Title: Doctor breached confidentiality ... help

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I am in the US and am unsure how UK confidentiality laws differs from US ones, so take this with a grain of salt. In the US, mental health professionals (and a few others) are required to report if they think their patient might harm them or others, or if they hear a report that a child is being abused. (In the US, you get this information upon intake, I don't know if this is something you received when you first started seeing this doc or if it's something you could ask for?)

 I'm not an expert on BPD, but it sounds like your counselor is having to make judgment calls (potentially with other patients too, not just you) about whether any particular suicidal remark is a BPD person talking like a BPD  person, or if they've tipped over into make serious threats or having concrete plans. Something about the way you conveyed your feelings this time made them extra worried, and they made a judgment call.

I think you could do a few things:

-report them to their professional board. It sounds like you don't want to do this.

-ask for a new doc

-ask your current  doc if you can clarify reporting procedures and/or change your emergency contact info. If your parents abused you, I can see why you don't want your doctor calling them, but your doctor needs someone to call if they think you're suicidal. You probably can't stop the call from going out, but you can get a better idea from your doc about what they will and won't say and who they'll call if this situation occurs again.


Title: Sons friend damaged neighbors house

Question:
So my son and a friend of his were playing in the backyard and decided it would be a good idea to hit golf balls. Naturally one (hit by my sons friend) hit the neighbors window. The neighbor came and told me about it and I then walked to the kids house and told his mom. She said I could tell the neighbor where they lived so they could settle it.

When I told the neighbor, he felt that:

A) It’s my responsibility, not the friends, to deal with
B) I should contact a company to do the repairs (in addition to paying for it).

I’ll call my insurance company tomorrow, but was wondering your thoughts.

Thanks,

-Scott
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: It’s the responsibility of the parents of the child who caused the damage.


Title: $40 was taken out of my debit card the other night, what will the police and my banks do if I call then and file a report?

Question:
(New Mexico) A few nights ago, I got a statement from my bank saying $40 was taken out of my account from an ATM, and I had them freeze my account immediately before any other ATM or online purchases were made
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: In North Korea where I assume you're located and somehow managed to post from, they will imprison your family.


Title: [North Carolina] 5 cars. 4 got hit. I was in the back, in dad's car, and the one at fault got away. First accident.

Question:
I'm driving along the highway, I'm behind an SUV. Left lane. The surrounding traffic is all going 50 in a 55, including us. Right lane is empty. (two lanes.) We're driving along and suddenly the SUV pulls off into the median, and passes all of the stopped cars at an intersection, it was backed up a lot but no one was in the right lane so you couldn't tell. It's on a hill, we were so far back I couldn't see the light either.

The SUV must've been no more than 8 feet away from the car in front of him, I've got barely any more than that to stop. Feet on the brakes, my car slides. Bam. Got I was scared, I was fucking screaming because I thought i was dying. Surprisingly, I'm fine. Car's fucked to hell.

I get out, the car behind me stopped maybe 2 feet from my bumper. They're out of the car, I wave and say I'm fine. Arm is bleeding a bit. I checked the car in front of me, I ask if she's okay, and she says "oh, hey! I'm fine." I went to middle school with her. I look ahead, and two more people get out of their cars. They're fine, too.

They all saw the SUV zoom by, and through the red light and ask what happened. The car behind me that got close to hitting me, explained. There were skid marks from the SUV showing where it all took place. Damn I was scared. This just took place 2 hours ago.

We all introduce ourselves and talk, and basically decide that the SUV driver is an asshole. Cops show up, everyone talks to them. Paperwork takes a while. Male Officer gives me a *ticket for failure to reduce speed to avoid colliding w/ vehicle.* Female officer is kinda of pissed about that, says it should've been a no fault.

*So now what?* I have no idea what happens now. It was my dad's car, mine was in the shop. The car I hit, and the car in front you can't tell have been hit. The car second to the front, it's front end is a little fucked. If I'm understanding right, because I got a ticket, when and if people file a claim, they'll charge my dad's insurance? And then his rates go up? PLUS I have a ticket, PLUS we need a new car most likely. We haven't called insurance yet, waiting until dad gets home.

Is that about right? Correct me if that's not how it works, and any advice in the situation is helpful.

**TL;DR:** Going 50 on the highway, SUV swerves into the grass and goes through red light, I hit car in front of where the SUV was, it was stopped. Pileup happens. Was Dad's car. I have a ticket. I have no idea how insurance or laws work. halp.

Answer:
 If you were at 50 MPH with only 8 feet between your car and the car in front of you, you were WAY too close.

The rule is one car length for every 10 MPH when I went through Drivers Ed...Answer #2: > Male Officer gives me a ticket for failure to reduce speed to avoid colliding w/ vehicle. Female officer is kinda of pissed about that, says it should've been a no fault.

I don't see how she came to that conclusion.  You did fail to reduce speed to avoid an accident.  I'm not sure who else she thinks would've been at fault here.

Answer #3: The ticket is fair, you should've allowed enough room to safely stop your vehicle without hitting the car in front of you. You and your father should report it to his insurance company and they'll have quite a bit to deal with. You're correct in thinking that his rates will likely go up. Your insurance company will deal with the other driver(s) and work things out.


Title: Is it legal to register your car in a different county to pay less taxes?

Question: You live in one county, another county has lower taxes, so you register with a family member that lives there. What is the legality of this? What is the punishment if found out? I guess it would vary by state, so if I could get a general answer or at least pointed in the right direction, that's good enough. Yes, I tried googling it myself. All the results were irrelevant. I guess it's either not a common scenario, or no one gets caught for it. I'm not the one doing; I'm on the receiving end, a family member's car is registered at my house. I don't even understand the benefit, unless different counties have significantly different car registration fees or something. Is this typical? What costs are even associated with this? I don't even have a car so I have no idea.

Answer:
 Is it legal to <some kind of deception in order to avoid or reduce taxes> ?

There is only one answer to that form of question, generally independent of what's between the brackets.


Title: My current employer "disclosed" incorrect info to a prospective employer that could potentially result in me losing an amazing career opportunity. What steps should I take from here?

Question:
Just as a precursor this is in the state of Missouri, and the position I am being considered for is a government job that requires a security clearance.  From what I can tell this info was obtained from my employer by an investigator with the Office of Personnel Management. (Just in case there's a different set of laws for disclosing info to prospective employers when it's federal or requires a security clearance.)

Background: I've been with my current employer (large retailer) just shy of 6 years.  I have always been a top performer through different locations/departments/positions.  I have missed some time due to a toddler with a disability.  About 12 months ago my direct supervisor was fired and 3-4 months later they  finally hired a new direct supervisor.  My new supervisor and I got along fine at first, but a few weeks in we had a disagreement and he started going out of his way to come down on me for anything/everything.  Within a month he documented me (twice) for attendance.  (The issues were from before he was hired-okayed by my previous supervisor/HR but apparently never entered correctly in the system.)  I was hating anything and everything that had to do with work because of my supervisor, my wife's business had grown to a size that could support us, and we were having a rough patch keeping our 2 year old son's seizures under control.  I decided to transfer out of my department/position to a position that required less hours and no stress of a target being painted on my back.  I explained to my employer that my reason for requesting that transfer was to spend more time/care for my son.  That was about 5 months ago and I haven't had any issues since.

Now: I was called yesterday by an investigator working on my background check for prospect job (I have already tested/passed all required tests for job, been selected, and received a TOL pending the results of receiving my security clearance.  Today I met with the investigator and reviewed all of the info I submitted and I had to clarify a couple of my responses and confirm employment dates but all seemed well.  At the very end tells me that during his investigation they contacted my employer to confirm my answers.  My employers response was something along the lines of this: "Attendance issues, unreliable, resigned after being disciplined and being told his job was at risk."

The guy is sitting across the table from me and is giving me this look like he just busted somebody on law and order.  He asked me if I had any explanation or response and why I didn't mention that.  I started laughing and was like "Uh, I still work there...?".  In the end he said they would look into it further, but I'm still pretty upset with the situation.

I can only think of three ways this could have happened.
1.They looked at info from the wrong employee file somehow.
2.They looked at my file and it's incorrect.
3.They called my supervisor listed on my original forms and he gave them this info over the phone.

What should my next steps be?  I can't tell if my employer did anything wrong legally by giving this information out.  I hope to get this sorted out with HR first thing in the morning, but I'd like to have a better grasp on the legal aspect of this before I go in.  Unless there is different policy for this type of prospective employer, company policy was definitely broken (per policy HR can only disclose job title/location/dates).  Do I settle for them removing the "Resigned...." section?  One last thing to note is that per law in Missouri (from what I see)-any requested information must be sent to a prospective employer in writing, as well as a copy sent to the employee at their last known address.  I definitely have not received anything of the sort in the mail from my employer, should I request a copy of this from them regardless of outcome?

&nbsp;

Update: It's been a bit over a week since my original post so I thought I'd post an update for the folks who requested it.  Thursday morning I spoke with our HR manager and to make a long story short she was not aware of any request for info.  I explained the situation and made sure to note that the only name I listed on my paperwork was my previous supervisor.  She told me she had no idea how OPM would have obtained the review that they did, but really didn't seem worried or concerned that it happened.  She offered to verify that I was still working there-but I was getting the vibe that was about the only thing she was willing to do or say to fix the situation.  I thanked her for her time and set off to do some homework on our company policy.  (Side note-I was able to review my personal file and was able to verify that the information in it was correct.)
Sunday morning when I went in my previous supervisor was working as well so I casually asked him if he had received any requests for information about me for a background check.  His response was "Yeah actually...a couple of months ago I got a call but it was sort of confusing.  They just asked some questions and I answered them, just told them you were a good guy and good to work with, a bunch of yes/no questions and stuff like that.  I don't want to get too detailed because I had to sign something."

