Title: Friend wanted to take pet off our hands, filed for a ESA certificate for the pet, because her apartment complex doesnt allow pets. Landlord is being very difficult and extremely rude about it. Shes worried they'll try to evict her for some other random reason if she pushes the issue.

Question:
So my gf and I just moved out of her old house into an apartment, and we're trying to cut down on the amount of animals we have, at least from 3 cats to 2. One of my gf's friends was more than happy to take care of one of our cats, so she tried to talk to her landlord about it, but they were saying because she and her boyfriend are both under 30 they cannot have pets in the apartments.

So, she called the owner of the apartments to try to talk to him about it, and he immediately told her "No. You can go live somewhere else if you want a pet." Seemed like a bit much, because up until this point out friends had no trouble or unpleasantness from the owner or landlord.

So she filed for an ESA certificate for the cat. She successfully got the certificate, but now is concerned she and her boyfriend will be evicted for some random garbage reason, because it's in their lease that they can evict her and her bf for any reason so long as they give her and bf a 90-day notice.

Question is, is there anything she can do to still have the ESA and protect herself from an eviction coming onto her record?

This is in mississippi, if it matters.

Answer:
 > So she filed for an ESA certificate for the cat. She successfully got the certificate,

From where? ESA certification is not a thing. The online websites offering registration/certification are scam

She needs a letter recommending an ESA from a mental health provider that is treating her for her disabilityAnswer #2: Esa certificates are worthless.  She needs a therapist that's she's been seeing recommend an esa.Answer #3: What does "filed for an ESA Certificate" mean to you? She filled out a form online? Is she currently under the care of a mental health professional? Is the landlord an individual? How many units do they own? Do they use a broker/property management company?


Title: Had my bank account levied due to brother's debt; we have the same name

Question:
I went to make a payment on something this morning when the cashier told me that my card was at its limit.  This was alarming so I checked my online bank statement.  It said I had $0.  After talking with the bank, I found out a mortgage company had levied my account to pay off a $30,000-ish debt.  Eventually I find out that they were looking for my brother, who I am not very close to, but share the same name.  First and last are the same, not the middle name.  I spoke to the attorneys who are suing him and they said I could fax over my ID, SSN, bank statements, and that they'll verify it isn't me and, hopefully, start the process of getting my money back.

The thing is, how does something like this happen?  My brother and I have completely different ssn's and I live a state away.  I have bills to pay and am literally left completely broke until the money is put back in my account.  Someone made a big mistake.  I am completely stressed out and this is adding to an already large pile of personal problems I've been dealing with.  Do I have any legal recourse beyond just getting the money put back in?

Answer:
 I'd work with the creditor just to make sure this is a somewhat erroneous mistake and not actual fraud of your brother disclosing your bank account on a statement of assets hoping they will seize funds from you and not him.Answer #2: What does your brother say about this? It is entirely possible the firm intentionally went after your assets because he doesn't have them (hence the missing 30k.) You need your own lawyer not only to get your money back but to also go after them for any and all damages due to this shady action. Hundreds/thousands of people share the same name which makes this seizure of your assets really shady. That or your brother used your info (identity theft.)

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Either way you need your own representation to rain fire and brimstone on that firm.Answer #3: So let me get this right.  They want you to fax over your ID, SSN, and bank statements, all personally identifiable information for which there is no agreement in place between you or them to keep sensitive, further made worse by the fact they are so incompetent as to have falsely accessed your account?  Honestly, call a lawyer right now and see if they'll take the case for a portion of the settlement you are possibly due for the illegal action of these lawyers.  They took a short-cut somewhere and need to be held accountable.Answer #4: I have to ask, how do you and your brother have the same name?


Title: Bouncer and police brutality in France.

Question:
My business partner and I went to France on a business last week, while there we went out to nightclub after a fairly boozy dinner. We only had a beer in the nightclub, but were pretty intoxicated from the dinner previously.

All was going well until my friend leant on a wall mounted breathalyser knocking off a small plastic covering, which we then picked up to put back on the machine and noticed it was being held on by double sided sticky tape. While holding the piece a bouncer came up behind my friend and grabbed him by the neck to take him outside, I followed but was not restrained or anything.

