Title: Water company is fining me $500 for flushing wipes down the toilet. (IN)

Question: I received a letter from the local municipal water treatment facility who also oversees the sewage system and they said they were able to track a large amount of wet wipes coming from my house. They called it a maintenance fee for foreign debris removal. I don't know how they tracked it but I use those Clorox wipes after I poop so it's nice and clean cause my boyfriend likes it that way. Is this just a scare tactic? Can I contest this or is there really a way to tell exactly which house is flushing wipes?

Answer:
 Clorox wipes?  Those are for cleaning counters, not butts.   You're either a moron or a troll.  In either case, you're not supposed to do that because they clog the sewer. And, yes, you can be fined for deliberately doing something that is known to clog the sewer.Answer #2: Those wipes aren't flushable. Put them in the trash. You caused the problem. Pay the fine.Answer #3: Yes, there is a way to tell. If they are getting frequent blocks in your line, it's pretty obvious.

Pay your fine. Stop flushing those wipes.Answer #4: Please tell me you just call all wet wipes Clorox wipes and are not wiping your asses with actual Clorox disinfecting cleaning wipes.   And if you are flushing those, stop.  The only paper product that's not detrimental to a sewage system is TP.  Even "flushable" wipes aren't flushable and Clorox wipes don't even claim to be.Answer #5: Not a lawyer but I am a plumber. It is damn near impossible that they narrowed it down to your house, more then likely your neighbors got the same thing and city had to clear your blocks main out.

As a second note STOP flushing wipes, even if they say flushable they are not. Wipes are the biggest money makers for us plumbers along with feminine hygiene products. DONT flush those either. These things are extremely problematic for the sewers, and very expensive to separate and treat the water.Answer #6: CLOROX wipes?!  Are you Tom Segura’s dad?! But no, seriously, I’d switch to some kind of babywipe or made-for-wiping-your-arse wipe, and even still, wouldn’t flush them. If at all possible, I’d strongly recommend investing in a bidet. Game. Changer.


Title: Jealous ex and custody of kids

Question:
Hello all, and thank you in advance for reading. It's sort of a long story but I'll try to keep it short. My ex filed a custody order last year, and at the time we split custody 50/50, the kids going back and forth weekly. We decided to split daycare costs, which at the time were 100 a week to Ex's mother, who lives with him, and foregoing child support. I met someone last year, after my ex and I split, and I am getting married next month. My new beau has an arrest record but no criminal convictions.

Over the summer, my ex confessed to having me followed by a private investigator for several months and claimed to have incriminating evidence against me to win the kids in court, and pushed me into signing a custody modification agreement. As far as I know, the only incriminating evidence he has against me is fairly innocent stuff, but it scared me, and given all the things I felt stacked against me, I signed the modifications. I believe that since the kids spent more time at the exes house, especially since their grandmother watched them while I was at work, in combination with whatever things my ex might have gotten from the PI, I wouldn't have had a great chance of keeping things as they were.

Now, he holds primary physical custody of the kids, and I get weekends and extra during holidays and summer. I still pay for daycare biweekly, but again foregoing child support. I wholeheartedly believe that he did this intentionally, knowing I was struggling financially at the time, as a way to make me sign the paperwork. I regret it but it's too late now.

Here's my question though.
I suspect that once I am married, my ex will do everything he can to prevent me having my children around their new stepfather, and may possibly either take me back to court or attempt to file for child support. I'm wondering, given the circumstances and the short amount of time between modifications, if it's possible, with explanations, texts to show the jealous controlling behavior, and whatever else is needed, that the court could see through it? I even have text messages of him saying he was basically absolving me of all financial responsibility. Verbatim. Is there any way at all possible for me to get back to the way things were? I miss my kids, I feel like a failure of a parent, and my ex has caused nothing but problems since I signed that paper, going as far as keeping my kids from me on my weekend. I thought I was making the right choice, giving  my little ones a more stable day to day life instead of driving back and forth each week, but every day the situation seems to become worse and worse with more drama and my ex acting like he is the judge of the world, doing as he pleases.

I'm at my wits end. Please help, and any advice is greatly appreciated. I am located in Alabama, United States.

Answer: This has gotten complicated enough, with enough moving parts that in order to "get back to the way things were" that you very much need a family attorney to start addressing the issues.


Title: [Texas] Did the Pedestrians Have the Right of Way?

Question:
I was just rear-ended after stopping quickly at a crosswalk (very minor damage, no one hurt) and I'm curious as to whether or not the pedestrians actually had the right of way here.

I was on a divided highway, with three lanes in each direction and a 35 mph speed limit. A biking/pedestrian trail crosses the road at an intersection with a traffic light, marked crosswalk and pedestrian walk/don't walk sign.

The light was green and the walk/don't walk sign read "don't walk". The pedestrians crossed the empty opposite lane into the median (presumably against the light, but I don't know for certain) and were waiting there to cross because of the traffic in our lane. Although the light was green, the car in the far left lane stopped at the crosswalk, causing the car behind him to change to the center lane to avoid rear-ending him. I then changed from the center to right lane to avoid rear-ending the center car. In the midst of this the pedestrians started crossing the street and center-car and I had to stop very quickly to avoid hitting them. All of his happened too quickly for the car behind me to stop and he rear-ended me, causing negligible damage.

Two questions from all this: Did the pedestrians have the right of way, crossing a divided roadway against a green light? Was the left-lane driver correct to stop at the crosswalk with a green light?

Answer:
 You can't run over someone just because they are standing in the road. This was covered in great detail during the BLM protests in a number of sticky threads about running over protesters.

The real target of your ire should be the driver who rear ended you. In almost every rear end collision, it's the driver in the back who was at fault for not maintaining a safe enough distance to stop in an emergency.


Title: Can the city remove water access for 60 days due to a water main problem?

Question:
My sister received a [notice from the city of Wichita, KS](http://imgur.com/pImJ26r) that they would have her water access cut off for 60 days due to a water main problem. Is this legal?

edit for clarity: The notice was placed on her door and no remedies were suggested. I am not questioning the need to repair water systems, just the excessive time frame without providing or suggesting an adequate temporary solution. In the comments patience was suggested to wait for the city to make its solution known and that seems like the correct course.

update: My sister's boyfriend (they live together) has called the city and was informed that the city plans to offer no remedy as they have provided 24 hours notice before the outage. This seems to be in violation of a requirement that "governing bodies of PWS systems bear primary re-sponsibility for providing an adequate supply of potable water to the citizens served by their system". It seems that contacting the city council is her next step. We have found references to requiring a plan for these situations, but have not been able to find the plans. Does anyone have experience specific to Kansas on the details of these requirements? The only things I can find are vague references to *something* must be done, but not what. I am not well versed in legal speech am having a hard time navigating through the maze of statutes.

update: Never mind, the outage will be intermittent during the 60 days. Hearsay and assumptions did me in. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the advice folks.

Answer: Together with your neighbours, call the city manager's office and ask how they plan on temporarily servicing your homes.  And what protections you have in case of fire, since all the hydrants will be out too.


Title: Neighbor has built a perch overlooking our yard and is harassing our dogs, kids, and making noise complaints. Today it got worse (AZ)

Question:
We’be lived here for 7 years, they have lived behind us  the entire time, having been here a year before us. We’ve had no issues until last year. He’s had this fence up which is planks, nailed together and glued to concrete on either side. It’s not great but it worked for his needs it’s worn and leaning but it was up. A huge monsoon broke our tree and it fell on his fence. We offered to get insurance involved and repair the fence. His insurance and ours talked and did whatever they do and it led to it being his financial responsibility. We dropped it and moved on. He rigged the broken fence up and it is what it is. We installed a chain fence in our yard further away from his about 5 feet away into our yard from his fence.

Now he’s build this tall perch thing in a tree, and he is in it quite often. We have security cameras and I’ve caught my girls (7, 9) a few times at the fence talking to him. They tell me he’s called them over to chat. He’s also been teasing our dogs and blowing an air horn at them when they bark at him. He does this and then in turn files noise complaints with animal control which we’ve spoken to them about and so far no fines are charged. They know of the fence issue and that we’ve never had issues before etc.

Today he was calling to the dogs and blowing the horn and I went out and yelled across the yard stop teasing the dogs. He blew up and called me lots of names stating my dogs bark 24/7 and he was calling the police. He never did and I yelled back that he needs to stop teasing them I have it con camera as well as calling my girls over to talk. He says that I’ll be in jail over those accusations I quit the pointless back and forth and went inside awaiting a police arrival but it never came.

What do I even do at this point? I’m concerned he’s going to escalate and do something to hurt my dogs possibly my kids or damage our yard in some way. I have no idea what he would do. My cameras save 64g at a time I don’t want to have to be scouting and storing my videos but I will until I feel safe. We got the cameras to ensure our dogs weren’t in danger from wildlife, but now I’m glad we have them.

I haven’t spoken to animal control since the last call but I think I’ll call them tomorrow to discuss what occurred today, any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

TLDR neighbor teases dogs then complains about them likely due to being resentful his fence broke.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: I’d also check with the city to see if his perch is legal.  Some have strict laws about the height of what can be built (think kids treehouses).


Title: I was summoned for jury duty and I can't make it.

Question: I received a jury summons in the mail telling me to report Monday Oct 15th. No problem, I was unemployed at that time. I received an automated phone message the week before my summons date telling me not to go, but rather to call the hotline after 6pm Friday Oct 26th. When I called, the message told me to report at 730am Oct 29th, which is the day I start my new job. So I had to call after 6pm Friday, and I have to be there at 730am Monday, leaving me no opportunity to notify my new employer. The only way to request a delay is by mail, before the date of my summons. Obviously I can't do that, so am I fucked?

