Title: Business owner is insisting I begin paying him for an apprenticeship I started 6 months ago. This was not the original agreement, what can I do?

Question:
throaway because reasons:

So long story short, I have been working as a tattoo artist apprentice for 6 months at a shop in NC. When I began the apprenticeship 6 months ago a verbal agreement was made between the business owner, the artist, and myself that I pay $200 a month to the artist I am apprenticing under to help compensate for his time and his supplies. I have paid the $200 every month for 6 months now and I have always paid on time. This has never been an issue until last week when I told the business owner I did not think I should have to work the front desk for him while he went to a party because the front desk is a paid position and I am not a paid employee.

Soon after this confrontation the business owner has decided he thinks I should start paying him as well, he claims the shop should be compensated for allowing me to be there. This is unfair for many reasons, the most obvious being that I would never have agreed to this apprenticeship had I known he would ask me for more money. I have student loans to pay and cannot afford to pay more than I already am. I'm six months into this, I have spent 3 days of every week for 6 months going to this shop and working my butt off for free so that I can learn to be a tattoo artist. I have a lot of time and money invested in this.

Also there is the fact that I provide him labor for absolutely free (I answer the phones, I run errands, I draw small tattoos that he needs drawn, I work the front desk when someone calls in sick or is in the bathroom, and I clean things around the shop). In my eyes, this is the shop's compensation and asking me for more money on top of that is simply disgusting. I also believe that when a business takes on an apprentice they are making an investment in a potential future employee. Apprentices are investments, not cash cows, and it is incredibly frowned upon in the tattoo industry to ask an apprentice to pay the shop they are apprenticing for.

Now, this situation aside, this business owner is incredibly sketchy and awful to his employees, if I did not love the artist I am apprenticing under I would have left by now. I know for a fact that he pays another apprentice there less than minimum wage and also under the table to work the front desk. I also can say with absolute confidence that he is probably not overly concerned with doing everything "by the books" and that if anyone were to look hard enough that they could make his life incredibly difficult.

It should be noted here that I absolutely cannot afford a lawyer. There is zero way I can afford one, so telling me to talk to a lawyer is pointless :/

That being said, my questions for you fine people are:

Can he even legally do this? It was incredibly stupid of me to not get the arrangements of this apprenticeship written down in some legal document, but does me consistently paying the $200 that was agreed upon set any sort of legal precedent? My teacher will %100 back me up and I believe I have text messages discussing the $200 monthly payments. I am concerned that if I refuse to pay the owner will tell me I am no longer welcome in his shop and that I will have wasted my time and money on an incomplete apprenticeship.

Second, if he's going to try and con me out of my money/my apprenticeship I absolutely want to go down swinging. What organizations can I talk to about the abuse going on here? He is using apprentices as free or unfair (not to mention untaxed) labor, I know there have to be laws restricting this. I also very much doubt that he claims most of his income as all tattoos are paid for in cash and every night the artists are given their cut in cash. I don't know if he taxes any of them like he should be doing, but I highly doubt it. This guy is the definition of shady and money hungry, I'm sure he cuts legal corners anyway he can as long as it saves him some money.

So who can I talk to? OSHA? The IRS? The Better Business Bureau? All of them? What do I say to them? If he strong-arms me out of this apprenticeship I want to make it hurt him just as much as it hurts me, ya know? I'm a young female in a male dominated field, which is already hard enough, and I feel he is further using this to try and take advantage of me.

Please I am desperate for advice :/

Answer:
 If you don't have a contract with the business owner you don't owe him anything.

And he'll have a hell of a time convincing a judge that someone who performs labor around the shop owes him money ... it should be the other way around.

Do you have a record of the hours you worked? if so you could try filing a claim with your state Dept of Labor since you should have been getting at least minimum wage.

Unpaid internships were ruled to be illegal in most cases unless they meet [six specific legal requirements](http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2013/04/19/6-legal-requirements-for-unpaid-internship-programs/), not sure how apprenticeships are treated though.

Keep in mind that he is under no obligation to let you apprentice in his business and can tell you to take a hike.Answer #2: How is your time wasted? You might not have a piece of paper, but I really can't see them giving you a "degree" even if you did complete the apprenticeship, you DO however have AT LEAST 312 hrs of experience, assuming each shift was 4 hrs, under what I'm assuming is a respected artist in your area, if the artist is cool guy, ask him if he can refer you to another good artist to continue training, because no matter what happens here, you won't be continuing under the current guy unless you start paying the shop his extortion money


Title: [California] Landlord sold the house and I am leaving tomorrow. Landlord has just told me that I am not getting any of my security deposit back. Is emailing a demand letter ok?

Question:
I am planning on emailing him a demand letter for my deposit back and in it will include something along the lines of 'if you dont return my deposit back or provide an itemized list of why you are taking my deposit by 5/x/2015 I will take legal action'.

The only information I have of him is his email, his realtor wont give me his forwarding address and apparently shes no longer his property manager so all mail sent to her will be sent right back to me. This is what I have been told by his realtor/property manager.

If he does not reply to the email, would the email still be considered a valid method of sending a demand letter?

I have evidence that he has used this email to communicate with me in previous conversations; replies coming in with a few hours to one day delay. He has a habit of not replying when it gets to money, previously I could contact him by phone or physically go to him/property manager (had to do it once). Since he wont give out his phone or address email is the only way of communication atm.

I know that a landlord has 21 days to return a deposit or provide an itemized list but I have a gut feeling that this will go to small claims court.

Answer:
 You don't need a demand letter, nor do you need to prove that you sent one to sue him for failure to return deposit.

You do need to provide him a forwarding address, which would preferably be in writing.  Emailing him the address, as well as leaving a physical copy in the house, would likely suffice.  Also, set up mail forwarding from the rental to your new place; California allows service on the rental property for these matters.Answer #2: Personally I would wait at least 21 days to send the demand letter. He still may send you an itemized list and has 21 days to do it. No point in demanding something until you are entitled to it (You are kind of putting the cart ahead of the horse). If you send the demand letter now you will probably just get an itemized list of bullshit. It would probably be beneficial to you if he does not send it before 21 days.

In most states the landlord gives up any claim to the security deposit if they don't send the itemized list. Also in some states you can sue for double or triple the security deposit if the landlord acts in bad faith and/or does not follow the procedure.

In the mean time send a copy of your forwarding address to wherever you send rent, to the realtor/property manager, via e-mail, and leave a copy in the apartment before you leave. You will make it very difficult for the landlord to claim that you did not provide a forwarding address. Also make sure the place is clean and take lots of pictures before you leave.


Title: Michigan- what counts as a non-custodial parent? And can we suspend said parents visitation?

Question:
We live in Michigan. My boyfriend (D) is in an ongoing custody battle with the mother (A) of his 9y/o son. D already won majority physical custody in the previous battle. He has 60%, she has 40%. Does that make A a non-custodial parent? This is the order that is currently in place: the child lives with us, and A gets parenting time on tues and thurs from 5:30-8:00pm, and she gets him every other weekend from Friday 5:30pm-Monday 8:00am. D is fighting for her to only get supervised visitation, or at the very least, no overnight stays. It is also court ordered that the child is kept away from mother’s current husband, who is proven abusive. She also has a track record of pulling him out of school early to go do fun things like amusement parks and roller skating (and it should be noted that her parenting times do not start until long after school is done). Their last court date of this custody battle was supposed to be in September. It keeps getting pushed back and currently there is no date set. D is trying to figure out a way to suspend her parenting time until the court date because she is repeatedly violating her times, and she also has him around the husband all of the time. We run into them at the store with said husband, she would bring the husband to the child’s football games, and the child has been instructed by A not to tell his father about the husband being around. The child tries to keep it a secret but often slips up, talking about how mean the guy is and that he hates him. There was also an incident a few weeks ago that the child told us about. He told us that A kept shoving her phone in his face repeatedly with the scary ‘momo’ face on it, even though he was screaming for her to stop, and she made him watch videos about this momo girl. He came home completely scared shitless. He began sleeping in our bedroom with us because he was so scared to go to sleep he would cry every night. A has two other children from different fathers there as well. Child has told us that him and his 5y/o sister sleep on a loveseat together every night, and his 13y/o brother sleeps on a bean bag each night. Child has also told us that she sometimes leaves him and his sister home alone (9 and 5 y/o!) to take his older brother places. We strongly believe he is not safe with her, and is suffering a lot from of mental stress and anxiety from the way she fails to care for him.

So again my main questions are 1) does she count as a non-custodial parent?) and 2) is there anything we can do to suspend her parenting time until the court date? We hate to have to separate him from his 2 siblings but do not trust her at all to properly take care of him. She also ignores D’s calls and texts frequently when she has the child, especially when she keeps the child for a day or two past her parenting time!

Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You cannot violate a court order because she violated the court order. You must follow the order as it is written until it is updated.

Your recourse for her violating the order is taking her back to court.

If you believe he is unsafe in her care, you may contact CPS and report it.


Title: [Ohio] I am planning to purchase new cars for an exporter. Can I get into any legal trouble?

Question:
To start off, i'll give some background info.  I am in my mid twenties and I work in the steel industry as a engineer.  I have some Chinese friends and they introduced me to some people running a car exporting company.  My Chinese friends make a few grand every month by working for this exporting company and I am interested in the easy money.