While restrained outside the bouncer then hit my friend in the face, I calmly told the bouncer to stop. At this point another came up behind me, put me in a headlock, dragged me back into the club, held me up against a wall and proceeded to slap me a couple of times. He then took me back outside and made me stand against a wall while they called the police, we were both really relieved that the police were on the way as we were terrified it was going to get worse.

The police arrived a few minutes later and were very pally with the bouncers, they told them (in French) that my friend had punched the machine. My friend was then taken off by the police and jailed for 12 hours, while there he got beaten up twice more by the police. Once in a hallway of the police station while being called an “English fucker” and another while strapped to hospital gurney after the police told the doctors to leave the room for a minute. While he was in custody they didn’t give him water, a phone call, or any reason why he was arrested.

All in all it was a really terrible experience, we were not violent or aggressive throughout the experience but were met with such a large amount of hate and aggression.

I am not sure if we should (or can) do anything about it as I feel like if the system is corrupt enough to let it happen it’s too corrupt to complain to and I would rather forget about it and move on. But I also really don’t want this all to happen to someone else so if there is something we can do, we will do it.

Thanks

Answer:
 > I calmly told the bouncer to stop

I don't find it credible that a pair of drunk guys got violently bounced from a bar and beat up by the cops without the slightest provocation.
I fear that anybody you report this to won't, either.Answer #2: You can file a complaint with the IGPN (police agency in charge of investigating cops) here :

https://www.police-nationale.interieur.gouv.fr/Organisation/Inspection-Generale-de-la-Police-Nationale/Signalement-IGPN

It does not count as a "dépot de plainte" (rough equivalent of a police report).

You could theoretically file a police report at any police station, but they're likely to give you the runaround or tell you to fuck off.

You're better off sending a letter to the "procureur de la république" (prosecutor) which counts as filing a police report. This is done by mailing a description of the events to the courthouse of the locale where the events took place. Here is a model letter :

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R11469

If you want your odds of getting anywhere to be anything more than infinitesimal, you must write these reports in french.

Good luck.


Title: Quit job a month ago, still receiving company emails

Question:
I quit my job on June 10th but, I am still receiving emails from my former co-workers that are work related as well as non-work related( I don't want either).  I am receiving around a hundred emails a week.

I've emailed my former managers and asked them to remove me from the email chains. One manager has stated that she has removed me from hers but as far as my coworkers go, I'm sol. She is the one who provides a list of contact information for them. I've emailed in the chains asking to be removed and it has not been done. These are work related emails asking for coverage, discussing changes in the company and company related activities.

I just want them to stop without having to mark each individual email as spam. Some emails I've needed have become buried because of the shear amount of emails I am receiving. My phone is constantly going off so I can not have notifications on my phone.

Any guidance would be much appreciated, thank you.

Answer: Why would you use you personal email for a job? That is your problem. Second, most email clients allow you to create rules to move email to a folder based on any criteria. Make a rule that moves any email from that company domain to the trash.


Title: Can a social worker forbid you to speak your native language?

Question:
A child in our extended family is in foster care in California.  The social worker has let us know that we may talk to her only once a day by phone, the conversations will be recorded, and they may only be in English.  This is not our native language, and although we speak it well enough, it seems illegal that we would be forbidden to speak it given that English is not the official language of the US.

This is coming from DCFS.  Thanks for your help.

Answer:
 Is there a chance this restriction was put in place to make sure the child isn't being coached on testimony or something similar?Answer #2: Since you're an extended family member, you likely don't have standing to challenge this. Since you're not a parent entitled to visitation, you don't have a right being infringed upon either on your behalf or the child's. Pretty much any judge is going to rule in favor of DCFS here because of the lack of a protected right and the need for DCFS to manage their resources. Interpreters aren't cheap.

> given that English is not the official language of the US.

Fun fact: It is the official language of the State of California.


Title: [NYC] Landlord is not paying back security deposit on one-year lease, claims that me and my roommates did not give him notice that we were not renewing lease

Question:
Two friends and I lived in an apartment in Brooklyn from 9/1/15-8/31/16.  When the lease was up and it came time to leave the apartment, we asked our super (who lives in the apt across the hall) about receiving our security deposit back.  Our super tried numerous times to get into contact with the landlord before he got a real response from him; lo and behold, the landlord denied us the security deposit, claiming that we never notified him that we were not going to renew the lease.  While this is true, we never had direct contact with the landlord, and had told the super numerous times (well before the lease was up) that we were going to be out of the apartment by the end of the lease.  Additionally, the landlord never sent us a renewal lease, which (as I have been led to believe) is supposed to have been sent 60-90 days before the end of the first lease.