Answer:
 You need to go to jury duty.  Leave a message for your employer on voice mail or email, and call at the first break on Monday to tell them personally and profusely apologize for handling this badly.

The proper way to handle this would have been to tell your new employer *before* Friday that you had to call in Friday night for possible jury service on the 29th, and might not be able to start that day.  Expect them to be annoyed that you did not do this.Answer #2: Call your employer,  they will understand if it's jury duty and you explain to them about it.  You can get a fine for not showing up when your summoned for jury duty.

&#x200B;

[https://legalvision.com.au/jury-duty/](https://legalvision.com.au/jury-duty/)Answer #3: I think you meant to say "I start a new job and can't make it"


Title: Father's lung was punctured by doctor, does he have a malpractice case?

Question:
My father had heart surgery 7 weeks ago for a congenital heart defect. They put in a new valve. 2 weeks after the surgery he went in for a check up. The doctor told him that there was a small amount of fluid in his chest that needed to be removed. He did not sign any forms before the fluid extraction. It took them several tries to extract the fluid and they ended up puncturing his lung. They did not know this at the time and he was sent home. He woke up to find his entire left side of his body was filled with air. He couldn't speak properly and was in pain. His lung had collapsed during the night. At the hospital they tried to remove the air, and put a check valve in his side. He had a serious speech impediment for the next 2 weeks, and has said numerous times that he was feeling great up until that point, and afterwards noticed a steep decline in mobility, and increase of pain. He would not admit it, but this event has fueled a cycle of depression, and he also refuses to talk to a lawyer saying "He's not that type of person". The hospital also charged his insurance for their screw up. Now I found out today that our insurance has hit its limits and he is still not well enough to go back to work. He was told that recovery would take six weeks. Does he have a malpractice case?

Edit: Maine

Answer:
 Medical malpractice is very fact specific, you're going to have to meet with a medical malpractice attorney. They typically work on contingency meaning there's little to no up-front cost to you and consultations are typically free.

You'll have to prove that the doctor's work fell below a reasonable standard of care.


Title: Friends parents thinks we did drugs and has “evidence” to prove it.

Question:
Ok so I’ll start with some backstory.  One time me and my friends thought about doing some drugs.  We hung out at one of our houses and just relaxed, talked, and took pictures.  These pictures were just of us sitting on the couch smiling.

However, recently one of my friends parents searched their messages and found them talking about weed and mdma.  They came up to one of our cars and threatened to have the K-9 unit called because they are cops.  They obviously didn’t and even if they did, no drugs were in any of our possessions.

I guess I’m just wondering what could come from this—thanks in advance.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 So your friend's parents threatened to call the cops on you?

You're fine. Just don't get caught with anything on you / in your system.


Title: Company is refusing to answer phone (Workers' compensation)

Question: Two weeks ago I was injured at work. The workplace management filled out an injury report for the case and I left early that day. When I returned home I had someone take me to the ER to get checked out and I received a Workers' Compensation forum from my hospital to give to my employer. I gave my employer the Workers' Compensation forum to my work place two days after. A couple days after I received a call from the hospital to have the employer call them to give them more information that they needed. Then I received a letter from the hospital saying to contact the employer to have the injury reported to the hospital. If I fail to do so the bill will be my responsibility. I called my HR workplace and they transferred me to the Workers' Compensation office and after the rings went to voice mail and I left a message. Another couple days later I receive another call from the hospital asking for the same thing the letter is. I gave the hospital HR's number. They have also contacted him and still no answer or call back. It has been almost a week now neither I or the hospital can get through the HR department to talk to someone. I tried to talk to a supervisor and left a voice mail and still no call back or anything. This has been going on for days now. I have been making daily calls and voicemails and no one ever got back to me or the hospital yet. I am starting to think they are avoiding the issue at this point. I really don't want to get to a point where the hospital gives up and sends the bill to me. My question is, is it illegal for an employer to avoid the situation with Workers' Comp. And/what do I do at this point.

Answer: There should be no reason why the hospital cannot continue treating you without talking to the business.  Workers Comp is a government agency, if the compnay is not playing nice you need to go straight to your local workers comp office and file the claim there.


Title: Neighbors booby trapped their fence

Question: My parents live near a horse farm that is located at the bottom of a hill with a sharp turn. The turn has a stop sign (3 way intersection) but in the past, people have frequently misjudged their speed, blow the stop sign, and go through the fence into the farm (probably 5 times a year).  The cars hit the exact same section of fence every time there is an accident and numerous times the people have driven away without leaving their information.  Recently, the owners of the farm put a row of boulders and what looks like a cut telephone pole behind the section of fence that gets hit. I suspect the purpose is to catch a car that goes through the fence so that they can get information for insurance purposes.  My question is, could someone sue them if they got hurt crashing into the new obstacles?  The rocks are behind the fence so the horses could still get out if someone hit the fence and it’s pretty clear that they intend for a car to hit the rocks (they’re not there for landscaping purposes either, the grass is so long you can barely see them). My parents believe they can do whatever they want to their property but I feel like someone may actually have a case if they wanted to pursue them.  We are located in PA.

Answer:
 I don’t see this as a booby trap. People aren’t being invited into their property to fall prey to some trap designed to harm them.

What you’re describing is a barrier. From my point of view it seems they’re having problems with vehicles damaging their property at this point so they’re putting up a solid barrier to stop it from happening.Answer #2: If they had put in something like the steel beams used to disable tanks during a war, or built a structure designed to decapitate drivers, then for sure there would be legal issues. However, barriers like boulders or guardrails are pretty common for situations like this. I think it centers around whether the intent is to cause harm, or just to protect property. I would suggest they move the boulders to the outside of the fence and put a line of reflective markers in front of them. They should check with the city to see if any permits or restrictions apply, though it’s doubtful as long as the boulders are on private property.Answer #3: \> rocks are behind the fence so the horses could still get out if someone hit the fence

They're behind where the fence is NOW.  They may be intending to move the fence or install a new section that goes behind the boulders.  The fence may be at the edge of the property they own, and thus they may not have a right to put boulders further out.  Or they may own that strip, but want to ensure that their tractor can brushhog the outside of the fence line.

\> it’s pretty clear that they intend for a car to hit the rocks

This is a conclusion you've drawn.


Title: Is there any way out of my $5400 room lease? Cannot handle the stress anymore.

Question:
Context:
i am a college student who needed a place to live for this school year.  My "friend" who i thought i could trust offered me a lease for $450 a month for a room in a house with 9 other roommates (10 bedroom house). I thought it was a good deal at the time because i had previously met the roommates over the summer and enjoyed their company. But now that school has started this situation has turned into a nightmare.

The roommates trashed the house in august before i moved in and clean nothing up. They forced em to take the room in the basement which is barely a room at all, the landlord literally put up 2 plywood walls in the corner of the basement and called it a room. the roommates party all weekend in the basement and leave a SHIT TON of cans and bottles all over the floor and expect me to clean it even though i have never drank down there. the basement itself is run down and there is only one light down there. i'm 99% if i leave my room unlocked for 1 weekend someone will steal all my shit out of it.they leave garbage all over the floors of the house and open all the windows for the bugs to come in.

the guest they have over have tried to get into my room while i'm not there, and they wen through a box of clothing that i left by the dryer. the exterior situation is terrible as well. the driveway that leads to the parking lot is small and i get blocked in sometimes. They also party outside and there is a high risk of running over as bottle or can and getting a flat tire.

The roommates themselves have turned into major a holes since school started. They get fines for city code violations sometimes and want me to help pay for them. they also eat and drink my shit sometimes and leave garbage everywhere. the entire house smells like alcohol and they are loud as shit and always blast music from their rooms.

my lease has no exit clause and i have not brought my case for leaving  to the landlord yet. its a year lease at $450 a month for a $5400 total. I cannot afford to pay it off at ounce and my co-signer can afford to pay it, but in his current finical situation it would be a terrible burden on our family. this house is disgusting, poorly built, and is a terrible place to live. I dont know what to do, if i should go the landlord first or a lawyer, but am hoping you guys have some good advise in this situation.

tl;dr
my friend lied to me about lease, roommates are shit, house is trashed, i want to kill myself.

Issues with this house:
>garbage everywhere

>room is small as shit, no closet, in basement

>basement full with bear cans and broken bottles

>smell of alcohol everywhere

>roommates are assholes, party all weekend, trash house

>poor visibility in basement, pitch black at night and only light is on other side of basement

>house is old, stairs a little and have almost fallen down them a few times

>if left unlock my room will most likely be broken into, already had a box of clothing someone has gone threw

>no peace and quit, roommates are loud, neighbors are loud

>garbage in the drive way, broken glass, can get flat tire

>broken glass in basement, can cut my foot open

>flys from garbage in the house, surprise there are no roaches yet

>no hot water, roommates still haven't signed gas bill

>electricity bill is sky high from all the party lights and speakers

>half of the rooms where built by the landlord to generate more revenue, he literally built 2 out of a living room,
and 2 in the corners of the basement

>roommates get city code violations sometimes, cops drive down the road twise a day just to find shit to write up

>anything left outside my room will get stolen or smashed.

>car gets blocked in driveway sometimes, if left unlocked i'm sure it will get broken into

>drunk ass people i don't even know roam around and in the house during the weekend

there is no early exit clause in my lease and have not confronted the landlord about moving out yet. i made a major mistake picking up this lease and had no idea the situation would turn into this after school started. Is there any legal action i can take to get out of this lease?

