Title: Am I harboring a runaway?

Question:
I'm 27 and my partner is 17. He is from Pennysylvania but has been living with me in Boston for 5 months because his parents kicked him out. I didn't know he was 17 till recently. After posting on reddit regarding my discovery I called some juvenile law firms up. They told me that he isn't allowed to live with me legally because he is a runaway. His parents haven't filed a missing report but the person I spoke to said if they do so before he turns 18 they could prosecute me with various things. To avoid this we have to get legal permission from them allowing him to live with me. This seems highly unlikely because they are homophobic.
I'm posting here because his mom texted him and asked him to go home for thanksgiving. His parents are awful and he can't go back to them and he islmost 18.
Also, the AOC in Boston is 16 but we were in California a while ago were the AOC is 18 and stuff happened.
The attorney I spoke to said the chance of getting him emancipated are very slim.
My questions now are:
  -	 In how much trouble can we get if we just wait till he turns 18 in feb and can his parents get me prosecuted for statutory  rape?
  -	 I'm still waiting for the attorney to get back to me but needed some reassurance.

*obv I will delete this asap

Answer:
 You need an attorney.  If his parents want him home, you CANNOT prevent him or assist him in not returning to him.  If there are problems at home, you need to INVOLVE THE PROPER AUTHORITIES (like CPS).  They can LEGALLY intervene and find him a safe place to live.  It will NOT be with a 27 year old with whom he has a sexual relationship, for what I believe should be obvious reasons.

You committed a crime in CA and in MA.  Depending on the circumstances, you may have committed some trafficking crimes.  The US does not mess around with transporting minors across state lines for sexual activity with adults.  These are serious, serious charges that, if pressed, will ruin your life.  You don't even need to be convicted: the instant people find out that you have been involved with a minor, your job, your friendships, your family ties will be in jeopardy.

You need an attorney who can help protect you and him.  You need to go through the proper channels to return him and get him help.  Your attorney will probably recommend cutting contact after he is returned until he is 18.  This is very good advice, and you should listen.  Another good piece of advice is to IMMEDIATELY cease all sexual contact, move him out of your room (onto the couch or into another bedroom or better yet, into a friend's place), and treat him as you would a nephew until this matter is resolved.  Do not abandon him, but all inappropriate conduct needs to immediately end to preserve your defense.


Title: Daughter trying to replace a lost paycheck Employers say they will charge her $30 to do so NEB

Question:
I hope I can get some guidance.   My daughter worked part time for a small locally owned furniture store.   Sometime this past Spring she lost a paycheck before being able to cash it.  She informed them and asked for a new check.  They said sure thing!  And then nothing happened.   She would bring it up/ask about it periodically and get the same assurances but still no check.   Rinse and repeat.

Daughter was fired from the job about a month ago.  Daughter has been going to the store every few days to ask about the paycheck as they keep telling her it will be here Friday/on the next payday/nobody told me?  etc......

Finally, she was told this past weekend that in order to get a replacement check she will need to pay them a $30 fee.

Is this legal?  Can they make an employee/former employee pay to receive a replacement check?

This is a new business and quite small.   The Payroll/accountant is the elderly mother of one of the owners, and it should be noted she has made mistakes in the past with shorting peoples pay and not keeping accurate records.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 I’m not sure about the legality. But the company will have to cancel the original check, and this may cost them in bank fees. If this is the case, why should the company foot the bill for your daughters carelessness? And wouldn’t you think it would be fair that she incurred the cost of her mistake?

Answer #2: NAL, but some banks actually do charge a fee to cancel cheques.

So, being charged $30 to replace a cheque because of your daughters's carelessness isn't that outrageous or unheard of.

It's $30. Just fucking accept it and move on.


Title: Co-workers car insurance company cancels her policy after they discover her fiance has a felony (Oklahoma)

Question: The insurance company had already accepted the first payment for the coverage and then she received a letter stating that her policy was being dropped. Whats the legality of this in Oklahoma and what, if anything can she be reasonably awarded if she goes to trial and wins?

Answer:
 Goes to trial? For what? She's not going to win in a lawsuit and won't be awarded anything.

Here's the relevant question: does she live with her fiancé?


Title: Pet adoption and age discrimination

Question:
There is an animal shelter near where I live that is housing a dog I am interested in.

They state very openly on their website that they do not let anyone adopt dogs unless they are at least 21 years of age. No exceptions.

I am 20 years old, I file my taxes separately from my family (therefore support myself) I have a full-time job, I am not a student, I live in pet-friendly housing, and I am a mother.

I attempted to contact the shelter several times about adopting a dog but they have not replied to me, I assume because I am 20.
(I would like to add that I am in a city/state where It is harder to find dogs to adopt - Fort Collins Colorado.)

Is this age discrimination? If I was 80 they couldn't tell me I'm too old to buy a dog, so how can they legally tell me that I'm too young to buy a dog?

Thank you for any advice!

Edit: added location

Answer:
 It's age discrimination and it's also legal.

It's also good policy because 18-21 year olds tend to be unsettled in their lives and living situations.Answer #2: In general, unlawful age discrimination applies only to those 40 and up.

You can't force the shelter to let you adopt, and they get to discriminate based on age. And it's not even a bad policy. Young people are less stable in general and are more likely to need to give up the pet. Answer #3: They can legally forbid you from adopting a dog if you are 39 yrs old or below.


Title: First time renter. Just learned that my shared apartment has zero insulation. Claims of 600 dollars a month winter heating and low/illegal winter temperatures. I could use some legal advice. -Massachusetts (Cross-post from r/renting)

Question:
I have a pretty specific case, with an uninsulated MA apartment, that I'm told is illegally cold in the winter. This is my first time renting, and I'm worried that ill be stuck here due to very bad credit. I also do not currently have enough money to pay first, last, and security elsewhere. I would like to know how to protect myself from unreasonable costs in the case that I am still here this winter, and how to go about requesting insulation from my landlord.

&nbsp;

The details:

I moved in to this apartment last month in Massachusetts. Last week I checked the attic floor after noticing that the roof is not insulated.  It turns out that there is no insulation for the roof, under the attic floor, in the ceiling, in the basement, and possibly even in the walls. This is an old Victorian house and it is split like a duplex, but into four. (quadplex?)

&nbsp;

Yesterday I met a man who works for my landlord fixing her apartments. He was repairing the neighbors brick stairs and introduced himself as I got home. Just 30 seconds into our conversation he warned me to expect the gas furnace to run 24/7 this winter, and that the apartment still wont even reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Mass health code says that an apartment must be able to maintain 68 degrees through the night. He said that the previous tenants had requested insulation and reported the problems, but the landlord did not have it fixed. (Strangely, he was the one who brought this up. My guess is he wants to be paid to insulate it, so I can't tell if he was being 100% honest.)

&nbsp;

According to Massachusetts law, if I have the house looked at I am legally protected from landlord retaliation. Is there a way to prove that the house can't hold heat before winter? Will I be legally protected if they can not prove anything just yet? (I read the law on mass.gov: The tenant rights page directed me to the health code, but does not specifically mention insulation... just the temperature)

&nbsp;

**The cost:**

Rent is $1250 per month split between myself and my 2 roommates (417 each). According to this man, the previous tenants had complained of heating bills upward of 600 dollars per month even though they left the thermostat set to 60 (not even 68). At this point its just hearsay, but I do not want to get trapped with huge bills. Rent + utilities will end up being over 700 a month for what should cost 450-500 in my area. I make slightly over minimum wage, and that is roughly 2 weeks of pay. I'm currently trying to save 1200 so that moving will be an option if it comes to that, but it may take 2-3 months. How can I protect myself, in the case that I get stuck here longer than anticipated?

Also: I'm going to see if my roommate can check the national grid account for info. We split the bill, which is in his name. **I do not want to screw him over.**

&nbsp;

**tldr:**   Moved into a uninsulated Massachusetts apartment. This winter the heat may cost over 600 dollars per month (claim), split 3 ways. Bad credit, little savings ($100), and scared of getting stuck here. What is the best way to go about getting the landlord to pay for insulation before the winter? The apartment may be illegal due to winter temperatures being under 68°F (claim: even 60°F can't be maintained).

Answer:
 I don't think you can do much until it starts to get cold. Then once it doesn't meet the requirements, report it to your landlord. If she doesn't fix it, then you'll have more options.

On a non-legal side I lived in a similar apartment once that had similar issues (flat of old Victorian house with 18 single pane windows, little insulation, and wouldn't get above 58 in the Wisconsin winter). Since I knew cranking the heat wouldn't keep the place warm, I just set the heat low. I'd always be wearing sweaters/sweatshirts, warm socks, and even those little cheap stretchy gloves when playing video games. I had a small electric heater that I put next to my bed and lots of thick blankets. My power bill actually was pretty low in winter because I didn't bother trying to heat the place more than it would go and only ran the space heater when I was there actively using it. Drank lots of hot tea those winters too. It wasn't the ideal situation, but for the cheap rent, cheap bills, and place that was nice the other 8 months of the year made it livable for me. If you are hurting for money and think you and your roommates can agree to not try to heat what won't hold heat and tough it out, it may be a more affordable option and give you time to try to save up some funds.


Title: Roommate roofied me and sexually assaulted me while I was passed out.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If it was recent proceed to a hospital and report the assault so they can collect evidence. Otherwise you can file a report and tell the police what you know.


Title: Michigan Office of Highway Safety grant has set minimum requirements for "stop per hour." How is this legal?

Question:
Here is the grant (PDF) http://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/Valerian_Kwigizile_-_WMU_451354_7.pdf
I don't get how they can require a quota like this, in the form "stops".  Isn't probable cause required for a stop?

Answer:
 Reasonable suspicion is the standard necessary for a traffic stop.