Luckily, the super is on our side and can vouch for us.  He apparently spoke with the landlord this past weekend, who told him that he turned the whole situation over to his lawyer.  Now the super is telling us that we should the landlord him to small claims court, and threaten to sue him for the security deposit + the cost of the claim itself.

It should also be noted that I don't have a copy of the lease myself, but my roommate thinks he might have it and is going to look for it at his parents' house on Friday when he gets a chance.

Any sort of help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: When did you send written notice you'll be terminating your tenancy?


Title: Accidentally over served

Question: Colorado—- I gave a coworker 3 shots (not on the clock) she was on a first date with a guy. She didn’t seem intoxicated . It was within an hour and she left without paying her tab. The guy she was on a date with came back and asked me to help her into her apartment. No keys no phone... I ran back to the restaurant got her dads number ( he works there too) by the time I ran back she was being taken away by an ambulance. I gave the cops my name and number told them how much I gave her. Am I going to go to jail for over serving? She was totally coherent and didn’t seem fucked up.

Answer:
 3 shots does not seem like an inordinate amount of shots; especially if she was not otherwise drinking. In fact, I have a hard time believing that 3 shots could put even a small female adult in an ambulance unless it was grain alcohol.

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There's a reasonable suspicion that she had consumed more than the 3 shots you provided.

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Are you a bartender? If so, I assume you've gone through some sort of bartender training to know what rules are at play.

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Does your place of work have cameras? That would go a long way as far as clearing you of wrongdoing.Answer #2: Seen a couple of comments suggesting the date drugged her.  It's not impossible, but pretty damned unlikely since he came back and asked for your help getting her home, instead of something nefarious.

3 shots on a first date is a horrible idea, btw.  Keep a clear head out there when you meet new people, kids.Answer #3: Could the date have slipped her something? 3 shot should not require an ambulance.Answer #4: You wouldn't go to jail for this. The reason you're not supposed to over serve (aside from the obvious safety/preventing drunk driving reasons) is to protect the bar from losing a civil lawsuit under dram shop liability laws. Basically, you're keeping your employer from having to pay a lot of money (potentially).

Legally, you shouldn't face any personal consequences. Non-legally, if your employer gets sued because you over served someone, you might be out of a job for causing such a hassle.


Title: Arrested for DUI while asleep in car

Question:
I live in Alabama and attend the University of Alabama and I was recently arrested for a DUI.
I am 19.

The story goes like this:

I had been drinking at the bar on campus and was walking home with a few buddies. At some point we split off and I went back to my friends place. When I got there for some reason I ended up climbing into my car, turning it on, keys in the ignition, and falling asleep at around 2am. I awoke to a (campus?) police officer knocking on my window at about 5:30am. I roll down my window and he asks if I had been drinking. I told him no, but he immediately said I smelled like alcohol and asked me to step out. I did the field tests, which, were a little shaky, and I blew a .1. He then proceeded to arrest me for a DUI and took me to jail. I know in the state of Alabama having your keys in the ignition means I had control of the vehicle but I honestly never even pulled my car out of park. I was asleep with the car on. I tried to lawyer up but the two I called  told me I have no defense and should just take a 6 month sober program, and lose my license. Is that my best option or is there any way to somehow come out of this okay? I need my license to attend school.

Answer:
 > I tried to lawyer up but the two I called told me I have no defense and should just take a 6 month sober program, and lose my license.

As others have said, call a third lawyer.  Most lawyers will represent you without a solid defense if only to reduce the potential fines.


Title: Son's Mom is demanding half of my stimulus check.

Question:
My (27M) ex (30F) sent me a message today demanding half of the extra 500 I recieved for my son. In our divorce it says that I claim him on odd years and she claims him on even years. We have 50/50 custody. I refused to give her the money on the basis that it was recieved based off of a year that I was able to claim him. We have had the money since April 15th and she has never discussed, mentioned, or asked. She out of demanded that we give her half. This could get very nasty very fast and she could try to take me back to court. No where in the divorce does it mention any splitting of the stimulus.

What should I be worried about. Does she have grounds to take me to court?

Answer: The stimulus money is an advance on a deduction for 2020. You'll be paying it back and she'll get they money next year.