Answer:
 > They forced em to take the room in the basement which is barely a room at all, the landlord literally put up 2 plywood walls in the corner of the basement and called it a room.

This may be your saving grace. There are very specific requirements to what landlords can call "bedrooms" (one big one is it must have a window). I would begin to look up what those are in your state and go from there. Your "bedroom" almost certainly does not count as one.Answer #2: Talk to your school for help.  There may be legal aid available to students.Answer #3: Does your basement room have egress windows? If not, you may be able to bring that to the landlord that it's a code violation, but that you'd be willing to break the lease rather than making them fix it. Answer #4: Is there underage drinking in the house?

Also, does your city have rules on how many "unrelateds" can be in a house? I went to school where there were max 4 unrelateds allowed.

From the sound of it, there could be some un-permitted work there.


Title: [NewYork/employment law] I do nothing and get paid, am I breaking the law? It’s been years now.

Question:
I recently  posted this.

https://old.reddit.com/r/confession/comments/bhayt8/due_to_a_screw_up_with_my_employer_i_earn_money/

Long story short, I work for a company that has doesn’t ask me to do anything, but regularly pays me anyway. I complete 100% of the tasks they assign me, which are none.

Am I committing fraud or “something” by getting paid to do nothing?  It’s been a decade now.

Is it my legal duty to seek work to do, or am I perfectly fine waiting to be assigned something to do?  Nothing seems to matter, I’m irrelevant to the company, but they pay me.

Answer:
 Seems to me the answer would be:

“I was hired as part of a legal compliance issue, and was moved to a full time position in order to retain me regarding the same compliance issue. I don’t have knowledge of, nor am I paid to be informed about the legal compliance issues of the company. As far as I know I am still employed simply because it’s written on some paper somewhere that this position must be filled as part of a compliance agreement with the government. We know the government isn’t the best at keeping up to date. I check my email daily for assignments, I Answer any call that comes to my job phone and am otherwise available for any issues they have regarding my job specialty. I haven’t been instructed to attend a meeting or respond to a call where I have failed to do so. So to the best of my knowledge I have fulfilled the responsibilities of the position for which I was hired and have no reason to believe that mandatory position has been eliminated, especially considering it involves government bureaucracies. So I continue to consider myself employed until notified otherwise. “Answer #2: Pretty sure I found the "get out of jail free" card for this.

Checking your company email account from home is technically work.

By law exempt salary employees must be fully paid for each week in which they do *any* work whatsoever.

So as long as you're checking the email once a week you are not only doing nothing wrong, but they are actually required to continue paying you until someone decides to terminate the employment.


Title: USPS sent me a court summons two months after the court date (Michigan, United States)

Question:
So I’m checking my mail today and I see my name under the title defendant. It was for an eviction notice apartment I moved out of mid July.

I had talked to the property manager about moving out a month and a half before moving out. I sent a letter by hand and via email of an intent to move out June 1, 2018.

She was nearly impossible to get a hold of but I persisted. She told me I would be moved out once I turned in the keys to the office.

I have videos of me moving out my apartment, even one of me turning in the keys to office staff and having the staff read out my new address.

My biggest stress is that I missed a court date I had zero clue about. I know if you miss court you automatically lose that case. I really don’t want an eviction to be on my credit, I pay my rent every month.

What are my options.

Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: You can appeal it on the grounds of improper service. You'll probably need a landlord-tenant attorney to help.


Title: Can you be married before legal divorce

Question:
My mom happened to be looking at dates for her divorce and realized although she had filed, her divorce date is 2 days after her marriage date. She's been married 10 years come October and lives in the state of Florida.

Is she legally married? Is this something a lawyer would have to help resolve or a simple matter of visiting the Clerk of the Court?

Hope that makes sense and is posted in the right section, I know nothing about law.

Answer: You mean her divorce decree was final 2 days after her second marriage?


Title: Can I (18F) bring my coworkers wine as a gift in DC?

Question: I'm underage, but my parents make wine and my coworkers (all over 21) are very interested, so I want to bring them some bottles of wine as a gift. This is in Washington DC, and I have no intention of drinking with them. Am I allowed to possess unopened bottles of alcohol, and pass them along? Thank you.

Answer: You can't legally possession alcohol. Find somebody of age to transport it.


Title: Police dog barking in his own house

Question:
So my friend lives next to a cop and whenever my friend smokes pot or even just brings it home their dog(K-9 unit) starts barking, can the cop be able to try to raid him or arrest him?
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer: Cop would not be able to act unilaterally. However, as he is very knowledgeable of the laws that pertain to illegal drug use and is trained to read his partner’s response to the presence of illegal drugs, you can expect an official police visit-in some form-when he reports the dog’s behavior to his supervisor.


Title: [NYC] Fucked up pretty badly, was arrested for bribing a cop. I wasn't. What should I do?

Question:
So, I was pulled over for a routine traffic stop because my taillight wasn't working. Cop asked me for my driver's license. Now, I keep it in a waterproof pouch, because I'm clumsy and it has slipped through a lot of times and got dirty. Also, I keep a $100 bill behind the license as emergency funds because once I had lost my wallet and I had to literally beg to someone for taxi fare to return to my home.

So, Because I have shitty luck, that bill was loose in pouch and when I handed over my pouch it slipped from it and landed in cops palm. He was suddenly provoked by this and yelled at me to come out and handcuffed me. He said I was trying to bribe him $100, which I wasn't. I tried to explain to him, but he still continued arresting me.

Now, I just come to know that they are going to charge me for bribing a cop. What should I do?? I had no intention of doing that, it was accident.

Answer: You get an attorney and stop talking about this incident to anyone else other than the attorney, including the Internet.  You don't want a criminal record.


Title: My mom forged my signature on my title for my car and sold my car to a junk yard.

Question:
I was in a car accident and my car was totaled. Long story short where we live they wanted the car gone but I wanted to hold on to it because I was waiting to hear back from my insurance company. My mom talked to my insurance AGENT but not the company itself and he said that I was going to get nothing and told us we could get rid of it. I wanted to actually hear from the company first but my mom forged my signature on my title and sold it to a junk yard for $150 (get this, she kept the money even though I paid for my car and my own insurance) BUT the same day (July 2nd) I hear back from my insurance company and said to they are offering ~$2800 and I just need to give them the title and the car but I no longer have the title or the car.

I told my mom she better get the car back but the junk yard is close due to the holiday but one of her friends knows the owner. How do I approach this? I was thinking on approaching the police with this situation.

[This is in Massachusetts, USA]

Answer:
 It's up to five years in prison if she's convicted. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90D/Section32Answer #2: She can pay you $4800 or go to jail for forgery, if you can't get the car back.

Her choice.Answer #3: Was car titled in both you and your mom's name? Or your mom's and you paid her? Answer #4: Contact the police, explaining the forgery,  call the junk yard asap telling them that they have stolen property

Was this by any chance the junk yard near Lincoln/Sudbury?  Those guys were pretty helpful for me a couple years back.Answer #5: Hopefully you can get your car back from the junk yard. If not a possible alternative is for your and your mother to come to an agreed price whereby she effectively buys the car from you. Maybe you can agree on a price between $150 and $2800 (hopefully closer to the latter). It might be a good compromise to keep her out of jail and get you your money.

Whatever happens please update us.Answer #6: Isn't the junkyard liable at all. Whenever I've sold a car the buyer had to be present, and sometimes a notary was required. Answer #7: You don't necessarily have to go to the police to solve this problem. She needs to try to get the vehicle back. If she can not, you can sue her in small claims court for the amount that your insurance company would have paid you for the vehicle. Be sure to keep their offer. You shouldn't have to hire an attorney for the small claims case. Most lawyers wouldn't take it because of the small amount, it wouldn't be worth the time/ cost you too much to get too little.


Title: [OR, Portland] Am I required to disclose that I have a disability to my employer? If I don't disclose now, can I disclose later?

Question:
I have diagnosed PTSD which is not currently acute (I'm stable and fine). In the past I've had several acute episodes, some of which have ended in hospitalization. I recently got hired as a teacher and they asked me to disclose any disabilities or choose not to do so.

Do I have to disclose that I have PTSD now? The last time I did, I was "let go" the next day from a job in college after having a really review the previous week and getting a raise. Oregon has at-will employment, meaning they can basically just fire you whenever and for whatever reason or for no reason. So I'm worried if I disclose to my boss (it's only my second day today), I will suddenly be not a good fit for them.

But I'm also worried if I do need to take time off to be hospitalized or something that I have ADA protections. Can I disclose later?

Answer: You don't have to disclose it until you actually need the accommodation, as far as I know.


Title: HELP Cosigner of student loan now trying to claim fraud

Question:
My sister took out a loan about 8-9 years ago for nursing school. My mother asked her business partner if he would be the cosigner on her loan since both my sister and my mom had poor credit. He agreed VERBALLY and gave my mom permission to fill out all necessary paperwork including signing for him.

Fast forward to this summer, my sister had trouble making payments, so her loan went into default. NAVIENT  of course starts to call the cosigner. Context: my mother and her business partner (cosigner) has a major falling out a few years ago as their business went belly up and they are not speaking. So now that the cosigner is getting harassing calls regarding my sister's student loans, he is trying to claim fraud.

My sister quickly got her loans out of default in 2 months, and has pulled money out of her 401k to ensure on time payments for the next year - NAVIENT will only consider removing a cosigner if the loan recipient makes payments on time for 12 months. So she's doing everything she can to make sure the cosigner is not bothered and hopefully gets released. We tried to contact the cosigner but haven't had any luck. This guy obviously didn't understand the risks of being cosigner so now he's falsely claiming fraud.

