Title: DWI court date coming up. Hearing mixed messages on retaining my own lawyer.

Question:
Hello.

I'll make it short and simple. I'm a 25 year old male, two weeks ago about I was arrested for driving while intoxicated. It was the biggest mistake of my life and I'll spare you all the sob story details.

In about three weeks I have court as I'm being charged with a gross misdemeanor 3rd degree DWI. Quite frankly I'm a wreck. My family says I won't need a private lawyer but I'm feeling so unsure.

My question is, do I need to retain a private lawyer? I've never been arrested before and I want to minimize the penalty as much as possible as shitty as that might sound all things considered.

The state is Minnesota in the twin cities and my bac was .21 if that information helps.

Thanks for your time.

Answer:
 Your family could not be more wrong. You are being charged with a crime. This could be life altering. You need an attorney. Answer #2: You need a lawyer. You keep saying "private" lawyer which I assume means you are thinking you can get a public defender. If you can even consider paying for your own lawyer, you are not broke enough to qualify for a public defender.Answer #3: Get a lawyer now. I live in Ramsey County and I know what you're about to go through. Beg, borrow, and sell your prized possessions for money. Answer #4: You need a lawyer yesterday. If you can't afford a lawyer call your jurisdiction and get a public defender. Find if there any classesd you can go to. Sign up for AA or NA. Anything you can do to betterself and present to the judge will be great. But yes lawyer up ASAPAnswer #5: Do you mean private lawyer as opposed to public defender? They are both lawyers, and there are pros and cons, but the bottom line is that either one can do the job, and one is not necessarily better than the other.   You might not qualify for a public defender unless your income is very low.

Is this your arraignment?  If so, plead not guilty and ask to see if you qualify for a public defender. Have you talked with some private attorneys?  If not, you might as well.


Title: [WI] xpost r/babybumbs Help - Job tried to disclose my pregnancy

Question:
Hi everyone, this may seem insignificant compared to the other questions posted, but I'd greatly appreciate someone with HR knowledge to help me. Thanks!

I work in a church. The HR Dept. consists of two 75 year-old volunteer retirees. They decided to make an announcement looking for extra help during my leave. In doing so, they said that I am going on maternity leave. I found that unnecessary. I have never made any public announcements about my pregnancy, even on my social media. Thankfully, I am the one who prints the newsletter where that ad would have gone and I called them out on it. I told them it was a violation of my privacy to disclose that information without my permission. Now they're saying HIPAA laws don't apply to them...

I feel very frustrated because I have yet to receive an apology. I made it very clear that they did not have my permission to publicize any of my health-related information.

It doesn't make any sense that just because they're a church HIPAA laws do not apply to them. Can anyone with HR knowledge please enlighten me?

Answer:
 They aren’t a health care provider (or in the industry) so they aren’t a covered entity.

You can be upset, but they did nothing wrong and really have nothing to apologize for. If you’ve told your work you need time off, IMO it’s reasonable you’ve told at least some other people that you’re going to have a baby.


Title: [MA] Landlord finally returned security deposit check and it bounced.

Question:
I used to live in MA but recently moved out of state. My old landlord has been extremely sketchy in the intervening time period.

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When we first moved in (2 years ago) there was no initial walk through of the apartment and no statement  of condition was given. I emailed and texted the landlord several times for the initial walk through but she never responded and missed 6 different appointments to do so. Eventually I gave up. I should have written one out myself and sent it to her but I did not know the laws back then.

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1.5 years after we moved in we broke the lease early per a clause the landlord put in the lease that we could break it for the price of $2000 which we paid so I could accept a job across the country. When we left the landlord did do an walk through and said everything was fine and gave us a post-dated check for the security deposit. 4 days before the postdate, 26 days after we moved out, she texted and said she found damage and that she would be cancelling the check. I told her the damage was there when we moved in and she said it wasn't so I did some legwork and contacted the previous tenants who stated it was even there when they moved in.  She didn't believe this and said she would be keeping the security deposit since the damage was extensive (it was a broken drawer). She then called us a lot of bad things and all informal communication ceased.

We waited until we had been moved out for 6 weeks and there was no statement of repair sent to us so we sent a demand for the return of the security deposit which was received on the 1st October. On the 11th we received a check from her for the security deposit which we deposited in our bank. Thinking it was finally over we didn't worry about much  once the funds were in our account. A few personal things came up and I did not check my bank account until yesterday. When I did check it I saw that the money from the check had been withdrawn and the check bounced.

It has now been 30 days since I sent the demand letter and 2.5 months since we moved out. I am tired of holding her hand and I don't feel it is appropriate to somehow communicate with her that her check bounced. Should I just move onto suing in small claims court ($7000)?

Answer:
 The story is irrelevant.

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If you are owed the amount stated, and she wrote a bad check for that amount, take her to small claims.

MA is pretty hard on bad checks, anything that isn't able to be cashed within two days is considered larceny, anything over $250 is considered grand larceny and is treated as a felony.


Title: possible criminal charges due to minor lying about age on dating site

Question: So I had shared explicit photos with a minor over a dating app where they had lied about their age and the mother is trying to press charges, im beyond lost as to what i should do.

Answer:
 This is a common scam.  Block and ignore.

Protip:  Nobody wants to see pics of your tiny prick.


Title: [NC] My nephews (17) took a girl's organ rejection medication and locked her in a locker at the end of the school day, caught on the hall video. She was found that night and the police are investigating and treating them as adults. For kids with no records, what can we expect to happen to them?

Answer:
 They could very well be treated as adults and charged with everything up to attempted murder. And they should be. Answer #2: They should absolutely be treated as adults and should face the most severe penalties allowed. What horrendous kids.Answer #3: Hopefully attempted murder charges.

Get a lawyer. Like a good one, and immediately.Answer #4: Hopefully a lot. Jesus.  I'm thinking at the very least assault. Time to spend some of their college money on a defense lawyer instead. Answer #5: How is the girl?


Title: Daycare changes the terms of signed agreement

Question:
Located in AZ...   I signed a "parental agreement" with my son's daycare in January agreeing to adhere to their policies through May of 2018. These policies included scheduling, payment, and vaccination requirements.

There was no clause or fine print that stated they were allowed to change those policies at all.  I scoured every page and there is nothing that allows them to make changed or revoke the agreement.

But last week they changed their scheduling process which greatly effects my family. After several phone calls with the director we're to a point where, according to the director, my husband and I either need to pay extra for services we will not use or find a new daycare.

The agreement I signed required a 45 day notice to pull out our child.  The director said several times when I spoke to her on Friday that if we cannot come to an understanding that we can "end our relationship" at the end of August which would be just over 45 days.

We no longer trust them and want to pull him out at the end of July. Since they violated the agreement by changing their scheduling process, can we be held to the 45 day notice requirement?

Answer: Is the scheduling change happening immediately or at the end of August?


Title: [SD] Landlord kept my entire security deposit, AND wants $45 more

Question:
I didn't get the unit immaculate, but I swept and mopped and cleaned the kitchen and bathroom. Landlord kept my entire $600 security deposit for additional cleaning and wants another $45. I'm a responsible adult who lived alone, and I've ALWAYS gotten my security deposit back. They charged me for everything imaginable, including for cleaning the basement and garage, both of which are shared/common areas to the apartment.

I'd gladly present my case in front of a judge if they want to sue me for the $45. But they reported my rent payments to credit agencies every month, so I'm worried they'll just start hitting my credit if I don't pay.

They are a property management company and I'm certain they have lawyers on staff. My main concern is them reporting to my credit over this $45. Otherwise I want to tell them to suck rocks or sue me.

I'd appreciate it if someone could put my situation into perspective. Thanks!

Answer: You can sue them for your entire deposit back and make them justify everything they withheld from it.


Title: Worried I just shipped a package containing something illegal. Forgot to check ID. Can I be held accountable?

Question:
I work at a shipping place.

Two guys and a girl came in the morning and asked me to box and ship a gift wrapped box for them. Ok we do that all the time, I thought. It’s early for me and I never open. I asked if it was breakable and they said no. The package was extremely light and 8 inches all around. The girl is the one that gave me her name and address and where to ship but one of the guys paid for it, in cash. They said it was just a mug being shipped to California and it wasn’t worth over $100. One or all of them smelled like pot. I made the mistake by not checking their ID and wasn’t really sketched until they left. I don’t wanna say anything to my boss cause I know he’s gonna rage that I didn’t check her ID.  They paid $100 for 2 day shipping for a “mug” in cash.

Should I just let it go and hope nothing comes of it or snitch on myself for not checking the ID

Answer:
 What pot? You don't know what pot smells like... Right?

Also maybe they were smoking pot.

Unless you're required to open packages and inspect before shipping, you'll be fine.

If anyone wants to investigate (unlikely), they'll go after the sender.


Title: Tenants refusing to pay rent.(no contract)

Question:
So my  grandparents are housing tenants and have been for quite some time. Until just a couple of weeks ago, when my grandparents asked for the electricity portion of the rent payment they were meant to pay. However they refused to pay and continued to ignore the payments.

Recently they asked the tenants for the payment yet again, and they ended up calling the police with the statement implying that my 70 year old grandma was "harassing them". Seems like a totally reasonable argument right?

So anyway the police show up and we ask if there is any possible way to get these extremely intellectual human beings out of the house. But it turns out that my grandparents don't actually have a written contract that binds them to anything. And the officers say that there is no way that they can legally get them of the property. So yes I know not having a written contract was a MAJOR f**k up on my grandparents part but we just really need some advice on how to get these people out of here.

