Title: [MI] Need to ensure my kids go to my sister, not mother in law.

Question:
Me and the wife both want our kids to go to my sister and her husband, in the event that we both die.

My MIL was upset to find out we did not want them to go to her.  We feel as though this needs to be in legal writting, as she will probably try to fight to get the kids.  If we die, there is a pretty hefty life insurance package. We are certain she will blow the money, and screw over the kids.

One possible hangup: Sister is currently in San Diego (husband is in the Navy) and could be a logistical challenge should the time come.  We are thinking it would make sense to have my brother (closest person geographically) to be in charge at least until my sister can take custody.

Are there any forms for wills that can cover what we want to happen with the kids?

Answer: You can make your wishes known in a will, but if you both die then the court will decide where the kids go. My mother died when I was a child and her wishes were ignored by the court They placed me where they thought it was in my best interest. Answer #2: Also to add to my comment -- MIL doesn't need to know what you decided on w/r/t to the kids. You can always put her off "we're still thinking about what to do" or something. It's, frankly, not her business what your will says. You can always say "We love you but to be honest, our wills are our business. We're confident that the little ones will be well taken care of should we pass."Answer #3: In case this isn't obvious, make sure you discuss this with your sister and her husband. I have actually seen people who did not take that step, so I guess it isn't really that obvious after all.


Title: Did I shoplift from Walmart?

Question:
I'm going to France next week, and I wanted to get some toiletries and a backpack. I went to the check stand with a $5 toiletry kit, a $5 bag of trail mix, and a $30 backpack.

However, the checker forgot to ring in the backpack, even though it was sitting on the counter right there in plain sight. I didn't notice that I only paid $11 (sales tax included) instead of $43 (or whatever it should ave been) until I had left the store and got back in my car. The buzzer didn't ring her I walked out, and the receipt clearly says $11

With cameras everywhere, and a receipt that proves my guilt rather than innocence, am I in any legal trouble if I don't return the "stolen" backpack?

Tl;dr: The checker at Walmart forgot to scan an item, so I didn't pay for it and didn't notice. Am I in legal trouble if I don't return it?

Answer:
 We've seen several stories here recently about people returning property to Wal-Mart that they unintentionally left with and those people were charged with shoplifting.

I can't, and no one should, give you actual legal advice to keep property that you didn't pay for but I'm comfortable telling you that it's very unlikely anything is going to come of this.   Answer #2: Walmart is potentially the *least* understanding and reasonable company about shoplifting in America. Indeed it may be the least understanding company in American, or even world history.

No one is saying you shouldn't try to make it right, but maybe...You'd want to engage the services of a third party to attempt to make restitution?  Someone more reasonable and measured than Walmart, someone known to be less harsh on people suspected of crimes than Walmart? Someone like Joe Arpaio, maybe? Answer #3: Not legal advice just real life advice.  Just keep the backpack.  No one will come after you if you just leave well enough alone, we have as other have pointed out seen Walmart go after people for trying to "make things right",  including a little old lady who had a case of soda on the underside of her cart.Answer #4: I think I'm going to keep it. I'm not willing to risk legal trouble by trying to do the right thing, and hey, I got a$30 backpack for free (just this one time, of course) (*shifty eyes*)


Title: Flatmate got a kitten in a no pet flat without consulting any of the other flatmates.

Question: I am located in the UK.Having a bit of a problem with a flatmate who bought a cat and brought it back to the flat against my wishes and the other two occupiers of the flats wishes. The tenancy agreement we signed explicitly says no pets, and on top of this I have pretty bad allergies to cats (itchy rashes and real problems breathing). We have asked him to get rid of the cat and he flat out refuses even though it effects my health. We all signed the tenancy agreement and could lose our deposit because this guy is being a terrible flatmate. I'm worried that if we go to the landlord with the issue that we will all lose our deposits, but even if we let him keep the cat and don't tell the landlord, the landlord will find the cat scratches on furniture and then we will lose our flat deposit anyways. Any advice? This is stressing me out a lot as I really need the deposit to put down on the next place I move to. Should we just tell the landlord that this guy is refusing to get rid of it against our wishes and it's causing an issue to my health? Thanks for any replies.

Answer: Simple. All 3 of you go see the landlord.


Title: Partner stole half a million from liquor store earnings and my litigator is giving me a hard time.

Question:
Hello everyone, I'm in Chicago, Illinois. I have a long running dispute with one of my partners who funneled half a million out of the liquor store earnings, then withdrew money from my account (which he wasn't even on) from the bank to buy the loan in his name. We sold the store to a third party who as continuously violated the sales agreement.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to deal with this but my litigator/attorney never responds and always makes false promises on the dates he's supposed to get things done.

I don't know of any good lawyers who can handle this case and don't cost an arm and a leg. I know the courts proceed slowly but it has been over 2 years. What should I do?

Thanks for your time.

Answer:
 Find a new attorney.  If you have half a million at issue, and the facts are as you stated, you will have no problem finding an attorney who is willing to take the case on a contingency and/or a blended fee agreement.

Best of luck.Answer #2: Half mill is a princely sum, you should expect to pay an arm and a leg to be made whole again. The civil court dockets are usually clogged up, on average and depending on your venue, it can take a year or two for your trial. Assuming your lawyer filed and served the summons and complaint.

What has your lawyer done or promised to do? Summary judgment, motion and orders to freeze accounts, lis pendens partner's real property, discovery? Any talk of settlement?


Title: Considering Camming but curious as to potential workplace fallout

Question: I've been Thinking of camming on the side, but concerned that there could be repercussions if my job found out? I live in an at-will employment state and was wondering if they can fire me over something like that. I understand at-will means I can be fired at any time, but would I have any legal grounds to stand on? We have never signed anything regarding our social media representing us/the company if that makes any difference. I would keep my cam life as private as possible, but you never know.

Answer:
 >I understand at-will means I can be fired at any time, but would I have any legal grounds to stand on?

At will employment means you can be fired at any time for no reason or for any reason  that is not related to you belonging to a class protected by federal or state laws.

Being a cam worker is NOT protected under any legislation I can think of, so you have no legal grounds to stand on.


Title: My ex shaved my sons head because he was mad at me

Question:
My ex hasnt paid support in months. I have child support and wage garnishment in action, but its still another two weeks or so before they start taking the money directly.  He had told me he was going to pay half his support on friday but when friday came along he changed his mind.

 Well, theres mail at my house with my name on it and my address but he needs it for what ever reason, so i told him make a payment and youll get the piece of paper. This made him enraged..

so what does he do? Shave my sons hair. Last week we had a discussion with my son about whether we would shave it or not and we all came to agreement we would let him grow it another year and then cut some of it..

His hair has been growing for 3 years. Im attached to it, and so is my son as well as anyone else who got to whitness his beaitiful bouncy curls. It was past his shoulders.. He loved his hair. He had a sizzor accident and melted down after he realized he cut a chunk out. He loved his hair.. and now its bald. He is only 6 years old!

 He said he asked daddy not to but his daddy said he had to. Im so infuriated and lost for words. How can a man put his children inbetween an argument between him and his ex? My son hates it (although he does still look adorable). Hes traumatized and im not even sure what to do.

Is there a way to take my ex to court to where its put on paper he will no longer be able to do as he pleases or does the court see things like this as his parental rights despite it being so traumatizing for my son? Do i as a mom have any say on what goes on on my sons head??

(California US)

Answer:
 Not if it happened during his parenting time and there isn't anything in the custody order stating so.

It's petty, and certainly a bit cruel to the kid, but it's not abuse, and you don't have any special rights to make such a call just because you're the mom. It's possible to get things like that put into a custody order, along the same lines as making medical decisions, but it'll be hard to amend your current order on this basis alone.

Just keep telling your son how handsome he looks, and make a note of it in the parenting journal you're keeping about your ex.


Title: (California) tax evasion questions

Question:
I know somebody that has filed their 2014 taxes but did not include their 1099 independent contractors income on it. How do I notify the irs about this person while staying anonymous? What if anything will happen to this person? Am I over reacting?

I feel that this person should pay their taxes and it pissed me off when they told me this because they are just 1. Lazy or 2. Knowingly is cheating the irs or both. Plus I pay mine and I just don't think it's right to do this.

Answer:
 CPA chiming in here..

Fun part about 1099 income is that it's reported directly to the IRS by the company.  The IRS has all sorts of neat algorithms and checks in place to ensure that one properly files a return.  This person will receive a notice that there was an error on his return and that the 1099 income was not reported (the IRS reconciles data on a return vs what reported and sends notices to folks that fall outside of an acceptable range).  The IRS may even recalculate the return and send a bill.  The funny part is that he may be able to deduct expenses from the 1099, but probably will get panicked and won't figure this out.  Also, late payments come with interest and penalties, depending on the materiality of the omission.

So yeah.  You actually don't have to do anything at this point.  It'll get sorted out within the year.  I'd just keep this person on your radar and enjoy the fun when the notice does eventually come.


Title: (VA) School is trying to hold me back for missing school, I was in the hospital

Question:
In September of 2018 I was involved in a head on collision, I lost both legs from the knee down and was in a coma for 2 weeks, and recovery for 3 more weeks. I went back to school in early November and was quite immediately greeted by none other than the principal, who, while I was in a wheelchair and quite obviously not in the best condition, yelled in my face - "SARAH! (fake name) DO YOU REALIZE YOU HAVE MISSED 31 DAYS OF SCHOOL? THATS TRUANCY YOUNG LADY!" And stormed off. I was expected to make up all work that I had missed and resultingly failed that quarter due to a 5 day return limit. I took the truancy up with the school board and wasn't even allowed to speak at a meeting about my case. Only 10 days were excused absences due to a dumbass limit, and I was informed that I would be held back by this. Is there anything I can do to fight this decision or policy
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 If you didn’t learn the material... how can you move forward regardless  of the situation? It’s a crap situation, but pitty doesn’t get the knowledge you need by a snap of a finger?

