Title: (Ontario, Canada) 24 hours after signing a Residential Tenancy Agreement with my landlord, She tells me that her "lawyer" has informed her that she is too liable and that it won't work out.

Question:
Essentially in the title. But to explain, LL = Landlord.

On Sunday afternoon I saw a room I'd be renting in a house. Someone was renting the house herself, I think, and was then renting out the room to me. The place looked great and I informed her I would be interested. She said she would get back to me and a couple of hours later, a 2 hour long phone call occurred in which she said that everything seemed great and to come over the next day with the forms to sign. At this point I had informed her I was on disability and I was gay, not sure if relevant but meh. She said that she had only rented to people who were working before so she wasn't sure how to go about this. I explained I had to get her to sign a rental agreement thing and a form for a program that I'm in locally called THAP (basically they (the city) pay a portion of my rent to the landlord). She said okay but seemed slightly offput. Didn't think anything of it at the time. A lot I didn't think anything of at the time but I'm going to include it simply because it may be relevant.

I go over to her place with the forms and she reads them over and signs it. She makes a couple of notes outloud, such as "Oh that means you'll have to take care of my flowers" which isn't outlined quite like she made it seem. She circles and underlines a few things, strikes out an area where it says I gave her money for the month until I put it in myself with her watching. She signs the agreement, I give her the money, we both agree that the rest of the funds for first/last months rent would be given when I move in or at the end of the month. She states she will not deposit the funds just in case anything goes wrong. She asks me to text her after my surgery this morning. I agree, I bid her farewell and go home.

Blah blah wisdom teeth extraction blah, I wake up and send her a text saying my tongue felt enormous. She said it was normal but would wear off in a few days, and then the snore emoticon. I didn't notice and texted her back a few hours later. Within 30-45 minutes of me texting her, she sends me the following email.

>Hi <my name>,

>I know this is bad timing but after careful review with my lawyer-we are not comfortable with the doccuments..i would be held liable for tons and that isn't good so I have your money as stated yesterday June 17 2017 and you can get at anytime but this situation will not work out

>regards, <landlords name>

I'm now looking for new places. I'm stressed to all hell and feeling overwhelmingly depressed. Which, I forgot to mention, she did ask what my disability was and I said that I had PTSD and depression. So, fuck her a bit. Anyway, thoughts?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If you both signed a lease, she cannot unilaterally declare said lease invalid.


Title: My friend is getting security clearance, does she really need my info?

Question:
A friend of mine is getting security clearance because of her job (Department of State - Washington, DC) and she texted me that since we're in continuous contact she'll need to procure my personal info since I'm a foreign national (in the process of getting asylum)

This is what she said she needs:

1. Full name (including middle name)
2. Country of citizenship
3. Date of birth (day/month/year)
4. Place of birthday (city and country)
5. Current address

Is this really necessary? Is it safe to give her this info?

Answer:
 The government can ask pretty much anything they want for this. You're not required to but if she doesn't provide it then she might not get the clearance.Answer #2: It's not going to impact your application. The two departments don't talk to each other. You have more of a chance of harming her clearance than providing the information hurts your application. Answer #3: So, you don't *have* to give it to her.  She may not get her security clearance because of it.

If you are in the process of getting asylum, the government already has all your info though.


Title: Need help! My landlord/boss snapped!

Question:
I'm living on Long Island in a basement apartment. I had worked for my landlord for 5 years in his household and lived in the apartment attached to his home for 4 years, and my paychecks since moving in were always garnished to cover my rent.

I quit this week to move to a new job, I gave notice BEFORE I interviewed and before I got the new job, and offered to my landlord that I could negotiate with the new company to give him his 2 weeks notice (or more if he needed it). He supported me and told me I could start my new job as soon as I wanted. He told me in this conversation that he would not increase my rent. I also informed him that I would be moving out by the end of the summer.

The next day he told my girlfriend, who lives with me in the apartment in his home, that he would not increase the rent (which has stayed the same for the 4 years I have lived here and the past ~year she has lived with me).

On this past Friday, my last day of work, he arranged a meeting with he and his wife once I was off the clock. They told me that they had to raise my rent by 33% due to costs that were "subsidized." I left to discuss this with my girlfriend, we decided it was too high and we tried to reason with my landlord. He told us that whatever other bills we had and the fact that I was moving jobs and wouldn't be payed for some time were not his problem (naturally) and that he expected to be paid the very next day (Saturday, July 1st).

I spent the rest of the day researching my rights using google and talking to anyone I knew with experience in matters like these. I read that a landlord cannot increase rent without a rent cycle's notice.

On Saturday I told my landlord that I would not pay the extra 200 dollars on such short notice, and that I would pay the original agreed upon price. He accused me of stealing from him and flew into a rage. He screamed in my face and my GF's, he called us every dirty name in the book in front of their children, he told us to "get the fuck out" of "his" house, I told him to show me an eviction notice, and he slammed the door in our face and changed his wi-fi password. The last thing I said to him as he sent us off here was that I would not pay him at all.

He then took a spare key to my car (for parking reasons and for access to car seats) and drove off in my car. I called the police, they determined that my car was just around the corner and that my landlord had a right to remove it from his property(?) and my landlord told us that we could not park in his (enormous) driveway. Parking in the street overnight, of course, can result in a ticket in our town.

The police officer who arrived calmed the situation down and advised that my girlfriend and I move out as soon as possible for our own sakes.

Sunday, July 2nd at 7am my girlfriend and I were awakened by insane stomping directly above our bedroom. When I left my room we saw that my landlord had dragged all of our belongings out of our laundry room (he has his own upstairs) and he had sent me texts telling me not to use "his" laundry room. I responded with a quote from a legal website about giving proper notice for rent increases and for kicking us out.

He responded by bursting down the stairs and screaming in our faces. He yelled that it was his home, we had no right to be there, he could remain in our apartment as long as he wanted as it was his home. He said he would have us removed as squatters and he would drag us out bloody if he had to. All the while he was hurling insults at both me and my girlfriend, paying particular attention to calling her a cunt at least a few dozen times about an inch from her face, which I took as an attempt anger us into getting physical. During this, his wife ran downstairs and yelled most of the same things at us, then said that we "never payed a dime in rent" before he sent her away.

I called the police again during this argument, this time they arrived with 3 cars. They assured me that he could not kick us out or evict us out of the blue, they told us some of our rights as tenants, and they de escalated the situation. They told my landlord that we were still entitled to the laundry room I have been using for years at this point and they told us to remove ourselves from the situation and call the police immediately if they confronted us again.

We spent the day away from the apartment to clear our heads and enjoy the weather. My landlord texted me non-stop with legal threats and insults and still telling me that I "never payed a dime in rent" and that I'm not a "tenant" I'm an "unwanted guest in his home." I never responded to any of his messages after the laundry room thing, but he kept on sending them. Threats threats threats threats threats and then an offer of peace: I leave in two weeks and I owe him nothing. I did not respond.

When I returned home a few hours later, all of the things I had returned to the laundry room that morning were once again in the hallway. We spent the night uneasily watching redbox movies in the bedroom with our bedroom door locked.

This morning, Monday the 3rd of July we were again awakened by the loud banging right above us, about 7 o clock AM. They have young children upstairs, so we're used to noise, but this was much louder than any stomping a 4 year old can produce.

As my girlfriend left to start her day of work, she realized that my landlord had taken her vegetable plants that she had recently purchased to bring with her to her summer camp job to teach children to garden, thrown them hastily into a recycling bag, and deposited them at the bottom of the stairwell at our front door. They knew of these plants previously and they had agreed how nice of an idea it was, only days ago. (Plus the plants were only staying until today so if they had waited 30 minutes they wouldn't have had to go to the trouble of messing with our stuff).

My girlfriend and I have a place to move into at the end of the summer, and we are extremely uneasy living with these people and their attempts to drive us out. We have lots of stuff here and if we (god forbid) have to move in with our parents, we may need a place to store our furniture.

What are our rights in Nassau county? What should we do next? It is an illegal apartment, but I did sign a lease at the start and my copy was destroyed in a flood, so I can't refer to it. I also don't want to ask for a new copy as I completely believe, for many reasons after knowing these people, that they would alter it in their favor.

Also, what's up with them saying I never payed rent? His wife said it was a "stipend" but that is never how it was explained to me previously, just like it was never explained that $200 was being "subsidized". I believe they're trying to retroactively change the terms we agreed upon to cover theirselves legally.

tl;dr- My landlord raised my rent with one days notice, I refused to pay the increase, he told me to "get the fuck out" and began harassing me and my girlfriend.

Answer:
 I'm sorry to hear of this horrendous situation. In legal terms they are 100% in the wrong, except that it's never a good idea to withhold payment of the rent - you pay (the amount agreed, not the spurious increase) so you can prove you were acting in good faith.

As this is Off Topic, not r/LegalAdvice, my personal suggestion is to get the hell away from that toxic situation, take them up on the free two weeks to move out, and find absolutely anywhere else to go.

Best of luck. Answer #2: this sounds like something that should be in r/legaladvice rather than in offtopic.Answer #3: Not legal advice but personal, as I read this, my first concern was that you were going to change the locks. He sounds unreasonable enough that he may try this. Be sure to find temporary storage for your important personal documents, like yesterday. If he changes the locks and bin your things your going to want those items in a safe spot.

As for the rest pay your rent on time, and document everything.


