Title: My father named me the beneficiary on his life insurance.

Question:
My parents got separated in 2008 and he made me, the oldest of 4 children, the beneficiary. However, my parents got married again in 2014 and he does not plan to make her the beneficiary again.

The problem here is that he never told her that he made the switch and told me that he doesn't plan on telling her.

So my question is this. Once he passes away, will she find out about this somehow? I know it's going to be a shit storm if she does. What are my options?

Thank you for the help!
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 She's going to find out when she tries to cash the life insurance policy and realize she isn't the beneficiary. At which point, she may or may not hire a lawyer to get the money.

Have you father update his life insurance policy to make you the irrevocable beneficiary. Answer #2: Well, A) it's his decision who the beneficiary is.  B) You could give all the money to your mom afterward, if you want, which should go a long way to mollifying her.

However, your reference to the storm implies that you're planning on keeping the life insurance money.  That's your choice -- it's a family thing, though, so can't really help you with that.  I hope you're planning on using most of it to pay for his funeral, etc., and not keeping it all while still saddling your mom with funeral costs.


Title: Ahmed's civil rights were broken(?) What action should the parents take?

Question:
I am seeing many keyboard warriors and half reputable websites claiming that Ahmed Mohamed's civil rights were broken when he was detained and interviewed by police without parental consent/supervision. So I am questioning if his rights were indeed violated (I am aware of the case with the 13 y.o. who was detained at school for a string of burglaries) because I am not sure if his "actions" are considered more severe due to the nature of a potential bomb. Was it explicitly his civil rights that were broken? What course of action should the parents take if so? Any other thoughts pertaining strictly to the legality of this situation are welcome.

edit: structure.

Answer: There is no federal right to have parents present when interviewing a minor. Some states (not the majority) have the rule that parents must be present, but there is no civil rights violation.


Title: If a civil suit went to default judgment, is there any chance of getting it overturned if it was filed after the statute of limitation was reached?

Question:
Statute of limitations for a civil suit on specific claim is 365 days from date of claimed incident. The complaint was filed 372 days after the date of the alleged occurence (going by the date from the complaint and then the court clerk's "filed on" stamp) and was left unchallenged, which then went to default judgment.

Worth pursuing, or lost cause?

Answer: The statute of limitations is a defense which the defendant has to raise. If the defendant wasn't there to raise it, or didn't raise it, they are a different kind of sol.


Title: What would be the legal ramifications on me, if I were to anonymously report to the police an unlicensed driver operating a vehicle under the influence/ in posseion of heroin?

Question:
This person has had their license suspended for a long time and is due to get it back this march.  It was suspended for several charges of driving while intoxicated and for causing several accidents because of their impairment.  It was recently brought to my attention that they have been driving a car that belongs to a friends parents (they dont know its being driven by this person and would be outraged to find out).  I have tried talking to this person about the disregard for the law and the possible ramifications of what would happen if they were caught, but they blew me off and told me to mind my own business.  Now I know that generally when this person is driving they are either under the influence of heroin or have it in their possession.  I have thought about calling the police when I know this is happeneing, but fear that they wont take an anonymous call seriously and if I tell them my identity it would make life very difficult when it comes out that I'm the one that called in the report

What are my options?  Is there any way I can report this person without it coming back to me?  I dont want another serious accident to happen, where someone may actually get injured or killed because of their disregard for the law and the safety of others.

Edit:  We live in New Hampshire

Answer:
 There are no legal repercussions to you at all.

But it is VERY unlikely that the police will be able to really do anything with that information from anonymous source unless there is something in progress at the time.

"I just saw [suspect] driving erratically on Main Street near Parkway Drive and I know his license is suspended."

As opposed to:

"[Suspect] is always driving around on a suspended license."Answer #2: Most states have anonymous reporting laws which protect your anonymity, how seriously the police take the tip is up to them, but felony drug issues are generally taken seriously.

You can call the individuals local police NON-EMERGENCY (this is important) phone number, and tell them you would like to report an anonymous tip. From there, it's out of your hands.


Title: I accidentally signed up for college last summer. I never went back and nite they want money for blasts I didn't attend

Question:
I know it sounds dumb, by last summer I went to see how much college was. I thought they were giving me an estimate. I was unaware I was signing up. I never took the classes or even went back after that day

Now I keep getting letters from the school saying I owe them money. Our else I can't apply fit financial aid at any school.

Do I gave any options?

Answer:
 You signed up for a class. You took a spot. You prevented another student from taking that spot and paying the fee. If you indeed signed up for the class, you at %100 liable for the cost of it. They can send it to collections and screw up your credit.

The best thing you can do is contact the school and explain your mistake. Be as polite as you possibly can be and they *might* reverse the charges. But understand, they don't have to. Once again, you are %100 responsible for the class fee.


Title: (United Kingdom) What to do in case of suspected abduction of an adult [20F]?

Question:
**TLDR: Worried a friend is being held against her will by parents. Unsure what action to take.**

One of my friends went to visit her family on Sunday and never returned. I was given instruction to check on her boyfriend, and she hinted that she wouldn't be back "for a while". She won't tell anyone what's happening, and while she has told her work she's had to take leave, she has not told them why (my boyfriend works in her department).

Her friends (myself included) suspect her parents (who are Indian) found out about her (white) boyfriend and have forbade her to contact him and any of her friends from the area where she currently lives (~250 miles away from her parental home). She's blocked everyone in her friendgroup here on Facebook (or maybe her account has been deleted), and isn't replying to texts or Whatsapps.

Others and myself know this girl fairly well; it's completely out of character to just disappear like this and things between her and her boyfriend were fine until she visited her parents (who are extremely overbearing). I honestly think her parents have abducted her (or otherwise strongly persuaded her to cut all ties). I am worried about the possibility of her being sent "home" into a forced marriage.

I've tried searching Google for this kind of predicament but the results aren't relevant. Does anyone have any idea who or where I should contact for further information and advice? I don't feel the missing persons helpline is suitable here, as we theoretically know where she is (and even know the address). Suggestions welcome on how to contact my friend safely are also appreciated. As per title, I'm based in the United Kingdom.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
 You might want to crosspost to /r/legaladviceuk.  You might also find this information on [Forced Marriage Protection Orders](http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/forcedmarriage/crime_1.shtml) helpful.

Edit: Here's the contact information for the [Forced Marriage Unit](https://www.gov.uk/stop-forced-marriage).  Call them.


Title: My brother is sueing for full custody of his unborn child. Advice needed!

Question:
My brother (20m) was dating this girl (18f). She was emotionally abusive and a compulsive liar. (Said she had a horrible  accident that resulted in months of amnesia, was a child prodigy pianist and made 8 million dollars that she donated to charity, was married for two years to help someone get their green card, was pregnant and had a late term abortion, she's faked two medical emergencies within 3  weeks, etc. All have been disproven.) A psychologist  friend of ours thinks she has borderline personality disorder.

She's pregnant (~11 weeks) and is prone to fits of rage that once caused her to hit herself in the stomach repeatedly. Recently, my brother caught her with a knife trying to cut herself. She admitted to feeling consumed by guilt because she cheated on him. He took the knife  away and ended things. We called the police and she was admitted into the psych ward at a nearby hospital where they put her on a 72 hour hold.

Now that they've broken up, she's moving back home where she lives woth her mom and three brothers. Her brothers are drug dealers with criminal reccords. (My brother says he's seen drugs around the house) She plans on staying there after the baby is born. (My brother still lives with my mom. They both have a clean criminal reccord.)

After paternity is established, my brother wants to sue for full custody. We need advice about how to pursue that as well as whether or not he has a chance at getting it. We live in Southern California. Can he still get a paternity test if she refuses it? What steps does he need to take in order to seek custody? How soon should he start the legal process?

Answer:
 to be honest, the fact that he picked her as a partner may reflect negatively on him. It shows poor judgement. Not trying to troll, but to be perfectly honest it may be determined that neither are fit parents.

If he really wants to he is going to need a lawyer, a good one at that based on what you've said.

He will have to prove that he has a means of supporting the child (job with decent income) as well as a place where the baby can live that id deemed appropriate.

Not sure about the paternity test but forcing her to let someone do that while the baby is still inside of her may not be allowed. He may have to wait until the baby is out but definitely ask. I may be and probably am wrong.

Also, if the mom has mental illness like this, and her brothers have other issues... things like this can be genetic. Is he prepared to raise someone that may have these issues?

anyway, a lawyer needs to be his first step. If he can't afford one, probably not a good idea to keep a baby... in my opinion of course.


Title: Ex-employee Filing Claim

Question:
My wife owns a tiny store in L.A. California.  We usually have 1-2 part time employees helping us out.  An ex employee who has been with us the longest has filed a claim for almost $20,000 with the labor board.  She says she wasn't given lunch breaks or her mandatory 10 minute breaks.  We never deducted lunch from hours worked and we always gave breaks when there more than one person working.  We told her she could take her breaks at her own descretion when she was alone.  None of this is documented.  It went from a friend helping us out a few hours each week and gradually grew to 15-25 hour/week total payroll and we never stopped to think about the labor laws because we always said yes to whatever she asked, within reason.  She was our friend and now she's scamming us out of 20K.  Are we as totally screwed as it seems?
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 >None of this is documented.

lawyer time!