- note this is in Australia if it helps in any way

Answer:
 Australia landlord-tenant laws are different from state to state, it might be best to talk with a lawyer about eviction or to try and get them to sign a written lease for a fixed term.Answer #2: If you're in Victoria, check out [Consumer Affairs](http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing-and-accommodation/renting). If you're in NSW, check out [Fair Trading](http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/Tenants_and_home_owners.page?). I'm sure there will be other info pages for other states.

Are these tenants renting a room in your grandparents home? How is the electricity component of the rent calculated? Have they been paying the rest of the rent?

>And the officers say that there is no way that they can legally get them of the property

This is untrue; it's usually easier to get them out because they're a month-to-month tenant. But it depends on the state and the living situation.


Title: Pseudo-Nigerian Prince Scandal? Please help!!!

Question:
I am a property manager for a 55+ community. Yesterday, a man knocked on my resident's door (who lives next to the office), with a bizarre demand. He said that effective immediately, the community was under new ownership. He gave a [two page letter](http://imgur.com/a/9ipnA), and some deposit slips. He declared that starting today, 1 June 2015, all rents must be deposited into the rightful owner's bank account. I was the second community to receive this visitor (our company owns seven total), and it did not take long before I received a text from my boss, brother to the current owner, who is listed as the trustee of my company. The text warned us managers of the visitor, and that if he came by to file a police report.

I have not filed the report yet. Approximately two hours ago, I received a call from the current trustee's dad, who claims that his son forged his signature years ago to become a trustee. He said that any manager that does not comply will be fired. I entertained the fellow to try to get information from him. Here's the thing: from what I have heard, the son took over the company years ago because his dad had dementia. I spoke with the dad today for about 15 minutes... I asked questions, changed the topic, etc., and the dad had no problem circling back to the previous topic. He seemed completely lucid and cognizant. He said that he would be faxing proof, which he sent to another park but not to me yet. I am expecting a copy shortly, will update if I can.

Dad stated that his son has embezzled $10M from the company over the last 20 years. He said that the FBI is involved as well. Granted, this all could be crazy-talk, but I feel I am in a bit of predicament because if the dad is right, and I continue to deposit rent payments into my company's current bank account, I am out of a job as soon as this storm blows through. Would I also be breaking the law?

Is this letter/action illegal? Can I even file a police report? I assume that it could be considered fraud and theft but if it is not, I will look like an idiot to the police. I do know that there is no way in hell a new owner or anybody for that matter can come in and declare what rents are without providing written 30-notice to residents. That's about the only red flag I have. Well, other than this whole situation being bat-shit crazy.

If this is legit....who/what/when/how would the new owner go about getting his company back? Could the AZ Corporation Commission [or whichever agency] come into my office and tell me I need to pack up and GTFO? Could someone be so kind as to explain how these sorts of transitions take place when it is not exactly consensual?

Thanks so much you guys!

Edit: Well, it seems like y'all agree that I should call the police and go from there. Fixed censorship on images. Thanks for your help everyone!
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: Call the cops. There's no way this is legit.Answer #2: You are a property manager. You take orders only from 1) your boss and 2) an LEO. Continue to do your job. Call the police on this wacka-doo. Even if there is a dispute to ownership, it does not concern you. Everyone follows normal protocol until an LEO delivers you something otherwise.


Title: Parent attempting to charge their child (minor) for room/food/possessions

Question:
Hey guys, I'm asking this question for a friend in Missouri.  Long story short, his girlfriend's mother is threatening to kick her out of the house unless she pays her back for 16 years of rent, food, clothing, etc.

Not sure how serious she is, but they're both pretty distraught.  I couldn't find anything on Google, was wondering if you fine people would have an opinion on the matter.

Answer:
 Sounds like a huge blow up.

No, the mother cant charge the daughter for the daughter's life up to this point and can't demand money from her daughter.

At 16? This sounds like WWIII between a mom and a daughter and not a serious threat. (I hope. There are some interesting people out there)

Mom can have daughter go live with another responsible adult (ship her off to the grandparents) but can't just abandon her.
Answer #2: The mother can't kick her out. She'd face many legal troubles.


Title: Aunt being sued for an MRI

Question:
My uncle passed away about a year ago. And my aunt received a notice in the mail saying "you are being sued." there isnt a lot of information in the notice except its a civil action, contract dispute. And it is coming from a MRI office.

She lives in NJ and the suing party is also in NJ. is there a way for her to get more information regarding her case? She is unaware of my uncle going to a MRI without her knowledge because he was bed ridden for the past few years so it's unlikely he went to a MRI without her knowing. Anyway what steps should she take in regards to this. First she would like to get more info regarding what they are suing for. I assume it's for not paying for an MRI. How can we verify that this MRI did take place. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Plus I'm curious does the debt transfer over if he went and did it himself. They are suing her and his estate

Answer:
 Did your Uncle's estate go through probate?

What are the details of the notice your Aunt received? Is it a formal summons with a court date? Is it from a law firm? Or just a threat?


Title: [FL] Student causes head trauma to his teacher in school.

Question:
Hello Legal Advice! I am at a loss for words right now because of this upsetting situation. A quick TLDR version of this situation is that my significant other's mother (we will call her the teacher) is a special education teacher at a public school in Florida. She was bending over to pick something up off the ground and one of her special needs student's bull rushed her and head butted her in the head. The teacher blacked out, vomited and was rushed to the ER. She was accessed and transferred to another hospital with a better neurology department due to what they thought was a brain aneurysm. She was told she would need brain surgery. Luckily after a night in the ICU, the brain bleed stopped and she would no longer need surgery. THANK GOD. Anyway, the teacher is very loopy, and its understandable due to the head trauma.

My question is obviously, what is our course of action. She is in her late 60's and I think this is a sign she shouldn't be working with these kids due to her strength not being the same as it once was. What steps do I need to take to get her set with workers compensation. I have no idea where to even start.... sue to the school? Sue to child's family? Hopefully she will be paid while she is off recovering since it was an on duty incident where she was not negligent or anything. Any and all help is appreciated. I am even more terrified about the financial aspect of this situation because, as most know, teachers do not make much and she has been doing this her whole career and is still living paycheck to paycheck, and I'm not thinking she will be able to work much now.

HELP!

Answer:
 If her work isn't helpful in filing a claim she can file one through the state.

A lawsuit against the child's family is almost certainly doomed. WC is probably their sole remedy.Answer #2: >What steps do I need to take to get her set with workers compensation.

Start with the administration at the school.   In general, it is an employer's responsibility both to have WC insurance and to contact their insurer when an employee is injured on the job.

Worker's Compensation is called a "sole remedy" and "no-fault" system.   In order to be covered by it without having to prove who was responsible for an injury, workers also agree to have it be their sole remedy for on-the-job injuries.

Was she a union member ?   If the school isn't helping her file and pursue her WC claim, the union should be able to help their member.Answer #3: If she hasn't already, she needs to immediately inform her supervisor about what happened. Then she needs to file a claim with the school's workers' compensation insurance carrier. If her doctor keeps her out of work for a certain number of days, then she will be entitled to receive temporary total payments (2/3 her weekly wages) while she is out of work. The WC insurance should also pay for her treatment. But she has to cooperate with the WC insurance re: going to their doctors, following treatment, etc.

If she has any sort of trouble, she can consult with a WC attorney. SHe certainly should not settle the WC claim without input from an attorney.

She can also file a lawsuit against the student, but if she collects any money from the third party, the WC insurance will be entitled to get reimbursed for any money paid out on her claim.


Title: Girlfriends job saying she can’t take leave longer than ten days. [MA]

Question:
Hi everyone. I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to anything related to time off from work and I feel like My girlfriend and I cannot wait any longer to get real accurate answers. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet without leaving out important information.

My girlfriend works for a local bank here in MA. Due to this corona virus she has unfortunately been unable to go to work due to the fact she has a child in grade school and school is closed.

When she first informed her company she was not going to be able to go to work they told her she HAD to use her sick time and when that ran out she would be forced to use her vacation time instead. For two weeks she used all her sick time and vacation time.

Last minute before payroll was completed she learned she could apply for unemployment during this time because she was a single mother stuck at home unable to work. She had her company not pay her and was approved for unemployment.

Her company is now telling her that she can only be on LOA for ten days. After that it’s use the rest of your sick and vacation time and then be fired. EVEN THOUGH they already told her she could take unpaid leave.

Can anyone tell m me her rights during this time and what the actual law states she can do?

Can she go on LOA Indefinitely during this crisis and then go back to work?

Any advice is appreciated thank you.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: There is no method by which she can compel her employer to allow her to take leave, paid or not, forever. Her recourse is unemployment


Title: Help with a fathers rights child custody case

Question:
I am sure I am about to enter a rather nasty custody case. We were not married, we lived together for almost 4 years and the child will be 3 in june.

I want to know, if I am asking for 50% custody, is a lawyer going to help or is that how most courts will side anyway given the child is not in school.

Can I file the paper work without paying a lawyer and just get their help with the tough stuff to save money?

What documents can I file to ensure I do not get screwed over? I want to file everything so I leave nothing out and I get what I want, I want 50% custody, I feel that is fair.
Here is my post in /r/mensrights
http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/25eexl/i_need_some_advice_i_hope_this_is_the_right_place/

I live it SoCal.
Thank you for your time in advance.
Edit: clarification.

Answer:
 >What paper work can I file just to take up as much of her time as possible, or her lawyers if that is the case.

Nobody here is going to help you do that, and no ethical lawyer will, either.