Title: Child's father had court today. He didnt expect the outcome to be good but I can't find him in the sheriffs office intake records

Question:
 My childs father (who I am no longer with) has gotten himself in trouble a few times here lately and he already has a record. Around 9 months ago he was arested on trafficking meth. 250k secured bond. He magicly gets a out on bond after a few weeks. He clearly does not have this kind of money. I suspect he is cooperating with authorities to put himself in a better situation. This past weekend he comes to visit his son and informed me he may not come out of court today. His girlfriend mentions talking to a lawyer about their deal. He has kept everything very hush from me but he had previously mentioned the FBI being involved.
So if you make a deal with the FBI do you go to local jail?
On the court calendar for today he has a verdict number does this mean the case is closed?
I havent heard from him and I would like to prepare myself for the conversation I am going to have with our 8yr old son.

Answer:
 Have you checked the jail website?  VINE?  Failing that you can always call the court clerk in the morning.

I know here in my small town it takes them about 12-24 hours to enter info into their records website.  Could just be that.


Title: Local business wants to stop us from advertising at gamestop, is there anything they can actually do?

Question:
A local arcade is hosting touraments at 3 out of the 52 gamestops there are in my region. A couple other members wanted to go to a few of the gamestops (not just the ones the arcade is hosting a tournament at), but the arcade owner is adamant about not allowing the flyers to be handed out at the ones where he's going to be.

&#x200B;

Can he actually stop us from handing out flyers? There's nothing negative about him on them, just advertising our facebook page, and a few other local tournaments.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Yes, I'm asking for legal advice about super smash bros. flyers. I just want to make sure my friends and I aren't doing anything wrong.

Answer:
 Gamestop can tell you not to do that in their stores.

The arcade guy can kick you out of his tournament for doing things he doesn't like.

But he can't legally stop you.


Title: Landlord went Bankrupt, Being Evicted. what are my rights?

Question:
hey reddit so me and my roommate rent an apt in Salem, Massachusetts with our landlord who recently has been in the hospital since summer.Yesterday we got a letter from her saying she had gone bankrupt and we had basically a month to vacate (January 15,2016). The thing is both me and my friend work and don't have time to look for a place on top of the holidays and not many people willing to show houses in this timespan. I'm calling her friend today to see if we can get an extension on our eviction but if they don't budge what is our legal recourse? I don't want to have to take them to court bc beyond this she has been a good landlord but if her friend doesn't budge with the eviction date I'm afraid I might have to. What can i do in the situation? (Keep in mind we're both in our 20's and cant afford any legal rep either)

TL:DR Landlord Bankrupt,Being Evicted in a month but need more time what can we do?

Answer:
 so the lease term is for a year which isnt supposed to be up until Feb 1,2016 and there's an additional clause in it that says "tenant will give 60 days notice of terminating rental agreement". Does that also apply if the situation is reversed with landlord or could this only be taken as implied and not hold up?Answer #2: [Link](http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/docs/tenantsrights.pdf) to a MA tenent rights doc.

Send it over to your LL. Should help back up your lease. MA is a very pro-tenant state, so you're good till the end of your lease.


Title: HOA won’t show landscaping bid to homeowners

Question: (Utah) Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit. My HOA won’t do some needed landscaping, because they say the cost is too high. It sounded off, so I emailed the HOA and asked to see a copy of the bid. They refused, saying “Since it is a bid, we are unable to share that document”.  How could an HOA refuse to share that information with homeowners? Is that legit?

Answer:
 Closed, confidential bidding is not unusual. They may not want that information to become public for a variety of reasons. If the bid was rejected, it’s likely irrelevant anyway.

Do your HOA bylaws address this in any way?


Title: [World] What parts of the Terms and Conditions of applications that users "agree" to are unenforceable?

Question:
While installing Steam, I noticed that it had a rather large block of legalese in its Terms and Conditions, a lot of which seems really counter-intuitive to the program's purpose (terminate your account at any time) and also seem to provide them ways to screw over users (liability limitations).

Based on what I've learnt on this subreddit, a severely one-sided contract like this would fall afoul of the consideration aspect of contract law, no? Can you guys inform me of the stuff that I should know before I mindlessly click "I Agree" while installing stuff?

Answer:
 It depends on where you are.

The terms of service are largely enforceable because Valve can refuse service if you violate them. In most places, there's no law obliging Valve to refund you, or to continue service.

Liability waivers are inherently limited in scope: Valve can ask you to waive your right to sue them over the ordinary risks of using their software (bugs, bad games, and so on), but not your right to sue them over gross negligence (unlikely with software not related t health care or system control) or intentional actions.


Title: Can a pub press charges against me if my date doesn't pay for their meal

Question: Went on a shitty date last week and only paid for my meal. My date, however, was under the expectation they were getting a free meal, and refused to pay for their 3 drinks and expensive dish. There was no promise beforehand of a free meal. The server said I couldn't leave until everything was paid for and called the manager, LITERALLY CALLED, as he was in a restaurant across the street. The server said that I was responsible since we were "in the same party". My date, however, bailed and even took her FUCKING LEFTOVERS. Walked right by the server who told us to stay. When the server came back, they said the manager would be over here in 15 minutes and that I had to wait. As my bill was already paid, I told them I was leaving and that it wasn't my problem, but they said the pub could press charges as they had my debit card information. So could I get in trouble for this?

Answer: Did you two ask for seperate bills at the beginning?


Title: Can I be evicted if I give notice to move?

Question:
This is in California. I have previously been told by the landlord that she would let me break the lease (via text).

The lease states that the security deposit cannot be used for the last months rent. I don’t trust the landlord and feel that if I paid her the last months rent, I would end up having to sue her for my deposit.

If I give her a 30 day notice and tell her to use the security deposit for last months rent anyway, can she try to file an eviction even though I intend on moving?

There is no damage to the property, by the way.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Yes. You can be evicted if you don’t pay rent. And are not entitled to direct the use of the security deposit in this way.

The security deposit protects landlord against damages. It isn’t last month rent.

If your landlord fails to return your deposit you can sue for it. Don’t get righteously evicted on your fear they might.


Title: How to use other people's images legally for making instagram posts

Question: I live in California. I've started a personal project where I make content on instagram. The content that I make is informational but the pictures that I use to make my posts are from the internet. If I modify the image, do I need to put the source of the images on the post? If so is the right way to cite my source by putting it on my post or can I put it in the description? What's the best way to cite?

Answer: Crediting the photos isn't the issue. You can't use them in the first place without permission from the rightsholder, which would usually be the photographer.


Title: Can my boss cut my paid lunch from 1hr to 30min even though it's in my contract?

Question:
Hi Reddit.

I take an hour lunch everyday to escape my talkative coworker (and eat). It's in my contract that I have an hour paid lunch, and I've never gone for more than an hour so I never thought there was a problem. Today my boss said I have to be back in 30 minutes and can no longer take an hour. When I asked if that meant he was cutting my lunch to 30 minutes he avoided it and just said I had to. I informed him it was in my contract but the issue does not seem resolved.

If I still take an hour I feel like it would contribute to a negative working environment.. Do I have to take 30 minutes now or should I continue as usual?

I live in Ontario if that helps.

Answer:
 Tell him if he wants to renegotiate your contract then you can chat about that.....

Entire point of a contract is to keep people from doing crap like that.

I suggest you take an hour to reread it and ensure he doesn't have a loophole to exploit.


Title: [VA] A couple friends and I are looking to buy some land and pool our money, what's the best way about this?

Question:
So, basically about 4 of my close friends (ive now known for ten years) and myself are looking to pool our savings together and buy a decent chunk of land in some rural part of Virginia, county will vary upon price we can afford. Well most of them have very little in savings (less than $2k) I have about $15k, but I have no credit or debt. We figured that a decent size plot, about 40 or 50 acres would be fine. This land would be mostly for hunting/camping/vacation but I would end up building a small cabin or buying an rv and living there part time. My new job requires a lot of travel, so I'm never home anyways. The problem lies within someone being the landowner, which would end up being me, considering I make the most money. Like I said, I have no credit, because I've never bought anything on credit or financed anything, while they have and would be co-signers. Worst case scenario, they all bailed, I could probably cover the payments, up to $1500 a month but I don't want to do that. 90% of my income is disposable, which allows me to save more and enjoy a care-free lifestyle. I trust these guys with a lot of things, but I've never gone into territory like this.

Tl;dr: some friends and I want to buy some land, but I'm not sure of the best way to protect myself or the best way to make sure it's a fair deal.

Answer: Form an LLC. Draft a member agreement that sets out all of your obligations, and what will happen if one or all of you wants out of the LLC, or if any of you don't live up to your obligations. The LLC can then buy the land.


Title: Been making 7.75/hr. Is it legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No, they must pay minimum wage. You can also file a complaint with the Department of Labor for back pay.


Title: Friend is being taken out of art next year for teacher issues, is this even legal?

Question: So my friend has had multiple issues with our art teacher this year. She recently made a powerpoint to help illustrate what is going ok n, and how the teacher is being rude.(she's not a very effective communicator by herself) This caused our principal to "ban" her from taking art next year. I was wondering if this is even legal for him to do.

Answer:
 Yes, it's legal for a principal to handle interpersonal disputes by not scheduling someone with the other person. That said, if said scheduling prevents a student from taking a prerequisite to a later course, or from getting a diploma \(like, say, refusing to schedule you for English or Math\), then you'd have a valid complaint.