&nbsp;
As

&nbsp;

Edit:Spelling and corrected a mistake

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: This is almost certainly a mistake. The chance that anybody in HR is out to get you is slim to none. The investigator will clear things up; that's his job. He doesn't want to disqualify an otherwise qualified candidate over a paperwork error.


Title: [NJ] Ex-boyfriend won't stop calling my work

Question:
I dated a guy for about four months and then broke it off because it just wasn't working. Since then, he's gone full whackadoo. Showing up at my house, calling/texting dozens of times per day, sending me flowers and gifts, etc. etc. He's not threatening, just annoying.

I know sooner or later he's going to realize that he's not getting the response he wants and give up, so I can just keep ignoring most of this stuff til then. However, in the past month he's started calling my job pretty regularly, and that's not something I can just let slide. My manager has been sympathetic, but once our big boss inevitably finds out I strongly suspect that she'll be less so. Also, the entire department now knows about it, so it's a hot topic of gossip, which is sort of embarrassing.

Would it be worth my money to hire a lawyer and see if they can do anything about this? I work in an ER, so anyone and everyone can call us, and we're really not allowed to screen calls. My manager has said that if it continues, she'll talk to our own legal department or risk management about it, but I sense that she's reluctant to do that (she thinks it'll reflect badly on her I guess? I'm not sure).

Also, I've read that sometimes taking legal action against people like this just encourages them to continue for longer because it's like acknowledgment that they exist. If there's anyone here with experience with this kind of situation, what do you recommend? Even if a lawyer could help, would it be better to just keep ignoring him?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Answer:
 >Would it be worth my money to hire a lawyer and see if they can do anything about this?

You might first want to file a police report for harassment and see about getting a no-contact order against this guy. At the moment the best a lawyer can do is send a cease and desist letter, which is essentially an expensive nastygram.Answer #2: > he's going to realize that he's not getting the response he wants and ~~give up~~ escalate his behavior

NAL, but you have no way of knowing that he will give up. In fact, he is displaying textbook stalking behavior. It might not be threatening now, but it may very well become threatening in the future. Save yourself possible future trauma and get a Cease and Desist order or Restraining order asap.


Title: My apartment management is making my life hell...

Question: I moved into a new apartment in Seattle mid December. They had just renovated the entire complex and the agent showing me the apartment assured me that the only things left to be done were painting and removing the carpet. Two days after signing the lease, it was obvious that that wasn't the case. They are demoing the entire opposite side of the hall from me and conveniently haven't rented out any other apartments on my level. The noise is so loud it wakes me up in the morning and constantly makes me jump, the construction workers prop the doors open all day so the building isn't secure and it's not the safest part of town. I have had people harass me in the hallways now and someone is always in my parking spot so I can't even use that when I pay almost $200 a month for it. I've been trying to get in contact with the management company but they refuse to meet with me or call me and I only have an email address to get in contact. This is only the tip of the iceberg and I haven't even lived here for two months. Is there something I can do? Even if it's just to get money off my rent?

Answer:
 What time are they doing construction (start to stop)?

Unless there is language in your lease, locked front door for the general property and protection from weirdos in the hallway are not an issue that your landlord needs to fix for you.

With respect to the parking spot, you may have an issue, will let other posters respond. There should be a method of enforcing that (e.g., towing).


Title: Son or offender?

Question:
Long story, I've tried to condense and still include the relevant details. Location is pennsylvania.

I have a son who now lives with his mother. Up until 2 months ago I never paid support for him and I had joint custody. I never paid support because I regularly helped when needed/asked. It was just never an issue.

Now for the longer part. My son was caught in bed with my daughter. They have different mothers and I'm married to the mother of my daughter. This happened in February. I called the police myself and counseling was made mandatory when he was placed on probabtion. 7/8 months down the road it's clear he isn't doing what he needs to be and doesn't have any remorse and I feel he would do it again given the oppurtunity. His counselors and his probation officer disagree and think he is making progress. 2 months ago I stopped him from coming back to my house at all. I felt my daughter was having a header time with him in the house and she needed to come first as the victim. CYS became involved because my daughter told her counselor "new information" and they opened a case. Now he denies that he did this (what my daughter recently said, not the whole thing) and his counselor said my daughter is just blaming him because she can. She's 8. CYS has said that he will be indicated as a perpetrator and he cannot come to stay at my house at all. My daughter has had several appointments with professionals, and a physical exam proving rape. My son denies it. He swears he only kissed her, felt her up, rubbed against her and only had thoughts of other things. She has stated he penetrated her and had her perform oral.He is 14 and she is 8. I'm taking her word because 1. I caught him in her bed. 2. She doesn't have any reason to lie at age 8. And 3. She still doesn't even realize this whole situation is wrong. One of the interviews stated she talked about the incidents like she would describe what happened at school today.

Now for the advice part. My son's mother is insisting I pay child support and said she will be filing those papers. This may sound ignorant but I don't think I  should be paying my daughter's rapist a dime. He has been convicted through the court, found guilty by cys(Not officially but coming in the next few weeks), and has still continued to lie. CYS also said that if they determine these are feliny charges he will also be removed from his mothers care. I've spent every Saturday afternoon with him since I stopped him from coming to my house, after her exam came back and proved penetration and I haven't spent any time with him since(approx. A month ago). My question is what if anything can I do to not pay? His mom thinks as its still my son I should still be responsible, I actually see her point but in any other situation I wouldn't be required to support the person that raped my daughter. I'm emotionally exhausted and could use advice to be prepared.

Answer: Child support doesn't go to the child, it goes to the custodial parent to offset the expenses of raising a child. What your son did or didn't do is irrelevant to you owing his mother child support.


Title: An ex-boyfriend of my wife is lying on official court documents to get custody of his biological daughter. (GA)

Question:
I'm sorry if my thoughts are choppy and unorganized, this just now happened and I haven't had enough time to process it. Three years ago, my wife (N) gave birth to her first daughter. About six months after that, she met me and her ex (R) kidnapped their daughter, (S). N was able to get her back by tracking him down and getting the sheriffs department involved. No charges were filed. He had kidnapped her because N and I had started dating. This is straight from him, there is no speculation on my part. N and I quickly married and moved so that he wouldn't find us. Since then he had called her constantly, sometimes four or five times a day, and she never answered after the first time when she told him that she did not trust him around her daughter after he kidnapped her. She had no plans to exclude him from her life before he did that. Sometime later, he tried to commit suicide by running a garden hose from the tailpipe of his car into the cab while in a public place. What happened to him after that is a mystery to me.

Fast forward to today. N gets served with papers for a civil lawsuit. R has used my last name on the official documents in an effort to serve N. He has also stated that they were/are married, which is not true either way. He has basically assumed my identity in order to contact her with these papers. What course of action do we have? has he damaged his case by lying like this?

Answer:
 You bring these things up in court. Let the judge decide what to do.

Hiring an attorney is the best option


Title: Do I have to raise my baby if his father won't, but won't consent to an adoption?

Question:
My husband and I had our very wanted first child 4 months ago. My mental health very quickly deteriorated to the point where I was admitted to a mother and baby unit for several weeks. I'm currently working with a psychologist but it looks like I'm being given a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder alongside my pre-existing diagnoses of depression, anxiety and anorexia.

Obviously I am in no fit state to raise a child. I moved back to my home town for support raising our daughter after I was discharged from inpatient care. My husband's mental health has now deteriorated to the state where his anger is uncontrollable and he's saying he no longer wants to be married. I can't and won't raise a baby we both wanted alone. He won't consent to adoption and social services keep discharging us instead of taking our daughter into care.

Can I force an adoption without his consent, or failing that, can I force him to take the baby and just pay child support? She deserves stability and neither of us can provide it.

Location UK

Answer:
 /r/legaladviceuk

I would ask social services how to voluntarily surrender your child I'd you're sure. Or take the child to his father's family and leave it with them if you think they'd care for it. Not sure if the UK has safe havens.Answer #2: You might get some better/more relevant advice in r/legaladviceuk, but as far as I know you can't give the child up for adoption without his consent.

If you plan on divorcing your husband, custody would need to be addressed during that time, and presumably you could make your wishes known then. (I'm not sure how that works in the UK though.)Answer #3: Contact child protective services. Tell them you can't care for your child. They will help you. They might put your child in a foster home or look to the father and extended family to care for him. Make sure you share your recent medical history with them.

This is a child protection issue. Answer #4: Does he want custody of the child?


Title: [California] I saw a sign for most wanted for hit & run at the gas station

Question: I saw a sign for most wanted for hit & run at the gas station in 2011, I think I know the picture but I'm not 100% positive. I told the gas attendant and he didn't seem to care. How can I ask the police if the crime was actually reported and that I think I recognize the person in the picture without putting myself in hot water?

Answer: Why exactly would you be in hot water?


Title: [California] Medical facility employer has cameras and checks the live camera feed while employees work. When there is downtime and there are no patients on the floor, are employers allowed to see via camera what you are doing for no apparent reason?

Question: Its obvious that employers would check cameras if something shady or illegal were to happen. I was wondering if employers were allowed to see the cameras for no apparent reason and just to check what you are doing. Some of my coworkers get calls from one of the employers and get a little verbal warning about cellphones being out via live camera footage. I understand that phones brought out in front of patients is unprofessional. Most of the employees here understand that patient care comes first before personal needs. We do our duties properly and professionally. On the live camera feed you can definitely see if patients are occupying the room with the door closed. We are constantly on the move and when there is downtime we sit at our computer nurse station viewing our phones. Is the employer allowed to be the vulture constantly watching our every move when there is nothing to be suspicious of?