Title: Took my car to the dealership to get serviced and was given a loaner. Someone rear ended the loaner over the weekend and left no note.

Question: This happened in Las Vegas. I filed a claim through my insurance but I have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to hear back from the adjuster. When I returned the loaner  to the dealership and showed them the damage, they said I owe them my deductible (which is 500$) because I'm responsible for the vehicle. I paid the money but looking back on it, dont I owe my insurance the deductible and not the dealership? Is there any way I can fight this or get reimbursed for it?

Answer:
 >they said I owe them my deductible (which is 500$) because I'm responsible for the vehicle. I paid the money but looking back on it, dont I owe my insurance the deductible and not the dealership?

Their vehicle, their insurance. I can see the terms of your loaner agreement being that you just cover the dealer's deductible in case of any damage.

If your own insurance policy allows you to claim for damages to another person's vehicle that you had care of, conceivably you could make a $500 claim but a) that'd probably be close to your own deductible and b) I'm not sure why you'd want to put a claim on your own record when you don't need to.


Title: [OK] Contractor hit my car, now avoiding my calls

Question:
I had a piano teacher who worked at my business.  In the last month she began to smell like alcohol and even hit my car.
She agreed to pay off the repairs of my car with work, and she worked a few days but then we caught her drunk with a student and fired her on the spot.
She has since disappeared and we can't get in touch with her.
I know it's my fault for not demanding her insurance info on the spot, but live and learn.
We know her name and her address but we don't have her insurance info.
What are our next steps if we can't get her to talk to us?  I just wanna get my car fixed.

Answer: Either sue her or file a claim with your insurance company. If the damage is less than $10,000, then you can sue her in small claims in your state.


Title: Music teacher ripped off one of my original songs, advice?

Question:
Hey,

So sophomore year of college I was in the Jazz ensemble first semester and we were looking to perform an original piece. Remembering the crap we performed the semester before, I volunteered one of my originals which was not a fully fleshed out song but had a very catchy hook and melody/beat already composed. As a class we workshopped it under my direction and added a second half composed by another band member. My half was left unchanged and we performed it as a class under the title "the journey". My teacher attributed the song to the entire class and not just me and the other student who had wrote the song which I figured was for school reasons. The song has a video recording of the performance which you can see me directing the band from my seat at the piano.

Fast forward four months and my teacher has quit his job and begun touring with has jazz fusion band full time. A few months after they released their debut I decided to finally listen to the album. To my surprise the song on the album entitled "(different word) Journey" has virtually the same hook from my half of the song we performed, the catchy part I wrote with a different underlying beat. The song also has a similar song structure. All writing credits are attributed to my former teacher.

I commented on my teachers bands social media post of the song "Great track, name and melody sound strangely familiar though! ;)" with no response. He knows exactly what he did!

This was in a state school in NY, USA and I live in CT.

Is there any possible legal recourse I might have to ensure I get credit on the song?

Sincerely,
Kinda Pissed Naive Songwriter

Answer:
 Stop commenting on his Facebook.Answer #2: Do you have a copy of that video? Use it as your deposit copy (the copy you send to the Copyright Office) and register that song with you and the other band member as joint copyright holders. (You're joint holders because you each wrote part of it.) This will cost you $55 and can be done online quickly and easily.

Here's where you start for registering a musical composition: https://www.copyright.gov/registration/performing-arts/index.html


Title: Prospective Landlord says no alcohol.

Question:
Fiancee and I are looking for a house to rent in a town midway between our two jobs. It is small town Kansas, in a predominantly Mennonite area. A lot of the landlords that we have been running into say that they do not allow alcohol to be stored or consumed in the house. Is this legal? I seem to remember learning about something in history class about the right to privacy in one's own legally occupied domicile. Neither of us are heavy drinkers or partiers (contrary to my username). We do enjoy the occasional after work drink about 1-2 nights per week.

TLDR; In Kansas, can the landlord dictate whether or not I can have alcohol in my refridgerator?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: It's legal. Landlords are allowed to include house rules such as those in leases. If you don't like it, don't rent from them.


Title: Do I have a warrant? Need to know if I'm a fugitive. - Newport, Ri

Question: Got arrested about 10 years ago in Newport, RI for minor in possession of alcohol. Went to court and got a 400+$ fine. Couldn't pay. Didn't pay. I now live in Boston and have since renewed my licence, car registration, and I've been pulled over for speeding both in MA and RI and the cops never said a thing.    What's going on? I am going to get my gun license (restricted obviously, thanks Boston) and need to make sure I have this settled. Thanks in advance!!!

Answer: I just got off the phone w/ Newport courthouse. Not only do I not have a warrant, they have no record of me... Calling non-emergency Newport police now. Answer #2: Call the Newport police department. If you go through an FFL you have to answer under penalty of perjury on the 4473 that you are not a fugitive from justice.


Title: [CA] Can my employer make me sign away my right to take part in a lawsuit?

Question:
There is currently a class action against my employer in process. It is related to them not properly compensating for overtime hours & penalizing us for lost business (it is a sales role).

Well a couple friends that have left my employer recently were asked to sign a paper stating that they won't sue the company or take part in any suits in order to receive their severance (they pay a 2 week severance regardless of if you quit or get fired). I'm currently interviewing for other jobs & want to know what I should do.

Is this legal? Enforceable? They don't make you sign this to receive unused PTO, only for the 2 week severance.

Answer:
 Yes, it's possible to relinquish your rights to sue an employer in exchange for some type of compensation package.

> They don't make you sign this to receive unused PTO

Because the law says you're *entitled* to PTO payout no matter what.

> only for the 2 week severance.

Because there's no law entitling you to severance, so the employer is free to make a severance package contingent on you agreeing to whatever terms the employer comes up with.


Title: Do I have a case to sue the company that fired me?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 Yes, Franklin. Sexual harassment of a subordinate *is* a reason to fire someone.

Don't think it's sexual harassment? That's fine. Maybe it doesn't rise to that level, but it doesn't matter. They can fire you for almost any reason they like. This just happens to be a *good* reason. They aren't always so good.

You can sue them if you like; they'll laugh you out of court.


Title: Popular writing site keeps pulling my book for its political content

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 The website has no obligation to let you continue using their service. If you don't like it, take your business elsewhere.Answer #2: The website is free to conduct their business as they see fit until it breaks the law. Removing your work isn't breaking the law.

If you feel otherwise, feel free to hire a lawyer to take them to court. Expect to pay about five figures to get started.


Title: Is this still neglect?

Question:
I’m a 17 year old from Missouri. At the age of 15, my parents told me to pack my bags and leave. Prior to that, they locked me out of the house. After I was picked up by my grandmother, he made it clear that I wasn’t allowed back in the house.

Since I’m under the care of my grandmother, are my parents still breaking the law by having kicked me out of the house?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Yes.


Title: KY - Wife was in a car accident and the other insurance company is ruling her at fault while my own is ruling shared fault.

Question:
About 2 months ago my wife was in a car accident. I was driving the vehicle behind her and saw what happened. She did a countryside stop at a broken light. The other party blew through the intersection and they collided.

We tried to be honest in the situation, which seems to be a mistake. My wife is a very nervous person and had trouble explaining what happened to the officer. The police report we received stated she was "inattentive". Which is definitely not the impression I got when I heard her speaking with the officer. The police report also has several other errors throughout the report, such as the other parties insurance information, and even down to the road conditions. (it was raining, officer said it was clear.)

We spoke with my insurance, they were in agreement with us on what happened. I only pay for liability. They say shared fault. We agreed with that, as we wanted to be honest. The other party ran the red light, I myself saw it happen. That's what my wife attempted to explain to the officer.

The other parties insurance is saying my wife is at fault. The other party is claiming they stopped, and they are going off the one word in the police report, "inattentive". I tried to argue that we disagreed with it, that my wife was terrified and had trouble explaining what happened to the officer, and also that the officer was ill-prepared for taking down any kind of information. We also explained to them that the police report has several other errors. They responded in telling me to get a revised police report. According to my own insurance, the police will only revise clerical errors, not an officers statement.

We are sitting at $8,000 in damages at the moment. I've never done a small claims court, I don't know if I should talk to or get a lawyer, or if it's even worth getting a lawyer. I don't even know if $8,000 is too high for a small claims court. The other insurance won't budge on our decision, and because we only pay liability my own insurances hands are tied. Should I contact a lawyer, who should I contact. I've tried researching, but there is so much information and Kentucky is weird. I seem to get conflicting advice. All we are trying to do at this point is get shared fault so half the damages will be paid for.

I appreciate any advice.

Edit: Thank You guys for helping me better understand all this. I will probably be speaking with a lawyer this week and look at my options.

Answer:
 > She did a countryside stop at a broken light.

What's this? I Googled it and came up with a convenience store.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Doctor recommends emotional support animal. We live in a no pet apartment building? Do we have any rights?

Question:
I'm aware many people use this to bring their doggo into their new apartment to get around rules, but we've been having a rough time with my gfs depression recently, and visits to the shelter totally change her energy. I was hoping we could get a cat to get her through the rough days where she can't get out of bed.