Title: [GA] We just bought a home, and the home insurance company sent us a letter stating they were on our property taking photos. We were never asked for permission or previously notified, not even on the day in question. Can they do this?

Question:
Throwaway account. As the title says, the insurance company sent us a letter stating they had findings on our roof, that it was "lifting/buckling, warpy/wavy." We just had a home inspection performed before the final closing, and the inspector told me during the inspection that the slight sagging of the roof sheathing was common with vaulted ceilings and to just repair it at the next roofing material replacement. This is also said in the formal report, to repair at next material replacement. It was not listed as a safety issue, only a minor item. We've contacted the inspector so we can give proof to the company for now.

But our main problem is that they were on our property, in the backyard that is completely fenced in, without our permission or any notification that they would be doing so. It is clear by the pictures, which we got from them when I called in demanding an explanation for being on the property without any permission. They said that it's just how it's done, but I've never heard of this being a common practice.

My wife is home alone during the day and we generally keep the back window blinds open since we have a large backyard and lots of trees blocking any viewing from outside the property. Suffice it to say neither of us do pants when we're home and the windows are clearly in the photos too. I'm pissed someone could be legally creeping on my house and family. Is there a legal precedent to sue or prosecute for trespassing, or for entering our private backyard and taking photos without prior notification? The person didn't even knock on the door, so we had no idea anyone had been traipsing around our home. We know they can take pictures from public space legally, but they were definitely behind the fencing. Thank you in advance for any advice.

EDIT: Our policy says that an inpsector MAY be out to inspect the property, but to our knowledge that didn't imply consent for going into private areas and taking photographs of our back windows. But we've read your responses and appreciate the time you all took. We'll take this all in consideration and speak with our attorney about the potential invasion of privacy and trespass.

Answer: They should have notified you. Poor customer service. But if you don't allow them to take pictures they may drop you. So there was a miscommunication. Move on.


Title: Landlord says I am terminating my rent controlled apt early

Question:
Good morning r/legal advice.
I signed a lease for an apt in Los Angeles California in late 2015. The lease states that after living in the apt for 12 months you are paying month to month until termination of lease. Well I need to move for work and notified my landlord of I will be moving and he informed me that I would be breaking my lease and would owe him $1825. He says that in oct 2017 they posted a "30 day notice" on my door stating that there will be a rent controlled rental increase and by staying in the apartment your rent will increase for 1 year. We did not sign anything. At the time we understood this as meaning our rent will be higher for the next year, and we thought we would be paying month to month still like our lease says. However our ladlord says that by staying in the apartment we agreed to lease for another year and if terminating that agreement we owe $1825 for an early termination fee.
My question is: is this legal and standard landlord practice? Where do I start in arguing this? I have 30 days and enough time to seek legal advice

Answer:
 >our ladlord says that by staying in the apartment we agreed to lease for another year and if terminating that agreement we owe $1825 for an early termination fee.

Thank you for a good laugh.

There is no "implied new lease by staying in an apartment after the lease expires" law or regulation.

You are under a month to month lease at the higher month to month rent you agreed to by starting to pay the new rent and responsible for whatever fees the last lease you signed specifies. Nothing more.Answer #2: I do tenants' rights' work in LA - first thing you should do is look up your address on http://zimas.lacity.org/ see if you're covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (under the "Housing" heading.) If you are, then you can give 30 days and move out no questions asked (and I would probably provide a copy of the RSO with a strongly worded letter to your landlord saying you will not pay any lease break fee;) if you're not, it's according to the terms of your lease. Answer #3: Laugh... I'll bet if they wanted you out and gave you 30 days notice, they wouldn't take, "Well you accepted my rent so I get a new 12 month lease" as an argument.

I'm willing to bet they try to keep your security deposit too when they find out they can't force you to pay $1825.  Make sure to document, document, document the condition you are leaving the apartment in.


Title: (USA, FL) Reported false income to IRS out of spite

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You need to escalate this issue and let IRS know they never worked their nor received any income.

Contact your tax payer advocate https://www.irs.gov/advocate/local-taxpayer-advocate/contact-your-local-taxpayer-advocate#Florida

 for assistance.

> can they be held legally liable, and charged with a crime for reporting income that was not actually earned?

So you want to follow spite with spite? The IRS will handle any criminal issues if needed. Get the tax issue resolved.


Title: Why does expunging my record cost so much?

Question: The attorney that represented me in a case in 2017 says it will cost $500 for him to do the paperwork... how can it be so much just to file papers?

Answer:
 Which state are you in?

Also, most attorneys who bill by the hour charge hundreds per hour (my hourly rate is $250, and this is low to mid range for where I live)so $500 as a flat fee for this isn’t unreasonable. You’re not paying for just the time itself, you’re paying for the years of law school and experience that have enabled your attorney to do this work.


Title: [Tx] To file or not to file a provisional patent...

Question:
Hello everyone! Just a quick question on provisional patents. I have a great idea that I want to patent, but cant afford the 5k it will cost me to do so right now. I've researched patents to see if I could find one similar to mine, and only found a Chinese patent that is essentially exactly what I want to patent. I have some experience searching patents as it was required for my engineering senior project and the fact that I was able to find an exact chinese patent, and id say maybe 50% similar US patents makes me feel fairly certain that there isnt an exact US patent. My question is how much protection does the provisional patent provide? I can afford the 500 for a provisional and will be getting 50k here in the next year, should I wait till i get that money or could i file the provisional and be protected until that money comes in and I can file the full utility patent. Thanks for any/all advice!

Edit: also, in doing research, i found that you have to file patents in every country you plan on selling so the chinese patent has no legal weight here in the us. I also found that china just patents every little idea they get as they are the worlds manufacturing giant. I think its mostly so they can patent troll samsung, apple, etc...

Answer: If there is an on point Chinese patent (or published application)  you aren't going to get a patent.  Full stop.  You cannot get a valid US patent for something that was previously invented by someone else.  (This doesn't mean you can't get a patent, just that it won't be valid.)


Title: My home loan lender accidentally sent the original loan documents to me months after moving into my house and are now asking for them back.

Question: Is their any incentive to not return them? If it’s of no value I’ll gladly return them but the loan officer seems really interested in getting them back. I imagine it because of his job but idk.

Answer: Incentives as in you no longer owe them any money? No. Answer #2: Why you possibly do anything other than return them? What kind of scenario are you envisioning here?


Title: Pregnant, poor, and alone.

Question:
Hello LegalAdvice.

I'm posting here today because a friend of mine living in Florida has just informed me that she is 9 weeks pregnant, wanting an abortion, and legally indigent. The question is: What legal options does she have to abort? She knows that Florida has a limit after 15 weeks. What resources might be available to her?

Background: she's in her early 20's, has a history of drug abuse, has diagnosed mental health illnesses, and is a victim of domestic violence.

Please let me know if you need more relevant information or if there is a more appropriate subreddit for me to post.

Thank you kindly.

Answer: She can contact Planned Parenthood. They have fees based on income. She can also contact a local women's domestic violence center if she's in an abusive situation and needs to get out.


Title: [Texas] My soon to be ex-wife is planning on moving out of the home where we live with our children. What are the possible consequences for her? What do I need to watch for to protect my children and myself?

Question:
Edited to narrow back down to the title question.

On just about any one of the "divorce tips for men" web pages, one of the first things they say is "don't move out of the house". Is my soon to be ex-wife making an error by doing that?

What should I be cautious of?

Answer:
 I am confused. What do you want? You are already agreeing to give her managing Conservatorship.

What do you want? Figure that out and tell your attorney.

Also, IMHO, 2/2/3 scheduled are horrible on kids. Double so if they go to school. They never know where they are sleeping each night. It is confusing and constantly changing.


Title: [Canada] Employer requested I attend an event and told me afterwards it was unpaid

Question:
So my company does a big client appreciation event every year. It is invite-only for clients and mid-level to senior staff of my company. For the last three years I was invited and paid for my time to attend (the format is in a restaurant with food and alcoholic drinks, but we are expected to entertain clients, drum up work and gather intelligence). Between last year and this year, we were bought by a larger company, however we are not fully merged with respect to branding etc.

Four weeks ago I bought a flight to the city of the event (in Alberta) from where I live in British Columbia and requested a code to bill my time, accommodation and travel expense. I was told it was coming.

I followed up on the code two days before the event (which was on Friday) and was told it was coming then too.

On Saturday morning, I received an email with a code for my hotel and flight, but was informed that my time was not considered work time- i.e., I am not being paid for the time I spent on the plane / in transit or the time at the event.

I think it's fair that this type of event might not be paid. However, do I have any recourse, considering that I was paid for the last three years and told that a code was coming prior to the event?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Answer: Not a lawyer, but the [Employment Standards Branch](http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/) at the Ministry of Jobs, Skills, and Training might have some answers for you.


Title: [New Jersey] My friend recently broke up with his abusive girlfriend who has since married someone else. Recently he learned that she has been logging into his Facebook to unblock herself, add herself to his following list, and read his messages. What can he do?