Title: Been threatened with a false rape accusation. What can I do to protect myself?

Question:
Hey Reddit.

So anyhow, I'll get right to it.

I teach elementary school in Northern California. I'm a 30 year old guy.

I'd been seeing a girl for about a month. I wouldn't say we were overly serious, but we were definitely dating and I assumed we were monogamous.

So I get a message from facebook at 6:30 AM this morning saying that such and such wants to connect.
Thinking to myself "who the hell is this?" I open the message, and it's a guy saying that "we need to talk." I accept, curious.

Basically he is the girl's longtime boyfriend and father of her child (which I didn't know about), and he wanted to know details on what was going on between myself and said girl. I was very apologetic, and told him the truth about everything. He was distraught but reasonable and ultimately thanked me for my honesty. Of course, this conversation gets back to the girl. She starts sending me crazy messages about how she banged "hella dudes" while we were seeing each other (promptly forwarded to her bf :) ) etc, etc. She then starts saying how she is going to have me "fucked up," and how she's going to get me fired from my teaching position, etc. I keep all of these messages and tell her that the more she messages me, the more she incriminates herself.

According to her ex she keyed her own car, showed this to her father and fuck-buddy at that time, and had them jump him. This is anecdotal, but he did seem genuinely concerned about me so it might be true.

Later, during a phone call, she told me she would tell my principal that I raped her. "All it takes is an accusation," she said, "you're a teacher."

She has done this before: in order to receive welfare, she lied that she had been raped, effectively cutting the father out of the child's life. The father told me this over the phone, and she snarkily corroborated it later with a "what are you gonna do." He hasn't reported her because he's afraid that it would be her word against his "in this day and age." I think he should report her immediately, but I digress....

So, what can I do legally? I have a shit load of texts and facebook messages but that's it. None of the texts or messages mention the false rape threat, only "having me fucked up" and a lot of "you'll see," etc.

Usually, I wouldn't give two shits. But she is right; if she did tell my principal I wouldn't get charged, but I very well may lose my job "pending investigation" or something along those lines. Concerned.

Thanks!!

Answer:
 >So, what can I do legally?

If the police come asking questions even just to "clarify something" (they love that phrase), don't answer a single one without a lawyer present.

Cut all contact with this woman. If for whatever reason she gets in touch with you, record all conversations and tell her you're recording (required in CA). CA does have an exception to its two-party-consent wiretapping law where you may covertly record someone you believe is committing a serious crime (i.e. a felony). I'm not 100% sure if this falls under that exception, but at face value it sounds like extortion (if you don't do X, you will lose Y).

Of course, you do have the option of contacting the police and telling them you think you're being blackmailed.


Title: [CA] More HOA bullshit

Question:
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5fyc1t/california_hoa_letter_threatening_eviction/) is the most recent post regarding our HOA nightmare. Following that post, our landlord instructed the asshole next door to only contact her and not post any notices to us.

Sadly, there actually is an HOA, but it's a clusterfuck. Their maintenance work regularly violates city ordinances, they never post adequit notice of rule changes or meetings, and there are inklings of planted violations in tenants' areas.

Let's expand on part of that last point. Someone in the building smokes and leaves cigarette butts scattered around, and it drives the asshole next door insane. The weekend before last, a notice was posted in the common area that whoever has been leaving them around the property will be fined when caught. We don't smoke, so it wasn't relevant to us.

We left town last weekend, and when we left on Friday, there were no cigarette butts in our parking area. On Sunday, we got an email from our landlord about a complaint about cigarette butts in our spot, with a picture showing 10 or so in the corner of our spot (way more than we've ever seen anywhere else on the property). We re-affirmed that we do not smoke and that the butts did not come from us. Upon our arrival home, there was another notice on our door from our neighbor about cigarette butts leading to fines, and no notices on any other units' doors.

Our neighbor is claiming that, since the notice was general and not addressed specifically to us, he didn't do anything wrong.

California civil code outlines several forms of notice that are considered legitimate for an HOA, and letters on doors are not one of them. As such, it would be my interpretation that communication in such form would not qualify as legitimate from an HOA, and as the property owner specifically requested that it cease, would constitute continual harassment.

But IANAL, so that's why I'm here :)

Answer: If the communication isn't coming from the hoa then it's not coming from the hoa the method of how those come isn't really the point.  "Continual harassment" is something entirely different and I'm not sure what your end game is or what you think your remedies are from getting meaningless letters posted on your door.