Answer: Sure, so long as employees are aware of the cameras; they're not recording audio; and are not present in spaces where there could be an expectation of privacy (bathrooms or break room).  There's no condition that they can only operate during certain times.


Title: Baltimore, MD - Can I deduct money for bottled water purchased if my landlord shuts off water for the day?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Likely not.

These situations happen when maintenance needs to be conducted.

It is similar to when the power company shuts off power to conduct maintenance.  You cannot go after the power company for the cost of your generator.


Title: Possible rape charges

Question:
So I'm looking for advice. There is a lot of backstory to this that I'll try to avoid since I don't think it's necessary.

Me and my GF had been dating for 6 years. The last 4 however she was having an affair with my best friend. Durring this time they had a few on off moments, one durring him getting married to his now wife. After the marriage my GF and him weren't together for a few months, untill he forced himself on her. She's come to realize that this time, and several other were she said no could infact have been rapes, that she was In denial over due to guilt. What is the legal recourse of these instances? They were all several years ago.

Thanks in Advance.

Answer:
 She can contact the police and file a report.

She should also seek support and counseling with crisis centers or support groups in your area.


Title: no idea if I have anything with this.. I submitted a complaint against an online game company and I got retaliated the day after. by banning me on false claims.

Question: I am based in Virgina/ DC and the company is based in Germany : Yesterday I thought a submitted a complaint to Paypal about a Online Game company who's been holding my money for the past week, and about how their process takes additional 7 business days to process back to paypal to refund my money which will take additional 4-5 business days, I also noted how their online purchase system is seriously screwed up and they could not confirmed my account identity properly and made me purchase a digital item for another account and just directed me to paypal for the final submission.  When I submitted my complaint in paypal.. it looks like the message that I sent to paypal was sent directly to the online game company. The Next day I got a message saying I am banned for using a 3rd party script program, lol.. I told them the only program close being a 3rd party was Teamviewer on my Android phone since they were unable to produce a working client for the android phone "per their website advertisement but change after they fully release the game saying its undetermined.. which is a different story of false advertisement"  I reviewed their TOS and does not state anything about not using a remote desktop client, just saying do not  use script or bottling program to manipulate the game.  I have been harassing them in the past few days being frustrated with their process and also made remarks about reporting them for false advertisements ..  so am I screwed and cant do anything just suck it up and move on like another pawn?

Answer:
 The terms of service that you agreed to when you made an account will always state that they can terminate your access to the game at anytime. Since you agreed to that, there's really nothing else to it.

>I have been harassing them in the past few days being frustrated with their process and also made remarks about reporting them for false advertisements ..

So just to confirm: you told a company that you were going to falsely accuse them of something and openly admit to "harassing" their support staff, and think that they are somehow required by law to continue providing service to you?

Yeah, no. They are fully within their rights to refuse service to you, and in fact, it is just purely good business sense to do so. There's no good that can come from allowing a customer like you to continue playing their game.


Title: Roommates may potential screw me over

Question:
Throwaway just in case.

Since October I've been renting a room out of a 2BR apartment from my friend and his GF. After a while I couldn't stand living with them as the place was always trashed, they always fought, slamming doors, blasting TV, etc.

Anyways their lease ends on April 29th. I already have a new place lined up but was informed that they have to renew their lease a month early and that rent was going up, or they'd have to pay month to month because rent is due for a month in advance.

I have a new place lined up, but in the rental agreement between us 30 days notice must be given for any changes. I overheard them talking about switching to a 1BR which would leave me essentially homeless for about 2-3 weeks until I can get into my new place.

Is there anything I can do about this? Before this I was willing to pay one month of the new rate and give them a couple hundred on top out of good faith/having to find a new roommate. Now I'm wondering what I'm supposed to do inbetween places. Would they be on the hook for any storage expenses or other expenses for violating the 30 day notice? I assume that they'd be moving into the place at the end of the month.

Answer:
 You must be leaving something out because I don't see how you're getting screwed at all.

Lease ends in April. You have a place lined up for afterwards. They will be downsizing when the lease ends. Where are you getting screwed?


Title: I just bought a house I may need to get out of it. (Utah)

Question: Back in May I just bought a house with my brother. My life might end up taking me to places out of state and a career change may make it Impossible to make the mortgage payments. He wants to wait at least 5 years to sell the house. If push came to shove am I able to forcefully remove myself from the deed without his consent?

Answer:
 Sure. You can quit claim the deed to him. (Well really, that would likely violated your mortgage and they could call the loan)

You are still responsible for the mortgage.

So no, the best you could do is file suit to force your brother to sell. Which will take time and cost money


Title: I was in an accident with no insurance

Question:
So 2 days ago I was in a car accident luckily no one was hurt and it wasnt my fault but I had just recently brought the car so I didn't have insurance so what I'm requesting is legal advice on how to handle this case and get some of my money back from the car. Thank you
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: What do you mean that you just bought the car so you dont have jnsurance?


Title: (WA) Homeless keeps sneaking into our garage. Wife is threatening action

Question:
Guys, I don’t know what to do about this and want to check the legal implications.

Long story short, both me and my wife travel extensively and the house is empty for around 2-3 days a week, sometimes more. We have cameras and alarm systems in place. Starting last month, a homeless couple/family snuck into our detached garage and slept, ate, defecated in there. When we came home, my wife was obviously scared, called the cops but by that time the homeless were gone. Police say they “make efforts to locate the individuals”. Yeah, seems to work wonderfully so far. We went away for 4 days and when we arrived back, we found the same signs of invasion in our garage. In addition to the outrage of some people shitting and sleeping in my garage, I am seriously concerned because my wife is the first one to come home. She has a concealed carry permit and carries a handgun with her at all times. Last night, I don’t know how serious she was, but she said she will shoot them next time if she finds them in the garage again.

Now, my question is, is she legally allowed to shoot them? If I come home, or she does, and find strangers camped in our garage, can we defend ourselves? Thanks!

Clarification: my garage is locked BUT there is a little latch for our dog to come in and out. We tried locking that but the homeless forced it open again. I made an appointment with a contractor today to come and “seal” everything just in case.

Answer:
 >Now, my question is, is she legally allowed to shoot them?

Just for being in the garage? No. That is a very bad idea.

You may want to get a camera. Answer #2: Get one of the alarm systems with a camera that you can link to your phone that alerts you when anyone is there. That way you can call the police when you're away and they can arrive while the perpetrators are still there


Title: I don't feel safe with this apartment neighbor. What can I do?

Question:
Cross-post from /r/AskLeo.

I live in NJ, and this morning after exiting my building I was greeted by "Motherf***er, wanna fight?" from this neighbor who's standing on his balcony staring straight down at me.

This guy has freaked me out since Day 1. He's yelled things in Spanish (or some other language, I can't tell) at before me in a hostile tone when I've left the building, and when I open my door sometimes he'll pop open of his and say more weird crap, only to quickly close his door again.

Until now, I thought he was talking to someone on Bluetooth or something. There's no denying it now though, and I'm seriously afraid that he'll try to physically attack me. I often work late and come home at night, so it'd be easy for him to do something. What can I do? If it comes to it, I would move if I can legally break the lease.

If there's anything I did, it must be super-minute because I can't remember a thing in the past 1.5 months. Rather, he plays music/TV excessively loudly, lounges around in underclothes, and litters the front of the building with cigarettes, etc. He seems unemployed, and given the cost of renting these apartments, I suspect he's into some criminal activities - which is why I feel especially threatened.

Answer: If you're threatened, call the police. That's pretty much the extent of your recourse options.


Title: Business partner will not give me half

Question: I started a fitness company with my best friend a year ago and the agreement was that I would put up the initial funding and run the business while he trains the clients an manages the client relationships. In exchange we each get 50%. Now that we are making money he is keeping all of it and refuses to give me half because I'm "not out there in the heat training". What can I do legally to get the money I'm already owed and what actions can I take to ensure I get my half of all forward revenue? (Texas)

Answer: Well, what exactly are you owed? What does the operating agreement/partnership agreement say?


Title: Car accident this morning left my dad on life support. Liability? (PA, US)

Question:
My dad was a passenger in a car involved in a head-on collision early this morning. I know the driver has been charged with a DUI, but she walked away unhurt, while he ended up in the ICU on life support, and has since passed away. I'm legally his next of kin, because I'm his only child over 21 (my younger brother is 19, I'm 26, but the hospital told us 21 was the age for NOK).

Do I have any kind of recourse against the driver? I'm in a really tight situation financially; realistically I could barely afford to make the trip up to handle everything, and I definitely can't afford his final expenses. He's not married (he and my mother split up about ten years ago) and there's no one who can help me -- he's also got practically nothing to his name to go through his final estate to pay for it. The funeral home is doing everything they can to help me (we're going for direct cremation; he didn't want any services, we just spoke about it last month actually), but they also suggested that I definitely talk to a lawyer, because the driver is most definitely at fault and her insurance should be paying for this.

I have literally no idea what I should be doing. Can anyone give me any advice? I'd be grateful for any advice at all.

(ETA, mods, I have no idea what to tag this -- insurance? DUI? Something else entirely? Help!)

Answer:
 OP- I'm *incredibly* sorry for your loss. I would suggest that for the time, you take the time to mourn your father's loss and deal with only the most immediate concerns.