Question:
A good friend of mine lived out of state with an emotionally abusive girl for four years. About five months ago he broke up with her and moved back to New Jersey. Soon after she moved to NJ as well and started a relationship with one of his friends. They both started harassing him about how their new relationship is so much better. My friend has since cut off all contact with her, blocked both of them on Facebook, and blocked both of their numbers.
A few months ago he found that she was somehow on his friends list again and tried to send him messages. He blocked her again writing it off as an alternate account he forgot about. Then a few days ago he had a Facebook conversation with her uncle (they still talk sometimes) about her recent marriage to the new guy. Some time later the girl messaged her uncle and asked about this conversation. She would have had no way of knowing that they talked or what they talked about unless she was reading his messages so my friend checked his Facebook login records and sure enough there was a trail of logins spanning over the months since they had broken up coming from a device he didn’t own (an Apple device which he does not own) from an IP address originating in her town an hour away from where he lives. He changed his password and downloaded the logs, which was fortunate because the logs were mysteriously deleted right after he downloaded them. He then checked his friends list again and saw that she was back on it and he was following her. He also noticed that all of the pictures she has been posting for the last few months were all pictures of her and her husband taken in locations where he had gone on dates with other woman and posted pictures of himself, usually a day or so after he visited the location.
What can my friend do about this? Is there some sort of civil or criminal complaint that he can file against her related to stalking or harassment even though he hasn’t seen her in person? He is afraid of her retaliation or having to face her in court. Would he have to appear in court with her? Does he even have enough evidence of the incident to do anything? Any help is appreciated.

Answer:
 scan comp for keyloggers. Log into facebook change the password and sign out of all sessions.

If he uses gmail or the sort, sign out of all other sessions as well.


Title: I [18M] passed a cop (I don't know if he was stopped or not) doing 113 mph on a 65 mph highway in Alabama.

Question:
I was charged with reckless driving but was not arrested because I had someone else in the car. My court date is January. I am extremely freaked out and I have no idea what will happen to me.

I can pay the fine, that not where my concern is. My concern is that my mother will find out when our insurance goes up and will over react and try to take my car, leaving me no convenient way for me to get to work and no way to continue with my personal life.

I should also mention that I am the only one with a car and that it is new and being paid off by me. Insurance is also paid by me. I need my job in order to make the money to pay for all my bills, and not having this car could make me not be able to make my payments.

I guess my question is this: is there any way that this ends with my mother not having to know? Or will she find out either way? And what consequences am I looking at having to face?

Answer:
 >will over react

What makes you think her reaction would be an overreaction?  You were only going 48mph over the speed limit.  What reaction do you think would be on point?

Answer #2: Get off of her insurance if the car isn't titled to her. Answer #3: I love how people are going on about what an asshole driver you are (and lets face it you are) but aren't even mentioning you are facing jail time for that charge.  Reckless driving in Alabama can carry with it up to 90 days in jail and a 6 month suspension of your driver license.

>b) Every person convicted of reckless driving shall be punished upon a first conviction by imprisonment for a period of not less than five days nor more than 90 days,

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/alcode/32/5A/9/32-5A-190

You need to tell your mom and then contact a traffic lawyer.


Title: Would it be considered fraud to sell stars?

Question: (Canada) Me and my buddy were thinking how good of a laugh it would be to make a website that sells/adopts stars in space; obviously for a low price. what you would get is a certificate with a generic picture of a star, info about it, your name ect ect.  The way we were thinking about getting past the legal issues is by making a terms of agreement and saying that you're not actually going to own a star and its fake, would this be illegal in anyway? thanks for your advice

Answer: Not a lawyer, but I'm almost positive that already exists...


Title: Friend's roommate is a nurse who works with COVID patents, his employer is saying he has 2 weeks to move out or he'll be fired.

Question:
One of my friends works in retail, and his general manager has told him that if he doesn't find a new place to live within 2 weeks and spend another 2 weeks quarantined he will be fired because his roommate is a respiratory nurse. He has the opportunity to be re-hired but not at the same position (and ostensibly not at the same pay. He's a store manager and a key-holder.)  He said the general manager asked him a series of questions seemingly at random, not indicating that they'd be used against him.

Is this even legal? Or is there anything he can do? For what it's worth, he didn't spend lock down with his roommate, he sheltered in place with other friends (none of whom work in the health field). This is in Ohio, I read the re-opening order but it doesn't say anything about quarantining because of roommates.

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer, but this sounds like constructive dismissal.

It is a lot harder with COVID making it hard to talk to unemployment office, but all he would have to do is appeal if he is initially denied unemployment. It would help to get this in writing, even just sending an email confirming the details of what HR said to him in person.

Like " I just want to confirm that as discussed on [date] if I am unable to find an alternate living arrangement by [date], I will be fired. Please let me know if I am misunderstanding what was discussed"

He can be denied unemployment for refusing work, but all your friend would have to do is appeal the initial denial. His employer can fire him since living with a nurse isnt a protected class, but they don't dictate whether or not he receives unemployment. The state does.  His previous employer can say he refused work, and all he would need is to show the unemployment office the unreasonable conditions for employment.


Title: Friend has been falsely accused of rape in CA. His belongings were taken as "evidence" 4 months ago. What next? Counter Sue?

Question:
First of all, thanks for the help, it means a lot.

A little back story: my friend (whom we'll refer to as J) had been seeing this girl, "B", for about two months. J and B had consensual sex multiple times, a witness-confirmed relationship, and documented text messages of sexual interest. Turns out, B had a boyfriend who wasn't happy about her having a sideman, so instead of taking responsibility, she claimed that it was rape ("it" being the singular instance she was caught). Unfortunately for J, he is broke and dark-skinned, while B is from a wealthy white family. You can guess who's side the police took.

The day after she filed, J was awoken by a team of 5+ policemen with guns pointed and warrant for his phone, computer, and bed sheets. Like an idiot, J, still hungover from the night before decided to tell the police his side of the story, describing the situation of their relationship and his lack of memory from the night before. One witness actually saw the intercourse and confirmed that it was consensual (at least by saying that B was on top of J and not the other way around). Here's where it gets worse.

J lost all of his academic materials on his computer and ended up failing his courses, because he hasn't been able to purchase a new one or get a backed up copy from the police station. He has spent 4 months without a phone and has had his reputation absolutely destroyed at school. B has effectively ruined J's college life and if this case goes to court will probably ruin the rest of his life as well.

**How the hell do I help J right this wrong? Where does he start? What kind of lawyer can he get with pretty much $0 to his name? Can he sue for punitive damages?**
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer:
 He needs an attorney! Screw damages, he is still being charged with a crime and should be spending this time mounting a defense. Answer #2: > One witness actually saw the intercourse and confirmed that it was consensual

Cool.  I'm glad your friend can determine consent by witnessing an act.

J should have a criminal lawyer.  J needs to have a criminal lawyer if he doesn't.  You need to stay out of it.  Answer #3: As with the others who have previously posted, J needs to be quiet and get an attorney. If he cannot afford one, plead "not guilty" and ask for a public defender.

After the criminal case is won, he can begin to think about any potential civil actions for defamation against B. (Most attorneys will say such an action is very difficult to win as there is a conditional privilege for acts reported to the police and J would have to prove not only the usual elements of defamation but malice as well.)


Title: Ex gf's brother stole a Switch while helping her move out

Question:
My roommate suggested I post this here before escalating things. Ex and I broke up last week, on Monday she came in the evening to pick up the rest of her things and her brother accompanied her (back story on the brother, he's a recovering addict and spent a night in lockup a few weeks ago for shoplifting from a Walmart) - I noticed last night that my Switch was missing from its dock. The only people who had been in the place since Monday were me, my roommate, my ex and her brother, and an HVAC technician who was replacing a filter, and no one else.

I called my ex but she's refusing to be helpful. I sent him a message telling him I know what he did and threatening to file a police report. I really only want my Switch back and to go on with my life...are there any options that don't involve me getting him arrested?

Answer: Do you have renters insurance that covers theft?


Title: Staff won’t let sister leave hospital after a voluntary admission

Question:
Not really sure what my options are, but I thought I might as well try posting here. Also on mobile so obligatory sorry for formatting.

My (19F) sister (15F) voluntarily admitted herself into the adolescent ward in a NSW, Aus hospital for thoughts of self-harm. They discovered that it was a new medication that she had been put on that was exacerbating these thoughts and immediately took her off it. She’s been here for 3 nights, 4 after tonight, and has told the registrar multiple times that she is feeling much more capable of taking care of herself (with our mother and I agreeing) and that she would like to come home but they won’t let her leave. The nurses and counsellors here haven’t been respecting her privacy and have been discussing her situation with people who aren’t immediate family - after we told the staff we were only comfortable with my sister, my mother, and I being informed of any medical info. She only feels comfortable talking to me by writing down how she’s feeling because she’s being monitored 24/7 and the constant surveillance is making her feel more stressed, especially since she can’t shower or use the toilet with the door closed. The counsellor who’s been assigned to her doesn’t seem to want to help her or choose the best course of action for her either.

The conversations she’s had with the counsellor so far:

1.
Counsellor: Why were you feeling angry?
Sister: Because I’m not allowed to see or talk to my friends.
C: That’s the consequence of being here.

2.
C: Why did you want to see me?
S: I don’t feel like being here is helping.
C: No one does.

3.
S: I would like to go home, I’m feeling much better and think I could take better care of myself at home with family and friends.
C: This isn’t a holiday resort.

Sorry if this is the wrong sub for this, I’d just like to know if there is any way I can get my sister home :( Any advice is appreciated and thank you all so much.

