Title: Parents read my mail and kicked me out. Did they commit a crime?

Question:
New to reddit so please bare with me.  My parents read my most recent Navy Federal account statement that came in the mail and read my school loan statement.  They kicked me out because I did not have as much in my savings as they were hoping for and I lowered my school payments.

I have been bunking at my best friends place for two days and I just found out they no longer want me in the home which really puts me in a tough spot because I am not ready to move out just yet.  Ive done some research and have found that reading mail can be a very serious crime, actually.  I am thinking about using that as a bargaining chip to let me stay through November so I can find a place to move into.

Sorry for the bad format (first time poster) but yeah, did they commit a crime?  If so, how serious of a crime is it? Who do I get in contact with to press charges (yes, if they kick me out I will press charges because they are royally F***ing me)?

Thanks

Edit - Thanks for the quick info.  It seems that I will just have to bite the bullet and pay my best friends parents rent for a month until I can find a place to sublet or something of that nature.  Apologies for coming on strong with the whole 'bargaining chip' idea.  I am just very upset that I am being kicked out because they thought I should have almost twice the amount in my savings account then what they saw when they opened my mail and breached my privacy.

Answer:
 Did they commit a crime?  Yes.  Can you prove it to the extent that a postal inspector will even give you the time of day?  Not bloody likely.  Is threatening someone to get what you want considered blackmail?  Perhaps.Answer #2: If you were living at your parents house for a while they legally have to give you 30 days notice.Answer #3: You cannot "press charges".  You can report such a crime to the police or to the postal inspectors, and if they want, then they can "press charges" (personally I doubt that they would take any action on it, but who knows, stranger things have happened).

You cannot use the threat of reporting such a crime to try and get something out of someone else, because that would be blackmail or extortion.Answer #4: Reading your mail is a crime, yes. But hard to prove.  Kicking you out without proper notice is also against the law and much easier to prove. Just go home and tell them you have tenants rights. If they want you out, they can evict you properly and you can use that time to look for a place to live.


Title: Dorm is saying I can’t live where I paid for with my ESA dog. Is this legal?

Question: I’m a 23 year old male and through my psychiatrist I got a letter for an ESA dog to accompany me through treatment. My college is telling me if I want to have him I’ll have to leave the current dorm I paid for and relocate to this dorm that is far away from main campus. I would prefer not to do this and I was wondering if it was within my rights to refuse to move. The reason they are citing that I would have to leave is to keep some spaces allergy free which I think is bogus since it is just as likely that someone would have a dog allergy in one dorm as the other.

Answer:
 OP- Having a dorm specific to (allowing) animals sounds like a reasonable policy and like the university is trying to make a reasonable accommodation for your ESA. Answer #2: >The reason they are citing that I would have to leave is to keep some spaces allergy free which I think is bogus since it is just as likely that someone would have a dog allergy in one dorm as the other.

Not when they guarantee no animals in all of the dorms except for the one that's isolated where everyone with ESAs or service animals live. Your accommodation doesn't get to trump all other accommodations.


Title: Fired for looking for a 2nd job to pay the bills

Question:
This just happened to my Mother and I am curious to see if she has anything here.

Location Phila, PA

She works as a waitress and is/was looking for a 2nd job due to the restaurant she works at pays her like $2+ an hour plus tips. Somedays she takes home $30 some days 150+. Not steady enough to keep up with the bills. Her plan was to get a 2nd job scheduled AROUND her waitress job.

She told a fellow employee at the restaurant and he later told the boss and when she went in for work last night was pulled to the side before her shift and was let go because  she "can not have a 2nd job while working here"

Does she have a case here or anything to help her out?

Answer: no, unfortunately it's perfectly legal.  she can file for unemployment while she continues to look for a new job.


Title: Agreed to a stupid bet, could I be charged with harassment?

Question:
I lost a bet to my friends and had (I didn't have to, I was just really stupid) to send a picture of a girl with cum (the cum was photoshopped on her face) on her face to the girl on facebook.  Well, I did it from a fake account and then blocked her.  She posted something about reporting it to the police.  Could this be considered sexual harassment?  How screwed am I?  No need to tell me I'm retarded, I already realized.  (United States btw)

To add on, I made no kind of advancements towards her, not asking for anything sexual, etc.  I just sent the picture with the >FAKE< cum on her.  Yes, I know, I'm a piece of shit.  I regret what I did.

Answer:
 I'd ask what state this was, but . . . nah.  I can't imagine this is any kind of harassment in any state.  Such laws, even the new cyber bullying laws, usually require repeated incidents, threats of violence, demands to stop that are not followed, and so on.  A single incident is unlikely to be a criminal act.  That said, if you'd provide the state, we can make sure there isn't a particularly specific law where you live.

And yes, this was stupid.  It was fucking awful.  Don't do this.  If you do it repeatedly, you can veer into criminal acts.  You can also be sued.  Stop.


Title: [Florida] Haven't been taking my antidepressant in 3 months

Question:
I'm over 18 and I stopped taking my antidepressant in mid February.  I've kept it a secret from my aunt who I live with because she's extremely controlling and doesn't want me to stop taking them not does she know I haven't been for 3 months.  I have to go to the doctor soon to renew my prescription but obviously I don't want to since I haven't been taking them. The issue is I don't know if I can get into legal trouble for refilling my prescription these past few months and not taking them.  I want to tell the doctor so she can okay me not taking them anymore with the knowledge I've been okay off of them this whole time.
Please help!!

Answer: It's not illegal to not take your medications. At your next appointment just tell your doctor that you no longer want to be on the medication and he/she should take you off. Say you haven't been taking them for a little while and feel fine. If you want you could also say you have some extras and want to know the best way to dispose of them.


Title: Landlord and an emotional support dog

Question:
My psychiatrist thinks I’m ready for an emotional support dog and is ready to write me a letter for an emotional support dog to my landlord. (A real one, not a scam website). I am not allowed pets at this property, a 5 bedroom house in a college town in Wisconsin.

My landlord went on to tell me that there’s a $200 deposit for the animal (reasonable accommodation) so I understand that and that’s within his right.

Here’s what he said that I don’t think he has the right to say/ask:

I can’t have certain breeds, if I want a breed their insurance doesn’t cover I have to pay the difference. He also said that he needs documented proof that it’s trained. He also said he needs confirmation from my roommates that they’re all okay with it (they are).
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Landlords can ban certain breeds, and insurance companies do refuse to cover certain types of dogs. I don't think it's an unreasonable request to ask that you provide proof your dog is trained. If you have legal roommates and they're willing to live with your dog, they should be willing to acknowledge that in a letter to the landlord.

There's nothing he requested from you that's unreasonable or illegal, he's trying to make sure he's protected and your roommates are protected.

Something I've noticed as a Realtor is there are often scratched up areas on the door, next to the door, or on the floor near the door, from dogs that get excited when they want to go out. Make sure your dog doesn't rip up the door or walls, and put a sturdy mat down. I've seen door molding that's been completely worn through from a dog who's wanting to go for a walk.


Title: I was just pulled over by a police officer on false pretenses. I have some questions. (GEORGIA, USA)

Question:
As the title says, I was just pulled over. I was given two tickets: 1) for speeding 15 MPH over the posted speed limit, which was 40MPH. and 2) for having a brake light out on my Jeep.

Here's the thing though. Both of my brake lights are working just fine. I even recorded video of them working fine with my girlfriend's help a few minutes after the stop. I question if the cop even used his RADAR speed checker and the fact that he gave me a separate ticket on false pretenses gives me reason to suspect the cop was just trying to fill a quota. How do cops prove they were using RADAR at the time of the stop? Does the judge just take their word for it? Even if his RADAR checker was calibrated correctly, how do I know he was even using it?

What are my options? This is my first encounter with police and I have no idea what I'm doing.

Answer:
 You can go testify.  The officer will testify.  If there is available video it can be played. The court will determine who to believe.

But it's far more likely that the officer was mistaken about the brake light (or the light was momentarily out when the officer saw you- wiring issues can cause intermittent failures) than he was just making up multiple reasons to fill some hypothetical quota.  There are lots of cars and lots of violations- there's no real reason to falsify charges or reasons to stop people most of the time.

It happens, but it's ridiculous rare.Answer #2: Replace the taillight socket on the Jeep. The Cherokees are known to have shoddy connections and randomly stop working.

Cops aren't required to use a Radar.

> I have no idea what I'm doing.

Yep.


Title: [KY] What action can I take if a neighbor is damaging my property (Very low monetary value)?

Question:
A neighbor who moved in about a year ago next to me who doesn't really speak to anyone (I don't really either and have lived here for many years, FWIW), after I put up a small decorative fence about 1 foot high along my property line has run over it not once but several times now. It has been there for a few months without being disturbed and in the last week one of them ran over it, bending a few pieces of it and they've run over it a few more times since bending probably 5-6 pieces of it.

It's a small wire metal fence, like used to decorate the edge of a garden. I feel they perhaps don't realize that is actually my property and not on theirs because the original person who had the house built added on to their driveway right up to the property line so they have no yard on that side. I got tired of them running over the grass on that side and put the fence up to stop them from doing that.

These fence pieces cost about $5 a piece, so it's not a large amount of money but I'm frustrated on principle since they are damaging my property and have not owned up to it. I attempted to knock on their door when they were home to mention they had damaged my fence but they wouldn't come to their door. Our neighborhood has its own small police department, so I contemplated calling them to assist in letting them know of this but feel they may think this is a waste of time and not bother especially since this is low monetary value.