Thanks all

Answer: Maybe. The landlord can still deny if it would create an undo hardship. Take your documentation to your landlord and see if you can come to an agreement. Be prepared for a lot of people who thought they were moving into a no animals building to hate you and assume you're faking it.


Title: What kind of Lawyer would handle a case where my step mother stole $160,000 dollars from me that I was awarded in a court case after I was 18 years old.

Question: When I was 17 and a senior in high school I got bit by a dog. my dad hired a lawyer and I won $160,000. My lawyer waited until I turned 18 so that the money could be put under my name and when we walked into the back to cash the check my mother made me sign the back of it so she could put it into an account under her name. I never agreed to this and my parents forced me to sign over the money in the bank in front of the teller, under the agreement that they would transfer funds to me whenever I requested them for schooling or for grocery's. Now my mother is refusing to give me any of the money and is telling me that it isn't my money. Additionally, as my dad is the one who was in contact with my lawyer I never go any information about the case. I have 2 questions 1. does anyone know how or where I can get the records to this case and 2. what kind of lawyer do I need to sue her?

Answer: You need a contracts lawyer. This is a clear case of undue influence. The elements of the claim would likely be there.


Title: DNA test inbound

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 take a test if she wants you to, and be prepared to pay for child support if she ever asks for it.

I'm a little dubious that she is 'sending' you a court ordered DNA test.  that's not how it works. you get a letter from the court and then show up at a lab.


Title: Photo taken of me being used for advertisement without my consent?

Question:
I had my photo taken while at a football game for my university. The photograph is with myself and my friends shirtless and with our university's letters painted on our chests. We have now found that this photo is being used in facebook ads online to sell tickets to football games.
Do I have any legal recourse in this situation, and would any compensation even be worthwhile?

Is it possible that the university has us sign some waiver when buying tickets? I am not aware of having signed any such waiver as I more than likely clicked through all windows fast as possible while buying tickets.

One final concern I have is that if I were to pursue any compensation -- if that is even possible -- that it could jeopardize my relationship with the university. Is that a legitimate concern I could have? Could they simply expel me out of annoyance?

Thanks!

EDIT: This is the state of California, sorry to have not included that prior

Answer: You have no expectation or privacy nor any expectation your photo cannot be taken when you attend a public event, at least in the US. If you're somewhere else who knows. There's a reason you're ask to provide a location.


Title: [USA, KY] Ex filed 2013 taxes as Married filing Jointly and forged my signature. Same-sex couple

Question:
Sorry for the bad title, couldn't think of how to summarize it in a short sentence. I'm really just wanting to get a feel for rather I should look into legal action or just accept my losses and move on.

So, I was in a 3 year relationship with someone (same-sex couple) and we live in Kentucky. In 2014, he took both of our taxes to his tax place. While at work, I received a text in which he said he was told by the tax preparer that due to new federal regulations, we could file as Married filing Jointly on state and federal returns. (This was during all those courts overturning same-sex marriage laws and the federal government recognizing same-sex spousal benefits and stuff)

I told him that didn't sound right, that even if they were telling the truth, **we aren't married anywhere** so how could we possibly file as married? I told him not to do it. I wasn't vague about it, I said "Do not do that. It doesn't make sense and I would rather not mess around with taxes just for an extra $400".

He did not work at all that year while he went to Cosmetology School. I worked full-time and went to school part-time and supported us both. We lived together but his name was not on the lease. (They wanted $50 to add his name to the lease and we just didn't have the money)

So, at the time I thought he listened to me and filed our taxes both as single. I asked him to email or fax me the documents, I would sign them and email or fax back. That never happened. I thought it was no big deal, he signed my name. So (despite how stupid I realize this was now) I didn't bother to look at the tax returns because I assumed he did the right thing and did not file us as married.

Long story short, I am now dealing with trying to straighten this out and I'm the one being stuck with the massive bills associated. When they gave us our tax return, it was deposited into my bank account. They took money (~$500) for an unpaid medical bill my partner had.
As I'm getting this straightened out currently, I received a letter from the IRS stating my partner was drawing unemployment (unbeknownst to me) to the tune of $8,045 of which he did not report on his taxes and I was told to pay $376 because of it. At the time I received the letter, I had *thought* this money was the difference after amending my taxes to say single. (Because we got ~$400 more for filing married; or so I was told)

Now, I'm being told I owe another $771 after amending my taxes.

So, to recap; He refused to get a job (even just a part-time job) for 14 months while I supported him and paid all of his bills all the while he was drawing unemployment without my knowledge. He forged my signature on the tax return, he filed our taxes as married when we are not married anywhere, in any state.

Is there anything I can or should do? I have messaged him on facebook simply asking him to acknowledge what is going on and stating that I don't feel it's unreasonable to ask him to pay me back for all of this because it's all his doings. He simply ignores me or says he's so strapped financially that he can't help me. He also denies ever drawing unemployment but considering he's a cheating liar, pretty sure I trust the government over him on that issue.

His portion of the bills that I paid while we were together total to about $9-10,000 (Half of rent/shared bills, his cell phone, his car insurance, his school supplies/matierals, food, etc), they took ~$500 for an unpaid medical bill of his, I paid $376 because he didn't claim his unemployment and an additional $771 after amending my tax return.

What can I do? Anything? Should I just accept that I'm fucked, pay it and move on?
Do I have any standing to take him to court to try and recover any of this money?
I know it's likely not, but considering he was drawing unemployment to the tune of $8,045 while I was supporting him and he hid the money from me...I feel really slighted.

My tax preparer told me that chances are, it's not worth trying to go to court over such a small amount of money. I just really can't afford all of this and I'm trying to finish my college education and have had to take a few semesters off to deal with this because I can't properly obtain FAFSA with this tax mess.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. I hope this all makes sense...

Answer:
 Two things:

One, is small claims. It'll cost you very little to file and you don't need a lawyer.

The second is that you're still going to owe the IRS eventually. I'm not intimate enough with federal tax code, but you've got a couple things going on here: One is a fraudulent return. You're not responsible for that return, but you're still on the hook for taxes owed and filing a return that year. That being said, we come to point two, and that is that you MIGHT qualify as an innocent spouse, eliminating penalties and interest but leaving you liable for the tax bill. That being said, since it's a same sex relationship and you were NOT actually married... I can't rightly say whether or not that will apply to you or not. I suspect ~~now~~ not however.Answer #2: Cross post this to /r/personalfinance I think there are some actual IRS employees there who could give advice.


Title: In Phoenix AZ my manager at my bar made me cover a walk out tab is that legal

Question: I need to know what I should do

Answer:
 They would need your written permission to do so. Of course if you don't give them permission they more than likely will fire you. Answer #2: You can decline, as it is illegal for the owner to request this. However, be prepared to find a new job. Answer #3: Assuming there's no local or state law in Arizona and Phoenix that prohibits it, the Dept of Labor says [yes, it is](https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.htm) as long as it didn't pull your wage below the minimum:

> Where **deductions for walk-outs**, breakage, or cash register shortages  **reduce the employee’s wages below the minimum wage, such deductions are  illegal.** When an employer claims an FLSA 3(m) tip credit, the tipped  employee is considered to have been paid only the minimum wage for all  non-overtime hours worked in a tipped occupation and the employer may  not take deductions for walkouts, cash register shortages, breakage,  cost of uniforms, etc., because any such deduction would reduce the  tipped employee’s wages below the minimum wage.

&#x200B;


Title: Need LEGAL HELP as Im victim of Molestation Charges

Question:
location:  Riverside County, California ....out of the Hemet Superior Courthouse:

They said it was an Exparte. no clue to what those are.

I am going through a divorce and because my wife and her family have extreme narcissistic behaviors, I went from having the children alienated from me this entire year, not wanting to hurt them, I did not file anything.

Then I went through a false restraining order in more of her attempts to keep them from me and the judge terminated it.

Now she went to say I am molesting my own children and the court refused to subpoena text messages that I know around when, that would be good against her.

Her saying she will leave the state and go into hiding with them, her saying I am not allowed to see or talk to them unless she says so, her saying she is going to make me pay for what I did to her.

She is coming up with all sorts of crazy things like I sleep with prostitutes, I molest my children, I molest her, I attack her church people, I attack her family. But its all the exact opposite and lots of lies.

I go to court 1-14-2015 and even though people say I need a lawyer since she has one, that I need to get one.  Easier said than done. I live paycheck to paycheck.  I have so much debt already I don't eat all the time just to make it till next paycheck. I have bad credit still and rebuilding right now due to bankruptcy recently discharged.

I have a huge school loan debt I have to start paying in a few months and I am hoping they wont force me to pay once they see my bills and what I make.

Someone said I should look into a criminal lawyer who specializes in these type of charges so that they know how to get the truth out because she is trying to get out of having to also have mental tests done to her or anything that might have actually done this to the children, if it even happened at all. I did get the mediator to consider looking into her brother who molested her at a young age and my validity to that is only that she told me these stories the first 3 to 4 years of marriage and I said that in front of her to the mediator and the only thing I know of is that the state of California has him deemed to be mentally unstable and he lives at the house my children are half the time with always having his own bed, gets mail even if its junk mail, eats and sleeps there half the week.