Answer: Plese check with /r/AusLegal.  I'm unfamiliar with Australian law, but this seems to have some good resources: http://mhrm.mhcc.org.au/chapter-8/8e.aspx#8|E|3Answer #2: I (36F) was unjustly held involuntarily once (US) so I can understand your sister's plight. If you're getting nowhere with medical staff, it's time to get legal. There should be paperwork she or an adult signed to have her hospitalized. Get a copy, now. Look for the timeline of hospitalization and the requirements of release. Sometimes it's required that you have to be legally released which involves appearing before a magistrate and pleading your case. Request all medical documentation. If you have to, get a lawyer to do it. A strongly worded legal letter works wonders and costs very little. Answer #3: They might want to just see some longer term effects. Did they give her a new type of medication? 4 nights doesn't seem that bad they may just want to keep her for the week. Even though it's voluntary the hospital may be under some sort of liability now incase your sister leaves and does the unthinkable. It's more of a wait and see situation. Answer #4: Does the hospital have some sort of patient advocate or social worker you or she can talk to for help?


Title: Potential failure of police to prevent a murder

Question:
Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit for this

Recently here in Australia there was a very high profile rape/murder in a park. Three nights prior my friend, who lives in the same area, decided to go for a late night walk around her neighbourhood. She was walking through dark residential streets and a man started following her and calling out to her, and exposing himself/masturbating. He followed her through a few backstreets but she lost him when she reached a more brightly lit main road. When she got home she rang the police and told them what happened and they were like "Oh, are you the girl who rang half an hour ago?"

Anyway, nothing came of it and three days later a 19 year old man who very much resembled my friend's assailant raped and murdered a 22 year old comedian as she walked home through a nearby park around 11:30pm. I think there's a pretty high likelihood it was the same guy, and I feel like he should have been apprehended before he even had a chance to assault my friend, if the original caller had indeed been reporting the same guy - potentially preventing the murder 3 days later, maybe.

So I'm wondering if there's anything my friend could/should do about all this. This was an extremely high profile murder and I want to know that the police did everything they could to prevent it.

Answer: I know nothing about Australian law, so I can't speak on whether or not the police there have any duty to prevent anything, but what makes you think they did not act properly here? The person following your friend was long gone, from the sounds of it. How should they have acted to prevent this murder, in your opinion?


Title: Verbally abused by a university psychologist (Ontario Canada)

Question:
During my time at university I saw one of the school psychologists because I was still reeling over my father killing himself and I was just trying to deal with all those emotions. One time, after seeing this particular psychologist multiple times, I was telling him about my suicidal thoughts, he proceeded to verbally abuse me. He told me that if I was serious about killing myself I "would've done it already."

When I discussed with him my difficulties with making friends he just gave me a website to go to. And when I didn't do that (because I wanted to actually talk to someone about this) he told me that "some people are just better off alone."

When I told him about body issues I have, he told me to join Weight Watchers.

I don't know if there is anything that I can do about this. I tried talking to the higher up people at the school and they just told me that telling me I wasn't serious about killing myself was a "therapy technique".

After these events my anxiety and depression increased dramatically. This was someone in a position of trust that hurt me. I haven't been able to leave the house really, or get a job, or really deal with other people that aren't my boyfriend.

I don't know if wrong doing occurred or if he is just a shitty counsellor. I don't have a lot of money so I didn't really want to pursue this unless i knew that I was wronged. I mean, I feel wronged, but i don't know.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts you might have about my situation.

Answer: Nothing wrong based on what you have said. Find a new therapist of that one doesn't work for you


Title: (Texas) Mid divorce, spouse committed suicide

Question:
Hello all. A friend of mine lives in Texas and is about 3-4 weeks into a divorce, which was set to be finalized in mid June. Her husband recently moved out and then committed suicide on Friday. She is at a loss of what steps she has to take to protect herself.

A few things that are good to know:

The house that they shared is on the market and they recently accepted an offer. My friend was the only one on the title.

They have no children together, but he does have two children from a previous marriage.

My friend is unsure if her husband was employed due to many employment hiccups that can be attributed to alcoholism.

Does she need to take any steps ensure that the sale of the house continues? Is his ex wife entitled to any portion of the home?

They did not have joint bank accounts. Does his account go to his children or his wife?

Please ask any details that I may have left out and thanks for any advice that you can offer.

Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 If the divorce was not complete, they were still married.  If he did not have a will (When someone dies intestate), Texas law lays out how the estate will be distributed in the Texas Probate Code.  His kids may be entitled to a share of the marital estate, not just the accounts that were in his name.

> Is his ex wife entitled to any portion of the home?

This depends on whether his ex wife was part owner or not of the house.  If he owed his previous ex-wife equity when the house was sold, the estate still owes that.Answer #2: You should provide a lot more details. Specifically with what you mean by “mid divorce”.Answer #3: Did he have a will? That is what will determine what happens. His ex wife isn't automatically entitled to anything. If he did not have a will and did have separate property, his kids will be entitled to receive a share of that. Wife gets all of the community property. I'm assuming by "mid divorce" you mean there is no final decree, by the way.

Joint bank accounts typically pass outside of the estate straight to thesurviving person whose name is on the account.

Either way, she needs a probate lawyer

Edit to clarify an ex won't be automatically entitled to anything simply by virtue of being an ex. If she's on a title or the divorce decree says she gets something, then that's a different can of tomatoes.


Title: Being blackmailed with nudes by anonymous person, need help fast

Question: [removed]

Answer: As this is an IRL situation, you probably should also post this on /r/legaladvice


Title: [VA] My company forced me to commit what I suspect might be Medicare fraud. Am I going to go to jail?

Question:
 Hi, thanks for reading this. I've been distraught over this today. I work for a small ambulance company in the US as an EMT. With the new Medicare changes, my company has been struggling to be reimbursed for the transports we do for our patients apparently because our patient care reports aren't written well enough or with enough detail (or something like that, my supervisor isn't very intelligent, and this is how she describes it to us)  All was fine and dandy until 2 weeks ago when our company called everyone in for a mandatory meeting.

 The CEO of the company and my supervisor told everyone that we had to rewrite all of our reports from the last 3 months to include certain information. She gave us a template and told us to write that in every single report. (This is over 100 reports per employee) We were told that it all had to be done by last Friday or else there would be disciplinary action and possible termination if we did not comply.

 It felt wrong to do it, but I couldn't afford to lose my job. It has gnawed at me for the past week or so, and I'm quitting on Monday. I called the office of EMS and left a message to let them know what happened and to report it as possible Medicare fraud. I'm scared to death I'm going to go to jail. If there is anyone here that knows anything about this, or who can possibly reassure me that I won't be going to jail, that would be fantastic.

 EDIT: I suppose I should elaborate on why this makes me uneasy. She had us write things in those reports that may not have happened, or were not accurate in order to meet whatever the requirements are for medicare to reimburse the company.

Answer:
 Odd, I just randomly commented on whistle blowing in another thread which is what spurred me to look up various law subreddits for the first time.

Report it to the proper authority. If they try to do anything against you because of your report, contact a local employment law lawyer as you have a federal/state cause of action against them.

Source is I deal with these types of things all day. Answer #2: Wow that's scary. You can document late but it has to indicate that it is a late entry and have the date and time it was actually documented. The big thing is that it has to be accurate and I have no idea how you would know after this time.

I do late entry or corrected entry charting as a nurse on a regular basis but it is within a reasonable time frame and usually pretty minimal. Something like forgetting to mention someone has a leg brace that I referenced in the plan of care. That's about it.


Title: Gambling underage... try to get money back or not?

Question: I've gambled underage on iOS apps. Would it be better to try and get the money back and admit I' underage or would that be bad for me and get me in trouble since it's illegal to gamble underage? Live in Canada btw...

Answer: Why would you be entitled to get your money back?


Title: Question regarding "indefinite" shifts

Question:
Location: Louisiana

I have a friend in a bit of a situation. She was called into work for a certain time, but when looking at the schedule, the time shows from "10am - ?". She has dogs shes watching for a friend and is worried for their wellbeing. Is it legal for her employer to not give her a set time to work? She was told she could go home "when xxx says."

Is this legal?

Answer: Sure. As long as she is being paid and given appropriate breaks and meal times, that is not illegal. Welcome to the working world.


Title: Use throwaway accounts for legal advice because your deleted posts are archived

Question:
Providing awareness as I do think this is an important privacy issue for Reddit users. There are tools that lets you see all users active, edited, and even deleted posts/comments. Auto archived shortly after each post/comment. Test your name, even for deleted accounts.

https://camas.github.io/reddit-search/

This tool can be used to look up topics of interest too via posts and comments.

Answer:
 I try to never post anything online, regardless of the forum, that I wouldn't mind being read aloud on the courthouse square.

But it never hurts to be reminded that on the interwebs, nothing ever truly goes away and can usually be tracked back to you.Answer #2: There’s also mirror sites like removeddit.com to be aware of.Answer #3: Also cause I was banned for accidentally making a joke reply when I didn't realize I was replying to legaladvice.

Funny enough I've done it a few more times not realizing again it's legaladvice and only notice once it says cannot post, you have been banned.

Yay!