It may be against district policy, however. She could inquire with the district.Answer #2: Your friend thinks the teacher is rude, and asked the principal to solve the problem for her, so your principal did just that: he solved the problem by removing the student from the class, so now she doesn't have to deal with the rude teacher anymore.

Of course it's legal. Your friend isn't entitled to take any particular class with any particular teacher. Answer #3: Schools have wide latitude in student schedules. So long as the class is not mandated by law to graduate, they can block them from taking it.


Title: New Jersey. We are caretakers in a historic home and also pay competitive rent to live there. Our landlord just told us we have to move before my due date in early April because minors are not allowed to live in their residence.

Question:
Basically the title says it all.

I told our landlord in mid-October that I was pregnant. So for the past six weeks she and the board that runs the houses have known our situation. It was never our intention to live in our house for more than a year after our son is born but I definitely wanted to live there for that year.

She says it’s in our lease but I am away from my house right now and don’t have access to it. Either way, I don’t think because it’s a historic home that they don’t have to be held to the same standards as other NJ landlords. However they have allowed our heat to lapse, letting us live in 47 degrees for over 48 hours before sending someone to fix our crap thermostat, and there have been other things that have happened that are questionable at best when it comes to our rights as renters.

Still, it has the potential to be a funky situation because the house is historic and we are caretakers and employees. We do pay 1,400 a month to live there, so you’d think we’d have some rights.

Is this legal? What do I do? Also what kind of person tells a pregnant woman four months before her due date that she has to move out AND THEN tries to plan a face to face meeting?

Is she insane? She definitely DOES NOT WANT to meet with me face to face right now. Or maybe ever again as long as she lives.

Answer: Is there a possibility that one of the owners or someone else that is occasionally on the property is not legally allowed to be around minors? Not that this would be your fault, just seems really really odd.Answer #2: Is there lead paint in the home? You may not WANT to be there with a babyAnswer #3: I'm not familiar with the rules in New Jersey specifically, but in some locations, property caretakers operate under *very* different laws and regulations than ordinary renters.


Title: Update WA [Hit and Run] driver sentence

Question:
I think I had removed my old post as it had too much identifying information. The summary is that I was hit by an idiot deliberately as he had road rage, he hurled abuses at me and my family and then drove off as I asked for his insurance.

Called the cops, located him, called the cops again, he was arrested and charged with hit and run , hurled racist abuses at me also as he was being arrested.

He hired a pretty expensive lawyer, turned out he was uninsured. They tried to settle with me, I refused. A few days ago he was sentenced. I saw they lowered his charge from hit and run attended to unattended and added malicious mischief of 3rd degree. I got no subpeona. They did however lie about extent of damage in plea deal to probably get him a better deal. Damage to my car was around $3k they mention <$750 in the judgement.

He has been ordered community service, a few days in the slammer a nice fine and icing on the cake his license is suspended and here is hoping he has to file SR-22.

Although not the max punishment I had hoped for, I believe justice did happen. He would never hit someone again, drive without insurance (terms of his probation, yayness) and hopefully not racially profile and abuse others.

Also a restituion hearing has to be scheduled and the order states the value is tbd to be paid to me, I wonder what happens there. Any tips would be appreciated, most of my damagewas paid by my insurance company under uninsured claim, I did however have to suffer as I didnt have rental so going to office was a pain for a week plus my deductible and loss in value of my spanking new car.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Malicious mischief 3rd degree has a limit of $750 . Any higher and it would be malicious mischief 2nd degree, a felony, and would have to be tried by the county. More than likely your county prosecutor declined to prosecute which explains the change in charges.


Title: Lyft driver physically threatened me and my gf, and tried coercing us into paying him more money

Question:
As the title says....in addition, I'm trying to at least get a refund for this. But Lyft is saying their terms of service say they will not give out refunds for any reason whatsoever.

However, the driver, acting as an authorized representative for Lyft, violated their terms of service in several sections.

Not that I would want to escalate this, but would a court really uphold the "no refunds whatsoever" statement when I did not receive the service I paid for or reasonably expected?

My physical safety was threatened and all I ask is for a refund of the $70 fare. But they refuse.

Any tips?

To meet the rules here, this happened in Wisconsin

Answer:
 If someone physically threatens you or is trying to force you to pay them money, call the police. Otherwise I don't see much to act on here. Give the guy a bad review and let Lyft know, maybe they'll fire them.Answer #2: You paid to have the Lyft driver take you from point A to point B. Did he/she do that? If so then you really don't have the law on your side.Answer #3: If your physical safety was threatened, did you call the police and file a report? Answer #4: Why did the driver threaten your physical safety?

There is clearly more to this than you're telling us.


Title: Someone issued an "Intent to use Trademark" for a trademark I was hoping/ready to secure... What are my options? Can I swoop in somewhere?

Question:
To start this out, I am absolutely devastated. I have been working on a brand for over a year now. This past February I met with a lawyer about trademarking. At the time, there was not a single trademark for "mybrandname". It is rather obscure (so we thought) and I wasn't ready to have it in market within 6 months so I didn't do an intent to use knowing I'd ideally be back to secure it in full as fast as I could get it together. My lawyer even thought that was a fine play to save a little money + likelihood it got snatched would be so slim.

Fast forward to today and I reached out to the lawyer (we have been in talks since then) because I was very excited to finally secure my trademark (web store showing it in use, etc.). Apparently, on March 18 of this year, someone filed an intent to use and they have it in market but haven't registered the official mark.

Is there ANYTHING I can do? My lawyer gave me two options, a. sit and wait/HOPE for the intent to use to die out (could be a year from now) or cordially reach out and ask the intentions of the trademark holder. They have an online store and it is quite amateur looking, I don't think business is booming...

Looking for some thoughts...
Minnesota, USA

Answer:
 Unfortunately, the advice from your Attorney is correct.

As a side, this is why I have clients Trademark everything they think they may use in the future.  Expensive, yes, but saves them from this situation.

May the odds be ever in your favor, OP


Title: Girlfriend given low evaluation to make ineligible for bonus check.

Question:
My girlfriend works for a very large corporation that deals with credit, she recently received her year end review and it was a 2/5.  She asked her supervisor to explain how it is so low when she met all her 'company goals'.  The supervisor did not explain the score or justify it, instead put her on probation for (even what her HR department calls) an unheard of reason.

She is now missing out on nearly $5000 in a bonus check because her review was a 2/5.  The supervisor is also new to the company and this is her only/first supervised employee.

I told my girlfriend to speak to the HR department to do a peer review and that she would like an independent review.  She doesn't know what to do but I feel there are some legalities her supervisor is breaking.

It seems unimaginable that if your supervisor doesn't like you can make you suffer that much and lose out on that much money.

Answer:
 There's typically no "entitlement" to a true bonus, absent an employment contract.  If for whatever reason she really wants to pursue it, she'll need to speak to an employment lawyer.  Be prepared to be told there is no case, though.

Finally, keep in mind that not every "wrong" is illegal.  Just because something seems slimy/shady/immoral does not mean it's illegal.


Title: WA state. My father in law poisoned my dog.

Question:
Sorry this got so long, I’m still reeling and trying to process the whole situation and typing it all out has helped.

I live with my in-laws but am moving out the end of April for a new job out of state. I have had many issues with my FIL, but two nights ago was my last straw.

FIL is a stoner. I have no issues with weed and we live in a legal state. However, I believe one must be responsible with it. Part of that responsibility is not leaving your drugs out where children/animals can get to them.

Well, on the night of 26 March, he did just that. My FIL left a pot cookie sitting on the kitchen table and my dog ate it. I had gone to bed by the time she ate it, so I had no idea and FIL didn’t tell me or my husband that our 60lbs dog just consumed enough weed to get a 250lbs man stoned.

I got up for work at 4am and my dog was acting strange. She usually gets the zoomies and wants to go outside when I get up. Yesterday morning though, she wouldn’t move from her bed and couldn’t lift her head up. I was petting her, trying to see what was wrong, when she started convulsing. I had an epileptic dog growing up, so I know what a doggy seizure looks like. I immediately woke my husband up and we took her to the emergency vet.

They ran tests, did scans, and plugged in an IV. After about three hours at the vet, there was still something clearly wrong with my dog. The vet said they weren’t sure what caused it, but to take her home and keep an eye on her and bring her back if anything seems off by the end of the day. All in all we are out about $1800 for the vet visit, and that’s not including any extra treatment she may need in the future for this.

We got home around 9:30am and I was clearly distraught. My MIL asked where we were and upon finding out, casually mentioned the cookie my dog ate. I saw red and honestly almost ripped the woman’s head off because she and my FIL knew my dog had been poisoned and no one told us until 14 hours after the fact.

I am wondering if I can sue my FIL for the cost of the vet bills and lost wages? His negligence poisoned my dog. The $1800 was supposed to go towards our move. I also missed work to stay home with my dog to make sure she didn’t die, so that’s more money I’m out. My dog will be staying with my best friend once I feel she’s okay enough that I don’t need to watch her constantly. Any advice is welcome.

Answer: Not sure why the re-post, but same advice.  You have actual damages and could pursue a small claims action.  Negligence here would be benefited by knowledge that the dog will eat stuff left on the table, so does he regularly do that?Answer #2: Your father in law left out his food on his table in his house? It might put a strain on the relationship but you could try pursuing that in small claims, but I'm not sure if the negligence is on him, or if it's on you as the owner of the dog and the one who is supposed to be supervising him.


Title: Working interview compensation in Kansas

Question:
When does a working interview require compensation? Is there any difference between states?