Title: (California) boss says California State law says he can make me stay up to 4 hours if needed to cover shift. Security guard

Question: I'm a security guard in California. I work for a huge security company at one site. Our site has a team of guards and the we are self sufficient in regards to staffing. In other words, we don't get help from the company covering open shifts. We are short staffed right now so there is a lot of overtime.  Everyone covers shifts and helps out but sometimes there are still open shifts. We are basically bullied into covering shifts if we don't volunteer. My boss tells us that there is a State law that says he can he us up to 4 hours after are shift ends, so 12 hours if he needs to. That doesn't sound right to me but I need solid evidence to fight it. If anyone can confirm if this law exists or not, that would be great. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you very much

Answer: He can make you work as long as he wants, so long as you're paid and the overtime is paid properly.


Title: (UK) A DWP decision maker ruled in my favor, but the Jobcentre overruled them? is that even legal?

Question:
Been unemployed for only 2 months after a redundancy, Jobcentre referred me to a decision maker because they thought my job search evidence was lacking detail.
The Decision maker ruled in my favor, today I saw my advisor and she tells me it does not matter the jobcentre have overturned it and my sanction still applies.

Answer:
 Your advisor or does NOT have the authority to overrule your decision maker despite what she may say to you. Whilst officers in a JCP can make referrals to decision makers (and in some cases suspend payment until a decision is made), they cannot make the final decision and certainly can't overrule the decision makers.

To seek clarity, you should ask to speak with the Advisory Service Manager or  Customer Services Operations Manager.

On a slightly different note, it's not particularly difficult to fulfil the conditions of benefit the DWP asks of its claimants, once you understand exactly what is required - ensure you get a clear idea of what to do and you should be able to do it with ease without being questioned on it.


Title: [CA] Need advice regarding cancelling flight due to accompanying, emotional support dog problem

Question:
I am helping a friend whos in a situation right now. They cancelled her flight and there's hasn't been a resolution. The flight has already left 1.5 hrs ago and she was denied boarding it.

What I know has happened thus far:

She has an emotional support dog (Labrador) and booked a flight this morning. Upon entering the plane she passed up another person with an emotional support dog (golden retriever?, not neutered). upon the dogs seeing each other both dogs let out a nonaggressive bark. both just excited. She talked to the owner to consulted that they'll just further apart and there wouldnt be any problems as they both know their dogs would be well behaved. She said she'll sit in the far back while the person already seated would be in the front. Some attendant heard the barks and claimed it would be an issue and brought it upon themselves to take my friend and her mom off the plane along with their dog. Meanwhile another person in a wheelchair who has a small emotional support dog was able to board. A third person who also had a dog (small dog in a crate, but neither an emotional nor service dog) was able to board. So even if my friend had already settled properly with the other emotional support dog and had no issues and both happily explained it would be perfectly fine. The attendant took it upon themselves to specifically take my friend off only. 3 parties with dogs are on board and has taken off. It was the attendants decision to take her off and claimed that she could not board AND that dogs are not allowed in the back of the plane. My friend asked where in the rules was that and why she is being discriminated (she is also Asian while all the other occupants were white. worth mentioning. but im not exactly sure if there has been a direct verbal race discrimination actions taken) and she started to record the situation. The attendant then fled into hiding and tried to get her coworkers to handle the situation. They tried to settle the situation with reimbursing a measley $100 and worthless hotel stay. She has work tomorrow and her mom has cancelled work to be with her on the flight. She also has a real emotional issues and it's not fake papers, and is definitely caught in distress at the moment.

Thanks in advance for any help. I'll relay advice to her. What should she be doing or not doing at this point?

Answer:
 The flight attendant isn't a dog expert and may have confused nice dog bark with bitey dog bark.

Maybe /u/sorthum can weigh in.Answer #2: Buy a muzzle for her dog and bring it to her.