It's legal because if you are someplace with other cars on the road, you WILL see violations occur.

And they don't specify the result of the stop. If the officer makes 100 stops and gives all warnings, they are fine with that.


Title: Can my ex-spouse take out a mortgage on my house?

Question:
Long story short: brutal divorce, ex-spouse isn't abiding by divorce agreement, owes me thousands of dollars (as per divorce agreement signed by a judge). Once things are taken to court and if the judge says that my ex has to pay me this money, will my ex be able to take out a mortgage on our house? The mortgage is fully paid off and both my ex and I are co-owners of the house (its in my name and my ex's name). Would my ex be able to take out a mortgage on it without my consent? I'm afraid they will declare bankruptcy as a way to not pay me what I'm owed. Thank you!

Edit: I'm in Ontario, Canada

Answer:
 I'm a mortgage broker in Toronto.

DISREGARD MOST OF THE COMMENTS HERE...THEY ARE WRONG.

If you are on title to the home, you would both have to sign the mortgage documents from the lender and the lawyer to get a mortgage on the home.  Don't worry, he cannot do that.


Title: [TX] Raw sewage spilling onto my property from neighbor's house. What can I do?

Question:
I live in Texas.

My next door neighbor has some sort of problem with the plumbing on their property. There is now raw sewage spilling from a broken pipe (?) in their front yard into my yard, driveway, sidewalk and the street in front of our property. This has been going on for several weeks now, and only appears to be getting worse. The smell is awful, and there are large puddles of human waste in our street and sidewalk, making it impossible for us to leave our house on foot without stepping in it.

I have a few questions regarding this.

1 - I have called the city (including the health department, code enforcement and the city water utilities department). They have been very responsive, and have made several attempts to contact the owners and resolve the issue -- the owners will not answer the door. They have investigated to the extent of their ability, and have determined that the problem lies somewhere on this person's property, and cannot be accessed by the city without owner's permission (see above - owner will not answer the door). The best they have been able to do is to come out whenever we call and clean up the street as much as possible -- this is great for about an hour, but then the puddles are back. Is there anything I can do at this point? The owners are most definitely aware of the problem, but have so far made no visible attempts to fix it.

2 - This is a neighborhood with lots of small children and pets, and is directly across the street from a park/lake with lots of foot traffic. Most of the foot traffic crosses over our sidewalk, making it impossible for one to avoid stepping in filth. I am worried that, in the event that someone slips in this, or becomes ill, I may be held liable if it happens on my sidewalk/property. Should I be worried about this?

I'd appreciate any input. This is beyond disgusting, and I really want to get this remedied.

Answer:
 (Legal answer) Have you tried any federal agencies?  They may take more interest than your locals.

**Not a legal answer**, but hypothetically, what would happen if someone, not you, corked the broken pipe to keep it from spilling effluent into the street?


Title: Impersonation via dating sites?

Question:
Hi everyone,

I live in Ontario, Canada. The issue that has been brought forth, is that my girlfriend started getting a lot of random messages from men in the area looking to hook up. Out of confusion, she asked one person why, and they said they talked on OKCupid and her Facebook profile was linked to them.

After talking with almost every guy that messages, they all responded with the same story, and even provided a screenshot of the conversations. Someone, created an account in my girlfriend's name, with an image of her, looking for a hook up locally. This individual was then messaging guys in the area, flirting, then sending the Facebook link.

We reported the account to OKCupid and it was promptly removed. The frustrating part of this ordeal is we are 99% sure it is my ex girlfriend. She had, last month, make an account in my name and created a conversation to use as "proof" of my cheating. It was reported to police, but they did nothing. They talked to my ex and her best friend, who said "I didn't do it" and that was that.

Obviously, there is no way to prove it was her, or what email was used to create the account in the first place. Should we even bother reporting it?

The scary part of it is my ex could go to great lengths. Shes just sending people her Facebook. But what's stopping her from telling people to come here looking for sex, and giving our address? There are 3 small children 4 and under living here.

Anything we can do? Should or shouldn't do? Do's and dont's? Any help would be appreciated.

*Update*

Talked to some lawyers and it's pretty much just a shitty situation for us. There's no way to immediately prove who it was. Since there weren't any direct messages or threats, it isn't going to be taken seriously by police, or a court. Basically told not to waste anyone's time with it.

*Update 2*

I have a suspicion my ex might have been jailed Wednesday. She was to appear in court for multiple breeches of her bail terms, for an arrest for assaulting me. She apparently hasn't been on Facebook since then, and she was not with her boyfriend while he was in town shopping. Shes *ALWAYS* with him. Got one hell of a death glare though.

Answer:
 Lock your and your girlfriend's Facebook privacy settings down tight.  Then make a fake Facebook profile with no friends (call it "John Smith" or something, use any generic name) and verify it cannot view your accounts.  If necessary, unfriend any mutual friends.

My exes gave up when it became "mildly difficult" to contact me, rather than completely impossible.  Hopefully that will be the case for you too.


Title: My husband abandoned family home, what is my responsibility now?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can't change the locks. It is still his home as much yours without a formal eviction. If you do that, that would be an illegal eviction, and that's criminal. You need to document that he's abandoned his interest in the property through MA's laws surrounding that.

You can start a divorce case 9AM tomorrow. You cannot remove his property as he at the moment is still a tenant.


Title: Company refusing to issue me a W2

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Why would he give you a W-2? He didn't pay you anything!

>  and some paystubs that my bank would accept as full time employment.

A lie.

> so I put some text in the offer letter indicating that I could take stock instead of money for my work.

Another lie.

> and says that he won't provide me with one.

So you can lie yet again. Are you seeing a pattern with your behavior here?
> He's left me in a horrible situation and I feel that I am so angry that I am not thinking correctly

It's as much your fault if not more.

> This means that I can't qualify for my refinance in my 11th hour

Good. You shouldn't. The system is working. You don't have steady actual income.


Title: Getting an attorney purely for the address as a mail drop and is it confidential?

Question: I had another attorney stating one of the options they would only release the documents I requested was to my attorney. As you know they are very expensive, anyone ever heard of using them just for the legitimacy of the address for a mail drop?

Answer: State? Also, I don't understand your question. Are you asking if all documents you give your attorney remain confidential?


Title: I'm having an issue interpreting A City Statute

Question:
Hey, so I am having an issue interpreting this City Statute in my town (West Plains Missouri).
it says that "No person upon Roller skates or riding in, on or by means of any coaster, skateboard, toy vehicle or similar device shall go upon any highway, road or street on a crosswalk."

The back story is I was using my electric Longboard to get to school, I didn't have any issues with the police for 3 months until I passed this one cop on a relatively quiet street. He pulled me over on my board and informed me in no uncertain terms that it was illegal to ride my board on any street and sidewalk in my town, on or off private property or else I could face fines up to 1,000 dollars. I decided to ask around in the city government about the legality of riding my electric Longboard on the street, so far no one except that Cop has been able to give me a straight or a consistent answer. the cop says that my board falls under a toy vehicle but no one else in the city government has said anything to support that. which makes me wonder if this Cop is including my board into this law when the law doesn't specifically include my board.

My question is, what is a toy vehicle? from the research I have done it doesn't appear that my town has defined what a toy vehicle is. is it a specific vehicle or is it several types of vehicles?  would my Electric LongBoard made by Inboard Technologies fit into the definition of toy vehicle? Does this mean I cannot ride my board even if I own property in town?

What should I do?

here are the laws in question.

Sec. 44-7. - Use of roller skates or toy vehicles.

(a)
No person upon roller skates or riding in, on or by means of any coaster, skateboard, toy vehicle or similar device shall go upon any highway, road or street, except while crossing such highway, road or street on a crosswalk. When so crossing, such person shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to pedestrians.
(b)
This section shall not apply upon any street while set aside as a play street as authorized by city ordinance.
(Code 1976, § 18-7; Code 2002, § 90-8)

Sec. 44-11. - Use of skateboards.

(a)
Within the city, no person may ride or permit another to use his skateboard in or on any alleys, streets, roads or highways, or other publicly maintained street or parking lot intended for vehicular use. This prohibition shall include, but not be limited to, all of Peoples Park (including, but not limited to, the parking lots, walking trails and pavilion), the city civic center parking lot, grounds and sidewalks and the city public library parking lot, grounds and sidewalks.
(b)
Within the city, no person may ride or permit another to use his skateboard in or on any sidewalk within a business district. Whenever any person is riding a skateboard upon a sidewalk in any other district, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian.
(c)
Within the city, no person may ride or permit another to use his skateboard in or on any business parking lot, private parking lot, church grounds or parking lot, or public or private school grounds or parking lot, if the responsible authority in charge of such areas shall have caused to be posted, in a conspicuous place, a sign or other form of notification reasonably designed to give notice that such use of skateboards is prohibited.
(Code 2002, § 90-12; Ord. No. 3655, 9-20-1999)

Answer: How is this not clear cut? It's ridiculously clear cut. A longboard is a skateboard. You can't ride it.


Title: Our attorney wrote about our case on her blog...

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Define "wrote about". Are you identifiable? Was what she wrote about public record? Did she reveal any confidential information?Answer #2: Unless she posted filings that were made under seal, whatever filing she posted is public record.  It's not wrong, other than from a client-relations perspective. Answer #3: Did you ask her to take it down? It sounds like (from what was posted by others) it's likely legal, but that doesn't mean a polite request won't help.


Title: Doctor/patient confidentiality in Texas

Question:
If I tell a doctor/psychiatrist I was molested, will they have to report?
I need to go to a psychiatrist but I don't want to file a report. I'm an adult btw.

Answer: The only time they would be required to report is if they believed that you were a threat to yourself or others, or if they believed that there was a credible ongoing threat to other children.


Title: My boss sometimes takes hours from his employees.