I do feel for you... I had a situation 10 years ago where I had a bunch of issues causing me to miss to many days in culinary school and I failed that semester and lost my scholarships. Looking back... I didn’t learn the material, it’s group work so I missed out on the experience, the product is gone, the rest of the class has moved on. It sucks, but it happens.

If you weren’t able to make the classes up from the hospital, then it’s likely that you’ll have to retake the classes in full. It’s for your benefit and the schools to make sure the experience is taught in its enterally.


Title: Unfair termination within a week of hire

Question:
Ohio.

My wife was interviewed for a medical transcriptionist position, submitted her resume, and later accepted the job offer.  She gave notice to her employer at the time, and took a 25% pay cut to accept this new position (despite the wages there were other perks and benefits). Anyway, after those three weeks passed she began her new job Monday of this week, and noone at the office seemed to have a clue how to train her (it took a few hours for someone to even find orientation material). Eventually she shadowed the medical director and after a few runs he berated her for not having familiarity with medical terminology - even though the hiring manager and doctor had her resume in possesion and had interviewed her. This morning she was terminated, meaning that she left a much higher paying job for one weeks worth of bs and nothing else all because of failures on the end of her now former company.
She obtained copies of the job posting, which did not mention the things they say she lacked, as well as a copy of the companies job description. Yesterday, I advised her to ask for a copy of anything she had signed upon hire... and today when she asked for them HR  said that they couldnt find anything with her signature as it relates to the job description etc.

Where do we go from here?

Answer:
 She can file for unemployment.

In an at-will state, regardless of the job posting, they would be perfectly within their legal rights to fire her for not having extensive knowledge in astrophysics or the specific chemical processes of making socks. Basically, they can terminate her employment for any reason other than reasons based on protected classes.


Title: Worked 12 hours on the 4th

Question: I live in Idaho, and I pulled a 12 hour shift on the 4th and now my employer tells me I don't get holiday pay on any federal holidays. My question is what is the law concerning this? Can't find anything helpful online about this issue

Answer: You're not finding a law because there is no law. You are owed 12 hours pay for that day minus any unpaid break.


Title: (Nevada) Was hired at a warehouse that has no female bathroom. Only three females work there and have to use the office bathroom. 7 people including men have keys to it.

Question:
I really don't know what to do. I was hired at this place 6 months ago and was told the bathroom in the front was for the females working there. There isn't much that I complain about but I have been walked in on by men on two different occasions. The first was the maintenance guy who uses that bathroom and then the supervisor who does the same. There is a sign on the door that says "For office use only. Employees and drivers use the one in the back." There are seven people who all have keys to the office bathroom all men except the woman secretary and none of them know how to knock first. The reason for me posting is because I was walked in on by the supervisor while I was trying to pull up my pants and I'm pretty sure he saw enough of me.. I am very upset and I just would like some advise on what to do.

Tl;dr warehouse I work at only has a men's bathroom and the females have to use the office one. Was walked in on twice by men who have a key to it and don't know how to knock.

* I should mention last week I really had to go and one of the men was in the office bathroom even though the men's room was empty. I had someone make sure and I used the men's room while he stood guard.

Answer:
 Depending on how management at your company is, it may be worth asking if they can put a [barrel bolt](https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gatehouse-3-in-Steel-Bolt/3353298) on the inside of the door so that doesn't happen again.  It only costs a few dollars, and doesn't take long at all to install.  May be a little difficult if the doors are metal, though.  If your manager is a halfway decent human being, they probably won't have much objection to it, and you don't have to get aggressively legal from the start.Answer #2: Requesting a lock which can only be opened from the inside seems like the best idea. But filing a complaint with OSHA is also a good option.Answer #3: NYC here. We have three bathrooms. Two have single toilets. One is female only with three stalls. Men are not allowed in the three stall bathroom. Women are allowed in the two single bathrooms.

There are about 30 people on the floor split between two offices. Until a bolt was installed on the doors of the single bathrooms some people would test the door, stick the key in and turn; some would knock first, some try the door and go away, and some just open the goddamned door.

I would focus less on "male" or "female" and focus more simply on common etiquette: knock first. No one, male or female, enjoys being walked in on while dropping the kids off at the pool, especially in mid wipe.

If your bosses are the dumb kind, which they can be the world over, show up one day with a bolt, a drill, and a screwdriver, and ask if you can install it yourself.

Answer #4: I like the bolt idea. In the meantime maybe a little wedge you can stick under the door when you are in there.


Title: Former employer provides bad reference, now i can't move on in my career

Question:
I come from a law enforcement background and once i started a family, i started working in child welfare in 2014. I absolutely loved working in child welfare. I was incredibly reliable and never had a negative experience with my coworkers, supervisors and clients. Supervisors even had me training new employees. Unfortunately, i had to leave the company after about a year, because we moved to a different state.

Once we moved, i went to work at a transportation company. I hated the job but hung in there for three years. My boss and i didn't get along, so i don't know what his reference would look like.

I've now moved back to my home state, where I was initially employed in child welfare. I reapplied at the agency i worked with, but have been turned down each time. I should have gotten the job easily as i was always a good employee. I've had interviews with other child welfare agencies. One has told me i was the top candidate, but my former supervisor "declined" to provide a reference. The agency got ahold of the original employer, and after, i was not offered the job that i am qualified for.

The more i apply for these jobs, the more I'm convinced my references are providing poor reviews. I think I've been blacklisted by my former employer and now i can't get a job. I intend to contact an attorney.

Is there anything i can do to rectify this? Thanks in advance.

TLDR; bad references are preventing me from getting a job.

Answer: Have you tried using a referencing checking service? Or, you could have a friend try to call looking for a reference. That might help you pinpoint the problem.Answer #2: As long as what they give your prospective employer true information, there's really nothing you can do about it.


Title: My dog was attacked by my neighbors unleashed dog and now I’m sitting on a $500 vet bill. What are my options? (Texas)

Question:
Title just about sums it up. My leashed dog (~10lbs) was attacked by the downstairs neighbor’s dog who is never on a leash. He looks like a pit terrier and has attacked the other neighbor’s dog im the past.This time our neighbor saw and I took down their contact info. After the incident I went inside and noticed the dog’s bite had pierced my dog’s skin. Scared an organ might have been punctured, I took him to the vet for testing. A few x rays and $500 dollars later and I’m told he’ll be fine, there’s just trauma and bruising around his bite.

That being said I’d really just like my neighbor to start leashing their dog and pay me back for the expense. I know my landlord didn’t require us to have renters insurance so I don’t have reason to believe they will have that.  I of course am going to have a conversation with them and hopefully we can find a reasonable solution. In the case they aren’t cooperative, what are my options?

Answer: Report to the police and sue in small claims court.Answer #2: Someone who doesn’t leash their aggro dog is not someone who you can have a reasonable discussion with. Make sure you’re recording the conversation.Answer #3: You sue them in small claims for your vet fees.


Title: (Pennsylvania) Marijuana DUI

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
DUI

Answer:
 > The police officers told me that because I was extremely cooperative he would put it in the report so that the judge would get to see it.

Police officers sometimes tell you what you want to hear because they want people to remain calm. Sometimes it's because they really believe it. Regardless, they are not attorneys, nor judges, they are not (usually) legal experts, and even if they were, *they do not decide your fate.*

Hire a criminal defense attorney ASAP.


Title: Hunting Child Predators

Question:
I don't know if I came to the right place for this, but I thought it was at least somewhat appropriate.

Is it legal to trick a child predator into meeting up with what he/she thinks is an underage child? In order to essentially "catch" them and report them to authorities? I feel like it's in the realm of catfishing, and I was unsure if that was totally illegal as well?

Answer:
 As an actual cop on an actual computer crimes task force who does this for a living...

Don't do this.

You're not batman.  Don't try to be batman.

At best, you're teaching the predators to conceal themselves better and be more careful, and at worst, you're actively interfering with an actual undercover operation that you don't even know about.

You have no training in investigations, or how to collect electronic evidence, or what will or won't be used in court, or what is or is not going to be considered entrapment.

We won't be able to use anything that you do.

If you want to catch bad guys, go to the police academy.


Title: Hypothetical Pet Question

Question:
Say you were a person and you visited family and found a dog with no collar or tags and the dog wasn't microchipped. After talking to family they said the dog has been running around for several days in the neighborhood and no one has posted any lost dog posters or anything, so you take the dog home with you thinking it is a stray and take care of the dog.

After about 6 months of taking care of the dog, he runs away and someone finds him and posts that he was found on social media. After talking to the person to get the dog back, apparently another person is claiming that the dog is theirs. After about an hour of discussion you get the dog back but are worrying about the possible other owner trying to get the dog back after 6 months.

Given the fact that the dog was found without a collar/tags on and wasn't microchipped and was wandering around a neighborhood for 1 or more weeks, could there be any way that you would be forced to give the dog back to these possible owners?

Answer: Please don't do the "*Hypothetically* if someone (who I swear isn't me or anyone I know) did this..." game. It's bad form...and not a legal defense either.


Title: [Norway] Both I and my sister have undiagnosed ADHD, but out dad is stopping my mom from getting us help.