I was asked to go into a working interview in a basic animal boarding facility in Kansas. The way the employer stated "We prefer you participate as much as your comfort level will allow". There would be 1 or 2 or them lasting 2 hours ish each.

Edit: formatting
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Sounds like a great way to get hired /s.


Title: Commuting to work during blizzard / travel ban [NY]

Question:
Job is insisting on attendance despite blizzard like conditions and driving conditions to be nearly impossible.  The likelyhood of a travel ban is very high.
If i brave the elements and end up getting into an accident can i hold the company accountable for lack of descretion?

Answer:
 No, if you get into an accident, that's 100% on you.

If your employer is ordering employees to come to work, and your locale has banned travel due to extreme weather conditions, then you can report your employer to the government agency who ordered the ban.

&#x200B;


Title: Is a gated community legally responsible for my father's accident?

Question:
Hi everyone,

My sister and brother in law live in a gated community in Michigan very close to Detroit. My parents went to visit them for the holidays. Last week my dad went to throw the garbage and for this he has to cross the parking lot. There was a lot of ice and he fell when he entered the parking lot, it seems that he must had hit baldly his leg somehow with the sidewalk as he slipped with the ice  and fractured his leg. He required surgery. My sister tells me that the administration of the gated community is responsible for putting salt in all common areas to avoid accidents (but I am not sure where is this responsibility coming from and if it is legally binding), but there was none where my father fell. After she filled a complaint and ask if the gated community insurance will pay for the medical expenses they put salt also there. They are still pending to give an answer to my sister. Does anyone of you know if there is a state law or something legally binding that makes them responsible for the accident? What is required for a sue to proceed in this case?
Best regards

Answer: Basically, Michigan landowners don't have a duty to remove snow and ice, and people walking on it should be aware of the danger since it is "open and obvious".  That said, there are some exceptions to those restrictions, so it might be worth it for your father to consult with a Michigan personal injury lawyer.  I suppose that it's possible that the circumstances of his fall might fit into one of those exceptions.


Title: [CA] Teacher violated my explicit dietary requirements

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer: Don't worry. I can assure you that your child is probably going to survive. If you're lucky, you will likely pull through as well.


Title: Can my landlord cut my patio in half to have access to the water heater for the property without drawing up a new lease or reducing my rent?

Question: I rent an apt. in California (san diego). I have a pretty large patio. One of the reasons I got the apt. was for the patio so that my dog could have some space. My landlord called me to tell me that they (the property management) were unaware that my patio has the only access point to the buildings water heater, so they will be moving the fence back to include the door for the water heater so that they can have what he called "emergency access" to it. This will literally cut my patio in half. Is there anything I can do? Get a reduction in rent? Fight it? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Answer:
 Pretty sure this would qualify as a "reduction in services" and would at least warrant a rent discount:

http://sfrb.org/topic-no-352-substantial-decrease-housing-services-petitions

> A "Housing Service" is any service or amenity provided by the landlord connected with the use or occupancy of a rental unit including, but not limited to: repairs; replacement; maintenance; painting; light; heat; water; elevator service; laundry facilities and privileges; janitor service; refuse removal; furnishings; telephone; parking; rights permitted the tenant by agreement, including the right to have a specific number of occupants, whether express or implied, and whether or not the agreement prohibits subletting and/or assignment; and any other benefits, privileges or facilities. Note that a landlord is required to have a "just cause" reason to remove or sever the following housing services from the tenancy: garage facilities, parking facilities, driveways, storage spaces, laundry rooms, **decks, patios,** or gardens on the same lot, or kitchen facilities or lobbies in single room occupancy (SRO) hotels.

> In order for a rent reduction to be granted, the tenant must prove that the decrease in service was substantial, and that the landlord had notice of the condition but failed to restore the housing service within a reasonable time after receiving notice of it. Notice can be actual or constructive.

Maybe you should give these people a call:
San Diego Tenant's Union:
http://www.tenantslegalcenter.com/


Title: What's legal status of polygamy in state of Texas? I'm married to my current wife for 2 years and want to marry my high school girlfriend. My wife has consented to my 2nd marriage. Both my wife will live in same house.

Answer:
 Its status?  Illegal.

2/10, keep trying.


Title: [GA] Super lax HOA suddenly trying to pass ridiculous new covenants that target young growing families. Turnout for meetings is super low, any way to collect votes in advance and represent those who can't attend?

Question: I know you all hate HOAs so now is your time to shine. Is there a way for me to go around and get signatures from members who can't attend the meeting to be able to act as their voting representative in advance? I know none of the neighbors around me will be happy about the proposed changes but getting them to show up to the meeting to vote against them is really going to be hard. I love my neighborhood the way it is, I don't want some old person to suddenly be able to tell me I can't park on the street or what color I can paint my house. A lot of the changes also very clearly target families by limiting the kind of play equipment you can have in your back yard and even outright banning basketball hoops and other equipment.

Answer:
 Read your HOA rules and find out whether proxy voting is allowed, and if it is, what sort of paperwork is required to authorize you to cast votes on behalf of other owners. If your bylaws are silent on it, [proxy votes are allowed](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-14/chapter-3/article-7/part-2/14-3-724/).Answer #2: The more the changes affect only households with children, the more likely they are to violate the Fair Housing Act.Answer #3: I served on our HOA board for four years (Virginia). The best advice I can offer is to look at the laws of your state that regulate HOAs, then read the governing documents regarding rules changes and voting.

If they’re treating certain groups of homeowners differently or allowing some homeowners variances without special circumstances, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. I wouldn’t take legal steps early in the process, but document everything just in case.

Try find others who share your disgust and see if it’s possible to get some of them on the board of directors. During the election process, make sure that the rules are being followed. You can use tools like slack or discord to enable communications. It’s very easy for board members to distort the process to their favor.

Above all, be cordial. You lose a lot of leverage if you escalate things.


Title: (USA/PA) Disqualified from interview due to exercise introduced by interviewer which started with "This isn't fair but we're going to do it anyway.."

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There is no requirement that the hiring process be "fair."

They are only prohibited against discriminating against people for being part of legally protected classes, such as gender or race.

They can restrict hiring to internal people, they can restrict hiring based on people who have experience, they can make you do an in-person task over the phone during an interview.

Answer #2: They can absolutely restrict hiring to those already in the company. They can also ask for someone who is already fluent in the task needed and won't need any additional training to get to the level of competency that is required for day to day work.


Title: (California) What are the legal repercussions and obligations involved with getting married for fun?

Question:
Just to say, the goal of this is to simply get the certificate. This is not a troll post, this is a joke we've wanted to do for a while now. We do not plan on taking advantage of any of the benefits that may come with marriage.

This is a long term joke that my friend and I have been thinking about doing for years. We are both 18 years of age, live far apart (Nevada and Arizona), and will be seeing each other in the weekend. We want to actually do this and have had trouble finding any relevant references for repercussions in a marriage which does not plan to utilize its benefits.

Answer:
 If one of you is seriously injured, the other - not your parents/family members - will be making all your medical decisions.

If one of you dies, the other potentially inherits all you own

You'll need to file your taxes as married - filing separately or joint, but married.
And you will need to report your marital status on your FAFSA.

At some point, you'll be spending $ on a divorce.


Title: X-Post from r/jobs: Avoiding Defamation Risk While Warning Future Employees [WA]

Question:
Washington State.

Related to last week's post about my resignation:

I have less than a week left in my current toxic work environment before I leave to take a new and better (albeit temporary) position in a field I love with employers I trust.
A husband and wife own the real estate company at which I am currently employed, and the wife is so toxic that the agents working in the office planned an intervention re: her treatment of the admin staff. She does not initially give off crazy vibes-- she seems likable and kind in interviews, and as a newbie, I gave her the benefit of the doubt in my first month of employment, brushing off red flags as side effects of my being new, and us still learning to work together. 11 months later, I can fairly say that I should have bailed when I received another offer after two weeks on the job.
I am not allowed to write the job description or explain procedures without the wife literally looking over my shoulder.
She is currently interviewing candidates to replace me, and I dearly want to warn my replacement so they aren't going in blind.
Is there a way to go about this that doesn't involve me straying into defamation lawsuit territory?
If so, please help!

Answer:
 LOL! Real estate is cut-throat. If you can't deal with so-called "toxic" people, you should find another industry to work in. Employees staging an intervention on the owner of a real estate company being too "mean" is laughable though, so thanks for that.

Warning people is a stupid idea. Presumably other people have a bigger backbone than you do and can deal with adults with big-boy or big-girl pants on.


Title: Pet Rent not on the lease

Question:
Hey guys,

first off I live in Colorado. I am in a lease and can't wait to get out. The building management is terrible.

Anyway, when we got a dog, we signed a pet addendum. She explained it's $35/month for the dog, on top of a $200 refundable deposit, and a $200 non-refundable deposit.

After reviewing my lease, I see that there is no mention of the $35/month increase or the $200 refundable deposit. Where it should be listed, nothing is filled in. There is only a mention of the $200 non-refundable fee. [Screenshot Here](http://imgur.com/QtxsByT)

Do I have grounds to request a refund for the 7 months of pet rent I have paid, along with my $200 refundable deposit back? I have 4 more months in my lease.

Let me know, thank you!

Answer: No, because you signed a Pet Addendum.


Title: Class Action against Paypal?