Question:
I first heard about this from an ex-manager (he was still working with us at the time). Apparently our boss and owner will go and change the times we've clocked in to give us less hours, therefore less pay. I've noticed this on my check, but didn't have any proof since I didn't have all of my clock-in sheets. (You need EVERY SINGLE ONE of your clock in sheets to set this guy straight.)

So, since I started covering people's shifts this year, I've been keeping every clock-in sheet that I can. Unfortunately, sometimes the computer "refuses" to clock us out. It'll say "check out before you clock out". (They are 12-year-old systems, computers that DO NOT need to be in restaurants. He refuses to update the systems.) So that just leads to a bunch of issues. The one night I remember the computer refusing to clock me out, I complained to my manager. He assured me that it wouldn't be a problem, but of course it became a problem. For two weeks straight, on the same pay period, I got 40 hours. Each week. But, for some reason, on my check stub, it says I only have 74 hours. I worked 80 hours these passed two weeks. I can't confront him, though, since I'm missing two days because of HIS old ass systems.

My husband tells me I should confront him anyway, but I feel so powerless since I don't have 100% proof. I need this money, you guys. We are seriously struggling, and I hate the fact that someone is taking money right of our pockets, and I can see it happen, but I can't 100% prove it. I have most of my clock-in sheets, and I don't mind uploading them. I really need this money, and I don't know what to do. So far, I've kept all of my clock-in sheets for this next pay period, and the computer hasn't locked me out (yet). This is out of control. This guy has even with held W2 forms from ex-employees. He's a crook, but I can't freaking lock him in. What should I do?

Answer:
 Update: I'm sending him an email. He usually gives the excuse that the person "forgot to clock out". I'm going to ask for specific dates to see if it clashes with any of the clock-out tickets I have on me.

Edit: I didn't read my messages from Reddit until after I did the dumb thing and emailing my boss. I'm really sorry guys. But I know this for next time, because I'm sure he'll do it again. Thank you all for your help, and I'll be more knowledgeable next time.


Title: [CA, USA]Roommate/family member given notice to pay or quit, their parent then got involved.

Question:
Long story short, we held off on filing the eviction notice and was kind enough to give him until Sept 1st to move out, or else be evicted by the Sheriffs.

Well now his dad decided to type out a letter (HIS agreements, nothing from a law office), along with a $1,000 that "if deposited then you agree to these terms." Now we are moving forward with the eviction notice.

Question 1:
I'm not depositing the check and I want to send it back to the address listed on the check. Do I need to cross out whatever is written on the check and write "void" in its place?

Question 2:
Would I need to have the Sheriff put the eviction notice on his bedroom door? Roommate comes in through the garage and won't notice anything on the front door.

Answer:
 Just shred the check when you're done with it.

Separately, a foisted agreement like that is often ineffective. You can't impose new terms in the process of settling an existing debt without the consent of all parties, and accepting payment on an outstanding debt isn't generally sufficient to indicate acceptance of additional terms. Refusing the check is still a good idea but Dad is being overly optimistic about his leverage in his son's affairs. Answer #2: Eviction is long, long process.  It isn't going to be over nearly as quickly as you think.

You won't be kicking him out on Sept 1st unless you've already had your court dates.


Title: Yay for removing the only actually good part of /r/bestoflegaladvice from /r/bestoflegaladvice

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 1) completely alter best of.
2) make a completely new sub to be what best of was.
3) reap whirlwind of confusion and anger.

Why not make the *new* sub the archive and leave best of alone?

I'm down with the plan in general, but not with the implementation.   It's ineffective and unnecessarily confusing.

I doubt that off topic will be fractionally as much fun as best of has become.


Title: [NJ] Neighbor tore down what may have been my fence on his property?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If it was your fence you could request(demand) the scraps of wood back, since they're your property.

However, if you prove it was your fence the neighbor could also force you to pay him for the cost of removing the fence and restoring his property to it's original form - which would cost you a lot more than the value of wood.

It sounds like your neighbor took care of step 1 in regards to your new fence - make sure you erect the new one on your property.


Title: [Maricopa County, Az, US] Class 1 Misdemeanor: prostitution

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Get a lawyer for the best possible outcome.Answer #2: >I was texting from an app so my actual number isn't tied to texting the number from the sting.

The phone records that they can subpoena if necessary will show it was you.

>I also had asked them if they were law enforcement and they had told me no.

Cops can lie and do quite often.

>Is my best course of action getting an attorney to represent me at court?

Yes.

>Is there any way that they'll be able to remove the misdemeanor or lower it?

It is possible, but not guaranteed.

>If they can't lower it, then what are the chances of expungement?

Arizona is one of a handful of states with no expungement law. You cannot expunge crimes in Arizona.

>And how fucked is my life from this point forward in terms of getting into grad school?

For graduate school, it will likely have little to no impact. Unless you are entering a career in which you need a clearance, you will be fine.


Title: Leasing a house. Owner just sold it. New owner upholds the contract's original agreements. Can I, as the renter, break the lease? (TX)

Question:
No where in the lease agreement (I have three copies) does it mention what will happen to me, as a renter, when the owner sells the house.  I did some homework before I signed the lease, and I came to the conclusion that I couldn't get "screwed" by the new owner - they couldn't kick me out until the lease ended, they couldn't jack up the rate, etc.  Essentially, they must honor the contract I signed with the previous owner.

However, the owner sold the house a lot quicker than I thought she would, and now, I'm in an interesting position...  There are a ton of houses on the market right now with August 1st move-in dates.  My lease ends at the end of March 2017 (it was only a 10 month lease).    The market for renters right now is prime; the market come next April will be shit, most likely.

The landlord indicated that she does not want to break the original lease we had signed, because she just doesn't want to deal with paperwork anymore.  She doesn't live in Texas, and I've never met her in-person.  This is the only reason she's given - it would be more convenient for her to just hand over everything, untouched, to the new owner.  Hence the reason I am exploring my options.

So again... is a change-of-owner enough ground for me to break the lease agreement I signed?  Many thanks in advance!

Edit #1:  thanks for the quick responses.  I understand that **I cannot break the lease** simply because I have a new owner now.

Edit #2:  **Just received some more information** ... the new owner came around today, and we had an inspection done on the house ... it turns out, there is a very likely chance the walls inside of the house (*inside*) are made of asbestos board.  "Likely", because to get an official statement on this, we'd need to submit the material to a lab to get it tested.  If it turns out it is, in fact, asbestos board, is that grounds for an early termination?

Answer: Your lease is transferred to the new owner and is still in full effect. You may be able to work out a deal with the new owner, but it's doubtful. You usually don't buy a rental property to not have someone renting it.


Title: Is it legal to allow multiple people to use your laptop to register to vote online?

Question: I work for an after school program and with the election coming up in November my organization wants to help make voter registration more accessible to our community (historically low voter turnout). I think it’s too late to plan a whole voter registration drive but would it be illegal to open a space with computers available and guide people through the voter registration process online?

Answer: There wouldn't be any problem with this at all. Voter registration isn't tied to IP addresses or anything, as long you aren't fraudulently signing up people without their permission.


Title: Question about a school drunk driving assembly

Question:
So today in an assembly for my school the speaker was talking about the dangers of drunk driving, and he brought up a hypothetical situation. The hypothetical was that there were two best friends (lets call them Bob and Bill and they are both underage) that were going to have a party. The party would be at Bob's house and his parents are the ones who are allowing it to happen. The parents obviously know that there will be drinking involved with the party so they take the car keys of the two boys away when they come into the house. The party begins and the boys end up drinking in the basement away from the parents. At around 1:00 in the morning Bill decides that he needs some Taco Bell (why taco bell, who knows its not my story) and so he takes the keys from where the parents had hidden them with the help of Bob. He then gets in his car and is driving to taco bell when he gets in a horrible car accident that he survives, however the person he hits dies. The boy gets charged with a DUI, manslaughter, and probably more but I dont remember what he said exactly. What he said after is that say the grieving wife of the man who died and their 3 children decide to talk to an attorney about what happened.  The speaker said that the attorney would be able to "take Bob's parent's  house, most of their belongings and any investments that they owned. This seemed absurd to me because he said they were only charged with giving alcohol to a minor which was not even a felony. I felt like this was way to much punishment for the crime. I am located in Portland Oregon.
Sorry for any grammar errors that I made this was written on mobile.

Answer:
 You're confusing criminal and civil liability.

They would be charged with giving alcohol to a minor, and possibly other things, in *criminal* court. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to time in jail, fines, community service, and/or other things.

However, the grieving wife could also sue them in civil court. Their negligence led to the death of the guy in the car,  and they could be held liable for damages.Answer #2: Okay well I'm only a high school student so my legal understanding is not that great. Thanks for the answers :).


Title: Dear Reddit: 3 hours ago my dad got pulled over for a DUI. I [20F] am his only contact and have no idea how the system works.. how do I help him? where do I start? [Florida]

Question:
I am a 20F with little knowledge of the legal system and no legally literate friends. Hence Reddit, I turn to you

an hour ago (18:56) my father texted me three letters, "DUI". He is usually home from work at 4pm. I have had no contact with him since that text, and all calls go to voicemail. I called the local jails and either he's not there or he hasn't been processed yet. I have no idea where he is or what's going on.. I assume he was arrested and I want to make sure I'm prepared for when I do get the chance to talk to him.

This is his first offense. He does drink more than most, but always at home. I'm honestly glad that he got caught so he will see that his drinking is a problem and get back on the straight and narrow.. in the meantime, I have no idea how bail works. lawyers??? will I need one? How much does it usually cost to post bail? (FL)

and most importantly, as a practicing doctor, will he lose his job over this? (I want to be discreet for his sake, hence the throwaway..)