We have cases open for child support, divorce, and anything she is filing as allegations. Restraining order was terminated, now I only had Child Protective Services come investigate me and still waiting to hear back from them for all the mental testing they will do but i did request she takes them too if I have to and I told them I am willing to take as many as it takes because its the only thing I have to clear my name and bring out the truth.

Answer:
 That's a lot of irrelevant detail but the bottom line is you need to hire a divorce attorney.  And if any criminal charges have been filed against you (unclear from your narrative), a criminal one as well.

Borrow money, or find an attorney who will put you on a payment plan.  These are serious claims being made and can leave you with either no custody of your children or a criminal record as sex offender.  A lifetime of debt is better than either of those options.


Title: Curiosity: Would it be illegal to cook meth for educational purposes if you destroy it afterwards?

Question:
What laws would be in the way of this?

Just a curious chemist student.

&#x200B;

Don't spend your time digging deep into this, just if someone knows on-top of their head!

Moved from /r/legaladvice due to being a hypothetical questions.

Answer:
 After the hypthetical materials are "cooked", would you hypothetically be in possession of a resulting controlled substance? If you followed the recipe, most likely. Is there an exemption in the law allowing possession of such for educational purposes? If you are hypothetically acting as an individual and not as a licensed pharmaceutical manufacturer, not likely.
Answer #2: Yes. You need a DEA license to manufacture or possess controlled substances and some of the precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of controlled substances. Such licenses are issued to institutions like research labs, universities, or pharmaceutical companies for research, medical treatment, or educational purposes.

If you cook without a license, your intention (education) is not a legal defense. You manufactured and possessed the controlled substance, you do not have a DEA license to do so, you are very likely to be found guilty if you are caught.

Fun fact: Methamphetamine and Cocaine are DEA schedule II, which means that while they have a high potential for abuse, there are legitimated uses for these substances and doctor-prescribed pharmaceuticals, just like there are legitimate uses for opioids in medicine. Therefore there do exist pharmaceutical companies who have the requisite DEA licenses to manufacture methamphetamine and cocaine, sell it it pharmacies, and doctors can write prescriptions for it to treat some medical conditions.

Even funnier fact: Marijuana is a schedule I substance, that means the DEA considers it a drug with a high risk of abuse and no medically recognized use in the treatment of any medical condition. LSD and some other psychedelics are also Schedule I substances.


Title: Do you have to really become a lawyer to fight in court? What are the advantages of becoming a lawyer, as opposed to fighting in court by yourself. I believe if one can study lots of cases, court documents, judge decisions one can fight in court. geniunly curious.

Answer: Well since law school is just studying lots of cases, court documents, and judges decisions, I'm not sure I see your point. But in most jurisdictions, it's a crime to represent someone if you're not barred and the easiest way to get barred, and in some states the only way, is to go through law school


Title: Little sister [16] not getting paid for her lunch "breaks"

Question: My little sister is working at an arts council in North Carolina as what is basically a camp counselor. For her lunch breaks she is forced to spend it eating with the kids and a lot of days works through lunch. On her hours sheet she never wrote anything about lunch breaks but they still deducted 30 minutes from each day she worked. She is also given no other breaks throughout the day. Is this allowed? We are in North Carolina

Answer:
 They must pay her for all hours worked. They can fire her for not taking the mandatory breaks, but they have to pay her if she's working.

She can ask them to not adjust her times or she can file a complaint with the department of labor.


Title: Can I whisteblow on my company for discriminating hiring towards females for a position?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I'll shed a single tear for you, OP, and for all the "qualified males" being passed over so that a woman, for once, can get their leg in the door at the boy's club.
People like you never notice discriminatory hiring practices toward women that happen all over silicone valley every hour of every day. The reason why tech is male dominated is not because women do not exist in tech - it is because tech has been discriminating against them in hiring for decades.

So good luck with your crusade against your company hiring a woman. I encourage you to spend all of your money on a lawsuit that will eventually end up with your demise.


Title: Employee is working OT when it hasn't been approved (California)

Question:
I run a small business in California, which is doing poorly right now. We used to offer a lot of overtime, but we have cut back drastically recently to 40 hour weeks.

We have one employee who takes it upon himself to come in over the weekend and work cutting fabric. This is something we have allowed in the past, but have cut back on it completely unless there is a large order that needs to be rushed. He has his own key, alarm code, etc. He takes an hour long bus ride to get here.

I know he is sending money back home to his family in Mexico, and he needs the money, but if we have told him explicitly not to work overtime and he does it anyway, what can we do?

I am not the owner, the owner is out of town for a week or so. The owner wouldn't fire him anyway, he never fires anyone even if they don't show up for several days in a row without notice.

I am on my way out of here, as I hopefully have a new job lined up, but in the meantime, what are my options?

If he comes in and works when instructed not to, can I threaten to not pay him for those hours  since it was not approved? I fear this would be the only way to get through to him.

Thanks in advance.

Answer: You can write him up or fire him.  You must pay for hours he works.  I'd re-key the locks and change the alarm code if it were me.


Title: (FL) I believe I was a victim of medical malpractice. What are my next steps?

Question:
In March of 2019, I went to a local emergency center with a stiff back, fever, and nausea. They suspected meningitis, conducted a lumbar puncture, and ambulanced me to the main hospital in a nearby metro area.

The lumbar puncture itself was...not what I expected. My partner wasn't allowed to stay in the room with me, they had me sit on the edge of the hospital bed while a nurse pushed a chair very hard into my knees (with the back of the chair facing me.) She had me place my arms on the top of the chair while she pushed down on my shoulders with a lot of force.

While the lumbar puncture was performed, the doctor hit a nerve and it shot pain down my right leg and in my lower back. He said it was part of the procedure to help locate the area he needed. The pain was so bad, however, that I started to lose consciousness. I informed the nurse and she just sort of held me in place while I passed out.

The next time I woke up, I was being moved to the gurney for my transfer. I was in the hospital for four days total, with what turned out to be a kidney infection. The first day was spent sleeping, and the second day a new pain had started. I stood up and this searing pain was in my back and it was genuinely the most painful thing I've ever experienced. I sat on the floor and called for the nurse, and they helped me into bed.

For the next few days, they treated me with antibiotics and pain medication (though it didn't take away the pain, only made it bearable while I laid in bed.) I was put up as a fall risk, and had to be helped to the bathroom because any weight I put down would cause the pain to be excruciating.

They didn't take the pain seriously, and I insisted they do SOMETHING. The doctor ended up ordering an MRI of my lower back, which only showed arthritic damage (I have RA). One of my nurses said she didn't think they should discharge me until they found the source of the pain.

Even so, they discharged me without addressing it and chalked it up to just being from the kidney infection. Just going from the wheelchair to the car, literally two steps, put me in severe pain upon my discharge from the hospital. I did my best to deal with the pain on the drive home, but I ended up soaked in sweat and dizzy from the pain so my roommate had to pull over and call 911.

I was taken to a local ER (different than the other hospitals I went to) and given a script for three days of pain meds and released. (The medication itself was something I'm allergic to, which I had told them, so I just didn't fill the script and left since the ER staff was very rude.)

It's been almost two months, now, and the pain hasn't gotten much better. I'm speaking to my PCP about getting a wheelchair, because otherwise I might have to start crawling to the bathroom. I can't go to the store, I can't cook my own meals, I have to use a shower chair. I'm 20, and I can barely walk to the bathroom without being in the fetal position for an hour afterwards.

What do I do? Where do I go from here?
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 You can seek a consultation with a medical malpractice attorney.

Nothing you’ve described is distinctly malpractice. Certainly that possibility exists. It’s also possible that your providers have perfectly executed your care in accordance with all standards and your problem is just elusive.


Title: Is this unlawful search?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Sounds like it to me.

Cops recieved a call of possible criminal activity to the area you were in. On their arrival, they find two people sitting in a vehicle. Not entirely unreasonable to think two people who've been sitting in a parked vehicle for 15-20 minutes might be related to previously mentioned possible criminal activity.

You guys turn out to not match the descriptions of the suspects of *that* crime, but the smell of marijuana indicates you may be guilty of a separate crime.

Cue search. Searches based upon the very distinctive smell of marijuana are frequently upheld. And wouldn't ya know? Bong found, officers were clearly correct.Answer #2: From your story, the cops received a call about something happening in your area. In responding to that call they found two people sitting in a car in the street, so they check you out as a suspicious vehicle. That's all well in good.

Then, while they are checking you out they smell marijuana. That gives them probable cause to search your car without your consent. The fact that they then found drug paraphernalia means their probable cause was well founded.

So yes, that search was completely legal.


Title: How much am I legally allowed to claim on my taxes?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You can claim as much as you want, but if you end up owing the government substantial sums, there will be penalties. Owing a little bit is not necessarily a bad thing, but make sure you pay at least 90% of the tax due, or Uncle Sam may be charging you extra. There are several W-4 calculators available on the internet to help estimate the "best" number of allowances to claim on your W-4 to minimize withholding while avoiding underpayment.Answer #2: /r/finance


Title: CA Landlord is selling the house even though the tenants have a one year lease.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The landlord can sell the house. He can't evict your friend: the new owner will have to follow the existing lease.