My sister is now being asked to speak to the police. What do we do? Do we need a lawyer? How can we prove that the cosigner gave verbal permission?

Answer:
 You get a lawyer. Do no talk to anyone without your lawyer. Don't talk to the police, don't talk to the cosigner, don't talk to anyone. This is a serious allegation and could have very serious consequences which could completely derail your sister's life.Answer #2: It’s possible you don’t have the full story. No one agrees to co-sign and tells the persons mother to commit forgery and fraud.

Regardless your sister should not speak to the police or anyone. Need a lawyer.


Title: Inherited a holiday home with 2 other siblings, they are uninterested in maintaining the property, want to start wedding venue business to help pay for maintainance, do I need their permission and are they entitled to profit generated?

Question:
I inherited a property with my two other siblings, the split is 70% my ownership and my siblings have the remaining 15% each.

They are completely uninterested in helping to pay for upkeep and I've paid a considerable amount of money over the years on basic things like the roof, electrics and plumbing without any financial assistance from them.

The property now needs an extensive restoration to ensure its survival and I was thinking about opening the place up for weddings etc to pay for this.

My question is: what entitlement do my siblings have to profits generated if the property is run as a business. I don't intend to take any profit myself from this but I'm worried they will demand their "share" (15%) and with 30% taken out of profits it will be very difficult to pay for the maintenance the house needs.

Also do I need to ask their permission to start a business if I am the majority shareholder?

The house is in Italy but I'm interested in anybody that has faced something similar anywhere in the world :)

Answer:
 Check it out. You own 70% of the property. 30% is your siblings. They are entitled to 30% of what the property generates.

You can go ahead and start a wedding venue under an LLC/Corp/whatever in YOUR NAME ONLY. The home now rents the land to the company you own.

Since you have 70%, you have controlling interest of the estate, much like you would with shares in a company. You can decide what to do with the property. The only thing you would be required to do is disburse the rental income generated to your siblings. Make sure you keep the wedding venue business separate from the estate. This was your siblings can't profit of your hard work.


Title: (Ontario) Need to leave job before specified termination date. Please help.

Question:
What happened:

When I got the telephone interview I was asked how long I could stay in Ottawa. I said 4 months. After saying so the interviewer responded with a snide “excuse me” which indicated that I should’ve said more time. To which I responded regretfully and anxiously (it was my first interview), “4 months but 8 months would be feasible I suppose”.

On the job match day I was extremely excited to see that xyzBureaucracy was willing to offer me a job. Although, there was one caveat, there wasn’t a specified timeframe. It showed on the co-op offer as 4-16 months meaning anywhere from 1 term to 4 terms of employment. It ended up being my only job offer, so I accepted.

Once I received the follow-up email from my contact at xyzBureaucracy it had said that my position would be 8 months and that if I had an issue regarding this I was to say so. Fearing that I would lose the job as well as my co-op designation because of not being compliant, I had responded as enthusiastic as possible about the offer.

I signed the “letter of offer” for an 8 month term and moved to Ottawa; 800km away.

A month goes by of being a public servant and I have yet to be given any work. My programming environment wasn’t set up for an entire month. I had to sit at a desk with absolutely nothing to do for 30 days.

As you can imagine, now I’m very fed up with this job and no longer want to remain in Ottawa.

I guess my question is this: is there any way that I can get out of the letter of offer that I had signed? Will I be penalized for wanting to leave early?

Thank you in advanced.

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You should speak with your coop office to determine if there are any implications of ending a coop position early. You can be removed from some coop programs as a result of not completing your obligations. I don't know what legal implications there would be as I am not a lawyer.


Title: You have to give back money that isn’t yours, right?

Question:
I just want to clarify something for my own education, which is why I’m posting here instead of the main sub.

I told a guy in our small self-managed condo building that he can send his monthly fee by Zelle (online bank-to-bank payment thing) to our association’s bank account, and gave him the gmail address we use for that. He sent the Zelle payment to my email instead. It deposited into my personal account.

I’ve re-Zelled it to the building’s account and emailed him to let him know the error.

But spouse and I are wondering, since we happen to hate this guy, would it have been illegal to have kept it and not said anything? It would be, right, since it was immediately obvious to me what the money was for and that it wasn’t for me? (Specific odd amount including cents, no fathomable reason for this guy to send me money, etc.)

Answer:
 You generally do not stand to profit from a simple error like that. Had you kept the money, the guy could have come after you in small claims to recover it, and would likely have prevailed, especially as he can show that the amount matches what he owed and that he regularly pays this bill by Zelle to the intended recipient.

Next time, return the money, rather than forwarding it. No harm done in this case, but sending it back is a lot less likely to confuse the recipient.


Title: Abandoned property burned after almost 3 months

Question:
Hey guys, first time posting here so I apologize if this post is a mess. This is all taking place in Wisconsin. My parents are currently separated and slowly making their way to divorce. This has been going on for a while now, but finances etc have been making the situation move forward at a snails pace. My parents are currently trying to clear out and sell our house. My mom moved out a while back and agreed to let my dad and his new girlfriend live there as long as they paid rent.

My dad's girlfriend moved out to find a new place about three months ago and left some stuff in the house. The item I'm focusing on here is a very large and heavy white dresser. She was given notice directly as well as through my dad that she had two months to come and get it otherwise it would be disposed of. Almost three months goes by and my mom is making a lot of progress on cleaning out the house so she decides it's time to get rid of it.

We took it apart and burned it up a long with random other things so that we didn't have to transport all the heavy pieces. Well the girlfriend finally got around to caring about her dresser again and found out we got rid of it. She called the police and they told my mom that because we burned the dresser it was considered a criminal destruction of property even though it was left at the house for almost three months and she was given notice of what would happen. My mom was written a $619 citation which is a decent financial hit right now and shouldn't have to deal with extra stress from my dad's bitch of a girlfriend. Can my mom do anything to fight this if my dad doesn't get his girlfriend to drop the charges? Thanks guys.

Answer:
 The girlfriend isn't charging her. The state is.

She can hire an attorney to fight the chargesAnswer #2: Dad's girlfriend doesn't have the ability to drop the charges. Only the state/municipality can do that. Your mom could hire a lawyer or possibly ask the prosecution if she can just pay for the value of the dresser if it's less than the citation. She could also ask for a payment plan. Why burn it in the first place? Answer #3: If the girlfriend lived at the house, she was a tenant. The existence of a lease or the payment of money does not determine whether she was a tenant. If what you are saying about her moving out voluntarily is true, then she arguably abandoned personal property when she moved out. [Wis. Stat. 704.05(a)1. would apply.](http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/704.05\(5\)\(a\)1.) That statute says that the landlord can dispose of the property as they see fit in his or her sole discretion, which likely includes burning. Wis. Stat. 705.05(c) even says that if the property was owned by a third-party, the landlord may still dispose of it. I am a WI attorney.


Title: (AL) My neighbor's dog often goes through my trash/recycling. Most of the time when I try to run it off, it growls and has me worried it will attack. What right do I have to defend myself against the dog? Is it legal to shoot if I'm cornered and have no other options?

Question:
(Alabama) Basically the neighbors don't take very good care of their dogs. I've called animal control a couple of times, but sometimes when they get here, the dog has already wandered off or been brought back inside.

Often, during the day when the neighbors aren't home, the dog wanders through the neighborhood. It really likes to go through my recycling bin and my trash(which is very clearly on my property), and acts aggressively towards me when I try to get it to leave. Sometimes it happens when I'm in my back yard in the garden, which leaves me with no way to get inside, because the recycling is between me and the back door. It's not like it's on the edge of my property. I keep the bins right next to my back door, which is pretty much the very center of my lot.

I've felt threatened and in danger multiple times, and I'm worried that eventually it will decide that it's too hungry or that I am a threat, and instead of eventually losing interest and trotting away, it will attack me. If I'm put in a position where I have no other options for escaping, can I defend myself by shooting the dog if necessary, even if it hasn't attacked me yet? Or does it have to actually be running at me?

Shooting it is obviously not my desire, but I'm struggling to figure out how best to protect myself.

Answer: Call animal control and report that your neighbour's dog is at large and acting aggressively. Having to get his dog back from the pound might show your neighbour the error of their ways, and sooner or later he won't get his dog back inside before they show up.


Title: Can a restraining order be lifted if there are other people on it who don't want it lifted?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 What do you mean, your names are listed on it?

If your mother is the petitioner, she can move the court to terminate the restraining order. You can seek your own restraining order against her ex-husband if you feel your safety is at risk.


Title: Owner of franchise is suing our family for copyright infringement

Question:
Located in U.S

So our family opened buffalo wing restaurant few months ago, and this guy with wings franchise is suing us for copyright infringement.

First, we received a request from lawyer to change the sign of the store because it looked to similar. We obliged and changed the sign into something different to meet the demands. After our family showed them the new design, we didn't hear back from them. Then, few months later, we received full lawsuit for copyright infringement for our store despite the changes we made.

The supposed copyright was in its name, design and even the nature of the food we are selling.

I'm currently wondering about two things:

*what are the chances of us winning? (I know the detail is too vague to judge)
*Where can I find the copyright for the supposed designs?
  (Opposing owner's attorney gave us 7 digit U.S registration number. I tried USPTO with no luck)

Thank you!

Answer:
 >*what are the chances of us winning?

There is absolutely no way for anyone here to judge this.  You need an intellectual property litigator.

>Where can I find the copyright for the supposed designs?

You can try [here](http://copyright.gov/records/index.html)  IP is not my area, but that site may point you in the right direction


Title: Former employee I fired is using a fake letter of recommendation

Question:
EDIT: I'm in California USA.