I am planning on purchasing a car for a Chinese exporting company in the near future.  If all goes well, I will continue to do this as a side job to make a little extra cash.  I will be wired the money from the exporter to make a deposit on the car.  After making the deposit I will contact the exporter.  The exporter will then wire me the total amount of the car.  I will then pay for the car.  After purchasing the car, I will transfer the title over to the name of the exporter.  The exporter will then pay to have the car picked up and shipped to New York to be sent over seas.  I will receive a personal check from the exporter when the car arrives at the exporters location in New York.  There is a contract with the exporter that I need to sign.  I have not signed it yet because I am unsure If I can get in any legal trouble by doing this.

Can I get any legal trouble by doing this?  Would I need to do anything with my taxes?

I appreciate any advice I can get.

EDIT:  I want to add some details to this post.  I apologize if I am not doing the "reddit" thing correctly.  This is my first post.

Anyhoo... My roommate is from China and he currently works for 5 export companies.  He is bringing in around 10 grand a month by working for these companies.  He has been black listed by Mercedes and maybe a few other dealers.  He is also "friends" with some managers at other dealerships.  Some of these managers know exactly what he is doing so they charge him an extra few hundred to couple thousand.  This is already on top of the mark-up price and this is just extra money for the managers to pocket.  That is the way he explains it at least.  He is so friendly with one manager that all he has to do is send him a picture of a Chinese student's ID that is studying here in America and the manager will write up the title and send it to my roommate.  My roommate then just has to go and pick the car up from the dealer after paying the manager the amount for the car, the mark-up fee, and for commission.

He has also had one of his "bosses" over and I have questioned him about the whole process.  When the "boss" came over, they went to a dealership that has really cracked down on my roommates car purchases.  My roommate and his "boss" went straight to the manager and gave the manager a check for $100,00.  They tried to bargain the manager buy paying him and in return, allowing the company to purchase any car they wanted for this next quarter.  Because my roommate had so many purchases at this dealership, the dealership was fined from the previous quarter for selling too many cars or maybe they found out they were all being exported.  Either way, the manager could not accept the check and said he could lose his job if he has a second straight quarter like the previous one.  The manager told my roommate and his "boss" to come back next quarter with the offer and they could re-negotiate.

My roommate has been doing this for over a year and his "bosses" have been doing it for 3x that long, if not longer.  He has had no legal trouble to deal with as of yet.

Should I stay as far away from this as possible?  This seems like it is way too good to be true.

Answer:
 Read this article......

[Big Trouble in Little China: The Feds Crack Down on Vehicle-Export Fraud from the U.S.](http://blog.caranddriver.com/big-trouble-in-little-china-the-feds-crack-down-on-vehicle-export-fraud-from-the-u-s/)

Fits what you are looking to do - including the Chinese "friends." Don't do this.Answer #2: This is [vehicle export fraud](http://blog.caranddriver.com/big-trouble-in-little-china-the-feds-crack-down-on-vehicle-export-fraud-from-the-u-s/). Don't do it.Answer #3: > Would I need to do anything with my taxes?

You'd need to count this as income, for sure.  If legal.

I'm not totally sure I get what's going on here.  So you go to the dealership and find a car.  The exporter wires you the money to pay for it, and you go in and buy it. Totally normal purchase on your end.  Then you send the car to him and he sends you a check for your pay.  About right?

My immediate question is why they need you.  Seems to be an expensive proposition to pay you to buy a car, then pay to have it shipped across the country to New York for export.  Why wouldn't he just work with a dealer in New York and cut out the middleman?


Title: (MO) Former employer doesn't give herself paychecks. She uses the business account when she needs money.

Question: This takes place in MO. Former employer never writes  herself a paycheck. She just takes money from the business account when she needs it (vacations, purchasing non-business related items). She is already getting sued by the IRS for thousands of dollars in back taxes. What can be done to get her reported? She's also extremely non OSHA complaint, but that's for another day.

Answer:
 She's your **former** employer. And, I assume the owner of the business. This is nothing to do with you. It looks like (if the IRS is after her ) she has enough problems.

But just to say: if she's the sole owner, there is nothing inherently wrong with her taking money from the business account. It needs to be properly accounted for (and quite possibly that hasn't happened) but again, it's nothing to do with you. Answer #2: You don't have to draw a paycheck from your own business. I own a business, and I could zero my bank account for cocaine and hookers in Vegas if I wanted to as long as I pay my taxes. Not that I would, but you get the point.

Why do these threads pop up all of the time? Employees need to mind their own fucking business sometimes. Did you get paid? Good. Carry on.


Title: Do I have to register as a sex offender if I move from Utah or visit others outside of Utah?

Question:
It's getting to the point where I can finally leave Utah and I just graduated and are now looking for a job. It hadn't come to mind that there can be some serious issues with moving to another state because of a previous legal issue. Details that I can provide (more upon request) are that I took a plea deal of Child Abuse (Felony) and Sexual Battery (Class A misdemeanor in Utah). I had to complete 200 hours of community service to have the Child Abuse charge dropped completely.

As it is now I still have the Sexual Battery class A misdemeanor in Utah. This does NOT require me to register as a sex offender here in Utah. However I wanted to visit my sister in Maryland for awhile, and upon reading their laws they have this: A person who moves to Maryland and was convicted of an offense that in another state that constitutes a registerable crime in Maryland must also register." I claim that I am still a resident of Utah, and that doesn't plan on changing until I find a job elsewhere.

Questions I'd like answered if possible:

If I visit my sister in Maryland do I have to register and if so how long can I have to stay without having to register?

What States would I have to register if I decided to live/work there (which are safe which are not)?

After 5 years and I can get this expunged, am I still at risk of having to register if I move?

Harder question to answer here, is it possible for me to join the military at all? (might be through a waiver?)

Any information would be great and I've tried to find good sources and contact my lawyer but no real good answers have come up. Thank you for helping me out and reading this.

PS: Know that I'm a good decent person that honestly was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I was told that the situation wasn't very serious but the charges would be. I took a plea because there was hardly and option for me to get out without a worse sentencing. This plea gave me no felony (after community service) and no registration. It would have cost me thousands to fight this in court. I hope any advice is unbias and knows that I didn't commit a crime like this, but had no other option than to plea out.

Answer:
 If you have a sexual battery charge the military is not going to grant a moral waiver. The climate is focused on preventing and reducing sexual assault. Good luck getting your life on track, but realize that your life won't involve military service with what you were convicted of. Answer #2: >If I visit my sister in Maryland do I have to register

How long are you visiting for? Two weeks or "until I get a job?"

No one is going to look at every states laws. That is a lot of laws. You were able to find it in Maryland. You can find it for the other states.

You would have to talk to a recruiter.  It depends on a lot of factors.


Title: [Elmont, Long Island, NY] Furniture store not delivering items not giving back money.

Question:
My moms fiance ordered several items from a furniture store in Elmont since January, the items were scheduled to be delivered by the end of January but wasn't. The owner of the store has been rescheduling the delivery almost every week, this has happened 9 times. Two weeks ago he was supposed to deliver the items but said there was some issues with the truck and that he would deliver the items the following week my mom's fiance asked him for the money he paid 8,000 to be given back but he said it was against store policy to give refunds but he would be willing to give store credit which would be valid at that store for 3 months. Is there any legal way to get him to pay back the money because they have no furniture in their apartment and have been sleeping on an air bed?
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 If you are also located in Nassau County, you can file a complaint [1] with Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs.   They might be able to help you, depending on what the contract says about the delivery timeline.

[1] http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3340


Title: (Arizona) Cop turned off his camera while searching my roommates car when he was caught with possession of marijuana

Question:
This is a long shot but I was curious if there's anything wrong about a police officer turning his camera off while searching someone's car after a stop.

The way it went down as he says is he got pulled over for running a stop sign, the guy started to smell the weed then had asked if he could search the car. Before searching he told my roommate that he is a "good cop" for turning the camera off as he searched.

I was lead to believe cops weren't allowed to turn their cameras off, is that not true? If it's true, is there anything he can do about that or is he pretty much just screwed?

Answer: He can retain a lawyer to contest the charge and/or file a complaint with the officer's department.


Title: Since you have the right to represent yourself in court, could your spouse also theoretically represent you in court (without being a licensed attorney)?

Answer: No, you have a constitutional right to represent *yourself* (for which the judge has a constitutional duty to inform you is a huge mistake). That right does not extend to anyone else. In this scenario your spouse would be guilty of the unauthorized practice of law and depending on jurisdiction subject to civil or criminal sanctions.Answer #2: No, why would they? Your spouse isn't you.Answer #3: Even if your spouse *was* a lawyer, even maybe a specialist in your current legal matter, this would still be a bad idea in almost every situation.


Title: If a parent is warned their children will be left alone if they do not return home, can 'sitter be charged with child neglect?

Question:
This is a mostly theoretical question should I encounter the situation again.

My daughter went over to watch her cousins while my brother and sister-in-law  went to a friend's funeral. If it matters:  my daughter is a minor. While they were traveling,  my brother's wife started texting me ugly accusations of putting my fiance over my children. I demanded an apology or they could turn around and drop my daughter back off. When she refused I said I would go pick her up and they needed to be there or their children would be left home alone.  She replied they would report me. I was at work at this point an hour away from their house.  My brother called while I was sorting my thoughts and feelings in the car, and I gave them over an  hour and a half to meet me at their home (the time I was told their destination from their housewould be and more than enough time as they shouldn't have reached it yet at this point) Ultimately he deescalated the situation so this is truly an exercise in theory.