There are a lot of resources to help tenants with issues such as this. Start here http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/resolve-problems.shtml


Title: If I am on trial and I testify that my favorite celebrity either can attest to my innocence or was actually the perpetrator, would they be required to come to court? Couldn’t a crazy fan exploit this?

Question:
Humor me here. With the recent case where a David Schwimmer lookalike was arrested for theft, I started to wonder:

Scenario A: Let’s say I’m accused of murder and I plead innocent. Not only that, but I swear up and down that someone else was there at or near the scene who can attest that I’m innocent and played no part in the murder: Jason Momoa! By coincidence, yes, he’s my favorite actor and someone I’ve always wanted to meet, but I SWEAR he can prove I didn’t do it.

Let’s also assume in this scenario that we can prove, from social media, his publicist’s schedule, etc, that he was at least in the same general area as the murder was at around the same time, so there’s some plausibility that this could be true. All of my other statements in court have been credible thus far, and I have no history of mental illness.

Would he be called into court to testify? (Thus fulfilling my dream of meeting him.)

OR, Scenario B: Let’s say that the David Schwimmer lookalike above testified that it actually was David Schwimmer himself who stole those drinks. (Ignoring that he was actually provably in NYC at the time of the robbery in Blackpool, UK.) By a gigantic coincidence, Mr. Burglar is also a huge fan of 90s sitcoms and would love to meet David Schwimmer in real life.

I read somewhere that you can plead innocent by virtue of “you literally just have the wrong person” – I.e. yes I fit the description of the perpetrator, but I’m not him.

If the thief/fan knew that David Schwimmer was in Blackpool then, could he use this to his advantage?

Answer: When your attorney contacts them to interview them in advance of an appearance in court and they say they have no idea what you’re talking about, he won’t subpoena them. If he subpoenas them anyway, or if you act as your own lawyer and manage to subpoena them, their lawyer will probably file a motion to quash the subpoena. If that fails then the celeb will appear, testify he’s never seen you before, and you or your attorney might see consequences.


Title: (GA)14Yr Old Actively Trying For A Child

Question:
As the titles states, there is a child that lives in my very small town that is trying to have a child with her older boyfriend. She made a post on Facebook trying to call people out for talking bad about her, and people tried to rationalize with her telling her that her and her child will share the same Pediatrician and that she isn't even old enough to get a job to provide for it. They stated that her child would be taken away from her unless her family stepped up to raise and that she wouldn't have custody until they decided that she was able to provide for it.

She claimed that her boyfriend promised to stay by her side to care for them and that he would provide for them as a family. She plans on dropping out of middle school to take care of her kid, and her mother either doesn't know or care.

I have CPS' number and plan on calling them tomorrow morning.

Answer:
 How sad. I would contact CPS with screenshots of the Facebook post. How old is the boyfriend?Answer #2: Call CPS, Planned Parenthood and basically any legit woman's health/reproductive health centres and charities. places like that should have the resources to help you and the girl, as well as educating her

&#x200B;

Not a lawyer or american so I'm sorry its a bit vague, I had a couple of mothers in my graduating class (small town also)Answer #3: Contact CPS, the girl's parents, the boy's parents. Beyond that, not sure what else you can do. Answer #4: She's required to go to school until she's 16, so she can't drop out of middle school. Contact CPS.


Title: In states where cannabis is legal what are the rules about flying from other countries such as Spain or Netherlands and bringing marijuana back with you on the plane to a state where it is illegal?

Question: Are you not allowed to fly with it at all? Can you declare it?

Answer:
 Prohibited under US Federal law. Not a great plan. If this is an unfortunately unavoidable situation (like, you're already in transit), look for the green "deposit your weed here and we won't say anything" bins the TSA sets out at some airports.Answer #2: 1) When you enter the country, you are dealing with federal agencies, not state law.

2) Even under state laws that have decriminalized, it's not the wild west. You can't import it.


Title: (CA) Should I ask for the full security deposit in small claims court if I don't believe I deserve it all?

Question:
To sum it up, I'm having a dispute with a lease assumption. I want $350/500 for the security deposit and the person who took over my lease only wants to pay a fraction of that.

I believe this will head to small claims court and so, do I ask for the full amount back and let the judge decide, or do I ask for what I think I deserve?

Answer:
 I'd say be honest. Honesty goes a long way, especially if the homeowner is being a jerk.
But you can also ask for costs to sue and any other costs associated with getting them sued.

Say, you ruined a rooms carpet, get 3 quotes for fixing just that room and then provide documentation and minus this from what you are asking.


Title: Question About Legalities of Josh Duggar Report Being Released (ie; Info ID'ing Victims Not Fully Redacted) - Arkansas

Question:
Hi There-

I'm sure by now most have heard about the Josh Duggar scandal (from the show 19 Kids and Counting). I've been hearing a lot on TV and reading online, and I have a specific question about the legalities of the police report being leaked that I'm confused about.

- A tabloid (InTouch) was provided with a tip that years ago at age 15, Josh Duggar molested four of his sisters who, at the time, ranged in age from five to twelve. Police did not find out about this until about five years after the events took place. By the time Arkansas Family Services investigated it (and found it to be true) the statue of limitations had passed, so Josh could not be charged with any crime. However, the victims were interviewed and confirmed that they were abused, Josh admitted it, etc.

- InTouch obtained the police / Family Service report under the Freedom of Information Act. Because Josh was never formally charged, apparently this falls within the boundaries of legally having to release it. He is also now in his mid twenties, so is not a minor. They blacked out names of the victim's and all corresponding pronouns so they could not be identified.

- Here is where my question comes in: Arkansas has Victim Rights Laws which protect the identity of victims of sex crimes. Information that could directly or indirectly lead to the victim being identifiable cannot be released. As I said above all names and pronouns were blacked out, *however* what remained in place in the victim interview were things like "[blacked out name], child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Age 5". While this doesn't outright give the victim's name, what it does do it indirectly identify that the victim was A) A family member and B) Who the exactly victim was, based on their age (simple math).

- Because the released report contained that information which indirectly allowed the media/public to ID the victims, does that not fall into the category of going against Victim Right's Laws? Or is just blacking out names enough?

Sorry if this is confusing (I'm confused myself and trying to paraphrase a lot of info). But if anyone could provide their thoughts, I'd be super interested. I've heard many different opinions from different sides of the media, but very few attorneys actually give their insight.

Thanks so much :)

Answer:
 I think I know what you're asking. Based on my limited knowledge it's in a bit of a grey area. Since there were no formal charges or convictions it may not quite fall under the statute. All the same the names should have been more adequately redacted. I could be completely wrong here though, so don't take my interpretation as canon.

I feel for the victims being drawn out into the public eye in this context, but at they same time the family elected to put themselves into that position. Even if it wasn't the daughter's decision.

The victims would never have become public if the Terrible Life Choices™ network hadn't made them famous.

But then again I had no idea of who they are or the show until this whole scandal broke.


Title: Pennsylvania - The restaurant next door has completely blocked my window with a ventillation unit. Can I do anything?

Question:
I live in an apartment on the second floor of a building.  The day after I moved in the building next to mine started renovating and have been installing vents.  Today they installed a vent that is about 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide and completely blocks my window.  Are there any zoning laws I can cite?  Would the township have any power in this?  Are there any tenants rights involved here?

Edit: here is a picture of the view now: http://imgur.com/gallery/R2Xfrnu

Answer:
 Blocked your window as in blocked your view, or blocked your window as in if you opened the window and tried to exit it, it would be impossible?

If the latter, is the window a fire-escape route?Answer #2: We're going to need photos or, at the very least, a shitty MS Paint drawing.Answer #3: Try to get moved into another unit.  This is handled at the municipal level, and you should call your very local code enforcement and see if there's anything you can do.  My city has a code where this would be illegal.  You can also look at his permits on file and see if they approved ventilation above the height of the roof, see if it's specified.  Chances are, it's not. Answer #4: > Are there any tenants rights involved here?

Only if that building owner is also your building owner or landlord.  Then, maybe.


Title: (Chicago, IL) Being harassed/intimidated at work by a non employee.

Question:
So I work at a retail store, there was this girl who used to work with me and we was intimate but we stopped talking and she left. Her aunt came into my job yesterday to find me, she was making small talk at first about the pay then stated who she was. She told me her niece has herpes and it came from me, she then proceeded to tell me that at first she was going to come in and punch me in the face and continue to fuck me up, then catch me on the way home and hurt me some more. She also said she works security somewhere and told me she usually carries her weapon on her. I stayed calm the whole time and told her I'll get tested just to prove it wasn't me then she left.

My question is what do I do? Or what steps can I take? Is this considered any type of threat or harassment? I do fear my safety for one it's a girl and I refuse to fight a girl. Two, I am on probation and I'm not trying to go to jail for something idiotic. Please help I don't know if she will come back I would like to be prepared legally.

Answer: You can call the police if she threatens you or harms you. Also, go get tested.


Title: Can I explain why I can't serve for jury duty in private?