What should I do to resolve this? I have confirmed with our local laws that the small fence I put up was legal (larger fences are not allowed for front yards).

Answer:
 1. Make sure it is actually your neighbors damaging your property. Put up some security cameras so you can see what is happening.

2. If your neighbors are damaging your property, attempt to speak to them first.

3. If that fails, escalate it to your neighborhood "police" (are you sure they aren't actually security guards?) to see if they can speak to them.

4. If all that fails, call the actual police and make a criminal complaint. Along with that, sue them in small claims court for the damage you incurred (plus the filing fees).Answer #2: Have you considered a large boulder with reflective things attached.

They are very popular where i am.


Title: Is there a law in Arkansas requiring foster children be adopted together, rather than individually?

Question:
I am currently a foster parent in Arkansas.  One foster child lives with me, and the other three live with other foster parents.  We're not sure yet, but it looks like the parents' rights will be terminated soon.  My wife and I have expressed interest in adopting the child currently in our care, but we have recently been told that there is a "new law" in Arkansas which *requires* that foster children be adopted with their siblings.  We were told (by a social worker from the state) that first the children would be available to residents in the county, and if nobody adopted the children from the county after a period of time, they would subsequently open the adoption up to the whole state, followed by the whole country.

I understand the desire to keep the children together *if at all possible*.  However in this case, three out of the four children have special needs which make taking care of them particularly difficult.  I cannot imagine that anybody will take on the task of adopting all four of them (maybe I'm completely wrong - I hope I am).  But when I asked what would happen after, say, several years with no adoption prospects, I was told that, no, the children would still ONLY be allowed to be adopted together.

Is this true?  Would the state seriously deny adoption in all cases, *even after* the children had been up for adoption for several years?  It seems in this particular case that it may do more harm to the children than good - e.g. the child which we are fostering (and who we are interested in adopting) is very young, and at this point, we have had the child for nearly half of his life; he barely even remembers his parents/siblings.

Does anybody know what specific law this person was referring to?  I am curious to look it up myself and see if it is as absolute as this person was telling me.  I would challenge this person myself, but I don't want to appear rude by challenging them outright without having researched it myself.

EDIT:  Can someone flair this appropriately?  I looked through the flair and don't see one that I think is appropriate, but maybe I just missed it.

Answer: The new law is a result of Rep Justin Harris (R-West Fork) who adopted 3 siblings, gave one back to the state, then 're-homed' the other two to a pedophile.


Title: (Pennsylvania) Neighbors are repeatedly calling state police because my Siberian Husky is spending part of each day outside this winter.

Question:
My neighbors are self proclaimed animal rights activists and have called the state police twice in the last four days to report me for keeping my dog outside. My dog is a Siberian Husky who loves to play in the snow. He has a 100 foot run with a dog house on both ends and straw in each. However, due to the weather, he has only been spending 4-7 hours each day total outside the past few weeks and never overnight. We have had problems in the past from these neighbors and are usually good for at least one visit a year from either the local ASPCA or State Police.

The first time the State Police came this year, the officer told us he thought the call was ridiculous, but he had to check the living conditions of the dog anyways. He found no problems. Three days later, another officer came to my home and told us that the caller said that “The dog has been chained to a tree for the last four days”. He is never chained to a tree and he was even inside the house when the officer arrived.

Is there any way that I can stop my neighbors from harassing me with false reports all winter?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 "Officer!!! My neighbors keep cruelly leaving their pet polar bear outside in the wintertime! He's not even wearing a sweater!"

That's about how much their complaint makes sense. IT IS A SIBERIAN HUSKY, for god's sake!


Title: Hindu alter

Question: I’ve made a Hindu alter in my apartment complex next to a tree, what are my rights to this alter as it is on my apartment property nothing huge just a small Ganesh statue

Answer:
 >what are my rights to this alter as it is on my apartment property nothing huge just a small Ganesh statue

When you say your property, what do you mean?  Generally someone renting an apartment doesn't have ownership claims of property outside of their apartment.

If you have an alter next to a tree out in the apartment complex, you have no legal right to have it there if the apartment wants it taken down.Answer #2: >It would be on the common property

Per the comment that automod ate. You don't have any right to build anything on communal property.


Title: Federal Investigation Bureau- Illegal Immigration Accusations [Fl]

Question:
This happened to my sister today, but I will try to provided as much detail as possible.

So this morning my sister missed a call from a 904 area code. She calls back and is treated like a criminal. She was instructed to wait quite a while until a "detective" could speak with her. When he finally talked to her, he began by asking her questions to verify who she was. For example, he asked if she lived at her address, our previous address, and so on. He said her SSN, she didn't confirm it, but he immediately began explaining that the reason he called was because she is under the investigation of the federal investigation for possibly being an illegal immigrant (paraphrasing of course).

She was told to call at 10 tomorrow to further discuss the case.

Now, it should be noted that our family received our citizenship in 2011, have gone to university and we were awarded federal scholarships (which we were required to bring in our citizenship document. So we have our citizenship and we know nothing is wrong with them (or at least nothing WAS wrong last year)

My question: is this a scam? I've never heard of FIB. Shouldn't the Immigration and Customs Enforcement people handle this if there was a real issue with our paperwork.

Secondly, how did they obtain the information? They had her address, SSN and employment all correct!

Please help, this is really scary for all of us.

Answer: Sounds like a scam.Answer #2: Tell your sister to call one of the credit bureaus and freeze her credit. Go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action to order her credit reports for free and to go over them in detail.


Title: [MN] Paypal transaction for $4000

Question:
So a couple months back I loaned a (now ex-) friend around $4000 through paypal to help with financial issues at the time. He has since refused to pay it back. Since I need that money, I decided in my infinite stupidity that the only way I'd get it back was to report it as fraudulent. He is now threatening court.
Bearing in mind that I'm from the UK, and our arrangement over there constitutes a binding legal agreement to pay me back.

I am *fully* aware of just how boneheaded and stupid this move was. What is my legal standing here, and what's the best course of action moving forward?

Answer:
 "They guy who loaned me money stole it back when I refused to give it back to him".

Yeah, I don't see how the cops are going to give two shits and will probably tell him to pursue it civilly.


Title: UPDATE- Landlord who rented my apartment to another

Question:
Sorry it's taken some time to get an update out. It took a while to resolve and I've been busy. I did get nearly all my money back, minus compensation on their part for the time I had possession of the apartment. I didn't mind them charging me for the few days I lived there worry free, even if I found it in poor taste, being that they knew they'd accepted payment for something they never intended to give me, i understood. I was however, a little miffed that they deducted for me having access to the apartment after they tried changing the locks and continued to delay a resolution. But in the end, after help from both the police, my bank, some friends and this subreddit I received most of my money back, minus the small amount due to them making a simple arithmetic mistake as well as prorating based on a rent 100$ more than what was on my lease. But at that point I was just so relieved to have most of my money back that I really didn't care. They may have even knew that. All in all I got back about 93% of my money.

They tried several strategies of getting me out of the apartment without giving me money back. After talking to the other residents, most of whom were literal refugees, no joke, the majority of the apartments were in horrendous shape. The employees there were giving me stories about what terrible things the management/owners had done to occupants, and kept telling me if I have a chance to get out , to get out. I got the numbers of several other tenants who were moving out for a number of problems not being fixed, (budbugs, no water/heat, etc) Each wanted to do something but the apartment is owned by a large local investment firm and none of us have the resources to make them care at all what they're doing.

Thanks again for all your help! All the encouragement really did mean a lot. I always thought it was sappy for people to seek strength from strangers online, but all the encouraging responses really did help me retain my sanity and encourage me not to give in. I've found a much much much nicer btw. Costs a lot more, but worth it not to have worry about bed bugs or my utilities being on or the manager breaking into my place.

Answer: [Original post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3iva58/help_landlord_signed_a_lease_for_my_apartment_and/)Answer #2: I'm somewhat confused by the update. How exactly did you end up getting your money back? Did they give in and decide to refund you prior to you leaving the apartment?


Title: [LEO - 800KM] I seek the legal advice about satellite debris from other nation damaging my satellite

Question:
My satellite is been rendered unusable from debris that came from another satellite. How do I take to the court for damages of lost equipment and services?

EDIT: I am locate in Russia.

Answer: Have you called your satellite insurance company about it?


Title: CBD oil caused me to have job offer revoked.

Question: I was offered a job with a local sheriffs office and sent for a drug test. The sheriff calls me to say I tested positive for THC and cannot be hired.  I took cbd oil, obtained from local dr's office. I have not smoked marijuana in over 14yrs. I am employed by 2 other county governments and have been sent by both for additional testing due to this incident.  I also cannot reapply with any law enforcement agency for at least a year.  Is there anything I can do? I used an over the counter medication that caused the results.

Answer:
 >Is there anything I can do?

Yes - wait an year, then reapply. Ideally while you can pass a drug test.

>I used an over the counter medication that caused the results.

An employer can absolutely refuse to hire you based on the result of a THC test, whether use of THC is legal or not, prescribed or not, etc.Answer #2: >  I took cbd oil, obtained from local dr's office.

The doctor actually gave you CDB oil?


Title: (TN) A farmer keeps shooting a pumpkin cannon 1/4 away from my house and it makes my entire house rattle.

Question: There is a farmer outside of my subdivision who does a corn maze every fall, but this year he built a pumpkin air cannon that he shoots off about 3 times a day for the guests at his maze.  It is incredible loud and sounds like a bomb going off behind my house.  My house along with others in the subdivision shake and rattle every time it goes off.  The police won't help and neither does contacting the owner and letting him know how loud it is.  Is there anything we can do to stop this?