Question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/2yrt81/i_see_your_psn_problem_i_raise_you_my_case_where/

I just read this guy's story and mine sounds awfully familiar. Paypal is still not doing anything about the well known chargeback fraud scheme.

A couple of months ago I sold a pair of rare sneakers to a person in montreal. The person received the item 6 days later. I have written proof from the postal office, plus the online tracking record.

86 days later, the person files an "unauthorized transaction" claim and paypal immediately refunds the money out of my account, without any notice. Unfortunately I had a balance of 2000 USD on my Paypal account and they just took it leaving me in the red with 200 something. I lost the money and the sneakers.

I then contacted Paypal by phone twice. And they hung up on me. I kid you not. They simply didn't care.

I then went on to vent my frustration by email. Their response was they could do nothing about it. It's the credit card companies call and I would need to calm down or else they would ignore my case.

I was absolutey dumbfounded by the way they handled this matter and how they treated me.

I now filed a report with Montreal police regarding the fraudulent buyer and have a lawyer in Singapore, Paypals headquarters, looking into the matter.

I'm also looking for other victims of this scheme to file a class action lawsuit against Paypal. Paypal is ruthlessly taking advantage of their "monopolistic" position. I am located in Switzerland.

Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 >file a class action lawsuit against Paypal.

You can't, unless you opted out of PayPal's mandatory binding arbitration clause.

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-fullAnswer #2: PayPal has a point here. If the credit card company reversed the transaction at the request of the card owner, PayPal has no say in the matter and shouldn't have to eat the loss. Your recourse is to pursue the buyer yourself and sue him for the money.

With that being said though, I hate PayPal and refuse to use them for this very reason. Pretty much all third party payment processors suck and have almost no ability to fight chargebacks. If you're going to accept credit card purchases online, get your own merchant account.Answer #3: How do you know it wasn't a stolen credit card?


Title: Property management company doesn't want to return security deposit because they forgot to renegotiate lease last year

Question:
So, this shithead property management company failed to renegotiate my lease last September. My lease clearly stated that I was on the hook for a year, thereafter on a month to month basis. Cool, I thought. I must now be month to month.

A couple months ago they email me saying, oh, we forgot to renegotiate your lease terms, can you go ahead and sign this one year lease that the owner thought you signed? Uh, no, I replied. I plan to move in the summer. I wouldn't have signed it then, and I'm not signing it now. Never heard back.

Summer is here, I am moving at the end of July. I gave them my 30 days notice that my old lease says I should give. They call and tell me since my contract is until September, I won't be given my security deposit back. I never signed that contract.

SO. I've already left an angry message in return, but what legal action can I threaten in this scenario? I never signed the contract they think I have, and there is no proof of it (there is a collection of signed documents on record with my account, there is no such lease agreement--only my old one).

TL;DR: Property management company forgot to have me sign a new contract, is now acting like I did, even though I told them I would have never signed that contract in the first place. Is small claims court what I would pursue to get my security deposit back?

Answer:
 >They call and tell me since my contract is until September

Call back and ask them to forward you a copy of whatever contract they're referring to. That should be fun, especially if you didn't sign the lease.

>Is small claims court what I would pursue to get my security deposit back?

Yes. Check your state's landlord / tenant laws to see if there are any additional damages for failure to return a security deposit in a timely manner.


Title: Understanding DUI charges [Minnesota]

Question:
My dad is currently in jail and I dont really know how to help him or my mom. She told me this morning that he was arrested last night. I know what he did is wrong, but my mom has been really upset and doesn't know what to do.

I know my dad is really messed up for driving drunk but I need to know how to help him and my mom, my mom says theres nothing I can do, but she's also telling me he's probably going to lose his license and job. I'm really scared about what will happen to our family.

Would I legally be allowed to drive him to work if I have my license? I'm under 18.

What exactly should my mom do? I told her we should call a lawyer but she is worried about money and we don't really have the money for a private lawyer.

this is the charge on my dad currently pending. He has to wait until he see's a judge, is there anything we can do to help before he sees the judge?

169A.26.1(a)

Traffic /DWI - Third-Degree Driving While Impaired

He blew a .17 when they gave him a test and that's all I really know. He's never been arrested for drunk driving before. He also wasn't driving with anybody else in the car so I'm really confused as to how it's third-degree but I don't really know laws.

Answer:
 You are going to be fine.

If you can't afford a lawyer, he'll be appointed a lawyer by the court for no cost. If it's that a lawyer is just really expensive, your parents will do what it takes to get a lawyer because it's really important. She can ask for a consultation (they are usually free) with criminal lawyers.

You can drive him to work after all this is over.

Regarding the charges, keep in mind that your dad may not be able to provide you with the whole story here.


Title: (OH) Neighbor will not allow us to have any bass in our music...

Question: Just moved into a new townhouse at school on the 1st, and every time we play music we get a knock on our door from the police to turn the music down. The bass isn't very loud and the townhouse next to us doesn't hear it at all. Our neighbor raises hell for no reason, how do we explain to the cops that the music isnt loud. We even got a knock when we were watching a movie using the same sound system.

Answer: Just because you don't think it's loud, doesn't mean other people don't. If you neighbors can hear it, it's probably too loud. Answer #2: If the neighbors can hear it, it's too loud.


Title: [CO] Is it illegal to park in a handicap place without a placard on private property?

Question:
[Arapahoe county to be specific.]  After seeing someone with a handicap placard struggling to get to their mail box after someone parked in their spot without a placard, I've become very concerned.  Many of my neighbors in my condo community are parking diagonal across several parking places, including this handicap spot, in order to get their mail.

I contacted my HOA a couple of months ago with my concerns (specifically being that the handicap spot was being blocked) and all they did was send out an email to the owners asking people to not park diagonally.  They made no mention of the handicap spot at all.  Not to mention, we have a high population of rented units that I guarantee will not be receiving these emails.

My plan is to contact my HOA again, but I'd like to see exactly what their responsibilities are in this situation.

tl,dr: Is it illegal to park in a handicap spot on private property without a placard?  Is an HOA required to enforce (or at least make attempts to mitigate) people parking in a handicap spot?

Answer: Yes, it's generally enforceable (at least in my state) and you can skip the HOA and just call the police, who can write tickets for it.


Title: Privacy rights breeched by local gov't.

Question: I live in IL.  I received a speeding ticket in WI.  Two weeks later, I received direct mailing from 2 law offices saying they can help with my ticket.  The only way these law offices received my contact information is from the County Sheriff's office.  Aside from this looking like a scam between law enforcement and local law offices, do I have a case for releasing personal private information without my consent?

Answer:
 > Aside from this looking like a scam between law enforcement and local law offices,

It's not.  The local law enforcement is almost assuredly not involved at all.

> do I have a case for releasing personal private information without my consent?

No, the ticket is public record.  Also, there's rarely a case for "releasing personal private information without consent" at all.


Title: [California] - Going through deceased dad's stuff... he drew Social Security benefits in my name in 1995 (I was 17) - is this going to bite me?

Question:
Like the title says,  I'm going through my deceased father's stuff and found a SSA-1099 form from 1995 with my name on it and a dollar amount of benefits paid,     in box 6 (Address) it says *(Dad's name) for (my name)*    -

I don't know anything about this and there's nobody alive I can ask (other than the Social Security Administration?) -

Should I be worried about anything?

Thanks

Answer: If your father was drawing social security himself in 1995 (if he was age 62 or older or disabled), then he can get additional benefits because he had a dependent (you) who was a child. This is a normal social security benefit - see [here - PDF](http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10085.pdf).  Answer #2: Did you have a parent or guardian die when you were a minor?


Title: My dog is barking while we are away during the day. Our landlord gave us a warning about it, but the city ordinance for quiet time is from 10pm-7am. (US, OR)

Question:
My girlfriend and I work during the day and our dog gets separation anxiety and starts barking. We live in an apartment building and one of our neighbors complained to the landlord. This past May, we received an anonymous letter from one of our neighbors stating that our dog is barking during the day and that they work night shifts and sleep during the day. They said that it was affecting their right to a quiet place and was violating the lease. Well I took this letter and showed it to the property management. I explained that we weren't aware of his barking and we were worried that we would potentially get into trouble for violating our lease. He said that the noise ordinance is from 10pm-7am. Therefore this other tenant wouldn't have a lot of ground to stand on. Despite his reassurance, we still got our dog a no-bark vibration collar and worked on it. It seemed to work, because we didn't hear anything else about it and our neighbor even sent us a letter saying thank you. Flash forward to today and we come home to a letter from the landlord stating someone complained about our dog barking. This time the same guy I spoke with back in May said that this neighbor was just trying to give us a heads up about our dog barking, but if it continues to be an issue there may be some sort of consequences. We are going to start using the collar again. It is really difficult to make him not bark. We want to know if we could get in trouble for violating our lease, despite the fact that the noise ordinance doesn't start until 10pm?

Just to clarify, we are always home during the evening. I get home by 3pm at the latest, so our dog is never barking after the noise ordinance is in effect.
Also this is in Washington County, OR.

Answer:
 The noise ordinance is a city thing. Just because you aren't violating the noise ordinance doesn't mean you're not violating your lease. Your neighbors deserve to not hear a dog barking all day.

Work on finding a solution that stops the dog from barking.Answer #2: You share walls with others and you are doing something that is insanely annoying and may be illegal. Noise ordinances is when you cannot make loud noises. But there are often also laws regarding being a nuisance. And a did barking for hours on end is a nuisance.

Your landlord can evict you for being a nuisance.