I run a business in a niche industry, and reputation is very important. I hired a kid fresh out of college on a six month contract to do some extra work, and to give him experience to break into the field. The pay was fair.

His work quality was very poor, and in the fifth month I asked him to stop coming in, I fulfilled my contact and paid him out, but I refused to write a letter of recommendation. He then wrote a letter and gave it to me but I said I wouldn't sign it. He was very sloppy, and his work quality was very poor, I had nothing good to say so I just refused to say anything.

A competitor who is also a personal friend asked me about him, because he listed me as a reference, I said I didn't have much positive to say, and he told me my letter of recommendation was glowing. I had my friend send me the letter he took a picture of it and texted it to me. It's pretty shocking. It's extremely generous.

From a legal perspective I don't know what to do. I feel like it's diminishing my reputation for other people in the industry to associate this guy with my support. I also don't want people to think I'm trying to sabotage them by giving them a dud. If it makes a legal distinction he did not forge my signature in fact my name isn't even on the paper but it has my business name on the top, and he told my friend in person I wrote it.

Answer:
 Hmm... I feel like there is a cause of action here but I can't put my finger on it. It sounds like false light, but not quite.

You could contact an attorney to give him a cease and desist letter. You could also contact all other competitors and inform them that if they get a letter of recommendation from the former employee from  you, it is not a real letter of recommendation from you. I'd keep comments narrowly tailored to that fact only, nothing about his work quality, etc.Answer #2: I would just send a cease and desist.


Title: Can I get my knife back?

Question: Okay so like if i stab someone in self defense and they get taken away can i get my knife back? I had a strange and it was my favorite knife. I live in Chicago, IL.

Answer: Contact the police and ask. There's a chance the answer is "no" if the knife must remain in police custody as evidence.


Title: My wife's boss told her that she MUST start wearing maturity clothes.

Question: My wife is 25 week and is starting to get a bit of a belly. Here shirts still fit her fine, but she's showing slightly. Is this just and HR thing or should we seek legal action? My wife is super upset about it and thinks it's just her jealous boss lashing out.

Answer:
 Are the clothes legitimately fitting her still?  If they have rules such as no leggings, no crop tops, or no visible belly skin, she may be running afoul of those rules if she’s trying to make regular clothes last longer.  The further she goes into pregnancy, the worse it’s going to get in terms of fit.

Plus as a woman who has been pregnant twice, the clothes will absolutely stretch out and be ruined if she wants to wear them after pregnancy.  Get a few nice pieces from Goodwill and nice fitting pair of maternity pants and that will go a long way.


Title: (California) Can I legally get a marriage annulment?

Question:
Hi Reddit, this is my throwaway account. Never thought I'd be coming here to ask a question but here I am.

I got married 2 months ago to the woman I thought was the love of my life. Things were going great. Then this morning, it hit me like a truck. The woman I married confessed that she had unprotected sex with a stripper the night before our wedding. I'm still trying to process everything but it hurts so badly.

My question is, considering that she cheated on me before our marriage, is the marriage valid? What legal recourse do I have to get the marriage annuled?

She wants to go for counselling but I just can't see myself continuing on with someone who can't control herself a night before the wedding.

Serious answers only please.

Answer:
 This doesn't seem to meet any of the qualifications for annulment as outlined for California [here](http://www.courts.ca.gov/1037.htm). I think you're looking for a divorce.Answer #2: You might be eligible for [summary dissolution](http://www.courts.ca.gov/1241.htm), which ends the marriage but is simpler than a regular divorce.Answer #3: > My question is, considering that she cheated on me before our marriage, is the marriage valid?

Yes

> What legal recourse do I have to get the marriage annulled?

Annulments are disfavored in California. Basically they’re only available if the marriage itself was somehow legally defective (coerced, obtained through force or fraud, one party was a minor, incest, bigamy, etc).

You’re more than likely talking a divorce at this point. Answer #4: I concur. I don't think you have grounds for an annulment. You can just get divorced. Answer #5: If there's some circumstance you haven't listed here that would qualify you for an annulment, your divorce attorney will suss it out.   So the correct next step is the same either way - find a great divorce attorney, tell them everything, and follow their directions.

Good luck!   There was a very similar situation that was really popular on one of the relationship advice subs about a month ago...  made it to the front page a couple of times.  You might find some useful personal advice there, too.


Title: My mom isn't paying child support

Question:
[TX] My parents split up when I was about 5 or 6 and they had shared custody over my sister and I. In the agreement my mom is to pay child support, because we live with my dad. She started a while back and slowly gave less and less until it stopped coming in. My dad would always ask her and in return he would get a screaming crying fit from my mother. Finally, he just stopped asking for money and just never took her to court.

A few years ago my mom was in a car accident and about 2 weeks ago, she received $200,000+ from the company that hit her car. Now that she has that much money, my dad again asked for child support. She said she would give him a certain amount (neither of my parent told me the amount)  but has yet to give him anything.

My mom has bought a car ($16,000), clothing for her boyfriend ($500), and yesterday she bought 2 trailers ($35,000). (All of those prices are rounded down btw)

My dad, sister, and I are really struggling. We are in debt, I no longer have a vehicle because it was in a car accident and I really need one so I can take my sister to school and get to my college classes while my dad is at work.

My dad won't go to court with my mom because he doesn't want to deal with her, but we really need some money. My mom owes us 12+ years of child support. Is there any way that I can take her to court? I am now 18, but I still live at home with my dad and sister. We really need something to help us get back on our feet.

Answer: If your dad doesn't want to take her to court, there's nothing you can do. This money is not yours or intended for you, it's for your dad.


Title: Boss doesn't want to pay me

Question: I have been working for a small sign shop for almost a year and a half. My boss has never been good about paying me on time or the correct amount. He has often been behind several months on pay. I am still in school so I mainly work summers. This past summer he got really behind and only paid me about $600 in total ( not a lot for working full time at only $8 an hour). He now currently owes me approximately $2500 and doesn't want to pay it as that amount was "never agreed upon". I have all my hours in my phone but it was never a shared document and he never really saw it or signed it. I'm more of an undocumented worker as I don't pay taxes and, as far as I know, he does not have me officially listed as an employee. He now does not want to pay and I'm worried that I have no ground to stand on as I'm not listed as an employee, do not pay taxes, was paid cash and have all my hours listed in my own phone. It seems like a bad situation on my part and I'm worried that I'm basically screwed if he decides not to pay. Also this is occurring in central Minnesota if that helps.

Answer: File a complaint with the MN dept of Labor.


Title: Got pulled over going 94 in a 40. Need advice. (Missouri)

Question:
Earlier today I was on my new motorcycle on a back road. I was the only one on the road, so I decided to open it up. Ended up getting clocked at 94 in a 40. Only got a ticket for speeding, no reckless endangerment or anything. This is my first speeding ticket, and I have to appear in court.

Before letting me go the officer said that he would recommend that I call the city prosecutor and talk with him. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think the officer was assuming that the prosecutor might cut me a little slack with it being my first time offense.

So I'm wondering what I should do next. Is this worth contacting a lawyer or would I just be spending more money? Also, any advice for calling the prosecutor? I'm male and 21 if that makes any difference.

Answer:
 First of all, how did you manage to not get a reckless op going 94 in a 40?? Count your blessings on that one.

I would not advise calling the prosecutor, or ever talking to prosecutor/police in this kind of a situation. There is almost no way in which this can benefit you.Answer #2: I think you've already gotten all the breaks you could possibly get on this ticket.

If it were me, I would pay this ticket very quickly and quietly.Answer #3: That cop was being super-nice to you because he remembers how it feels to ride a powerful bike on back-roads -- it's fun!

However, he saw you going WAY too fast and endangering yourself and potentially other drivers out there.

In spite of that, he gave you the cheap ticket.

I know I advise this often, but if a cop cuts you a break and writes you the cheaper ticket, go to court in neat, clean clothing, plead 'no contest' and pay the ticket that same day if you have any way to do that.

If you can't pay, ask the person that asks you to pay how you can make payments. *Ask respectfully and note what the clerk tells you and then do that.*

Keep receipts, documentation, keep all the things.

ed: DO NOT talk to the city prosecutor without a lawyer by your side. If you get a court summons you get a lawyer and go to that, but there will be no casual "call the city prosecutor and talk with him" without your lawyer by your side.


Title: Kentucky ABC Laws Regarding Restrooms?

Question:
A few weeks ago I visited a liquor store and I needed to use the restroom. I was told that because of ABC laws that I couldn't use their restroom.  My question is: why? I know stores aren't required to provide a public restroom, but why does the ABC not allow it? I've tried looking at the laws but I have found nothing useful.
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 Because when they say "ABC Said..." it means less customers complain then when they say "The Boss Says..."

We used the same excuse when I worked in TN. Answer #2: You know, now that I think about it, I don't believe I've ever been in side a liquor store that has a public bathroom.


Title: [Arizona] Check from my employer bounced, and their practices seem a little shady.

Question:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I recently started working in a fast food restaurant to help pay the bills as a full-time student. For reference, we receive our paychecks every other Wednesday, which is obviously the standard.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I came in on Thursday to pick up my check and then deposited it at my bank about half an hour later. Afterwards I sent some funds to a friend that I owe using PayPal. Lo and behold, the check gets returned by the bank and I'm left with an overdrawn bank account along with (as of this morning) overdraft fees.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After speaking to a few of the other employees they informed me that what happened was that the owner of the restaurant regularly puts the required funds in an account to be distributed to the employees on payday. He then **takes the money back out** after a seemingly arbitrary amount of time. This has apparently happened before, and in this particular case alone there were 3 other employees that experienced issues. One of the older employees even said that the owner has had to switch banks several times because of the issue, but I don't know if that's just gossip.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After some brief research I know that in California at least it is required for employers to have wages available for at least 30 days after sending out the checks. Unfortunately I was unable to find anything similar pertaining to Arizona. Is something like this actually legal to do? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Not legal in that you were given a contract (the check) and it was not honored.