Question:
Both my sister and I have undiagnosed ADHD. It's extremely apparent in both of us. We desperately need a diagnose so we can get help. My sister is honest to god a genius, but she can't focus in class and it impacts her grades. She also has anxiety. Personally I am high functioning, but it would really help if I didn't lose focus so much myself. We want to seek treatment, and my mom has been trying for years, but our dad intervenes, because we need his consent to start a diagnosis. He doesn't want to give his consent unless we go live with him full time, but we don't want to live with him because of the emotional abuse we have suffered there. Is there any way we can get a treatment without my dad having to consent?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Unfortunately no one here is familiar with Norwegian family law.  This sub is primarily focused on US/Canadian issues. That said, the situation you describe is implausible usually either parent can make medical decisions or only one can. It isn't logical that it would require both. You might want to check in /r/norge (assuming you speak Norwegian) or /r/Norway (if you don't) to see if anyone can suggest resources for guides on medical decisions in family law settings. I suspect your mother is wrong about your father's veto power.  Good luck.


Title: Parents’ car got towed from their apartment’s parking lot

Question:
Hello my [20F] parents’ [57M, 56F] car got towed.

Just a background on this: so we currently live in an apartment located in a suburb of Toronto for about 9 years. Our building has apartments on top and commercial stores at the bottom. There are two parking lots, in front of the building facing the street and at the back (this is where most authorized vehicles park like tenants and delivery vehicles).

It was a busy Saturday evening since there’s a pub and a local family restaurant downstairs. My dad just got home from work and the front parking lot was full. The back lot only had one more spot left and it was for “authorized vehicles and delivery” and it was in front of the back door of the local restaurant so my dad parked there.

We went off to buy some items for our new place since we’re moving in a few weeks and we got a call from one of our apartment neighbours. They said that the local restaurant called a towing company to tow my parents’ car. We didn’t get a call from anyone else not even the landlord.

The local restaurant said they called property management and the landlord but when my mom phoned management and talked to the landlord, they both said they neither had a phone call from the restaurant owner nor the towing company.

Currently, my parents went off to pay $300~ to get their car back. My landlord advised we take it to court since they weren’t allowed to do that. Landlord would be calling head office to report this too.

Any thoughts or advice? We would appreciate it

TLDR; parents car got towed from their apartment’s parking lot. Person who got it towed didn’t call landlord, property management and my parents.

Answer: Go down to the restaurant and casually ask about their parking situation in the back. I get the landlord said you could, but if it’s not his spot to begin with he has no say in whether you can park in that spot or not.


Title: If I book a hotel and pay ahead of time, but am only 20, and the hotel's policy is that you have to be 21 to check in to a room, but it doesn't actually say that anywhere on their website, can they deny me when I go to check in?

Answer:
 Yes, they can turn you away and refund the money

You should call in advance to avoid any surprises. They may bend the policy and just make a note when you check-in so they can clear out the minibar or whatever


Title: Suing for emotional distress regarding a non-violet rape?

Question: Hi there. I am from Indiana, and I was recently raped by one of my friends. Since it was not violent, I was told by my city's prosecuter that I would not be able to have a court case as the only evidence of trauma was a bruised cervix and my testimony regarding the language he used toward me - which he has denied. My question is regarding suing for emotional distress. If the courts would not favor a ruling that I was raped, would it even be plausible to sue for emotional distress? It seems not, but I wanted to be certain. Thanks for reading. And I'm sorry about the lack of formatting; I'm on my phone.

Answer:
 We really can't advice you without specific details of the events, and we don't expect nor think you should disclose them here. You need to seek a local lawyer familiar with your states laws that can tell you if you have a case. Answer #2: The only general advice I would give you is that the level of proof required for a civil case is much less than a criminal one, so depending on the details, it might be possible.

Seek a local lawyer, preferably one who will give you a free consultation.


Title: Girlfriend (24) first time DUI in Canada HELP!

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
DUI

Answer:
 >My question is does she need a lawyer for first time offender and non injury DUI?

Yes. She was blitzed.

>Also with a blow that high is she better off to plead guilty?

She should listen to her attorney's advice.

Here is a resource for getting an attorney when you're low on funds:

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fund-fina/gov-gouv/aid-aide.html


Title: Friend asking if he can out down my address when he renews his license (MA). Risks?

Question:
My friend has lived outside of the US for the past couple years. He is visiting for a couple months and has asked if he can put down my address when he renews his license. He does not live at my address and never will.

I'm planning on saying no because it sounds like a hassle but im curious what risks there are for me if I agreed to let him do it.

Answer:
 I have lived in the US since 2004 but maintain my Australian driver's license. I use my US address for my Victoria, Australia driver's license. VicRoads has no problem sending my new driver's license to a US address. Your friend should see if the MA DMV will let him use his foreign address.

I don't use an Australian address for anything.Answer #2: You’ll basically get their mail from the dmv. And if they ever get into trouble with the law, they’re going to harass you for ages to get to your friend.


Title: Daycare refusing to give me tax info because i am behind in payments (houston, texas)

Question: Basically I worked there and got behind in payments for my own child to attend as well, however I was verbally told by the owner/my boss not to worry about paying for him until I could get back on my feet. Well I found a better paying job and left there the middle of last month and she is refusing to give me the tax identification number and how much I paid into child care through 2016. I only started getting behind in October. Is this legal?

Answer: Yes this is illegal and they can be prosecuted for it if they don't give it to you.


Title: Can My Subletter Kick Me Out?

Question:
I started subleasing from someone in Missouri about 2 months ago. I've had my own key, my own space, normal use of common areas etc. since I've been here. She's a little odd, but everything thing was fine. About Dec 15 she said she wants me gone Jan 1. I can only assume this is because my gf and I have sex at my place about 2 times a week, as my only correspondence with her since I moved in was her expressing "the awkwardness" of the situation.

We both signed a simple contract that I wrote for us when I moved in stating that I would live there for 1 month and then go month-to-month if we both agreed. The set period ended Dec 9 and she asked for me to pay one full months rent (Dec 1 we had a discussion about me staying until Feb 24, which is when I move to DC - she eagerly agreed).

I would like to stay in the space since it is very cheap for the area and there is very little available spaces this time of year within my budget.

Can she kick me out?

Should I talk to the Property managers?

Do I have the write to a formal notice before I become homeless or my things are thrown out?

What action should I take of any to stay in my space?

I am open to any questions!

Thank you!

Answer:
 What date did you last pay rent? She owes you 30-day's notice to terminate your month-to-month tenancy, and that 30 days begins on the last day you pay rent in January.
Answer #2: She has to give you 30 days notice.  In most states, you would have until the end of the month, which would be January 31.


Title: ELI5 "Lean on my cause of action"

Question:
I was in an auto accident and after having my calls ignored repeatedly it's looking like I'm going to have to sue the at-fault parties insurance company. I don't have collision coverage(mistake number 1, I know) so my insurance company won't pay out and the at-fault insurance company expects me to give up at this point I'm pretty sure.

However, I have spoken with a lawyer about it and they would like to take on my case on contingency fee basis. I have looked over the contract and I came across a phrase that the attorney will have a "Lean on my cause of action."

After googling this term I was only able to find two sources writen in legalese for cases that are worlds apart from an insurance claim and I don't really understand how this applies to my case.

Someone please explain. The lawyer claims to be a personal injury attorney and I won't miss work and fake or exaggerate injuries to collect money on this one.

tl;dr Don't understand what a "lean on cause of action is. it's in a contract sent by a lawyer to represent me in an insurance claim case.

Answer:
 The correct term here is "lien", not lean ~~lien~~. To try to explain it very simply, it means that the attorney is immediately entitled to a certain portion of the settlement/judgement. It essentially prevents you from having the attorney do all the work, getting a settlement, then trying to keep the entirety of it for yourself after they took it on contingency.

There are certainly more technicalities to it than this, but hopefully that helps clear it up. If you're looking to google it, I've typically heard the typical PI lien referred to as a "charging lien". As /u/Counsel_for_RBN said, if the contract says "lean", find a new attorney.


Title: Can my company force me to sign a non-poaching provision clause upon my resignation?

Question:
I live and work in the Philippines

So I just filed my resignation in my current company in the Philippines. The HR sent me documents for Clearance including this document. There's no clause like this included in my original contract so it felt fishy. Here's a snippet :

I acknowledge that my position as _________________of (Company) involves matters over which I have particular knowledge of or influence with clients or knowledge of a company’s confidential information.  I also affirm that the information about employees’ salaries and remuneration is confidential.

For this reason, I undertake not to poach or recruit, either directly or indirectly, skilled employees of (company), or those who are currently employed with (company) as of the time that this undertaking was signed, for a period of two (2) years counted from the time I have severed my employment ties.  Should I fail to comply with this undertaking, I will be liable to pay (company) liquidated damages in the amount of Fifty thousand pesos (Php50,000.00).  My payment of damages shall be without prejudice to the right of the Company to file the appropriate case in court against me for the protection of its rights.

Answer:
 I have no expertise at all in Philippines law. I will say that this would likely not stand in the UK, as there is no consideration. You're signing away a right, but you're receiving nothing in return.

What could they possibly do if you didn't sign it? They can't force you to stay.


Title: How to deal with an ex-husband damaging my credit/costing me my license?

Question:
First time poster here and on mobile, so please forgive me for any grammar mistakes or rule breaking.