Would the law have been behind me since I was giving them time to either make other arrangements or get home themselves? She's posted on Facebook that if a person had left children (one of whom is 7) home alone like that, then that person could be arrested. (And no she didn't name anyone) Did I barely escape serious trouble?

Location VA

Answer:
 You barely escaped serious trouble. Your daughter agreed to be the custodian in charge, and you let her accept that burden. Assuming she was old enough to babysit in the first place, the law also allowed her to accept that charge.

Then you decided to rescind it because the actual custodial parents were mean to you. So it was your job, as the person removing the current legal guardian, to find someone to replace your daughter.


Title: How to Handle This Ambiguous Sexual Assault Case - Victim's Perspective

Question:
So within these few months since July I have been sexually assaulted multiple times by this same person and only recently made a police case for it.

There is definitely outrage of modesty as the person without warning grabbed my chest and rubbed my genitals through the clothes as well as proceeding to attempt to strip my clothes off. I was not wearing any revealing clothes to signal interest nor did I give any flirtatious verbal or physical communication.

However I did not explicitly say "No" before he penetrated me, I only say something like "Wait what are you doing" and hesitated to let him do it, I did not want it. So whether or not rape happened I don't know. After he penetrated I just let everything happen.

Furthermore after the incident I continued to meet the guy for dates and even sex and slowly developed romantic feelings for him. This complicates the case and makes it hard to determine whether or not "I wanted it" or "was asking for it" or "liked it".

Why I decide to open the case months after the incident was that I realised non-consensual sex was actually rape and not sex. I realised I was so desensitised to having my consent taken away without my permission that I got used to it and don't even bother owning my rights anymore. I am deciding to take back my rights by reporting this and making it an official legal case.

What complicates things are that out of anger of being used for sex I impulsively exposed his indecent text messages whereby he talks about how he uses many girls for sex as well as his censored d*ck pic on my social media account as well as send it to some of his social contacts. I also stated that he is a rapist, yes that was an unwise choice whats done is done. Now he wants to take legal actions against me by suing me for defamation.

My questions are:
How does the law (I'm in Singapore) understand sexual consent?
How long will an average case take? I am a busy person and have many other things to deal with so I don't know if it is worth it to pursue this case.

This is just a brief of the case. If you need any additional details please ask.

Answer: It is highly unlikely that anyone here can comment on the intricacies of such cases in Singapore. It is probably well worth you seeking a lawyer if he actually does take legal action.


Title: Ex still has car in my name. Found out he's letting others drive the car

Question:
Broke up back in August. I kept house,, he kept car.. Im still main owner, he is co owner.. Expressed that no one should be driving the car besides him.  Was informed that he's been lending car to his new gf.

Are there legal ramifications that could come against me if she were to be driving the car and get into an accident? Should I be jumping to get the car back in my possession?

Answer:
 You both own it.  He's allowed to lend it to someone if he wants.  You're allowed to go and take it if you want.

In most cases, the driver of the car is responsible for what happens with it, but sometimes the owner can get pulled in.  Always make sure you have paid up car insurance with large liability limits.  You might also want to get an additional umbrella liability policy.  Or better yet, sell the car and let him buy his own.


Title: [NYC] Question about "right to charge a fair market rent amount" in apartment lease

Question:
I'm in the process of signing a new apartment in New York with a roommate and came across a clause in the lease that confused me. The line reads as follows:

B. The parties agree that the apartment is not a “Rent Stabilized” or “Rent Controlled” apartment and is not subject to any form of rent regulation. As such, at all times, Owner is permitted to seek a fair market rental amount.

I understand that the apartment is not rent controlled, but the last sentence threw me off. I emailed the leasing agent to get clarification on whether it means our rent can change DURING the lease, and her response was:

"What this states is the apartment lease is not Rent controlled or Rent stabilized and at any time of the lease the Ownership can collect a fair market rent amount. Not that the rent can be increased at all times."

To me it seems like she's just repeating the language in the lease without answering my question. Has anyone encountered this while signing a lease before?

Thanks!

Answer: The leasing agent isn't very good at her job. The clause means that the unit isn't subject to rent control, and the landlord can raise the rent *at the end* of the lease (not during the lease).


Title: Need advice for terminating lease due to loud neighbors, in Florida

Question:
I live in an apartment complex and my neighbors are unbearable. Over the past 6 months, I've submitted over 5 noise complaints. These guys are usually blaring music (very deep bass music) from 9pm-2am. I've tried to record this but my phone doesn't pick up the deep bass sounds.

The complex said they might be forced to evict the neighbors but I think all they have done is warn them. Again last night I was trying to go to sleep around 12am but I could not because of the music.

So my question is this, how do I go about terminating the lease because the complex has failed to remedy the situation?

Answer: Why don't you call the police each time this is an issue? I never ever call my landlord over noise complaints. Sometimes it was my neighbour, sometimes the guys across the alley. If you can't work it out one on one, then call the cops and lodge a nose complaint every time. I'm not sure of the bylaws where you are, but here they removed the time limit, so it can be any time of day if it's disruptive. Most places it's after 11 that noise bylaws come into effect. After enough complaints the police will either so showing up, or talk to the landlord themselves. Either way it's worth a shot.


Title: [Washington] Posted Yelp review of plastic surgeon. He's threatening to sue me. Does he have a legitimate claim?

Question:
I live in Texas but got this surgery done in Washington State.

The result of the surgery is not what was expected. He claims my results are normal but my dermatologist has told me otherwise and also says the damage is not fixable. I had numerous and deep acne scars across my face and he used a laser to lessen them. In the process he destroyed my melanocytes which do not heal or come back leaving me tomato red across my entire face and easily susceptible sun burns forever.

Unfortunately, after the procedure I discovered the surgeon had been reprimanded by the department of health of Washington State and his license was put on probation for being medically negligent with at least 5 patients. He put all of them at risk of death and he signed and acknowledged his wrongdoings.

I don't think he was medically negligent with me but I do think he exercised bad judgement and treated me too aggressively, which I state in my review.

I went to Yelp and wrote a review that highlights these facts and how to see proof of his wrongdoings by going to the Washington Department of Health website and looking it up. My review continues with what procedures took place and what the intent was vs what the outcome is and provided pictures.

The most negative thing I said about him was that he "had a serious lapse in judgement" when treating me and I recommend to "not get this procedure or any other procedure done with him".

I also explicitly stated he is not currently under probation. I simply wanted to make people aware of what he did to me and other people and that he was reprimanded for it.

I haven't been served. He didn't even mention the words "defamation, slander or libel" when he told me he was suing me over email.

Does he have legitimate grounds to sue me?

Answer: As long as everything you said in your review is either 1) factually true or 2) your opinion, he has no grounds to sue. Get a lawyer if you are served, but he is most likely blowing smoke.Answer #2: He’s most likely just trying to scare you into deleting your bad review. Don’t fall for it. You have freedom of speech and are well within your rights to express your opinion and tell your true experience. He can sue but it’s very unlikely he’ll win unless he can prove you made a false claim or if you signed something with a non disparagement clause.


Title: [NV]Mother died suddenly; what's going to happen with my immigration situation?

Question:
So my mother and sister passed Thursday after their car emitted some HAZMAT or something. I've posted before about my situation and I already know I need to get a lawyer, I get it. I can't afford one and no legal aid clinic in Vegas will help me out that I know of.

I was brought to the country via visa-waiver with my mother as an infant. I'm now 19 and trying to file for legal status. I was already pretty confused on what needed to be done, but with the deaths of my only US citizen relatives I'm in a new, less clear, and even scarier place.

Please, can someone point me in the right direction of papers that need to be filed.

For some background: I was born in Netherlands to my Dutch father and mother who was not a US citizen at the time. Now the Dutch won't let me back in or get passport without proving my father's citizenship and I don't even know the guy.

Should I try DACA?

Answer:
 You need an immigration lawyer.  If you mess this up, you might mess it up for life.Answer #2: > Should I try DACA?

If you qualify, sure.  But that will not lead to any meaningful permanent status.  It is the definition of a stop-gap.

I'm very sorry about your situation.  It must feel as if you are very much in limbo.

The truth is, you need an attorney.  Your situation and background needs to be analyzed and combed through.  You need an attorney to do this.  Consultations are usually free.  Many attorneys do *pro bono* cases for regular or exceptional cases.  You need to explore this avenue before you immediately write it off.


Title: Does stating your own beliefs in the workplace constitute as a type of workplace discrimination?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Does stating your own beliefs while in the workplace constitute discrimination?

No, not in and of itself.  But there could be facts that make it so.
Answer #2: This sounds like it may be a case of asking the wrong question.

Is it about whether someone can sue you?

Or is it about "can I get fired if they decide they don't like me"?

The answer to the second question is usually "you can get fired for it", unless you're a member of a protected class and it is specifically your membership in that class that is behind the termination.

"ciswhitemale" is not usually a protected class BTW.


Title: Trademarking animal print for a good cause-- legally possible?

Question: I'm an ad student in NY trying to come up with a campaign to help raise money for the #1 endangered species, the Amur Leopard. Since leopard print (as a design) is such a popular trend on clothing, accessories, etc., I thought it might be cool to try and trademark the leopard print pattern. I know there's a lot of different iterations of the print etc. so this might be a long shot, but the ultimate goal is to make it possible for leopard (the animal) to get royalties from the print. Might be better off as a PR stunt than an actual attempt-- but just wanted to put feelers out there to see if this is legally possible. If not, any other suggestions of legal actions to take that could allow leopards to get compensation for use of their print? Thanks!!