In terms of managing his final expenses, it's likely you'll need to scrape together whatever money you and/or your father had and possibly ask the funeral home if they can provide you a payment plan (essentially a no interest loan) for your father's preparations.

The other driver likely has at least some liability (it sounds like a lot of liability), but they/their insurance aren't going to get you any money as quickly as you need it. You are going to want to consult with a personal injury attorney, but doing so today (or even in the next week) isn't going to get you any money in the time you need it.Answer #2: This is obviously terrible news, and I am very sorry for your loss.

There are obvious routes for financial compensation, two of which require you to meet with a PI attorney immediately.  First you need to probate your dad's estate so you can stand in his shoes to sue.
First route is a lawsuit against the drunk driver, second is against the driver of the car your father was a passenger in.  The third, and potentially the fastest is available if your dad had uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.  You can put in a policy limits claim with your father's insurer immediately.


Title: AT&T wireless suspended my cell phone without notice, claiming I am in violation of the terms of service. I think they are wrong. Could I get an opinion?

Question:
I'm in Colorado, USA.

My AT&T GoPhone, on the $45/month Unlimited Voice, 6Gig data plan was suspended (without notice) earlier this week. When I was finally able to call in, they told me it was because I make too many conference calls, and this is prohibited by the terms of service. They are claiming me calling into a conference bridge for a conference call is prohibited.

 I found the relevant term and quoted them below, but I disagree my calling is disallowed under this. I've bolded the clause they are citing. I would almost agree that without the part in parens it **might** apply to my situation, but that it definitely doesn't with the part in parens.

>Unlimited Voice Services. Unlimited voice services are provided for reasonably uninterrupted live dialogue between two individuals. AT&T may, in its sole discretion, terminate your Service or change your plan to one with no unlimited voice usage if AT&T reasonably determines or has a reasonable basis to believe that you are engaged in any of the following prohibited activities: (1) tethering GoPhone service except as expressly permitted herein; (2) maintaining an open line of communication to provide dispatch or monitoring services; **(3) accessing or providing access to multi-party chat line services (separate calls initiated by you but not bridged together);** (4) using the Service with a SIM box or SIM server network to generate or simulate voice calls; (5) transmitting broadcasts; (6) transmitting pre-recorded materials; (7) telemarketing; (8) initiating autodialed calls; (9) initiating any other calls or connections that are not for the purposes of uninterrupted live dialog between individuals; (10) using the Service for any fraudulent purpose; or (11) reselling or rebilling the Service either alone or as part of any other good or service).

Answer:
 Dialing into a conference bridge does not meet that, no.

That said, I am quite sure that AT&T's license says "and we can boot you when we feel like it."


Title: My dad is the owner of my car and insists I continue to use plates and insurance from a state that neither of us lives in.

Question:
I apologize if this post is a bit clumsy, all of this stuff is a bit confusing for me.

I am living in California. I moved out here for my masters from my home in Michigan a little over a year ago, but withdrew from school to work shortly after starting.

I drove out here in my car, which is registered in Michigan under my dad's name and is covered by his Michigan insurance. This creates what seems to be two separate issues that both stem from the same area.

As I am no longer a student, I have been informed that it is required that my car is registered in the state of California 21 days after moving here. I have informed my dad of this, especially after being warned by a police officer. My dad insists, however, that if I ever come into contact with police to tell them I am a student out here from Michigan.

Then there is the insurance issue too. The car is insured in my father's name with Michigan insurance. Here's the thing: My dad moved to Texas at the end of 2015 and sold his house. So neither of us lives in Michigan anymore. He has instructed me that if I ever need to contact the insurance, I must tell them the same thing: I am a student out here from Michigan and DO NOT let them know that he has moved out of the state of Michigan.

I have tried many times to convince him to allow me to register the vehicle in California. I have tried researching this online, but it can get a bit confusing. If I am correct, it seems that I need a written letter from the owner of the vehicle in order to register the car in California (since he is not able to be there in person), but he does not agree. He just renewed the registration and tags for my car for the state of Michigan and had my younger brother (who lives in Michigan) mail the tags to me. I understand that he is trying to do me a favor by preventing me from having to pay car insurance (my own financial resources are what you might call 'limited'), but all of this creates a lot of confusion and anxiety on my end regarding what I am to do as well as fear of getting into any sort of accident.

On top of this I was rear-ended on the freeway last night and while my dad is pushing me to file a police report I am terrified of the idea. I am not a good liar at all and have not been in school for almost a year. I am afraid of what may happen if I am caught in this lie.

I hope I have posted this in the right place and would appreciate any advice on how to deal with this/these issue(s).

Answer:
 > I am a student out here from Michigan and DO NOT let them know that he has moved out of the state of Michigan

That is insurance fraud. It will invalidate your insurance if you ever have to make a claim.

If you were in an accident then filing a police report is a great idea. Lying on a police report is a very very bad idea. Answer #2: The legally of what your dad is asking is questionable. He likely wants to dodge CA's stricter car registration laws and higher car insurance.

You can bet that if you get into an accident, and your insurance company figures out that the car has been driven in CA for several years without reporting it to them, they will likely drop you.

You can register a car in the state of CA without a title (via a non-transferable registration), but you will need the owner's permission to do so if they're not present.


Title: Management says I owe other tenant $, Maine USA

Question:
I received a phone call today from my old management company saying that they did an inspection of the wiring of the apartment after I moved out, and discovered that half of my old apartment's electricity had been charged to another tenant.

They are looking to charge (recover?) almost $300 from me for the two years I lived there to reimburse the other tenant.

Am I responsible for the buildings faulty electrical wiring? I don't have $300 to spare.

Answer:
 They almost certainly are just guessing as to the $300 value (after all just because half your outlets are wired to the other apartment doesn't mean you used half of your electricity on those outlets). They likely can't prove any of this. Just ask for proof and dispute whatever vague assertions they come up with. You should also ask for proof that they paid the bills in question, though they likely did, but if they are just acting on another tenant's behalf, chances are they won't do much.

Assuming your deposit etc has been sorted, and they don't have a way to prove use/apportion bills they will be in a very weak position. If your deposit is still held by them, you may have to go to small claims court.


Title: If you have no relatives, good credit, and a terminal illness; Would there be any legal implications to taking out a shitton of personal loans and just living it up until you croak?

Answer:
 Even if you did have relatives what could they do?

This is why Jesus is my co-signer. Answer #2: Not really, but at the same time no one is going to give a terminally ill person loans which exceed their financial solvency, if they gave you a loan at all.Answer #3: My aunt’s sister was diagnosed with cancer and given 6 months to live.  She took out loans, maxed every credit card she had.  She traveled, did amazing things etc.

6 years later, after she made the final cc payment.  She died.  Life/karma/whatever finds a way. Answer #4: The only problem would be if you significantly outlive the prediction. Answer #5: Nope. The real issue is getting those loans first. But hypothetically in your scenario, there probably won’t be any legal issues.


Title: Posted a mixed review of my former employer online but was very critical of the CEO. Under what grounds can they sue me?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I'm currently involved in a legal battle with my former employer for unpaid wages.

Then you should stop posting crap online about it.  Stay silent while you're in court; it's not going to help you, it's only going to hurt you.

> Does my former employer need to prove that the review was false in order to get a subpoena and have Glassdoor reveal my name?

No.  They can get a subpoena by filing a suit for defamation.  They could also likely get a subpoena in your *current* case, as your review is a witness statement.


Title: Card Fraud: My money was used to pay off a legal order

Question: As mentioned in the title, someone has used my bank account (both savings and checking) to pay off some legal order. They used about $680 dollars. I called my bank, Wells Fargo, and they told me there's nothing they can do since this matter involves a different department. So there's no way of knowing whether that transaction will get cancelled, or I'll get my money back. I can't call them until Monday since they're closed on weekends. Has anyone had a similar experience? I don't make a lot of money, so the damage is huge for me.

Answer:
 Your bank statement says "legal order"? That sounds like the bank was served with a levy or some other kind of court order. Most likely, either there is an outstanding judgment against you, or the bank confused you with someone else. The bank should be providing with you a copy of whatever order they were served with.. once you see what it is, you can figure out where to go from there. If there's a levy with your name on it, you're probably looking at filing a claim with the sheriff and/or a court motion to vacate a default judgment, which will probably take weeks or months. If it's simply a mistake by the bank, then you should raise hell until you get the money back.Answer #2: Is this a joint account with anyone? Your parents,maybe?

This sounds like a garnishment/levy. It's possible it's a mistake, but the bank typically has to verify the court order and the name/SSN on the account match.

Getting a copy of the garnishment order is your first step to fighting this.


Title: Found hunting stand on my property next to a national forest (GA)

Question: I was maintaining the roads on my property and I noticed a hunting stand off the road about ten feet from the property line. It's chained around an old pine tree. Am I within my rights to destroy the chain to remove the stand? Can I sell the stand to offset the cost of removing it? What's my best course of action?

Answer:
 You can remove it, but you should probably give it back regardless of whether the state says you can keep it. Just clip the last link, that way they're not out anything of real value.

My uncle lived along the edge of state land and had a real problem with hunters. Every year he'd go down to Kinkos just before deer season and have a stack of signs printed on neon orange paper and laminated.

>This is PRIVATE PROPERTY and there is NO HUNTING ALLOWED.
>
>Guess you didn't see the signs or the fence. They're right behind you, feel free to read them on your way back to the road.
>
>To collect your stand please call (xxx)xxx-xxxx after 6pm and ask for Mike.
>
>Stands and equipment left more than 30 days will be considered abandoned property and donated to <whatever>, a charity that teaches underprivileged children to hunt and fish.

