to minimize interpretation, and generally only control by age. However, most jurisdictions have a separate offence for sexually exploiting someone who is not competent to give consent - either as part of their sexual assault/rape statute, or as a separate charge.

This is a complicated subject area, though, because developmental disabilities don't always completely void someone's ability to give consent to sexual contact. The specific facts of the relationship between the accused and the victim, the encounter itself, and the alleged victim's capacity would all play into it.

Often, if someone is not competent, then when they reach adulthood a family member will petition for guardianship, which gives them a lot of ability to intervene in their ward's personal lives. For example, as your hypothetical son's guardian, you would likely be able to determine whether he does or does not move out to live with his intended, whereas with a competent adult (or an incompetent one who hasn't been placed under guardianship), you would not have the ability to intervene. Part of the process of applying for guardianship involves arguing the case for the ward's incompetence, generally with medical evidence.


Title: Can someone explain to me in layman's terms what happened in the Peace Corps lawsuit, Murray v. Vaughn?

Answer:
 Murray was in the Peace Corps, which entitles him to not be drafted. He got kicked out of the Peace Corps for speaking out against the Vietnam War, and then was subsequently reclassified by the draft board and then drafted. He refused induction. He sued, saying that the government can't kick him out for speaking his mind, and that he didn't get due process before being kicked out, and that the draft board could not change his classification for that reason. He wanted the judge to order him reinstated into the Peace Corps, and his draft be cancelled.

The government filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the court didn't have jurisdiction in this case, lacked the power to order the commissioner of the Peace corps to change discretionary decisions, and also there was a law passed by Congress saying no one could challenge their draft classification.

The court ruled that it did have subject matter jurisdiction because, for one thing, plaintiff was alleging the right things to get jurisdiction, and, for another reason, if it didn't, then no one did, which would mean the government would be without oversight entirely in this matter. It also ruled that if the peace corps discharged him unlawfully, then it wasn't a discretionary decision of the commissioner, and therefore the legality of it could be reviewed, and, if it was found to be unlawful, the court court in fact order him to change it.

Finally, the court also ordered the plaintiff to brief his problem with due process at the hearing better and resubmit that part of his lawsuit.


Title: (Memphis, TN) If someone is on a lease for a rented house but hasn't lived in that residence for over 30 days, do they still have legal residence at that house?

Question: I'm wondering if I can move all of my flaky roommates stuff into the attic and move someone else into their room. If they're not legally a resident here at this house, technically their becomes the property of the residents of the house, correct? And therefore I have a right to disturb the property and move it about the house? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 No. If they have a lease on the room or apartment it's theirs. Nor would even somehow ending their tenancy magically transform their stuff into someone else's stuff.

Are they not paying or have they in some other way defaulted on the lease?  Are you their landlord?


Title: Am I legally obligated?

Question:
Updated: Thanks for the help. Called a lawyer - found out I didn't need to attend.

I have been living with a friend of mine (in NY) for the last few years. The landlord knows I live here, but I am not on the lease. I have been paying for half the rent and utilities the entire time I've lived here.

Just recently, I learned from the landlord that my roommate hasn't paid rent since March. A week after this, a summons arrived in the mail - sent to me, but addressed to my roommate and 'Jane Doe' (which is me).

My name wasn't on the summons, but I did sign for the letter. What do I do? What are my responsibilities/legal obligations- if any?

Answer: You've been served. Apparently the landlord is taking you both to court.... There should be directions and information in the letter on where and when you need to be in court.


Title: My judge isn't allowing me to use my medical marijuana card. Is this legal?

Question: I'm on drug court in pa and my judge isn't allowing me to use my medical mj card. Threatening jail time. I am diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (causes chronic pain), Opioid use disorder, ptsd. Is there anything I can do about this or do I need to just abstain. I'm suffering and all he can suggest is that I get on methodone or Suboxone. I've been opiate free since August so this makes zero sense to me. Is there any legal action I can take or am I just stuck in this situation for the duration of my drug court time? Any information or help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: Judges have a wide range of things they can restrict or remove.Answer #2: Marijuana is still federally illegal, so yes.  The judge can forbid you from breaking the law during your probation.


Title: Religious discrimination?

Question:
I recently started a job as a management trainee in a multi billion dollar international business. During my initial phone interview I told the HR representative that I am a Christian very involved with my church, and would be unable to work on Sunday’s. She assured me that my local branch would do everything possible to accommodate me, including switching shifts with people, if the issue ever came up. Fast forward a couple weeks, I have the job and I get scheduled on a Sunday. I found another employee in the same position as me willing to trade me shifts, we speak with the manager and he tells me that because the company “is an equal opportunity employer, we cannot make exceptions for you based on your religion. We must treat every employee the same, and every employee has to work a certain amount of Sunday shifts. No one wants to work on Sunday’s it is just something you have to deal with when you work for a company with a 7 day operation.”