Answer:
 No. You can only trademark something if consumers can uniquely identify your goods by seeing the mark.

e:

>If not, any other suggestions of legal actions to take that could allow leopards to get compensation for use of their print?

That's not really how the law works. It's not a spellbook; you can't decide what outcome you want, and then search around until someone tells you the right chant to make it happen.


Title: Jeff Session testimony, claiming presidential non-privilege privilege?

Question:
Sooo...  what gives with AG Sessions being able to not answer committee questions if executive privilege has not been invoked by the President?  His argument seems to be that the President *may*, at some nebulous future point in time, want to invoke executive privilege and that's totally why he can dodge some rather pointed questions from the Senators.  Sessions claims he is protecting the President's Constitutional Rights by doing so.

How true is this?

Answer: Unclear. He appears to have been asserting some species of attorney client privilege.


Title: [NY] Mailing of Tickets

Question: Just wondering if it is possible in NY to have traffic tickets/notifications mailed to a specified address that is not the one listed on your license/DMV info, and if so, how would one go about doing this? Thanks in advance for the help!

Answer: Let me guess, you don't want your parents finding out about your tickets?


Title: 33 M OHIO. HAVING CREDIT ISSUES.

Question:
Hi all, first and foremost thanks for any help. I don't post much so please bear with me.

I was divorced in 2005 and struggling with an alcohol / responsibility issue. My credit has since take a huge hit. I had a repo and foreclosure afterward that do not show on my credit history. ( through credit karma ). The three things that show up are a 2500$ charge for my utilities provider from 2007-08. This is with a collections company. A 950 $ for a cable provider that was not set up in my knowledge by an ex. I signed for nothing. And an erroneous insurance bill that I have since taken care of.

That being said, I have pulled my head from my ass and I am working on financial responsibility. I have recently applied for a very reasonable loan through mariner finance. I will receive 1k and with it I hope to start rebuilding my credit and pay down some of these charges. The electricity charge is from so long ago that I wonder if it is past statue of limitations. The cable bill I'm wondering if I am liable for. Either way I need to call these company's and see if they will remove or let me settle. Can anyone provide me with ideas on how to talk to these people ? I have heard horror story's about people trying to settle and saying the wrong thing. Any advise would be wonderful. Thank you in advance !

P.s I am trying to repair my credit to buy the home I'm renting. I am currently at a 517 and need to be around 650, if this makes any difference. I also make around 49k a year salaried.

Answer:
 You should send a debt verification letter to all of the creditors. If they can't prove you owe the debt, they should take it off of your report. Specifically, the ones that you didn't set up.

Paying anything towards the debt could establish the debt as yours. Do not do that until they've proven that you owe it.

Check out /r/personalfinance for more detailed instructions on disputing collections on your credit report.


Title: Dealership changed the price on a car I was financing without telling me, can I do anything legal wise?

Question:
Ok I was buying a car from a dealership the site said the price was $4995(with a slash through it)below it was $3995 special(in red)

Well I was running late for work when I bought the car(I had been there since they opened at 9am had to be at work at 3pm, it took that long lol),so I just signed because when he told me the payment terms I thought it was a little high,but that it was because of high interest.

Well 2.5 weeks later on a day off,i was looking at the paperwork and it is saying the price before any fees or anything was $5995,the car blue books for $5300....

Are they allowed to do that? if it helps their site does say "Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Interested parties should confirm all data before relying on it to make a purchase decision. All prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. "

I would of under stood if it was changed to the $4995,because what if the $3995 was a cash only price,but it did not say that on the site.

Are they allowed to change the price by that much?

EDIT:i live in texas.

Answer:
 >so I just signed because

You signed the paperwork, the paperwork didn't change after you signed it, so you cannot say they changed the price without telling you.


Title: Apartment property manager is withholding mail key until I sign addendum

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Hi! How are you? Nice weather we've been having, though it looks like rain in the next few days. Oh, by the way, what's on the addenda?Answer #2: What does the addenda say? Does it concern the new mailboxes/mail area?

Though, generally speaking, he cannot withhold access to your mail. If the addenda is that onerous (*seriously, what is it?*), call your local postmaster and tell him your landlord is preventing you from getting your delivered mail.Answer #3: Withholding access to the US mail is a pretty dodgy move.

So what does the addendum say anyway?  Is it some payment you have to make if you lose your key?


Title: My dad is threatening to evict me from my house. He signed the house over to me and my sister in a quitclaim deed 5 years ago when he thought he was going to die. Can he do that?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You and your sister jointly own the house. You cannot be evicted. _He_ can be - he's a tenant, and unless he retained a more complicated interest or has a written lease, he's almost certainly month-to-month. You and your sister can end his tenancy, and evict him if he doesn't leave.


Title: Adoption issue (Suffolk County, NY)

Question:
First and foremost thank you for any and all responses, I am considering seeking legal representation at this point in time but figured I would reach out because I may be overreacting.

About 10 years ago I had a child who my then girlfriend and I could not care for. We searched and found a couple willing to adopt and they were with us through the process. It all went off pretty smoothly.

Recently I started receiving facebook messages from the adoptive mother asking for medical history from my family in order to establish risk factors for the child. Made perfect sense so I indulged.

Withkn the last week or so she has started asking if the birth mother had been drinking alchohol during the pregnancy. I replied that I was not aware of any drinking during that period of time and would be very surprised if it had taken place. I have not had contact with the birth mother in years so I don't know if she was receiving similar questions at the time.

This morning I woke up to a message from the adoptive mother, stating the birth mother admitted to drinking prior to findout she was pregnant, specifically on a weekly basis at a bar, and she apparently stated that I was aware of this behavior. I cannot stress enough how completely false this is. I was under the age of 21, working 40+ hours a week, and pursuing a degree at the time. Additionally, during the eriod of time leading up to the discovery of the pregnancy, the birth mother and I were barely on speaking terms. We were NOT taking weekly visits to bars where I couldn't drink.

That being said, the adoptive mother is furious and stated to me that she feels like we were dishonest during the adoption process. I understand completely, if I were given this incorrect information I would be in the same boat. However, I need to know if I have any risk of legal liability here. If this woman decides to try to sue me for damages am I at risk of losing and being burdened with medical bills for a choices, in which I had no say?

Thanks again for any guidance and any responses.

Answer: No, you have no risk of legal liability.  She didn't purchase a product from you that's been found to be defective and that she gets to return or be compensated for. Wow, I feel bad for the kid.Answer #2: NAL (or a doctor) but unless birth mom discovered her pregnancy later than usual, IIRC her weekly drinks shouldn’t have much of an effect on the fetus. The placenta isn’t formed until ~12 wks, at which point drinking does become an issue. Most women discover their pregnancy 5-8 weeks after their last missed period. Answer #3: IANAL. I would stop all contact with this (perhaps crazy) woman and block her from facebook. If she persists, get a lawyer to send her a cease and desist letter. And don't be so understanding. 10 years later and the woman is starting to have doubts about the adoption? Probably because the child has some mental/physical issues that are proving expensive. Stay Away. Stay Far, Far Away.


Title: Dog custody problems with a narcissist mother who is bat shit crazy..any advise helps

Question:
Hello! So this is my last resort to shout out to the universe for advice. Wondering if anyone has had to deal with this sort of thing. My mom is an extreme narcissist. It's all about power and control with her. It's really always all about her, and has been that way since I was a child. She moved me half way across the country away from my dad, and now that i'm old enough to challenge the way she treats people i'm a "disgrace".

She is planning on moving to Portugal with my dog 2/1/16 so I don't have much time. I share partial custody of my dog Beau (not in writing). My childhood dog died when I was 21 (5 years ago) and my mom and I made the stupid decision of getting another dog together. It was before I knew she was a narcissist. When we both lived in the same city it made sense, she had him 4 days a week..I had him 3. I took him on all the adventures, she sat at home with him. Then when I went to college we did a few months here and there. I've worked for a rafting company for the past two years in the summer and have him the whole summer. He is either with me in the office, or with my boss under constant care for 4 hours if i'm on the river vs being alone in my moms studio apartment for 8 hours a day. My mom still says he's "an urban dog", which is far from the truth.

Anyway she just had leg surgery and I told her I could keep him for longer since she wouldn't be able to walk, first she agreed then called me back demanding I bring him back or she would call and have me fired from my job, and call the police and get me arrested for kidnapping...this is my mother. Now he is just staying with her new friend i've never even met....it's BS.

As far as Portugal is concerned I'm extremely worried about the long plane ride to Portugal as Beau is terrified of loud noises (even smoke alarms), it's to the point I think he could be traumatized for life from it. Anyway...there are a few things I have on my side...

1. Emails back and forth with my mom and the foster parent with the pet rescue organization talking about how excited I was to have the dog and how I was an only child raised with dogs so it will be good for me to have him. It was more an email about the dog being mine potentially..
2. A video of her disgusting apartment that he was living in while with her as she's a hoarder.
3. video of him freaking out after a smoke alarm went off.
4. a ton of pictures of us on adventures over the years
5. Potentially a group of over +30 people that could speak to Beau and I having a special bond where he is glued to my side 24/7. I'm almost considering starting a petition.

Now some of you may think "this is just a dog", but he is so much more than that. I would like to save him from the horrible environment with my mom, that no one saved me from for the first 18 years of my life. I recently discovered metaphorically through Beau that she was a narcissist 3 years ago, and my life has been forever changed but I need to go about this situation cautiously as she is capable of doing a lot of damage. A lot of people are telling me I just need to steal him, but she knows where I live...plus she's had me arrested all through high school and says whatever lie she can to get me arrested so I have to be careful with this one.