Answer: Three times a day? I think you'll be ok.


Title: Deceased husband pay

Question:
r/legaladvice
Deceased husband paycheck
u/Paynelady2106
My husband passed 2 weeks ago and I got his last check in the mail. I have his death certificate and my i.d. and anywhere I take it they tell me he has to be there. Well obviously he can't. He didn't have a bank account. I asked his employer if they could reissue it in my name but said it was illegal and pretty much said I was screwed. So I have no idea how to get this check cashed and now that he's gone I need money more than ever. Any advice would be appreciated. I'm from Pennsylvania

Answer: If the bank the check is made out from is local try taking it directly to the bank with your documents and see if the bank will handle it informally.  If that is not possible or they reject you then you need to go to probate court and you're looking for simplified estate procedure.  Once the court declares you the estate of your late husband, then go cash the check.Answer #2: What I did was go to the Registrar of Wills and was appointed personal representative of the estate. They gave me a letter of administration, which along with the death certificate and our marriage license, allowed me to settle the estate. Call the Registrar in your area to get that set up. It cost my a $3.00 filing fee.


Title: How can i find all police reports related to myself if I am unsure of the incident date and do not have the case number? All i have is the city / state and my name and for a handful of cases the likely address that was reported.

Question:
Austin, TX

I've been being harassed for the last few years by 2 individuals. They have both made false police reports against me. I have proof that these two have been in contact recently and that they are scheming to manipulate a situation to get me arrested. I have already filed a police report against them. I have also called the police several times to report them over the years, in some cases a report was filed and in others it was not. One of the false reports resulted in a warrant issued for me and my arrest, I can basically prove that it was a false report as well, I have text messages showing I was on the other side of town when the person makes report claiming I was at a bar and had attacked him.

Is there an easy way to get all police reports that I have filed and police reports that were filed against me for the last 2-3 years? I tried using LexusNexus but it needs more information that i have. i tried searching for a date that I know a report was filed against me but nothing was returned. I also tried to use the site BeenVerified but it appears to be mostly a scam and doesn't show much of anything for me.

&#x200B;

Answer: You can make a freedom of information request to the individual police departments you reported the incidents to, requesting any documents related to reports you have filed. They can generally charge you a small administrative fee and a copy fee, and it can sometimes take forever to get a response since they will usually read through them to react anything that they need to.


Title: [Florida] Brother's friend turned me in to the cops for breaking into his house over a year ago, is there a statute of limitation on breaking and entering?

Question:
Around a year and a half ago I was in a bad place after getting out of jail for burglary and some bogus drug charges and couldn't find a job so I broke into a few places.

Anyway, one of the houses I broke into was my younger brother's best friend's rented apartment (on the first floor of a row house). I knew he had rental insurance so it wouldnt hurt him and I could support myself.

Now shit has been going down hill lately and he and my bro are drifting apart. I also have a warrant out for violation of parole, so I was laying low living with my folks and bro.

Anyway my bro's ex-friend called the cops and turned me in for both the violation of parole and the robbery and the cops came to my parents house broke down the door and everything and arrested me.

I am not arguing the parole violations. But I can't imagine that there isnt a statute of limitation on simple burglary that would make that a moot point as for the violations I just go back to jail for the next 6 months, but w/burglary that increases to a year+ which fucking sucks.

Answer:
 > I can't imagine that there isnt a statute of limitation on simple burglary that would make that a moot point

It's going to be between 2 and 4 years depending on what exactly you are charged with.

> one of the houses I broke into was my younger brother's best friend's rented apartment (on the first floor of a row house). I knew he had rental insurance so it wouldnt hurt him and I could support myself.

Seriously? You think that's a valid excuse?


Title: Auto subscribed to emusic.com for two years and didnt realize. Any way to recoup monthly charges that were billed on my dormant account?

Question:
Back in 2013 I purchased a Matt and Kim album from emusic.com; I didnt realize they would subscribe me to a monthly plan and bill me for music after some period.

The credit card I used was one that I have setup for automatic billing to clear the balance and didnt realize that I was being charged this amount.

Im going through my finances and notice this charge, trace it back, and realize that ive been auto subscribed since 2013 at 11.99/mo.  I contacted emusic and they are not willing to refund the full amounts theyve been billing me monthly for a service I dont use.

Is there a way I can recover this money via a credit card dispute?  If I was using the service I would have no problem with the bill, but I didnt realize I would be auto subscribed.  Also, I realize its not financially responsible to not keep track of a credit card expense for two years.

Please dont flame me, just tell me what options are available.  I only discovered this because im trying to do a better job with my money.  Be gentle.

Answer: You agreed to be billed monthly for the service. The fact that you didn't use it is irrelevant.


Title: Guy is suing me for car accident which arbitration decided was 100% HIS fault

Question: [removed]

Answer: Your insurance company should take care of this (that is what you are insured for) inform them of the arbitration in which it was determened that he was 100% at fault.


Title: A test our instructor gave us (midterm exam) on a program was faulty and did not record answers properly, I am upset and want a tuition reimbursement.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Step one is talk to your professor.  Sounds like you've already done this.

Step two is to follow the policy outlined in the student handbook for disputing a grade.  That may include your plan to talk with the dean.

Taking this attitude is not a strong predictor of future success in meetings where you're asking for help:

> At the very least, I expect a retake of the test (could be different test same subject idc) and a reimbursement of tuition for that class and at most I want to launch a civil suit.


Title: The manager of a pizza restaurant just banned me because I "spend too much time" there.

Question:
Here in Wheaton, Illinois, temperatures have been dropping and it's only getting colder. Roughly a week ago, I was out running some errands and the heat in my car was acting up, so I went inside a nearby pizza restaurant to warm up. It's one of those places where there's a large oven right behind the order counter and it manages to generate a decent amount of heat throughout the place. I sat down and enjoyed the heat, but I didn't order anything and an employee noticed, leading to him asking me to leave since I was just loitering. I understood and I left with no trouble, but after that I decided to go back there and just order something.

For the past week or so, I've been going there and ordering something like a sandwich or a slice of pizza, but yesterday I was sitting down and eating when the manager came up to me and told me to leave. He said that I was banned from coming there because I "spend too much time" at the restaurant. I told him that I was a paying customer, but he argued back that I was just taking advantage of the heat. That's true, but I was still ordering and giving them my money. But he also argued that his employees have been "unhappy" to serve me since I have "ulterior motives". And to top it all off, he grabbed my food from me before I could finish it and he pointed me out.

So now I'm banned from the restaurant even though I've been a paying customer for the past week. Can the manager actually do that?

Answer:
 He can. You obviously rubbed them the wrong way somehow. This is clearly not a good business model and since they do not seem to be tossing out other paying customers, I’m assuming there is more to the story. But yes, he can boot you from the store.Answer #2: >Can the manager actually do that?

Yes, of course.


Title: Is it okay for a public high school teacher to put a security-like camera in their classroom?

Question:
Is there a reason why it would not be okay to get a security camera and recording students in a secondary classroom. I understand that it would be illegal if the teacher released any recorded footage to the public without consent of everyone in the recording. Perhaps it would be okay if the teacher kept the video footage private OR made the students & parents/guardians aware that the teacher does it, or even gets permission for it.
The rational for this is to first, have proof if any students commit crimes while the teacher is has their back turned, and second to have video proof that a teacher did not do anything inappropriate just in case they are accused as this is fairly common as indicated by [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=teacher+acquitted+charges&rlz=1C1ARAB_enUS601US601&oq=teacher+acquitted+charges&aqs=chrome..69i64j69i57.8647j0j1&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8) google search.

EDIT:  in California. High school age.

**EDIT 2:  I just asked the principal at my school and they told me it's not okay.  He said they would need to get written consent from every parent if their student is going to have their face and/or voice recorded.  This would be impossible to do.  Thanks for your feedback!**

Answer: IMO you would need to get permission from the administration.


Title: Confederate Battle flag on car at work [Georgia]

Question:
http://i.imgur.com/YZvX5Mv.jpg?1

Walking down my hallway at work, I see this. Yes, it's the deep south, but could this be construed as a "hostile work environment" if I were a person of color? Could HR enforce the person to remove the plate or park differently? It's a state facility and state property.

Answer:
 >but could this be construed as a "hostile work environment" if I were a person of color?

Alone?  No.  That's nowhere near enough to establish a hostile work environment.

>Could HR enforce the person to remove the plate or park differently? It's a state facility and state property.

Maybe.Answer #2: HR couldn't make this person do anything. What they could do is terminate employment if they don't, but you can be fired for almost any reason. You should just ignore it.


Title: Still a Tenant, Landlord had an open house and items were stolen. Do I have any recourse? [CA]

Question:
My landlord sent me texts asking "showing the place.  Can you tidy up the place?"  She, in text, told me at least one person would be coming and they will be supervised.  I texted her regarding some missing items and her sister sent me an email acknowledging it was an open  house, and I have a copy of the Craigslist ad.  In that email, she said they don't feel entirely responsible but offer to pay for half the value of the lost items.
Those are the facts.

I feel violated, a friend came to the open house and said there were more than 30 people walking through my house.  Items were taken.  The email says there were 2 people watching but it was open to the public.  I'm not asking you to validate my feelings.  I'm asking if my gut feeling that this is wrong jives with the law and if this is a violation of my rights.  If so, what recourse do I have?

I'm in Oakland.