You need to tell your boss to cut you a new check immediately and cover your bounced check fees.


Title: Unsatisfactory Experience last night at Honda Center (Kendrick Lamar concert) Anaheim, CA

Question: [removed]

Answer: File a dispute with your credit card company. That'll likely be your easiest and quickest bet.


Title: Insurance Company Denied my Surgery

Question:
So here’s the breakdown:
- got into a bad car accident a month ago
- not my fault the guy that hit me was on his phone
- I tore my meniscus in my knee because of the impact along with other minor injuries
- his insurance doesn’t want to cover the cost of my surgery

What can I do?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Did you contact your insurance company? This is the reason you pay for it. They should cover you, and then sue his insurance company for the damages to your car and your injuries as well. Answer #2: will your insurance cover it?  likely the cost is over his limits, so you'll probably have to sue.  any personal injury attorney will give you a consult and if they feel there's a case and the other person has assets to go after, they will work on retainer.


Title: The courts accepted my argument.

Question:
In my country, you can’t park within 5 meters of a corner. I got a fine and a point for parking 4.5 meters. 20 points and they take your license. I didn’t even care much about the fine, but I didn’t want that damn point, so I decided to fight it.

So I said that I parked at a distance a person who is knowledgeable about the law could reasonably believe is adequate. If the city wants to be that strict about it, they should put markers.

I didn’t expect it to work (it never does), but…it did. They removed my point and reimbursed the fine.

I know y’all like some legal success stories, so there it is!

Answer: Ah the reasonable person defense good job OP! Answer #2: "Close enough for government work" is a phrase one of my law school profs was fond of Answer #3: Yay! Can I ask what country?Answer #4: Nice! I liked your argument. Very reasonable and well thought out.


Title: When I came home from college, I found $300 in my backpack. It's not mine nor family and I don't know who put it there. What do I do?

Question:
I am freaking out.... Because if I went to the police, I'd have to tell them I found it in my backpack...Do you know how stupid that sounds? Why would someone put money in my backpack? They couldn't have mistaken their backpack for my own backpack because my backpack is an obnoxious yellow monster.

I found the money when I got home. It's been 1 weeks and I haven't touched it...

I did leave my backpack alone in the library for around 15 minutes.  So I am thinking that someone did it during that time period.

My head feels so fucked.

I live in Ohio by the way.

Answer: Enjoy the fruits of your new-found fortune.  Or donate it to charity if it's bothering you so much.


Title: Employer wants proof that restraining order was dropped. Is it my legal responsibility to provide that? (CA)

Question: I was served with a temporary restraining order which was thrown out because it was all lies. I never disclosed to my employer I was served with a TRO or that I even went to court for that matter. Somehow companies HR found out about the TRO & messaged my manager that they need proof that the order was dropped. Is it my responsibility to provide that? My manager is threatening to suspend me if I don’t provide the information, but I don’t feel it’s my responsibility to provide anything that since the case was dropped  & I never disclosed I was going to court in the 1st place. My employer does sell firearms so maybe that has something to do with it?

Answer: It's your responsibility to provide it if you don't want to be disciplined or fired.  Answer #2: It is potentially unlawful for someone with a specific type of TRO to possess guns in CA. Your manager is covering the company's ass.


Title: [MA] Who has the legal right to name a newborn?

Question: [removed]

Answer: Generally speaking, the mother fills out the birth certificate in the hospital. Answer #2: The mother. This post is more for /r/legaladviceofftopic for future reference.Answer #3: Absent a court order, the mother can name the child as she pleases.


Title: Should I file a formal complaint against a police officer?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You can certainly file a complaint, but I'm not exactly sure what you expect to get out of it.  Police are allowed follow and pull you over when you break the law.


Title: GF (unsalaried) is constantly getting work related calls while off the clock. Does she have a right to financial compensation?

Question:
My GF recently got into trouble at work. She's front office manager (non-salary) at a local grocery store/chain, and was recently suspended (by corporate) due to a miscommunication with another manager  (who was also suspended because of the same incident) at the same store. She had her suspension lifted mainly because the store manager freaked out about being shorthanded that week, but was still written up.

The GF (who will now be referred to as Sally) often fields phone calls from work while off the clock, because she states the the employees there are not confident in the ability of the top level management of the store. This incident started no differently. She was off the clock, getting ready for the holiday weekend, and gets a call from a less experienced manager about an issue. Mind you, she gives the correct advice, even though the manager didn't give Sally all the details of the issue. Manager left out an important detail, unknown to Sally which unfortunately has her skip an important step - otherwise she gave the correct procedure advice. That key detail was the item that got her into trouble. (the issue was fraud prevention - and ultimately no money was lost, but the manager not following the procedure in place caused the issue to be raised.)

Not sure why the manager didn't ask the other managers on duty. But he called Sally and then interpreted the advice she gave him. She got written up because of the breakdown in procedure. I think she's getting shafted big time, and am wondering does she have any legal right?

So to recap,

* Often fields work related calls from the store off the clock (uncompensated)
* Fielded this particular call, off the clock, was asked for work procedure advice, even though there were 2 qualified mangers on duty
* Inexperience manager leaves out key detail, interprets Sally's advice to his own way, and gets in trouble
* Sally gets thrown under the bus by inexperienced manager, and gets suspended, only to be lifted when store manger realized that store is short handed.

I feel that if they are allowing her (again, un-salaried) to be called on for work related calls off the clock, uncompensated, that they are overstepping their bounds on the suspension. If anything, Sally should be compensated for all past work related issues off the clock. Does Sally have a legal right here to any financial compensation?

Answer: Are they requiring her to be available for these phone calls? Answer #2: She should stop answering the calls. Seriously. If corporate/HR finds out she's working off the clock, she'll be in even worse trouble.


Title: Owing employer missing cash in MS

Question:
I live in Mississippi and for the past few days have been hounded over a missing cash drop. Working over night alone, I waited until another employee came in to drop the cash into the safe so they could witness for me. (have their signature also saying it was witnessed) Accounting is now saying they cant find the envelope with the cash, and that it wasn't in there at all. After receiving calls all morning keeping me awake about it, they told me they were going to playback the cameras. I let them know that was absolutely fine and even told them the exact time I placed the money in and to ask the fellow employee as he was still there. Later on, I called asking about the footage. My manager claimed it looked as if I dropped the envelope in the safe but, that accounting still didn't have it. It was then requested that I stay late this morning after my shift to have a meeting with the manager and HR about the missing drop.

I'm worried they're going to try and force me to pay the amount back out of pocket. The amount is honestly less than $100 but enough that it would hurt with where my finances are at the moment. My question is, is it legal for them to withhold it from my check, or make me pay the amount back?

Answer:
 Just on the off chance you are presented with any paperwork to sign, don't sign anything today ask to take it to review.

It may not come up but just in case be ready to refuse.Answer #2: You have a witness, you have the documentation and you have the video footage that all says you did the drop as it was meant to be done and there will be little that they can do to make you pay it back.

 Just because accounting can't find it, doesn't mean you have it.  If they want to make you pay for it they will first need to prove you either lost or took it.

That means video footage, not following procedures etc - not a end result.  They need to look into this properly- for all you know someone from accounting has messed up and is lying and trying to make you take the fall.  Make it clear that you are not accepting responsibility for something you didn't do and they cannot prove that you did.Answer #3: You put it in the safe. Company acknowledges that.

That accounting or god knows lost it, not your problem.

Do not sign anything, do not agree to pay anything back. You followed procedure, they lost it.Answer #4: There is no meet with them after the shift, you need to be paid your rate to sit down with them.


Title: If someone is trying to enter your home but you close the door in their face and it smashes their face in, who is at fault?

Question: Just wondering if people should ever be worried if an overeager salesman comes to their door.

Answer:
 Details of the law will vary from state to state, but generally you are allowed to used reasonable force to defend against people enter your home against your wishes.Answer #2: It seems to me the "foot in the door" salesman is more likely to get his foot smashed than his face.  If he could prove you knew his foot was in the door, and you slammed the door to hurt his foot, would he have a case?Answer #3: Depends on the state and the details.

Generally speaking even overeager salespeople aren’t likely to have their heads close enough to the door to get injured by a closing door unless there’s been some invitation to enter.  You generally can’t use force to eject an invited guest without first attempting to get them leave without force and giving them reasonable time.  So if you open the door, agree to let the salesman in and then change your mind as he’s crossing the threshold, you don’t get to say “but it’s my house, self defense!” when he’s injured by you pushing him back suddenly.

And of course the law allows *reasonable* force in self defense generally.  A ten year old Girl Scout or Boy Scout who misunderstands a social cue and attempts to enter your home because of it is not a threat, you know that, the law knows that and the law knows that you know that.Answer #4: >Just wondering if people should ever be worried if an overeager salesman comes to their door.

What?Answer #5: Castle doctrine. Depends on your state of course, but you’re allowed to defend yourself in your own home.


Title: When suing for items can you get the money it can get you on ebay? or is there a standard people look for

Question: I paid ~100$ for 600$ of pokemon cards, gave them to a friend to sell and they scammed. i can easily take them to court knowing their place of living so can i get full 600+ or 100 or idk [MA state]

Answer: /u/rukuus is flat out wrong, your damages are the fair market value of what was taken, it does not matter if you obtained them for more or less.