My mother works internationally and is unavailable until Sunday. My brother is young and has no idea whats going on. I'm on my own here.

thanks.
~castor_oiled

EDIT @ 22:22

he just called. definitely still drunk, and just now getting booked. I have a lawyer on speed dial and a bail bondsman lined up. I can pay cash, and probably will. I don't want someone coming after me because my father skipped court and I put the money up. I'd rather take cash from my dad's savings and leave him to make his own decisions about court. his mistake, his money. I'm just signing the paperwork to bring him home.

EDIT @ 22:25

what a fucking mess

Answer:
 Text back: "Answer no questions.   Call me when you know your bail and your location."

It's almost certainly too late to give him advice on submitting to a breath or blood test.

I know lots of doctors and lawyers who have been convicted of DUI.  It's not an automatic firing offense.

Booking and release could take as few as 2-3 hours, as long as overnight.  Most police agencies will keep an intoxicated person until they sober up.

Most people buy a bail bond from a bail bond company.   The fee is generally 10%, and that fee is non-refundable.   The bond company posts the rest, and gets it back when your father appears for his court hearings.      Typical first-time DUI bail in Florida is $1000.

I recommend strongly against offering your own collateral (car, house, cash) for bail.


Title: How to give a conditional gift?

Question:
Hello,

  I am in Pennsylvania. I am not sure if this is a good and moral idea, or a bad idea, but it still came to my mind. Is it possible to give a gift of money to somebody in such a way that the money is used for a specific purpose. I'm not talking about a gift card. Specifically, if I want to give money to my parents for the purpose of helping them pay for my brother's college tuition, is that legally possible? What actions would that require on my part?

Answer: Do you not trust your parents to use the money as you wish?


Title: Advice on dealing with addict in-laws...

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No. You don't have to support your in-laws. There's no legal protections to be had. Just learn to say no. Or if you want to help them, help them.Answer #2: The most important thing is to be sure that you and your husband are on the same page on this one. It won't help you much if he still gives them money, despite your objections. Aside from the things you've already done, there's not much you can do to protect yourself. The only other things I would suggest are keeping a close eye on both of your credit histories, just in case; and never, never agree to co-sign on anything with them. This is their mess and you've made several efforts already to give them the self-help they need.


Title: Problem Parent Working at Child's Daycare

Question:
We are in the middle of court because my child's mother is trying to get an equal parenting time though she does not feed him, get him to school, or to activities. She has never outright done anything neglectful or abusive to him. She won't pick him up from school when he is sick.

Without telling me, she started working at his daycare. She did not consult me, and she still has not told me. Am I able to object to this on a legal basis? Can I withdraw him? It just feels extremely creepy that she did this without saying anything to get more time with him.

Answer:
 Since she has not outright abused or neglected him, I am curious why you object to her earning money in a capacity that allows her to see him during the work day.  Is she in his classroom or just working at the facility?  Either way, your son's mother is near him while in care and can watch over him.  If she is neglectful at that, then the center can fire her.

Why would you withdraw him (and potentially disrupt his routine and take him from friends) just to keep them apart?  Is there much more to this situation?  I just don't see what legal problem is if you are not worried about her actually doing harm.


Title: Newborn custody (IL)

Question:
Cross posted r/beyondthebump

I moved out of my boyfriends home with our 10 week old daughter today. I have a meeting Wednesday with my lawyer to begin filing for custody/visitation. However, her dad just emailed me his proposed visitation schedule which I do not agree with.

I have done the majority of the parenting. He has given her 3 baths, 4 bottles & had her alone a total of 4-5 hours in her 10 weeks of life. When he isn't working he is usually playing video games while I do all the parenting. My daughter is breastfed, she gets 1 bottle/day of pumped breast milk.

My question is do I respond to the email. If so, what do I say? I will not agree to his terms but I don't want my non-response to be incriminating.

Should I send him pictures/updates about or daughter? How much is enough?

I know I need to meet with a lawyer, that is scheduled. In the meantime I need to know what to do.

Answer:
 You do not respond.  All communication with him must be done through your attorney.  Ignore it and do not respond until you meet with your attorney.Answer #2: I agree with the advice from others to ignore him until you talk to your lawyer. But I really wanted to comment to say I'm so glad you left; I remember your post from the other day. Best of luck to you and your precious baby. Answer #3: >  do I respond to the email

No. Just reply that you have hired a lawyer, and that the lawyer will communicate with him about it in the future.


Title: [Texas] Ex-wife never home after visitation and expects us to drop the kids off with her rando boyfriend.

Question:
So my S.O. picks his kids up twice a week for visitation (he usually picks them up from the babysitter's house). When he goes to drop the kids off the ex-wife is never home and wants him to leave the kids with her boyfriend, aunt, or mother. The last two aren't as bad as the first, as we don't even know the name of her boyfriend of the week. Is there anything legally we can do so that she is the only one we turn the kids over too?

Houston, Texas and both kids are under 3 years old.

Answer: You're not responsible for dropping them off with anyone except her.


Title: (VIRGINIA) Is it legal for my friend to have to train 40+ hours a week with no pay?

Question: My friend recently moved here from another country and is a legal alien allowed to work (special immigrant visa) and had been asked by someone he knows who is the owner of a custom t-shirt store in our local mall to come work, but said he needs to do training first. This "training" has been him working without pay for 8+ hours at least 5 days a week. By "training" I believe he is fully working (taking t-shirt orders, making the order, assisting customers on floor). The owner begs the employees not to take off before Christmas, the busiest time of the mall. Even him, who is not an official employee! Needless to say I am very suspicious - he was doing part time training before he received his social security number and once he received it I saw no reason for him not to be hired, but then the owner asked for full time training. What should I advise him to do? It's killing me seeing him basically work for free till closing and I'm already working on finding him a real job elsewhere at a bank (hopefully).

Answer: That's not legal. A limited skills test prior to hire would not need to be paid, but on the job training absolutely must be paid. He should demand payment and if not paid file a complaint with the VA Dept of Labor.Answer #2: Question for any labor attorneys here: if the employer hasn't asked any of the other employees (presumably U.S. citizens) to train unpaid, would this constitute discrimination on the basis of national origin?Answer #3: I am also worried that he may be let go after the busy holiday season.


Title: (AZ) Extremely sexist high school teacher. What do I do?

Question:
I have a teacher at school who is extremely sexist and just downright rude and gross. On the first day of his class he went over the syllabus and told a girl to stand at the front of the classroom. It was about 100 degrees outside. Naturally she was dressed for the weather, in shorts and a T-shirt. Her clothes didn't violate the dress code, but he asked other students to raise their hands and tell him why her clothes were inappropriate. Apparently it was because she was wearing a "v-neck" which if you've ever seen a V-neck, she was not. He said he'd "let her off with a warning."

Then he went on a really lengthy rant about dress code and how the way girls at this school dress is "disgusting" and basically told us that by dressing that way we give men permission to call us sluts/whores and treat us badly, telling us some obviously fake story about how one of his female students was basically sexually harassed by multiple students and it apparently stopped when she started dressing "more respectably."

Since then he has regularly sent girls to the office for so-called violations even though their clothes are obviously fine. The reasons that the teacher usually cites are: "She kept bending over and showing cleavage" or "when she bent over to pick something up and I could almost see her underwear." He greatly exaggerates these things. There are indeed girls who violate the dress code or wear inappropriate clothes, but he acts like we walk around in stripper outfits. The school handbook is very clear about what counts as a violation but the office usually takes his side and makes the girls change out. I should also point out that he has never once sent a boy to the office for a dress code violation even though some boys in his class do violate the dress code by wearing tank tops, saggy pants, etc.

Aside from the dress code stuff, he is also very Christian and seems to play favorites with other students who are openly Christian. He goes on long tangents that have nothing to do with the course about his religion and other subjects. He's said that homosexuality can be cured. He's said that abortion mortality rates are 30% but organizations like Planned Parenthood don't want us to know that. He's implied that once a woman has had premarital sex, she is basically useless to her future husband.

He's just a really gross person and I'm sick of it. I've gone to the office to complain about it but they take his side and say he's allowed to do that as long as he doesn't grade us unfairly or force us to adopt his beliefs. I've talked to the dean and the principal and neither of them seem interested in doing anything about it. This is a public high school, not Catholic school. I don't know what to do or if there's anything I can do or who I should even go to about it, but I'm sick of the way he treats his students.

Answer:
 Talk to your parents, talk to the principal with them.Answer #2: http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/arizona-recording-law

Arizona is one party consent.  Get a HD recorder and record him for a few days.

Collect some good samples and send it (anonymously) to other teachers, the principals, administration, superintendents, even your town council/mayor if you wanna get serious about it.  Make sure you identify exactly who he is and how this is a frequent habit of him.

Better yet just post it online.  Submit it to a local news station (anonymously)  that should give it some exposure.

It's only October, if he is as scummy as you say, and you act quick he should be canned by Nov. 15th.


Title: [PA] Do I plead guilty or not guilty

Question: I am under 18 and recently, I was caught at a party along with many other peers for underage drinking . They breathalyzed everyone but on my court paper it says that "\[I\] consumed and unknown amount of alcohol" Many of my peers have the mindset of pleading not guilty, claiming others have done so before and gotten out clean. I am still in a moral dilemma for I know I drank and I know that the judge knows I drank as well. I do not have a lawyer and I am stuck between pleading guilty and trying to lower my charges \(I am a good student who has never had any problems with the law before, this is my first offense\) or following my peers and pleading not guilty and I am not really sure what I would do from there. The main thing is I am not trying to have my license suspended for it is a necessity for work and school.

Answer: You need to stop talking to your idiot friends about this and start talking to your parents so they can get you an attorney. Answer #2: You should get a lawyer. They’ll be able to help you navigate this to maximize your chances of not getting your license suspended. When it comes to something this serious, you don’t want to take anecdotal advice from friends or wing it alone in court.