When he found a stand he took it down and replaced it with a sign. For every dozen stands he removed he got six apologies, three angry people and three people that decided to just let it go. Answer #2: Is it possible that whoever erected the stand didn't know they were on private property? How long has it been there (assuming it was erected one day after you were last by that pine tree)?Answer #3: Unless that forest is open for hunting, the DNR might also be interested in the owner of the stand possibly hunting illegally on public lands.


Title: Abated child support/job wont stop payments - TX

Question:
My husbands child support was abated on 10/31, he finally got the signed paperwork by the judge and attorneys last night. He sent the form to hr and they are telling him that the state/OAG needs to contact them to stop payments. OAG will be "looking over" the case on the 14th.. husband called attorney and told him whats going on and attorney said OAG will more than likely will not contact hr and the legal document he gave hr is supposed to stop payments.

Someone please explain to us what he needs to do.

Answer: Child support modifications can take time for the agency to process. It's not at all unusual for payroll to refuse to accept any paperwork unless it comes directly from the court or agency. In fact I am nearly certain the American Payroll Association says this is a best practice to follow since  paperwork can easily be forged/manipulated.  Give the child support order HR's or payroll's fax number and ask them to send it.


Title: Legality of obtaining firearms after being declared "mentally defective"

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 OP, don't know who you've been listening to, but:

> I am not allowed to buy firearms. I am however allowed to own them.

No you're not. If you're a prohibited person under Lautenburg (committed a felony, a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence with a possible sentence equal to 1 year or greater, adjudicated mentally defective, or been placed in involuntary psychiatric hold), you cannot possess a gun. Period.

> What is the legality of a person purchasing a gun for me as a gift? Also, what if a person bought me a gun as a gift, then later I gave them a gift of cash for the exact amount of the gun?

This is a straw purchase, good for 10 years in the pokey in for everybody involved.


Title: [Chicago, IL] My lease allows for my landlord to return "a night or two a month at most." She has now settled in for longer.

Question:
She's a nice woman, and not the worst person to live with, but I prefer to live by myself, and I especially don't wish to live with my landlord. It's explicitly written in the lease that it's the intent for me to have the 2\-bedroom apartment to myself "the bulk of the time," though she \(or one of her adult children\) is allowed to stay a night or two a month if they are in town.

She lives in a different state. Recently she told me that she'll be in my city more often recently, but that she will be staying with family much of that time. She has now been here for over a week and by grocery shopping, it doesn't appear she's leaving any time soon.

I know that I just need to talk with her. It sucks that she's put me in this position where I need to confront her about this, which is extremely uncomfortable for me. It feels rude to ask her when she is leaving.

I would love to hear any advice on how to proceed, keeping in mind that I wish to maintain good relations with her.

Answer:
 The only relief the law could provide here is letting you terminate your lease early without penalty. And it sounds like you don’t want that. So this is more of a /r/relationships question perhaps.  But I would propose something like this:

“Hi L. I noticed that you have been staying here for a week now. If you recall, when we made the lease we agreed that you would not stay here more than 2 nights a month and you’ve always honored that agreement until now. Has something changed? I enjoy living here but it’s important to me that I have my privacy and that we stick to our agreement. If you are going to want to stay here for more than the two days we need to talk about a new contract.”Answer #2: Are you renting the whole apartment or a room?


Title: I[16M] managed to get on recording my father confessing to having beat me and my mother[CA]

Question:
Pretty much the title. Today was quite heated. My father started verbally abusing me. I confronted him while hiding my phone in my pocket. Now, my mom has some form of Stockholm’s syndrome. When my dad beat my mom, she stopped me from stopping him and wouldn’t let me call the police. The beating incidents are scattered, but they are there. And he threatened to do it again in the recording. My question is, what do I do from here? I want to go to the police but I don’t know how. I don’t feel safe in this house anymore. Please help as soon as possible
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: It unfortunately does apply here, but you can still go to the police. They will get CPS involved, which sounds scary, but it's the best shot you have right now. If you can get a hold of a burner phone call 911 and leave the line open the next time he threatens to call you. They record all their calls and this will be a legal way to collect evidence against him that will be admissable in court.


Title: [Chicago, Illinois, USA] My husband is a radiologist here on a H1B visa, he got demoted; have they broken immigration law?

Question:
Me and my husband moved to Chicago in March 2016, he's here on a H1-B visa and is a radiologist; he worked in London before getting the job here, in the same job.
We're British expats in Chicago.
As of Wednesday, his boss called him into his office and told him that he was demoted to car park attendant and that he'd have to patrol the car parks looking for anything suspicious.
Surely this isn't allowed under the H1B visa? Is the boss breaking any laws on immigration (I'm no expert here?). It's not on the paperwork or in his job description. Not mentioned in H1B paperwork anywhere.

IDK if there's much of a British expat community here in Chicago, but thats not that relevant here.

Do we need to get a lawyer, or should we take this to the hospital board?

It's strange that we used to binge-watch Grey's Anatomy (despite hubby's job....) and he's now working in a hospital that's as big as that, would my story end up being a plotline? (oo-er, hope it isn't?).

What can me and my husband do legally here about this?

Answer:
 This story is....implausible. Not sure if its a troll post or you're being lied to, but...No.

If your husband was in trouble he'd be put on leave pending an investigation. The job he's theoretically been demoted to is probably either a union position (no way in hell that happens) or run by a contractor (same).

Everything about this is off. Normally I'd chalk it up to OP being lied to, but the Grey's anatomy part just makes me think Troll. I've never watched that show, but I'm guessing this is a plotline from some random episode or something.Answer #2: It's not illegal to demote your husband while he's on an H1B. If he no longer qualifies the proper remedy is to deport him, not to punish the hospital.

You can't use immigration to force them to give your husband a better job.Answer #3: This is right up my alley - I work in Immigration.  They company he works for would need to refile his H-1B.  Anytime your position changes more than 50% in job duties you have to refile your H-1B.  The minimum requirements for a car park attendant aren't going to be that high though and his company would be forced to interview anyone that qualifies.  It will also cost a few thousand dollars to refile the paperwork and post for the job.


Title: Lawyer charged a flat 1,000 dollar fee, now he wants 3,000 more.

Question:
Custody case in the USA, lawyer asked for a flat 1,000 dollar fee. Then we get a bill for 3,000 dollars months later. We call him and say we agreed to a flat fee, which was paid in full before he would even talk to us.

He said he never agreed to it. He sends us a bill every month and tacks on an extra 150 dollars when we don't pay.

He then, after two years, sends us a bill for 500 dollars to settle it but we can't afford it and we were already paid in full.

We don't have any paper saying what we paid, besides the check. He gave us no paper saying 1,000 was the price.

What would you recommend I do?

The court was in another city an hour away, which he knew, he also knew he would be making many phone calls and several trips there.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: What does your retainer agreement say? If I had to guess, I would guess that it says he's billing you at $150 per hour and that he wanted you to put $1000 into his trust account before he would start work.


Title: Just discovered that package of food has been cut open, duck taped closed and missing pieces. Is this food tampering or false advertisement?

Question:
So my mother bought a box of Jamaican Patties from this Asian supermarket. It's been in the freezer untouched for about a week. I felt hungry and had nothing else to eat so I decided to grab one.

When I went to get it I noticed a piece of black tape wrapped around one side of the box. I peel it off and, upon further inspection, the side of the package that is supposed to fold open has been cut to pieces and there are only 11 patties as opposed to the 12 advertised on the box.

Is this food tampering or false advertisement or was it our responsibility to notice this when we bought it? Should I take steps to document this or should I just throw the box away? Is the supermarket liable in any way and, if so, how would I be able to prove it?

Answer: What did the supermarket say when you confronted them? This is a customer service issue at this point, not a legal one.


Title: Old employer is suing

Question:
An old employer of mine is going to be taking me to court for money he “over paid” me. The owner sold the business in Dec. of 2017 and at the time I was receiving a direct deposit from his account. After he sold the business he didn’t take me off payroll for 3 months after several reminders from myself and the payroll company he used. Now he is saying I will be taken to court for “stealing” the money.

If anyone has any advice or has dealt with something like this before please let me know. I don’t see how his screw up is anyone’s fault but his own.

Answer:
 Did you use the money? Hopefully you did NOT. It was not yours to spend. You should’ve disputed it with your bank every single time. So yes, you will owe that money back. Answer #2: While it is his screw up, it is money that you knew was incorrectly transferred to you, and you are obligated to return it. Answer #3: You were overpaid, the money wasn't yours, you will be required to repay it.
If he is forced to take you to court, you will likely also be assessed the costs of his legal fees.


Title: Lawyer dropped out of custody case to take a higher position.

Question:
This is in Missouri.

Without getting too specific, my fiancée and I are about one year into what we assumed was an open and shut case for full legal custody of her daughter.

The father has a history of abusive behavior, likes to argue with the judge and his lawyer in the courtroom, and is generally just an ass. He's not even on our daughter's birth certificate, just an amended one. There was never a custody agreement.

We've made sure to get a guardian ad Lightum so that our daughter has her say and generally have handled everything with poise, not to seem boastful. The guardian refers to the dad as "a controlling asshole" often and the judge for our case had to tell him to shut up on multiple occasions.

Unfortunately, our lawyer, whom we love and has been a godsend, just got the promotion of a lifetime (think attorney general, again, without getting too specific).

To take this new position, he must recuse himself from all of his current cases. This seemed like a pain in the ass for us, but good for him, and we could always find another lawyer.