Any advice helps. I made a Reddit account specifically for this, hoping to get some serious and knowledgable advice on the issue.

Answer:
 TL;DR OP and mother adopted dog together and had a arrangement of splitting the dogs time between them. Mom now wants to move countries and take the dog with her. How can OP take full ownership of the dog?Answer #2: First and only warning that "n word" doesn't play very well here. You might want to edit your post to take that out because it really doesn't matter.

I'm having a hard time figuring out where you and the dog are located. You will need to provide location if you want accurate answers. Generally dogs are property like a book or tv. If you feel the animal is being abused and you have such a thing as animal control wherever you are, you can contact them.


Title: Student loans cancelled because of dead mom

Question:
First, location: OH, USA

When I signed up for my student loans, my mom took out some parental plus loans in her name for my education. That happened around mid-summer this year, as well as last year. Come August 11th, my mom unexpectedly passed away from a major medical event. Sixteen days later, I started the fall semester. Less than a week into the semester, I called my student loan provider to let them know my mom passed away. They said to send an official copy of the death certificate and that the loans in her name would be discharged. I specifically asked if this would at all affect my financial aid for this year since my loans had already disbursed and the lady assured me they wouldn't. Today, now four weeks into the semester and 6 weeks after my mom has passed, I got a call from my financial aid office at my school. The lady there said that the Department of Education had ordered for my parental plus student loans to be cancelled. She said that this was because my mom had passed on the 11th and loans disbursed on the 17th. She said my options now are to either take out my own private loan or have my father sign for a parental plus loan. My questions are how is this legal and is there anyway I can fight my loans being cancelled?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Your Mom passed before the loan funds were disbursed (and should not have been disbursed since the borrower was deceased).

> is there anyway I can fight my loans being cancelled?

They were not "your" loans, they were your mom's and the money never should have been disbursed and has been returned by your school.Answer #2: Have you read the contracts for the loan. I'm not a lawyer but all this may be laid out there. Aside from that, you should have informed them of your mothers passing before accepting the payment since she was the guarantor. It sounds almost like you knew that they would cancel the loan so you waited till after you spent the money to let them know they shouldn't have given it to you.


Title: 2 felons in love 😍😍😍

Question:
So my boyfriend and I want to get married REALLY bad. But we are both on felony probation in the same county with the same charge (did not catch charges together) and he's got 2 other charges.
How much trouble can we get in for being together?

Answer:
 If your probation conditions state that you can't be around other felons, you can be violated and sent back to prison.

You will need to either get exemptions from your probation officer(s) and/or the judge(s), or wait until you have completed probation.

You should talk to your attorneys before approaching probation about this. Answer #2: Would it violate your probation? For example if you're not supposed to associate with other people on probation?Answer #3: Does your probation specifically prohibit you from being in contact with each other?Answer #4: >How much trouble can we get in for being together?

Ask your respective probation officers.Answer #5: It depends on the terms of your probation.

Does your probation restrict you from associating with other felons? Answer #6: In the places I'm familiar with, these conditions restrict contact that isn't approved in advance by the probation officer. So the first step would be to ask your respective probation officers for permission.

If that permission is denied, you would need to go to court and have the terms of your probation modified to allow the contact. Your odds of success here depend heavily on what state you're in and why the probation officer doesn't want the two of you having contact.

This is so obvious that I'm sure I don't have to say it, but the worst possible thing you could do would be to have unauthorized contact with one another before squaring it with your probation officer. Answer #7: Refer question to PO, but be careful  in how you ask (maybe frame it like a hypothetical) because just dating him may get you in trouble if the terms of probation include not associating with felons. NAL


Title: My coworkers used the "N word" in my presence, what can I do?

Question: We were at a work sanctioned happy hour at a restaurant and they began making jokes with the "N Word." I'm black, and they explained that they were joking, but it still made me uncomfortable. What can I do?

Answer: Report it to HR.  This is not a legal matter.


Title: [FL] - Local area hospitals requiring photo scan for visitor check in with no data retention policy

Question:
I'm a vendor/contractor that supplies services to the local county hospital system, and two of their four hospital properties have recently began requiring you to submit a photo ID as well as have your picture taken everytime you enter. Identity information, including the photo I'm lead to believe, is compared against a sexual predator database before you can gain entry to the building. While I am not a sexual predator, I am a citizen concerned about their privacy, and so I asked for a copy of their policy regarding the procedure. I can't seem to find any sort of data retention policy that specifies how long they retain image and visitation records. Additionally, the policy says they will use it to "check the status of the visitor with the FDLE Sexual Offender Database, the Deny Entry Database, and other databases as directed by System Director of Security." That's pretty arbitrary, considering they only have signage (if I remember correctly) for the FDLE database.

What are my legal options here? Can my employer punish/fire me for refusing to submit to being added to their database indefinitely? They reserve the right to refuse admission if you refuse to present an ID and be entered into the database. I feel it's an unwarranted search and, while I understand the need for security, I don't personally feel creating databases is the safest way to protect the population.

Answer: Feel free not to comply with the policy, but the hospital does not have to let you in and can/will call the police if you attempt to trespass. If this is really a hill you want to die on, so be it.


Title: My son’s teacher blindsided me by involving social services in a parent teacher conference. There was no suspicion of abuse or neglect only concern over his picky eating. Did she have the right to do that without my consent?

Question:
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: Not only is she allowed to, she's probably legally *required* to.Answer #2: Yes, if she suspected any abuse or neglect she is required to contact social services.


Title: [Arizona] I sell League of Legends accounts and just received a C&D from Riot Games. Is what I'm doing actually illegal? Should I be worried?

Question:
Hello! So, basically, I received this letter from Riot Games (I removed all personal information):

https://gyazo.com/782740c968202b661667b2708d9b5087
https://gyazo.com/bf097d5f1a2cf50fed80a6cc289eb9bc

This is my conversation thus far with their lawyer:

https://gyazo.com/79a4c7115357775e248f8f1d706e9f73

I am seeking out legal consultation tomorrow, but a few buddies of mine are suggesting against it. They think they are just sending out this C&D to try and scare me and don't plan on actually wasting time/energy on me.

I'd like to hear your guys' opinion. I am very stressed out right now. I'm a single dad, and this is what pays the bills and puts food on the table right now for my son and me.

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 I'm almost 200% sure that buying and selling accounts is against LoL's Terms of Use. Which you agree to every time you start an account. Because of the CFAA, if someone has conditions for accessing their site, and you deliberately and intentionally access it without any intention of following those conditions, it could well be construed as *"Unauthorised"* access of a computer system. Especially if it requires a username and password.

There's a tonne of other possible claims, which I'm sure their lawyer sets out in painstaking detail.

But really the most important thing is - if you're relying on this to make a living, I'm going to guess you don't have a lot in savings. How much do you want to risk being sued by Riot - who has money and lawyers - and how much do you think you can afford to spend on lawyers, or have judgments of hundreds of thousands of dollars awarded against you?

Find another, Riot-approved (or at least less Riot-disapproved) way of making money. This one's done. Walk away. Be glad they're willing to allow you to just walk away.

(Edit: Honestly I don't think this is even worth spending money on a lawyer for, but feel free to get a consult if you want.)


Title: I was petitioning at a public school for a ballot initiative that would benefit said public school and alike...

Question:
Dallas, TX

I was getting a lot of people in the parking lot interested and gaining a lot of signatures. When asked to leave by the principal, I did not comply citing my legal right under the first amendment to petition on public property. School was not in session. The principal called a police officer who I also attempted to explain my 1st amendment rights to. I was arrested for criminal trespassing. Was this legal?? Advice for my court case please! Thank you for your time and consideration.

edit: I was polite and professional throughout the ordeal. I did not interfere or cause any problem with the parking lot activity nor any school function.
Topic:
Constitution

Answer:
 >my legal right under the first amendment to petition on public property

And that right is subject to content-neutral restrictions.  Further, a school parking lot isn't exactly a traditional public forum, so a constitutional defense is, in my opinion, very unlikely to succeed.


Title: [IL] False Job Descriptions Lead to Me Walking Door-to-Door in Shady Part of Chicago and Potentially Losing Current Job

Question:
Applied for a job online for a company that has many different positions on job sites such as LinkedIn and Monster. I applied for marketing coordinator. Also ok the list of jobs offered online include Customer Relations Officer, Marketing Assistant and Customer Acquisition Specialist. Basically, they're all jobs that describe door-to-door sales, except the one I applied for.

Basically I interviewed, and got a second interview where I would work with a trainer who would evaluate me. This role f marketing coordinator turned south as we drove to a shady area in downtown Chicago.

This was basic door-to-door sales, and involved the trainer continuing to ask angry individuals who did not wish to be bothered more questions, which made me antsy.

I left 2 hours into my 8 hour day there, and received no notice from the company after leaving.

I called off my part-time retail job that day and am now on Final Notice due to attendance and brand.

First, I want to know if this is in any way endangerment, considering the fact that I received no notice for the location. This is a long shot, but sending people door-to-door in bad parts of Chicago seem pretty reckless to me.

Second, I want to know if there's a way to stop their shady practice/lying about jobs. I don't want others to be stuck in that situation like I was, where they are brought in without knowledge of what they're going to do and lied to about the job they're hiring for. It's shady as is that they have so many names on websites like LinkedIn for the same job.