Title: My SO and I are looking to change our names.

Question: My long term girlfriend and I have been talking a lot about marriage. We would like to combined both our last names to make a new last name for our new life together. What would be the best way to do this? I'm assuming it would be easiest to change my name, that way she would just take the new last name.

Answer:
 >What would be the best way to do this?

Getting married. Depending on your location, you both maybe the able to change your name.


Title: Can a teacher in highschool make students do an extracurricular activity to pass the class?

Question: I'm currently in highschool in Oklahoma. We're taking a drama class and the teacher is doing a dinner theater. The teacher said if we don't go we will fail the class. Is this allowed? She's also making after school practices a grade.

Answer: You mean homework? Yeah, they can assign you homework.


Title: Stray Dogs in our community are rapidly multiplying and a lady refuses to stop feeding them. The dogs have even bitten a homeowners dog. [India]

Question:
I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but we live in a gated community in Bangalore, which isn't completely done being constructed. Next to our villas, there's a camp where all the construction workers have temporary houses put up, and recently they've moved out of the area, leaving it almost entirely barren(Which is how it will remain until construction starts again).

A lady who's a self-proclaimed animal activist and appears to have connections with some animal rights organizations, has been feeding the a small pack of stray dogs there. And I don't mean feeding scraps- she buys almost several kilograms of rice and chicken for the dogs every day. Her wealth allows her to afford it as well.

At any rate, the workers moved out, and the dogs used to frequent the place where the construction workers stayed. However, at the new construction worker camp, the workers pretty much refuse to let the dogs in, and chase away any dogs, due to fear of somebody getting bitten.

As a result the dogs are all over our roads now, and even get into backyards(jumping over fences) and create all sorts of problems. The lady was asked to stop feeding them, as the dogs have become healthier, and are also rapidly multiplying- the pack is almost twice or thrice its initial size. Finally the HoA approached her and told her to stop feeding the dogs, but she started posting various articles from some animal rights group stating that she could legally do so, and we were infringing on her rights, and we could not even take the dogs away from here, as that would apparently be illegal. But we only have some whatsapp message and her word for it- and these things have a tendency to be very interpretation based- as the legal quotes mentioned did not explicitly specify anything.

Recently a pet dog was attacked and bitten, and people are scared to get out on the roads at night, due to packs of dogs running around. Is there anything we can do about this?

Answer:
 Don't take advice from the other person you have a disagreement with.

Just because she says it's illegal to relocate them doesn't mean it's true. Look up the local law yourself or call a local lawyer to see if you can't relocate, catch and bring to an animal control type place, or catch neuter/spay and release, so at least the pack stops growingAnswer #2: I doubt too many people here have much knowledge of india and it's laws.  Over here in the states most counties have what's called "Animal Control" that you can call and they'll send someone out to trap or otherwise deal with dangerous or nuisance animals.

Do you have anything similar?


Title: Looking for Legal Career advice: Is it worth it nowadays to become a Paralegal in Texas and not be bilingual in Spanish?

Question:
I have 19 months of Legal Field experience, 7 of that in a Law firm. I am looking into furthering my education and career.

I think Paralegal sounds good for me as it is good pay with low debt. However I live in Houston, Texas and I do not speak spanish. Additionally I know how people say the Law field is saturated in general, and I shouldn't waste my time. So I'm wondering if anyone knows if it is worth it in this day and age to become a certified Paralegal.

Answer: Depends.  If you will be in a "public service" practice, i.e. Personal Injury, criminal defense, immigration (especially!), disability, or something like that - then no. Texas, particularly large jurisdictions like Houston, has significant minority Spanish language populations. If on the other hand you'll be doing something like Mergers and acquisitions or other corporate transactional type stuff, it shouldn't matter.


Title: Renting from parents, can they search my property snd find paraphernalia?

Question: Paying rent at home, psycho mom's ex fiance searching through my things thrratening eviction (long story). If he finds my paraphernalia can i be charged or did he ileagally search my things?

Answer:
 It is illegal and you could theoretically have a civil remedy against you.

If he reports it to the police you could be charged and the search wouldn't be suppressed.Answer #2: What does the lease say about the notice needed to be given before entering your part of the home?


Title: 15 Year Olds ex-boyfriend has nude pictures

Question:
Using a throw away account here. I need some advice , I hope this post is allowed.

My 15 year old daughter recently broke up with her 17 year old boyfriend. He is now threatening (I have screenshots of messages) to send all of her naked pictures on his phone to his friends.

What can I do to 1. Stop this 2. Have the images removed from his phone?

Answer: Your state may have a revenge porn law, but even if it doesn’t this one is pretty simple.  Call the non emergency police number and let them know.  Possession of child porn is illegal, and distribution of child porn is even worse.  A lot of people are going to shit on you and say your daughter is at risk for distribution of child porn, but the odds of that in this case are so small as to not be worth worrying about.  But if it makes you feel better you could meet with an attorney first.


Title: (New Jersey) Father makes me feel unsafe at home

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 How is he neglecting you? He has no obligation to support you -- you're all adults!

Why don't you all have driver's licenses? Why do you all need him to support you? Answer #2: Your are all adults. Just leave if you don't want to live with him

And let your parents deal with their marriage and asset division


Title: (Ontario) I bought a $15,000 vehicle that’s turned out to be a lemon

Question:
Last week I bought a 2014 Ford Escape from a used vehicle dealership. I’m 24, and this was my first time buying a vehicle.

When I test drove the vehicle, the yellow check engine light was on. No other issues with any other gauges, including a normal engine temperature.

When I asked, the dealership said their mechanic replaced the coolant solenoid which was the cause of the check engine light. The check engine light was no longer on when I bought the vehicle. All seemed well.

I was not given a copy of the service record performed by their mechanic, or any previous service done by the past owner.

I was given a car proof, but it wasn’t until after I had bought the vehicle that the date on the car proof is from 6 months ago. At the time I dismissed it. Now I wonder if it was to hide something.

I took the vehicle on a road trip to Detroit, when the same issue occurred. Vehicle shuddered, temp gauge skyrocketed, and message came up saying to pull over because engine temp was critical. I believe that the same issue has occurred. When I shut the car off and turned it back on, the temp was back to normal but the check engine light still on. I’m going to check the coolant level in the morning, I suspect it’s all leaked out.

Since driving the vehicle off the dealership lot, I’ve put on approx 600km.

After googling I discovered there is a recall in place for this issue, but only for the 2013 model. My manufacture date is January 2014. There are reports of vehicles catching on fire due to the coolant leaking through the solenoid.

I’m currently writing this from my hotel in Detroit. I’ll be calling the dealership tomorrow.

My legal questions:

Since the issue was not resolved, is this grounds for me to be able to return the vehicle to the dealership? (I’ll be reviewing the sales agreement I signed when I get home, right now I don’t know what the language is).

Since this is the same issue the mechanic was supposed to have addressed, is it still on them to cover the repair? Or would the fact I drove the vehicle off the lot and put on 600km make this officially my problem?

Can I legally demand proof that their mechanic actually performed the repair, instead of topping up the coolant to reset the engine light? (I am not a mechanic)

If Ford has recalled the model prior to mine for this exact issue, is there any way for me to have Ford honour this for my vehicle? Would the recall even apply if I bought the vehicle through a third party dealership?

If the dealership refuses to honour the repair and I pay for it to be done myself, do I have a leg to stand on pursuing the cost of the repair in small claims court?

Do I have a leg to stand on in suing the dealership for selling me a vehicle with a known issue? Is there any way to even prove that?

Ultimately I’m terrified that I bought a $15,000 lemon that I’m now stuck with. I don’t know what to do.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: I would not drive the vehicle any more until it is inspected by a mechanic, best case scenario the symptoms you describe is coolant or a fan issue, worst case the critical overheat blew the head gasket and continuing to drive it will ruin the engine.Answer #2: What did your mechanic say when he/she inspected the vehicle prior to sale?Answer #3: One issue after 6 months isn't a lemon...Answer #4: Can a used car be considered a lemon? I thought that was only new cars.


Title: Someone has been knocking on my downstairs neighbors windows and doors for over an hour now from 430am to now 6am. Should I call the cops?

Question: in montana

Answer: Yes. Hell, you should have called over an hour ago.Answer #2: Ugh, yes


Title: Gift Money

Question:
I'm receiving some money from my family and I'm married. My husband is divorced and his ex has been threatening to take us to court. I want to make sure that she can't come after my personal money, how can I make sure this doesn't happen. Is it even possible?

Location: MA
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Don't put it in an account with his name on it.


Title: If a person retracts their testimony, is that testimony invalid no matter what?

Answer: "Retracting" testimony isn't really a thing. Someone can certainly add additional testimony saying "Sorry, I didn't mean what I said," but that is only additional information that can be considered on the same basis, at best. Sometimes it's not even that - if you give testimony in a hearing, and a verdict is then rendered, then it's too late to reconsider the verdict if you come forwards afterwards and say "I want to take that back."


Title: [IL] "Daycare" neighbor has kids climbing on roofs of the house, going through mailboxes, adults uninterested

Question:
Will keep this brief as I'm mainly looking to see if any laws are broken and/or an agency should be contacted.

I'm fairly new to the neighborhood and know that neighbors (family of 4, 2 boys) have 6 kids total for several hours after school. Now that its getting warm outside I've seen these kids outside much more, but me and my neighbors have seen a few issues.

I usually dont get home until later than most of my neighbors, but the ones at home have said they see the kids going in their yards, mailboxes after mail arrives and handling/moving the mail, all pretty minor things. I found one of them in my garage last week, 2 playing under my deck yesterday, etc., but this week we have seen them (all 6 of them) climb out of an upper floor window and run around on the roof of the house every day. I let the mother know, but she didnt seem to be bothered and eventually I heard one of the younger kids say "____ says we should get off the roof" but that was about it, they were up there another 20 minutes.