The hitch is that the judge who is handling our case has refused to allow our lawyer to recuse himself until a replacement lawyer is named. I have to assume that's because our lawyer used to clerk for said judge and the judge is a little pissed that he would leave ongoing clients high &amp;amp; dry, but I can't guarantee that.

We've just learned we have one week to name a lawyer or he can't take his new job. We go to trial in a month which is an insanely short amount of time for any new attorney to get their case together, anyway. Our lawyer has been incredibly unhelpful in locating a new attorney, and we're currently on vacation in another state.

My questions are:

1) How pissed should I be? I understand that this is a huge, huge opportunity for our lawyer but it basically screws us, and his lack of helpfulness is concerning. I'd chalk it up to stress, but still.

2) Can the judge, who is seemingly on our side, extend some kind of extension for our new attorney, once we locate one?

3) What possible roadblocks should I be expecting out of this? The father has a lawyer with a huge retainer (not that you can polish a turd).

4) someone hug me.

EDIT:: Fantastic, fantastic advice everyone. I won't be pissed, just frustrated with circumstances. We've got some leads on new attorneys (thankfully, the fantasy baseball league I'm in has 4 lawyers out of the 12 of us.)

Waiting for a call back from our attorney.

Thanks everyone!

Answer:
 > We've made sure to get a guardian ad Lightum

Guardian *ad litem*.

>  How pissed should I be?

Not at all.  This guy isn't going to put his life on hold for your custody case.

> Can the judge, who is seemingly on our side, extend some kind of extension for our new attorney, once we locate one?

He can, yes.  He may or may not do so, depending on the facts of the matter.


Title: [British Columbia] Renting a basement room for a month, basement flooded, have to vacate the room for the next two weeks 14 days into the month.

Question: Am I entitled to get any of my rent back? I can sleep on a couch in a common area, but I paid for a private room and no longer have that. The damage caused by the flood will essentially render the room unliveable for the next two weeks. I am two weeks into my one month stay. Are there any obligations on my landlords part? Or because I can crash on a couch is he covered?

Answer: I would contact the [BC Tenancy Branch](http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/contact-us). They are super helpful from my own personal experiences with them.


Title: Did the judge in the "Kentucky Man Shoots Down Drone" case make a fair ruling?

Question:
Here's the story:

[Judge rules Kentucky man had the right to shoot down his neighbor’s drone](http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/28/9625468/drone-slayer-kentucky-cleared-charges)

The man in the story shot down a neighbors drone claiming that it was flying low over his property and violating his privacy. The owner of the drone has the recorded video and telemetry data showing everything that happened up until the incident. The data shows the drone was never below 200ft over anyone's property, and was clearly at 200ft when shot down. At this height, there's no chance people's privacy were being violated.

But the judge ruled with the shooter, choosing not to take the video and telemetry data into consideration and simply relying on the testimony of the shooter and one of his neighbors that the drone was "below the tree line".

I find it ridiculous in a "he said she said" type situation where there is actual video evidence to disregard it. How is this allowable, logical, or fair?

Answer:
 Seems reasonable to me.  Keep in mind this was a criminal trial, the shooter was being charged with two offenses, wanton endangerment and criminal mischief.

This isn't even a civil suit.  The shooter's behavior would have to be pretty egregious to be held responsible in a criminal trial.

Edited to add: Wanton endangerment is a class D felony (first degree) or a class A misdemeanor (second degree) in Kentucky.  The shooter would have faced as much as 5 years or 1 year in prison for that charge, depending on the degree.  Criminal mischief in the 1st degree is also a class D felony.  Answer #2: He was cleared of criminal charges, he may still face civil action by the drone owner, though.  Basically, what the judge said was that shooting a drone down wasn't criminal mischief or wanton endangerment.  The judge didn't, however, say that the man wasn't required to pay for this man's drone.

The judge didn't even look the video because it didn't matter.  If he mistakenly thought it was violating his rights, it's lacking mens rea, so no crime.  You don't need mens rea for civil liability, though.  Even if it was all an accident, the guy who caused the damage has to pay.

In the civil case, if they have one, they'll look at the video and see that he wasn't snooping and make him pay for the drone.  It would be small claims court, so it's unlikely to make the papers.


Title: Fiancés parents have people growing pot on their land legally owned by my fiancé and they need to go, what can we do?

Question:
Ok, so we live in California.  The deal is this, when my Fiancés parents moved out here, they were in IRS trouble and had to put the house in my Fiancés name to insure they can keep it.  So they are technically renters that pay no rent.  They both are retired and make little money so they though growing pot on the side might be a good idea, so they got in league with a group that basically leases your land and pays for stuff, in the end giving you a cut of the profits.  They have a license for 99 plants, and her father has one for 99, so they are growing 198 plants on property.

Here's the deal though, the guy they made the deal with disappeared, but one of his compatriots is running the show, and now they have a whole setup at their house (from many misunderstandings, her father let them keep building and planting even though he knew it wasn't the same guy).  The problem is, they are not helping pay for much like the agreement originally stated, and they are going to wind up breaking the well on property that supplies them and 3 other houses with water.  The first guy said he would pay for the well, but I'm pretty sure with the new guy this won't happen.

So the question is, how can we get them to leave?  I'm sure her father would have tried already if he wasn't afraid they would have a violent reaction to it, and he's letting them walk all over him with new deals and such.  I'm worried a neighbor will call the Feds. And we would lose everything and my Fiancé would have a negative mark on her reputation because she owns title.
   Any advice would be appreciated, and I will be happy to provide more info or clarification, anything to help solve this problem.  Thank you.

Answer:
 First some practical advice.  The guys who run this style of grow of operation in CA are typically not aging hippies who just want to grow a little for their medical marijuana shop.  They're the guys used to be growing up in the forests and shooting at hikers who came too close.  So the parents need to start planning a vacation to come visit you or something.  While in theory it would be incredibly stupid of the growers to engage in murder over 198 pot plants and risk any kind of look at their operation, people can be impulsive and stupid.

Then on the legal side of things you need to contact a lawyer in CA (use the bar referral program) and discuss this with them.  Under federal law drugs are illegally being grown so you don't want the feds in this.   However if this is framed properly under state law, the issue is someone you were renting land to is violating their contract and you just want to kick them off the land.

You need your parents to leave, then you need to end the deal you have with him, be it oral or written through proper notification methods, and then go from there.  You want a lawyer though to make sure no one on your side of things admits to doing anything illegal and perhaps also reach out to the local DA or federal prosecutor if things heat up and work our a law enforcement intervention where there is a deal in place that only the growers will be targeted.


Title: Recklessly caused injury/death to pet

Question: I own a dog and a cat.  We recently adopted a new cat. Our dog had never shown any aggression towards our cat. The dog had corned the cat and what we think happened grabbed the cat with his mouth. There were no puncture marks.  The new cat ended up passing away.  We took the cat back to the adoption place we got the cat from.  We received a court order for "recklessly caused injury/death to her pet".  Does anyone have any info on how that would work?  Anything I look up has to do with another owners dog attacking a cat.  Not when both animals are owned by same person.

Answer:
 You need to provide a location, and, better still specifically what you are being cited with.  I'm not sure if this is civil or criminal.

Oh... and why did you do this:

>  The new cat ended up passing away on the ride there. We took the cat back to the adoption place we got the cat from.

&#x200B;


Title: Fell asleep, ex- had sex with me without protection, she is saying she is pregnant and it's mine.

Question:
Location: USA, Minnesota

I was at a friends gathering at their apartment when against my better judgement I had sex (safe and consensual,) with an ex-girlfriend of mine. Later in the night after I had fallen asleep (I had work in the morning,) and she claims to have woken me up for sex again after she had (allegedly,) drank alcohol a few hours after our previous time. I woke up in the morning confused to hear that we had sex again this time unprotected.  I bought the morning after pill for her after we discussed how I wasn't awake and didn't use protection, I gave it to her with water but did not witness her actually take the pill. I didn't report the incident because it seemed to be an accident and I wasn't confident I'd be taken seriously by police.
A few weeks later she said she is pregnant and that it's mine.

This Ex has a history of stalking like habits, suicide attempts, and a flavorful mix of mental issues. A week later my friend showed me a recent status update she had posted on a dating site he found her on (after the date of the non-consensual sex,) saying "Who's DTF" (looking for sex,). I also have established for quite some time that I had not wanted children or to ever be a parent one day to multiple friends and co-workers.

 I would like to know what my options are if she is pregnant and the child happens to be mine. I would prefer the child be put up for adoption and my ex lose custody or rights with it for the betterment of the child being that she is mentally unstable and neither I nor her are equipped financially or with the proper skills to parent.

Edit: Thank you for all of the information and advice, I plan on revisiting this account and post tomorrow but in case I forget the password the help has been much appreciated.

Answer:
 >I would like to know what my options are if she is pregnant and the child happens to be mine.

Your options, if she chooses to keep the child, are to pay child support and participate in parenting, or to pay child support and not participate.

> I would prefer the child be put up for adoption and my ex lose custody or rights with it for the betterment of the child being that she is mentally unstable and neither I nor her are equipped financially or with the proper skills to parent.

This isn't your decision to make.  If you believe she is so mentally ill that she can't possibly parent the child, you can contact CPS.  You might then get a chance to have custody, but you will have no say in whether her rights are terminated -- that will be up to a judge.


Title: Turned away from a rehab facility?

Question:
Boise, Idaho.
Hey everyone, I was wondering about something that happened to my grandfather today. He was turned away from a rehab facility because he wasn't ambulatory so he couldn't walk far enough for certain things. I was wondering if they could actually do this. Also don't hospitals have to be ADA compliant which would mean they would have an alternate system to help people with disabilities like not being able to walk for long distances?