I am fairly certain that is not what equal opportunity means. My religious beliefs prohibit me from working on Sunday, and I am willing to lose my job for the sake of my convictions, however I would prefer it not come to that, what are my options?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Generally an employer must offer a reasonable accommodation for sincerely held religious beliefs, unless such accommodation would cause undue hardship on the business. This includes accommodations for observance of the sabbath. I.e, shift swapping, use of PTO or other leave to take sabbath days off, etc.

An employer need not offer every possible accommodation. But you may want to try and bridge an amicable solution to the problem by engaging in an open dialogue with higher ups  before attempting to file a charge with a state or federal agency regarding the discrimination. You will also probably want to sit down with an employment lawyer in your state to discuss this further.Answer #2: You're right that that's not what being an equal opportunity employer tends to mean in my experience.

That said, not scheduling you to work every Sunday may not necessarily be a reasonable accommodation either, and they'd be perfectly within their rights to terminate you. Answer #3: My guess is that this is a retail job, correct?

During the interview process, was there a question or form filled out on availability to work? If so, what did you put down for your availability?


Title: [Update] Rent is due and I don't know who to pay [Ohio]

Question:
I received a notice earlier this month saying we have a new management company. Turns out they aren't managing and aren't collecting rent. Our old management company is also not taking the rent. Nobody would tell me what to do or who to talk to.

I looked on the auditor's website and couldn't find anything about the owner. Turns out that's because the address on the lease is wrong. The apartment is between 2 roads, a main road and a side road. The lease says the main road is the address, but the auditor's office says the side road is the correct address. Fucking weird.

So after using the updated address I discovered that the building is supposedly owned by an LLC in Oregon. After searching on Google I could not find ANYTHING about this LLC. The tax billing address was to a firearm LLC company, also in Oregon. Also no information on Google. What the fuck, right?

So in the end I went to the court house and paid into escrow, and included a $10 late for for being a day late. I shouldn't have to pay that, but I want to make sure I'm covered.

None of this makes any sense and I genuinely don't know what'll happen next. This is so weird.

Answer:
 How weird. You handled it well, I probably wouldn't have thought to pay into escrow. Keep us posted.Answer #2: Just found your update. Sounds like you did the right thing which is more than 99% of tenants, so your landlord cannot possibly get upset. Good luck!Answer #3: Can you explain the escrow business please?Answer #4: Are you in a building with other tenants?Answer #5: That's pretty smart. I honestly don't know if I would have thought of it.Answer #6: Sheesh, what a mess.

I have a feeling that someone will probably contact you soon to tell you where to send your rent money. People dont' forget when they're owed money. At the very least, they'll contact you to complain that you haven't paid/notify you that you're behind on rent. You'll have more information then.


Title: Wife falsely accused - seeking damages

Question: My wife was accused of theft in Shelby county Alabama. She spent time in jail until we could get the money to pay a bondsman. She went to court and plead not guilty at which point she was told the plaintiff was dropping the charges. I was advised to make a small claims...claim with the district court. Could anyone please tell me how to do this or where to go for more information? Were seeking compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, slander and our money back that we spent on a bondsman if that helps. Thanks.

Answer:
 You want to sue the state for arresting her?

Do you have proof that they acted with malice? What exactly did the state do wrong? Or who are you wanting to sue?


Title: Possible workplace discrimination, please advise

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can be terminated for voicing your opinion. Your opinion is not a federally protected class.

This is why you don't speak politics with coworkers.


Title: Ticket received from officer who was killed accidentally in a training exercise.

Question: Ocala, Florida. I received a ticket from an officer for driving the wrong way on one-way street (was attempting to make a tight u-turn, and unavoidably poked into the road before I reversed) I was considering challenging the ticket, however the officer who gave me the ticket [tragically died in an accidental shooting during a firearm training exercise](http://www.wesh.com/news/ocala-police-officer-in-critical-condition-after-accidental-shooting dated I rear may training/32217774) What would actually happen if I challenged the ticket in court?

Answer:
 Depends on whether s/he was the only officer involved in your ticket.  If so, they would likely need to dismiss the ticket. Object to any attempt by the prosecution to admit the police report.Answer #2: They could have the incident on video, correct?

Appear in court, plead not-guilty, ask to see the prosecutor.

The prosecutor will either have video or he won't.