Question: I've never been called to jury duty, but on TV, it seems like the initial selection involves a judge asking you in a public court room if you can serve. I have a personal reason I can't serve, and I was wondering if I could share that information to the judge in private so I don't reveal it in public

Answer: You can ask via the bailiff or courtroom attendant.  This really should be something that is private -- like a past sexual assault (which won't disqualify you from anything except a similar case) or a medical condition.  If you make the judge and the attorneys go to chambers to tell them you have a final or a child care issue, the judge will be extremely annoyed for your waste of the court's time.


Title: Involved in a HIT-AND-RUN car accident. Have the entire incident on dash-cam.

Question:
***ATLANTA, GA***

I am outraged at the moment.  I was involved in a hit-and-run this evening.  I called the police and they finally showed up.  However, they seemed to not take the situation very seriously.  I explained the events in their entirety, and all the cop did was write a report (for the insurance claim).

I asked them if they will pursue this crime and track the guy down.  Again, I explained to the cops that I have his face and license plate, along with the wreck on video.  Cops said that they can't really do anything, because it would be easy for the owner of the license plate to say his uncle was driving, etc.

IS THIS NORMAL?  Last time I checked hit-and-run is a felony.  I thought felony crimes were pretty serious.

This is really frustrating because I only have liability on my car's insurance.

Does anybody have any experience or insight on this situation?

Thinking about uploading the video sometime tomorrow.

Answer:
 You can sue the owner of the vehicle in small claims court for your damages.

https://dor.georgia.gov/motor-vehicle-tag-title-or-lien-record-information

http://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-topics/magistrate-courtAnswer #2: I would call the police station and talk to a supervisor.


Title: [NYC] I am renting out an apartament in NYC and having problems with the tenants who keep breaking the agreed upon rules. Is there any way to get them evicted?

Question:
I am a landlord of a 3 apartment building. The Tenants keep breaking the agreed upon rules in the contract, and it's hard to do anything about it since this is in NYC where the tenants have more rights than the landlord/renter apparently.

Almost everyday they keep bringing over random stranagers (some who even look and smell like hobo's) into the apartment there renting after around 12-3am. This has been caught on camera twice too. Rules clearly stated "no visitors after 10pm", yet they don't care. It does seem that these strangers also sleep over at the tenants apartment. When asked about this, the tenants rudely replied "who gives a damn. I rent the house therefore I own the house. Careful or well sue you. And drugs? I rent therefore I can use them" while laughing. Adding on this, the tenant had given a key to one of his friends (which breaks the contract again).

2nd thing there doing is every once in a while a strange odor comes out from their apartment, as though there using drugs. They try to blame "scented candles", but he later said "I can do what I want since I pay rent. Even drugs". Drug use is illegal in NYC and a health risk for those living in the building.

3rd thing they do is that they keep throwing shoes against the hallway wall next to the door to the apartment there renting. The walls thus have become dirty and also have small shoe marks embedded into the wall (not washable, it's an embedded imprint).

This is getting infuriating. The contract was sadly for 1 whole year, but there getting unbearable. I'm not sure what action should be taken next;
What would you say should be the next course of action with dealing with these tenants since they seem to keep breaking contract rules? Would writing a "notice to cure" or "notice to quit" be the wisest course of action?

Answer:
 Do you share space (rent out individual rooms w/o kitchen/bath)? Or are these individual units?  If the latter, it sounds to me like you are an insufferable landlord.  Are these "rules" in the lease?

Unless you are running some kind of special halfway house...good luck telling a tenant they can't have visitors in their own home.  There may be a ban on subleasing or increasing the number of permanent "occupants"...but you can't micromanage visitors as long as they behave.

If your tenants are damaging the unit, you can go after their security deposit when they move out.  If you think "strange odors" are dangerous, call the fire department...otherwise butt-out of their business.  Answer #2: The visitor rule, is most likely completely unenforceable especially in NYC. If they are breaking the law, you can call the police. If they damage the apartment you may be able to recover damages against them.


Title: How much is a parking spot worth?

Question:
North Carolina.

I rent in North Carolina. The building is undergoing construction. There are about 30 assigned parking spots for the building. Five to seven of the spots are being used for construction material storage. One of those spots is my assigned spot. I have been unable to park there for about a month now and with the pace of construction, don't see parking in my spot being an option for another two months.

I am currently parking on-street. It is free.

The lease provides for a parking spot.

To the question: Is a discount in rent reasonable? What is a parking spot worth? $50? $20?

Answer:
 It's certainly reasonable to ask. Nobody can say "yes" if you don't ask.

What a parking spot is worth is a very local question. It would be worth more in downtown Charlotte than in Mt Gilead (just picking a small looking town at random from the map.)

How much inconvenience does street parking cause you? How much more time does it take you? How much is your rent? These are all questions you should consider.


Title: California - Storage company stopped charging credit card and is now impossible to get hold of. Worried they have lost contents / planning on liquidating.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Guys, amazing detective work so far, thanks so much.

I have managed to find out that they actually rented space from another company called [blue chip moving](http://www.bluechipmoving.com/) and my pod is there.

I just spoke to one of the latter's representatives who promised they still have the pod and its contents but cannot let me have access to it without written consent from ssmovers, as they are the client.

I explained, to his surprise, that they are now bankrupt but he insists I cannot have access to the pod or move its contents without the say so of starving students.

So, what is the next move? Should i file a writ of possession in court to force blue chip to let me have the contents? Who is the legal owner? I suppose it's time to get that lawyer. I spoke to one just now who wants a $10k retainer. Is that resonable to get him to file a writ?Answer #2: Have you  googled their name in the local civil court to see if they've filed for bankruptcy?

Answer #3: Did you actually consider going there and talking to them in person?


Title: Ottawa, ON - The same old Fence issue with a twist

Question:
I recently bought an attached townhouse last year that was a new build.   It came with no fences.   However the row of neighbors in the back already had their homes for a year or so now and they had fenced their yard.

It turns out the row of neighbors in the back, had miscalculated their fence yard and build it a few feet into our side.  Most of these neighbors have removed their back facing fence when confronted by the new owners,  but of course I get the short end of the stick and get the one who tells me he won't do it.

City and Builders wants nothing to do with it and tells me they stay out of fencing issues, it's a civil issue.

So I don't really want to have to pay a lot of money for a lawyer if I can do something myself to force him to do it myself by filling forms or whatever.

Now here's the kicker.  technically he's not on my property.   He's on the 'right of way' that I have to allow my neighbors access to for mowing their lawns and what not.

Can I just build my fence on my line, and leave him as blocking the right of way and the city or other neighbors will have to deal with him?

Answer: Yes, you can build your fence on your property. If someone else wants to deal with the right of way issue they can deal with the neighbor who has built on it directly.


Title: Is there a legal difference between pitching in money to buy alcohol versus selling it?

Question:
Obviously it is against the law to sell alcohol at a party (or charge for cups, etc) without a liquor license. However, where would a bunch of people throwing money down together to buy a shared form of alcohol (such as a case or handle) fall? Would that still be considered the purchaser selling alcohol to others. And if legal, could this be used as a defense in a court if you were being charged with illegal sale of alchohol?

Not sure if this is relevant to this question, but the state is Indiana.
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer: Are you talking about 4 friends chipping in for a 30 rack or like 50 people paying $5 for a cup at a party?


Title: Received a reckless driving ticket on my private property road/driveway

Question:
Before anyone gets upset about the speed, this is a gated off private road / driveway. There was zero chances of another car being on it unless they broke through a locked gate and trespassed on clearly marked private property.

So my driveway is in a weird spot that goes alongside a highway for about 4 miles before turning off and up towards the house.  The entire property is fenced off and  gated/posted private property no trespassing. It is about 800 feet from the highway and slowly moves further and further from the highway.

I use my driveway as a place to work out kinks in my cars, get them setup properly etc before going to the dragstrip. I love cars and try to do things as safely as possible, roll cages, proper harnesses and helmet etc. I never open them up on the road because I have no need to, I can do it on my own private property.

Anyways last night I was having fun with my newly broken in engine swapped car. Doing a few runs back and forth and after the 6th or 7th run down I notice a cop with lights on sitting down at the gate. I head down and tell him I'll be right back, I have to go get the key to the gate but he insists I stay there. So I stay and he demands license, registration, insurance. I tell him I have none of those on me, and the car isn't even registered or insured (I bring it to and from the track/strip on a trailer). I tell him this because the car isn't even street legal and is a track car.

So he just gets my information from my name, dob, address etc. I ask him why he's even here because this isn't a road, why is he stopping me. He tells me reckless driving and he has me on laser doing 162, I start to argue that this is a private road/driveway clearly because he's sitting behind a locked gate and how can I be recklessly driving on private property? He starts telling me I can goto jail if I keep arguing, after about 20 minutes of just standing at my gate he gives me a ticket to sign for reckless driving. The ticket doesn't even have a posted speed for the road on it because this isn't a road.

What do I need to bring to the court date to show this isn't a road and he has no jurisdiction to enforce traffic laws on? I'm not trying to cause a huge issue but it's kind if stupid he even gave me a ticket, I didn't feel like continuing to argue with him because it was going nowhere. I live in Texas and the sheriffs department is who wrote the ticket.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Probably should post a speed limit sign on your property at 170 mph to cover your bases.