Title: Loss of a dog and being sued. Advice needed

Question:
So it’s a long one, I work at a boarding facility that boards dogs. We had a dog come in every month for weeks on end the family would drop him off for “a day or so” and pick him up months later. He was awful looking, matted, extremely aggressive, covered in pee and poop. Some how I fell in love with him.
When his family came to pick up a one day they said that they were looking to rehome him or pay someone to watch him. Since they couldn’t take as the lived in a car. I offered to watch him since I wasn’t sure how he would do with my dogs and couldn’t commit to keeping him.
We agreed on $50 a month for two months, and they would pay every month for him to get groomed. I didn’t mind that they would pay when they picked him up in two months. I also agreed to get him fixed free if charge for them.
Well the first few months they messaged me everyday but when we hit two months they didn’t answer me. Finally at about a month and a half over the original time they said I needed to watch him for as long as they needed. I never agreed just never responded because I was annoyed. From then on till today they messaged me maybe once a month nothing about picking him up just about if he was happy.
I assumed they didn’t care about him anymore, so I registered him to me and got him microchipped under me too. Also about 4 months after I got him he got a bad infection and I paid $800 to save him because when I messaged the family they said the could not pay but would pay me back when they could.
I love the dog so I didn’t care. I paid everyday for him to go to play at a day care with other dogs, all of his shots and food for 1 1/2 years. Well a month ago he got outside and chased a cat before we could stop him he was hit by a car and killed. I was devastated I still am. He was the best boy. Now I told him old family when it happened and they freaked out on me. Claiming I killed there dog. I was just trying to be nice and let them know if they wanted to come to the vet to say goodbye. They started saying they had planned to take him back next week and are now suing me because I killed there dog and are emotionally distressed. They want me to loss my job but they signed me into there account as a person to change information and pickup and drop off the dog.  I’m already so upset I don’t want to loss my job and be sued by theses people. Please help do they have a case?

Answer: Even if they sued you, it would be in small claims court - they can legally only sue you for the cost of the dog.  You, in turn, could countersue them for the cost of boarding and caring for their dog during that time, including the vet bills, room, and board.  You have the texts of them acknowledging that they owe you for the vet bill itself, and your arrangement on boarding, so I say... let it happen.


Title: Old thread about rogue HOA officer who cut down trees in OP's yard, which was also an event venue for hire

Question: I hope I'm not mis-stepping in posting here to ask if anyone might be able to help me find the /r/legaladvice thread referenced in the title, which was from maybe a couple years ago? IIRC, the OP and his siblings had a lushly landscaped yard that they rented out for weddings and such, and the VP (or similar) of the HOA for the neighboring condo association had had several of the trees in OP's yard removed without warning or permission. I seem to remember there was a satisfying update. Thanks for any assistance.

Answer:
 I believe you're looking for this post

https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2ez045/my_hedges_were_cut_down_by_neighboring_property/

and this update

https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2sm4mj/update_remember_my_jerk_neighbor_who_razed_my/


Title: Friend died while waiting for car insurance settlement. Lawyer is saying now it has to go through probate.

Question:
My friend died on Sunday morning. The lawyer was supposed to issue a check this week and now he is saying that it will probably have to go through probate. He's been dragging his feet since November about paying her. Her family needs this money for her funeral.

We live in Texas

Answer:
 Was there a will?

The lawyer probably means that until the estate is formally established via probate, he cannot arrange for the settlement to be paid. They have to have someone to pay it to, and now that the person is no longer alive, it has to be to the estate.


Title: Is it typically wiser to submit to a polygraph test, or is it typically wiser to refuse?

Question:
My understanding is that polygraph testing cannot actually determine, with a reliable degree of accuracy, whether or not a person is being honest or dishonest. For this reason, it seems to me that it would be wiser for an innocent person to decline a polygraph test than it would be for them to undergo the test and simply keep their fingers crossed that the results don't inaccurately label them a liar.

However, from what I've read, the police, the media, and the general public seem to consider a refusal to submit to a polygraph test to be highly suspicious, and a strong indicator that the person is guilty. So perhaps it would actually be wiser for an innocent person to submit to the test and hope for accurate results, rather than to refuse the test knowing that the police/media/public will likely interpret the refusal as a sign of guilt.

Generally speaking, would it be wiser for an innocent person to agree to a polygraph test, or to refuse it? Is there even such a thing as a "wiser" choice in this situation, or is our hypothetical innocent person 'damned if they do and damned if they don't'?

[I apologize if this is a dumb question, but it's been bugging me for a long time...]

Answer:
 That is a question to ask your lawyer. Most lawyers will tell their clients not to take a poly because they’re unreliable and a passed test won’t really help you. They’re unreliable, so a passed test doesn’t mean you’re innocent, just that you beat the box, you little sociopath.

If you do take a poly, your lawyer will want to negotiate both the conditions of the test, the topics and questions covered and you will need to be prepped.

TLDR don’t take a poly without talking to your lawyer. If your lawyer recommends taking a poly you might consider getting a consultation with another lawyer.


Title: I was held up in a robbery at work.

Question:
Backstory: I (22F) work in a bottle shop, the only one in a large area of Australia (Victoria) open till midnight, we get some pretty interesting customers to say the least.

Last weekend there was a robbery where two men armed with a machete and a meat cleaver came in and told me to empty the tills. I wasn't hurt in any way, but I was pretty shaken up. I gave an incident rapport to the police, and that seems to be the end of it. The next shift a man the same size/stature/description came in and it sent me into a panic attack. I have had to return to therapy because the incident has raised my anxiety to crazy high levels. Im not sure if I want to return to work.

Since then i have been told that i may be entitled to compensation for the event and the emotional repercussions including going back to a therapist. If there any advice you guys could offer, that would be awesome. Im just at a loss at where to start!

Answer:
 http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/injury-and-claims/claims-process-overview

Having a psychological reaction to a traumatic event such as an armed hold up is perfectly normal and is essentially the same thing as having suffered a physical injury. The above link has some information to get you started on lodging a worker's compensation claim.

The most important advice I can offer you during this process is to work with your therapist, your employer and the insurer to get yourself better as soon as possible.

Good luck. Something like this can be really scary but help is available


Title: [Tennessee] how hard is it to get a class b felony expunged?

Question: It a violent sex offender case in question and has had the perpetrator on parole for 17 years with no jail time bc of a deal made for a plead of guilty. He signed papers stating guilt and now wants his rights back. Honestly curious what you people think as my own research has only told me that class e felonies can be "fixed" in my state. Thank you in advance. If this post doesn't belong here please let me know where it does so I can move it to the appropriate sub.

Answer:
 You may want to post this to the main sub, /r/legaladvice.

At first glance at the list of eligible felonies that can be expunged, it appears that no sexual crimes can be expunged in TN. Therefore, nothing can be done unless the law is changed which is highly unlikely. This crime will never be expunged.


Title: Relied on doctor and nurses that we wouldn't be billed and we've been billed

Question:
[MO] My wife's doctor urged her to get a mammogram done even though she is young (28) due to family history and some concerning finds on his part. We delayed because insurance was not going go cover it until she is 35. He first told her that he would just tell the hospital that he found something that concerned him and then refer her but ended up finding some lumps anyway.

So she went to the hospital he referred her to and she set up the mammogram. The nurses asked lots of questions leading up to it about why she was getting the test done since she was so much younger than normal. She explained the entire thing and was assured by multiple nurses that she would not have to pay. Her doctor and the nurses assurances are the only reason she went through with it.

Long story short, we've been billed $500 by the hospital and the radiologist. Insurance covered a fair chunk though. I've spoken to both billing departments and they both say everything has been coded correctly and there's nothing they can do. The insurance rep I spoke to said that if the bill had been coded differently, we would not have been billed. I told this to both billing departments and they insisted they cannot do anything about it. Anything I can do now? Seems we were lied to and yet have no recourse. Surely this can't be legal/ok.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Your doctor can't tell you what insurance will cover.  Each company, policy, co-pay, et cetera is different.

They can make guesses or estimates, but they're not binding.


Title: I technically have mild CP do I need to answer "yes" or "I choose to not answer" on the standard "do you have a disability" question on job applications [USA]

Question: I realy don't want to say yes, because I assume anyone who sees that with no context will assume the worst. I don't need interview accommodations or anything, and it is mild enopugh to not impact me doing much of anything except running (which none of my jobs will require) . Is it illegal for me to answer no?

Answer: The application isn't going to ask that unless they don't know their heads from their butts. It's going to ask something like "with or without reasonable accommodation are you able to perform the essential job functions?"


Title: Setting up a 200-year trust, ala Benjamin Franklin

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >What's the best way to set this up?

With the help of an attorney. That's probably how Franklin did it.


Title: Got into a fight

Question:
So, I was in a fight recently. Basically I walked by this kid omw home from the bar stating, wow you look terrible! Did you gain weight?" Which he did clearly. After that he followed me a block to my apartment, stopped me, and then punched me in the face eventually taking me down from a leg attack. As he was on top of me, I managed to build up and some how came up with a double, which he then awkwardly fell and hit his head. Knocked out, blood coming out of his head. I immediately started crying, no shame in that, and put him in a recovery position on his side. After that I ran away because I heard his fraternity brothers coming after me. Two weeks later I receive a missed call from the police department. There were cameras everywhere showing exactly what happened, including me getting struck and taken down. There were witnesses who also saw the guy chase and take me down. Now if this is all available, why would the police be trying to contact me? Because I ran scared to get jumped? Or simply because he got hurt more than I did? It happened in a small town, they have my information from my university.

Tl;Dr got punched and taken down, managed to get him off me and come up with a double, but he ended up hitting his head, and I ran after his fraternity was about to chase me. Recieved a call from the police department 2 weeks later. What should I do?

Answer:
 Now this is a story all about how
OP got leg swept to the ground
And I'd like to take a minute
Just sit right there
We'll hear about how the cops are calling and OP's a little scared


Title: Grandparents are leaving the house to all of their children and it's causing trouble.

Question:
My grandmother recently passed and my grandfather is in the process of finalizing his will. My grandfather believes the only fair thing he can do is give the house to each of his six children equally.

Five of the six believe the house should go to my aunt and her husband, Jessica and Nick. My uncle Roger I think feels slighted by this and is being purposefully hurtful to my aunt, saying he will call the police on Nick any time he enters the property. I live on the other side of the country but it is my understanding that Roger is refusing to sit and discuss the matter further. My grandfather is still alive and I just want this resolved.