Get your dog training to stop barking


Title: Chased by someone saying they're LP and calling the cops on me (atascocita / humble, texas)

Question:
Today I went to a khols department store and was chased to my car by someone saying they're LP and calling the cops on me.

I walked around looking at sports bras and other items. I was walking around with items in my hands because there were no carts at the entrance I used, asked a cashier if there were any, ended up walking to the other store enterance to take a mesh store shopping bag and continued walking around.
At one point while in the makeup section I took hand sanitizer that is attached to my keys out of my pocket to clean off a sample that got on my fingers.
I went to the dressing room to try the sports bras on. I walked into the specific bra fitting room but the lights were off over the cubicle (lights were on in the hallway you enter)... I waved my hands around to see if they are motion activated. Nope. The place is covered in clothes but not closed off.

I go to the main changing rooms, also covered in clothing, carts, and crazieness. The bras don't fit well. I put one back at the changing room racks and walk back to the normal bra area I had just been. I decide I'm done trying to find any that work, leave the store's mesh bag with items still in it at the return in the bra changing room.
No store employee approached me at any point.
I leave the store without purchasing anything, get to my car and hear someone running up behind me. It's sunset at this point. A man, maybe 25, in plain clothes says he's loss prevention and that I need to come with him. I say no, I'm leaving and need to meet a friend.

(This is my natural response as a woman by herself, at sunset, having a man chase me and tell me to come with him. Saying NO very firmly and letting him know someone is expecting me.)

He says he's calling the police and starts trying to take pictures of my plate number. I say for him to go ahead. I get in my car and leave.
My flight response completely took over. I hadn't eaten all day and legitimately felt ill while driving. Only after getting home did I realize I could have walked back into the store and proven I took nothing, but my brain says no he would have pushed me into a car and kidnapping me.

If he is LP working for the store and he submitted my plate number to the police what is the legality of them trying to ticket me / take me to court even though I'm on viedo returning the store's shopping bag with items to the designated return?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 If you're contacted by the police or the store simply say nothing and hire a lawyer.

It is fairly unlikely the police will be interested in a maybe-shoplifting case the store can't prove.Answer #2: You just encountered an overzealous and new hire LP.  If you were to contact the company and give them an account of what happened I'm sure the LP would be out of a job the very same day.  I've worked for multiple retail companies in LP management and any employee chasing past entrance/exit doors (or point of sale depending on company) even after a 100% known person that stole was and still is a big no-no which always resulted in instant termination.

Don't fret, but on the small chance you are contacted by police do not answer any questions and make sure to contact a lawyer.Answer #3: >what is the legality of them trying to ticket me / take me to court

If the police have probable cause to believe you committed a crime, they can take out a warrant for you or send you a summons. Alternately, if Texas has the victim do it for misdemeanors, the LP person may sign some type of charging document, and you'll receive a summons. So make sure you check your mail.


Title: Mother injured in airport

Question:
Me and my mom recently went to an airport. They have a notorious section of flooring where normal flooring changes to burbur carpet. She tripped, and fell. Hard.

Bruised her knee, scraped the other raw, stumped both her middle finger and her thumb nail. She has been in major pain. Lots of bleeding and oozing, and things turning brown and black. She also is worried the cement in her attificial hip got displaced from the fall.

When we talked to an airport lady, she instantly knew exactly where my mom had fallen, and told her she wasnt the first. She told my mom that after we get back from the flight she could talk to some airport customer service place or something.

My mom is worried that her hip cement, may genuinely be displaced, which would mean another expensive operation.

From what I understand, no one else has sued, but they have complained. Airport does nothing to address it.

Can we, and should we sue?
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: In order to sue the airport you would have to show that they were negligent. I am not sure having carpet will meet that standard however if she has serious medical bills then she can talk to a lawyer who does personal injury.


Title: [MA] Fresh out of college, trying to get a job but I'm afraid to because of my medical conditions

Question:
Hi all! I am a recent college graduate, and have been trying to pull together the courage to look for jobs.

The main thing that's been holding me back is my medical conditions. I'm pretty much held together by duct tape at this point (or it feels like it haha).

I have Type 1 Diabetes that has been hard to keep under control, I have a painful stomach condition (functional dyspepsia) as a result of nerve damage from the T1D. I was hospitalized every semester of college, and it took me an additional year to finish. On *top* of that... I have diagnosed bipolar disorder/depression and general anxiety, and was just yesterday diagnosed with mild scoliosis (so now I have to start seeing a chiropractor).

**I'm afraid that no employer will hire me, for a number of reasons:**

-I get sick a *lot*, of course unpredictably

-I require a lot of doctors appointments/therapy etc. and since they're all different doctors, I end up having about 1 or 2 appointments a week, on irregular days/times

-I use marijuana for pain management for my stomach condition. I'm working on getting a medical card (at the recommendation of my doctor), but I'm still afraid that even with the card, employers will still have the right to list it as an "illicit substance" on a drug test.

What can I do? If I provide documentation for everything (hospitalizations/appointments/etc.) will I have legal protection under MA state law?

I feel so discouraged, all my peers are getting "real" jobs while I feel like my only hope is to get a job geared towards part-timers.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You will have legal protections under the law for everything but the MJ. You need to stop doing that until you have a medical card, and it currently is not a protected class of use in MA, so you can be denied a job with it. Also any company that works with federal contracts/contractors/agencies will not hire you.


Title: Grandparents living in a "single family" home (TN)

Question: I'm trying to rent out my home in TN (Williamson County) and have some tenants who are interested. However, the tenants would be a married couple, their children, and the husband's elderly parents. My only concern is that my HOA's covenants restrict use to "single family residential purposes" only. None of those terms are defined anywhere in the covenants and I can't find any state or local law defining that phrase. Do you think renting to this family would be possible under these covenants? Thanks!

Answer:
 Generally that restriction is used to stop people from renting out individual rooms, or to stop a bunch of unrelated people (read: college students) from all renting a house together.

If these people are all directly related I doubt you'll have any issues, but HOAs are infamous on this subreddit for being... problematic, so you'll want to check with the HOA board, first.


Title: [CA] I am a 26 year old victim of childhood sexual abuse that took place in California, and want to renew criminal proceedings

Question: I was born in August 1992 and was sexually abused by my father (divorced, split custody) in California until I was ten years old, at which point I spoke about my abuse and my mother was able to gain full custody. Apparently, the DA brought charges against my (lying and manipulative) father around 2002 when the abuse was uncovered, but the judge dismissed the case. I was suicidal and depressed for years, and basically had no memory of my childhood beyond a couple of vague memories of being choked and beaten. Recently, I had an experience that triggered a flood of detailed memories about the severe physical and sexual abuse I suffered over the course of a decade. Based on my research, I believe the statute of limitations expired in August when I turned 26, and I'm devastated. I very much would like to see justice served finally after all of these years. I am wondering if there is anything I can do, and if the fact that charges may have been filed around 2002 would affect the statute of limitations at all. I don't know what my options are with pursuing criminal or civil charges.

Answer:
 It's likely that even outside of the SoL, you wouldn't be able to pursue criminal charges due to the case already having been dismissed once.

The only option I think you might have, and I am not encouraging you to do this, would be to open a civil case for the cost of the therapy you very obviously need. I am unsure if this would even be a good idea or if you can meet the burden of proof. A lawyer may be able to tell you better than I can.


Title: [NJ] My roommate filed a report against me with our university police-- What should I expect?

Question: I currently go to a major university in NJ and my apartment-mates filed a police report against me for spilling a liquid by their door and not cleaning it up, they thought I spilled it on purpose and felt like that was harassment. The report was filed through the university police department and I wanted to know what I should expect to happen to me. There are a lot of details about this situation but I wanted to know if a police report filed with university police will follow me for the rest of my life?

Answer:
 A report because you spilled a drink? Not likely, but please expand on these other details are, maybe they are relevant.

Personally, I would have the residence life staff handle something like this.


Title: Previous Employer saying I owe them money and threatening to "go to legal" if I don't pay.

Question:
About 7 months ago I quit my job at a university, because I was moving to another state (midwest United States).  Everything seemed fine. I gave my two weeks notice, received my last paycheck, and thought nothing of it. However, approximately 3 months after I moved, I got a call from my mom saying that I received a letter from the payroll department. It said they had miscalculated how many vacation days I had left and they overpaid me. They said that I owed them ~$120 and had to pay within 10 days. They had sent this email to my old address, so it had to be forwarded and was already overdue by the time I heard about it. I immediately sent an email to the woman who wrote the letter and have had terrible correspondence with her over the past few months.

I emailed her explaining that I had just heard about what had happened and thought that 10 days was an unreasonable time period. 3 weeks later, she responded and said that she agreed and would talk to the legal department. After another few weeks goes by, she responds and says that I have until the end of the year to pay. Then she quotes me an amount that is contradictory to what had been stated in the original letter. All of her letters have been full of inconsistencies and typos. She also accidentally sent me some else's payroll information a few months back. She has been and nightmare to deal with. But I thought we reached an agreement where if I paid by the end of the year, there would be no repercussions.

Well, two days ago I got another email from her saying that this was my "final notice" and I had to pay by the end of October or she would "turn me over to our legal department".  She also says later in the email that "If the funds are not paid back in 2016 the full amount will be owed along with other possible fines and added interest". But then even later in the email she says "be sure we receive the total net amount no later than Dec 10th". Ahhh! She is driving me crazy.