Title: [CA] Accommodations for child in participation in organized sports/activities

Question:
Good morning,

I have a 7 year-old son who was recently diagnosed with a behavior issue related to ADHD. This causes him to have greater difficulty with: sitting or standing still, remembering directions when given, or knowing when it is socially appropriate to ask questions or talk to others among other things. We've had some issues with him participating in activities offered through both private businesses, as well as through non-profits providing sports or arts activities for kids due to his behavior. The behaviors are on the annoying side of the spectrum for the adults involved, but are not a safety issue for himself or other kids. It got to the point where the repeated low level behaviors were perceived by to be excessively disruptive by the non-profit organization running the play, and he was threatened with being kicked out of a theater production. They required us to come and supervise him individually for the rest of the show. There are a number of parents supervising already, but the leadership of the organization told us that they didn't have to resources to supervise him.

I work in education, so I think in that setting that these behaviors would be considered manifestations of a disability, and therefore he couldn't be suspended or expelled. However, I recognize there is a legal right to education that doesn't exist in these other settings.

Considering this new diagnosis, my question is: Do these activities open to the members of the public have any obligation to provide accommodations for this diagnosis? I think the answer partially hinges upon whether these activities would be considered public accommodations. A private karate studio might be one issue; the non-profit children's theater group might be another. In any case, would kicking my son out for low-level misbehavior associated with his diagnosis be considered discrimination for a disability? If there is a requirement to have reasonable accommodations, then is only allowing him to stay while forcing us to stay with him consistent with the obligation of the organization to accommodate? I feel as it they've basically substituted us coming to supervising in lieu of having those running the program having to develop strategies to help him be successful.

Thanks for any information or help you all can provide in how I consider helping him to be successful.

Answer: Even if he is entitled to accommodations (and I'm not sure that he is, if you check the ADA definition of major life activity, "having fun" is not among them), the accommodations have to be *reasonable.*  Requiring, for example, a dedicated aide for him for a recreational activity is probably not reasonable.


Title: Harassed to quit.

Question:
My fiancé was told she had 30 days to improve performance or she would be fired. She was told she would have a 1 time offer to quit and get a few weeks of pay for it. She was offered this 3 times now. They will not let her do her job to actually improve performance and are trying to actively get her to quit daily. I believe this is harassment at this point, but we don't know what to do from here.

Any advice is appreciated.

Answer: It's not harassment.


Title: [WA] Illegal to put a nanny cam in my own bedroom and record intimate encounters?

Question:
An old friend of mine was accused of and eventually arrested for rape. The cops eventually dropped the charges when the accuser's story fell apart. Regardless, my friend ended up spending thousands of dollars on a lawyer and is now trying to get his arrest record erased. I don't want to go through that. I have since put in a nanny cam in my bedroom to record any sexual encounters. The cam doesn't record audio, nor is the video recording anywhere close to "porn quality" in zoom or resolution. All it basically can do is tell that my interactions are consensual and the identity of me and my partner.

I know it sounds creepy, but am I breaking the law by doing this? I do not want to go through what my friend is going through after his false accusation. Please don't judge me otherwise.

Answer:
 We reserve the right to judge whomever we want.

You have it backwards -- the solution to your problem is to only have sex with people you trust enough to not turn around and accuse you of rape, not to preemptively collect evidence of you not raping them.

Also, WA is a two-party consent state, so you'd need their permission, and if your recordings ever got misplaced or shared, you'd be under the gun of revenge porn laws and civil lawsuits left and right.


Title: Can you be sued for violating an NDA you've signed if you're deposed in a lawsuit? (Johnny Depp lawsuit)

Question:
I know anyone can sue anyone for just about anything, but I was reading the recent Rolling Stones article about Johnny Depp and his supposed money issues and something caught my eye:

> Rayburn is a former account manager for TMG and was tasked with handling Depp's finances. She was about to be deposed for the lawsuit. Kump's letter was a polite threat, implying that testifying would violate her 2010 separation agreement with TMG.

If she received a summons to be deposed, would that be a defense if she had to talk about things covered in her NDA? Could she say "sorry, I cant talk about that due to an NDA I signed" or would she have to talk about what she was asked about?

https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/johnny-depp-lawsuit-marriage-w521671

Answer: NDAs pretty much always exempt court testimony. And if there was some weird one that didn't, a judge would almost certainly dismiss any lawsuit to enforce it as a violation of public policy.


Title: I want to take my kids and leave their dad

Question: We are not married. He is abusive and I don't want my kids alone with him. Its to the point where I'm honestly scared for my safety. If i try to call the cops, his behavior gets worse and i get scared that hes gonna hurt my kids. Yesterday he choked me really badly. I couldnt breathe and my vison was going black. He was also holding our 10 month old while he did this. If i take my kids and leave him could I get in trouble some type of way? I'm honestly very scared.

Answer:
 GET IN THE CAR WITH THE KIDS AND LEAVE NOW.

You need to file domestic violence charges NOW. There are shelters who will help you and your children get free TODAY.

My ex husband was extremely abusive—trust me, if he will choke you with your baby in your arms he will KILL you with your baby in your arms.

I know you are scared. I know you are so very very tired and broken down. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Worry about NOW.Answer #2: Your situation is way above Reddit's pay grade. Leave with the kids immediately and go to a safe place that he doesn't know about. Google for battered women's shelters in your area.

Good luck.Answer #3: You need to take the kids and leave immediately. It is typical abusive behavior to scare you into thinking he can take the children from you. He can’t unless he proves you are an unfit parent. Your leaving the abuse shows you are protecting your children and therefore not unfit.

Get out now. Find a safe place that he won’t think to look. Leaving is the scariest part, but you can do this. He has no more rights to the children than you do. You can’t kidnap your own children. Find the nearest shelter and be safe.

Once safe, you can start to rebuild your life.


Title: Wrongfully discharged without honor.

Question:
Someone from r/askreddit suggested I post here as well.

NYC

My friend was kicked out of the military after being drugged and raped. Hire ups only focused on the drug aspect and ignored how the drugs were received.

Urban Justice denied the case because they do not have enough lawyers to take it. My friend cannot afford to pay a lawyer out of pocket.

Does anyone know a way to appeal or know of any other programs/organizations that can help?

Answer: The discharge is final.  Your friend had plenty of time to appeal before then with a free lawyer.  Are you certain you are getting the truth from your friend.  They wouldn’t be the first person to lie back home on why they got kicked out.


Title: [Ontario] abusive grandmother threatening to take me to court for visitation of my son/her grandson

Question:
There is no custody agreement between my sons father and I, just a restraining order as he was extremely physically violent to me and jailed for it.

His mother is where he gets it from. She in the past has stabbed her children. Yes, with a knife. I don't know if there is record of this as it was in another country.

When I was around her she would constantly talk about killing her other sons babies mother.

She gets extremely angry at the drop of a hat. Literally. I dropped a pin once and she screamed at me for hours.

I have told her twice to not contact us again. She routinely comes to my house, yells at windows for up to half an hour for us to come out if I don't answer.

When I was taking her son to court for the abuse she needed to be escorted out of the court house by security because she was yelling at everyone in the court room.

Needless to say, I am terrified of her, and frankly of living in my home. But I've been by the court house that I can't get a restraining order, and I have also been told by my lawyer that despite the extremely physical abuse my sons father put me through, he could still get custody as there was no physical abdhe against our son. So, I don't have much hope of these things being enough for a judge to rule she can't see him. Especially since theres no record of any of it.

Oh, she has also threatened to take my son and bring him to another country.

Please help me, I'm very scared at this point and need to know if she will be able to get visitation in court.

Answer: Grandparents can petition for visitation in Ontario. You should get a lawyer and explain the situation to them. It sounds like you have good reasons to deny the visitation.Answer #2: Report the threats of kidnapping to the police. Do you have any kind of evidence she said that (texts, emails)? Even if not, still report it. Threatening people can be a misdemeanor or a felony. Even if they decline to investigate or prosecute, get a copy of that police report you filed. Save it for your future court case. Judges don’t like awarding custody or visitation to people who threaten to kidnap the child in question.


Title: Parked car

Question: Car parked in front of my friends house on the street he lives on....cop came by and said if its not gone in the morning its getting towed...legally can he have it towed??

Answer:
 I left my envelope elsewhere, so sadly I cannot Carnac the Magnificent this one. Unless someone has a crystal ball, no one else can help either.

No one has any clue as you've not only neglected to mention a location, but also failed to tell us anything meaningful about the situation.

Where are you? What kind of parking ordinances are there? Is he blocking street access? Is the car in a hazardous location or in a location where it could easily be hit?


Title: Using RICO to shut down the NRA and stop gun violence

Question:
A criminal organization is an organization which uses violence or other extreme means, usually in order to make money. This definition fits the NRA completely. The NRA is a criminal organization which is willing to murder 35,000 people a year in order to increase the profits of gun companies.