Title: I may get fired from my job

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice. I'm 20 and I work in a chipotle style restaurant where you basically pick what you want and we put it in a bowl. I've been working there since the end of September and about two weeks after I was hired they hired an 18 year old girl. I work with her monday nights and she's recently been complaining to other employees that i don't work and she's gonna tell the bosses. It's on camera everything I do from dishes to making rice to propping for the next shift (which we both work). All she has to do is serve a few customers every now and again because the night shifts are that busy, plus its cold out so it's generally slow for restaurants, and talk to her boyfriend all night. When it comes time to actually close the store, she barely does anything because "her arms are too small". Normally this wouldn't mean much to me but the bosses having been cutting back on hours and are looking to save money anyway they can, so I fear that they'd fire me without a second thought and without looking into things. This company also doesn't have the best history with employees of a different racial background from the owners and non-white employees (I am black). What should i do in the event i get fired?
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer: File for unemployment and move on. Answer #2: If she hasn’t gone to them yet/they haven’t fired you, why don’t you go to them and tell them what’s been going on? If you feel that your race is motivating her complaints, be sure to tell your supervisors that as well. If you wait until after she’s spoken to them and they’ve made their decision, they’ll see it as an excuse, so it’s best to speak to them as soon as possible. Answer #3: Look for another job.  File for unemployment. You won’t be able to prove you were discriminated against.


Title: Moral obligation of my children's father? NJ

Question:
So, background, I had 2 children with an ex. We were never married. I have never sought out any arrangements through the court. He doesn't pay anything towards them, mostly because I've given up asking because he hops from job to job so much and rarely has anything to give and tells me he shouldn't because he takes care of them on weekends. Up until this point, we have had a mutual agreement that he takes them on the weekends, and I have them during the week.

Lately, he has not really been keeping to this. This weekend has brought me here to reach out because he refused to take the children this weekend because they had been ill and he did not want them to get himself, his gf, or her parents sick as well. Sidenote: they are currently living with her parents as they look for a new place. I have become ill myself and really needed the weekend to rest before going back to work :(

My question is, where should I go from here? Does he have a moral obligation to spend time with his children? Do I need to take this higher?
What are my rights as their mother and sole provider?

He threatens that I wouldn't get very far taking him to court.

Thanks in advance :)

Answer:
 >Does he have a moral obligation to spend time with his children?

Yes, but this isn't r/moralobligations it's r/legaladvice.

>Do I need to take this higher?

That depends on what you hope to achieve.  It won't do anyone any good (especially not your children) to use the courts to try and force their father to take them when he doesn't want them.

>What are my rights as their mother and sole provider?

You can use the courts to order him to pay child support.  The court will likely order him to pay something, but they may also force you do to things that you don't want to do (related to who gets the kids when, etcetera).  And then you have the problem of the expense of getting the court involved on your behalf, the problem of actually getting him to pay what the court orders, and all of the problems that go along with further antagonizing the father of your children, etcetera.  Only you can weigh the pros and cons.Answer #2: > Does he have a moral obligation to spend time with his children?

Legally speaking, moral obligations are irrelevant.

No court will force him to spend time with his children.  If he chooses not to, that's on him.  You can certainly take him to court for child support, if you want.


Title: I got into a wreck in a parking lot while backing out of a parking space.

Question:
Just as the title says, I was backing out of my parking space on the end cap of a parking lot lane. I looked back and she was not there, proceeded to back out, next thing I know, she's speeding around the curve to come down the lane and makes contact with my vehicle. Both her driver side doors drag against the passenger corner of my bumper. Police are called and he writes the report up in favor of me that she was driving too fast in the parking lot and caused the wreck. My insurance contacted me and informed me that she is claiming to be injured and that she has a lawyer involved, so I'm wondering if even though all the evidence is pointed towards her, should I be worried about this?

Edit for adding state: Mississippi

Answer: Police do not determine fault so ignore what he said. Parking lot accidents are also a shit show in terms of is found at fault. Talk to your insurance company and let them just sort this out for you.Answer #2: No, you’re not fine. Even if she was speeding in the parking lot it’s your responsibility as the car backing up to make sure the coast is clear. Just because the police determined she was at fault is irrelevant to who the insurance companies determine is at fault. You will most likely be found at fault, I would refer to your insurance company who has a legal obligation to defend you for advice. With how minor you’ve described the accident to be, her claims probably won’t exceed your policy limit.


Title: [MI] Found out a family member may have committed perjury in a high-profile murder case decades ago. Not sure what, if anything, to do with the information.

Question:
Because this is Michigan I need to be careful not to go into too many details. The crux is this is hearsay--one family member casually mentioned to me that a second family member included testimony as a material witness that was actually the second-hand account of a *third* family member, who did not wish to testify. In short, according to family member one, who may also have been present at the time, this second family member said "I saw a,b,c, and d," when the truth was "I saw d and this other family member told us about a,b, and c." I know that testimony was important to the outcome of the trial and assume this information would have been damning to the prosecution's case at the time, but this was a long time ago and the person convicted has already exhausted all appeals on a life sentence without parole.

My question is whether there is any likelihood this information--if correct and provable--would make any difference, and whether there is any point in my sharing it with someone who at least might be in a position to do something about it, since all I have is possibly hearsay, and finally, whether it might be illegal for me *not* to say something.

Answer: Contact the innocence project. Unless the family member admits to lying then I doubt this will go any where.


Title: I was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico transporting a lot of marijuana. I have a couple questions.

Question:
I want to start off by saying that I'm a dumbass and I made some very poor decisions.

The facts:

I was arrested while traveling through Albuquerque with 33lbs of marijuana. I was charged with possession of more that 8 ounces, a class 4 felony. I was released on ROR and a hearing was scheduled. I've never been arrested before which is the reason (so I was told by the arresting officer) that I was only charged with the possession and not intent to distribute.  I live in the North East, far from New Mexico.

A lawyer is going to be provided to me by the person who I was moving the marijuana for, but I'm still very nervous.

My questions:

Is it likely that the DA will change the charges to intent?

If I only get probation, will I have to move to New Mexico? (I've heard from a number of people that the unofficial motto of New Mexico is "Come for vacation, stay for probation."

Is it likely that the lawyer will get an exemption for me to get out of flying back to NM for the hearing?

Thanks for any help.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer: You should get your own attorney. This isn't "goofed" territory this Megafucked country. Answer #2: So you were trafficking 30 pounds of weed? Interstate? Get an attorney. Not your boss’s attorney, your own damned attorney.


Title: [New York City] Is there a "fool-proof" way to go about neighbor harassment with the police?

Question:
I live in a (large) building with another family member. My upstairs neighbor has stalked and harassed us for years. For some reason, they seem to know our every location down to about a foot, and bang, drag or drop things over our heads constantly at almost all hours of the day especially while sleeping. (The floors are not very thin, ive tried putting my ear to my downstairs neighbors to test it and can barley hear. i dont know how we are being followed and targeted so precisely. We had the crazy idea they have an infrared camera that can see through the floor..)  Within the past month or so it has gotten significantly worse. It sounds like a machine or drill would be dragged across the floor and turned on over our heads or in our proximity. What that is we dont know. the sound is not very loud but very un settling, annoying and unnecessary.

(You can laugh or judge this part..its not as relevant just a very far side note) Mysteriously (maybe paranoia) there have been headaches and other health issues the other family member has been experiencing that are unexplained. they think its some sort of device that causes radiation or "damage" targeting them...crazy i know but thought I would include the family members point of view just in case.

Bottom line, this is crazy, we havent told anyone but complained about noise a few times to the building security. We want to go to the police and file some sort of harassment/ stalking complaint and/or restraining order b/c we fear the intentions of this person and for our safety. But are afraid of retaliation not only from the neighbor, but their family who we think lives nearby and knows who we are due to being pointed out by the neighbor. Even if they could get theoretically evicted, they may still be in the area housed with others.

We cannot easily move out. We are trying but it is very difficult. trust me we don't want to deal with this, which is why we want to go to the police.

Whats the first (and second) things we should do, especially so we dont sound like lying lunatics and can prove this and ensure our safety and sanity?

EDIT: there is more information disclosed in the comments
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You have absolutely no proof that this is happening. Do you have a carbon monoxide detector in your apartment?

The police won't be able to do anything at all except for ask them to keep the noise down. Answer #2: Your neighbour may be responsible for breaking a noise bylaw. Talk to your landlord, if you have one.

Headaches and other health issues that aren't explained from banging around? There isn't any radiation or weird device. Please make sure the batteries in their carbon monoxide detector are up to date or make sure they're physically in good health because that level of paranoia isn't normal.


Title: I had a seizure while driving and wrecked my car. I was written a ticket for "Failure to Maintain Control." How do I handle my court date? (VA)

Question:
So I've had seizures before but never while driving. I take medication for it every single day. I have specialist that I see regularly that I've been with for the past 6 or 7 years.
I was driving my dad's truck when the seizure happened. I totaled the truck but luckily nobody was seriously hurt. The police showed up immediately and I was written a wreckless driving ticket for "failure to maintain control."