Answer:
 The landlord, in unlocking your house and letting people in, assumes responsibility for your stuff.  I would never allow 30 random people off the street into a furnished home...  Maybe one at a time, escorted.

File a police report on the missing stuff.

The landlord should pay for all stolen items.
Answer #2: Make a claim with your renters insurance and let them go after your landlord.Answer #3: 1) You do not have to leave the house because of an open house, you can be there.

2) If you dont reply to the text, it doesnt count as notice.

3) Contact your renters insurance

4) You can only charge her for the depreciated value of said items. So if your $300 tv is now depreciated to $100 then half of it is not a bad deal.

5) If you do not agree with the deal of half off reimbursement. You sue in small claims court. If you can prove your claim of ownership on the items then I can't see the landlord having a strong defense.


Title: Client threatened to sue me and just sent me a check

Question:
I am a freelance graphic designer. A client of mine has never paid me a penny. I did a bunch of work for him without receiving a down payment because we have a mutual friend and I assumed I could trust him. We also do not have a written contract or agreement. Another huge mistake that I made. He demanded that I send him some of the work that I did. I told him I would after he paid me. He then got angry and threatened to sue me. He said he hated all the work I did (yet still demanded it) and that I cost him a lot of time / money. I reminded him that he never paid me a penny therefore he has no case. A few days later, he sent me a check.

If I were to cash the check, would he now be able to sue me? BTW I live in Colorado.

Answer:
 Can he? Yes. Will he? Probably not. Cash the check.  Answer #2: You said "*He demanded that I send him some of the work that I did. I told him I would after he paid me.*" Then "*A few days later, he sent me a check.*"

Cash the check, wait for it to clear, and then send him the work. A judge would not look kindly upon this if he paid you only so he could sue you.


Title: Apartment manager making life hard for me and my assistance animal (Texas)

Question:
So I live in an apartment complex in Texas, and I have an emotional support dog. My current lease manager is making it super difficult to live here with my assistance animal. For example, I submitted my official Emotional support animal letter to her. A hard copy, typed letter with an official letterhead and real signature, which includes my doctors contact information and license number etc. This woman tells me (in person if that matters) that she cannot accept this paper and gives me a form that requests the same information that is completely included in my ESA letter, but she wants me to scan it over to my doctor, have them fill it out (with the same information I’ve already tied to submit to her), and then have my doctor fax it back to her from their office.
I’m under the impression that they have to accept my letter. I have since emailed this leasing agent my digital copy of my prescription letter, which she has not replied to. She has contacted my mom (whom I share apt with) over text message several times to call her about the dog. I have not yet received an emailed reply. She tried to call me shortly apparently after the email was opened, but did not leave a voicemail. I feel like something sketchy is going on because it seems she has been careful not put anything in writing and I need advice on what my next move should be.
She has also attached another form, a service or assistance animal addendum which I am hesitant to sign.

Answer: Your creating all this work on your own. She gave you the protocol to make this all stop... just do it and move on with your life.Answer #2: Why are you hesitant to have your doctor file out the form? It seems like a simple thing to fax it to your doctors office. I am not a lawyer.


Title: (MI) I worked overtime for 3 months but got paid cash

Question:
So from the beginning of October to the end of December I worked with no days off, I got paid normal wage of the hours worked overtime but it was cash, if I try to sue for “unpaid” overtime will it be possible or will it be shut down? Also work at a hotel if that means anything
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: Being paid in cash does not matter when it comes to your rights under FLSA. You are still owed for overtime wages. Also, make sure you have good documentation of your hours and you pay your income taxes.


Title: [US, IA] Feeling paranoid and scared over a a hookup that ended badly

Question:
So to keep things short I'll make this a quick notes version and if more detail is needed I'll type it up. Sorry, I am on mobile right now.

Earlier this week I had a hookup that ended badly and I'm scared and paranoid that I could be slandered or be drug through the mud over nothing.

A girl in my town made a post on an app about wanting a one night stand and I replied. I was already drinking but mostly okay to drive, so I went and picked her up. We came back to my place and drank more, and were  both fairly intoxicated. We cuddled and watched tv for a while before moving to bed and had sex a few times. She was much quieter in bed than when we were talking but I was trying to be cool and roll with it. The weird thing was that multiple times she said things like "take what you want, I won't say no" and "don't stop just use me". I was a bit uncomfortable with that since it was our first time but she seemed to enjoy it much more when I was more forceful. The last time we started, I tied her hands using some Velcro cuffs that were part of a cuff system I have on my bed. She seemed to like being restrained and had nothing negative to say when I was putting the cuffs on. At that point I stated penetrating her again and things were okay. I pulled out to take a break and pushed back in, and she gasped in obvious discomfort so I pulled out, and immediately undid the cuffs. She curled up and said she wanted to go home. I helped grab her clothes and everything, and apologized profusely because I had no idea what I did. We got dressed and I drove her home, apologizing the whole way. (adrenaline like that sobers you up fast and I felt/feel like absolute shit) she said a few times that "we're cool" and "don't worry about it".

I'd actually had a lot of fun before things ended, so I offered my number and she took it saying she would text me. I gave it a few days and sent her a message on the app, and found I was blocked. Sent her a message on Facebook and was blocked without the messages being read. At this point I won't try to contact her anymore since that's pretty obvious. But I'm scared how this situation will look if she decides to cry rape. And no point did she say or do anything that meant I should stop or that she didn't like what I was doing. Additionally, she initated the final two times we had sex as I was tired and wanted to go to sleep but when a pretty girl reaches down our pants, what do you do? I took screenshots of our entire conversations and backed it all up in multiple places.

But I'm terrified here because it'd be my word against hers. What should I do, if anything?

Answer: Chalk it up to a bad one night stand. Nothing may ever come of it. Something may. You can't proactively protect yourself from something like this other than not doing it in the first place. If you try to do something now, it will just make you look guilty or may push her to report it as she may now be convinced you did something wrong by your reaction.


Title: Charged for underage gambling in Atlantic City

Question:
So,

I'm on a roadtrip with my family, and we stopped by AC. We walked by a casino so we stopped in.  I had a five dollar bill so I played that on a machine. I cashed out and walked around. A guy asked my age and I said 20 (thought legal age here is 18). He said no problem. I gambled a bit more. He came back and asked again. I said 20 again and showed him my ID. That's when he stopped me. He took me away to the back, charged me with under age gambling. Now I have to do the court thing, pay a fine, and it's on my record.

Can anyone give me any advice? I thought the legal age was 18, and now I'm going to have a record for messing around playing five dollars on a slot machine.

Please help.

Edit: added more info.

Answer:
 The first google result shows me the age for gambling is 21.

You fucked up.  You should hire your own criminal defense lawyer for the best possible outcome.  If you cannot afford one, an public defender may be assigned to you.

Answer #2: How did you get the idea that the gambling age was 18? I'm very curious about that.


Title: Forcibly Homeschooling a Friend

Question: I live in Kentucky. One of my mtf trans friends is being pulled out of public high school to be home schooled by her transphobic parents. She hasn't given consent for this, and the parents say they are unenrolling her soon. I'm not sure if this is legal at all. Would she be able to keep herself in the school in any way?

Answer: If it’s legit homeschooling, and your friend is a minor, this is allowed.


Title: [FL] Car wash company’s parking stop at their vacuum station ripped my front bumper off. Manager claims it’s my fault because my tire was touching the parking stop.

Question:
As I was leaving the parking spot, my front bumper was caught by the parking stop(that cement piece at the top of a parking spot) and it ripped the bumper off. There’s video evidence of it happening, but the manager claims it’s because I pulled up too far. He said the wheel shouldn’t be touching the parking stop. I’ve ALWAYS parked with my front wheels touching that cement block because isn’t that what’s it’s for??

I think it’s just that the stops are wayyyyy too high. There are scratches from many other cars’ bumpers getting scrapped too apparently. The manager says that because my tires were touching the stop, and that they’re not liable for any damage and they wouldn’t be anyways because I’m in control of my own vehicle. He says the parking stop heights are regulated by the state and that it’s my fault for pulling my car up so far that the tire touched it.

I’m going to my mechanic right now to access and fix and damages to the vehicle. At the very least do you think I would be able to send the bill to the car wash place and be reimbursed for damages? Would I have a case to sue the car wash place if they say no?

I forgot to mention that I filed a report with the car wash and kept a copy,  and there is video evidence of everything that happened  on their location too. Also, their waiver on the incident report they sent me specifically states they are not responsible for any damages for anything that happens in the car wash TUNNEL. It doesn’t say anything about the vacuum area where this happened.

Thank you all for any advice / feedback on this.

Answer:
 Different vehicles have different clearances.

It's your responsibility to know your vehicles clearance, and to not drive over a curb or "parking stop" which is too high.

If it's any consolation, I scrape my wife's minivan's bumper on those things all the time.

I'm more used to driving a 4X4 pickup truck.  So, I never think about that.

I would never think of suing anyone if I ripped her bumper off the curb as it would be so blatantly my fault.Answer #2: Who drove into the parking stop? That's who is liable for the damage. (You)


Title: Sooo the office building in my apartment complex caught fire, and now I've got new neighbors.

Question:
I live in North Carolina. The office is temporarily being relocated to the vacant apartment beneath me. Which for me, means increased foot traffic, decreased parking, and the overall inconvenience of having to live with prudent assholes who don't care about tenants.  They'll be operating from that apartment for the next 3 months.. Yaay, and I have yet to decide how I'm going to deal with the situation.