Originally I was just going to pay her back, but now I'm just annoyed. They have been so accusatory to me when it wasn't even my fault. So I have a few questions. I guess. First, am I even legally obligated to pay them back when it was their mistake in the first place? Second, what could their legal department do to me?

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: If you were overpaid, you're legally obligated to pay them back. Their legal department is unlikely to do anything more than send you a few letters, even just doing that is likely to cost them more than what they're able to recover.Answer #2: If you don't disagree with the amount ($120), then send them a darn check. Presumably, you make $20/hour so you are costing yourself money just screwing around.


Title: Boss Doesn't Pay overtime (Michigan)

Question:
Hello I am asking this question on behalf of my sister. She is a bit older and always gets screwed over in the jobs she works and refuses to stand up for herself.

Her current situation is she works as an assistant at a Doctors office. She loves the people working there and enjoys her job and it is in the field she wants to be in but her boss is terrible to her. More than that though he is doing something illegal. He refuses to pay overtime, more than that he has all of his employees sign a contract when they begin employment and part of it accepts to the fact that they agree they will not get paid for any pre-approved overtime.

Now his thing is he doesn't allow overtime at all yet he expects his workers to stay past their shift on. My sister doesn't do that ever, but used to. My understanding is even if they work overtime and it isn't approved he still has to pay them. They can be written up or whatever for it but they still have to be paid.

I don't want to see my sister continually get taken advantage of at work but she's afraid to do anything. She doesn't want to take legal action because then she fears she would be blacklisted from that community and  will never get a job in that field again. But I want to help her find some solution. What options are there?

Could I anonymously contact the doctor (without him knowing i'm related to her as to protect her) and say I know he is doing something illegal and have employees that are willing to take legal action (all a bluff but the scare of it may be enough) so that he changes his actions?

What other suggestions would you give me?

Answer:
 >Could I anonymously contact the doctor (without him knowing i'm related to her as to protect her) and say I know he is doing something illegal and have employees that are willing to take legal action (all a bluff but the scare of it may be enough) so that he changes his actions?

That can be construed as blackmail. Don't do this.

Is your sister hourly or salary? What does her job entail?


Title: [Texas] I recently bought some commercial property, the police love to use it to hide to set up speed traps.

Question: I bought some commercial property that is undeveloped. There is a concrete wall that for the longest time ( my whole life), police have hid behind to catch speeders and what not. Can I trespass the police? Now that I own this piece of land, I don't wan't them to park on it any more.

Answer:
 From what I remember reading waaaaay back on some article, you can tell them they are no longer allowed to use it. However, you'll end up pissing off the local police, which may not be a good idea.

The better solution is to knock down that wall, imo. Then they can't hide and can't really blame you, since you can say you're clearing the lot for (insert some reason they can't really verify). Just don't say you're doing it specifically to prevent them from hiding behind it: see last sentence is previous paragraph.


Title: (Georgia) How to ban someone from a business

Question:
Hello, I work for a very small retail business in the metro Atlanta area. We are a consignment business similar to Plato's Closet so we get all sorts of folks in through our door. There is one customer in particular who has given us trouble since we have opened.

Ninety five percent of the time she comes in, she is high as fuck. She is either a crack or heroin addict and just bad news. She constantly steals from us or switches tags on our clothes. When she is in here we make it a point to watch her like a hawk and make sure she knows we are watching her. Our manager has expressed to us many times about banning her from our location.

She has not done it yet though; she is very busy and runs two other stores. The crack head woman came in again tonight and generally made me and my coworker very uncomfortable so much so that I had to call my boyfriend to come to store for muscle support.

My question is, legally how do we ban her from our store?

Answer: Management tells her not to come back.  Call the police if threatened, not your boyfriend.Answer #2: It is easy: someone with the authority from the business owner (aka a manager) tells her she is banned and if she returns it will be trespassing. Then, if she returns, call the cops and watch her be taken away in handcuffs.


Title: My mother's ex-husband filed false charges against my family. Not sure what steps to take? Please help! [IL]

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Yes, get an attorney.  If you represent yourself, you're likely to screw it up.  No offense.  If they are filing lawsuits in bad faith then you may be able to sue them for attorney's fees.


Title: If a mother is in jail and her son is on the verge is detained and on the verge of suicide and has no other carer, are they forced to release her to care for them

Question:
The doctor and nurses understand the state he is in. He has repeatedly told them that he needs his mother to battle this mental illness but unfortunately she’s in jail with more than a year to go. He has no other carer and if he did he won’t accept anyone but his mother. The doctor has saw him cry and admit defeat to his illness and accept suicide as his only way out if the support of his mother isn’t available. The nurses have saw him have severe mental fits. His age is 19 and he won’t eat or leave his bed in the institution. He is a young adult so they have to release her right? He isn’t a full grown man but a student who needs support. His mothers crime isn’t really that serious. She’s also respected by the prison staff so they’ll happily agree to let her go to care for him. They all have her support. No one would disagree with the decision to release her. Is it possible that she can get released? The doctor/consult understands the severity of his condition and realises all he wants his mother. The medication isn’t working for him and won’t continue to work. He thinks the only possible solution for improvement is his mother. What do you guys think?

He initially got detained due to a severe fit thinking god has cursed him to hell. He keeps thinking god has curses him to hell. The police handcuffed him and seriously detained him. While he was doing this he kept Biting himself and almost ripped a chunk of his finger out and was very violent towards everyone. He still gets like this as times but now he’s just accepted defeat without his mother.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: They won't release the mother and will probably end up sectioning him


Title: Is it legal to shoot a Potato cannon in a Public Park

Answer: How can we possibly know that without knowing where you are?  In many places it's illegal to even own or build one, so showing it off in public if you had it would be a really bad idea.


Title: Self Defense Baton PA

Question: Do I need a license to carry an extendable baton with me for self defense in the Philly area?

Answer:
 An expandable baton, besides generally being a rather poor tool for self defense, likely falls under PA's definition of a prohibited offensive weapon.

If you are concerned about self defense and cannot, or choose not to, legally carry a firearm then carry a good quality OC spray. OC spray is not an offensive weapon under PA law and does not require a permit to carry.


Title: Can a cop lie to a citizen investigating a case? /Colorado

Question: I wrote here a while back about a SWATTINIG incident that my kids were caught up in. I found a lot of great info, thanks /legaladvice BTW. I found a lawyer and am working towards a civil case. Anyway, in my investigation I have submitted several FOIA and CORA requests to get information about my case and the case its based on. While the police records guys are friendly and helpful, the detective and Lieutenant have been trying to obstruct my case at every corner. I have even caught both of them outright lying to me about the investigation. I have proof of said multiple lies in writing. So my question is that legal? I know cops can lie to suspects, but can they lie to people investigating them? Can I throw that charge on top of everything else?  I want to ask the lawyer, but Im not seeing him for a few more days.

Answer:
 > I know cops can lie to suspects, but can they lie to people investigating them?

In general, anyone can lie to anyone else.  There are exceptions, of course - if one is under oath, if the lie is defamatory, if it's done to defraud, et cetera.

So yes, they can legally lie to you, in most cases.  If the lie is "we don't have records", when they do, that might be a problem.


Title: Employer takes bonus I received out of my final paycheck.

Question: I recently received a small bonus from my employer for taking on some extra work responsibilities. A couple weeks later I left the company on good terms. On my final paycheck that bonus was taken out of my paycheck listed as a voluntary deduction and my paycheck has “ All Claims are Satisfied” stamped on the back. Are they being petty because I quit? Can an employer just change their mind about a bonus and take it out of my paycheck without ever notifying me?

Answer:
 What state are you in?

Some states have restrictions on allowable payroll deductions, that may protect you in this circumstance.

Also look at your employee handbook - it may identify standard policies in place.  In some cases, employers are allowed to make deductions of this nature, provided it's their stated policy to do so.


Title: Mother of my unborn child threatened to commit suicide, and kill me/hire someone to kill me.

Question:
Location: Alabama, USA

Hey everyone,
So, the mother of my unborn child threatened to commit suicide and drive off a bridge into a river. When I found that out I immediately reached out to her and tried to get her to answer and she wouldn't. I message her sister on facebook but I didn't hear back from her until the next day.
I messaged the mother about all of this and she flipped out on me saying "how dare you drag my family into this, you selfish prick" all this nasty stuff and then proceeded to say. "I will burn your house down, with your family in it after I shoot you in the head" "I will hire a crackhead to kill you, I will give him money" and just "I will kill you, sleep with one eye open"

I called the cops and all he said was to go down to the magistrates office for a warrant as well as a restraining order. The restraining order was ex parte( I brought it proof of text messages) and it says it is in effect even though she hasn't been served yet. I read it and it said she must surrender all firearms to Police Department. As far as I am aware, she never owned firearms. I am more concerned with her ability to hire someone to off me.

This is my question, what are the consequences of her action. Will she just get a slap on the wrist if I go and get a warrant for her? Is she going to be able to legally raise my child? That is really scary to think of.
Peace.

Answer: Please please please document everything and go for full custody once the child is born. We don't need to read in the headlines months or a couple years from now that she killed the child as revenge against you.


Title: Question about finance's new job? Can they do this?

Question:
So forgive me if I'm posting this in the wrong place.  If I am, just let me know and I'll post elsewhere.

My fiance got a job offer, accepted, and has started it.  She didn't sign anything.  The only thing she received is an offer letter with her salary.

Fast forward, she's in to her 2nd week and all of a sudden HR calls her and says that her salary is actually 7K less than what was quoted in the offer letter.