Long story short there's no harm done yet and I'm not looking to gain anything, I'm just wondering if there are after-school childcare laws for that number of children. This address isnt registered with Illinois DCFS (are there requirements to babysit 4 extra kids every evening without license?) and I'd prefer these kids get cared for properly before getting hurt.

Answer:
 They call call community Care licensing. They deal with day care licences

And obviously call the police if kids are on roofsAnswer #2: Kids on your property, fiddling with your mail is trespassing. Kids on the roof is negligent. Maybe not the most extreme cases of either, but perhaps worth a call to the police, CPS, or the daycare licensing agency (if they are actually trying to run a legit day care). Who knows, maybe the people just need a cop to tell them to control their kids for them to pay attention. Or maybe it's a matter of flagging down the parents when they come to pick up the kids to let then know that Little Timmy was up on the roof today. If they care at all, they probably won't be taking their kids back to that daycare.


Title: Photographer threatening to sue wife for leaving bad review online

Question:
We're from Canada (British Columbia).

Photographer threatening to sue wife for leaving bad online review.

My wife had a photographer perform a photo shoot for our daughter. She didn't not do a good job in her opinion and left a bad review on her Facebook page. Now the photographer is threatening to sue her for defamation of character because she called her "the worst photographer ever". Which is true in her opinion Becuase she was out of all the photographers she's dealt with. Is her defamation claim valid?

Answer: If she actually does sue you [she wont] just show up on the date and explain your side. She won’t prevail anyway. Your wife is entitled to her opinion of the services she wasn’t happy with.


Title: Raging doctor lies to police about drugs, car gets blocked in, scary letter in the mail...

Question:
*Location is USA.*

I was a medical clinic. I was there for an appointment with Dr. Normal. I had initially been seeing another doctor there, Dr. Scary, but he scared me so I switched to see Dr. Normal instead. My car was parked outside in the patients lot.

I had written a review online about my scary experience with Dr. Scary. It was not positive.

Dr. Scary happened to see me in the waiting room when I was waiting to get called in to see Dr. Normal. Dr. Scary came out into the waiting room, yelled at me about the review, and told me to leave. I left and decided I'd look for an entirely different medical clinic.

When I got outside to go to my car to head home, there were a bunch of cops and they didn't use the parking spaces and had blocked my car in so I could not leave. I asked them to please move their cars and they started asking me a lot of very strange questions and looking at me weirdly and demanded me to do bizarre things.

After a few minutes of this, one of the cops relaxed and started acting more like a regular person. He told me that the doctor called them and said I was on drugs and was about to get in my car and drive. They had blocked in my car intentionally to prevent me from driving away.

I was not on drugs. I have no idea why the doctor would lie about that except that I guess he was very mad about the review.

Some of my relatives are cops and I know basic things for interacting with police like "am I free to leave?" or "am I being detained?" But it was quite a confusing situation these questions did not produce helpful replies.

The police would not clearly answer my questions when I asked them if I could go, not even one who had realized this was a bunch of nonsense from a scary doctor who was mad about what he read on the internet. The police wouldn't use clear words to explain if I was or was not allowed to leave. It seemed like they were willing to let me walk away because I tried walking away from them to call someone for help. But they wouldn't move their cars, so I had no way to leave with my car and not risk it getting towed because the parking was for patients only and now I was not a patient the anymore.

After quite a long time of the police going in and out of the medical clinic, they finally left and I was able to go home.

A week later I got a scary letter in the mail threatening to sue me about the review and telling me to take it down and never say anything about Dr. Scary again.

I took the review down and have thankfully not had any further contact with Dr. Scary.

Is there a better way that I could have handled this scary situation?

Answer: Difficult to say because you've described very little actual detail about your law enforcement interaction apart from vagaries like "they asked bizarre things" and "they wouldn't use clear words."


Title: How much should I expect to pay in child support? She doesn't want an abortion.

Question:
So this girl and I have been pretty much friends with benefits for the past 2 months (we met 2.5 months ago....) No dating/ relationship, just sex. She was on the birth control patch and I always wear a condom but I guess that still wasn't enough. She got pregnant. I'm going to have a paternity test to make sure, but I'm pretty sure it's mine. I don't want the baby and I told her I would pay for an abortion but she is adamant on keeping it because she couldn't live with herself if she got an abortion. We aren't going to get together and raise the baby so I'm guessing that I will have to pay child support and she would raise the baby on her own (I'm going to be moving to a different state soon as well to continue my education)
So my question to you guys, is how much should I be expecting to pay in child support a month for this baby? My net income right now is about 1800/ month right now. I know that it changes depending on a lot of factors but I'm just looking for an estimate. Thanks.

Answer: For a very rough estimate, google "[your state] child support calculator".


Title: Please help: I am being being charged for a crime I did not commit and have been denied an attorney.

Question:
Help

Two weeks ago I received a fat envelope informing me that I and being charged with identity theft.  The evidence against me consists of one credit card slip I signed for a pizza on Nov  19 for $15.52. It has my phone number, address, and signature but not my credit card number. When the pizza guy put it in front of me I did not read anything more than the total (who does).  I honestly cannot explain how my number got confused for the man’s whose identity I allegedly stole.  The credit card I “stole” never went missing and I have no connections to the victim other than using the same bank.

This morning I found out from the public defender’s office that I “do not financially qualify” for legal counsel. I make 9.50 and hour part time (in addition to being a student). I cannot afford to hire an attorney.

I have no idea what to do, please help.
Thanks.

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer and I'm not advising you, so please do not rely on anything I say.

First, DO NOT make any statements to the police, at all, without consulting a lawyer first.  Don't even say "I signed it thinking it was mine."  Here is why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

Watch the whole thing.

If you've already spoken to police, then sit down and write notes about who you spoke to, what you said them, whether they read you your miranda rights, when you asked for a lawyer, whether they detained you or told you that you couldn't leave, etc.  Your lawyer may be able to use this timeline of events to suppress any statements you've already made.

Second, the sites below are all Pennsylvania legal aid organizations.  I think the first site acts as a referral service to the other organizations, but you might get more traction if you call around.  You could try them for help.

http://www.palegalaid.net/

http://www.lasp.org/

http://www.northpennlegal.org/

http://www.nwls.org/

http://midpenn.org/

Third, read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea

Basically, what this means is that simple mistakes are not criminal acts, because you had no intention to commit a crime.  I'm not sure where the fine line is drawn, but it sounds to me like your defense could make the case that there was no *mens rea*, or intent.

Hope this helps somewhat.  I'll remind you again that I am not a lawyer, not advising you, and on top of that have never even been to Pennsylvania, so please be sure to find a professional who can help you.


Title: Background check somehow coming up clean?

Question:
My freshmen year of college I had a run in with the law. Long story short, I initially got a citation for a Minor in Consumption, and later heard that a police officer was also writing a charge of battery/assault. Hired an attorney who privately talked with the Judge who then decided on a single misdemeanor of Disturbing the Peace. I've never actually seen any official court documents, except my initial citation. My attorney also told me that the assault/battery charge never got formally filed, so it shouldn't show up.

I've been panicking recently about getting employed with a criminal record (Finishing my teaching degree soon). So I decided to look up a background check service (BackgroundReport.com) and shell out some cash to do a criminal history search. When I opened it though, it was empty. No charges recorded. How can this be?

Also, as another note, I never got fingerprinted, maybe because this happened when I was in a hospital and they couldn't at that time? Unless they would just call me into the police station to later fingerprint me....

(This also happened in Idaho, specifically Latah County)

Answer:
 > Hired an attorney who privately talked with the Judge who then decided on a single misdemeanor of Disturbing the Peace. I've never actually seen any official court documents, except my initial citation.

Something is not adding up here. Did you ever appear in court? If you were convicted of a crime, even as a juvenile, you would have had to appear in court and a ruling (as well as punishment) would have been handed out - such as probation, fines, etc. Is it possible that the proceedings never went through?

>So I decided to look up a background check service (BackgroundReport.com) and shell out some cash to do a criminal history search. When I opened it though, it was empty. No charges recorded. How can this be?

These sites are not always accurate. There are many reasons why a known criminal record will not show especially an offense by a minor - such as being sealed, expunged, etc.

EDIT: You should also be able to search the Idaho State Repository for information on your specific case.Answer #2: Background checks are notoriously variable. One service might report nothing, another could report everything.


Title: I want to download Game of Thrones. I have a subscription to HBO. Is that legal?

Question:
Comcast recently talked me into faster internet by offering free HBO.  I don't have a DVR, and I would rather just download GOT and watch it at my leisure instead of watching it live.

I don't want Comcast shutting off my internet for downloading a tv show that I do have the channel to watch.  Does anything ever come of those copy write infringement notices that Comcast has been known to send out for torrent downloading a movie or show?

I've read that it is ok to download Windows for example, provided that you have a legitimately owned product key for it.  That is what got me thinking that it would probably be ok to download a movie that you already own on DVD or a TV show you have a subscription for.  I'm not sure if that is too much of a leap of logic though.

Answer:
 No, it's not legal.

You have a license to WATCH game of thrones via the authorized methods.  You do NOT have a license to download or save that content to your computer via a torrent.

If you have HBO via your provider, you can watch them on demand online anyway, right?


Title: Ate @ restaurant then towed

Question:
Need to know if I have a legal case ...

Went to a restaurant and parked in their parking lot ... a little plaza parking lot with restaurants and stores (about 3 dozen cars max). There were private parking signs that read “PRIVATE PARKING for visitors/patrons of [address] only. No overnight parking is allowed. Unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owners expense.”