Yesterday, (on my only day off mind you) these pricks decided to come banging on my door complaining about my Call of Duty hobby being too loud. Mind you I have been living here for over 6 years and have NEVER had a noise complaint. Its just inconvenient for their office  functions. I let the guy know that I would turn it down a bit, but that I was not happy that he was asking me to change my lifestyle around to suit their needs.

It's only been two days and I get the stink eye from all of the office employees, who are usually standing less than 5 feet from my window talking every day. Super annoying, I know. Point is, that I think I may have  layed some of the groundwork for a lease negotiation here in the next couple of days. (Or theyre going to give me a noise violation and try to evict me lol)

So. Am I wrong to the think that this is not ok? Should they have offered to cut some of my monthly rent due to the inconveniences I'll be experiencing over the next couple of months? Either way. I'm not sure about how to approach the situation. Any ideas or suggestions you guys have are absolutely welcomed!

Edit: basically I'm in a position to where I can be the best tenant in the world, or the worst tenant ever in history, based off of how they're willing to make this work for both of us. Thanks again for the advice!

Answer: I wonder if having their office in an apartment is even legal.  You might want to check with your city's zoning officer to find out if it is allowed.


Title: Can my grandmother evict my uncle?

Question:
My 80 year old grandmother rents a house in Florida. When she moved down here, she made a verbal agreement with my uncle that he could move in with her in the spare bedroom (as long as he found a job and helped pay some bills or food or otherwise made himself useful). It took him about a year of fishing every day before he found a job.

It's been another year and several other jobs he's gone through and he hasn't paid for anything. He grew more and more angry with her for no real reason. We can't figure out why.

Now every time the two of them see each other he immediately starts screaming at her for random things that make no sense. Verbally abusing her all day and all night. Last night he came at me and my daughter and I immediately made it a point that I'm not going to deal with it.

Grandma wants him out. She only rents the place so I'm not sure if she has the power herself to start an eviction process. Uncles name is not on anything for the house. Not on the lease or any bills.

The landlord never answers or returns phone calls.

What is the best course of action to be able to get him out?

Answer:
 Yes. Uncle is a sub-tenant (some states say sub-tenant) of Grandma's. Grandma needs to give notice, which is 15 days in Florida.

This needs to be written. Since there is no rent, Grandma probably can't do a 3-day pay or quit.

Uncle is a tenant, so a self-help eviction (changing locks, putting his stuff out on the street) would land Grandma in a world of hurt.

Before she gives him 15-day notice, Grandma should move anything valuable or irreplaceable offsite where Uncle doesn't have access, especially if he starts yelling.

If this escalates to yelling, call the police. No reason to have a grown man yelling at his elderly mother.

(not a lawyer, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night).


Title: [texas] Need landlord advice.

Question: I’ll make this as short and sweet as possible, while answering questions to the best of my ability.   I currently live with my parents, as I have for the past 4 years.  I recently gave them a notice that in 4-6 months I’d be looking to use my VA Home Loan and purchase a something within my price range.  As soon as this came out of my mouth, I was told I have until 5/31 to be out of the house and I could figure it out from there.    I pay my rent($800/month), in a timely manner and have not been late in my tenure here.  I just received a message that my rent for this final week will be $1000.  What are my options here?  I’m not a lawyer by any means, but after a certain amount of time renting out a room don’t you become a tenant?    This is severely bad timing for me, as it’s killing me building up my credit and I have nowhere to go on such short notice.    Any help would be appreciated!

Answer: When did you tell them you were moving? And when did you receive notice to move out? Sounds like you're a month to month tenant unless otherwise specified. That means you need 30 days notice to vacate, and that they cannot increase rent without 30 days notice. Answer #2: They must provide you with a 30-day notice to vacate. They cannot force you to pay more rent. You only have to pay for the time you are there at your normal rate.


Title: [TN] My son's father claims to have paternal rights, despite not being named on the birth certificate

Question: The biological father of my child lives hours away from us and is claiming that I need to allow visits due to his paternal rights. I left him off of my son's birth certificate, so I'm wondering how legitimate his claims to rights are. Should I take further action to have him sign away any paternal rights he may have now to prevent any further false claims?

Answer: He may need to prove paternity before the court will assist him in exercising his rights, but he still has right, and the process to exercise them is pretty well laid out; and your opinion carries very little weight in the process. You may delay him briefly, but if he's interested in getting visitation it's highly likely it will happen eventually. Answer #2: He can sue to obtain paternal rights, including visitation.


Title: $4000 bill for hotel room block

Question:
Hello everyone,
My fiancee blocked off 10 rooms in Austin, Texas for our wedding.
I have been out of town and haven't read the contract, but apparently we are on the hook for the rooms if they are not booked.
The hotel sent us a link to direct our guests for reservations, but it doesn't work.
My parents tried to book 4 of the rooms, but were unable.
Do I have a case to cancel the block and avoid paying the $4,000 fee because my guests were unable to reserve rooms?

Answer:
 can reservations not be made over the phone?Answer #2: Operator: Hello, Great Hotel Reservations. Relative: I'd like to book a room in the Dumbass block. Operator: No. Relative: why not? Operator: I don't have to explain, I just told you no.

Do you see how stupid this sounds?


Title: Ex-landlord just cashed a check a year eviction

Question:
Hi all,
Hoping to get some advice on a situation that is currently developing. I will do my best to clearly lay out the situation but my mind is racing and there are several different dynamics to this.

We live in Virginia - 22802 area code

Last July we were verbally evicted from a house we were renting because we had a cat.

 We had paid the rent a few days but the check had not cleared. They showed up a day or two later and demanded to come inside, no prior notice.

They said we had to be out by the end of the week.

We packed up our things and left, leaving the house in very close state to when we'd moved in.  We did not receive any amount of money back from our deposit.

We were completely out of the house by the 11th of 2015.

Today we see that this landlord has deposited that check and it hit this morning. The bank says they must at this time honor it.

I'm hoping for advice as to what to do. Do we have any validity in challenging this? We didn't get any of our deposit back and they're also cashing the check for a full months rent.

They demanded to be let into the house with no prior warning. We're looking to find the lease to see if it explicitly states no cats.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is causing a great deal of stress on myself and my very pregnant wife.

Thank you.

Update -

We weren't able to receive legal advice because we earn too much but honestly cannot afford to risk paying a lawyer without knowing we have a good chance of winning.

A few other things I thought I might add if it's helpful to get feedback.

The landlord would regularly show up with no notice and mosey around the yard. Thus was extremely stressful for myself and wife. We felt that we could never relax in the house because he was so often there. Several times what he was there doing would interrupt our infant sons naps. We felt like we were prisoners in our house and this was particularly challenging on my wife.

The day before they evicted us the landlords wife and daughter showed up while I was at work and demanded to come inside and demanded a rent check. It was not even the 5th of the month at that point.

The following day is when he showed up, again with no notice and demanded to come inside. I told him that it wasn't a good time and he started yelling at me and said he was coming inside. He basically forced his way into the house. At this point he told us we had to be out by the end of the week.

We still have not received any of our deposit back.

From what I've read we should have been given 21 days for violating the lease and if we still had not addressed the issue then should have been served a 30 day court ordered eviction letter.

Question: By us moving out do we no longer have a viable battle to argue illegal eviction?

I've read that a landlord is required by law to give a 24 hour notice before they can come on the property for maintenance. Also that we are entitled to privacy as tenants and he violated our ability to enjoy the tenancy by being there so often and with no notification.

Q: Is this a point we could argue? Even if we voided our ability to sue on the grounds of illegal eviction because we moved out can we justify it in any way saying we left because of harassment and invasion of privacy as well as him infringing on our right to privacy?

VA law says we are entitled to our deposit back after 45 days. They have not returned any of it.

Q: Do we have grounds to get it back still? Don't they have to provide an itemized report of any expenses subtracted from the return amount?

I hope I'm not grasping at nothing but this has been tremendously stressful for my wife and I.

Again thank you.

Answer:
 I would also request a copy of the check from the bank.  I'm guessing it was a personal check you wrote out to the ex-landlord?

Having worked in banking for almost 10 years, It's strange and uncommon that a bank would honor a personal check that's a year old.  (usually 6 months is the limit banks allow)  So 1 of 2 scenario's I see that happened is that either
1.  The teller/bank/back office didn't notice the date and just let it through or...
2.  The ex landlord altered the check and changed the date to reflect this year instead of last year.


Title: Ate a frozen Pizza that had ingredients on it that were not listed on the box, had an allergic reaction and went to hospital. Do I have a case?

Question:
For information, I live in Ontario Canada. Last night I cooked up a pizza that was pretty good, I spotted green splotches on it, at first I thought that it might've been pesto, but nowhere on the box is it listed that it was in fact pesto (pesto contains within it pine nuts, and often cashews), I checked literally everywhere to be safe but the only thing that was written was "herbs". I cooked it up and ate it, and within around 20 minutes I began getting small hives, I took a healthy dose of Benadryl and went to the hospital to be safe.

The doctors confirmed that I was in fact having a reaction but it was rather mild, and that it was further mitigated by the Benadryl I took.

My question is whether or not I have a worthwhile case? If my allergies were more severe I could've have seriously been at risk, and if I weren't so familiar with the process of going through an allergic reaction I probably wouldn't have picked up the signs so quickly and gone to the hospital.

I wasn't really in much danger at all as the reaction was mild, is worthwhile to pursue this? I could surely use the money of a settlement.

Answer:
 First, you saw what was likely pesto, and you decided to eat it anyway. If you have an allergy, you need to be more vigilant than that.