Answer:
 I’m sorry to hear you are having difficulty finding a facility that can assist with grandfather. While you may really want your grandfather to be near you, or have specific amenities, the reality is that each rehab center has a limited number of beds, devoted to people of different abilities.

I have worked in a facility where there were only a few non-ambulatory beds per wing. If they take any more, then people could be at risk because there isn’t enough nursing staff or resources to support their needs.

So short answer, yes it’s legal for them to turn him away. It is actually required by law.


Title: my employer wants to add my work hours to a different day, so I only end up with 8 hours worked

Question:
I finished a shift with 12 hours worked, but my boss wants to put 4 of those hours on a different day so I only end up with 8 hours. Is this legal at all?
I only work part time, and this is in Canada.

Answer: Not legal.


Title: [California] My sister was hit by a car in October, as a ped in a parking lot. While she walked away with very minor injuries we feel as though the driver's insurance company is trying to "low-ball" us. Full explanation inside.

Question:
Thank you in advance for reading.

As noted above, my sister was hit in a pedestrian vs auto accident back in October. Miraculously, she walked away rather unscathed, outside of considerable discomfort from being sore from where she was hit. She was seen by paramedics the day of the accident, but deemed in good enough condition not to go to the hospital.

I took her to the hospital to get checked out the following Monday, and they performed an x-ray and she got consulted by a physician. The hospital visit was in the ballpark of about $2700, which was adjusted to $1500 since she doesn't have insurance. (something that I did not know, and something I wish I *did* know before we went to the hospital.) Along that principal hospital bill, she had to pay a radiology bill of about $47 and the physician bill of about $430. The medical bills overall are in the $3100 range, before any adjustments. This was all for a check-up.

After we got all the bills, we forwarded these to the Claims Representative of the driver. The CR told Sis that she would issue solely a check of $500 for pain and inconvenience along with $160 for two days of missed work, as well as pay the amount of the hospital bill that Sis was responsible for, which was the approximate amount of 1900. We weren't entirely satisfied with taking just that.

Following the hospital trip, Sis and I went to a local attorney for a legal consultation, which was quite helpful. He informed us that the average amount for a settlement following a case like this would be about two or three times the amount of hospital bills before adjustments, which would be in the $6,000~9,000 range for our situation. He compared it to a car salesman--if we demanded a payment that was exorbitantly high (he recommended we ask for five times the amount of the bills prior to adjustments, about $15k) then the insurance company would meet our settlement at the average of the two or three multiplier mark. He then gave us some sample letters he had used in the past, then recommended how to word the demand for compensation (and threaten to file a Summons and Complaint), and to attach copies of Sis' bills into a fax with that as the cover letter. (Him being the good man that he is, he advised us not to have him take the case as he would have to take one-third of whatever Sis would get, which would be a great portion of the $6k~9k that we were hoping to get.)

We did exactly as he said, and the CR (I'm not sure if it is proper reddiquette to state which company it is, but it involves being in good hands) did not budge with their original proposal. I am going to see the lawyer again to see if there is anything more that can be done, but I wish to see if anyone on here might be able to contribute a bit more or give me a sense of guidance towards the right direction.

EDIT: I would like to note that at this time Sis has not signed any sort of settlement paperwork, and we hope to see if there is any way to receive more money.

Please ask any questions if I can clarify anything else, and thank you!
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 Insurance is not designed for you to profit or "cash in".  It is designed to make you whole, not better than before.  They are offering to pay all the medical bills, plus an additional amount just because.  Unless you can prove she lost more money being out of work than they are offering, just take it and move on with your life.

Crap like this is exactly why insurance costs so much these days.  Everyone wanting more and more just because.


Title: I got roofied at a strip club.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: ...says everybody who gets wasted and blows money at a strip club. Answer #2: So did you take a drug test? Because anything you do at a Vegas club costs a stupid amount of money.


Title: Noisy neighbour is on one more warning, I just got video footage.

Question:
I have been living next to an apartment that at times like 1am-5am will make the most horrible noise. For so long I thought it was sawing and hammering, I only had audio footage. We have sliding back glass doors and if you have your curtains open you can see in. Tonight I opened mine and sure enough, you could see the curtains were open. I got brave.

I carefully stepped on the gravel to move my camera just over enough to peek in and see what they were doing. There is a guy meticulously vacuuming every part of of the floor, furniture, everything at 2am.

My question is: how illegal is it that I peeked my camera over, in the communal back area to show what was happening? It is a shared back area so if I was walking I could see it as clear as I filmed it, I was just trying to not be seen.

I have been exhausted at work, he has been given so many warnings, the next one was going to be the landlord physically visiting.

Answer:
 Japanese privacy laws are completely outside the scope of this sub.

In America, any place visible from a a public place has no expectation of privacy. It is their responsibility to draw the curtains.


Title: Why is DoorDash allowed to hide (some) of the total amount pay a driver will receive for performing a delivery?

Question:
Doordash hires drivers on an independent contractor basis to provide food delivery service.

However, the nominal amount Doordash offers to drivers as a payment for performing a delivery isn't economically feasible in the vast majority of cases.

But when supplemented with a customer's tip, these deliveries can be quite profitable.

This causes a problem, where drivers will simply wait for extremely high tip orders and only choose to perform those deliveries.

Doordash combats this by sometimes hiding a percentage of the tip that a customer is provided upon presenting the offer to the delivery driver.

ex: Doordash says a delivery will pay $7 ($3 from Doordash, $4 from the customer), the delivery person accepts this and completes the delivery.

However, when the delivery is complete, Doordash actually pays out $11 ($3 from Doordash, $8 from the customer) to the driver for the delivery.

Why is Doordash allowed to not tell an independent contractor the total pay they will receive for performing a delivery?

Location: New York

Answer:
 I don't see how it could be illegal to pay a contractor *more* than they were offered/quoted upfront.

If DoorDash wants to 'camouflage' the premium deliveries (with particularly high tips) in order to encourage drivers to accept more orders, they're still paying drivers at least what they were promised for the job. The issue of course would be if DoorDash was trying to present a particularly unappealing job as being worth $3+$10 tip and then after delivery change the pay to be $3+$3 tip.

This is all even assuming it isn't the case (suggested by Diesel-66) where some clients increase the amount of their tip after a successful delivery.Answer #2: Are you sure they aren't bumping up tips after delivery?Answer #3: Legally, as long as the employee/contractor is paid AT OR ABOVE the guaranteed amount, they're adhering to the law. It is illegal to pay LESS than what is guaranteed, though.

What matters legally is that the individual taking the job is duly informed and is able to make an informed decision based upon the information given.

Different topic, but in employment immigration, the sponsored employee must be paid AT LEAST the prevailing wage for the specific job in that region. In the paperwork, the employer has to certify that they have adhered to local prevailing wages, and they also must submit documentation that other employees are paid pursuant to the same factors as the immigrant will be paid.


Title: Aggressive tom cat in my area.

Question:
I got a cat a few years ago, she's female and was spayed asap. She's an outdoor cat so usually I would leave a window open for her to get in at night, but a few months ago I went downstairs and a male cat was in my kitchen, hissing etc. I had to lean over him to open a door to let him out and he jumped up and scratched my forearm pretty badly (I *may* be able to find pictures if I scour my whatsapp history).

Since then I've been keeping the windows closed most of the time except some occasions when I've left them open to air the house or if it's a particularly warm day, and most of these times he's entered the house and it usually takes me upwards of 30min to get him out as he gets behind furniture etc.

I usually don't mind other cats coming in as I know a lot of the people in my area that own cats and we text each other pictures of our cats hanging out elsewhere, but this particular cat I feel is dangerous. I've tried leaving clear exits open when he's in the house but he doesn't leave for hours if I don't chase him out.

Is there anything I could do legally about this?

Answer: Your city should have some kind of animal control to contact. I wouldn't advise approaching an animal you don't know in a controlled space.


Title: [Manitoba, Canada] Landlord is suing my boyfriend for property/rent/etc. when he never technically lived there.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If there is no lease then the landlord has absolutely no ~~standing~~ case, look for a lawyer and consult with them. 22k is way to much to handle on their own (unless they managed to somehow squeeze this into small claims, which I don't think so, you'll need one anyway).Answer #2: They are just firing off lawsuits hoping he ignores it. Like when you throw pasta on the wall, sometimes it sticks.Answer #3: If it lists him and not his brother, it may simply be that the landlord got the two confused while attempting to file. You might want to check that as step one.


Title: Falsely accused of stealing and fired (NY)

Question:
I was accused of stealing money from the restaurant I was a cook at. I didn't steal it. Two weeks later, I was fired after the manager and chef went to the owner about it. Oddly, I was still scheduled and worked 8 shifts since I was first accused and after I was fired, they didn't go to the police. They just fired me.

The 'evidence' they used was that I didn't look for the money after it was missing. As a cook at this restaurant, I had never dealt with money so it never occurred to me to be involved with searching for lost (stolen) money. Anyway, I plan on going to the police tomorrow and get them involved because this false accusation can destroy my reputation in the relatively small town I live in.

What's my best plan?

Answer: Get the police involved in what? There's nothing illegal about this. Move on and find a new job.


Title: Arrested almost ten years ago for protesting. Found I have a warrant still

Question:
So almost a decade ago I was arrested for protesting about five times and charged with trespassing and one battery on a law enforcement officer thrown on, too. The lawyer I had was pro bono and convinced me to plead no contest to have 3 of the charges dropped. However, at the time I was practically homeless and ended up moving to find work. I now live out of state and am trying to get a job that wants to hire me but politically can't with the charges still on my file and what looks like a warrant for never finishing the process.