EDIT: https://imgur.com/gallery/LWr4Y
Look at all these titles for the exact same job.

Answer:
 LOL. No, it's not "endangerment".Answer #2: I was actually in your exact position six years ago but I was in San Francisco. I passed the first round and was told to come back the next day for "field training". Fortunately I googled the company that night and found out it's a huge scam so I never showed up. They prey on young people who wouldn't ask too many questions such as what exactly the job entails and if you will be paid in commission only. Unfortunately the only thing you can do is warn as many people as possible (but speak truthfully, don't embellish anything) so they don't waste their time.

See [this](http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/graduates-spot-job-scam/) and [this](http://www.indeed.com/forum/gen/Career-Advice/Tired-Scams/t207346) for other examples, there are countless others with similar experiences.


Title: I think I am getting ripped off by a mechanic shop

Question: I took my vehicle to this shop, in Texas if that matters. They said the price to fix my vehicle would come to just under $1,500, and that they would be done by the end of the week. It is now 4 days after they said they would have it finished. They called this morning to inform me that the work that I requested is finished, but in the process a head gasket busted. They tell me that it will be an extra $800 to fix that, which combined with the work I had requested done would be $2,750. I called them Saturday, the day they said it would be ready and it was not ready yet but the owner assured me he would get it done Monday. Monday comes and goes so I call them Tuesday and it is not ready yet. Wednesday I call to tell them that if they had not yet started on it, I would just get it towed elsewhere. They say that they are almost done with it. They were just about to pull it out of the bay were there exact words. That was at 11 am yesterday. They call me at noon today saying that they had just finished with it, along with what is listed above. This was the first that I heard of it costing more than estimated. I feel like they have not been honest about anything in this transaction. I have not paid them yet. Would it be bad for me to just abandon the vehicle and everything in it?

Answer:
 Dispute the extra $800 if you didn't authorize it. That's more than 10% more than the initial quote and they should have called before the work was done. This doesn't appear to be law in Texas, but it is a common practice everywhere I have ever lived or dealt with or worked at.

When it comes to abandoning the car, that's up to you. Is the car worth more than the repairs? What would happen then is that they would put a lien on the car, and either sell it or keep it to cover the cost. If they sell it and it doesn't cover the costs the you would be on the hook for the difference.

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/car-repairs
>failing to notify you and secure your additional approval, in writing, for any additional work to be done that was not set forth in the original written agreement.

There is also way to dispute in this link. Sadly, they can legally keep your car until you pay.


Title: [PA] Is giving out ice considered dispensing medical aid?

Question:
I work at a gym. Someone was hurt earlier today, and I wanted to give them ice to help prevent swelling of the injury. I was told by a coworker that we weren't allowed to give ice to people because it constitutes giving medical aid, which, in court, could be used against us. He says a lawyer could argue that the ice exacerbated the injury, that the gym staff gave untrained medical assistance, etc. and it would create liability if anything were to happen.

I understand not giving medication and the like, but it seemed inhumane to me to not offer ice. What is the correct answer here?

Answer: I'm no legal expert so take my advice accordingly but I assume it is possible that if ice exacerbates the injury and the person was a dick they may be able to sue if you initiated the offer.  On the other hand, if they ask you for the ice I can't see how simply complying with a request could be held against you.


Title: [BC, Canada]Neighbour taking pictures of my friends vehicles, license plates, and them getting into the car while legally parked on private property.

Question:
Hi reddit,

So here's the deal:

My neighbour is a police officer (RCMP) and last night he took a ton of pictures of my friend's car (parked legally in front of my house) and then more pictures when he got into it.

I know that it is legal to take pictures of private property from public property, but don't I have a reasonable expectation of privacy because it is in front of my home, a private residence?

Is there anything I can do to stop him, legally, other than just asking him nicely and crossing my fingers?

also, this may be important, we smoke marijuana (albeit illegally, but quietly, and INDOORS and always out of sight). They usually leave anywhere from 1 - 4 hours after smoking, and never when impaired, but the legal definition in Canada is skewed right now and they could be technically considered intoxicated, even though they are fully lucid and sober.

Answer:
 Your neighbor knows your friends come over and smoke up, then drive away a couple hours later.    The idea that they're "fully lucid and sober" is misplaced, as is your supposition that your neighbor can't smell the weed you're smoking.

Your friends are going to get pulled over by the RCMP and charged with DUI, because an RCMP officer knows that they've very likely been smoking weed and driving afterwards.

Your friend's license plate is very likely already in the PRIME-BC database with a marijuana related note.

You're not going to find some sort of loophole or regulation that's going to prevent an RCMP officer from taking note of and acting on probable illegal behavior that's occurring next to his home.Answer #2: >but the legal definition in Canada is skewed right now and they could be technically considered intoxicated

This is ridiculous. If your friend is driving and fails the sobriety testing then they are far too intoxicated to be driving. Stop doing illegal stuff and you won't need to worry about your neighbour taking photos.


Title: Launching a new ecommerce store selling electric hoverboards. How do I make sure noone comes after me if they happen to fall off and break something?

Question: I'll be selling a range of electric hoverboard 2-wheelers, and while they are safe if used responsibly, as with any sport/physical activity, there is always the risk of getting injured. How do I make sure that my customers cannot blame/sue me for any harm incurred when they are using these electric devices? My boyfriend works in a startup that creates a similar gadget, and says that they have managed to avoid such charges on the basis that they are classifying the activity as a 'boardsport'. I mention this on my website. I'd really appreciate it if someone could guide me towards the right terms to use in my legal page to avoid any trouble.

Answer:
 There's no way to guarantee someone can't sue you, even if they are unlikely to win.  And if your boards are defective in some way, they would have a decent case.

Get excellent business insurance.

>My boyfriend works in a startup that creates a similar gadget, and says that they have managed to avoid such charges on the basis that they are classifying the activity as a 'boardsport'.

I'm sorry but I can only conclude your boyfriend is unclear on the concept.  There are no "charges" in civil cases and who is doing this "classifying"?  And why does he think it protects against a lawsuit being filed?


Title: X post from r/guns. Family member awaiting trial is wondering if he can buy a pistol before going to court.

Question: He seems legitimately concerned that some guy he was transporting spice for might put a hit on him. He got wind that he was listed as a confidential informant. He claims he didn't say anything. He's currently looking at at least three felony charges, I believe possession, intent to distribute and trafficking. For those that may not know spice is a general term for synthetic marijuana.

Answer: NO! He should absolutely **not** do this.


Title: Can I Mix My Ashes With My Significant Other's Ashes? [New Zealand, Canterbury, Christchurch.)

Question:
When My girlfriend and I die, we want to have both our ashes mixed together then spread together. Is this legal and or possible?
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
 > Is this legal and or possible?

Put it in your will. Whose going to catch the person doing this? How will they prove it was two different people? Who would care if they knew? Also you're planning a bit far ahead, just have some fun with your girlfriend and stop thinking about what to do with your remains.

Given that your post history indicates your GF is 17 and has serious mental health issues, you need to watch out for weird, crazy, or abusive requests from her like this. If she's planning your deaths, you need to find another girlfriend.Answer #2: If you're not married, commingling ash sets is a terrible idea. Answer #3: Have it written in your wills and name an executor who will fulfill your requests.Answer #4: Ash spreading legality is different depending on where its spread.

One thing to consider is what are they going to do to you?  Fine you?  Imprison your urn?

Just make sure the person spreading the ashes knows the rules for the location


Title: Friend Got Caught with 100grams of Marijuana

Question:
A friend of mine, whom I have been seeing once a month and aside from that text from time to time, got caught by the police yesterday night.

My contacts told me that he is being investigated not only from drug trafficking but also organized crime.

I have been told that people in his contact list will also be contacted one way or the other by the police in the coming days after his trial.

His state attorney told us that he might do 10 to 15 years but I refuse to believe that since he has no previous incidents and is a university student.

Apparently during his bust he was with a mutual friend who was on probation.

This took place in Turkey and we are sadly under in State of Emergency so police can do whatever they want without proper warrants.

I was wondering if any of you would be kind enough to help us through this or at least explain us the possible scenarios we might have to go through.

Answer: Unfortunately, we don't have any Turkish posters who know the laws, especially under a state of emergency. Your friend needs to retain legal counsel, and anyone who is at risk of association should at least have the name and contact information of one who can assist them if they are accused as well.


Title: University is forcing me to pay for a class I have withdrawn from. Is this legal?

Question:
This semester I dropped a math class the day before the withdraw date of October 3rd. The bursar office and the registrar are both saying that I owe the tuition for the whole semester because I didn't drop by the "100% refund" deadline. The 100% to me implies that I would get at least a partial refund. To my understanding, making me pay for services not rendered is illegal.

Tldr: College is making me pay for the ill semester even though I withdrew. Can I do anything about it?

Edit: I live in Utah.

Answer: Your school website and handbook will likely identify the refund policy.  You agreed to that policy when you joined the school.  If the policy is that you don't get a refund after a certain date, then you don't get any refund.


Title: [NV] Can you purchase a pending civil lawsuit?

Question:
This isn't a personal question. I read a [news story where a collections agency acquired the civil lawsuit against them](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-16/suing-a-debt-collector-now-they-can-buy-your-lawsuit) from the plaintiff using a writ of execution.

Who actually *owns* a lawsuit? Is there any precedent for selling pending civil litigation?