Second, you don't have much, if any damages, even if the pizza maker were at fault. Having a mild allergic reaction is not the key to thousands of dollars in damages. Answer #2: What are your damages? OHIP likely covered your hospital visit in full, and if the reaction was mild, I assume you don't require any long-term care that's not covered by OHIP. There are no recoverable damages for "could have."

It might be worth talking to CFIA about the labelling, and filing a complaint with the manufacturer about their labelling, but beyond that, I doubt it's worth speaking to an attorney over.


Title: Illegal friends online?

Question: When I was 20 I met a girl online who has 17. She was a senior in the HS I went to. We talked for a bit and hit it off. We flirted and called each other cute and complimented. in the end she graduated and we both decided it best to be friends only. That was that. We are friends still to this day and she went to the same college I did. UCI. We never exchanged nudes or talked about sex or even mentioned it when she was under 18 or even after she was 18. We did flirt and talk about dating when she was under 17. Lately I have been worried that I might have done something illegal by flirting while she was underage. Now I’m questions every interaction I have with her and anyone else. Now this was all 4 years ago and I am still friends with her but for the better part of this year my anxiety has been eating at me and wondering if I have ever done anything illegal. I think to my days when I had friends who were underclassmen after I graduated Hs and I called them cute etc. have I done anything wrong or am I in trouble? Should I be thinking about a lawyer... Location is San Francisco USA

Answer:
 Nothing you described here is even close to illegal.

Consider talking to a doctor about your anxiety.


Title: My School has a teacher that has been banned for teaching in 2 different countries because of sexual suggestive comments to underaged students

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 > What are my options legally?

> not in the United States

Without knowing at all what country you're in, we can't really offer *legal* advice on process. If you want legal instead of just practical advice, you're going to have to give us that much.Answer #2: Maybe your parents should speak with other parents and present a unified complaint.


Title: [NY] Schrodinger's High School Diploma

Question:
Hello,

This is going to be long so I will try and break this down as clearly as possible. This is listed in chronological order but I did not learn about all the facts until recently.

June early  2000s \- I was on the verge of not graduating High school. I was told I wouldn't be allowed to graduate unless I did two extra projects to make up some assignments. I complete those two projects, Graduate, Walked and Enrolled in the community college for the fall semester. 3 days after graduation my mom passes \(she was sick most of my high school career I spent a lot of time caring for her\).

The following December \- I pass one of my classes \(and fail the rest\) I withdraw as its too much for me to go school and work and help my younger brother.

2007ish \- The principal of my high school is forced to retire by the state. He had been graduating Kids with that where one credit shy. I am unaware of this at time.

Early 2010s \- I Re\-enroll in classes and manage to accrue 58 credits attempting to get my life back on track.

2014 \- I move out of state.

2015 \- I get a job with a software company going support. I learn SQL and begin supporting their business intelligence platform.

2018 \- I apply for a and receive an offer for new job going reporting and analytics for a new company. This is where the fun begins. They notified me that the background check is stating that my school claims I didn't graduate. I contact the school and they don't have any records after my 11th grade year. My guidance councilor manages to find part of my senior transcript but no final grades. She tells me about the principal being removed and that this may be part of that and that I may have been a credit short. I was never informed of this and I would of had the issue resolved years ago if i had been.

The school is willing to say I graduated in 2004 because I have a completed a credit course on the community college transcript. I give them 25 dollars to order my diploma and they state they will get a letter signed stating I did graduate. I first contacted them almost two weeks ago. I have not received the letter to confirm with the background check agency that I did graduate. I have emails confirm that it was written last Tuesday they are just waiting on the signature.

My guidance counselor has offered to verbally confirm with the back ground check company that I did graduate. She is out of the office on personal time but still offered to do that. She has been the only help so far. They don't seem to be contacting her though. I have provided her work email, which she is answering and a phone number to contact her on. I try to get more information out of them but they send me the same line. "We will contact you when the re\-investigation is complete"

It has been over a week. and I already had to push back my start date. I am out of a job. This has already cost me thousands of dollars. I have been stressed about this for weeks now. What do I do? Should I contact a lawyer now? Should I wait until its all played out? Would I even have a foot to stand on? Honestly, all I want is this job, would contacting a lawyer make that more or less likely?

TLDR; Principal was graduating people who were a credit short. I may have been one of those and was never informed I didn't graduate. Now it's costing me a money and possibly a job.

Answer:
 I would reach out to your state senator and ask for help.  These offices are much better at getting state level stuff like this moving.Answer #2: Does the company need proof of your HS diploma at that time or just that you have one?

For example, would you just sitting for a GED now sort this out?Answer #3: Is your employer really not willing to budge on this? I'm assuming by the rest of the post that you have a bachelors degree at this point and the high school degree should just be semantics...Answer #4: Could you try giving the hiring manager your guidance counselor's number (and her high school webpage so they know it's the right person) and let them call?Answer #5: I think you'll just have to wait it out until you get your diploma and the investigation company sees the "2004" graduation you should have earned in the first place.Answer #6: Would your community college have any records related to HS graduation that they would be able to share? That might be enough to satisfy your employer until the diploma/letter comes through.

Would your employer be willing to accept the community college transcript, with a note from the community college that students are required to have a HS degree for admission to the college?


Title: Our friend just died and his mother has squared off to do battle against his children's mother.

Question: A friend of ours died this past weekend after several weeks in the hospital due to a car accident. He left behind a long-term girlfriend (we'll call her Mary) and two children. Three days after the funeral, his mother (we'll call her Jane) ordered Mary to move out of the house the couple lived in. Apparently the house is owed by Jane. She gave Mary and the kids two weeks to move out. Additionally, Jane has told them to turn over the keys to his car, as this is in Jane's name as well. (The car is not their primary means of transportation, but still.) On top of all this, our friend was a co-Owner of a car shop. Jane is demanding that all his tools and equipment be turned over to her. To deal with this issue, the shop's other owner is simply locking the doors as she has no proof that anything in the shop belongs to her and no way to get inside. Any advice for Mary in this situation? The kids are minors in her care, if that matters.

Answer:
 Was there a will? Although nothing would likely go to Mary directly without one (since they weren't married), intestate succession rules would have the ownership interest and property pass to the minor children; with Mary acting as the custodian. I can't see why the mother would try and claim those things. But the house and car; sure. If it's Jane's property, it doesn't matter that Mary and the kids were using it. Two weeks is probably a bit too short for a legal eviction, but that depends on location.

Mary should file for social security survivors benefits for the kids. Since she wasn't married she won't get paid; but the kids will. Answer #2: I would require proof from Jane of her car and house ownership before I would move or hand over the car. If she owns the house she would need to give a written termination of tenancy, not verbal. Thirty days would be standard, its hard to say without a location.

As for the shop, his children would inherit his share, not his mother.Answer #3: Mary might have a claim against Jane for illegal eviction, but when it comes to the custody issues and the rest of it, that's very delicate and fact-specific. If someone is challenging her for custody and intestate inheritance, you really need a family/probate attorney for help.


Title: [AZ] How do I find a divorce lawyer willing to work pro bono?

Question:
Arizona. Currently on the "cooling off" period (60 days) of divorce. He filed, I went with him and responded right away. Next step is the consent decree which we can do late next month.
He's suddenly changed his mind after a month and a half of living apart but I haven't. He's going full manipulation, trying to get me back together with him, attempting to force me back and I'm afraid he's going to dismiss the divorce or whatever. I do not want to be married to this man. So, in the event he tries to do something like that, I think I'd need a lawyer correct, to counter file? Hopefully there's a way to make the "cooling off" period count if I file (assuming he dismisses the original divorce initiation)?

Note: I do not fear for my life. He's not physically dangerous.

Answer: You shouldn't expect a lawyer to work for free outside of charity work which this is not. You can meet with several though to get an idea of how much you can expect to pay.


Title: Homeless person had all forms of identification were stolen.

Question:
A homeless man I know, his mom stole his state I.D., his birth certificate, and his social security card.  Is there anything he can do to get any of his stuff back? (Texas)

Thanks in advance!
Edit:  He does not have his Texas ID number memorized nor his Social Security Number.  Is he up the creek?

Answer: report the theft to the police. and Go to all the relevant offices (SS, state health board, DMV, etc) and inquire about replacements for lost/stolen docs.


Title: Being painted as a rapist on social media by a former friend. [Canada]

Question:
So once upon a time I was FWB with this girl...until she calls me at 3 AM claiming to have been raped, where upon I take her to the ER. We part ways after a couple of months, after she claimed I was triggering her by reminding her of that night. She was actually having unprotected sex with randoms the entire time I was taking care of her incidentally; something I only found out after I examined her Tumblr. She's fixated on this rich native guy, and seems to have used her claimed rapes as a way to get closer to him (she's at like 3 now).

To make a long story short, she's taken to yelling about how I'm a rapist on campus on her Tumblr account. I'm genuinely concerned she's batshit crazy, and shes escalating (now shes freaking out over just seeing me at a distance on campus). She hasn't named me yet, but from reading the accounts its clearly referring to me (ie I know how I lost my virginity - uggggh).

I am genuinely at a loss for what to do. The school claims they aren't able to do anything. I'm feeling pretty damn unsafe on campus, and its actually impacting my studies. What the hell do I do? She already posted about her desire to stab this other dude. I'm mostly worried about getting hit with a protective order that keeps me off campus or something. :/

Answer:
 Make your requests for help from the school in writing.  It is easier for them to brush you off informally.