So, I left my abusive ex husband and our divorce was finalized the first week of January this year. I was nearly broke and had no idea of the resources available to women like me or even if I might qualify for help, so I did the paperwork alone. Ex drug his feet on every portion of the divorce, including stalking me after asking for the divorce, refusing to file any required paperwork, and missing court dates entirely. The result of which was that our divorce took much longer than necessary. Before I filed for divorce, we bought an suv together. Since my ex’s credit was bad, I was put as the primary under both the car loan and ownership of the vehicle with my ex as secondary. In the divorce settlement paperwork that I filed (and was accepted fully by the judge and both parties intact), it stated that my ex would have permanent use of the vehicle and that responsibility for payment of the loan would be his.

I have as of today recieved two parking tickets for his car, listing that if these are not paid within the next three weeks that they will suspend my driver’s license. I also got a notice on my credit report and found that the loan on his car is still in my name and is 60 days past due. He has done this twice during the processing of our divorce, resulting in me offering to take the car if he cannot afford it, or threatening to claim ownership if he will not pay registration/tickets/the car loan. In the past I have been able to get him to pay these tickets and fines before my driver’s license is suspended. However, he is not responding to my emails regarding this and it is obvious that he has not updated the loan/registration/ownership information to reflect the terms of our divorce. So what do I do here? Can I take him back to court for contempt? Can I repossess a car in my name that technically should not be?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 > Can I take him back to court for contempt?

Yes.  And, I would strongly suggest that you get an attorney to help you.  The process of contempt is not as important as what to ask for in the contempt motion, and what remedies are available in your jurisdiction.  Asking the courts to, like, throw him in jail, would not be as effective as ordering the car be put in his name, for example.


Title: [MA] Server in resturaunt having hours worked cut off paycheck. Advice?

Question:
So I recently started a new serving job (I've worked in 3 other resturaunts before this one) and I've been working a lot because we're short staffed. (2 servers quit since I've started less than 2 months ago...)

I have worked overtime multiple weeks and my paycheck has been cut to 39.35 hours every week I wprk more than 40 hours. One week I worked 50.36 hours and got  a check for 39.35! They cut it to be just under overtime so they don't have to pay overtime, apparently??

I think this is the worst part- I asked some of the other servers and they all kind of laughed at my being upset about not being paid for my time there. It happens to them all the time they said & don't seem to care... they said "good luck" when I said I needed to talk to the owner about it.

Well the owner has been out of the country on vacation for a month.  So I've been trying to talk to talk to the manager and she is never there when I am, I don't have her number- so I've been waiting.

Here we are today! I got a text from another server (who used to be manager), telling me the manager wants me to work a double on Friday (which I requested off..) with one shift being at their other resturaunt,40+ minutes away, that I have never worked at. I said no. I then replied asking if the manager was in & could I come speak to her about my hours being cut. I sent the proof if the breakdown of the 17.6 accumulated overtime hours I've clocked in & have had cut off my paychecks & they haven't answered for over half an hour now.

I am wondering what my best plan of action is? I sort of want to report them to the labor board even if the other servers don't want to stand up for themselves. I feel like the owner just thinks it's okay because the other servers aren't doing anything! I can easily find another job so I'm not very worried about that.

Answer: What they are doing is illegal. File a [wage claim](https://www.masslegalservices.org/classroom/filing-a-wage-complaint) for the lost OT. Start looking for another job.


Title: Son's father out of jail soon, what are my custody rights?

Question:
Apologies in advance, using mobile.

I was previously in an abusive relationship- I was verbally and mentally, and a few times threatened with physical abuse by my ex boyfriend. His family was no better and enabled the gaslighting and lying, making me feel like I was absolutely crazy. Unfortunately, I became pregnant and being the naive child I was, (18) decided to keep my child hoping that things would get better. During my pregnancy the abuse continued and the ex began stealing my paraplegic father's narcotics. This happened several times and though he would never admit it, we all knew. My dad did not involve police because I assume he didn't want to make the relationship worse. After the baby was born the ex boyfriend had no interest in his child and even cheated on me, literally 6 days after birth, telling the girl he cheated with that we were broken up and the baby was given up for adoption. He did not help care for my child in any way, shape or form. He did not provide any financial support either. He was unable to hold a job, or get one in fact, because of past violent criminal history. His mother, who is also on narcotics would occasionally give the ex some pills when he was having withdrawals but eventually decided to cut him off. After 16 months of having the baby, and the ex being cut off of all narcotics, he decided to commit another violent crime against his mother so he could take her pills. She was almost killed, her orbital socket was shattered and she now has plates in her skull. She chose not to press charges but he was taken to court and jailed anyway. I cut off all contact with the father and his side of the family after I made my statement to the police.
My son is now 7 years old and has never had contact with his father or that side of the family. The exs family occasionally tries to contact me, but I am quick to shut it down. I never applied for or received any form of child support and and have been working my butt off to provide for my son. I have been on depression and anxiety medications since the incident, and for 4 months, voluntarily had checked myself into a psychiatric hospital as an outpatient while I was struggling to cope.
Today I learned that the ex will be getting out within the next few months. I fear for mine and my childs physical and mental health. Considering how persistent his family has been, I have no doubt he will come looking for us. I do not want my child in contact with his father or his family because they all have been liars and abusers in the past. I do not want my child to be exposed to any of this. I want to continue my life, on my own with my son. What are my custody rights? Am I able to get restraining orders? I am full of panic writing this, I'm just not sure where to start.

Answer: If there isn’t already a custody order in place, you should contact an attorney or legal aid to see about getting that done. If you’re afraid of him contact the police about a restraining order.


Title: Will I face legal issues for a fight?

Question:
(***No, I am not in any fights nor am I being bullied and I’ve have never participated in fights and don’t wish to unless I absolutely have to. I don’t want to jeopardize my academics over a stupid fight unless I really have to***)

***DISCLAIMER: ALL SCENARIOS THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ ARE ACTS OF FICTION AND ARE NOT ACTUAL DOCUMENTATIONS OF EVENTS THAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH. AGAIN, I HAVE NEVER PARTICIPATED IN FIGHTS AND DON’T PLAN TO UNLESS I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO***

Let’s set the scene; I’m walking down a hallway to my next class when suddenly some people decided to come and fight me. I’ve tried to get out of the situation, but always thrust back in despite all attempts to peacefully leave. Someone punches me really badly and I have a bloodied face. They keep it on and I don’t fight back until they try to punch me again, this time I end up hitting them pretty hard but just enough for them to back down and for me to attempt to separate myself from the situation. It keeps going on until I eventually lose consciousness and pass out over some splatter of my blood. I need medical attention ASAP.

Let’s play this scenario again but this time, they have a knife on them (let’s say they stole it from the culinary arts room and/or smuggled it to school). I see they try to pull a knife on me and I try to calm them down and persuade them otherwise, telling them that this isn’t a good idea. They come in and try to stab me when I then dodged and kicked them in the leg. They get back up and miss a stab, allowing me to punch them really hard in the throat (enough to break their trachea) and break/dislocate their arm. Turns out, they actually made a pretty deep cut on my left arm and I had the knife struck me in the torso, along with a cut on my right cheek.

In both scenarios, what legal repercussions might I or they face? What would happen?

(If it helps, I live in the state of Minnesota)

Answer:
 In most places, "self defense" is a *defense* to a charge of assault.

So that means that if you are involved in a fight and criminally charged, you can raise the issue of self defense.  If the judge or jury agrees that your actions were **reasonable** attempts to defend yourself, you get found not guilty.


Title: An attorney tried to convert me to Christ. Is this legal?

Question:
I've been discussing a California legal matter with an attorney via email; I have no contract with this attorney.  In their most recent email to me, they wrote:

>[Regarding your legal matter,] that is never an easy situation.  I pray you find strength in Christ to cross this valley.

It seemed odd to be getting religious evangelizing from an attorney.  Is this acceptable behavior within the CA attorney code of conduct?

Answer:
 That's just his way of showing empathy.  That doesn't seem evangelizing to me, it's more like someone saying "god bless" when you do something nice for them.Answer #2: He didn't try to convert you.  Not everything in the world you don't like is illegal.Answer #3: That isn't called attempting to convert you.

That is the attorney attempting to be kind and expressing their sympathies.  Should they ask your religion before they express religious sympathies?  I guess.  No one wants to hurt fee fees.

Mountain out of a molehill.Answer #4: I don't think it's covered by code of conduct. If this behavior makes you uncomfortable, you may consider hiring a different attorney.


Title: Would an employer be responsible for an employees DWI? [Maryland]

Question:
I went to a 4th of July party today in Maryland and almost everyone there works together at a local country club and the day's hot gossip was about a non-present co-worker who got sent home the previous day for being intoxicated at work.

Apparently the guy was stumbling, slurring his words, yelling at members, reeked of whiskey, clearly intoxicated so they sent him home.

Curious, I asked how he got home and was told he drove. This made me think, if he had been pulled over or involved in an accident would the club be in any way responsible/liable?

Just something I was wondering so hopefully nobody minds there's no advice needed. (If you do sorry, say so and I'll tell you a joke to make up for it).

Answer: The employer told him to leave. They didn't tell him how to do so.


Title: (Colorado) Ex- Stripper needs legal advice

Question:
Hi Everybody.

I am iluvbrandonsanderso (throwaway for obvious reasons). I am a 24 year old woman who lives alone (I'm telling you this for a reason). I graduate in one semester and work at a popular chain coffee shop. But I wasn't always this way. About a year ago I was a heroin addicted stripper (albeit still getting A's and B's in school). I was your regular stripper, I never participated in "extra" anything. To keep this short, I was in a situation where I needed to find an apartment fast. At the club, there was this customer that had been coming in for a while and always got dances with me. He was known for taking all the girls out to eat and finally one day I went. I told him about needing the remaining money for my deposit and he gave it to me. I told him I would pay him back eventually. Well, because I was a heroin addicted recluse, I didn't have a lot of family around me or help. So this customer, I would almost call him a friend; helped me get and move my furniture into my new home. It was all very well.
But then he started making me feel uncomfortable by asking me to pay him back with massages. He also one time asked if he could give me head. I said no, but just felt so disgusting. He always hinted at wanting to do more and just being down right gross. Anyways, I just didn't want anything to do with him and I didn't have the money with paying for school, drugs and bills.