Sat down around 6:55 pm and was done at about 7:55 pm. Before leaving, I asked the waitress/only person working at the restaurant aside from the cooks if I was allowed to keep my car parked there for about an hour while I went a block up the street ... because I had just eaten there and thought I’d be considered a customer. The woman replied, “They tow, but put a menu on your dashboard, and you’ll be fine.” She handed me a menu.

At 9:05 I got to the parking lot, and my car was gone. I went into the restaurant, and there was now another woman there as well. I explained that my car was towed, but I had just eaten there about an hour before AND asked the woman if I could leave my car there. The new woman said “You left the property, and they have cameras and watch. She didn’t know what she was talking about. She didn’t know.” I said that wasn’t an excuse, that I explicitly asked about their parking policy, was physically handed a menu, and that they should be responsible for what they tell their customers. They new woman just shrugged and said they tow and the other woman gave me bad information.

I called the tow company, and my car had been towed at 8:55 pm - it hadn’t even arrived at the lot. I spent about $20 to Uber to the tow lot, and paid $328 to get it back.

The receptionist at the tow lot explained that they have a contract with the establishments and they follow the contract regarding towing policies. I asked about the contract, and apparently it’s not something I can see.

So ... any advice? Legally speaking, should the restaurant be responsible for my tow bill because I explicitly asked about their policy and was given inaccurate information? Am I able to see the contract between the tow company and restaurant (I’m assuming no)?

My plan is to first write a formal letter to the owner of the restaurant with my receipts, photos, etc. and request that they rectify the situation by compensating me for all charges associated with the tow.

Any other suggestions aside from leaving reviews online? Help!!!

Thank you in advance for your help!! :)

Answer:
 > The woman replied, “**They tow**, but..."

You were informed they tow, and regardless of the reassurance you took the risk of keeping your car parked there. Should the restaurant pay? I would say yes to keep up a good show of customer service, however I don't believe they would be required to. Your recourse would be to not patron that establishment again and feel free to leave an honest review of your experience to warn others.


Title: Cops Found Weed And Guns In My Apartment After Neighbors Started Fire.

Question:
Have not came home yet I just went out of town. Apparently neighbor started fire and they came in afterward to check for gasses. I left town for the day and they called my roomate and were bitching trying to find out who’s it was. They said they were going to tell the neighborhood association on us but I don’t know if they are planning more.

They came into my house and found a scale, less than a half O of weed and my .22 rifle out of case. I’m have not came back home yet and I’m a bit worried.

 I’m going home tomorrow and am seeking advice on how I should play dumb or go about this.  All I know is they were in the house and they found it all.

Please be serious but humor is appreciated.

Answer: Hire an attorney before you do anything involving that police department.


Title: Son kicked out of resturant because he had down syndrome.

Question: [removed]

Answer: How do you have a son with Down syndrome old enough to eat in an Indian restaurant if you are in high school, based on your post history?


Title: Louisiana. Lease expired and went month to month. Original terms was 60 days notice to vacate. They want 60 days notice on a month to month lease.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 As most leases are written, **all** of the parameters of a lease survive into the month-to-month tenancy unless expressly and openly changed.

You should check your lease for this language.  Answer #2: If a lease converts to a month to month lease, all conditions of that lease also convert to the month to month tenancy.

You must give 60 days if the lease automatically converted.Answer #3: This is 100% normal.


Title: Wills, Ontario

Question: There are three adult children, the father left everything to the male child, leaving out the two girls and all the grandchildren. the male has no children. Is this legal and what can the daughters do?

Answer: IANAL - From what I understand It's legal as long as the father was in sound mind to complete a will. He gets to choose how the estate is split (or not split in this case.) If the daughters think he was not in sound mind and was manipulated into having his will this way, they can contest it.


Title: FLA Doctor is doing some things that may be illegal

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 I am not a doc (nor a lawyer) but maybe try the board of medicine?  http://flboardofmedicine.gov/contact/   I would call, not email, since it's a government site and email addresses become public record.  But I'd just call and say you have some concerns and you want to find out if any of these things are evidence of wrongdoing.  They might be able to answer, or at least direct you where to get answers.  Answer #2: The closure one makes no sense from a medical standpoint. If a wound has been standing open for four days, sewing it up is pointless since it already has begun to heal by secondary intention. One of two things is occurring: you misunderstood what he was doing or he's practicing dangerous medicine. From here, I can't tell which. Same thing with the skin cancer graft. What you've told me sounds like terrible medical practice more than misunderstanding, so contact the FL Board of Medicine recommended by /u/megabyte1. The [FAQ](http://flboardofmedicine.gov/complaints-process-faqs/) since I'm feeling redundant.

Treating 20 pre-cancers per visit when they don't have that many is absolutely fraud. [Medicare would love to hear about fraud](https://www.medicare.gov/forms-help-and-resources/report-fraud-and-abuse/report-fraud/reporting-fraud.html) so if you have any information, contact them.

Answer #3: Did any of this involve Medicare? Because CMS does NOT mess around.

Billing for more services than rendered (20 freezes) is fraud and Medicare would have a field day with that. Private insurances don't like it either, but Medicare is the grand daddy of payers you don't want to mess with.

Not closing people up because he has a golf game or wants to go home is probably unethical, but it's probably not actually fraud. The board of medicine is the right place for this complaint. You can also mention the insurance fraud part to them as well.


Title: California: Landlord is raising my rent as of 1/1/17 even though I signed my lease 8/2/16...help!

Question:
I just got home and found a letter on my door from my apartment manager that says in accordance with *Civil Code Section 827* they are going to raise my monthly rent as of January 1, 2017.

&nbsp;

How is this possible? I signed a 1 year and 30 day lease on August 2, 2016 and the lease goes until August 31, 2017.

&nbsp;

**Edit: I followed up via email today with my apartment manager and was told that the rent increase is pursuant to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Addendum of my lease, paragraph 4 *"Escalation Clause/Utility Allowance"* which essentially states that if my utility allowance decreases, then my rent increases, even in the middle of the lease.**

&nbsp;

I would like to thank everyone that took the time to comment and help me with this situation - thank you -  legal speak can be incredibly intimidating if one isn't fluent in legalese.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > How is this possible?

It's not. You can read Section 827 here:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=civ&group=00001-01000&file=818-827

It applies to "all leases of lands or tenements, or of any interest therein, from week to week, month to month, or other *period less than a month*".

Your lease is for a year. Unless there is a clause in the lease allowing them to do so, they cannot put your rent up during the term of your lease.Answer #2: Send a cordial letter back saying they must've had a mix up because you're on a fixed term lease setting out the rent you're liable to pay until the end of that term.Answer #3: It's not. [Section 827](http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=civ&group=00001-01000&file=818-827) applies to leases renewed on a monthly basis, or more frequently. For a term lease, your lease governs.

If your landlord pushes this, get help from your city's tenant union, or spend a few bucks to have a lawyer draft a stern letter point out that you have a term lease of longer than one month, and that the landlord is not entitled under the cited section to modify it, and that you have no intention of paying a higher rent until at least the end of your lease term.


Title: [WA] Drunk customer gave coworker huge tip, called back the next day demanding it back.

Question:
Asking mainly because I'm just curious.

I work pizza delivery. A few days ago a coworker got a 100$ tip from a customer who was VERY drunk. The next day he called back furious demanding to speak with the manager because he wanted his tip back. He claimed he was drunk and didn't know how much he was tipping/wouldn't have tipped that when sober. My coworker is a kind person and gave him the money back, but did she legally have to? Can a tip be revoked a day later because someone was inebriated when they gave it? It was a cash tip, not on credit card.

Answer: She cannot be forced to return the tip. She can also be legally fired for refusing to return it (analogous to [this case](http://www.fashiontimes.com/articles/4878/20140412/ihop-waitress-fired-refusing-refund-200-tip-offered-job-back.htm)).Answer #2: In general, you cannot rescind a tip. It may be company policy to refund tips in these cases, but it would have been legal if they refused. It also would have been legal to fire their employee for not returning a tip, since you can be fired for anything in at-will employment.


Title: My 20 yr. old son who I haven't ever spoken with is trying to blackmail me into paying backpay for child support. Can I sue him? [Canada]

Question:
I am in Nova Scotia Canada.

To get specific I made a mistake when I was young and left his mother because I was not in any position to raise a child. She never pursued child support probably because she didn't want anything to do with me and knew if I was giving her money then I would want to see my son. We were never married. I was 19.

Anyway 20 years later I get a letter from my son who I have never spoken to and he is telling me I owe him thousands of dollars in backpay. I guess he wants me to pay for his college. Well I have two young daughters now and I am happily married and I couldn't pay him even if I wanted to which I don't.

He is threatening to involve lawyers etc and raising a big stink. He claims that because his mom raised him by herself for all this time and I never contributed anything it is "right" for me to chip in now. I do not believe he has a leg to stand on but I am just making sure. I do not want to hire a lawyer unless I am at risk in which case I will do it.

Thank you for your help.

Answer:
 Yes he can take you to court and ask them to force you to contribute to his post secondary.  As long as he is enrolled full time post seconday he is still considered eligible for child support.

This would be best coming from his mother, or jointly with his mother.

At worst case you are looking at 3 years of arrears, and kicking in pro rata to income for his reasonable lost secondary costs.

Your new marriage and children have zero bearing on the courts view on your ability to pay.  If he and his mother take you to court you WILL lose.  (Until you receive an official/court stamped motion its just talk at this point)

You had a child....you got away with not contributing for 20 years. Now you are being asked to and you are complaining?  Answer #2: Threatening to sue you is not blackmail. He is allowed to use the legal system if he feels wronged.