Also, document, document, document.  Take screen-caps and send yourself emails of those and notes.  Even just emails of notes and updates are incredibly helpful in any kind of hearing or proceeding because they can establish a timeline and that you didn't make anything up at the last minute.  You might consider filing a police report for the same reasons.  If she does raise something later, it will show that you made a consistent effort to address the situation and get help.


Title: Organizer of fundraiser suspected of stealing funds in Texas

Question:
This is a long post! I was really trying to keep my emotions in check when I was typing it out. Apologies for my rambling. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what has happened.

TL;DR Someone organized a benefit after the death of my brother in law and promised everyone that the proceeds would be to donated to the family. The organizer used a Sqaure reader. The organizer lied a lot and kept the credit card payment donations.

My brother in law passed away in a car accident at the end of January 2017. He was a talented drummer and we loved him. A musician that my brother in law played with quickly organized an event to raise money for the family. The family isn't close with this person, so we appreciated it very much. Musicians aren't always prepared financially for the worst.

The benefit was amazing. Over 100 people came to show support. There were a lot of people who were invited by the musician that didn't know and were not close to the family. The event was bigger than the family could've organized on their own. We were blown away. The musician organized the venue, booked the bands, photo booth, and silent auction. This musical community was pulling together to help my sister (his wife). It was awesome. We were all overwhelmed at the show of generosity from people who came to support my brother in law, his wife and son.

The musician was accepting cash and using a Square reader to accept payments for the door's cover charge, donations, and a silent auction that included several instruments, original works of art, clothes, jewelry, gift baskets and more. We believe that my sister received all of the cash in hand at the end of the benefit. A few days after the benefit, the musician texted my sister that they were waiting on Square payments to come through and then my sister would receive the funds from the Square transactions. No money was ever received.

Three weeks later, the musician tells my sister she will not be receiving any more money from the benefit because the venue has changed their minds about donating. This was strange because the venue had already given their donations on the day of the event. After the musician tells us the venue has changed their minds, we contacted the owner of the venue. The venue's owner spoke kindly and freely with us on the phone. She very calmly explained that the venue had fulfilled their promise. They had promised to donate 20% of their food sales which they did. The musician claimed they were led to believe the venue would donate 20% of all sales. We told the musician that seemed like a misunderstanding and there wasn't anything we could do about it at this point. My sister still feels very grateful the venue donated anything at all. The venue's owner told us that TABC won't allow anything from alcohol sales to be donated to charity anyway. So, thats completely understandable. For the family there is no harm done. However, the musician is incredibly upset at the venue's owner and believes they are completely in the wrong. There are more details surrounding this, but I won't get into them here.

Later, when we asked the musician about the square payments, because they still had not been received, the musician became very defensive. The musician sent very long texts saying they "don't appreciate being questioned, they feel backed against a wall, they were just trying to do something nice." This was a red flag. When we asked about the Square payments, we were concerned that it was taking a long time for payments to post. This may indicate a fraud issue or something else. If a Square transaction is taking more than three weeks to post, then we need to look into it. None of the family thought anything ill of the musician yet. Luckily, most of these conversations took place through text or facebook messenger. I've taken screen shots of everything.

So anyway, the musician becomes very defensive. The muscian then tells us that there is $500 in outstanding Square payments, but they cannot be collected because the Square being used that day was not theirs. According to the musician, the Square's owner is "on tour, but he should be back this weekend." We very politely asked, because we still aren't sure if something funny is going on yet, if we can talk to the Square's owner. The musician tells us no because Square's owner would be upset if they gave out his number and he "does not do social media." I asked if I can email the Square's owner and was told "not gonna happen" by the musician. After my sister does a bit of investigating, we find out the name of the Square's owner. The bit about the Square device not belonging to the musician is true. But, it turns out the Square's owner isn't on tour. The Square's owner is at home and he's very upset that the musician has lied about his whereabouts and has said that he is holding on to the benefit money.

The Square device uses an email account to receive money and the email account used that day was not the Square owner's. No money has entered the Square owner's bank account. We believe the musician used the Square device and logged in with their email account. It's been four weeks since the benefit and we still have not received funds from the Square transactions.

Currently, I'm trying to track down someone that used the Square that day to find out whose email address is attached to the Square receipt. There were a ton of people there that the family didn't know. It turned out to be a bigger event than we could've organized ourselves because the musician is very well connected in the community. At this point, it is not about the money for us. The story has changed twice now and the musician is acting strangely. The musician claims that the only way the Square owner will send the money is by money order. Well, we've spoken with the Square owner and believe he is telling the truth. He was never in possession of the benefit funds. We suspect that the funds went to the musicians account.

I mean, maybe the musician's intentions started out as genuine, but something changed for them financially. I'd like to think this wasn't an elaborate scam, but I can't be sure. The musician continues to send long texts trying to explain what's happened, but it ends up causing more confusion and it seems like they are telling us lies to cover up lies. They are making it unnecessarily complicated and we'd like to find out why. We'd also like to know if there is anything we can do to have the Square transactions stopped and returned to the cardholders.

Any advice on what to do next is appreciated!

edit: so many typos.

edit: A quote from the musician's more recent text messages to me, "Most people would've taken all of those square payments and put it in their own pocket and split....but I did not... maybe I should have.... and to be honest if I had, there would be nothing anyone could do about it. It was a benefit.... no certain amount of money was promised to anyone....it was a gift..."

Update: The musician has sent another long text after finding out that my sister contacted the Square owner and figured out the musician was lying about them being out of town on tour and not able to communicate about the funds. Musician wrote that because "you and you're sister are trouble makers" that they will now deduct all of their expenses accrued from organizing the event from the Square funds as punishment for our greed. They said that once they get the deductions done we will receive what's left. To me, this sounds like a convenient way to avoid donating the full amount. Musician is very manipulative.

Answer: This is when you go to the police. There are people that do this and courts do not look kindly on them.


Title: What is a good side job for a lawyer?

Question:
I currently work as General Counsel for a business.  The money is good for someone straight out of law school.  I work 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, but I'd like to make a little more money with a side job.  What is a good option for a lawyer?  Any ideas?

Edit: Located in Illinois

Answer:
 Shilling for Internet advice websites that offer the same quality advice as Reddit, but charge for each answer?

If you like my answer, Please click accept; as I cannot receive any positive karma until you have indicated you are satisfied with my answer. Answer #2: If you know anything about sports, lawyers make great sports officials.

A good half of the people I refereed soccer with were attorneys of some sort, and it's pretty decent money. Also, you get some experience working with kids and get a decent amount of exercise to boot.Answer #3: Some kind of teaching work, if you can get it.  Adjunct at a law school, paralegal certification course, business law at a junior college.  It's not a ton of money, and it can be a lot of work (for law/college classes expect to spend 2-3 hours preparing for each hour of class, plus grading time, depending on the course), but it can also be fun and rewarding.

LSAT prep is another option if you had good scores, and probably not as time consuming.Answer #4: I know this is not the answer that you asked for, but I would recommend working towards a better-paying 9-5 gig, whether it be networking, studying your field of practice, or further education. You will likely be happier in the long run if you don't have to spend your free time working.Answer #5: You could post a lot on in /r/legaladvice!

Oh wait....


Title: I’m being fired for following my boss’s verbal instructions. I received my “notice” via text message and am not allowed to work the remainder of my scheduled shifts. Is this legal?

Question:
I’m located in Ontario.

I worked in a locally owned shop for 2.5 years. The owner is rarely at the shop, only drops in periodically and has a habit of changing procedure often and without documented communication so this isn’t atypical. In early January he came in around 8:15pm on a weekday to check up on everything, I was the supervisor during this shift. He asked me if it’s “always so dead on a weekday night” and I replied that it was, as I rarely saw a customer after 8pm and we closed at 9pm. He said to me, “If it’s this dead on a weekday night please close up at 8pm at the earliest. I can’t afford to stay open until 9pm when it’s like this.” I agreed and began to do just that. For the past three months myself and other closers have been making the judgement call whether to close at 8 or 9 depending on customer traffic. This is where it got tricky.

Two days ago my coworker and I decided to close at 8pm as the whole day was very slow and we counted four customers in a the previous 2 hours. At 8:15pm my coworker was turning the lights off and I was clocking out when the owner knocked on the front door. I went and unlocked it for him when he pushed in past me and yelled, “Why the HELL are you guys closed?!” I stated that I understood from our conversation that we were now supposed to close at 8 if customer traffic was dead. He told me that was “bullshit”, he would “never say that”, and I would be “hearing more about it”, then he left. This really threw me off as he told me face to face in JANUARY to close early in this situation, and every closer had been doing it since then, usually about two nights a week.

Yesterday I got a text from my manager that I was not to show up for my scheduled shifts (the next two weeks) until they “determine what to do about the situation I put them in”. My coworker got the same vague text. I’ve now heard through word of mouth of my coworkers that they’re planning to fire me in two weeks.

Is this a reasonable excuse to fire me? Is a vague text message considered a notice of termination? Can they deny me my already scheduled shifts for the next two weeks then officially fire me?

I’m 19 and I live with my boyfriend with no financial support or savings. I now have no pay cheque and I can’t even file for EI yet because they won’t officially fire me but won’t let me work either. I have no idea what to do and I don’t know if I have any recourse or rights in this matter. Any advice is welcome.
Topic:
Canada

Answer: You should still be able to get EI, what they’re doing by removing your shifts is constructive dismissal.Answer #2: Sounds like a great opportunity to leave a business with an awful owner.  I’m in the US, so I can’t speak to any labor laws.  But you’re 19, clearly intelligent, and avid.  You shouldn’t have any problem bouncing back.  Find a better place to work, pretty much anywhere might be better.  Answer #3: You’ve been fired, apply for EI and when it’s denied  appeal and don’t miss the phone hearing.