Title: My car was damaged during a repossession

Question:
Luxury vehicle was repossessed after missing two payments, it was dragged while in park in my driveway when no one was home. Steep driveway that I usually have to slowly drive over so I can only imagine that's what damaged it.

I was out of state on an internship when it occurred so when we paid for it to avoid a car auction, it sat in their lot from the end of November to January. I was told normally it's a flat fee of $165 when it's there and that daily charges are normally not charged. We ended up paying around $2000 in November and continued to make the regular monthly payment on time since then.

So I went to pick it up last week and after having me wait for an hour and thirty minutes they tell me the Financer wanted me to pay another $1400 due to storage fees. First time this had ever come up, then they tell me the CV shaft (something connected to the transmission by an axle) is damaged and also the engine was making noises and if the car was in this condition.

They say they'll "handle" my storage fees, which were never brought up till that day, hell the financier(car company) had called me earlier that week to ask if I was in town to pick up the vehicle and had never mentioned anything else I had to pay . Then said I'd need a tow due to the damage and offered to give me a tow to me vehicle which they broke to just sit on my street I guess.

I then asked about the damages and for
Them to repair when they suggested they had a shop that did work
For them. I suggested a dealership instead but after googling the auto shop it seemed decent enough.

I'm scared the vehicle may be damaged further, I'm afraid they're making up this storage fee just to have some leverage. The state is Ohio, someone please help. They've been trying to contact me but have no idea what the best course of action may be or
What I may be entitled to

Edit: just want to thank all of you for helping out with the advice, lot of shit going on right now along with this whole car fiasco. Much appreciated guys

Answer:
 Storage fees are common of not a constant. Never heard of free storage at a tow lot.

They are fixing the car. If it is not fixed when they are done, get paperwork for what they did and take it to the dealership and see what they say the problem is. In the long run you can sue the tow lot for your damages. Right now, you have no damages.


Title: Money being held hostage contingent on not hiring attorneys in parents divorce

Question:
My parents have been saying they are getting divorced for years now since I was a little girl. Growing up my father was a stay at home dad and my mother worked full time to support our family. My dad fell ill and that was why he could not work. Several years ago he tried to go to court to get disability and he was denied and they gave him several jobs he could work, however he still did not get a job. My mother works in pharma so she pays for all his medications, mortgage, electricity, phones, etc.

It has gotten to the point now where they do not talk to each-other but still live in the same house. There have been several instances of domestic abuse (with pictures) and obvious signs of emotional abuse. My mother and sister are afraid to change plans because they don't know how he will react. They do everything he wants despite him screaming and yelling at them they always try and accommodate him. My father has become very erratic and not clear minded I think probably due to social isolation. He does not help out around the house at all, instead yells that other people aren't doing work around the house when everyone else works. My mom has been trying to clean her house so she can sell it and move forward with the process.

Every so often my mom would check their savings account and find there were withdrawals of several hundred dollars. First it was $100, then one week it was $300. She became very distraught and wondered why he needed the money but was afraid and did not say anything. Yesterday my mother got paid and she found there was a withdrawal of $7,000 from their savings account, which left her with not enough to pay for the bills for this month. They have a joined bank account. When she confronted my father he said it was HIS money and that they have to go to mediation instead of lawyers because he thinks he will get more money through mediation then going to attorneys. He said if the mediation goes well he will return the money but if not he will use it. Is this legal, he has not contributed in their 25 years of marriage.  He is forcing her hand by holding a big chunk of the family money hostage to get what he wants. What should she do?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Mom should retain a divorce attorney.


Title: Is it possible to ask your employer to pay you standard pay for overtime work?

Question: Located in NC

Answer: You can ask. They cannot do it. It is illegal


Title: [EU] A company is suing me for defamation over a post on reddit where I said they are a fraud

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice,

I'm just looking for general advice as I'm currently unsure whether I should reveal this to reddit or not and can't post many details.

A few months ago I received a salesman from company X in my house who used a lot of pseudoscience and lies to try to convince me to buy his product that he was selling for over 10 times the actual value. The product is not only useless but could also be hazardous for the health, so I posted it a detailed description of his methods so that other people wouldn't fall for their trap, and I also explicitly stated that they company X is a fraud. The post received a lot of upvotes and now shows up in the first results when people search for their company name.

Last week I was called to go to the police to testify and they informed me that company X was suing me for defamation because of my post. There's nothing in the post that links me directly to my real identity but the circumstances of the post lead them to suspect that it was me. Even though I don't have any personal information in my posting history, there are a couple of details that could be used to prove with a great degree of certainty that the account does in fact belongs to me.

Everything that I stated in my post was true, their scam is not new and I found lot of news of companies like them using exactly the same strategy that have been sued in the past. There are also official issues of state-owned companies warning people to beware scammers like them, and if the case goes to the courts I can easily get professionals in the area to prove they are telling scandalous lies in order to scare people into buying their product.

I have no proof that he came to my house and said the things he said. If I had, I could easily win this case. I know they receive sales training and most of the things he told me is in their internal documents.

Another thing that worries me is that I called company X a fraud and I'm not that even if I prove they're acting illegally, can't I still be sued for defamation because the term isn't correct?

Also, is it a good idea to reveal to reddit that they're suing me? If I did, there are good chances that the community could provide some support and give me specific advice but I'd also confirm that it's indeed me who's behind the account.

Thank you

Answer:
 Stop talking to the police (and everyone else) about the case _immediately_, subject to the laws of whatever EU state you're in. As soon as you're served, lawyer up and respond to the suit. When you are served, the complaint should include things like _which statements_ the suit concerns, and should include some basis for why the plaintiff believes that they're defamatory.

There are a few details in your post that strike me as odd enough that you might want to get a consultation even before you're served notice of the suit. It's a bit unusual for the police to pull you in for questioning unless there's an open investigation or a court order, so I would mention that to lawyers you consult with and see how they react. Your local legal association should have a referral service, and consultations are often cheap or free.

If you are sued, the fact that the suit exists is very likely public knowledge. You _can_ post about it; whether you _should_ is a matter for your lawyer to discuss with you, but I suspect they'll advise you not to discuss the matter until the suit is over.

If you can post which country you're in (the EU is hardly legally uniform), you might be able to get better advice, but most of the regulars here are American or Canadian.


Title: Client didn't pay for servers I installed, can I just walk in and take em?

Question:
In NY.

Installed some servers and sent an invoice, client didn't like the numbers and refuses to pay for both the hardware and the labor.

Can I repossess the servers like you would a car? Or am I screwed?

Answer:
 Nope, that would involve trespassing and there’s more going one behind the scenes of repo’ing a car.

If this is you’re business, or even a side thing, then short term you need to either speak with a lawyer or take the money to small claims depending on the amount.  Long term you need to speak with a lawyer and have contracts and prepayment and deposits and whatnot for this sort of thing.  There should a good talk on the subject titled “fuck you, pay me” by Mike Monteiro that’s popular for a good reason.  It says the same but goes into why, and is also hilarious.

Good luck. Answer #2: Tip for the future: never do tech work without payment. Always take at least 50% of the bill before starting work. Answer #3: Could he put a lien on the property like a contractor would?Answer #4: You probably have a purchase money security interest in the servers. You need to see what it takes in Florida to secure that interest (probably a UCC filing within 90 days), then repossess. If you can do so "without a breach of the peace," (UCC 9-609) then you don't need to go to court.

In some states, that means that you can go onto their property and reclaim the servers. You wouldn't be able to break-and-enter, but if they're readily accessible to you (ie you have a key), thennl you'd be ok. But, you need to know the Florida rules.Answer #5: The reason why it's not like a car is twofold. First, the servers aren't ever going to be located in public where trespassing would be required to access them. Secondly, you don't have a loan agreement with these people where if they don't pay you're allowed to take it back.


Title: My roommate is trying to double my rent?

Question:
South Carolina

I’ve only lived in my current apartment for a month. The agreement starting out was $200 plus $20 for lights. I have texts proving this. Then it changed to rent being $220 plus $20 for lights. I was ok with that. I have the rent receipt that says I paid $240 for December lights & rent. Tonight my roommate tried to get me to agree to pay him $400 for rent plus $20 on lights. I do not, and told him this before I moved in, make enough to pay that much a month. I know for a fact that the apartment costs $660 a month. I am not on the lease. He also has an undocumented animal in the house. The complex charges an extra $300 a month for animal owners. I can afford to continue paying him $220 and put $50 towards the light bill. I understand that I messed up by not getting him to sign some type of leasing statement between us with the agreed upon rent. He told me I have until February to get the $400 and that I could pay $220 for January’s rent. I plan on paying him that tomorrow and getting him to sign that receipt so that if this goes to court I have two months backed up and screenshots of him telling me how much we originally agreed upon. Will this be enough to keep me safe and homed? (Until I can find another place)

Answer: I'd plan on moving. When you pay him tomorrow, you can inform him that you will be leaving Feb 1, because you are not accepting the $400 rent figure. That should satisfy your notice requirement to him, if indeed you have any under this arrangement.


Title: How accurate are the child support calculators on a state's website?

Question:
So I'll start off by saying that I live in Virginia.  My ex wife and my 3 young children live in Pennsylvania.  I am on permanent disability from the railroad (meaning I can't work or make money outside of my disability pay).  My ex is an RN and grosses approximately double what I do each month.

When we went through our divorce, we did a simple no fault divorce in PA.  Part of the agreement was that I'd pay $1400 a month in child support.  It wasn't court ordered at the time, just an agreed upon amount that covered the bills I paid when we were married.