Now they want her to sign a contract (with the 7K lower salary) at the end of this week.  There are a few other tidbits... with the higher salary being the reason she accepted because it's a longer commute than work being 5-10 minutes away as it used to be, but I'll save that bit for now.

Can they do that?   I'm having her see a lawyer this week but I thought I'd post this here as well.

**Below is the offer letter copy/pasted:**

Dear Ms. ,

We are pleased to offer you a regular full time position as the (blank) position at  our (Blank) Campus of (Blank) College effective August 16, 2014.

The (Blank) College is in the exciting, formative period of its history.  Beyond the salary and benefits discussed below, we offer opportunities for personal and professional growth.  Our search for better ways to serve the students and employers of (Blank) will create opportunities for innovation and creativity where your contributions will be especially welcome and needed in order to prepare (Blank) to become a premier college system.

You will receive an annual salary of $42,156.00  plus benefits of approximately 38.6% of your salary.

As a regular full-time employee you will receive the following:

Fully paid health coverage for you, with optional family health coverage available for varying monthly contributions depending upon the health plan you choose.  Please review the benefit package you will receive from Human Resources for specifics of availability and cost.

Fully paid term life and accidental death dismemberment insurance coverage of $20,000 each, plus an option to buy additional term coverage for yourself and your family.

(Blank) observes 7 1/2 paid holidays, plus Presidential Election Day.   (Blank) will observe a two-week institutional closing beginning in December, which will include the day before Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

You will accrue vacation leave at the annual rate of 15 days or 9.375 hours per year for the first 5 years of full-time regular service, and 20 days or 12.50 hours each year at the sixth year of service and thereafter.

Temporary disability leave accrues at the rate of 7.5 hours per calendar month.

(Blank) offers a 403(b) retirement plan. The 403(b) retirement plan companies offered are TIAA-CREF, American Century, Fidelity or ING.  Participation in a (Blank) retirement plan is a condition of regular full-time employment, and you must enroll within your first thirty days of employment.

Please contact (Blank) if you have any questions.  I will contact you in regards to benefits a week or so following your start date.

Sincerely,

**Update**

She contacted a few lawyers that directed her to another lawyer as a standby (in case it's needed).  She asked around from a few of her previous employers today and they all seem to say the same thing.  The salary was offered and she accepted on those terms.

Next, she contacted her boss and explained the situation.  Her boss was mortified and told her that she doesn't think the college can get out of paying her what the original offer was/is.  She also recommended contacting the HR lady's boss first and then go from there based on what the HR lady's boss says.

Answer: That sounds a lot like an offer letter, not a binding employment contract.  Was anything else signed?


Title: is there a dress code in court?

Question:
Going to court tomorow to see it for the first time is it okay if i wear athletic shorts?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Do not do that. Wear dress pants and a dress shirt.Answer #2: If you want the judge to treat you with respect (and hopefully in your favor), then you need to treat the court with respect. That means dressing appropriately and speaking respectfully (without interrupting). Athletic shorts are not appropriate for court. Wear slacks (not jeans) and a collared shirt. A jacket and tie are not necessary.


Title: Was I trespassing? Does it really matter?

Question:
I own 2 homes in my neighborhood. I live in one and rent out the other. The shortest distance (time) between the 2 homes involves driving down an alley (public) onto which the alley empties into the parking lot of a church. I then drive through this parking lot at a snail's pace to get back to the 4 lane road.

The pastor or church employee or whoever he is stared me down and wrote down my license today as if I had committed some sort of crime driving through his massive and empty parking lot. I waved back at him and tried to be friendly, but that didn't seem to help.

A few of my thoughts:
---My home is located on this same alley, so I think I have as much of a right as anyone to use the alley. And that's too bad for him that literally the only way through this narrow alley involves going through his parking lot. The only way to not go through his parking lot would be to back up in reverse for 500 yards.
---I pay property tax on TWO houses in this neighborhood. His church pays zero.
---I've lived here for 30 years. I've seen 5 churches come and go in that time.
---I personally clean that alley and fill in holes to keep it nice even though it's the city's property.
---I use this alley short cut maybe once a week.

Is he right to be complaining about me? Am I right to use the alley and, by extension, cross through his parking lot?

Answer:
 IF there are no "no trespassing" signs and no one has told you not to drive through the parking lot, you are fine.

If you do get notice to not go through the parking lot, and continue to do so, you would be trespassing.Answer #2: The alley may be public, but if the parking lot is owned by the church, it's private.  You don't get to use private property just because you pay more taxes than they do.

That said, until they post signs restricting public use or tell you not to use it, you probably wouldn't face any legal repercussions.  If you continue to use it after being told not to, however, you could be charged with trespassing.


Title: Since it’s illegal in some places to paint a fake gun like a real one, what if you put an orange plastic cap around the barrel of a real gun?

Question: It sounds stupid but I found this in a thread. If you paint the barrel tip of an AK orange making it look like a toy, would you get in trouble? People have been shot before for having toy guns looking real so idk if it’s the opposite

Answer: It’s still a gun so regular gun laws would apply


Title: Dog Bite

Question: My neighbor was showing us a hole in the fence between our 2 properties that she though her dog could get through. It's a bit of a makeshift privacy fence with semi rotten wood. When she lifted the piece that was loose, she stuck her hand through to our side and our dog bit her. She's now bleeding, and it appears she might need stitches. What's the next step? Do we call the cops and get a step ahead in this or what? We were going to let our neighbor calm down and go over there tomorrow at some point when tensions weren't so high. She went back inside before any real conversation took place.

Answer: (1) You apologize. (2) You encourage her to get medical treatment. (3) You pay for her medical bills. (4) You apologize again. (5) You train your dog not to bite people.


Title: Unhappy former employee entered my wife's office, stated "Remember I still have my gun" [NH]

Question: [deleted]

Answer: She needs to file a police report.  It might not lead to any kind of legal charges at this time, but if this yahoo comes back and makes another, more serious or direct threat, having the paper trail will aid in securing a restraining order or possibly even helping lead to an arrest for harassment.


Title: (CA) Man (M,34) threatening to arrest me (M,18)

Question:
I don't know if this is the right place to put this but I don't know who else to help. This is my throwaway account.

This whole situation started from me going on a dating site and seeing people in my area. Then, this man messages me saying the usual "Hey. Wassup. Where you located at?" All the basic stuff in the site. We make some conversation and then he asks if I wanted to be his sugar baby. My youthful and inexperienced self decided to take his offer to try and get as much money for university coming soon. He said that he'll give me $3k and that he needs my routing number, holder name, and login info. Again, my inexperienced self decided to send him the info and he sent the 3k. After this, he said that he wanted me to get him 2 Google play cards of 500. The money didn't go through so I was very skeptical that it was a scam. I then changed my password to my login info and blocked him.

After a couple of days, the 3k actually went through. I was surprised that this was actually real. But then I had this feeling that I shouldn't accept this as I was basically relying on someone else for majority of things and I wanted to build up my independence.

I unblocked to see what he said for those days that I blocked him and he said that he contacted homeland security and reported me for fraudulent activity and that he's going to have me arrested if I don't give him his money back or get the Google play cards. I responded back saying that I was sorry and that I shouldn't have done what I've done. He then says that in order to give his money back, I need to get these gift cards and send him the codes and receipt for them or else he'll have me arrested. I'm only able to withdraw 1k from the account it went to and I'm having really bad anxiety and stress from this whole situation. I already got him the 1k in gift cards last night. Basically, is he able to arrest me based on this situation we're in or am I being scammed from this person? Am I able to report him for harassing me with threats?

Answer:
 The money isn't real.

It will get pulled out of your account in a few days/weeks and then you'll be out whatever money you sent him.

He can't have you arrested for this.Answer #2: That 3K is going to disappear in a matter of days and you will lose the 1K for the cards.  This is a well known scam.


Title: Buying a house with a partner that's not divorced.

Question:
My fiancee and I are about to buy a new house together, but she never divorced her husband (I just found this out.)  She kicked him out 3.5 years ago and he's been MIA ever since then.  She knows the steps she has to take to get divorced without knowing his whereabouts, but I'm wondering if we close on a house while they're still married, is there anything I need to worry about with them still being legally married?  Will he have any grounds or rights (if he decides to show up out of nowhere) to this house when the divorce does go through?

I'm just trying to make sure I have my basis covered before we close on a house.

Answer: You should really, really really, ask your closing attorney and lender about this. While it's unlikely, he could argue that her contribution to the down payment or equity built in the house is partially his. While it's unlikely he could win that in court, it's still a pita to fix and should be handled now instead of later.


Title: I own property with family in Texas...

Question: My Uncle owns 50% of the property, my sister and I own 25% each. My Uncle decided to sell the property without our consent. Is this legal and what should we do if it is not?

Answer:
 So I assume that we are talking real estate here. I have one simple question: are your and your sisters name on the deed?Answer #2: Your uncle wants out. He wants to sell his share so he gets money. He will not be able to sell only half of a property so there are laws in place for situations like this. Those laws let him force a sale of the entire property and then you split the money between him, you and your sister based on your share in the property.

If you want to keep the property, you need to buy him out (as suggested many times now). You and/or your sister makes him an offer for his share. The easiest and most fair offer is that you get a valuation of the entire property, then you offer him 50% of that because that is his share. This is also easiest for him so he would probably prefer to take your offer.

There is no option that leaves him without the money.