Fast forward- I go to rehab, quit stripping, continue school, and get a job at the coffee place. I have cut everybody from my old life out. Blocked numbers, everything. I am literally a whole new person.

But now my old customer is starting to come by my house, knocking on my door and leaving notes. I don't want to answer because:
A: I feel uncomfortable (as I said above, I am also a single lady living alone, what if this guy gets aggressive or something).
B: I don't have the money. I am not making stripper money anymore. I am making barley minimum wage.

Can he threaten legal action? What is the worst that can come from this? I thought about a restraining order but I cannot remember his last name for the life of me.

Please help r/legaladvice !!

Answer:
 If you agreed to repay him, you'll need to do so. It'd be wise to negotiate it with him (either in a public place or over phone/email) rather than have to go to court.Answer #2: He lent you money and you promised to pay him back.  Yes, he can threaten legal action... anyone can threaten legal action.  He might be able to take you to small claims court and win a judgment against you.  With that judgment, he could garnish your wages, your bank account, or even take possession of things you own (through further court proceedings).  Going to your house, knocking on your door, and leaving notes are not actions sufficient to get a protection order.  If he makes threats of physical harm or actually physically harms you, then you may have grounds to seek a protection order.  Answer #3: "I told him about needing the remaining money for my deposit and he gave it to me. I told him I would pay him back eventually."

So you played a lonely guy for a loan for rent because all of your stripping money went to heroin. Now you feel you shouldn't have to pay him back even when you told him you would. You don't "pay him back eventually" for a gift, you knew it was a loan.Answer #4: So, nobody is going to address that he suggests that she can repay him with sexual favors?


Title: Sister-in-Law was raped but does not want to report it. Minnesota.

Question:
This happened this last Saturday May 19th. We were at a long time friend's place having drinks. My brother and I have been friends with this man for 15 years. I was not drinking as I had to drive my wife and myself home. This gathering included me and my wife, my brother and his wife, our friend and his wife, and one of their female friends.

Midnight rolls around and by that time my brother has crashed. Normally he can hold his booze but this time he was down for the count. He was sweating profusely and I had to carry him over my back up a flight of stairs to crash in our friends office. I was a little worried but over all he seemed fine. Our friend's wife goes to sleep with their female friend in their bed. Nothing sexual. Just crashing somewhere.

My brother's wife has had a few but seemed under control and she decided to sleep on their couch. Our friend appears to drunkenly stumble upstairs to pass out. So my wife and I take our leave and go home. We thought nothing more of it.

The next morning my brother informs me that our long time friend had raped his wife.... my sister-in-law. She woke up in the middle of it and he tried to play it off like he has a problem and didn't mean it. He begged her not to tell anyone. She tells my brother, her husband, after they returned to their hotel room. Obviously my brother is hung over and confused. Once he accepts this reality he is furious. He calls our friend to confront him. Our friend admits to it and apologizes. His wife doesn't want to report it. She wants to sweep it under the rub. Again, our friend admits that he raped her. It wasn't consensual.

We ask around and discover that why he does not go to his home town much. A woman claimed he raped her years ago and his entire social circle disowned him. We asked some of his guard buddies and I guess he tried to force himself on another solder's wife. A pattern is emerging. At this point we are all confused. We have known this man for 15 years. We couldn't believe he was an opportunistic rapist. My brother was the best man in his wedding 6 months ago. Another, now former, fellow friend also confronted this man. Our friend admitted that he raped her to him as well. As far as I know our friend's wife doesn't know.

Now here is why I made this post. What can I do? My sister-in-law doesn't want to report it. They live in Kansas/Missouri and they were visiting MN over the weekend. If she doesn't want to report it then is that that? End of story? I can't just let this slide and cut this guy out of my life. He needs to face justice or who will be his next victim?

TL:DR - My brother's wife was raped by a long time family friend in his home. He admitted it to several people via phone conversation and text message but she doesn't want to report it. What can I do?

Answer: If she doesn't want to report it, then you can't force her to. Best thing you can do for her is be supportive of her and let her decide what she wants to do.


Title: [Colorado] I live in student housing and I come home to my apartment before work to find out they switched the locks without telling me.

Question: The only way I can get the key is going to the office which isn't open until 8. Is this legal? No one told me they were going to do this and they changed the locks on all the doors

Answer: There's no specific issue here.  Sometimes maintenance has to be done, sometimes that maintenance will be inconvenient.  You need to wait, what, another ten minutes?  Go pick up your key at eight and you'll be fine.


Title: Texas House Closing Refrigerator Issue

Question:
Hi all,

Throwaway here but having an issue that I'm having a hard time searching for online. My wife and I just bought our first house, in the DFW metroplex. The housing market here is pretty hot so we put an offer in quickly on a house. The house itself, while old, was great and had several positive features, including a "professional kitchen" and "Viking Appliances" which were both mentioned in the description of the property in the MLS listings. They have a built in Viking refrigerator and freezer stand-alone units which blend into the cabinets and look great.

Fast forward a month, we've closed on the house. After a week of vigorous cleaning, we've noticed that the refrigerator is super smelly, and we thought our cleaning would help. Also, after putting bottles of water in there, we noticed it isn't cooling that well. We hadn't moved in yet, but had been cleaning the house, and began to notice that while we thought the fridge was working fine, turns it out isn't cooling more than 60-65 degrees, which is not acceptable for a refrigerator. I thought it was just dirty, so we cleaned it, unplugged and left it open for a few days, and plugged it back in, but that has not fixed the issue.

We had an appliance repairman come out and he quoted $3500 to fix the issue with the refrigerator (Sealed System failure). Turns out, after a call with Viking, this is under a 12 year warranty (refrigerator was bought in 2008). However, we're still getting quoted $2800 for the labor, as the warranty only covers the parts, not the labor. My question is, is there anything we can do here to make the sellers pay for part of the repairs? The repairman said that there was a "quick fix" put into place to temporarily help, but they never do that because they know it will end up failing and causing more issues than before.

They did not note anything about the refrigerator on the sellers disclosure, but after reviving, I didn't see anything for refrigerators at all in the disclosure form (Texas law I assume). In Texas, the majority of houses take their refrigerator with them with they move. This house didn't, so maybe that is why it was not on the disclosure. However, whenever we came over after the initial offer, there were very few things in the refrigerator (leftovers and protein shakes). We thought it was weird. After looking at that, plus the repairman saying it was temporarily fixed, we have a feeling that the sellers were aware of the issue. Now, since its Texas, we'd think that there's nothing we can do since the refrigerator normally doesn't come with the house so they do not have to disclose anything. However, they bragged about their professional kitchen and their Viking appliances in the description of the house, while obviously knowing something was wrong with the fridge. This seems super misleading to me.

Is there anything we can do to get the sellers to try and help us out with the payment to get it fixed? I think we would have offered a little bit less if we knew the refrigerator needed $3500 in repairs, since they mentioned having high-end appliances in the house. Or we would have just preferred having no refrigerator, since now we will have to at least pay someone to take it out of the kitchen. Let me know your thoughts, and thank your reading! Again, this is our first house, so we are both very nervous about being taken advantage of.

Answer:
 As the other posters have mentioned, you have no legal grounds to go after the seller for your refrigerator issues.

Non legal advice:
That said, a unit which is partially cooling is probably not had a complete sealed system failure.  The number one cause of refrigerators cooling partially but not coming down to temp is the condenser coil being blocked.

Pull off the lower front cover and see if there is a mat of hair and dust covering it.  The refrigerator needs to be able to shed heat outside in order to produce cold inside.

I know that you said you had a tech to come out and look at it, however it is often a sad reality that the tech would watch rather sell you a $3500 job then vacuum off the hair and dust and tell you that you are good.  It does sound kind of like someone placed a “hard start” kit on the compressor, but once that fails you will have no cooling whatsoever not just partial cooling.

As an example a local, ‘reputable’ HVAC company just quoted to replace the commercial hot water heater at a friend of mine’s business, I happened to know that the water heater was only a couple years old, do I diagnosed, and it turns out that the piezo electric igniter was the only thing wrong, $17 part vs. ~$2k for a new commercial water heater.  Then they would’ve ‘removed the trash’, repaired and then re-sold his water heater as a ‘lightly used’ unit to the next unsuspecting customers.

Not that appliances don’t die, but check, and check again.  Lots of unscrupulous folks out there.

Partial cooling indicates that the system compressor is working but has an obstruction, cannot shed heat, or is low on refrigerant.


Title: Missing $128 in a shared cash drawer SoCal

Question: My store has a shared cash drawer, the keys are always in front under the cash register and anyone can access it. There were 3 cash transactions that day and I had the only one where we received a $100 bill and then had to give some change. The other two were for $20. Right now my boss believes I gave the customer the $100 Bill back as part of their change. My concern is the customer is saying I didn't, there are no cameras on the cash register and that does not account for all the missing money. Can I be fired for this since there's no proof I made the mistake and a coworker didn't just steal the money?

Answer: Yes, you can be fired if your manager thinks that you're the source of the missing $128 (or for almost any other reason).