I don't know Canada law but if it is anything like US then you are correct and you owe him nothing. Answer #3: As you can see, the top two comments in this thread say two opposite things. I had a look myself for a more definitive answer, and this isn't clear cut (which is usually par for the course with *anything* in family law).

You should contact counsel and review the matter with him/her on an initial consult. Maybe you owe something, maybe you don't. Maybe it's at the discretion and election of the Court -- in which case, you'd definitely want to retain counsel to handle the matter if it's proceeding contested.


Title: [Cali/All US]What are the consequences of slowly (or gunning it) pushing your car through a mob of people blocking the highway?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Intentionally driving your two-ton murder box into people is, at minimum, reckless driving; it may be assault, or homicide if you manage to kill someone, too. The resolution to pedestrians impeding your way (or infractions, or bylaw violations) is not to commit crimes: it's to call the cops and let them clear the way.

Pushing through slowly enough to not hurt anyone, and to be able to stop if you encountered, for example, a wheelchair or someone protesting from a walker _might_ get you off the hook, but I don't know too many people who can keep their cars in gear at 0-1 mph without stalling out.Answer #2: In CA you can only use force (including your car) in response to an imminent threat, and deadly force in response to deadly force.  If you are just being blocked, and your car is not being hit with bullets or bats, you call 911 and wait.


Title: [Virginia] People using community party room did significant damage to my car and didn't leave a note.

Question:
Yesterday there was a party in our community party room. Unfortunately my reserved spot is right outside of the party room entrance and it is often I find people sitting on the hood of my car, hand prints from kids running around, scratched from people carting things in and out of the room. This morning I found a very large dent and scrapes on my rear drivers side door (images [1](http://i.imgur.com/rNQahGk.jpg) [2](http://i.imgur.com/cq0aTwx.jpg) [3](http://i.imgur.com/tguYI35.jpg)) and no note or contact information. I called my local PD and filed a report for future use, but will also be contacting my community manager for the contact info of the people who rented the room. I already know what will happen and they will play the "no speak English" card followed by the "deny, deny, deny" route and this will need to go to small claims. So my question is, what do I need to look for or do to prove my case? I did not drive my car at all yesterday. The one time I left I took my wife's car as she has the child seat base and my youngest son was with me. The unit in my building who the spot next to me is reserved for moved out a week ago and the parking spot vacant.

Thanks!

Answer:
 I would recommend making a claim thru your car insurance and letting the insurance company go after the ppl who rented the room and therefore most likely damaged your car.Answer #2: There are some dash cams that will record when the car is parked.

Also ask the management if you can have a different parking spot (if there is one available).Answer #3: Unless you have security camera footage or a witness, you have no case. Answer #4: Honestly, you are going to have a hard time going to small claims court without any proof of who committed the crime. The fact that someone rented the party room is not proof that they damaged the car. You would need security footage, or at least a witness. I would just file a claim with your insurance and request your community manager get you a different reserved parking spot away from the community room.


Title: Pulled over for running a stop. (Had weed in truck and gun in glove box)

Question: So I live in Florida (Jacksonville) where marijuana hasn’t been decriminalized just yet. I was pulled over for “running” a stop sign and the officer smelt marijuana in the car. I told her there was some and then she asked me how much I had (under 5 grams), she then asked if I had any weapons and I let her know there was a pistol in the glove box. Me and my friend were asked to step out, patted down etcetc. The officer ended up telling me that she was giving me a written warning for the stop sign, and a notice to appear within 10 days for possession of marijuana under 20 grams, she didn’t do anything about me having a gun which I know could have been another charge, a felony, (illegal substance and possession of gun) and let me have it back. She said all I’ll likely have to do is pay a 50-100 dollar fine and that she wasn’t going to arrest me because I was nice and cooperative. Took my right thumbprint and let me go after signing papers. Now I’m wondering if this is going to go onto my record when I go to the clerk of courts, I know this carries penalties max of up to 1000 dollars/a year in jail/losing license for two years. I’m wondering what all is going to happen. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated. I don’t know if I should see a lawyer to get more help before appearing to see if there’s something that can be done to not make this go on my record, I’ve had a completely clean record my entire life.

Answer:
 You absolutely need to see an attorney.  Federal charges for possession of the firearm are still possible.

You need to navigate these waters extremely carefully.

Attorney. Now.


Title: [FL] I have a computer that I'm going to crack for a divorce case. How should my findings be recorded/presented in court so that they are valid?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Who are you on this? I think it's a safe assumption based on your post history and blatantly incorrect conclusory statements here that you're no sort of expert.

You should do nothing here. Answer #2: >Also, there is a slim chance that there is child pornography on this computer. It is a strong suspicion

You either hand it over to the police, or you walk away.Answer #3: Unless there is a claim of adultery, any evidence you find won't matter because Florida, like the vast majority of states, is a no-fault divorce state.  The court simply doesn't care about anything other than that they can't get along.


Title: [LA] husband and I are separated. legally, what is the situation on our still-nursing baby?

Question:
Our son is 7 months old and still primarily nursing. We just recently separated and he has been putting up a huge fight trying to take our son away from me for long periods. I would be okay with this but lately he has shown violent tendencies. We even called the cops on my ex last week because he wouldn’t give me the baby back while he was screaming and cold, and my ex kept demanding we bring the car seat to him so he could take him.

My ex wants to bring our son to see his parents, but his dad is much more violent than him. His dad has attempted to physically assault my ex multiple times over small disputes. He (grandpa) also recently had a young girl accuse him of touching her inappropriately, but the mother of the girl never pressed charges or anything. He’s also a bit of a “conspiracy nut” and believes my son is some sort of special person in our religion (he thinks he’s a prophet like Jesus), which makes me WAY nervous. They (in laws) are also very bitter about the separating.

I’m terrified of allowing my son to go off with my husband and his parents. But I don’t know my rights. What should I do?

Answer: If there's no custody order, then OP doesn't have to allow the husband to see the child?


Title: [US - Illinois] Copyright liability as a freelance web developer

Question:
I do some web design work. One potential client was looking for someone to develop a website plugin, based on a popular card game.

In order to have the functionality desired, actual images from the game would need to be used (cards in their entirety). The rights to this game are held by a very large company.

If I developed something for the client that used those copyrighted assets (provided by the client), would I, the client, or both be liable for any damages?

(Note: I decided against doing this, since if the company did get upset, I know they have much deeper pockets than myself so I'd end up worse off either way. I was just curious from a legal standpoint how things would fall)

Thank you!

Answer:
 You are wise for not wanting to provoke a company that, for sake of argument, we could call Sorcerers of the Beach. Those angry SoB's could definitely sue you both for copyright infringement, take the website and its plugin, shut them both down and enjoin you from coming anywhere near the IP again.

You may have to pay some compensation / their legal fees, and there's a very good chance all of the work you'd do for this client would've been for free.


Title: I need some help understand what’s going on?

Question:
So yesterday I got pulled over, officer comes says I have warrant for my arrest, I go and get booked and they tell me it’s for grand theft. So a few months back I had got in trouble for petty theft and went to court, I had to complete a program which I did, and went to my last court date. But now I’m getting charged by the same people “Macy’s”. I don’t know what’s going on and my court date is in like 20 days.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 If you can get a lawyer, get one - otherwise ask for a public defender at your arraignment. They can explain what's happening better than us.Answer #2: Hire an attorney.

Did you steal more than one time from Macy's? It is possible they identified an additional theft and reported it.


Title: Is this T-shirt idea legal and what actions can I take to protect myself? Parody law experts?

Question:
BACKGROUND: I attend University of California, Irvine where all of the nearby streets and apartments are ironically named after extremely prestigious schools. There are the Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Columbia Court Apartments.

The running joke here at UCI is that they named all the streets and apartments after schools we all got rejected from since UCI is filled with try-hard Asian kids whose parents probably wanted them to go to an ivy-league.

I want to make shirts that ironically read Harvard, Stanford, etc in big letters like on a university shirt, but then in tiny letters, it reads "Court Apartments" or "Avenue" since some streets are named after the schools. I know these shirts would sell really well, but...

PROBLEM: Legally one corporation, The Irvine Company, owns all of these apartments. While I believe I can get away with naming the shirts after the streets, "Berkeley Avenue" and "Stanford Court" under parody law, I don't think I can use the "Stanford Court Apartments" name without litigations. Are there ways around this? Advice?

TL;DR Me go to school where nearby street and apartment named after BIG SMART school. Me go to MEDIUM SMART school. Me want sell FUNNY shirt name after big smart school but name might be trademarked under large corporation or large school. Me have protection under parody law in some case, me no have protection under corporation name. How me do this? What legal implications me be aware of?
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 > Legally one corporation, The Irvine Company, owns all of these apartments

Owning the apartment is different than owning the trademark to those terms (although I suspect they would all be held by the same company anyway).

The name "Stanford Court Apartments" for an apartment building located on Stanford Court sounds suspiciously generic and un-trademarkable to me.

You can search for registered trademarks using [TESS](http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess&state=4805:73kaxa.1.1) at the USPTO.Answer #2: It isn’t “parody law” that allows you to use a street name on your shirts. And intellectual property law exists to allow rights holders to control the use of specific protected words and marks.

In this instance it would seem that if you seek to use a specific protected mark, your solution would be to acquire a license from the holder of that mark.


Title: [NY]Disruptive neighbor causing unsafe living situation

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 We would suggest to tenants that they follow up any conversations with landlord in writing and make future complaints in writing.

Keep a detailed record of incidents so you can write, "On 6/23/16 at 3:24 am Rappy rang my doorbell, waking me up. This has happened on multiple occasions despite my request to him that he refrain."

If the other neighbors do the same the landlord will have a better case if they do try to evict.

We (I manage several properties but not in NY) would typically send the tenant a formal violation letter by regular and certified mail.