Answer:
 A lawsuit(well, a winning lawsuit) is something of value.  It's perfectly fine for someone to transfer that value to another.  In fact, this is exactly how debt collection firms work.

This is a strange situation, only because the two parties are respectively plaintiff and defendant in separate cases.  Based on my quick read, the debtor erred by not challenging the default judgment and instead trying to open a different lawsuit.


Title: [AZ] Am i responsible for my neighbor’s dead dog?

Question:
So the neighbor hired me to walk their dogs I'm 16 so it was just kind of a cool thing I can do for money anyways so I was walking three dogs there was two German Shepherd and a Chihuahua and so when I was walking them yesterday one of them ran into the road and got hit by a car now that wasn't my fault I thought I had them on a tight leash but apparently wasn't tight enough. when I told the family that their dog died they pretended like it was my fault what are my legal rights I don't want to pay for the dog I don't really want to speak to the neighbors again they hate me.

So my question is this: how do I get the neighbors to move away?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 If you were in possession of the animal and being paid to care for it, then yes it is your responsibility. It may have been an accident, but you were in charge, it was your job to keep the animals safe.

They won’t move, they shouldn’t have to, there is no reason for them to. If you haven’t already you need to apologize and offer condolences. They could potentially sue you for the cost of the dog, and the very least be prepared to get a bad reference from them. They will most likely warn your other neighbors about the incident.

I suggest you find a new job. It doesn’t sound like you are mature or trustworthy enough to care for other people’s animals.


Title: Lottery issues

Question: [delete]

Answer: Someone is lying or someone is getting scammed.


Title: [US] [CA] Copyright: Wrote a plotting tool for writers, can I recreate plots of existing stories to show off the program?

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice!

I created a tool to map plots and was wondering if I could take an existing work, like "Die Hard" and map out the plot and make it available to show off the program? Or would that infringe on the copyright?

My program is for sale, but I wouldn't sell the plots, just make them available to download and view in the program.

Thanks!

Answer:
 If you wanted to be sure, you could just plot out some public domain stuff.   Alice in Wonderland would be a great way to demonstrate a plot, it's unique, and I have to think everyone is familiar with the plot.

Peter Pan, Around the World in 80 Days, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn... all of those are public domain and have plots that pretty much everyone is going to know.


Title: (AZ) Father is withholding personal property. He gave me one day's notice through email to collect the items.

Question:
I have an agreement with my parents that they would be holding onto some of my personal belongings until I finish college and move out of state. I've recently had a disagreement with my father and he is upset to the point he has practically disowned me. He has taken back the vehicle he was lending me and cut off my cell phone service; so I cannot have immediate contact with him and I cannot drive places immediately.

He messaged me through email saying that I had until the next day to retrieve my property from his house. He is saying that if I did not claim it the next day, he would throw it out. He also said he can hold it for 30 days for the cost of $225. I only looked at the email three days later so my stuff may already be thrown away. I have sent a message to my mother, asking her to confirm this, but no response yet.

I would drive there now to figure this out if I could however I live approximately 100 miles from his residence (I'm in Tucson, he's in Phoenix), I have no vehicle so I would have to schedule a bus ride or something, and I also have job obligations that keep me here.

My question: Were his actions legal? And what actions should I be taking in this situation in order to handle it as professionally as possible, so that I may have a chance at recovering my stuff if it's not already thrown out?

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer.

Typically he would have to give you reasonable notice before your property becomes abandoned and he can dispose of it. Generally reasonable notice means ~30 days. You might send an email (for a quick response) and a letter through certified mail (for actual legal purposes) saying when you will be picking it up.

If he has thrown it away, then you can sue him in small claims court (or real court depending on the value of your property).


Title: [India] Paypal refuses to remove my financial information form their Database

Question:
So, just today, I was told my PayPal account was permanently limited.
You know what? Fine. Fuck PayPal and their shitty fees, and now as I've come to know, their shitty customer support.

Now, when I contact support, I am told that I am not allowed to remove my financial information, bank account details and debit card, from their databases. Question is, why am I forced to keep my financial information with someone whose services I am not employing, or in my case they refuse to provide.
Total disclaimer, I have not breached the PayPal Acceptable Use policy in any way, I have not used my account on any shady websites, or use it in any illicit activity.

Not only do they refuse to provide information as to why my account is limited, removing any option to escalate/solve this issue, I am forced to keep my financial information in some database I don't wish it to be in.

I'm 18 and have used PayPal only for freelancing.

What're my options here?
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
>What're my options here?

There's nothing you can do to get them to remove the information.


Title: [Utah] Advice on helping my brother (prev. posted to /AskLaw)

Question:
My 24-year-old brother is an ex-felon. He went to prison after getting into a fight at a party, then running away in his car. He hit one of the brawlers on his way out (the victim is fine, no major injuries, thank heavens). But aggravated assault it was.

He served a few years and then was paroled before serving the last two years. He couldn't handle the parole appointments. Borrowed a friends' car and got pulled over. No driver's license. His parole officer suggested over the phone that it was time to go back inside. So my brother split to another state.

My poor mom has been diagnosed with PTSD. Suffers deeply because of him. I want to help but I don't quite know how to start. I figure the first thing I could do, once I get a well-paying job in a couple of years, is to hire a lawyer and see how one could ameliorate the parole violation, maybe persuade him to start with a clean slate. I know it'll be difficult for him to start a life anywhere with a warrant for his arrest.

Does /r/LegalAdvice have any suggestions, perhaps in how to find a lawyer, or some perspectives on my brother's options?
Very appreciated. I have no idea how to even begin to deal with this family crisis.

Answer: I suggest a therapist for your mom before paying for your brothers multiple mistakes.


Title: High stakes please help us

Question: Someone that we grew up with in our neighborhood and his friends are stealing things from cars, attempting to break into houses, and have already stolen things from our house, and I have even caught them in the act of stealing from another house, while jogging in the morning. They are pretty unhinged and we have no concrete evidence on them, if we involve the police I am sure this would escalate much further but if we do nothing someone is bound to die from the home invasions, we are in desperately need of advice, and thanks in advance.

Answer: Call the police.   You catching them in the act is evidence.   It is the police's job to investigate.


Title: If my son is adopted and I lose my parental rights, can the adoptive parents and myself negotiate a visitation schedule and have it be legally binding?

Question:
Basically, my son's aunt wants to adopt my son. She is placement currently while we battle in a Chins case. She wants him because she can provide guaranteed stability and he will be placed on her husband's insurance @ $4/week (great insurance).

I am more than capable of taking care of my son without any help, but if you based your decision off of my past, then I would be the worst person to have him. I've changed my entire life though and the last year has been incredible. For the first time in 35 years, I have savings. I have my own 2 bedroom apartment, got my license back today after 5 years, am buying a truck outright tomorrow and can afford all of my son's basic needs while still taking him to do awesome things ON TOP of saving a few hundred dollars a month.

What I want to know is if they do adopt him, can a contract be created between them and I for set visitation and will the courts honor it? Or will any contract we sign pre-adoption be null and void at the adoption signing?

I'm just trying to see if they are trying to bamboozle me. Thank you for your insight.

Answer:
 If your parental rights are terminated, you can be totally cut out of your son's life without any recourse on your part — there's no contract that can force his legal parents to give you any contact once you have no legal connection to your son. If they are made temporary legal guardians, that's something different — but if you want to take care of him now, it's possible you can easily have custody. There's just not enough detail to even start to guess on the internet.

You absolutely must get an experienced family law lawyer to help you with this. If that means skipping getting a new truck to afford a lawyer, skip it.


Title: I'm on probation, living with my parents. Can they legally install hidden cameras inside our home to protect ourselves from crooked cops?

Question:
As the title says, I'm on probation. Supervised felony; for obvious reasons there is no need to get into too much detail, but to provide some insight i'm glad i'm out after a year rather than serving time for a crime that should have been a misdeamenor at most. County politics are a messy situation to be in the middle of, and while the judicial parties got what they wanted for their own political gain and boost in social status,  the only thing I got was a callendar year in county and 5 years probation. Luckily, my record will be expunged after probation is completed and successful petition towards the courts.

Anyway, I am enrolled in a probation program that makes me waive my 4th ammendment rights. Law enforcement has the legal power to search me and my residence with or without warrant or probable cause. My parents however, did not waive their 4th ammendment rights. They own the property we reside in, they can do with it as they wish in regards to home security. I'm not talking about 2nd ammendment rights here either; we aren't a pro-gun family, never will be. But we have heard horror stories about doors being broken down in late night/early morning sweeps, family pets being killed (we don't have any either but to think they would do that is horrific) neighborhoods being woken up (we live in a brand new community, in a brand new house in another county where nobody knows i'm on probation except for law enforcement), and generally just living in fear and anxiety that we will have people in our homes aiming guns at us without any probable cause that have legal authority to shoot us. In the old county i was from, law enforcement was more shady than not. If we continued to live there, we would most likely face constant harrassment. In the new county we are not sure just yet, we have only (as in my parents) lived here for a year.

But from what little exposure i've had up till now with LEA's both inside and out, the kind of people that work those jobs all fit the same mold. It's the ones that are "defective" in their eyes who are the good apples in an otherwise bad batch (the nail that sticks out gets hammered down is another good analogy). But enough about my opinions on the matter of the mental state of "peace" officers.