I later ended up having to file for bankruptcy (Chapter 13) and had to get the amount court ordered, since the trustee wouldn't accept it while it was just "agreed upon".

I hate being so far from my children, and would like to move to PA to be closer to them.  I filed to have a modification conference to get the child support amount reduced, so that I can afford to move up there.  The website shows that amount to be close to $700.  I'm just wondering how accurate that is?  My ex has a lawyer and I guess I should get one as well to help, yes?  I can't afford one, but it seems I can request one through the Cumberland County, PA Bar Association.

Any other advice for me?  Thanks!

Answer: The one my state has on website about on par with the program the judges use to calculate. It's not dead on because the judge has the leeway to set the support within the guideline ranges so it may be a little bit higher or lower depending on the judge but it's a good overall view of what to expect for child support. Having said that though, the calculation is only as good as the information you have. There may be something your ex wife is paying for that will offset her contribution. For example, daycare is a common one in my state. Often times my client doesn't know how much the other side is spending on that.


Title: A friend of mine is threatening her weed dealer to call the police because he gave her weed she doesn't like. Will this bite her in the ass?

Question:
So my friend bought some weed from a dealer but she doesn't like the weed she got and she's pissed off with him so she threatened to give his info to the police. I'm wondering if this will bite her in the ass. She sent him abusive messages aswell because she thinks he scammed her. I hate to say it but it doesn't seem to me like the dealer did anything wrong. She just got weed she didn't like and now I'm worried about what would happen to her and the dealer if she did go to the police, legally speaking. She's in the UK so I need advice based on UK laws. Could she get into shit aswell for buying the weed? Could the info she provides to the police get the dealer arrested? The only info she has is his number.
Just trying to protect her really.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 The police will not be interested in being quality control for your friend’s dealer. They probably however will still be interested in seeing your friend’s unsatisfying purchase for themselves, and will probably cite your friend for possession for the hassle of having made them get involved.Answer #2: Try r/legaladviceUK.

Generally, confessing to a crime will get you arrested too.


Title: Text Death Threats and Police Do Nothing??

Question:
I have been getting texts from my girlfriends ex boyfriend stating he wants to hurt me because she is with me and not him. I have been ignoring it up until about a week ago when he began to send me messages about how he wants to kill me and potentially harm my aunt and uncle. I am only 16 years of age while this young man is 19. I have turned to my uncle for support and we decided it was our best interest to contact the police immediately. When we got a hold of an operator at the Sheriffs Department we were told that if we did not have video evidence of the 19 year old sending me the message than there was nothing they could do. Confused we asked what we could do to help the situation and the operator said "Do whatever." and then hung up on us. Me and my uncle were shocked by her response and began to look through laws pertaining threats. I have landed on this subreddit in a request of help for information about something i can do to help my situation and along with that find any reasoning for why the Sheriffs Department operator would respond to me and my uncle in such an uniforming and crude manor. We live in Cleveland County, North Carolina. Thank you for any of the helpful comments.
[Screenshots] (https://imgur.com/gallery/EoC0V)

Answer: Walk into the police station. They can't hang up on a live person.Answer #2: Call back and speak to that operator's supervisor.  Call and ask to speak to a cop, not a 911 call taker.  Go to your local police precinct and show those text messages to an officer and ask for a report.


Title: [WA] A friend parked my car in a handicap designated spot in my apartment complex after borrowing it. I got a $450 ticket neither my friend nor I can't afford, what can I do?

Question: Just as the title says. Wondering if contesting the ticket is worth it or if I should go and explain the circumstances and hope they lower the fine a bit.

Answer: If you contest it, there's a good chance you can go in and talk to the prosecuting attorney and get it lowered or deferred at the very least. Worth a shot.


Title: I was a victim of predatory towing. AZ

Question:
I went to a popular spot in town, on a lot with a few cars.   When I parked went to the bank then had a quick dinner, and was gone for maybe 35 minutes to 40 minutes total.  My car was gone.   Apparently there were restricted parking signs away from view in poor condition that stated the following.

"Restricted parking, No, abandoned, for sale,immobilized, unathorized vehicles."   Tow away zone.   The signs were small about the size of a letter paper, were obstructed from view by parked cars , or half destroyed and one in the ground.

I called to get my car back, he demanded payment, at the lot.   I call the city police, they tell me it's a civil matter, and since the vehicle is in another city I would have to call those officers to mediate once on the lot.

I get to the lot, and I call the police. I didn't want to hand the tow person any of my info, I rather mediate to the police.  Police arrive, I explain the situation, I hand them my ID, and registration.  Who hands them to the tower.  He makes a copy of my id and registration, without my consent.

He comes back asking us to sign a release form, stating that I promise to pay 155.00 within two weeks, or else subject to more penalties and fees.  I refuse to sign and the tow driver gets super angry.  The cops tell him I don't have to sign anything to get my vehicle, and he can sue me on civil court, to collect.  He gets belligerent calls his supervisor, has his supervisor come in, that tells him the same thing.  I am not forced to sign anything that could be used against me.

I remain steadfast and refuse to sign.  Eventually he gives in allows me to retrieve my vehicle and I leave after thanking the cops.  He took a picture of me against my consent as I left the lot.

 About me
My vehicle is under my company name
I am a 1099 employee/self employed.
My credit score is already bad.

Here is what I know:
Half a star rating on Yelp and other review sights.
Tow driver has been arrested in the past for illegal tows.
Tow owner has lost countless small claim suits.  Regarding improper tows, he doesn't even show up anymore.
Multiple negative news stories about his operation.
Owner of towing company has a criminal record for various minor offenses, and one major one.

What will happen next?  Place me on collections?  Sue me?  Will he place a lien of my vehicle?  What can I do to protect myself ?  I intend to fight back out of principle.  I am steadfast to ensuring this guy does not get a single penny out of me.  Also what can I counter sue him for?

I personally believe he will not bother doing anything just because of the hassle, am I wrong to feel this way?

TL/DR:

A shady tow company towed my shit from a poorly privately marked property, I refused to pay and had the cops come to force him to release the vehicle to me.  What now?

Answer:
 > The cops tell him I don't have to sign anything to get my vehicle, and he can sue me on civil court, to collect.

I've read a lot of "predatory towing" stories here, and this is the first one where a cop told the tow company to release the vehicle without being paid. You got lucky. Normally, you have to pay the fees immediately and take your car, then sue to get your money back. (It's always bad to wait because the fees stack up.)

But in this case you got the car without any of that fuss, which is amazing to me. At the moment, you appear to have gotten away scot-free.

So, **IF** they sue you, you can take photos of the signs (or lack thereof), bring your evidence to court, and argue that it wasn't properly marked as a tow-away zone.


Title: Legality of a questionable raffle. A friend has a fb group, they sell x amount of stickers at x amount of dollars (different for each draw) then draw names after it’s all paid up to give away large ticket items. Quads, TVs, sometimes vehicles. (BC, CA)

Answer:
 So you buy an absurdly expensive 'sticker' to be entered to win  a $1300 TV for which the seller is paid $3000, and that assumes that the winner is selected truly at random and is not a shill such that the TV never has to actually exist.

&#x200B;

This might fit better in /r/Scams .Answer #2: Yikes, that's just like those scam sites you see on TV here in the US these days.

"buy 127 bids at $0.99 a piece so you have the privilege of paying $27 for a three year old iPad!"Answer #3: British Columbia requires licensing to operate a raffle or giveaway. There are a number of constraints on those licenses, [but they can be obtained](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/sports-culture/gambling-fundraising/gambling-licence-fundraising). This kind of raffle would require a Class B license, as the tickets (stickers) cost more than $2 but the total prize value is under $20,000.

If she's not licensed, then she can face some hefty fines, and may be facing provincial charges.


Title: I was written up for leaving work sick (OR)

Question:
This has been the year I have caught every bug that has flown thru town. Also my first year as a mom. Coincidence? Anyways, I have always called in with proper warning, and only when I was feverish or vomiting (sidenote- I work in a nursing home, so me not getting my elderly residents stick is pretty important) except for one instance where I had a severely clogged duct, which I needed to drain to avoid mastitis. Since pumping for 7 hours out of my 8 hour shift isn't an option, I went to urgent Care and had them write a note which I took into work. That was my only Dr note, but when I have called my bosses and say I have a fever or am vomiting, they tell me I can't come in until symptoms clear for 48 hours. Well a few weeks ago I was put on "probation" for missing too much work. I was told it wasn't a big deal, they just wanted to make sure I was aware of the problem and being mindful of it. Fast forward to Friday. I wake up and eat some leftovers, so when I feel a bit off later, I think they had gone bad. I throw up said leftovers and think that's it so I go to work anyways. I get there and I realize I'm really not feeling good. A coworker offers to stay so I can go, but I'm going it would be considered a call off, which I really need to avoid at this point. So I stay. 2 hours into my shift, I throw up. Tell them I need to go home, because puking=bad. Get flack from a bunch of people but ultimately I'm told to go home and take the next day off as well. I get a call Saturday, let them know I had finished vomiting that morning, and am told to take Sunday off. I arrange to pick up an extra shift Monday to make up for the days I'm missing. Tuesday I'm called into the office and written up for missing more work when I'm on probation. I'm told I'm not a reliable employee and my next call off is a final written, and after that they can consider termination.

Now obviously I'm looking for a new job, because I don't want to work for people like this. But can they really write me up for missing work when I puked on the job and HAD to go home to avoid infecting residents? What should I do here?

Answer: Assuming that you had already used up your available sick leave, what you describe would be a lawful reason for termination.