My question is what legal basis does Roger have to do this if 5/6 of the owner's of the house state that it is ok for Nick to visit the house? Is there any recourse the remainder of the family can take to resolve this situation?

Edit: Thank you for the responses everyone. It is kind of what I expected in that there is no "easy" solution. I'm going back next week to visit and attempt to mediate a little between family to try and preserve some good will between family members. Unfortunately, my grandfather built the house and refuses to let it leave the family and believes it is unfair to leave it to only one of his children. He is grieving the loss of my grandmother so I don't think he is thinking too clearly and just wants his children to get along. I think I'm just going to try to encourage my family to get along for my grandfather's sake and resolve this at a later date; potentially buying out the one uncle or forcing a sale of the house.

Answer:
 Your grandfather is creating a nightmare ownership situation and should avoid this at all costs.

Are there assets other than the house that can be divided to balance this? Or could the will just say the proceeds from the sale go six ways?

This house hasn’t even gotten divided and it’s causing headaches. It will not get better.

Legally they’ll all be on title and have equal rights to occupy the house. Roger has no leg to stand on. Answer #2: I feel sorry for your grandpa, first he lost his wife and now that he is preparing for when it's his time his own children have already started fighting. Usually one would say something morbid about it before the carcass being cold but in this case he is still breathing.

Seriously at this point it's nobody's business except for your grandfather's.

If he dies and all of his kids get 1/6th of the home then they might want to offer to buy out Roger but that really isn't a question for right now and his kids probably should understand that it is not up to them to decide what your grandpa should put in his will.


Title: im cuirrently on a stay of execution

Question: i am supposed to check in today by 5pm to do 60 days of work relesase. i lost consiousneess and fell over about ten minutes ago and my blood sugar is very high like 500. im scared to dfrive a vehicle, i sent a coiple faxes adn called the court a couple gtimes and i haven't revceived a response. shoudl i just drive to the jail? someone sele i could talk to? this is urgent

Answer:
 **Call 911.** You need urgent medical attention. Hyperglycaemia at that level is a medical emergency, and you risk diabetic ketoacidosis, coma, and death by not getting EMS attention **now**.

Your life is more important than your legal concerns, and I'm sure your attending ER physician will be willing to tell the court that your emergent condition necessitated medical care.

Source: am paramedic


Title: I carry a (legally sized) knife in Chicago. If I ever have to defend myself with it, and I end up thinking that I've killed my attacker, what do I do?

Question: Since I've started carrying it, I think about this kind of shit all the time. Obviously I should call the police, but should I call a lawyer? Assuming I'm not also fucked up and need immediate medical care (big assumption), should I wait there with the maybe-dead guy? Should I call an ambulance for him? When the cops do end up talking to me about it, should I do the thing in the movies where I'm like "I'm not sayin' nuttin' t'ill I get a lawyer, flatfoot," or should I let them know exactly what happened right up front? ALSO when does the law deem it acceptable for me to kill a guy with a knife? Do I have to let myself get beaten until I'm teetering on the edge of the milky twilight of eternal sleep, or can I assume that the guy's going to kill me and preemptively stab him? I do a lot of walking at night because I work late, so it makes me feel better to have it in terms of balancing the scales in a murder-type situation, but the legal implications (not to mention the thought of stabbing someone) make my stomach churn.

Answer:
 Honestly carrying a knife as a defensive weapon isn't super effective. If they have a gun, you lose, if they have a knife, you both lose, if they have nothing you can't use it without getting in trouble. If you are the one would introduces the deadly weapon to the situation you are the one that the police are going to be interested in.

Edit: Also the standard, don't talk to the police without a lawyer applies.Answer #2: You should have an attorney when you talk to the police. But call immediately. The guy may not be dead and in need of immediate medical attention.


Title: [VT] construction company keeps trespassing on Dad’s property

Question:
My dad owns a small property in Vermont near a major road construction site. This work has been going on for several years and the subcontractors keep parking heavy machines on his property. He’s had trouble contacting these companies. They never return his phone calls but the machines eventually get removed. He recently found a very large machine blocking the property and called the VT State Police since he couldn’t find any contact info for the owner. The police said he could have the vehicle towed at the vehicle owner’s expense but none of the towing companies he called would deal with a machine of this size. Only one said they would tow it if my dad paid upfront but he doesn’t think they realized how big it is.

Can anyone give advice on how best to handle this immediate situation and how to prevent it happening again?

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer but do live semi rural if unfenced we have to put up
Private Property no Trespassing signs  clearly visible at few points of access , some homeowners go further and add a no parking or off roading recreational vehicles  ect.allowed on a separate sign underneath
to further strengthen the no basically anything allowed .
If your father knows about what time these vehicles arrive he can ask
police to send an officer prior of course.Answer #2: Is this a State highway or town owned road? You might have more luck talking to somebody at VTrans or in the town government. I'm not a lawyer but do live in VT and am sometimes involved in road construction projects and could probably point you in the right direction.


Title: Can a Mexican immigrant living in the USA get emergency permission to go back to Mexico?

Question:
My mama has a co-worker here in Texas that "doesn't have papers, but has permission to be here" and was already denied leave to tend to her dying father in Mexico. She wants to know if there is a way to receive permission to get back into her home country for this emergency situation.

I thought humanitarian parole might help, but it seems that is only for people trying to enter the states? Plus, it could take months to get a response.

This is the only information I have. If more is needed, I'll do my best to get it. Thank you in advance for any helpful advice.

Answer:
 > doesn't have papers, but has permission to be here

I don't know what that's supposed to mean other than "here illegally", but her options will depend heavily on her current immigration status.  Your ability to travel in & out of the country varies by visa type


Title: Greencard sponsorship

Question:
My sister in law called a few weeks back "to ask kind of an awkard question" I would put it in the category of ballsy, but let's move on.

Her 28 year old daughter started dating a man (a non-citizen of U.S.A) August of 2017, fell in love really quickly. They married May of this year at the courthouse. Niece was short $500.00 in her yearly income to sponsor him. I thought marriage took care of the whole green card issue, I guess not. Sister in law is in the same financial  situation. They have asked my husband to be his sponsor for the next 10 years, or until he would become a U.S. citizen (according to what I've read online). The thing is, he is still on the fence if that is even an option he wants to pursue. We live many states away from the couple and said in-laws. They all claim he is the best thing to ever happen to her, blah blah blah.  I am so against it. I've watched to many 48 hours, and know how quickly a new relationship viewed through rose colored glasses can turn sour. He is employed and is pursing furthering his career. Husband and I had a discussion yesterday about what to do. He wants to help her, and I said she isn't your/our responsibility. She doesn't have a relationship with my husband. Other than an occasional "like" or comment on FB posts.

Answer:
 If your husband signs up as a cosponsor, all he's saying is that he will take financial responsibility for the immigrant spouse during the permanent residency period. That means if Immigrant Spouse (IS) goes on unemployment, draws on social programs or benefits, or otherwise needs government assistance, anyone on the affidavit of support promise to pay that money back. That means your husband is on the hook for that amount while IS is a permanent resident, up to 40 quarters (10 years) of social security or until they become a citizen. Citizenship through marriage can take place in as little as three years of permanent residency; 5 is the standard for non-marriage categories.

So here's the thing: a very fresh relationship going very fast throws up yellow and red flags all over. It's unfortunate that your relative is so short of the line but you're right to have caution. It's ultimately up to your husband. Relationship advice aside, I wouldn't do it.


Title: [AL] More questions about my bastard father's death.

Question:
I posted [this](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5bmxdv/al_who_has_to_bury_my_father/) here a few days ago, and got some excellent answers. I thought of a few more questions that I'd like answered, and any help would be appreciated.

For those who didn't see the first post, here's some background info:  My father is a horrible person. He's a convicted sex offender (against two 14 year olds; I didn't mention that in the first post), a domestic abuser, and possibly shook my infant sister, leaving her with severe brain damage. He has two siblings, a sister (thought it was half in the last post, but it's full; shows how well I know his side of the family) and a half-brother.

My question is, what happens to his property when he dies? I know that he has an acre of land, as well as a few vehicles and a trailer. He also has a tow truck, and what used to be a bait shop, but is now just an empty building.

Do I get it? Or is it going to be evenly divided amongst living relatives? I'm fairly certain he doesn't have a will.

Before anyone suggests I'm trying to be greedy:  My plans are to take my anger out on something with a sledgehammer, possibly sow the ground with salt, then sell everything to pay for my sister's care. I haven't seen her since she was ~3, but her mother gave birth when she was 16, after marrying my father at 14. She became a single mother of a severely brain damaged child by 17, and can use all the help she can get.

I don't want any of his things, I just want to knwo who they go to. Thanks in advance!

Answer: The property will have to go through probate.  Debtors will get the first crack at it, then beneficiaries.


Title: Every Thursday night I go this soccer game, and I climb the same tree. There is this Police Officer who always comes to these games, and tells me to get out of the tree every time. This has been going on for 4 weeks now, is he legally allowed to do this?

Question:
I have parental consent to climb the tree. I just wanna climb a tree, like the tree is so perfect for climbing. I understand the risks and all, but I climb bigger and harder tree's all the time, this one is little compared to the other ones. I'd say I might get about 15 - 25 ft off of the ground.

The most recent time I got out of the tree when he told me to, I was only about 15 feet off of the ground, and I satirely hopped out of the tree from right where i was (basically to show that if I were to fall, I would be fine). And of course, when I hit the ground i rolled to prevent injury.