So, my parents want to protect themselves, and me for that matter. They already have home security cameras for the exterior of the home, but we would also like to put a few inside as well, in common areas as well as in my room. These cameras will not be boxy protusions from the corners of the walls so to speak, but more hidden ones like a clock camera or a water bottle camera, or similar devices of that nature. something that with a push of a button we can record whatever we want that camera to be aimed at. In my room it will be a lot more obvious, i plan on mounting a gopro in a corner and have it record if and when they come by on a sweep.

So now my question to this sub is, can we legally place cameras (some are hidden) around the interior of our house to record any law enforcement officer who decides to sweep our home? Can the video evidence be used if we were to file charges for damage to property or bodily harm? Would we have to notify them upon entry that they are on camera when they come in? Would we have to disclose the locations of these cameras? if they interfere with the angle or placement of the camera can it be used against them?

Answer:
 >  and while the judicial parties got what they wanted for their own political gain and boost in social status, the only thing I got was a callendar year in county and 5 years probation.

No shit. Because you committed a felony. You don't get other things for felonies.

> So now my question to this sub is, can we legally place cameras (some are hidden) around the interior of our house to record any law enforcement officer who decides to sweep our home?

This sounds like a really good way to piss off your PO. Who may tell you the cameras have to go altogether if you're gonna live there.

Don't bug your house without talking to your PO. Answer #2: If you want to be sure the footage will be admissible in court, you should consult with a local attorney.  CA has some fairly strict recording laws, and there are other issues with placing cameras in locations where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy, even if those areas are in a property you own.


Title: Petty theft of unique water bottle worth $50 Colorado

Question:
I don't know who did it as it took place at work but my very special and unique water bottle was stolen. I know Colorado law in this matter as I looked up my rights for petty theft but it turns out since I'm disabled under ADA definition the theft of this water bottle (a limited edition starbucks Christmas 2017 bottle with flowers printed on it)  that was a very special gift from my mom is actually a felony.

It has been two weeks since the bottle went missing and has been spotted on the grounds once. The workplace has cameras but none pointed to the spot I last left it and they didn't check the cameras around that area.

What is my course of action here? My bf is discouraging me from getting the police involved or threatening law enforcement. I don't want the footage to be deleted before it can Be found. I'm distraught over this and I'm starting to get gaslighted when I'm supposed to be able to trust my coworkers based on the company's own strict principal.
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: Only curious, but can you cite the ADA statute that bumps the misdemeanor to a felony in this situation?Answer #2: So where exactly did you last leave the water bottle unattended? Seems like you forgot it somewhere and someone else picked it up?Answer #3: If you left it there overnight is it possible it was thrown out by the cleaners or something?Answer #4: There's no footage anymore. Those cameras record over themselves and I've yet to hear of one that stores more than a weeks data. You have no legal rights to that footage if it does still exist, so who do you think you're going to be threatening and on what basis? You can file a police report but if you've expecting a full scale investigation, the return of your mug, and swift punishment of whoever has it, that's a dream that will play out in your heart and not reality. You asked in other comments if you can demand money from security- no. You shouldn't have left your mug out and they weren't responsible for watching it and keeping it safe; you are. It sounds as though you are alienating yourself from your coworkers and are becoming hostile with management. This shit fit could get you fired.Answer #5: A felony? For $50? Jesus...


Title: Is she ignorant or am I?

Question: My friends sister in law bought a car cash paid in full. Her name is not on the title HIS is. Her niece is convinced that the sister in law is legally the owner of the car. I am in New Jersey. Is she right or am I? If this is confusing. I apologize. Any answers or constructive criticism is welcome. Thank you for your time.

Answer: The name on the title is the legal owner. That is what a title is for.


Title: I was fired from a job after 1 month because someone did a public record search

Question:
I’m in Missouri. I was hired and worked for a month until I got called into the office and fired because an admin employee had found some public record things on me where I lost my child temporarily.

It is for a daycare and they ran an extensive criminal background check which I passed.

About 2 years ago, my aunt got guardianship of my child who was in foster care at the time because I was struggling with some issues. I had never been arrested and I didn’t have the money to fight her. The state got involved when someone made a report to them about me doing drugs and leaving her alone. The leaving her alone was unfounded.  She made some other accusations that were true at the time.

I passed a drug test when I got hired but I have had issues in the past.

I am working now to get my child back but I know I have a uphill battle. I had one child removed from my and adopted 9 years ago when they were a newborn but I am not sure if they found that one.

The director said it didn’t look good while I was working with kids. She also mentioned a creditor (a therapy place) had filed to sue me for unpaid balance from a year ago. She googled and they are a drug treatment facility. I have been clean for a year.

She paid me for the week even though it was just Wednesday and told me I had to leave immediately.

Her assistant found it by doing a general public record search through the court system/ public records.

I looked it up and all that information is there but none of it is criminal.

Can they search non criminal court records like that? I know they can do criminal but I have never even been to jail.

Answer:
 If it can be found during a public records search, it's very likely that they're allowed to fire you for it. Your state is at-will, which means you can be fired for almost any reason.Answer #2: Yes, they are allowed to search you in general. Sometimes they’re called reputation or social media searches.

I am certainly not an expert, but I do not believe those reasons would qualify as illegally discriminatory. Past drug addiction & associated public/financial records can certainly be used against you.


Title: If a doctor beat and attempted to rape (perhaps successfully) your little sister, what would you do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Since no one else said it: support your sister. If she chooses to report, then be by her side, even if things get ugly (this may happen if it goes to trial). Find her names of local professional help organizations, or support groups, that deal with victims of rape and trauma. Understand that this isn't a thing that happened to her, but a thing that is still happening to her every day, and that she needs you to love and support her more than she needs you to protect her (as hard as that is to do).Answer #2: >I doubt the cops would do much

What makes you think that?Answer #3: Rape is a serious crime. Call the police and tell them everything you know. They will take it seriously.


Title: Roommate's (30M) awful living situation affecting me .. NEED LEGAL ADVICE

Question:
I (25M) have a random roommate (30M) that I met online. At first he seemed like a normal guy when initially meeting him, but then this happened.

I have been living with him for 7 months now and the amount of "things" (shoes/boxes/etc.) have become crazy. In his room he has boxes full of random shit everywhere stacked to the ceiling. You can't even see the floor... He also just has miscellaneous shit just everywhere and can't seem to clean his room in the least bit. (I can upload pics if needed)

Another weird thing, his room is full of shoe boxes with brand new shoes and a lot of the shoes are even the same pair of shoes. They are now in our kitchen closet too ... just massive boxes full of BRAND NEW Nike shoes (running shoes/cleats/etc.). I asked him what all these shoes were and he said "yeah man thats a long story. those are from high school". High School was 15 years ago for him and that was clearly a lie.

He also constantly has packages going to our mail room. Every time I go in to pick some stuff he has about 4-5 boxes in there. Every time I seem to bring up the fact that he has a lot of packages he just brushes it off and dismisses it.

I also rarely see him leaving for work and/or coming home from work. I don't want to jump to conclusions and say that he's not working, because in order to rent the apartment we had to show proof of income. I am just very confused.

He also has never taken the trash out or loaded/unloaded the dishwasher in the 7 months I have lived with him. He also is incapable of doing any sorts of cleaning.

Any advice on how to approach this situation from a legal standpoint to get him out?

P.S. we are just 2 tenants in an apartment complex paying rent in GA

Answer: I have a hunch that your roommate is buying fake knockoff shoes and reselling them as legit. You can try speaking with your landlord about the condition of the apartment and your concerns about the lease and see what happens. You don't personally have an option to evict him if you're both signed on the lease.


Title: (FL) Background-check service mixed up my file with that of a felon.

Question:
Several years ago when I was applying for jobs, I discovered that a background-check service had erroneous information in my file. Apparently I share the same first and last names with a convicted felon in Texas, and I only found out because one of the hiring managers told me. ("You said that you've never been arrested, but a felony shows up in your background check. Care to elaborate?") I contacted that specific background-check service and cleared everything up, and I ended up being hired by the small company that brought "my" felony to my attention. (I was rejected by several other companies, possibly due to this issue, though I wasn't given reasons for not being hired.)

I'll be job-hunting again soon. I'm worried that my background check will still be tainted somehow and that other hiring managers will reject me straightaway without telling me why, especially if I'm applying at larger companies. Do these background-check services share information with one another? Even though I cleared my name with that one service, is it possible that my file is still inaccurate with others? I recently ran a background check on myself, and everything looked fine, but I'm not sure if I just happened to pick a service that had my correct information, while other services might still have bad information.

Am I being paranoid, or is this a valid concern? Is there anything else that I can do, like some way to prove that my record is clean? Would it be odd to make a note of this on my future job applications or to mention this during an interview? Would consulting a lawyer be helpful in any way?

(Cross-posted at /r/NoStupidQuestions, where one of the commenters suggested that I seek help here.)

Answer:
 Generally background check services do not share data with each other, since they are selling the data.  BUT other background check services may also have picked up the erroneous data.

If you are concerned, contact the most common background check services (list [here](http://www.bizbrain.org/reviews/background-check-services/)), and confirm with them that they do not have erroneous data for you.


Title: U.S. Citizens married in Mexico. Are we married in the U.S.?

Question: My wife and I were both born in the U.S. and are citizens. However, we were married in Mexico and our Marriage certificate is from Colima, Mexico. Are we legally married in the U.S.? If not what is the simplest way to resolve this.

Answer:
 As long as you were married by a civil officiant (not just a religious ceremony), the marriage will be recognized in the US

https://mx.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage/