Title: Unlawfully Dealing with a Child: Alcohol 1st

Question: I am 21 years old and a college student. I was arrested for buying my friends alcohol. They were stupid and later they were caught with it, unopened, and since it is a small college town and my friends wouldn't give me up they checked the few stores that sell the beer they had and traced it to me with the ID scanner and video footage. I was a polite as possible during the entire process, and the arresting officer said I was "the most respectful person he has ever arrested." The alcohol was for friends that are 20 years old and to turn 21 in the next three months. Our good family friend is a high ranking State Trooper in NY so he made some calls and spoke with the arresting officer, and is to speak with the DA of this county because they know each other. I know it was stupid to buy my friends alcohol and I won't do it again, but I want some advice regarding lawyers because I cant have this misdemeanor on my record because I want to become a lawyer. It was also a stupid kid mistake and I don't want to get hanged for it. It happened in Livingston County, NY if that helps. My court date is in a month and we are waiting until our Trooper friend talks to the DA before getting a lawyer.

Answer: If you can't afford to have it on your record, you need to get an attorney. Hope to plead down to an ordinance violation and just get a slap on the wrist.


Title: My father spent $15,000 on a credit card that was in my name.

Question: I am at a loss. As the title says, I am now overwhelmed with debt after years of being very responsible with my credit. I've never felt so betrayed. He is disabled and was taking money from my mom this whole time to prevent a late fee from being brought to my attention. He has been constantly lying to her and keeping her in a financial struggle secretly for all this time even though she is trying to save for a severe prolapse bladder surgery while working a very physical job as a dog groomer. I don't know what to do. I dont want him to go to prison if I file for fraud. However I don't know how to handle this debt. My mom feels responsible and is insisting that she help pay it but she NEEDS this surgery. She has had to put it off for 3 years and yet never puts her issues before helping or being there for others no matter how small the issue. Hearing my mom crying the way she was was too much. She deserves so much better! For that reason I almost am angry enough to just file against him. On the other hand, I feel sorry for him. I would love for him to get professional help. Part of me feels like he has a lot of psychological issues that have lead him to compulsive tendencies. Am I being overly understanding? This amount of debt Will definitely set me back for a long time at this point in my life. Is trying to have the charges removed worth it? Any financial advice for handling this? The payments required these next coming months is going to be nearly impossible to handle financially after just moving to a new apartment and after just purchasing a vehicle. Any advice on helping my mom get through this emotionally?

Answer: You can either accept this debt as your own or begin the fraud process and potentially expose your father to criminal charges.Answer #2: My mom stole my sisters identity and forced her to go bankrupt. My sister has said on numerous occasions that even though that’s her mom, she still isn’t exempt from punishment. She says it’s one of her biggest regrets. She ended up filing for bankruptcy and then my mom stole my identity. I know it’s your dad and all, but $15,000 is no joke.


Title: Seeking advice. I work at a small sister-company (in TX) of a larger company (in CA). My sister company has decided it wants to go independent, the very month I am expected to have my baby ...I'm 7 mo. Pregnant. Mostly benefits advice.

Question:
I have been working as a senior artist for a digital/software developing studio located in Texas for over 2 years now. It has been a very comfortable job since we are actually under the umbrella of a rather large company (200+ people) based in California. Benefits, 401k, etc. have all been handled through this company in California.

I have recently learned that the head of our company (in Texas) wants to branch off and make our studio an independent company. He says this transition will occur in February; I am pregnant, due in *February*, and was under the impression that I would be getting 6 weeks paid maternity leave as well as coverage for my labor (which is what our parent company offered me before I found out any of this). I have asked my boss if we will be covered by the parent company during February or beyond, and he has said probably not. I have also been instructed to NOT to even talk to our HR in California, because they do not know our situation... great.

My greatest concern is wtf is going on with our benefits.

So here are my perceived options:

A) Wait things out and hope they work out for the best the month I have the baby.
B) Get on husbands insurance
C) Seek legal guidance (I'm not interested in litigation necessarily - I just want to know my options, and there are differences between California and Texas laws regarding maternity anything and everything from what I can tell - I'm not even sure where I stand.)
D) I am under the impression I can cut my losses and take a severance.

Based on what information I've provided here - would anyone else have a suggestion for me on how to proceed? Is there anything I can really even do in this circumstance other than just wait it out or take a severance and leave? I get it's not the employers problem I'm pregnant. I'm not asking for sympathy or pity or any of that shit. It just plain sucks for me, cool... whatever. Awesome timing on my husband and I... yey. But is there something I'm missing? Is COBRA even an option in a case like this?

Any other thoughts, suggestions, anything on anything I've mentioned, would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 > I have also been instructed to NOT to even talk to our HR in California, because they do not know our situation... great.

Huge, enormous red flag.  If the company is being spun off, then HR knows about it.  If the company is being sold, HR knows about it.  If your boss is just trying to start his own business by stealing from your current company, HR would be in the dark.  I can't think of a legitimate reason for your boss to tell you not to talk to HR about this.  Every answer I can come up with is "I'm doing something shady and am worried I'll get caught"


Title: [GA] Federal court, question about lawyers and firing.

Question:
Hi. This case does not involve me. My friend is an attorney who was fired as co-counsel by the originating attorney of an upcoming civil case. However, he was fired under pretense. The original lawyer, OL, was trying to receive funding from a 'debt-buying' company for upfront cash in the guise of medical expenses for his client. My friend found out, warned the clients, and then the OL fired him in a fit of rage... Fired him verbally... without consulting the plaintiffs... Then he was 'hired' back... Then, a week later, formally fired with a letter 'from the plaintiffs' that wasn't actually signed by them. **It was a copy paste of their signature.** Is that legal? To copy paste a client's signature firing co-counsel? To me, it seems an original authentic signature would be needed.

The plaintiffs have now, later, claimed they did give their permission, but, it was after the letter was given that their permission was received. Is that forgery? Or is it just sketchy?

Answer: I'm kind of confused about what you're getting at, but your friend may want to get into contact with the Judge's chambers to notify them if co-counsel is doing something unethical and forging client signatures. Certainly if your friend is an attorney he should know if this is forgery it not?


Title: Iowa. My wife was put on paternity leave for her job working at a daycare. She was looking forward to coming back and her boss kept putting off a time when she could go back. Our son spent three months in the NICU. We were counting on her job. Her boss just informed us she doesn't need her.

Answer:
 Unless it's a very large daycare (50 employees are greater) it's not subject to FMLA.Answer #2: How long did your wife work there and how many hours did she work?  How many employees does the company have?

https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/benefits-leave/fmla


Title: 32 year old sister living in my dad's front room with 3 kids and a boyfriend with no job. What legal steps does he take to get them out?

Question:
Started with my father wanting to help out his daughter while she had no home. She moved into his front room with her boyfriend (who she just had a daughter with) and her two other sons. Her sons have their own room in the house, while the rest of them live in the front room. Anyways, it has turned from my father being nice and giving them a place for a few months, to them trashing the front room, being entitled to everything, getting a dog without asking,  and being extremely disrespectful about everything. This has been going on a year now. Now shes telling my dad "were not going anywhere, we have rights since this is our home now too."

So my question is, how does my dad go about getting
his house back? He's almost 64 years old and this is just stress that he doesn't need in his life right now.

Answer:
 He gives them a written thirty day notice to vacate. If they do not leave, he files an eviction in court. Answer #2: What state are you in? Landlord/tenant laws differ widely by location.

Yes, she is (likely) considered a tenant, even if she doesn't pay any rent, so he has to follow the right procedures for his state.

In many states, that involves giving 30 or 60 days written notice to leave, then filing with the court for actual eviction.

A local attorney familiar with landlord/tenant law should be able to guide him through the process.


Title: NY grand central speeding ticket. Officer invented a middle name for me

Question: My name is Daniel B. ********, but on the ticket it says Daniel Fernando ********. I have literally no idea where the fernando came from. I'll be talking to a lawyer anyways, but just to ease my expectations, do you think this mistake might be enough to get the ticket thrown out/ delay the court hearing?

Answer: No, a mistake like this won't affect anything


Title: A Tier III Sex Offender just moved into my apartment building.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I don't believe the landlord has a duty to notify you at all. Your best bet is to just mind your own business.


Title: [San Francisco, CA] My family who I am no longer in contact with is stalking and harassing me and others. They have now wasted the police's time by sending them over to my home for a wellness check and a message. Is there anything I can do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can go through the restraining order process:

http://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-domesticviolence.htm

The domestic violence order is for more than just spouses hitting each other; it covers your situation as well.

Answer #2: As long as what they are doing isn't itself illegal (asking for a wellness check isn't illegal, nor is contacting someone who knows you once or twice) then no, you can't do anything about it.

You can send them a cease and desist letter, but I hope you understand that has no legally binding effect on them.  They can continue to try to find you, and to contact you, as long as it doesn't amount to unlawful harassment or stalking (a pretty high standard).Answer #3: Be aware that if the hire a private investigator they'll be able to locate you by the new address on your driver license, vehicle registration, house you purchase, etc.   It's still good to be far away from them, and the PO Box will help a bit, but it's no guarantee they won't find you.

If you are still in contact with some relatives you can give them false new addresses in case it filters back to your family (choose empty lots or business buildings so you don't send your crazy relatives to some innocent person's door).


Title: My tenant haven't found any place to move what should i do

Question:
My tenant haven't found any place to live and they lease is up in 24 hour what should I do next and what protection do I have i live in NYC. I told them they have to move out in May they haven't found a place due their low credit problem. and I want to know what protection do I have and prevent a squading problem or something bad I made a eviction notice but I didn't give to them.  They were told to leave due to me needing the property back from a family emergency they didn't threat us with any lawsuit yet but I need to do something I was thinking just give them more time and just collect their rent but what should I do next but I need them out of the house what should I do.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If they don't leave when their lease is up, and you haven't agreed to extend it, you should start the eviction process.


Title: We are scared of our neighbor and unsure how to handle the situation

Question:
I made a throwaway account for this, but any and all advice would be appreciated. Please let me know if there is a better place to post this. Thanks in advance for reading.

Okay, so some background. I had been living in my apartment complex for two years previously with few problems. I did have a package stolen once, but it happens and thankfully it wasn't anything expensive. Otherwise, no issues with neighbors or concerns for safety. In August of 2016, my boyfriend moved in to the same apartment with me. Originally, we didn't plan to stay there very long, so we never added him to the lease. Well, now it's March and we are both in the same apartment. It hasn't caused any problems, but I just wanted to lay out that he's technically not on the lease so that may cause issues with solving our problem. We live in a college town in Illinois.

Sometime around fall, we started hearing our neighbor yelling at night. We have never seen him in person and to this day I have no clue who our neighbor actually is, so I'm making an assumption on his gender. At first, it was sort of funny. His bedroom shares a wall with our bedroom, and at night we would hear him loudly coughing and then screaming when he was done. We originally just thought it was an older man with a bad cough and his yelling was out of frustration. Every night though it was "*cough* *cough* *COUGH* *COUGH* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!", and I'm not exaggerating. Annoying, but we got used to it and figured it would stop when he got better.

However, it hasn't gotten better. First he started pounding on the walls when he would yell. It used to just be one big pound, but it's been getting progressively worse, especially over the last month or so. Then he stopped coughing and just started screaming. Our walls are fairly thing, so we can't make out what he's saying, but it sounds like pure angry gibberish. It's gotten to the point now where every night, several times throughout the night, he will bang on the wall and scream (what sounds like) nonsense. It wakes us both up, and is quite honestly very scary. My boyfriend is having a hard time sleeping through the night because of this issue.

It is probably unrelated, but it's worth mentioning that in December and January, my boyfriend had the tires of his car slashed 3 times over the course of 6 weeks. He ended up selling his car and we still have no clue who was responsible for this, or if it was just a random thing. However, this combined with our screaming neighbor has him pretty freaked out and concerned for our safety.

I realize the obvious solution to this problem is to move apartments. And we are in the process of doing that right now, but we can't get into our new place until July. In the meantime, we are unsure what to do. While a screaming neighbor is probably harmless, we are worried that if we file a complaint, he would know it was us since our apartment is the only one that neighbors his. The unintelligible nightly screaming makes us think that this man might be a little unstable, and we are scared of repercussions of making him any angrier than he already appears to be. I'm also unsure if my boyfriend could file any complaints since he technically is not on the lease, or if there would be any issues that could arise from him living there and not signing the lease. Additionally, I'm not sure if this is an issue I should file with my landlord or the cops, or if it's even an issue worth filing at all. This neighbor hasn't directly threatened us, but we are still afraid of him. We need to do something about this problem, since the pounding and yelling is only getting worse every night and it's interrupting our sleep.

My boyfriend and I have come up with the following options, but we are unsure which is the best way to proceed.

1) File a complaint with our landlord.
2) Call the police and file a noise complaint (possibly request a wellness check on this guy?)
3) Move out early, break our lease, and find a temporary apartment until July. I really do not want to have to do this, but my boyfriend feels this is the best option. I don't know that we can afford to just leave the apartment and continue to pay for it - do we have any legal options to break our lease in this scenario?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Answer:
 > The unintelligible nightly screaming makes us think that this man might be a little unstable

It's possible that he's just an online gamer...Answer #2: Option #4: Knock on the guy's door, give him some homemade cookies, ask if he's ok.


Title: I waited too long to sign an apartment lease, is it possible to reinstate it? (21,SC)

Question:
Any and all advice is welcome.

I am trying to rent an apartment in South Carolina through Zillow. I was supposed to sign the lease by the 14th, but like an idiot I didn't check my email for a while and didn't see the deadline. I have put a $650 deposit down on the place already. I was supposed to move in on the 16th. However, I checked this morning and saw both the email containing the deadline, as well as another email saying that the lease was voided.
My question is will it be possible to reinstate the lease if I contact Zillow soon enough, and, if so, will I be still be able to move in on the 16th?

This is my first post to this sub, so forgive any inadequacies and let me know if more info is needed.
Again, any and all advice is sincerely appreciated.

Answer:
 >reinstate the lease if I contact Zillow soon enough

You do understand that this has nothing to do with zillow right? This is completely between you and the landlord.

The only option you have is to contact  the LL and ask nicely if you could sign the original lease.

No one is under any legal obligation to provide you the lease or apartment again.


Title: Is this common practice, or was this lawyer out of line?

Question:
(Indiana)A friend of mine has serious heart problems.  He's been trying to get on disability for a few years and ended up hiring a lawyer.  He was finally granted disability but only gets backpay for 4 years instead of 8.  My friend was perfectly happy with this and was just waiting for his money to come in.

After a few months he called and asked why he had not received his money yet.  They told him his payment is on hold because the lawyer had filed papers outside of my friends knowledge to try to get the full 8 years backpay.

Did he step out of line by not consulting my friend?  Or is this perfectly acceptable thing for him to have done?

Answer:
 It sounds like the lawyer filed some sort of appeal without consulting your friend first.

If that is indeed the case, yes, it's out of line.Answer #2: >My friend was perfectly happy with this and was just waiting for his money to come in.

Did he make that clear to the attorney?  As in, did he explicitly tell the attorney that 4 years is good enough and he should stop working now?

If so, then the actions of the attorney are out of line, in my opinion.

On the othernhand, the attorney is zealously advocating for his client!  And if your friend did not say "Okay, stop now," then he is just continuing to advocate for his client and get him more money.


Title: [Oklahoma] Threw a can at a thief's car at my work. Am I legally liable for the damages?

Question:
I work at a convenience store in Oklahoma. A kid came in, no older than 17, walked around the store for a little bit, and then grabbed a 30 back of beer and bolted for the door. There's a fridge by the door that we keep energy drinks in, and without giving it much foresight I grabbed one and hurled it at the thief's getaway car. It cracked the back passenger window and put a moderate dent right where the door meets the window. I got his tag and a description of the vehicle before he sped off, but while filing the police report I neglected to mention my act of vindictiveness.

Will I be held liable for the damage to his vehicle since he was committing a crime when this occurred?

Answer: Yes, though I imagine someone who stole something and took off isn’t going to come back and pursue the matter. If that does happen though, be prepared to pay for the damage.Answer #2: Yes, if you damaged his car you will have to pay for that.


Title: I need help ASAP, I fear my daughters safety and wellbeing.

Question: To summarize, I have a little girl turning 5. I was with her mom for 6 years. A little background info, I live in Ohio and she was born out of wedlock. So I technically have no rights. Her mom just recently left me in May. Since then, she has hooked up and introduced my daughter to at least 4 strange men, and has fucked several others. She has gone as far as taking her to one guys house, and locking her out of the bedroom while they fucked. She also put my daughter to bed then snuck out the house to fuck someone in a truck. In addition to that, she tried meeting up with a strange man in his 30's (she is only 20) with my daughter present. She had never met him, and exchanged only a few messages before agreeing to take my daughter to meet him at a restaurant. Legally speaking, disregard the last two because I found out after I logged onto her FB account ( I know its illegal and the evidence is not admissible in court, but my daughters safety comes first). My main concern comes with her new "guy friend" who also appears to be 30 or older. My daughter told me that "me and mommy spent the night at (guys name)'s house, and she left me with him to go to work". Issue one comes with my daughter being left with strangers, Issue 2 comes when my daughter said, "(guys name) smacked me". She told me he smacked her after she started screaming at the movie Boss Baby. I have my daughter on video telling me. My daughter has told me many things previously that proved to be true. Her mother lies to me about everything, and has proved uncooperative. I fear for my daughter, and don't know what rights I have or what I can do. Is there anyway I can file for emergency custody at a court?

Answer:
 > To summarize, I have a little girl turning 5. I was with her mom for 6 years... (she is only 20)

So you impregnated her when she was 14? How old were you?Answer #2: You need to consult a family law attorney.  This is not DIY territory.

You also need to stop logging into her social media accounts -- it could be a crime.  Not going to get you your kid.


Title: Need some advice? Pregnant and about to be fired.

Question: California

Answer: Also, don't post that wall of text you've been posting elsewhere, no one is going to read that. Keep it short and to point.Answer #2: If you need to add to the post, you need to edit it.  Any top-level comments made by OP get deleted.


Title: Is this wrongful termination?

Question:
Very long, but I need to provide some context.  I see people online all the time say "get in touch with a lawyer!!"  "Call a lawyer!"  "Get a free consult!", but it's been surprisingly difficult to even get one on the phone.  My girlfriend tried calling one law firm and didn't even get past the phone screening woman. All the information she was able to provide was "wrongful termination/retaliation" and she was told "we aren't taking those kind of cases at the moment".   So any advice on how to proceed would be appreciated.

My girlfriend has worked for a small bakery for the past 5 years as the lone cake decorator.  Her manager is the epitome of the peter principle.  He's worked there for 15 years and eventually became manager.  He rarely shows up to work, but when he does he treats the employees like dirt, shows up stoned, and spends all his time surfing the internet.  He's delegated all his duties to underlings.

My girlfriend was hourly.  She increased business to such a degree that it became difficult to fill all orders.  She's asked for an assistant multiple times, because she was overworked.  She worked without breaks, usually worked through lunch, very frequently worked off the clock shopping for supplies, answering emails, updating the company website, facebook, twitter, and yelp.  She was never paid for these hours.  On a couple occasions she was shorted overtime on her paycheck.  If she took vacation, she needed to work extra hours before and after her vacation, because there was nobody to cover orders while she was gone.  She also informed her manager years ago that she was developing back pain and numbness in her fingers from overwork (often having 12-15 hour days).  She was beloved by the fellow employees and customers.

Several people have quit over the years, because of the manager's behavior, but none of the long-time employees were willing to report it.  They all feared for their jobs (many of the employees have been there long term and feel they have no other options).  The bakery is owned by a parent company that operates in the building, but the bakery does not have a proper HR department.  They aren't given employee handbooks.  They have no proper channel to lodge complaints about their manager.  For example, up until a couple months ago the employees had been led to believe that they didn't get free health insurance, but there was a buy-in policy they could sign up for.  My girlfriend has instead been paying for her own health insurance out of pocket for 5 years.  They recently discovered (from talking to someone at the sister company) that they actually DO get free health insurance if they sign up for it.  The manager never informed anyone of this.

Aside from general unprofessionalism and horrible customer service, the manager also participated in potentially illegal activities.   Examples.  #1 - He was apparently sleeping with his assistant manager and last year she quit after her fiance showed up at the bakery demanding answers.  She filed for unemployment with the reason for quitting listed as "sexual harassment".  Apparently she was approved for unemployment. #2 - He's taken a cut of tips for years despite the fact he's a salaried employee who doesn't actually participate in day-to-day operations.  #3 - Last year he rented out part of the kitchen to a woman who was baking marijuana edibles.  He rented it out off the books.  This is in a state that has recently legalized marijuana, but there are strict regulations.  The woman was unlicensed.  She was using the same space and tools that the bakery used to make food that's served to children.  My girlfriend worried about cross-contamination.  This continued until the part-time accountant noticed the smell and alerted manager of the parent company who promptly had it shut down (but didn't punish the bakery manager, because he wasn't certain it was illegal).

At the company Christmas party, the manager got drunk and took home a barista he had recently hired and had sex with her.  This upset many of the employees, because that particular barista had been failing miserably at her job and many of them hoped she would be let go.  The news that the boss slept with the barista caused a lot of friction amongst the staff.  My girlfriend finally felt like "enough was enough" and took it upon herself to finally report the manager's several years of incompetence.

She e-mailed the manager of the parent company (I'll call him Tom)... Tom is basically her manager's boss... the closest thing they have to an HR department.  She detailed some of her concerns, mentioned the several things she had personally witnessed over the years.   On Tom's request she had a face-to-face meeting the next day.   She described the many things she had witnessed and offered to provide proof if necessary.  Tom insisted that he would take the matter seriously and investigate further.  He claimed to be completely ignorant to the years of abuse taking place at the bakery.  She let him know that several of the employees shared her views, but were afraid to step forward because they feared for their jobs.  Tom told her that he was more than willing to listen to their complaints and that anything said would be entirely confidential.  He encouraged her to share his contact information with her fellow employees (many of which weren't even aware their manager had a boss).

The next day, her manager called her into his office.  The best guess is that someone must have spotted my girlfriend talking to Tom and told the manager about it.   The manager had been making the rounds apologizing to the employees for his actions at the Christmas party (sleeping with the barista).  Because the manager's office door was open (all the employees could hear the conversation), my girlfriend discretely turned on her cell phone audio recorder during the conversation.  In the recording, he basically says to her "Look... I fucked up.  People make mistakes.  What's important is that we move on.  You don't need to run off to HR or whatever... no need to run off to Tom... whats important is that we just act like adults.  So how about you just stick to doing your job and move on"...  This happened on Jan 2nd.

My girlfriend sent another email to Tom just informing him of the conversation and letting him know that the manager had effectively admitted to his actions at the Christmas party.  Tom kind of blew her off, but said he would continue to look into the matter and he was still willing to speak to any employees who wanted to step forward with complaints.

My girlfriend did indeed share Tom's contact information with a handful of frustrated employees, but was careful not force anything on them.  She didn't tell them the full nature of her conversation with Tom... merely wanted them to know they had an outlet to voice concerns.   Beyond that, she continued on being the same professional she has been for the past 5 years.  She says she rarely talked with her manager after the incident, but it was mainly because they rarely shared shifts together.

About a month later on Thursday Feb 5th, the barista the manager had sex with put in her 2 weeks notice.  Looks like the company dodged a bullet, because she wasn't pursing any sexual harassment claims.  She merely was quitting because the job was too hard.  The following Monday (the 9th), we noticed the manager had put up a craigslist ad looking for a new cake decorator.   We hoped that maybe this was the long-awaited assistant that my girlfriend had been desperately requesting for the past several years.

The barista the manager had sex with officially had her last day on Thursday the 19th.   My girlfriend didn't see the manager until Monday morning (the 23rd).  As soon as my girlfriend arrived at work, the manager asked to speak with her and promptly let her know that she was fired and needed to collect her belongings.   She asked for an explanation and he merely said, "You're not a good fit for the company moving forward".  My girlfriend had 75 hours in saved up vacation time, but will not be paid for any of it.   They also will not be paying any of the tips she was supposed to receive for this month.

It's unclear if Tom (the manager's boss) is even aware that my girlfriend has been fired.   My girlfriend was escorted off the property before Tom's shift started and the manager has a strict policy that if anyone who is fired tries to visit, the employees should call security.  The manager told all the employees to ignore my girlfriend and not speak with her.  Despite this, many of her former co-workers reached out to her expressing their sadness and anger at the situation.

I'm speculating here, but from my perspective it seems like the manager felt like once the barista quit he had gotten away scot free.  He probably assumed the only thing my girlfriend discussed with Tom was recent the sex incident... so maybe he figured now was a good time to cut ties with her as well.  It's also possible that Tom and the manager have a closer relationship than my girlfriend anticipated and they mutually decided she should be fired for stirring the pot.  However, my girlfriend never received any kind of warnings whatsoever.  She never received any complaints.  They never had performance reviews of any kind.  Her firing seems clearly related to her reaching out to her manager's boss.

**TL;DR: Is this worth pursuing?  My girlfriend blew the whistle on her boss and a month later she was fired.**

Answer:
 1.  She has no case, but may be entitled to her vacation and should be entitled to her tips.  That's it.  It's not illegal to fire someone because you are an asshole.

2.  Tom is not on your side.  He is the one that told the manager that your gf complained.  He decided to keep the manager.  The manager and/or Tom decided that they didn't need an employee leading an insurrection.Answer #2: This isn't legal advice, but corporate/career advice:

Going over your boss' head always carries career-ending risk.

If things have reached a point where upper management questions whether or not the two of you can continue to work together, then their next step is "one of them has to go".  Business continuity is a legitimate concern and something they have a right to act on.

So in a push-come-shove decision, your GF was the more expendable party.

This is not a decision about who was the bad actor, or who *deserved* to suffer.  It's a decision about "which person's departure will cost the business less revenue".

I'm not saying that your GF did a wrong thing.  I know what it's like to be in an environment like that, and you reach a point where something's gotta give.

So one of the threshold considerations before bucking the chain of command is that the job isn't worth keeping *unless* management does something about this.


Title: Depressive wife is threatening to divorce and take 6mos old baby- what are my options in California?

Question:
My wife of two years is an undiagnosed depressive who won't seek treatment. She's threatening divorce and to take our 6mos old baby- even though she's unemployed and an emotional wreck without any family in this country.

I don't want divorce, I do want her to get treatment, and I really am concerned for the well being of our baby. We're still living together, but for last 24 hours she hasn't let me touch our baby or spend any meaningful time with her.

We've only been married two years, were married in Las Vegas, but have lived in California since. If she does decide to file for divorce, what is she entitled to and would I be able to fight for full custody?

Answer:
 You should consult with an attorney (in California). You cannot be stopped from spending time with your child. If you are worried that your child is in danger you can get CPS involved.

Begin documenting your life. Get an app to back up your texts. Be the best father you can be. Do things for the child. Do day to day activities.

You aren't getting "full custody" (almost no one does), and you can't force mom to get treatment. Answer #2: The presumption in CA is 50/50.  Unless you can show she's a danger to abuse or neglect the kid, you aren't getting full custody.


Title: [VA] Car Towed in Yearly Lot (With Pass)

Question:
I go to a Virginia college and had my car parked in the proper Resident lot.

This lot is also used for the football parking. This means every Friday (no sooner), I move the car to another lot. Then I have to move it back by Sunday, otherwise I'll get ticketed and Towed again.

They reference their "online" policy when referring to this, however I do not remember signing any legal contracts. If I had known about this bullshittery that came along with a $450 parking pass, I would have never wasted my money.

Please don't tell me I'm SOL. Also, if I look over the car and find ANY damage, can I file a civil suit?

Answer:
 First, you don't press charges, the police/DA do, and they won't in this case, since it would be a civil dispute.

Second, this is literally the way that parking works at every major university with an on-campus stadium. The school gets a significant amount of revenue for game day parking, so you have to move your car. They make their rules incredibly clear about this. Whether you signed a contract or not, you agreed to it by accepting/paying for the permit.

Next time move your care sooner.


Title: My university issued a debit card for tuition refunds in 2009/2010. I let my refunds stack and set the fund aside as an emergency fund. The bank was acquired in 2016. New bank closed my account with no notice. They will not let me withdraw my money, claiming there is no money in the account.

Question:
I am 29 and located in Pennsylvania. I attended a state university for undergrad from Aug 2008 - May 2012 when I graduated with my Bachelor's. I then attended Graduate School at the same university from Aug 2012 - Dec 2013 when I graduated with my MBA.

In 2009/2010 while I was in undergrad, the university partnered with a bank (I'll refer to this bank as Bank A) for tuition refunds. Debit cards were issued to all students as the required way to receive these tuition refunds. Any tuition refunds for school loans would be credited to this account. For example, if I took 5 classes @ $3,000/class, had my $15,000 school loan pay that semester and then later dropped a class... my card would be debited $3,000. Of course, this is a simple example. Other overages were also deposited to the account regarding fees, etc.

Between 2010 and 2011, I had over $6,000 worth of refunds deposited to my account. I did not touch a dime of that money. I made no withdrawals. I did not use the ATM. Instead, I kept it on the card/in the account all these years. My original plan was to dump it on school loans when they entered repayment in the summer of 2014, but since I made more progress on those loans in that time than I expected, I instead used the account as a "don't see/don't touch" emergency fund.

This is where things get messy.  I have not logged into the bank/card account since the very first day when I activated the card and set a pin number in 2010. I went to log into the bank/card account last week only to discover the websites and phone lines were being forwarded to another bank. It turns out that in June of 2016, Bank A was acquired by Bank B. I did receive an email to my school email on file back in June 2016 confirming the acquisition, but with being out of school for 3 years, I obviously was not checking my student email address except maybe once or twice a year.

Luckily, because I still have access to my student email, I was able to log into the account. Upon logging into the account, I could see in my profile that two new debit cards had been sent to my address on file in previous years (one expiring in 2015 and one expiring in 2017 - I cannot see issue dates). I never received either card. I also never activated either card. The address on file is my parent's home. I am on good terms with my parents and visit them regularly because I help care for my terminally ill mother twice a week. I still receive mail here occasionally, though I have since purchased a home and set up mail forwarding to my home address in June 2016.

So not only do I find out I never received either debit card, but I find out that my account was closed with no written notification (not even an email this time) and no check tendered for the balance on the account ($6,000+). The account was closed in September 2016.

I spoke to Bank B's team last Thursday and they pulled bank statements from January 2013 - January 2020. It shows a $0.00 balance on my account as of January 2013. I put in a request with a supervisor to pull archived bank statements from 2010-2012 to show withdrawals on the account. She put the request in and the next day I got an email response along the lines of: "Thanks for your request. We can confirm 6 deposits to your account in 2010 and 2011. The account was closed in September 2016 due to inactivity." I followed up via phone call the next day and demanded I receive a check for the balance that was on the account, since they could clearly see the deposits in 2010 and 2011, but could not prove withdrawals. That supervisor put in another request and took my new address to be able to send a check. She did apologize and mentioned how sorry she was that "I have not been able to make use of my funds" but that their team "needs a statement to be able to issue a check" and that "she would check with the banking department to see what I need to do since the deposits were more than 7 years ago so no statement in their system is showing those." I got a follow-up the next day via email again and it was the same as the day before: "Thanks for your request. We can confirm 6 deposits to your account in 2010 and 2011. The account was closed in September 2016 due to inactivity."

I called back once more yesterday and was more firm. I told them if they did not have a check in the mail for me today with the balance on the account ($6,000+), that I would be contacting my lawyer and opening an investigation with the police into fraud/theft. I got another email response this morning along the lines of: "Thanks for your request. We can confirm 6 deposits to your account in 2010 and 2011. The account was closed in September 2016 due to inactivity. Regrettably, we do not have record/statements from 2010 or 2011. We no longer have access to your requested statements."

To summarize, there were 6 separate refunds totaling $6,000+ deposited to the debit card/account between 2010-2011. I have those amounts and the deposit dates. Bank B has also confirmed these deposits. Bank B says statements of my account show $0.00 balance as of Jan. 2013. When I say that is impossible, that I have not used the money, they claim they cannot see any withdrawal information from 2010-2012 because they "don't have access to that information." Essentially that I am shit out of luck.

Other useful information:

\- I have double-checked all of my bank accounts from that time period to make sure the debit card was not directly linked and deposits directly coming from the card to my bank accounts with other institutions. I have all but 2 paper statements from 2010-2012 that confirm none of those refunds ever hit my bank accounts.

\- I have double-checked my actual student loan accounts and the debit card was not directly linked to those. I have paper trails of these from that time period as evidence.

\- I do still have the original letter from Bank A when they issued the card. Not sure if this is useful, but it is the only paper mail I have ever received regarding this account.

\- I spoke with my college financial department before I first called Bank B. They just said "If you have money with them, they can't just take your money. It has to be somewhere." They also encouraged me to speak with only supervisors at Bank B and to request what are called "archived bank statements" if they keep claiming the whole "7-year on file" rule. They also recommended I look at the state and federal unclaimed funds sites before calling. No luck there.

\- I am not suspicious of my family taking the money. My mom is terminally ill and doesn't have the ability to do anything on her own, let alone commit fraud. My Dad and Sister are walking this case right along with me and are encouraging me to open a police investigation.

Not only do I want my $6,000+, but I have a strong suspicion there may be hundreds of other students in my situation who are owed money and don't even realize it.

So now my two questions:

1) Is my best next step to get a lawyer? What should they specialize in? I have talked this over with family and three of my best friends. My friends are all suggesting to get a consult with a lawyer. My sister (NAL) says I should either further escalate with the bank (I don't think I am getting anywhere with them), contact the FDIC, or contact my State Representative (the bank is also based in PA and I went to a PA state school).

2) How would payment on a case like this work? My fear is that I will take this to court with my lawyer and lose 75% to their legal fees. Could we fight for the $6,000 + my lawyer's fees so that I am out no money?

&#x200B;

Thank you all in advance! I have been a long-time lurker here with my other account.

Never thought I would be posting here one day.

Answer:
 Check with the [Pennsylvania Treasury](https://www.patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property/) about unclaimed property.

Don't leave your money in inactive bank accounts for years on end.  This is the normal and inescapable outcome of that.


Title: IL, My sisters boyfriend passed away last night while my sister was asleep in the next room. When the paramedics and law enforcement arrived they found he had been growing 127 marijuana plants in their bathroom. Now my family and I are terrified she might be charged with the intent to distribute.

Question:
Sadly last night my sister's fiance passed away at the age of 23 from a asthma attack alone in their kitchen. When the 911 arrived they found 127 marijuana plants in their bathroom, 2 mason jars full of marijuana, and pieces to smoke them. I know for a fact she does not smoke marijuana because it makes her sick and now it could ruin her whole career in the medical field. She says that the officer said that everyone that lived there could be facing jail time and some massive fines.What would be her best course of action? Is there any other things she needs to do besides contacting a lawyer?   I really appreciate any advice and thank you for taking the time to read this.

  Edit: another question. if her name isn't on the trailer or lease and she was just staying there until this weekend when they were moving would that help in going against this?

Answer: I have contacted a criminal defense attorney, she has yet to be charged.  As of right now the only thing we can do is wait and see what happens. You guys are awesome and gave us some incredible knowledge on how to take this head on in such a shitty and terrible situation. I just want to say thank you for all the kind and supportive words it means a lot.Answer #2: Your sister probably should have been more concerned about her career when she stayed with and planned to move in with a pot head and allowed him to plant and grow or continue to grow 127 marijuana plants with paraphernalia throughout the house, she cared so much about her career she was going to marry the guy jeopardizing it the most. Your sister not only needs a lawyer she needs Johnny Cochran but I doubt even the best lawyers are going to save her from the abject stupidity of this situation.


Title: Mom of 2 in need of help

Question: On 4/14/15, I got pulled over in Park County Colorado. When the cop came over to my vehicle, she saw that my 7 year old son was not in his booster seat, which I thought that he did not need it because when he sits without his booster seat his feet perfectly. So now Park County is trying to charge me with Child Abuse and Reckless Endangerment. Now mind you I have not even been charged with them yet, I have been trying to get a place for my children and I. And when they run the background check, it shows the charges. We have been living in the Value Place since May. I am sorry for the long text but I need help.

Answer:
 You need to call legal aid. You need real legal advice for this, not reddit. Try contacting [Colorado Legal Services](http://www.coloradolegalservices.org/) or call them at one of their offices. Good luck!Answer #2: Quick Google search shows Colorado law stating they need to be in a booster seat until they're 7 years old or about 4'9''.Answer #3: [Here's an infograph](https://www.codot.gov/safety/seatbelts-carseats/carseats/assets/6495-cps-colorado-law-flyer-eng-r2-2.pdf) on Colorado's car seat law.

This part *might* work in your favor:

>Regardless of age, restrain your child in a car seat or booster seat until they are about 57” (4’9”).  A child’s height is the best predictor of proper seat belt fit.

Though I don't know the procedure for fighting the ticket and proving your child is taller than 4'9", if he is.

Also from their FAQ:

>**When can my child legally ride without a booster seat?**

>Colorado Law requires children to be in boosters (or other appropriate car seats) until they are 8 years old. However, best practice and the safest recommendation is to keep children in a booster seat until they are about 4’ 9” tall (which is the average 12 year old) and can pass the 5 Step Test*, for seat belts. This is the test:

>1. Does the child sit all the way back against the vehicle seat?

>2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the vehicle seat?

>3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?

>4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?

>5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

>If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your child would still benefit from sitting in a booster seat.


Title: Being booked more hours than I can be paid for at retail job

Question:
I live in Ontario and my work (retail cashier) has been consistently booking me with 4 hours shifts that go past the stores closing hours, making me have to sign out and leave before my 4 hours. This leaves me with only 3 hours of work, and being sent home. Today I was booked from 8PM-12AM, and the store closes at 10PM and we usually lock the doors around 10:10-10:30. So now i have to go to and from work via bus (I have no car) and only be paid for a 2-hour shift. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to work, and I cannot see how this is legal, or even feasible, seeing as how I need to make money. I need your advice/knowledge. Is this even legal, or do I just need to find a new job?

TL;DR: Being booked for 4 hours, and being forced to leave early, leaving me with a 2-3 hour pay.

Answer: IIRC Ontario requires you be paid for at least 3 hours regardless of how long you actually worked.


Title: I had a few hundred dollars stolen from me, and I have all the evidence stored on my phone. If I filed a police report with all the evidence, would the law be able to enforce the person to pay me back?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Your money wasn't "stolen" - you loaned it and haven't been paid back. No crime was committed, so the police won't do anything. Small claims court is your best option.


Title: (NJ) Company's health insurance is requesting a mandatory (and invasive) physical checkup and testing.

Question:
I work for a large and well-known company based in New Jersey.

Recently, I received a phone call from a screening company contracted by my employer-sponsored health insurance company. The company rep requested that I sign up for a screening within two weeks to test my heart and lung function, stress EKG, kidney and liver function, urinalysis, and BMI. I asked the rep for the reason for the test, and she avoided the question by answering "it's for you". I asked if it is mandatory and she said yes.

I verified the phone number of the call as belonging to that screening company.

I asked other employees if they received a similar call, and they have and were also somewhat disturbed. We are concerned that these tests will be used for determining premiums, and that we might face some kind of negative consequences for refusing.

Is this legal, and if not, what can we do?

Answer:
 "A federal district judge has ruled against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and held that an employer can require workers to undergo health screenings as a condition for receiving employer-provided health coverage."

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/flambeau-ruling.aspx


Title: Apartment complex I'm living in apparently has a system that won't turn on heat until it's below 60-58 outside. Wasn't mentioned in the lease I read. (NJ)

Question:
I fully read the lease prior to signing and even saved a copy of the lease, there was zero mention of heat not being able to turn on unless the outside temperature was below 60 or 58 degrees (I learned this from a guy that came over to check if things were running correctly.)

The lease states that the landlord is paying for the heat, hell the lease appears to be a copy paste from a different apartment complex that the company owns but has not changed to fit for these apartments.  The lease states that there is a "Cool" setting on the thermostat but there is no such thing either.  When I read it I was under the impression that heat would work anytime in the year that I desired to have it on...  Would there be a way to get out of the lease due to this?

Answer:
 Check your local ordinances.

Across the river here in NYC, landlords are only required to provide heat during certain times of the year, and even then only when certain minimum temperatures are breached (your unit only has to be heated to 55 degrees overnight, and 68 degrees during the day).

If you want heat beyond that, look into a good space heater.


Title: got ripped off for a 14k motorcycle and 13k in cash. help!

Question:
my boyfriend dropped off his motorcycle two years ago in South Carolina (we live in North Carolina) to have it customized. there has been very little progress made and the shop owner has lied saying its almost done while refusing to send photo evidence several times. now he's refusing the answer the phone entirely.

the motorcycle is valued at 14k (when he dropped it off, it's now two years older) and he gave the owner 13k to do the work (and he has receipts).

at this point my boyfriend wants to drive down there and recover his bike, the bike has been cut and is not drivable but he wants whatever he can get of it back. as previously stated, the owner of the shop refuses to respond to text messages or phone calls. the last time he was able to get him on the phone was before christmas.

he spoke with an attorney who told him "why would you give money to a contractor" and said he deals with stuff like this all the time and even if he got a judgement the chances of recovering money was very slim. he recommended my boyfriend cut his losses and try to get the bike back. the owner won't answer his phone so he can't even do that (it's a 5.5 hour drive and he would need to rent a trailer so it's not like he can just swing by anytime and hope the owner is there).

help reddit, what would you do?

Answer: I would send a certified letter demanding evidence of work, if that is not (cannot) be provided that you expect to have the motorcycle returned to you and the money returned to you, minus any work that was done. Hopefully it will scare the guy enough to give in


Title: [US] Dismissals, appeals and refilings with grandparents rights

Question:
In [this post over at /r/JustNoMIL](https://www.reddit.com/r/JUSTNOMIL/comments/7mzclv/she_found_out_we_were_moving_and_threatened/) the mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law of OP are threatening to ruin OP with legal expenses unless OP allows them access to OP's child.  Is that more than an empty threat?  If they sue for grandparent's rights and lose, can they just refile and do it all over again? Could they appeal the decision? If the bring up new allegations that OP is an unfit mother, wouldn't they have to contact CPS first before refiling?

**NOTE**: The state of residence of the OP isn't stated, nor is the state of the grandparents.

Answer:
 Assuming fairly widespread judicial norms in North America:

> If they sue for grandparent's rights and lose, can they just refile and do it all over again?

In most jurisdictions, unless substantial time (generally a year) has passed or unless there is a material change in circumstances affecting the petition, a second filing for custody could be dismissed _much_ more quickly using the decision on the first filing. An appeal would be allowable, but that'd be part of the original filing's hearing process; once the appeal window has closed, that matter is settled for the time being.

A pattern of frivolous filings might allow the defendant to move for attorney's fees. In extreme circumstances, the parents could move to have the grandparents declared vexatious litigants, which would force them to either receive permission from the courts _before_ filing any further actions, or to get an attorney to file on their behalf. An attorney bringing blatantly frivolous actions is subject to professional discipline, up to and including disbarment, and will generally act as a filter on bullshit filings.

> If the bring up new allegations that OP is an unfit mother, wouldn't they have to contact CPS first before refiling?

No, but if they can't corroborate the new allegations in any way, they're not going to prevail. CPS isn't an investigator on behalf of a future plaintiff in a custody dispute, they're an agency charged with protecting childrens' welfare. There's no obligation to get CPS, specifically, to corroborate a custody argument.


Title: My HOA wants to consider me as a contractor.

Question:
Hello,

I recently started remodeling my kitchen. I'm doing all the work my self. I have a job during the day so I was planning to do most of the work on weekends. My plan was the follow the noise ordinance from the city of Seattle WA: 9am to 7pm on weekends.
Unfortunately as soon as I started my project they started harassing me with fines and the threats of legal actions if I didn't abide by the following rule:

> Contractors will be granted access and work may be performed Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. only (no holidays), except in the extreme emergency involving electricity, water, or sewer, as judged by the Board or management company. Workers will not be allowed into the building until 8:00 a.m.

Now, to me, the rule only applies to contractors but they say that this applies to me because I act as my own contractor.
What do you guys think? Are they in the right? Can they really impose that kind of restriction regarding what I do in my home?

Thank you for your help.

I'll give gold the most helpful answers ;)

Edit: thanks for the help guys this has been helpful. Here is the rule regarding general noise:
> Each occupant in the building should recognize the proximity to each other requires constant awareness that numerous activities in one unit can be annoying and even a form of harassment to other occupants in nearby units. Extreme care should be used to avoid these situations which are bound to cause strife between neighbors. On the other hand, no occupant can expect neighbors to live in a manner which assures a total absence of annoyance. These regulations are promulgated with the understanding that each occupant of the [building name] has the right to occupy his/her their unit free from annoyances which can be eliminated through the exercise of ordinary courtesy and concerns and also with the understanding that each occupant has the right to the reasonable use of his/her/their unit. These regulations will be, accordingly, enforced

Edit 2: This a condo building not a house. If it were a house, I hope that they would have 0 say regarding the inside of my home.

Answer:
 Restrictive covenants are almost always strictly construed against the drafter. Strike one.

"Contractor" is a protected term you don't qualify for. Strike two.

The rule was clearly drafted to govern access to the building and not noise. Strike three.


Title: I got into an accident. Turns out my Insurance had lapsed. I quickly called my insurance company to set up a new policy on the spot, right after the accident. I provided the insurance information to the other person. Now getting sued for $10,000 and threatened with a warrant for my arrest.

Question:
Here's the series of events. Im in Virginia:

&#x200B;

1. I get into my car, believing I had insurance.
2. I get into a small fender bender. I'm at fault. He says he has no injuries. He told the police he has no injuries, the report says he has no injuries.
3. I try to look up my insurance information - i find out on the spot that my policy had been cancelled due to lack of payment. I had the money, but the card for some reason wasnt allowing charges against it. The insurance company had cancelled the policy technically 3 weeks ago (we are fully outside of any grace period at this point) due to non payment (i am not going to purse this with my bank, I have bigger issues now). Bottom line was policy was canclled without my knowledge. They sent emails, but I thought it was emails giving me a receipt for payment. Never realized the emails were telling me the policy was going to be cancelled. Bottom line is they properly notified me, I just didnt realize it.
4. I realize i do not have insurance anymore, that the old policy was cancelled. I realize this on the spot, at the accident.
5. I get into my car, quickly call my insurance company, and reinstate a **new** policy. Insurance company makes it clear that this is a NEW policy, not the old policy. An entirely new, separate, distinct policy. But i still had the same policy number as before.
6. I give the guy and the cops the policy number I had.
7. I go to court for 'following too closely'. I pay the $50 fine.
8. I get a notice on my door today saying that this guy is suing me (not an insurance company, but this guy individually, without an attorney) for medical bills and damages to the car. It was a rental car, and he said he had insurance. He is suing me for about $10,000. Medical bills and damages to the car.
9. He then sends me a text saying that the court was unaware that I didnt have insurance, that he got a letter from my  insurance company saying I did not have coverage, and that the court asked him if he wanted to put a warrant out for my arrest for defrauding and providing false information. He basically said I needed to pay him some money, otherwise he would go to the cops and have them put a warrant out for my arrest.

I am trying to figure out the ramifications.

&#x200B;

**Am I criminally liable for what I did? He said the court asked him if he wanted them to put a warrant out for my arrest.**

Answer:
 > I give the guy and the cops the policy number I had.

You were not covered by this insurance policy at the time of the accident. Presenting your policy in this context may have constituted fraud.

You need a lawyer. Now.


Title: [California] Was on the receiving end of road rage over a parking spot. Lady mentioned her husband worked for the local PD and she can track me down to fuck me up. Should I file a police report?

Question:
Basically it was a conflict on who was entitled to a parking spot. We both managed to find parking spots near each other. The lady comes up to me and gives me and earful. She then proceeds to take a picture of my license plate, then mentions how her husband works for the local PD and how she'll track me down, and finally she makes a phone call where I hear her say "come and fuck his shit up".

Now quite honestly I call BS on the "husband is  police officer" and how she actually got someone to come to fuck me up.

That being said, I am a little shaken up by the fact she mentioned a connection to the PD and then took a picture of my license plate. Should I file a police report just to be on the safe side (I have her license plate number) and more importantly will the police actually file a report?

My main goal to doing this is to have some form of paper trail to somewhat protect me if her threats were indeed no BS.

Answer:
 I would file it if for no other reason than to get her to stop dropping her husbands name. If my wife did this I would blow up.Answer #2: Yes, report it.

I had to send my mom a very blunt email few years back asking her to stop telling people her son is a lawyer. Professionals generally don't like being used by others in that way. Answer #3: Absolutely file a report asap. Answer #4: Agree with everyone. Report that now and make sure you tell them about this woman's threats. Make/model of her car, too. This is most likely a case of empty and meaningless threats; e.g she probably has no LE husband. Plus really? Your husband works for the police department and he's going to "fuck someone up"? I call BS on that parking lot rager. But if her hubby is a cop, I am guessing his precinct or the local precinct would not be ok with her association with them. She was probably super pissed and trying to scare you.

Edit: greasy sausage fingersAnswer #5: Absolutely file a police report.

1) If this yahoo does have a spouse in the PD, the report becomes a paper trail which can help protect you and punish them if they decide to abuse their authority to fuck with you.

2) If this yahoo does have a spouse in the PD, the report might create enough of a hullabaloo that the spouse informs the yahoo that she is never to say or do something like that again.

3) If yahoo doesn't have a spouse working for the PD, they still might want to know that there is someone going around making these kind of claims.


Title: Drug Group Chat

Question: So at my university I am the owner of a group chat where around 350 kids sell and buy drugs from each other. If I don't sell drugs or tell anyone to sell them could I be in legal trouble just for being the owner of it?

Answer:
 Bail on it. You are involved in and facilitating a place where people make arrangements to break the law.

And ditch the "kids" bit. You are full grown adults in college. Act like it, because you'll be prosecuted like it.Answer #2: Yes.  You're part of a conspiracy to distribute drugs.Answer #3: The guy who ran Silk Road got into trouble this way https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_(marketplace)

Bad idea, dump this.


Title: [NV] Mom rented a car and got arrested for posession

Question:
My mother rented a car to go on a trip and was arrested out of state in Nevada for posession and paraphernalia, AFAIK the car was not impounded. What do I (or her) need to do to get the car to the rental company?
I'm really lost because I've never had a trafic ticket let alone had to deal with something of this magnitude.

Answer: Contact the local car rental location and ask how they would like you to deal with the car.


Title: If someone drugs you and you commit crimes during your drugged state, are you liable? (CA)

Question:
Say you go to a bar and someone slips a pill like a hallucinogen that causes you to become unwillingly intoxicated in which do something illegal such as assault, trespass, etc.

Essentially, you were not in your right mind and had no idea what was happening, drugged and not making conscious decisions.

- Will you be held liable for the crimes committed?

- Do you have to prove your innocence that you were drugged and had no idea you did any of the crimes?

- How does this all work itself out justly?

Answer:
 It is a defense you can raise.  In that sense, you do have to prove your defense.

If the jury believes you, you will not be liable.


Title: 80 hrs of community service due in less than three weeks..

Question:
so essentially i was arrested last year in february for a single "felony vandalism" charge. the charge was to be reduced to a misdemeanor and/or dropped altogether come july 2017 if the judge who sees my case decided i performed appropriate corrective actions.
now the issue is-- i did not make any attempt to do my community service whatsoever. i went to court and my next date was scheduled to the middle of august. even my legal representation told me that he can't do anything about it and i did this to myself.

since it seems like every time i step inside the justice center, or even express my internal issues whatsoever, i am
met with harsh apathy and indifference. it seems like in the eyes of everyone else there is no excuse for my mistakes what so ever and i am totally deserving of everything. i will put it this way: most of the things i have faced regularly this past year have made my court case seem like the least of my worries. very traumatic and personal experiences and mental duress for months on end, that i allowed to compromise my focus on my responsibilities to the law.
i have maybe 2 weeks to serve a non profit organization for 80 hours and get it signed off.
i am unsure exactly why i am posting this, other than to ask potentially educated humans their opinion on if i can pull this off in time or if i should give up on life finally before the court serves my demise.
thanks in advance,
a retard

Answer: Well there are more than 80 hours in the next three weeks, so you should spend tomorrow calling around to find a placement. Whatever you would normally do for the next three weeks you should probably mostly defer.Answer #2: Of course it's possible to serve the 80 hours in 2 weeks -- you just need to get off your pity pot and do it.  Or accept that you have invited the wrath of the court and deserve anything the judge throws at you.


Title: Bad experience with a Juul pod (New York, N.Y.)

Question:
Hi All,
At the advice from a friend, I’m posting to see if I should take any legal action from an event that occurred last week.

12 year cigarette smoker (31 yrs old), switched to Juul 4-5 months ago, very happy with the transition. Pack, then pod, about a half to 3/4 per day. I opened a fresh pod on the way home from work(5pm), 4th pod in the pack, everything seemed normal. Home, dinner, about 2-3 hours later start feeling strange. Heart starting to race. Put the Juul down, grab some water, watch some TV. Hot/cold flashes, mild trembling, feeling anxious. By ten o’clock I have moderate tremors/shakes, sweats and chills, can’t sleep, what I’m assuming are panic attacks, heart rate extremely elevated.  Digestive issues ensue, mild to moderate hallucinations occur. Symptoms continue until around 3am, when I decide not to call an ambulance, because dumb, pride, embarrassed, scared. Pass out at unknown time, wake up scared around 9:30am. Didn’t touch the Juul for 2 hours, feeling fine, too scared to go to work, need to figure out wtf happened last night.  Took a couple hits of Juul, very mild symptoms occur about hour later. Call family because nerves, worried about mental health, or possibly bad Juul pod. Pretty convinced that was nicotine poisoning. Wrapped up pod in duct tape, threw it in the trash. Proceeded to use new Juul pods, no symptoms, no anxiety, life is good. Talked with gf, family, friends, feeling pretty solid I got a bad Juul pod. Friend asks if I still have the questionable pod.  Going to check after work today.

So, business at hand. I know how nicotine effects me, and I have enough experience with Juul to use it properly. There were no other drugs in my system. If the pod was more concentrated than the 5% nicotine as advertised, or it was contaminated, I imagine there could  be legal ramifications here. I honestly didn’t think about this until a friend suggested it.

Does anyone here think I should speak to a lawyer about this?

Answer: Legal ramifications? Seriously?


Title: Hosting foreign exchange student (minor) who posted on social media that he/she exchanges nudes for money.

Question: As I stated I'm hosting, in Texas, a foreign exchange student (minor) who posted on social media that he/she exchanges nudes for money and put a PayPal account to it. I came across the account by digging a little more than normal to find it, I searched a part of a username that matched another social media account. I know it's the student because it obviously has pictures of the student posted from the inside of my house. My question is, do I have to do something about this? This will probably have the student kicked out of the program. Again I searched to find this account, it was not recommend. I found by doing some detective work.

Answer:
 Someone under your authority and care is using your home to produce child pornography.

Yes, you *really really really* want to do something about this.


Title: (California)I want to mutually agree to fight my neighbor.

Question:
He keeps threatening me. How can I fight him and legally protect myself?

Edit: Thanks for all the great advice. I will work on getting a restraining order and in the meantime, I will carry pepper spray and have my camera on. It just sucks that I have to live like this.

Answer:
 No. You can't write a contract in which the law is being broken, nor is mutual consent a defense to either a crime or liability. If one of you is injured, the other one may be liable for medical costs. The police can charge either of both of you with whatever assault statute fits the specifics of the crime.

Go challenge each other to a pool tournament. Or rock paper scissors. Or marbles.


Title: Shitty Roommate got me Fired

Question:
So, I was employed by this mental health agency. This dude I was acquainted with got a job there shortly after I did.

A mutual acquaintance suggested that we be roommates. The newly hired dude lived way out of town and would have had to drive 45 miles back and forth to work every day.
He asked me if he could stay with me a couple days before he started his job, since I lived less than 5 min from our workplace.
I said sure, since a mutual acquaintance/coworker had suggested it and I'd known the guy for a few years.
So, he came and stayed at my apt and we both lived and worked there for about a week.

One day, I get a call from my landlord requesting that I not let the new co-worker stay at my place anymore. They said that the downstairs neighbors were having issues with flooding in their apt and it was the new roommate's fault.
The new roomie said he had no idea what was going on and convinced me that the landlord was trying to pin blame on him for structural/plumbing issues.
I decided I did not want to live in an apartment where the floor might be rotting and moved into a house with coworker.

After we moved, coworker completely quit doing housework. He had two cats that scratched up the woodwork. He was an absolute slob, and I found myself (unwillingly) cleaning up after him and his two cats all the time. I figured he might get with the program and start being a little cleaner if I set a good example. Nope.

He mainly lived upstairs, and it was filthy. We got a letter in the mail saying there was an apt inspection coming up. I begged him to clean, offered to help him clean - he refused. We failed the inspection and were given 30 days to remedy the situation.

I had been promoted a few months ago, but my work performance started slipping. I told my roommate that I wanted to break the lease and move - this was too much for me to handle. He told his supervisor (my former supervisor) that I had threatened to kick him out! She approached me about the situation and I explained to her that I was considering moving bc I couldn't deal with the stress of living with this guy. He also drank a fifth of vodka daily and would sit next to me in my living room for hours, not speaking (awkward and creepy).

His supervisor tells me that if I move, her employee will be homeless and that he has cultural beliefs that women are supposed to do housework.
This woman is higher ranking than me in the workplace and has some pull, so I feel at this point like I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't.
I resign myself to making it through the next six months of our lease.

I clean the house (everyday) for our upcoming re-inspection, but roommate again refuses to clean upstairs. He goes on a work trip for two weeks and leaves upstairs trashed. I refuse to clean up his mess for the upcoming inspection and figure I'll just pin that on him and/or let the landlord kick us both out. Whatever. I'm at my wit's end right now and prepared to move if it means getting away from this asshole, his two assholey cats and their endless filth and mess.

So, we fail the inspection. We both receive citations and are issued a notice to quit from landlord. Yes! Bye Felicia...
My sister offers to let me stay with her while I look for a new place.

But my coworker isn't done with me yet.
He moves in with his mom within the week. I'm still packing, organizing, and going to work. I have a month to move and am making good time. I hear nothing from former roommate and break up with boyfriend who has decided to take his side in the matter.

About a week later, I go to the house to pack some more and discover that the electricity has been shut off. The electric is in my former roommate's name, and I gave him the money for my share of the bill earlier this month. I call electric company, and they confirm that he has a) not paid this month's bill and b) called and requested that the electricity be shut off.

I have a fridge full of rotting food and my fish tanks have no heat. I'm kind of freaking out at this point, because I'm trying to deal with a breakup, a move, a demanding job, and I don't know what to expect from this guy.
I grab a few things and go stay with my sister. I drag myself into work the next day, and the first thing I see is my supervisor. She's standing there glaring at me (I've been on her shit list lately due to underperforming as of late) and tells me, "We have to talk. A recipient rights complaint has been filed against you," and I just break down crying at this point. I know it's my coworker making more trouble for me. I go over to the Recipient Rights Office and the Recipient Rights Officer tells me my coworker and ex boyfriend have filed a complaint against me. Why? Because I looked at their case files a year ago and happened to mention it to them. To be fair, I was in the wrong for doing that.

I'm placed on unpaid leave immediately, pending the results of the investigation. I am now homeless and possibly unemployed. I explain to everyone there that I'm being retaliated against, but they don't want to hear it.

The next day, I go back to the agency and request paperwork to file my own rights complaint against my coworker, who has been smoking marijuana with the people he job coaches for, sometimes while transporting them places in our agency vehicle.
I was on unpaid leave for two weeks until they fired me for a rights violation in August. I got a letter from the Recipient Rights Office saying that my coworker had not violated the Mental Health Code and the matter was being referred to his supervisor. He's still working there and I've been homeless and unemployed for the past 3 months.

Edit: I think the reason that my employers were so quick to kick me to the curb is because of my deafness. I loved my job and I was good at it. A lot of my co-workers have been really sympathetic about it and told me to stay in this field and find another job like this. It's just really difficult to even get hired in the first place when you're deaf. This is where 99% of the Sturm und Drang comes in. Even if I can never prove discrimination, I know it was a factor. It always has been.

Edit: Broke this down into paragraphs.

Edit: roommate was recently asked to leave by his mother's landlord for being a slob. Hahaha.

Answer:
 You were legally fired. Answer #2: Holy wall of text, Batman.

Paragraphs are your friend.Answer #3: > infinite wall of text

So...you looked at files you shouldn’t have and got fired.

File for unemployment.


Title: liquor in car

Question:
So I love this subreddit, and have learned lots of useful legal info from lurking! and occasional commenting.

My first question: I've seen posts here about there being issues of liquor being in a car in a place where the driver can access it. My friends and I are going on a ski trip this weekend. None of us drink and drive. But my car is an SUV with an open rear area--no closed trunk. We're going to be carrying some liquor up with us to drink over the weekend. What's the safest way to make sure that should we be pulled over, there's no issue with the liquor (especially since the entire rear area is visible through the windows)? Would having it zipped up in a suitcase be enough? Or a taped-shut cardboard box?

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, but it's usually "open container" laws in my understanding.

A case of beer with a beer missing is an "open container." If the bottles and cartons are all factory-sealed, you're unlikely to have problems (assuming you're of legal drinking age.)

But just put it in a box or suitcase to make the traffic stop easier.

And, just for fun, because it seems to come up here *constantly* - if any of you smoke marijuana, yes, you smell like it. You may not smell it, but the rest of us do. Including the cop who pulled you over for a burned out light and is now going to want to search your car. Just sayin'.... :)

Have a good trip.


Title: Dad is selling the house. During the divorce many years ago, Mom signed her half of the home to me and my sister. Would we receive half of proceeds upon final sale of the home/property?

Question:
My hunch is 'no', if only because it would seem too simple.
Home is in New York State. Both parents (thankfully) alive and well. Just curious to get a general understanding of how divorce/real estate/beneficiary laws apply here before I inquire within my family.

Many thanks

Answer:
 You need whatever documents that were associated with her 'signing over' half the house. A lot of times people have a different memory of things than  what the legal exchange was.

If you are in fact a part owner of the house yes you are entitled to a share of the proceeds? If your father does not want to split this with you he has avenues to prevent such.

Have you been living in the house? Have you in anyway maintained your claim of ownership? Have you been paying a share of maintenance costs? Have you been paying a share of property taxes?

If you want your share without his consent expect a counter suit for any losses he's suffered on your behalf.


Title: Child Custody

Question: My Ex has custody of my son. I have a wonderful boyfriend, we have been together for 3 years. My son loves him. My Question is.... Can my ex take my court ordered weekends away from me if we decide to move in together. In the divorce decree it does state I can not have an unrelated male between the hours of 10pm to 7am. Like I said it has been 3 years.

Answer:
 Yes. If you violate the court order then there can be consequences including losing time.

Get married or try to modify the court order.


Title: [Massachusetts] Bartender liability at private parties?

Question:
Hi guys

I work a 9-5 but I bartend part time as well, and some people have hired me to work private events at their homes.  These events pay pretty well but I'm starting to get worried about the liability involved in serving at them.

I don't over serve people and in general the guests at these things are responsible, but I'm worried that if a guest were to hurt someone with their car or commit an alcohol induced crime that someone could come after me for damages.  Are my fears unfounded?  I've heard that I can purchase a "dram shop" insurance policy, but I fear that doing so will cut in to my bottom line, though I should probably consider that cost of doing business.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Answer: consult an attorney for this, as well as to check the contracts you have, your buisness/taxes, and all of that. the homeowner will have a responsibility, and it is possible that you will, but the attorney will inform you directly.


Title: Help with a Paypal dispute

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You should have notified your bank immediately when you received £100 "out of nowhere."  You knew that it was not your money, yet you spent it anyway.  And now you're stuck and wanting an easy way out.  There isn't one. You must pay the money back.  You say you don't have it right now?  Too bad. Get it. Here are a couple of UK articles on the matter.  And they agree that you must pay the money back.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-1619567/Can-I-keep-cash-wrongly-put-in-my-bank.html

http://www.money.co.uk/guides/can-you-keep-money-accidentally-paid-into-your-bank-account.htmAnswer #2: It isn't your money. Pay it back. Why is this such a hard concept?


Title: [VA] How to best give notice to landlord when I don't know where they live?

Question:
Hello,

Someone of you may remember me as the person with a squatter in the house the landlord denied existed.  Long story short,  I complained until the person disappeared.  Then the landlord moved into the space but quickly left because she is afraid of dogs and I have two.  Now she has moved another person into the space.  I checked my lease and I'm currently on a month to month.  I've decided to vacate in approximately sixty days.  How can I give written notice if I don't know where she lives?  I have already emailed and plan to include a letter with my rent this month (she picks up from the mailbox).  Is there anything else I can do to protect myself?

Thanks!

Answer:
 >I have already emailed and plan to include a letter with my rent this month

That seems like more than enough. If she cashes the check, she can't pretend she never saw the letter.

Maybe also write "60 day notice" in the memo section so that when she cashes the check, you'll have proof on your side that she knows, since your bank will scan the check and you have access to it in your online banking.


Title: (USA - Connecticut) How to get police reports / mug shots / etc destroyed?

Question: A few years ago I got two DUIs. I've finished probation, and plan on getting a pardon (2nd was felony) when I'm able to in a few years. In the meantime, I guess this info is still filed away. How would I go about getting mug shots / police reports sealed before the pardon and destroyed afterwards? I've been sober for a while and don't need that hanging over me for years. Thanks and don't drink & drive.

Answer: You won't. Answer #2: There’s no expungement for felonies.


Title: Received an MIP over Thanksgiving break

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Are you positive that the MIPs were issued because of a sealed bottle of alcohol in a room?  That frankly makes zero sense.  What do you mean by "passed a breathalyzer"?  What was the result?  Was the MIP issued by campus police or by city/town police?  Is it a real court or is it a college disciplinary board you're concerned about?

Standard "you're wasting our time if you don't say what state or country you're in" disclaimer applies.


Title: [NJ] Emancipation

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 It's almost impossible.

In NJ, you must be at least 16, live separate from both parents, and be currently financially supporting yourself


Title: [North Carolina] Door-to-door salesmen sold me $200 in spoiled seafood. Won't return my calls. Is this worth pursuing?

Question:
A local meat salesman was selling meat and seafood door-to-door in my neighborhood.  I purchased $200 of frozen seafood from him with a check.  I told him I was excited to have access to fresh seafood so he left me his contact info.

Two days later we thaw some shrimp and discover it's spoiled.  We then start thawing more packages and realize they are all bad as well.  The next day I called the number and he didn't answer.  I left a standard voicemail asking to be called back (I didn't want to scare him off).  I called him two other times but left no additional emails.  He has never contacted me again.

Basically, I'm trying to decide if this is worth pursuing or do I just eat the $200 loss and learn from my mistakes of dealing with a scammer.  I won't post any information unless asked but he has a real business in my area albeit very small and hard to track down.  I am not 100% sure if there's a physical location outside of his business van.

Answer:
 It's hard to believe that buying $200 of seafood from a door to door meat salesman could go wrong, but I guess this proves it's possible.

Also, I'm not sure you're clear on what "fresh seafood" is. Hint: it's not frozen bags of shrimp from a van. Anyway, I'd chalk this up as a life lesson. Maybe leave a bad review on Yelp?Answer #2: Since you know his address, send him a certified letter asking for a refund. If he doesn't comply, you can take the loss or take him to small claims court.

I'd write a review either way. Other people should know.

P.S. I'm from south Texas. Buying seafood from strangers in a truck is not that shady.Answer #3: Why.... of all the things to buy from door to door salesmen (including religion I might note), why would you try to buy fresh seafood?

>do I just eat the $200 loss

No no, eating seafood that's gone bad is a *really* bad idea.Answer #4: Let it go.  If he had some physical address, you could file a small claims case and eventually attack a judgment to his property.  But, frankly, after you add up the filing fees and the value of your time, you'll probably be lucky to break even.

Just look at this as a $200 lesson that one should not buy seafood from a door-to-door salesman.  I suspect you had your bad idea jeans on that day.


Title: Roommate threw my stuff out without my consent, is now denying she did it.

Question:
I'm in California.  My roommate arranged for our apartment unit to be subleased from 6/20/15 until the end of our lease in mid-August this year, and asked me to have my things moved out by the 19th at the latest in order to make room for the subleasers.  Unfortunately, I had to leave town on the 17th on short notice to deal with family matters, and could not move my larger possessions in time (mattress, bed frame, desk, and bookshelf).   I sent my roommate a text message and left a note as well that I would be out of town and would be back in town on the 23rd to pick up what was left of my stuff.  She did contact me once, via text message on the 19th asking why my stuff wasn't out yet and I once again reiterated that I would be back on the 23rd to remove the remainder of my belongings.

When I came back on the 23rd to retrieve my mattress and other belongings, they were no longer in the apartment.    The subleaser who was present at the time says that neither her nor the other subleaser had moved anything; the apartment unit was already empty at the time when they moved in on the 20th, and they had the timestamped pictures to show so.  I contacted my roommate inquiring about my belongings, and she claimed that she had "never touched them" and to ask the subleasers about them.  Now, I'm pretty much 100% positive she was the one who threw my stuff out as her way of getting her pound of flesh over the roommate quarrels we've had throughout the year.   I asked the subleasers and they said they did not sign a contract or anything guaranteeing that they would have an empty apartment unit upon move-in on the 20th (my roommate still had miscellaneous things scattered around the place anyways).

Reddit, how should I proceed?

EDIT: I also have a text message from my roommate on my phone explicitly stating that she might have to throw my stuff out.  Also got in touch with one of our mutual friends who sent me a screenshot of a FB conversation where my roommate said, word for word, that "[my] stuff needs to go".

Topic:
Douche

Answer: you can sue her in small claims court for the value of your stuff. the judge may or may not be convinced by the evidence you have. you can send her a letter beforehand offering to settle for the value of your property, which you should document via receipts or credit card statements. you're not guaranteed to be successful because you have limited evidence.


Title: Can I be forced to pay a “no show” few for an appointment that I never made?

Answer: Maybe. If you'd like a more thorough answer than that, you should provide more information.


Title: Can I recoup money that I "gifted" to a small business if it's closing?

Question:
Several months ago, I gifted money to a small business (ran by my son +1), my question is: if the llc dissolves, will I be entitled to any of my initial "investment" back?
Details: Amount is $8,000 No paperwork besides the cashed check to prove I gave it to them No signed "promise to repay" (might be one, my husband did the deal, but it wont be a loan agreement, more like a 0 interest pen and paper thing, if that helps...)

Any other info I can give you, I will. I just want to know if this is is something worth fighting for (in court/otherwise).

Edit: I am in az

Answer: no.  a gift is by definition non refundable.


Title: Police say I'm a drug dealer, never have been though.

Question:
Hi guys, first time posting so sorry if I'm doing it wrong.

I won't sugar dust anything since that wouldn't help anyone. I live in the Northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, (10 mins North of Joondalup). We have a pretty crappy reputation, and as such police presence is heavy.

I've done everything in my power to stay on the straight and narrow, including travelling 30 mins on the freeway by car each way for 5 years to a decent high school, not getting involved with anything shady as a teen, I'm currently studying Engineering, I make sure my car is roadworthy at all times, and I've heavily distanced myself from old friends who have chosen different life paths.

Despite that, I occasionally visit old friends since they're the guys I grew up with. All sentimental stuff aside, I like the people in my area and I honestly believe that most of them are good people in bad situations. One friend, Guy A, has chosen to become a dealer. I visit him about once every couple of months at his home, but I always run in to him when I'm taking care of errands. I know it's incredibly silly being seen at places like that, but I've since had to stop visiting him which honestly hurts a little. One night, Guy A, had a friend (Guy B) temporarily living with him who had an arrest warrant for missing court or something similar (No one was aware of this until the police came to the door). As I was in my car leaving, a patrol car pulls up, blocks me in and two officers jump out. They go to the front door, and the one officer left in the car starts running my plates or something. Guy B wasn't home, so the police hopped back in their car. They all started talking and looking in my general direction so I got pretty worried I had done something wrong. They wrote some stuff down and left.

Since that incident about 18 months ago, any time a local police officer sees me, I'm pulled over and searched. Me, my car, and all occupants. It wasn't so bad in the beginning since they had to be directly behind me to run my plates and figure out something was wrong, but now pretty much all the officers at the station know my car, (it's quite distinct), so I'm pulled over on sight. I'm not a drug dealer. I never carry illegal items in my car. I don't give lifts to friends who have even a remote chance of being wanted by the police. My car is always roadworthy. I'm happy to take all the breathalysers and drug tests they throw at me since I have nothing to hide, and they've never found anything on me, in my car, or on anyone in my car. The amount of times I've been searched this year alone ranges from 20-30 times. PB for one night was 2 searches; almost 3 but I talked to the third officer who checked the system and let me off.

I don't work, but I drive a 1989 Mercedes 190E that my dad bought as a graduation gift for $3000. I include the price because the police seem to be fixated on how I could afford the car. Admittedly, running costs are a little out of my range, but all things considered, it's a cheap car. The police never want to talk about why I'm in this situation. So far I have been told that my car has been 'tagged', that I will never be able to get rid of said tag and that I'm now guilty until proven innocent just to mention a few. They won't accept that I'm not a drug dealer. They think I'm not co-operating when I don't admit to it, and say things along the lines of "Well obviously you don't want to talk, so we'll search instead.".

There are two police officers who initially really didn't like me. They even pulled me over when I resorted to riding my push bike for a couple of months in an attempt to travel in peace. Am I personally tagged? Or was it just because they knew my face and wanted to give me a bit of a hard time? We've since reconciled and now we even get a thumbs up when they pass.

It doesn't matter if I'm alone, with friends, or with my younger brother. I keep getting searched, so it's definitely something to do with me. The police in my area don't really like talking but when I asked whether changing the registered owner from my dad to me would get rid of the tag, he sort of mumbled incoherently avoiding an answer. Will doing this get rid of the tag?

I know it's dumb to maintain relationships with 'dodgey' people, and I've probably brought this upon myself, but now that I'm here I was wondering if anyone had some advice. Please tell me if you need any more information, I won't hide anything.

TL;DR: Police convinced I'm a drug dealer. I am not. Searched 20-30 times in 2015 alone. Never found anything. They say car is 'tagged' as a drug dealer. Anyway to fix this? Car is currently under dads name.

EDIT* A word and I just want to thank anyone in advance.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 Maybe these guys can help? http://www.lawstuff.org.au/wa_law/topics/police/complaints-about-policeAnswer #2: Hey guys, I just want to thank everyone again for the overwhelmingly positive support. I got way more feedback than I was expecting, and stupid as it might sound, it's reassuring to know I haven't actually done anything wrong.

I've received some great advice from a lot of you, and have a fairly good idea of what to do next. I'm going to get into contact with my local MP and the supervisor of the police station. I'm going to invest in some interior facing cameras, and I will keep a written log of all my police interactions. If all else fails, I'll seek out a lawyer.

Hopefully they've had their fun and they will leave me alone after all this is over. I only have one question left, and I can't get a clear answer on any legal websites. Considering my situation, can I just refuse a search or am I out of luck?

I'm going to sleep on my thoughts, and I'll begin taking action tomorrow after formulating a plan of attack with a refreshed mind.

Thanks again to anyone who has already chimed in, and also to anyone who does so while I'm away. You guys are great. :)