Title: Marriage for citizenship? (very specific situation)

Question:
Long story short; my boyfriend & his family came to the US from Israel about 15 years ago on a travel visa, overstayed their visit, parents got divorced, each married a US citizen, both parents now have US citizenships. My boyfriend left the US when he was 18 to join the Israeli military, but because he was still in the process of getting his citizenship at the time it cancelled it and basically gave him an X on his file. Also, he has a criminal record in the US (all from when he was under 18) but because he had multiple offenses they cannot be erased. It's been 5 years since he left the US.

I am a US citizen and a currently student in the US. We want to get married this summer so he can get a marriage visa. If we meet in Mexico (or Brazil or some other random country for vacation) & get married, will he be guaranteed a US visa/citizenship? Does this need to take place in Israel since he resides there?
I know it takes a little while after officially getting married to get citizenship, but if they won't let him in the US then how else are we supposed to get married/have a relationship? We've been dating (currently long-distance) for 4 years now.
Thank you!!

Answer:
 Marriage will not guarantee him anything.  He needs an immigration lawyer. Answer #2: If he is inadmissible due to his criminal record, then marriage to a US citizen does not overcome that barrier. I'd highly recommend sitting down with an immigration attorney before attempting your marriage.

Depending on the timeline of things, he may have had an oppurtunity to get a green card and then automatic citizenship before he left. It depends on if he was included on his parents green card petition, and if he received a green card, and if his parent became a USC before he turned 18.

As for how you have a relationship if he can't come to the US - you go to Israel. What's preventing you from traveling there?


Title: [TX] My younger brother has SEVERE mental health problems and my parents refuse to do anything.

Question:
I'm 18, I live in Texas. Don't live with my parents but talk to them frequently and visit often, currently going to a college less than an hour drive away. They live in Texas too. My parents and I have some rather stark ideological differences but nothing has ever come up to this level beyond some intense dinner arguments.

My younger brother is almost 16 and is going nuts, his mental health in the last three months has rapidly deteriorated in a way that I'm sure has affected his physical health. I speak to him on a daily basis and have watched this. List:

1. He has mentioned multiple times that he hears voices, and often ones that scream at him angrily AND TELL HIM TO COMMIT VIOLENCE. He has literally mentioned demons during calls with me. Very paranoid and anxious, talks about people trying to get him. My parents do not believe him or otherwise do not take this seriously. My parents don't have guns in the house thankfully but I'm still terrified.

2. He (by choice) eats an all meat diet. Not a lot of meat, ONLY meat. Frequently complains of headaches, tiredness and constipation but refuses to change diet. Parents support this completely. He also does lengthy fasts sometimes without any WATER and lies to my parents about not eating. Also has mentioned making himself vomit on occasion.

3. HE SUNGAZES. If you are wondering if that is what it sounds like you are right; he literally stares at the sun for extended periods of time in order to "heal" himself. He firmly believes this is good for him and refuses to stop. He tells me this but lies to my parents and tells them he doesn't.

4. Has self-described insomnia. Tells me he can't sleep for longer than two or three hours at a time.

5. He has also picked up a LOT of very sexist/racist rhetoric in the last few months which he's very open about telling me about. I'm a girl and he openly disregards all my advice for his mental health because of this. This technically isn't a mental health thing but I thought it worth mentioning. My parents aren't necessarily the most far-removed from having some of these views themselves so they don't view them as a concern but my brother has been saying some incredibly messed up stuff. Hard Rs during every phone call. He never had this issue at all before and had essentially opposing views five or six months ago.

My parents refuse to do anything. I've called his school and CPS multiple times; the former after a ton of prodding brought him to the office and asked him if he was feeling okay before sending him back to homeroom and the latter continues to do nothing despite me reporting a minor with what is probably untreated schizophrenia at least TWO DOZEN times.

I have no idea what to do. Nobody listens to me despite sending multiple complaints in multiple different formats. I'm so scared for him and it's being treated like a joke. He's a completely different person.

Answer:
 You should continue to call CPS if you think he is not getting proper medical care.

He is also 16, so he can go to a doctor on his own or you can take him to one if you want, he may just have to pay out of pocket if you all don't want the visit showing up on an insurance billAnswer #2: Reporting to CPS is the right thing to do.

You need to keep calling. You need to specifically mention the words "medical neglect." You might also want to mention "untreated eating disorder." I wouldn't jump to schizophrenia, he's experiencing serious vitamin deficiencies and other physical issues, so let's rule those out first.

It is extremely challenging to force a teenager to accept help they don't want, so this is going to be an uphill battle.

Your best bet may be convincing your parents to take him to a doctor for a full medical checkup, focusing on the diet thing if your parents are resistant to talk around mental health issues.