Title: (CA) Is this a family law matter or a disability matter? Is it both?

Question:
Sorry for the story length but here goes.
My ex and I have been divorced for many years. We have shared custody and have never dealt with child support because I lived in Arizona at the time and they only awarded me $120 a month total for the 2 kids. When I had a hard time living there after the divorce, I moved back to my home town in California. He threatened to fight me for custody, so being young and so worn down from fighting I said fine, you can have them. I kept them all summers, spring breaks and Christmas.

Fast forward to 2011. I pick up the kids for a week in October, and after arriving home he tells me to keep them. Thats it, hes done. After they made the move with me I then began to hear stories of domestic violence arrests I was not made aware of (his girlfriend at the time claimed to be their mother, so I was never notified and his family kept it secret). My daughter could not read, she was in the 5th grade. My son admitted to me that their dad made him take care of his little sis. He fed her, got her ready for school and was made to do her homework so my ex could send me good report cards. Time has passed, I worked on sorting them out. My son was hospitalized for major depression and my daughter is getting the support she needs.

In early 2013 my girl got sick with very severe Crohn's disease. She was hospitalized for 10 days, tests, blood transfusions, MRIs, the whole nine yards. Her father did not come to visit. Not a surprise, he didn't visit his son while he was in the hospital for 6 MONTHS either. However he had applied for FMLA and was using the days for little vacations.

I met with him this week for the kids to have time with him this summer. He moved back to California in May because "hes on disability." I didnt really question it because he is for sure the type to claim a slip and fall at work. During our meeting, having our usual small talk, I asked him how he came about going on disability. HE FILED ON BEHALF OF OUR DAUGHTER. He has set himself up as her designated payee and is also collecting caregiver benefits. She has not lived with him in 4 years. He has not participated in any of her medical treatment, nor has he paid any hospital balances, bought clothes, school supplies, nothing except birthday gifts etc. I never filed for those benefits because I haven't needed the help and I want her to have the best chance for benefits when she turns 18 and will need them herself.

So I guess my question is what the hell do I do about this? Do I just go straight to SSA and SDI and file a fraud alert? Do I hire a lawyer(because Im concerned for her benefits.)? What kind of lawyer would deal with this? What do I do?
EDIT: One more thing, I cant access their credit reports online. They come back with Address Not Correct. From what I understand there should be an address with no established credit. Im waiting to hear back from transunion because they check to see if there is an established credit history if you suspect a minor has been the victim of fraud, I just wanted to add that he is so not above ruining their credit either. He filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and left my name on a house that was foreclosed on, trashed my credit as well.

Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You need a lawyer, pronto.  Look for a family lawyer with disability experience to get this sorted out.


Title: If someone is legally declared dead, but still alive (it happens), commits a crime what happens? Can they charge him or her?

Answer: Yes.  Actually being alive kind of trumps presumed dead legally.


Title: Can the executor of an estate refuse to release a car to me due to my lack of a license, assuming I have someone else prepared to drive the car, and insurance coverage? Car is in Nebraska, I live in Iowa

Question:
My father recently passed away, and everything was left to me.  He had a newer model car and I have decided to keep it.  The will has gone through probate and I arranged to pick the car up on Saturday.

I do not have a driver's license, only a permit.  However, I think after a couple more months of practice I will be ready for the driver's license.

My boyfriend and another friend drove 3 hours to meet the executor and pick up the car.  He refused to release the car to me because I am not licensed, even though my boyfriend is fully licensed and was prepared to drive it home for me and I had proof of insurance on the car.  The insurance does cover my boyfriend and I had him listed as a driver on the policy.

The executor said that he can only release it to me if I am licensed, OR he can release it to a commercial driver with my permission.  Conveniently my boyfriend actually has a commercial driver's license, but when I told the estate executor that he said it doesn't count because I am not officially hiring my boyfriend to do it.

He ultimately said to call him when I have a driver's license and he won't release it before then.  He even said it's not legal decision to keep it, but a moral decision because he believes my dad wouldn't want the car to be driven away by anyone other than me, and I can't legally drive it, so my dad would want it kept safe until I can.

I am not thrilled with the idea of this man keeping the car for an unknown period of time.  I am fully prepared to take the car, having my boyfriend drive it home.  I have rented a garage for it and secured insurance already, like I said.

Is there anything I can legally do?  I don't want to sue him over this as I will hopefully have my license within a couple of months and suing him would probably take longer.  However I do not believe (correct me if I am wrong) that he can prevent me from taking the car if I have someone legally able to drive it.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on this matter!

Answer:
 The executor has a fiduciary duty to give you the car. Sadly the only way to force him to do this is through sueing him. Answer #2: The executor sounds like a family friend who is judging not you, but your relationship.

Are there other family members or friends who can argue your case to him?

Conversely what are the requirements for getting a license in Iowa? Have you met them? Take the test and get a license, or get a permit in Nebraska too so you can legally drive with your boyfriend.


Title: [CA] Tenant/roommate threw out all my food, medication, cooking supplies, etc

Question:
Hi everyone,

I’ve posted on this board before about a troublesome tenant I had. I left for an extended honeymoon and he decided to me out when I was out of the country and caused me a lot of headache with his difficulty.

I just got home and noticed my cupboards in the kitchen have completely been emptied. This included hundreds of dollars of medication, spices, brand new sauces, gifts from family, etc. I asked my other roommate who had been living in my home and he told me he saw him and his gf throw out all my stuff.

I just sent him this message

I just got home from my trip and noticed two entirely empty cupboards in the kitchen. Just so you know those cupboards were all my belongings that you two threw out. There were hundreds of dollars worth of vitamins, spices, medications, tea, and food. I expect you to reimburse me for all the items you threw out that was absolutely not authorized by me. This all happened in the time frame of me leaving and you moving out which is approximately four months. I am not sure why you thought that was an okay thing to do. I can estimate damages to $300. Please send this to me via Chase Quick Pay, Venmo, or Square. Thank you.

Is it possible to seek damages? I already refunded his deposit unfortunately. This is in California.

edit: he responded that there was an ant infestation and it was necessary for him to throw out all my items in order to keep a healthy standard of living and that they were expired anyways. I don’t think this is a valid excuse to throw away sealed brand new vitamins, etc. and even if they were expired they are not his to throw away.

Answer:
 OP, I've just seen your comments saying that other items of value are missing elsewhere in the home.

DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FROM HIM!!!!  TAKE THIS TO THE COPS AND SMALL CLAIMS. If he attempts to pay, refuse on the grounds that you have become aware of more missing items and have decided to let the police handle that, and a judge decide how much he owes you. Contact your insurance provider once you've got a copy of the police report. Have him deal with being investigated for theft, don't make this easy on him, because he's not learning a lesson and in his thread is actively looking for a way to squirrel out of making you whole. Slam him, OP. Make him regret his petty arrogance.Answer #2: Do you have renters insurance? I would see if you can claim the items.


Title: Neighbors leech field on my property California

Question:
Thanks for any help. Sorry for mobile format.

Wife purchased a lot 3 years ago at a country club 3 hours away. We had planned to build a vacation home on the lot but ran in to some issues. The previous owner, had severely neglected the property and we received a notice to have diseased trees removed. While the forester was removing trees he noticed that there was a leech field on the property.

I had a surveyor come do a full topo map and found that the neighbor had indeed encroached on our property. I'm a real easy going guy and talked with the neighbor about doing a lot line adjustment. The property is in snow country so things get done very slowly. I received a proposed map of the new lot and it is not satisfactory. We lose build able area and gain steep road frontage. At this point in time, my wife wants to sell the property and find something closer to our home.

My question is, what can we do? I know that selling the property with an issue like this is not only near impossible but unethical. Do I need to inform the neighbor that his leech field must be removed? Is this something I need to involve a lawyer in immediately?

Answer:
 Do you mean a leach field for drainage or an actual field to breed leeches?  Neither sound very pleasing.

You could start with the building department of the town or the Country Club and get them to tell the neighbor he has to remove the sceptic drain field (or the breeding pond of blood sucking monsters).


Title: [NC] What is the process of getting a middle name?

Question:
When I was born I was not given a middle name, and now that I'm older I want to get a middle name. I've only found articles about changing my name, but all I care is to get a middle name.

I can't fin anywhere the process of getting a middle name, any help would be appreciated.

Answer: Getting a middle name is the same thing as changing your name.


Title: [Idaho] Received more computer equipments than I ordered. Retailer refuses to accept!

Question:
I bought 5 graphics card from a online computer retailer (located in California). I received two packages, each of them containing 5 graphics cards. So I have 10 here now in total. The invoices inside the package are all for the 5 graphics cards, they both cite the same order number. I have been charged for only one order.

I emailed them and they said my order has been dispatched and delivered, I also called to explain this but they said according to their system everything is normal and it's "impossible" that I received the order twice.

I've done all I could to get this rectified as I have no interest in keeping things that aren't mine, but I don't see anything else that I can do.

What are my responsibilities? I don't want to get in any legal trouble.

Answer: You should be fine.  I’d hold on to them and wait until their system catches up.  They should send you postage to return it.  Their inventory system has not caught up.Answer #2: I would wait to hear back from the company; everyone is always so quick to scream about FTC regulations and unsolicited goods, but in fact the goods *were* solicited and you were sent more than you ordered.