I'm assuming my license will get suspended for this until I can prove that I haven't had seizures for a certain period of time. Are they going keep the ticket on my record or charge me a huge fine even though I had no control over the situation? Also, whats the best thing way to go about this through insurance?

Right now the truck is being covered through my dad's insurance because it's his truck. I'm currently insured as a driver under my parents in a family plan. Will it be more expensive to renew my plan under my parents or to get my own plan? (I'm 23 and don't want to burden them anymore)
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 > I'm assuming my license will get suspended for this until I can prove that I haven't had seizures for a certain period of time

Yes.  In VA it's 6 months without a seizure.  Either the officers at the scene or a doctor will report this to the DMV (they're required to) and the suspension will be automatic.

>  Are they going keep the ticket on my record or charge me a huge fine even though I had no control over the situation

I don't know how big the fine is, but yes.  In the eyes of the law, you did have control over the situation in that you could have chosen not to drive while having incompletely controlled epilepsy.  As you said, you're lucky you didn't seriously hurt yourself or someone else.  There's no real legal defense to what happened here.  You did "fail to maintain control".  There's pretty good evidence of that.  I don't see any real defense.

> Also, whats the best thing way to go about this through insurance?.....Will it be more expensive to renew my plan

That depends on your insurance policy.  They'll be notified because of the ticket.  As far as the cheapest way to remain insured, the only way to find out is to call around for quotes.  Answer #2: In my state you must be seizure free for a year to drive a vehicle. If that's the case w yours I wouldn't pursue any fight unless I was willing to abide by that law. My reasoning is that you would probably be under more heavy scrunity when you fight it. Sorry that happened to you. Answer #3: On a tangent, would the answer to this be any different if he had absolutely no history of seizures?


Title: [US and Canada] Is it possible to bring personally-owned Norinco firearms from Canada to the US?

Question: I am a dual citizen of the US and Canada, would it be legal for me to go up to Canada, get a firearms licence, purchase guns which are under embargo in the US, and then bring them back to the US?

Answer: You would need to go through the process of importing a firearm into the US.


Title: My mom passed away 5 years ago, family refuses to show me the will or give me anything they say I've been left, story always changes

Question:
When I was 17 my mom died from cancer, after her passing my family and I packed up her entire estate and put it into a climate controlled storage unit. With the exception of a few items that my grandma, aunt, and close friends of my mom took, I don't remember what they were exactly however I know some of it was expensive jewelry. My family all expressed verbally several several times that the belongings in this unit are mine. (However keep in mind over these last 5 years they keep asking about a egg incubator in the unit to which I've done research on and it's a Antique Des Moines egg incubator which is thousands of dollars.)

I've never seen the will from her but my grandma told me that I was left some money but I'll be given it once I'm older and more mature. Which is understandable it isn't smart for a 17 year old to have that much money I wasn't prepared. A few years later, I'm 19 and go visit a friend in England and I asked for money. My grandma said she would take it from what my mom left me, I got $1,000. At 21, I ask for the money to move out and she tells me its in a trust to be opened at a certain date, now 23 she tells me the money will go to my aunt once either my grandma or grandpa die, Then my aunt gets to distribute the money.

The past year or so I've been pushed by all members to sell stuff in the unit but during this year I had a falling out with my family and they're no longer on good terms with me. The past week or so I've been selling stuff from Facebook and one of my grandmas friends told her I was doing it and now they're trying to stop me from doing it. They changed the pass-code to get past the gate to the storage and when I went in to ask the worker about it; he told me I have to speak with my grandma. I've been unemployed for over a month now from being fired for having to take care of my girlfriend and she had to quit her job because she was to sick (whole different story). I'm on food stamps, unemployment but it's not enough and this was helping me get out of a financial hole.

What can I do?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: Talk to an estate litigation attorney about compelling disclosure of the terms of your inheritance, the terms of any trusts in which you have an interest, and accountings of the estate and of those trusts. You likely have a right to that information, and a letter from your attorney will probably get things moving.Answer #2: Contact an Estate attorney to pursue this.  They are lying about the money because they have either already spent it, or have no intention of letting you withdraw it.  A trust to be opened at a certain age is common, but given the story has changed this is not trustworthy.


Title: Harassment at work / discrimination ?

Question:
I missed 3 day's of work. Started Nov.4.

Had a meeting with the manager today who accused me of having a problem with addiction. I don't, I have a generalized anxiety disorder that makes me a bit weird + ADHD ( wouldn't be the first time I would have been accused of being on drugs )

They announced layoff's on my 3rd day of work there and I suspect I will be among the first to go, do I have any legal recourse?

Answer: No, and reposting won't change the answer.


Title: Why are some situation in which a US citizenship may get revoked against a citizen’s will?

Question:
Can a natural-born US citizen get their citizenship revoked against their will ?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: No.


Title: [CT] Could this be a case of medical negligence/malpractice?

Question:
This situation involves my 26 year old sister.
On Christmas Day 2017, she was brought to the ER by ambulance for an accidental drug overdose. She is not addicted to this drug and had only consumed a small amount by snorting, not that it is particularly relevant. She was administered Narcan prior to arriving at the hospital. She was told that her blood pressure was dangerously low. Drug overdoses are an epidemic in our area and the hospital staff was very cold toward her, not showing much concern or compassion. She was not given any form of counseling nor informed of any additional resources that she might want to utilize. They discharged her after about 7 hours of observation.

Her blood tests showed a slightly elevated creatinine level of 1.37 mg/dL, as well as several other abnormalities that were never discussed with her or addressed in the medical record. The cut off written on the test results is 1.3, but later doctors have told us that a level of 1.1 is more appropriate for an adult female. She was uninsured and does not have a doctor. The medical record states that she was discharged with instructions to follow up with her primary care physician, but they never actually said this to her- they didn’t give her any instruction for follow up at all, did not inform her of symptoms which should prompt her to return to the hospital, and never called her to follow up either. A doctor who treated her later in the same hospital network said that the standard policy for patients who are not insured and/or don’t have a doctor is to set them up with an appointment with one of the hospital doctors prior to discharge.

After being discharged, she felt unwell for two weeks. She was unable to keep food down and was throwing up quite a bit. Then her face and ankles became swollen. She returned to the ER two weeks after the overdose incident due to these symptoms building up. They were about to discharge her when the doctor looked over her test results again and realized she was in acute renal failure. Her creatinine levels were 33 mg/dL, which was a pretty dramatic decline in function as typically the levels rise by 1 per day during acute kidney failure. She was admitted to the hospital where she stayed for almost two weeks getting dialysis treatments. She has now been discharged and needs ongoing outpatient dialysis. The doctors think that the kidney failure was caused by the period of low blood pressure that occurred at the time of the overdose. A biopsy ruled out an autoimmune response as a possible cause.

Is this a case of negligence in her initial hospital visit for the drug overdose? She was given very minimal treatment IMO considering that she had just survived a life threatening ordeal. It is well known that sustained periods of low pressure can cause damage to organs, especially kidneys, and her test results at the time indicated that there might have been a developing issue. I feel that they should have kept her for longer observation, informed her of the possible future complications or health issues, educated her about resources for substance abuse, and set up a follow up appointment knowing that she is uninsured with no doctor or at least contacted her after a few days to check on her. If she had not returned to the hospital when she did, she could have died. And she was reluctant to go back after such dismissive treatment, being viewed as a “junkie.” Thankfully she is alive, but had to quit her job and needs to get dialysis 3 times a week, with the possibility of permanent kidney damage. If the kidney failure had been caught sooner that could’ve been avoided.

Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 As always, medical malpractice is very fact specific blah blah blah. I think it is somewhat unlikely that a random spot creatinine of 1.3 in a 26-year-old would or should provoke an extended period of observation or workup for renal failure. It's also quite uncertain that observation would prevent the eventual need for dialysis, as in principle the insult to the organs had already occurred before the patient even presented to the emergency department. Routine follow-up on an outpatient basis seems like it would have met the standard of care in this situation.Answer #2: Lol wut. There's no hospital in the country that looks at a Cr of 1.3 and says OMG this person is going to next dialysis soon, especially in someone who has a good reason for a creatinine increase (overdosing, and, like most junkies, probably malnourished). Not to mention that there's no treatment for that anyway so you have no damages. Hospitals aren't required to be your babysitter, nor are they required to help junkies get their lives back together.

Tell your sister to stop being a drug addict.Answer #3: Listen to the Bot. Med malpractice is very fact specific. Answer #4: She an addict and the drug she used was opiate based if narcan got her back. opiate use, can damage the kidney especially heroin. The hospital treated her medical the same way as someone with insursnce. She got discharged with instructions to follow up with her primary physician. There is not really a case here, but if you wish to purse this. You need to consult an attorney


Title: [TX,USA] GF who is not on the lease that I rent refuses to move out

Question:
GF has been living with me for the last 7 months but refuses to leave after I have dumped her saying that we are "common law married"

I found this link http://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/common-law-marriage-in-texas.html

Is there anything I can do to make her move?

Answer:
 You need to give her one month notice to vacate, in writing.

If she doesn't leave after a month, you take her to court to evict her.