Title: Someone opened a bank account with my husband's SSN

Question:
Couple years ago, my husband and I went to a bank to open an account. The lady asks us for our socials and then she says that a bank account is already open with my husband's SSN. She told us it wasn't his name on file or address, but she wasn't allowed to disclose anything else and that they would take care of it.

I don't need legal advice on this topic. I am just curious as to what possibly happened to this person? For example, could the bank have gone after them for fraud? And (if someone here knows) how was this person able to open a bank account with my husband's social when the rest of the info didn't match?

Answer:
 -An unauthorized worker "borrowed" your SSN to open a bank account
-Your husband's parents opened an account for him when he was a child and then everyone forgot about it
-The CIA used his SSN to open a clandestine and deniable account to fund dubious black ops on foreign and domestic soil


Title: Baby catches HMFD virus at theme park, is theme park liable?

Question:
EDIT -- We live in New Jersey, the Theme park is in Pennsylvania.

My family went to a theme park on Monday and while we were in the water park we noticed a child with an obvious bright red rash all over his body in the water with everyone else.  We promptly left because it looked like Coxsackievirus.

Two days later, my 15 month old has a fever, and then the following day, she's developed a rash all over her body.  We took her to the doctor, and what do you know, she has Coxsackievirus, or, more commonly known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.  This is a viral infection that is very contagious, and the doctor is pretty sure she got it from that kid in the water.  My daughter isn't in daycare or in any contact with other children yet, to rule out any other places she could have gotten the virus.

So is the park liable for failing to keep that child, who very obviously had bright red rashes all over his body, out of the theme park, or at the very least, out of the water, away from all the healthy children??? I wonder how many other kids caught the virus that day?  Do I have any recourse against the park or that fuckin guy who brought his obviously sick and contagious kid to the park??

Thanks!

Answer: No.


Title: When can a landlord arrest a tenant? (for theft)

Question:
Colorado.
I own a unity with two floors, the tenant lives on the first floor, where the kitchen is located, and I live upstairs. She's stopped paying rent I know I'll have to evict her. She knows that and is trying to buy time and causing me trouble, so I installed a camera in the kitchen. She already knows it's in there.
Now she has been helping herself for anything in the fridge, although I've already told her she cannot. None of what's in there was bought by her.
I want to know if I can make a citizen's arrest if I can see her stealing in the camera, and go down to detain her, and if I can get her out (permanently) by doing that. I've already bough handcuffs and pepper spray (which I plan to use if she fights). How much force can I use?
After restraining her, I'll call the police. Do I tell them I've made a citizens arrest? How different will their response to that be as opposed to if I called them saying a tenant has been stealing my stuff?

Answer:
 >How much force can I use?

You use as much force as she used to steal the food. Which is to say: none.

You will still have to go through a formal eviction proceeding to have her "permanently" removed, even if you follow through with this asinine citizen's arrest plan.


Title: How likely is it that a breathalyzer was calibrated wrong? [MO]

Question:
Hey all, so my older sister (who is over 21, has never been in any trouble with the law whatsoever, and does not have any issues with alcohol abuse) called me very upset the other day, apparently she had gotten stopped at a checkpoint after having a pair of drinks with two co-workers, and blew a .10. I do want to stress that she does indeed understand the consequences and is not trying to worm out of the DUI charge, but when she described what had happened a lot of it sounded very off.

First, I asked her if she agreed to blow, she said that when she got stopped at the checkpoint (I've never been through one I'm not exactly sure how it goes down), the officer told her before even asking if she would blow voulentarily that she would have to blow or else they would arrest her and take her to the hospital for a blood test, where even if she was below the legal limit she would still have her lisence suspended (or revoked, not sure the exact word he used) no matter what. She told me (and I fully belive what she says) that she had only had two light beers in the two hours prior so she consented to the test. There were no other roadside testing done besides the breathalyzer.

I asked her if they did the breathalyzer on everyone or just her or other that they had suspicions about. She asked her friends, one of who had nothing to drink at all and they said that her coordination was not impaired, her speech was not slurred, and that she did not appear to look like a person who had been drinking. If they were just selecting folks that they thought may have been drinking I think they may have chosen her because she was dressed like she was out for casual drinks, and probably smelled a but like beer since she was in a bar, also (despite being the kindest and most caring person I know) she has a resting bitch face which might not have helped.

I guess what I'm asking is that although I will admit I don't know too terribly much about what the sorts of calculations that one must to to estimate BAC (aside from the one drink one hour deal), I find it odd that she would blow the .10 with that small an amount of alcohol in that time. She isn't new to drinking, as she's 26 so it's not like she's some super lightweight. I've heard of people saying that the things aren't always calibrated correctly, and even though it's a long shot I figured I would see if this is actually possible or just a bunch of blowhards spouting off about things they have no idea about.  (I mean if you knew you were doing DUI stops why would you not make double damn sure that the device was calibrated and operating correctly?)

She has gotten a lawyer who I guess "specializes" in this sort of thing who said it's possible that this occurred, and mentioned somthing about pleaing it down. I figure she's in good hands with the lawyer but didn't think getting a second oppinion from the internet that I could research further could hurt.

My sister doesn't know I'm even asking this, I just feel so awful for her. She is really taking it pretty hard, as she is a straight shooter. She says she feels like she let me and my parents down and I really just want to help her if there's any way I can. Again I do want to stress that she being mature about this all and is fully willing to accept the consequences of her actions. Thanks all for reading this, I do sincerely appreciate you guys talking the time to read even if you don't have any comments. Best of luck to all of you out there!

Answer:
 I think the odds of the breathalyzer not being calibrated for a scheduled DUI checkpoint is about the same as the odds of your sister only drinking two light beers.Answer #2: Your sister has an attorney who is handling her case. That attorney is doing their job. You're not doing them any favors by spewing the facts of her case over the Internet.

Mind your own business and let the defense attorney do their job.

>She isn't new to drinking, as she's 26 so it's not like she's some super lightweight.

How new a person is to drinking, their age, and their alcohol tolerance do not affect BAC. You might want to take an alcohol education class. Answer #3: In Missouri, the calibration of the instrument has to be checked every 35 days to verify that the instrument is working properly. A copy of the most recent maintenance should be available from the department. If there was a problem, that would likely have detected it.

If the test was properly done, then the reading is very likely accurate.


Title: Any defense/custody lawyers who can give me any advice about my brother? Please, help!

Question:
So, I will try to make this short, but my brother is going through a nasty divorce after six years of marriage. They have two kids. One is not his biological child (she got knocked up by some ex bf she hardly knew) but he adopted her and married my sister in law (SIL).

Now, my SIL has made it pretty clear these last couple of years she wasn't happy. They went to marriage counseling for a bit (she stopped after the counselor started to side with my brother on matters) and she made the move last June to move back to Colorado with the kids where her family was (without my brother and much disapproval from our entire family). Now, my brother is a veteran and just got a job as a police officer in Wisconsin so he could not move with her or quit his job (it's hard to get a first time position) but she selfishly took the kids to CO to go to school (because she couldn't possibly go to school in WI??).

Anyways, back in December she was supposed to take the kids to see my brother for christmas but she refused. She said she would go to Chicago (where our family is from) but not WI (to see him). Of course my brother got mad at this (he hadn't been able to see the kids since july) so he yelled and said he wanted a divorce (something I think she was hoping he'd say).

News flash to present day, they are in the process of getting a divorce. My brother went out to CO to be with the kids and something bad happened. The previous day my brother said he wanted full custody so that pissed her off (she's unemployed, going to school to be a nurse).

The next day, she posted on FB about bringing guys over to the kids' gymnastics class (provoking him, not sure exactly what it said since it was deleted) and they got into an argument at the gym. My brother gets emotional and swears a lot (he's been an avid curser since we were kids, to us, it is not an indicator of how mad he is, it's just how he expresses himself when he's feeling emotional--I know it's bad though). I guess he touched her on the shoulder and said "Look at me when I talk to you" and someone (Idk who) called the cops and she said he pushed her.

Now, he can't leave the state of CO til he has attended two court dates (so he can't work back in WI). Will this cost him his job as an officer? How will this pan out in the custody battle?

I know I'm biased, but although my brother does have a temper and often curses up a storm, he has a good heart and loves her and the kids to death (he brought her roses even during the divorce). I just hope this doesn't cost him his future. He earned many respected awards while overseas and anyone you ask would admit he definitely has a mouth on him but is a great guy.

tldr; brother got a domestic abuse charge while in a divorce. Will this cost him his job as a police officer? How will this affect the custody during the divorce?

Answer:
 > My brother went out to CO to be with the kids and something bad happened.

You're burying the lead there.  What "bad" happened?

> Now, he can't leave the state of CO til he has attended two court dates (so he can't work back in WI). Will this cost him his job as an officer?

Probably, either for absenteeism or for the criminal charge.

> How will this affect the custody during the divorce?

Likely negatively for him.  He can certainly fight the charges, and a "not guilty" would work in his favor.  However, if he regularly gets emotional, yells, swears, and grabs people during arguments, it's likely that he's going to look like the bad guy here.

He needs to hire an attorney for the custody and for the criminal charge, and work towards mitigating this.


Title: Got in through a window to move my stuff out.