I'm not sure what to do. I can't really afford a lawyer but maybe can borrow money and can't really afford to take off to go to Florida to get it taken care of, but I'm trying to find my best plan and the quickest plan.

Thanks y'all

Answer: What was the sentence as part of your no contest plea deal for the charges you didn't get dropped? Did you complete those obligations?Answer #2: Contact the pro bono attorney.


Title: Taken to Small Claims Court over Medical Bill

Question:
Location: Connecticut

In late 2015 I went to an ENT because I had a sore throat. The doctor wasn't in-network, but it was just a quick examination, so I didn't mind paying a couple hundred bucks or whatever it would be. I went in once for the initial appointment and again for a follow-up, paying for a co-pay each time.

Several weeks later I got a bill for $1200, claiming they had done two nasal endoscopies that they were charging me ~$600 each for. My wife called and told them that we were disputing the bill and why, they said too bad, and that was that.

Fast forward to this week and I got this letter 'Answer - Small Claims'. I have the option to pay what they claim I owe, or to appear in court and have a magistrate decide.

I think I'm in the right here; they billed me for an additional service without telling me what it would cost or asking if I consented. As further evidence, when I visited a different ENT (in network this time!) the following year, they had me sign a consent form before they performed the nasal endoscopy.

I'm in the process of getting a copy of the consent form I signed from the other ENT. [Here's an example I found online](https://www.waitingroomsolutions.com/live/shared/practice-documents/2037633/1367_PatientRegistrationPacket.pdf) - it's on the last page.

My questions:

(1) Is this worth fighting? Or rather, what are the odds that I'm successful, given my facts (and assuming I can present the consent form mentioned above)?

(2) Anything else I should know about going to small claims court and representing myself? I'm very intelligent and well-spoken but obviously know very little about the small claims court system.

Thanks!!

Answer:
 > they billed me for an additional service without telling me what it would cost or asking if I consented

They don't have to disclose the costs of services upfront, and by not saying "I don't want that" you passively consented to the procedure.

Different practices have different ways of operating.

If you had the procedures done, you owe the money.

1. It is worth negotiating or trying to get them to reduce the costs.

2. Small claims is all about representing yourself.  Give your side of the story, state the facts, and leave your feelings out of it.


Title: Wife accused of stealing 1 pill from her job

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >My question is should we get an actual lawyer about this?

Yes, absolutely.

>He said he advised pleading guilty would be the best case to get minimum consequences since it was literally only 1 pill.

I'm sorry, who is "he"?


Title: How do lawyers spend such long hours working?

Question:
Hi all, I'm a second year corporate associate at a large-ish law firm (~100 attorneys). It's a "new model" firm, so I'm paid hourly based on my billed hours, and there's no bonus or "set hours", although there's definitely an unspoken expectation that I will be in the office from atleast 8am-6pm-ish every day.

A good week for me is maybe 35 hours billed, and if I run back-to-back-to-back 40 hour weeks, I start to feel myself burning out. It takes me 9-10 hours to bill 7, so I've concluded that this is a reasonable expectation for me; to bill about 7 hours a day.

I am fortunate to have very minimal debt (low student debt, cheap car loan and cheap house payment), and honestly, I just don't understand how people do it. I see people talking about billing 50, 60, even 70 hour weeks, and I feel like I'll never be that lawyer. I have pulled the occasional all-nighter to get a deal done, but without my firm, my debt, or my clients demanding it, I don't think I'll ever bill the kind of long hours that attorneys brag about.

Is this unusual? Am I alone in feeling this way? Should I seek a less demanding profession? I really like what I do, but if I can do it in 40-billable-hour weeks, is it selfish not to give more of myself to the profession? Any thoughts or feedback are welcomed and appreciated.

Answer:
 (1) 4-5 hours a day on weekends helps a lot with billables, but isn't a huge part of the weekend, esp. If you do it at home.
(2) should not expect much social life or outside activities.

Purpose of first few years of big law is to get you competent. After that, your options open up dramatically.Answer #2: I don't have billables anymore because we work on contingency. But I used to. It's all a game. Figuring out how to bill to max efficiency is the only way to survive. Once you do that, you'll see what your real potential is, and you'll know whether this is something you can do long term.

Everyone is terrible their first few years of practicing.


Title: NEED ADVICE FAST ON POLICE REPORT

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Long story short...  call the cops and say what you posted.  Call the non-emergency line.  Meet them at the apartment to take the report, so they can see the broken door.

Also, make sure the door is actually broken and the former tenant isn't lying their ass off for some reason.


Title: Husband's Broker and former friend screwed him, Just found an article about him pulling same BS on Elderly Person

Question:
We are located in New Jersey and the brokerage firm is in New York.

I tried to condense this as much as possible. Please forgive me if any of the terminology is incorrect, I am just learning about all of this now.

**Background:**

* Husband and Broker met through a mutual friend several years ago. They became good friends, they used to talk on the phone constantly, both as friends and about their investments.

* Husband changed careers, and Broker talked Husband into moving funds in an individual account and  rolling over his IRA into Broker’s brokerage.

* Husband had money in certain stocks that Broker recommended he cash out and invest into other stocks, the majority of which we came to find out were highly speculative and either went bankrupt or have lost 80+% of their value.

**Problem**

* Over three-quarters of Husband’s assets are gone.

* Broker over-concentrated Husband’s IRA in high-risk speculative stocks, despite my Husband making it very clear he was only interested in low-risk growth.

* Husband has not sold any of the failing stocks, as he is afraid of taking further losses.

* Broker was also frequently buying stock to bring in small profits, which has led to concern about churning.

**Issues with Communication**

* Broker used to call Husband every day, sometimes multiple times a day, to talk about stocks or just shoot the shit.

* When stocks began failing, it became difficult to get in touch with Broker. Broker has been progressively harder to get ahold of since November.

* When my Husband could get in touch with Broker, Broker would give these long speeches about how they would have to work together to turn this around, and that Broker would work on it - he would never follow through on this.

* It became even more difficult to get in touch with Broker, Broker has had these excuses: ( 1.) Broker was busy doing research on the situation ( 2.) There was something wrong with Broker’s computer and he couldn’t get online ( 3.) Broker’s sibling has recently contracted a debilitating disease, though they live with his parents and there is an aide at home. He has become very defensive regarding the sibling situation.

**Article Found**

* Husband started digging and this morning found an article from a earlier this year that indicates that Broker is currently in legal trouble for doing the exact same thing to an Elderly Man!

* Broker has lost the vast majority of Elderly Man’s retirement savings, over half a million dollars, by over-concentrating Elderly Man’s stocks, investing in speculative stocks, giving him poor advice, and outright lying to him, same as my Husband.

* The stocks that were named in the article were the same exact stocks Broker had my Husband invest in.

* Broker was also accused of excessive trading to generate more money for himself, it appears he was doing the same with my Husband’s stocks.

* Elderly Man has initiated a FINRA arbitration claim with a law firm.

* A few years ago, Broker got into additional legal trouble for having clients invest money in a company unapproved by his brokerage firm, for which Broker received significant kick-backs.

* Article also mentions that his firm had previous knowledge of his FINRA violations, but did not follow up adequately supervise him, which led to the Elderly Man losing his retirement savings.

**Today**

* Husband finally managed to get in touch with Broker. Broker was very defensive about being unreachable because of his sibling’s sudden debilitating illness.

* Husband made it very clear that he was very unhappy about the advice he received, and the fact that Broker did the opposite of what he requested with his money. Husband did not mention the article.

* Broker apologized quite a bit, admitted that he got greedy.

* Broker promised he would be in contact more regularly and would do everything he could to get my Husband’s money back, promising that he would take no money for himself until he did so.

Having found the article this morning, and realizing that he was not the only person was burned by his Broker, my Husband would like to pursue the chance to get some of his money back.

**The Questions**

1. At the bottom of the article, there is contact info for the law firm that handled the case. Should we be getting in touch with them specifically, despite them not being in our state?

2. Would our best chances be with a securities fraud attorney or is a general practice firm okay? (Please forgive the awkward wording on that one)

3. My husband doesn’t remember if he signed anything regarding arbitration, however, the Elderly Man had a law firm file a FINRA arbitration claim on behalf. Is there any way to avoid arbitration?

4. We have another Friend who has lost a lot of his savings to Broker, as well. How should he fit into all of this? The only issue is Friend has a big mouth and low impulse control, so we want to be sure we have a handle on what we’re going to do before we involve him.

5. Husband is worried about possible attempts at anonymous retaliation, such as [calling in a fake anonymous tip to the police](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatting) or [posting fake ads to Craigslist](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/65ed2h/my_phone_number_address_and_face_pic_are_posted/). Broker tends to lie, exaggerate, and bend the truth quite a bit, but until he found the article this morning, never thought it would go this far. Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves?

Please let me know if I can expand upon anything else, I'm so heart-broken for my husband. He was on his own and worked his ass off ever since college to save all his money, I'm just hoping that there's something that can be done to at least get some of it back. Thank you so much in advance for any advice you can give!
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 1.  It can't hurt.  Financial regulations are federal, so they may be able to help.  Worst case, they can refer you to someone local if they can't.

2.  Someone with specialized knowledge in the field would be preferable.  Securities law is fairly technical.

3.  Hard to say, it will depend on what he signed.

4.  That's up to you.  You have no requirement to involve him at all, each of you have your own potential claims.

5.  Not ahead of time.  If something happens, report it to the police and your attorney.