Location: Public, school property Kentucky, USA.

Answer:
 Is the tree on private property, and do you have the consent of the landowner?

If it's on public land the police officer can almost certainly order you down from it. Answer #2: Is the tree yours or does it belong to the city? If it belongs to the city, he can tell you to get off the tree


Title: Is Ramadan legal?

Question:
So i'm a child to two muslim parents.

It's that shit time of the year again where they force me to partake in not eating/drinking for pretty much the whole day, and if they catch me doing so they'll punish/guilt trip/threaten me.

I started to wonder, though, is this legal? Is it legal to starve/dehydrate your child like this because you simply feel like it, or does it get a pass because you're the parent and because it's a religion and whatnot, especially if the child doesn't want to partake in the holiday anyway?
Topic:
Constitution

Answer: Yes, Ramadan is legal, and your parents can require you to participate.


Title: My neighbor did a hit and run on my car. Should I confront them?

Question: I know my neighbor did a hit and run on my car, the way my car was damaged in front of their house was obvious. My car had a dashcam, unfortunately it wasn’t on because the car was off (I was not smart to leave it on parking mode). Should I use scare tactics to get them to admit that they hit me? Or if they said no, can I ask them to let them give me their insurance and if they refuse, is that a sign? Or should I not talk to them at all? The damage was minor.

Answer: You're not Batman. Call the police.


Title: Sister(18f) is paying her deceased fathers mortgage, the bank doesnt know...(California)

Question:
2 months ago my sister's father passed away. From what i understand she is receiving her fathers social security, until she gets out of school I believe. Anyways, my sister has not informed the bank that her father is dead, and continues to pay the mortgage using the social security money, $750 a month. She currently lives at the house with her fathers girlfriend. She is also the sole heir I believe, she was his only actual family. How badly will this end, and what advice can I give my sister?

Edit: Thanks for everyone's answers and advice!

Answer: She receives benefits from her father's death? Or she has been cashing social security checks that were meant to go to her father? Answer #2: Make sure she doesn't sign anything with the girlfriend.  She might say Dad intended to let her live there or she should get part of the house or something and people are dumb at 18.  So, remind her to sign nothing from dad's girlfriend.


Title: I spent almost all my savings on a plane ticket to Italy for this coming December, and now I need to cancel it. Both airlines are refusing to give me any kind of refund at all. Am I in the wrong here? I feel like I shouldn't need a law degree to comb through the fine print and not get screwed over.

Question:
So I recently booked a flight to Rome on Vueling airlines through Expedia and a flight back home from Zurich on Air France - also Expedia. I called Expedia trying to cancel, and after half an hour on the phone at 1am they told me that neither airline could offer any kind of refund.

&#x200B;

I've been absolutely fucked over - I'm a teenager who's never had a legitimate job other than summer camps and babysitting, I've been saving up for this for a really long time, and now I've spent almost all my savings on a trip with some friends that isn't coming through. I didn't read the fine print, and that's probably my fault, but I also kinda feel like the airline is expecting me to trust them and they took advantage of that. If I can't get my money back I'm completely screwed, and odds are I won't because I'm a college freshman going up against a massive corporation that doesn't give a shit about me. How can I get out of this?

Answer: You aren't being screwed or fucked over if you bought non-refundable tickets. That means *non-refundable*.  Stop pretending to be a victim. These terms were presented when you bought the ticket and you agreed to them.Answer #2: If you agreed to a new exchange and/or no refund ticket then the airlines can hold you to that agreement.


Title: doing nothing

Question: I was sitting in my car parked at applebees (Marysville, wa) not even for 5 min and doing nothing all of a sudden police drove up and next you know he at my window asking what I was doing I said just got done eating with my brother. I had a passenger that I was giving a ride to and the police didn't like the way he looked. next you know he is asking me to search my car I said yes but passenger said no. police said we suppose to agree but I am the owner, so police took my car for search. police has my car for almost 4 months now. I never been charged with a crime. I don't know what was in passengers backpack but police made me sign paper stating everything in my car was mine if I wanted my car back but everything in that car wasn't mine.is this right and what are my rights?

Answer:
 You do need to post your location, but in general and assuming it's at least in the US...

You consented to the search. Your rights were to not consent to the search.

As for the keeping it for 4 months, we need your location to answer that. Did you have a valid license at the time?


Title: (Ontario) New landlord bought the house my friend rents. Now they want to use the laundry machines in her appartment with all the other tenants.

Question:
The house she lives in has three separate apartments. She lives in the only unit with laundry. It is located in the back of the house - you must go through her living room, and kitchen to get to the laundry room. Now her new landlord wants her to share those laundry machines with everyone. She will have all her neighbours walking in and out of her house at different hours of the day so they can do laundry. Is this legal? I know a landlord can enter your house for an inspection so long as they give you 24 written notice, but can they also use your facilities and require you to make those available to others as well?

Edit: the title of this thread will forever have a spelling error.

Answer:
 Unless it's a non-standard lease she controls inside her home. Tell the landlord no. Don't let anybody in for this reason. Don't turn it into some big argument; just say no. Answer #2: OP. I hope you saw all the comments here; some posters gave incorrect advice based in U.S. laws.

Your landlord can not insist on this.  They may* be able to give your friend 60 days notice to vacate when her lease is up, but she doesn't ever have to let other tenants into her home.

I urge you to be in touch with the [Landlord Tenant Board](http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/ltb/) for further clarification.  If her landlord is particularly difficult, Legal Aid Ontario runs free [Community Legal Clinics](http://www.legalaid.on.ca/en/contact/contact.asp?type=cl) where you can get more help.

* It seems the landlord might have cause to evict if they are renovating to provide laundry facilities, but it's not as simple as just telling her to leave - be in touch with the LTB for real advice.Answer #3: not legal unless it was specified in the lease.


Title: Kicked out of a gym for letting friend use second pass [GA]

Question: Today I went to Gold's gym with my friend. We've been going there all summer and I let him use an extra membership that I had but was not using. I later was approached by an employee that said my friend could not be there according to some insurance that said they would be liable if my friend got hurt. But the issue I have is that they give out free passes all the time there and online. So it all seems sort of "suspicious". I would like to know if they are right or if I should debate this with a manager.

Answer:
 >But the issue I have is that they give out free passes all the time there and online.

When commercial gyms give out free passes, **generally** that person has to fill out liability paperwork prior to working out.  They also have to sit down with the sales rep as they try to push a membership on them.

You do not just print out a free pass, walk into the gym and start bench pressing.


Title: Emotional Support Animal Registration Question

Question:
Hello all, I apologize if this isn't the right place to post this, but I'm looking to adopt a dog as advised by my therapist and register him as an emotional support animal.

I have severe depression and moderate generalized & social anxiety, and my therapist has agreed to write a letter so he can be registered. Is there any formal procedure to have this done?

I've already found the dog I'm wanting to adopt, I fell in love with him immediately as he is very mellow and affectionate, and overall really well mannered. The shelter has him on hold for me as he needs a surgery before he can be adopted and I wanted to get everything ready before bringing him home. Thank you!

Answer:
 You have a therapist prescribing the animal. There is no registration necessary beyond that.

"ESA registration" sites are generally scams that give you worthless pieces of paper.Answer #2: There is no official ESA registry.

You need to provide the letter to your landlord before you obtain the animal. Answer #3: You don't register an ESA, at least in the US. Are you allowed to own a dog where you live?


Title: What would happen if you're "caught" with alcohol, but you're of legal age and have no ID

Question:
It may be a confusing question but specifically, I'm 22 but I look young and lost my ID, so I'm curious to know what would happen if I were a passenger in a car and had beer/liquor with me. What would happen if we got pulled over and the police asked about it? How would I prove I am of age? In all logical sense, I think they shouldn't be allowed to take it, being that I am of legal age. Can they still look me up or something?

I live in Kansas City, Missouri BTW and have had trouble obtaining a new ID

Answer:
 It would largely depend on the officer at the scene and your actions at the scene too. If they want to take it, they probably can take it. If you're reasonable, they'll likely be reasonable as well.

Yes, they can look up your identity by the info that you give them.


Title: How is this law enforced?

Question:
There was a thread about USPS delivering to some remote village via pack animal.

Apparently, this is because they're obligated by law to delivery mail to everyone, everywhere.

How is this law enforced?

What would happen if they simply decided to start holding their mail at the post office?

Answer:
 When a government department fails to provide a service; the citizens affected can file suit with a court to compel the service via a court order to provide it to them.

In this example USPS could argue that holding their mail at the post office meets the statutory burden, a judge may agree or disagree.

That being said USPS tends to pride itself on going above and beyond (atleast in my perception) so while they may not technically be obligated to perform this function, they may do it because it makes good PR


Title: Teacher in Texas paid less than salary?

Question: My girlfriend started working as a teacher at a charter school in November, her anual salary is 43,500 but her monthly gross is 2900 which translates to a salary closer to 35,000.  We’ve checked a bunch of possibilities, but ultimately won’t hear from the salary department until the break is over in early january.  Should we be contacting a lawyer?

Answer:
 No, you should not be contacting a lawyer.

Have you considered the possibility that her salary is going to be prorated because she started in November so she won’t be working a full school year?      Her annual salary is $43,500, which would normally be distributed over 12 months, at about 3,600 a month.  But, she only started in November, so November to August, when her next contract likely starts, is only 10 months, times 3600 a month, is close to the 35,000 figure she is seeing.

If that doesn’t make sense, your girlfriend should set up a meeting with HR and ask them to walk her through her pay stub.