Question:
Broke up with my girlfriend a few months ago and we had a mutual spot.  I moved out, but still helped out with the old spot for a little bit.  I paid rent fully(until December), took care of the dog, cleaned, and got groceries.  At the beginning of December, I asked her for rent so I could send it out(I had paid the rent the passed 11 months, why not this month?).  She said don't worry about it, but to just give her the money.  After thinking about that, it sounded fishy.  I then find out that she is re-signing the lease to keep the townhouse.  With these 2 things happening, I did not feel safe paying the last months rent until I could find out what was happening with the security deposit(I paid 100% of).  She was ignoring me texts and trying to bring up other subjects when finally confronted.  I finally told her, if she doesn't get the security deposit figured out, then I am not paying last months rent.  That is what the deposit is there for.  She then changed the locks on me so when I came to get my stuff on the last day of our lease, I couldn't get in.  I notified her that I would be coming the day before.

She wasn't there, so I got in through a window.  I got my stuff, locked the door, and left.

When in the house though, I noticed a broken necklace from a local jeweler that I had given her.  It was intentionally broken.  I may or may not have taken the other 2 back.  Any law against indian giving in a relationship?

I have now woken up to a call from a police officer asking for my side.  Did I do anything illegal?  State of Virginia btw.

Answer:
 Are you still on the lease?

>  I may or may not have taken the other 2 back. Any law against indian giving in a relationship?

Yeah, unless it was a conditional gift (like an engagement ring), what you did was theft. Even then, you went about it the wrong (illegal) way.

Don't talk to the police anymore. Get an attorney if you are arrested.


Title: Could this situation cause me to be charged with perjury or negatively affect me?

Question: 3-4 years ago I worked as a civillian/internship employee for a Police Department in New York. During hiring for that position I put down that I never took sleep medication (as far as I was aware I didnt, which was the truthful answer). The job was a promotional to Police Officer. During the application part for PO, I asked my parents just to make sure I wasnt missing aynthing in regards to my medical history. My parent mentioned to me that the doctor prescribed me to take melatonin during a period of time where I suffered a really bad eye allergic reaction and I couldnt sleep properly. The event happened almost 7 years ago at this point. I dont remember taking anything for sleep because my parents took care of me and gave me my medication during that period. When I went in for the psych interview, she said "this is so huge". I later discontinued the process of becoming a PO, because I realized I didnt want to become a cop because people seem to really hate cops nowadays. So my question is would I be charged with perjury or would I face any negative consequences. Will this affect me negatively if I seek out any future city/federal employment?

Answer:
 Not at all, and your answer was not even incorrect.

Melatonin is a dietary supplement it is not a drug.


Title: My ex-girlfriend was hiding under my bed for the past 30 hours, needing some advice.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 My personal experience is that if you don't take a hard line approach right from the start, this will drag on and escalate. These situations can escalate and conclude with disastrous and life changing results.

Assuming she doesn't have something hanging over your head that you did not disclose, I would immediately call police, file a report, pursue prosecution, restraining order etc. etc.


Title: (Maryland) Termination of house sitting contract

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I am a cat owner to three, and even I have nights where my male cat is bugging the hell out of me, so I shut them out of the bedroom. I do not see what the owners issue is here. The cats have the rest of the house! Bet their spoiled brats, too (the cats).

While I am not sure about the CPAP machine, as long as it keeps you breathing , I fail to see a problem here. You continue to live and feed the cats and follow the guidelines of the contract, instead of dying in their bed (which would present no end of issues for them!)

Frankly, these people give cat owners a bad name. I would say I can no longer commit to the contract, and end it if possible.


Title: [NY] Is it illegal to buy something cheaper at one place and return it to another place for more money?

Answer: Yes, that's fraud.


Title: [VA] Legality of a "driver-shaming" website?

Question: As I was traveling along today on the wonderful road that is I-66, I witnessed several flagrant moving violations (Failure to signal, improper lane change, following too closely) With HD dashcams becoming more prevalent, would it be legally possible to form a kind of "neighborhood watch" of driving where we could submit video evidence of the violation to a website and volunteer to testify as to what we saw? Some of these drivers that almost cause bad accidents I would totally go to court for. Besides caseload, is there anything that prevents police officers from issuing traffic citations by video camera evidence if someone not a police officer is willing to testify to it?

Answer:
 That site is called YouTube. (pardon the sarcasm)

Check out /r/roadcam for lots of links.

> volunteer to testify as to what we saw

You really want to do that? Better [wo]man than  I.


Title: Do I need a person's consent to record their admission of guilt over the phone and use it against them in civil court?[Ga]

Question:
I know that Georgia has a one-party consent law, so does that mean that I am still required to notify them of the recording?
Thanks ahead of time.

Answer: One party consent means that only one party has to consent. If you're part of the conversation, you're that one party.


Title: Can an employer make me do an observed non dot drug test on site at random?

Question: I’m really not comfortable being observed peeing can an employer do this?

Answer: Unless it is specifically prohibited or there is a contrary employer policy or labor rule in effect:  Yes.  Courts have found this to be allowable in most jurisdictions as employers have the right to ensure their workers are not impaired.  They have to see you pee because some people have been known to use prepackaged "clean" urine or otherwise negate the testing.


Title: Left a USB drive at work. Help?

Question:
Here's the play-by-play.

I work in a HIPPA oriented workplace in California. I brought a personal USB drive to work. I use it to keep both work-related and personal documents (will be creating a work-only drive after this). I used it to prepare for a project, downloading relevant documents from websites to it. I have not ever used it to keep HIPPA sensitive material.

I left it at work yesterday. I texted a coworker and asked her to put it in my personal box. She said she would. I never got confirmation. Today, I received a call from HR. It went about like this:

>HR: I'm sure you know why we're calling.
Me: No? No idea.
HR: There was a USB left at your workplace.
Me: Okay...
>
>HR: As of today you are on paid administrative leave while we investigate this matter.
>
>Me: O...kay...
>
>HR: We'll be in touch and you'll receive a letter soon. Do not go in to work or contact anyone there.
>
>Me: Okaaaay.
>
>HR: Thank you. That's all.

&#x200B;

So, the contents of the drive does include some porn. It's not on the top level. You'd need to go looking to find it. Some of it is sketchy (lolita stuff is a kink of mine) and I am super worried that they might see it as underage porn because some of the girls do look very young. (As I said above, LESSON LEARNED THE HARD WAY. Won't happen again.)

I did text my coworker earlier in the day asking if she found the drive. She did not reply. We both have iPhones. It got bumped to text.

What I am picturing in my head is that instead of just pulling the drive out and putting it in my box, she might have snooped through it? And then reported me for the porn? And has now blocked me because of this, and might be spreading around work that I'm a pervert? My workplace policy is that we cannot browse, download, share, or stream pornographic material on workplace equipment. None of that happened. I only saved some work-relevant PDFs and website URL files to the drive, then closed it up. As I mentioned earlier, I also did not violate any HIPPA policies or laws.

I have contacted my union representative. I am waiting to hear back details on what, exactly, they are investigating. Wondering if they're going to be digging through my USB and if they have that right and what to do if they think my lolita porn is underage and report it to the police (we are all mandatory reporters – it's possible).

I am wondering what my next steps should be. Thanks.

Answer:
 >I also did not violate any HIPPA policies...

It is very common for HIPAA-regulated entities to have a policy that you may not connect any non-work devices to the system. So porn aside, you likely violated the company's HIPAA policies.

The porn makes it worse because 1) you obviously shouldn't have it at work, and 2) you dramatically increase the security risk because porn is notoriously malware-ridden.

Your next step is to wait to hear from your union rep. Don't be surprised if you are terminated with cause and have no remedy under your CBA.


Title: Letter of explanation for traffic ticket

Question:
*sorry for formatting-mobile*

I was pulled over for not changing lanes for an officer that had his lights on on the side of the freeway.

He wrote me a ticket for something lesser bc the original offense carries points and larger fees. The ticket says I can write a letter with an explanation to try and knock down the price of my ticket. I'm a single mom and have very little money. I didn't realize it was a new law about changing lanes for emergency lights that are pulled over. The person he had pulled over had left and he was inside of his vehicle so I just stayed in my lane to get off at my exit.

My question becomes: what do I explain in the letter? The original offense or what he wrote the ticket for? In the comment section he wrote the original offense.

Answer:
 When you've been given a "field plea bargain" by an officer writing you for a lesser offense, pleading for additional reduction carries the risk that the prosecutor or judge amends your charge to the original offense and then pleas (or not) from there.

If your charge is already reduced, your smart money may be either on speaking with a lawyer or paying your fine.


Title: If someone leaves something of great value at your house for an extended period of time, is it ever legal to get rid of it?

Question:
My former best friend and I played in a semiprofessional band in our early twenties. About four years ago, things fell apart and he left his bass at the studio we practiced at. He would not return to the studio due to disagreements with our former manager, so he asked me to pick up his bass so he could come get it from my house. It’s been a few years and he’s never come to get it. We only live an hour from each other, and I have reached out multiple times. He will never tell me his address to drop the bass off. Is there any point in time where it is legally acceptable for me to either sell or trade off the bass? I have a small house and it has become a storage issue.

This is a $3000+ bass, and I don’t want to get hit with grand theft or anything like that if I sell it or give it away or whatever. We are in Kentucky.

Answer:
 If it was me, and it was a legitimate storage issue and not “I’m tired of that dang thing being in my house”, I would prepare a letter saying it would be sold in 30 days, and then send it certified mail to his last known address (even if you know he’s no there anymore, it may get forwarded). Then after the time period is over, sell it for full market value. Don’t just give it to the first person to offer $1, but you don’t have to stick to MSRP either. Next, set the money aside in an escrow account for six months. If he comes looking for the guitar, you give him the money. Since he got the full reasonable value, even if he sues you, he wouldn’t be awarded anything more than you already gave him. If after another six months he doesn’t collect the money, escheat it to your state’s unclaimed property office, run by your state’s secretary of treasury. Then if he comes looking, you can direct him to the government. [Thats what it’s there for](https://treasury.ky.gov/unclaimedproperty/pages/unclaimed-property-search.aspx).

Try running a search for your name, or your parents. You might be surprised how much unclaimed money is out there. Answer #2: According to Kentucky Revised Statutes [Chapter 393A.040.15] (http://lrc.ky.gov/statutes/statute.aspx?id=48101), the property is assumed abandoned 3 years after the owner first has a right to demand the property back.

I would follow the other guy's steps, but this is good to know.Answer #3: Bailment, abandonment, and adverse possession are the legal concepts you should look into for your state.


Title: My mother is dying because of the DOC of Florida's incompetence.

Question:
I really wish I could make this post unbiased, but it's my mother and she's in a real bad place right now.

Here's an overview: My mother was arrested around 7 years ago for non-violent drug charges, and a breaking and entering for taking money out of an open car. The victims wanted her to get 10 years over $160 and she did, as well as a few more for the drug charges. She's currently not in prison because she was released 3 years ago on medical, and is on house arrest until March 17, 2017. I honestly can't say she's going to make it through this, but i'm hoping after this is all over, whether she lives or dies, that the DOC pays reparations for this.

Here's a rundown of how she got to where she is now: The DOC gave her basic medical care while she was there, no special treatment even though she's survived breast cancer once, no tests to make sure it wasn't going to come back. They finally got her a doctor after she complained of a lump where her breast used to be. She had Stage II Metestatic Breast Cancer at this point. The day before she was released on medical, the staff at the prison hospital gave her a chemo med that she is listed as allergic to on her medical records, she want into anaphylactic shock and barely survived that. While she's been home she's been getting the medical treatment she needs, but about a year ago she was left unable to walk because the tumors had spread to her spine. We thought about suing the DOC then becuase it left her permenantly disfigured, but didn't want to risk her going back. Right now she is hospitalized because tumors at the base and front of her brain that have left her in a semi-vegetative state. She can't eat by herself, has very little muscle control, very poor memory, and can barely speak. As of today the doctors have said she's unresponsive. Can someone please point me to the type of laywer we'd need, what kind of case we would have, and how we should approach this. I'd like to thank anyone in advance for any advice they could give me

Answer:
 You should speak to a civil rights attorney and/or a medical malpractice attorney.

In general, though, I don't see much here that's actionable.  Preventative care is generally not considered to be required, and it appears that the only error didn't lead to long-term damage.


Title: Is it legal for a clinic to bill for a pregnancy test when I didn’t even authorize being tested? (NYC)

Question: A few months ago I went into a CityMD clinic because I knew I had a UTI and wanted a prescription for antibiotics. They took a urine sample to test for the UTI and I paid at the pharmacy for the antibiotics. Now I received a bill in the mail for 250 dollars stating that I’m being charged for a pregnancy test. I asked for my patient records from CityMD, and although it’s hard to know what their shorthand stands for, it doesn’t look like a pregnancy test is listed there either. I am absolutely certain that I didn’t ask for one and wouldn’t have okayed one, though. Should I continue to dispute the bill or is it legal?

Answer:
 Any woman of child bearing age and abdominal symptoms presenting to my ER gets a pregnancy test. I would assume that it would be the same in an Urgicare center. Being pregnant can change the antibiotic that they may give you. Ectopic pregnancies can cause pain that can mimic other entities. And women can be pregnant and not know it.

That being said, $250 seems awfully high for just a pregnancy test. I would ask for a detailed EOB and see if the $250 also includes other tests.

Edited to add, it is legal to do the pregnancy test without your specific consent. You probably signed paper work authorizing treatment when you first arrived. The pregnancy test would be included in that release.


Title: Misrepresenting bid to HOA board

Question:
I'm part of an HOA board in Idaho.  Yes I know how much people love HOA's but I'm on the board to try to keep it sane and civil.

We were wanting to replace some bark in our common areas around the subdivision with rock.  The barked was basically gone and we were tired of having to add more very few years.

Three companies were contacted to bid the work.

At the board meeting to decide the bids were reported on but never seen.  The one that was the lowest was chosen only to find out that the person, another board member, who reported on the bids gave the wrong numbers knowingly.  He reported the cost at $7,400 when it was really $8,900 which was over one of the other bids.  The $7,400 was reported in the minutes of the meeting and we now have a copy of the original bid.

The work has been completed before we found out and we have paid for the work because it was not the company's fault that the bid was misrepresented.

We feel that this a fraud from the board member and we are moving to having him removed from the board but do we need to report this to local authorities?

Answer:
 Why did he report the bid as lower?  What benefit was there to him.  Could it have simply been a mistake?

>Fraud is the intentional deception of a person or entity by another made for monetary or personal gain.

If he didn't receive any sort of monetary or personal gain from the deception, it may not be fraud.  However, I don't know that the "personal gain" needs be tangible.  If your HOA have an attorney you can discuss the issue with, I would suggest doing so and following their advice.


Title: [Florida] Worked as an unpaid intern for a few weeks, but was forced to do manual labor

Question:
Hello,

This is my first time posting here, so go easy on me if I missed a few guidelines!

Basically, I worked as unpaid intern in Florida but I was forced to do manual labor; this included moving heavy boxes, cleaning the office, and driving my own car to the post office to drop packages off for the company. I've seen a few suits about unpaid interns suing companies because they had no educational value (free labor).

Do I have a case? Should I just drop it? I mean, I left the company months ago. I'm just wondering if I could do anything about it.

Thanks in advance!

Answer: File a complaint with the US Dept or Labor or sue them on your own in small claims court or go talk to an attorney if the amount in question is large enough.


Title: (FL) Wife is threating to take kids from the house

Question: Hello r/legaladvice- my wife(married 5 years) and I have been rocky for some time but we have kept it together. We have two kids 6 months and 2 years old. she had some untreated mental health issues(physically abused my mother as a child). We had a great weekend at the beach and on the ride home she bursts out that I'm not making enough money and I need to talk to my boss about it or find another job. It was completely out of no where but not out of character for her. I just dropped it and we finished our ride home. Once we got home I unloaded the car and she was putting the food in the fridge. I was holding the 6 month old while the 2 year old was climbing a treee in the front yard that she climbs at least once a day. She slipped and fell had got a six inch gash on her belly. My wife melts down. She becomes a mess and can't keep it together in front of our daughter who stopped crying after a minute but started again after seeing my wife's reaction. She gives her bath and puts neosporin on the cut all the while cursing me telling me how bad a father I am and telling my two year old that "we're going to find a new daddy." She completely blames me for the fall and said that I should have been there to spot her while holding the 6 month old. We go to dinner And the only reason I got to go was my 2 year old cried that I wasn't in the car. We get through dinner and get home. She immediately says I have to leave and leaves for 2 hours. I put the two year old to bed and 6 month old. I falll asleep in our bed and she comes home two hours later telling me to get out of "her" room. I said fine I'll sleep in the guest bed room. On my way out she tells me that she needs some time alone and tells me to go stay at a hotel for the week or stay at our friends who are out of town. My dilemma is that I want to stay because I read that if I leave it will hurt my case for custody later but I feel that if I leave, she will cool down. I know this marriage is over for all intents and purposes but I want to stay in as long as possible to protect my kids because of her history of abuse, I don't want her to abuse my kids. Thanks for any advice you're able to provide

Answer:
 - DON'T MOVE OUT.

- Call a family law lawyer ASAP and meet with him/her to consult about what you should do.


Title: [Gloucester County, NJ] We had drywall and insulation removed for mold remediation after a flood. A different contractor installed new drywall. Would it have been illegal for him to leave the outer walls un-insulated?

Question:
Bear with me here; I understand that we made some dumb mistakes trying to save some money. I'm telling the whole story so no important details are left out, though some of it is probably not relevant to my question.

Due to flood damage, we had to have all of our floors and the bottom 12" of drywall and insulation removed from the entire home (on a concrete slab, no basement).
Afterward we had a different contractor (insured but not licensed) install new flooring and drywall.
Side note, homeowner's insurance is paying for absolutely none of this since we don't have flood coverage.

We were trusting enough to just assume the contractor would install new insulation in the outer walls, figuring this was common sense.
Well that wasn't the case with this guy. He installed the drywall without insulating first, and now all of our outer walls have at least the bottom 12" or so completely uninsulated.
In his defense we didn't ask for it explicitly (because we never thought we'd have to) and he never stated he would. It honestly just didn't occur to us to explicitly ask for insulation on the outer walls because it seems so obvious; who *wouldn't* get them insulated?
We were not available to supervise him while the work was being done so it wasn't until after work was completed that we found this out. His price quote didn't get itemized until after the work was done, and at that point we saw that insulation wasn't listed as a material cost.
(as an aside, we also saw that he did a poor job on the floors and left several large gaps and uneven areas)

So here's the thing. Is it even legal to leave those walls un-insulated? Did he break the law by doing that? Is my house now not up to code? Is that my responsibility or his?

I fully understand that I probably got boned by a shitty contractor here but I thought I'd just ask in case there's another angle I'm not considering.

Answer:
 I can't speak to NJ specifically, but overall:

It sounds like you didn't get a contract before the work was done.

 If you did, and it didn't mention insulation, then no, he wouldn't have to put it in. Why would he? Just because something is clear to you doesn't mean it's clear to anyone else.

If you didn't, that's also on you. You're probably screwed.

On the plus side, it's not the worst thing in the world to fix.  Cut a small hole in the wall between the studs and use some can insulation to fill the missing foot.