 35,000 people in the USA are murdered each year by the NRA. [35,000 people in the US are killed by guns each year, and thousands more injured](https://www.bradycampaign.org/key-gun-violence-statistics). This is a direct result of the NRA's lobbying for looser gun laws.

 What's worse, the NRA's support for looser gun laws has also resulted in hundreds of thousands of innocent Mexicans being murdered. [Most of the illegal guns used by Mexican cartels are bought at US gun shows and smuggled across the border](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/14/why-mexicos-drug-cartels-love-americas-gun-laws/?utm_term=.7c7f84bad3f7). The NRA has allowed this to happen through its support of loose gun laws.

 The NRA is an international criminal organization which murders tens of thousands of people in the US and Mexico every year, in order to increase gun company profits. The NRA needs to be disbanded under the RICO act, and its leadership and members need to be imprisoned for their part in the deaths of thousands of innocent people.

Answer: FYI this is the troll from /r/BestOfGuzman


Title: If I win an item on a game show, do I have to pay taxes on what the studio claims the item is worth (which they artificially inflate so they can claim more for their own tax deduction) or what the item is actually worth (through my own research) [California]

Question:
I've lived in LA and have many friends who still live there. A few of them have won prizes on game shows recently, but I never considered this question until it popped up in the Los Angeles subreddit:

"Let me give you some advice if you actually win big. They like to overinflated the cost of the prizes they give out so they can deduct it from the show’s taxes. My mother in law who does a lot of sweepstakes and wins a fair amount of them always researches the actual cost and declares the actual cost on her taxes not what the claimed value of the price is. Example, she won something big on Sirius Satellite radio. Sirius claimed it was worth $40,000. She did research and it came to like $20,000 so she paid taxes on that amount and was ready to show her research to the IRS but nothing came of it."  From https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/9877v4/lets_make_a_deal_taping/e4e3qac/

Answer:
 Do you think you can, in a tax court, successfully argue against the IRS to prove your valuation of the goods is correct?Answer #2: /r/legaladviceofftopic Answer #3: My understanding is that the "actual retail price" on The Price Is Right is actually the "list", or "manufacturer's suggested retail price" (most such items are actually sold at a discount from that). Other game shows probably work in a similar manner.

Someone wins A NEW CAR (from descriptions given, usually it's a stripped-down base model) - what's the value? Is it what the show paid for it (probably zero, given that it's a trade-off for advertising value)? Is it the value of ad time equivalent to the duration of the segment (can easily be in the 6 figure range - for virtually all the cars I've seen on shows, more than if you paid list price at a dealer)?

Probably your best bet would be to go to someplace that sells the merchandise in question with a description of the prize (don't tell them it's a prize), and get a written quote of how much it would cost. For smaller stuff (such as a blender), take a screenshot of the listing at an online retailer. Needless to say, the IRS is likely to be FAR more lenient in evidence needed for a $60 blender sold for $19.99 on WalMart's website than they would be for a $40,000 car.Answer #4: You determine how much it is worth for your own taxes.  You don't have to use the studio's valuation, however, if you get audited, you better have a very good explanation for how you came up with the amount.


Title: My father committed suicide 3 days before the court date initiated by his wife, now part of his pension is going to her.

Question:
I suppose some of the specifics of the situation depend on the terms of the pension benefit itself. My dad had mental illness. His wife was divorcing him. They had papers signed, and a court date scheduled. Three days prior, he committed suicide.

My dad's wife signed her rights away to my father's pension benefits for his Ohio work (he was an ironworker). She did not sign his rights for his California pension, and is planning on keeping it. They were married for 4 years, their finances were not tied up together really at all. My dad was 61, she's about the same age.

Given that divorce proceedings were underway, initiated by her, does she really just get to keep his money like that? The trust will not send me the details, even though I'm responsible for organizing his affairs.

Answer:
 You really, really need a lawyer to sort this out. No way to do this on Reddit.Answer #2: It is entirely possible that even if the divorce had gone through that she would have been entitled to a portion of it. The divorce court would have had the authority to divide the pension; in particular, if any part of the California pension contributions were made during the marriage and the divorce would have taken place in California, the pension would be considered community property and she would have a claim.

Therefore, it's not necessarily "off" that she has a claim to that pension, but the details matter.


Title: (Maryland) Can a voicemail greeting be a legally binding agreement?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Short answer: No

Long answer: Nooooooooo.


Title: [NY] RA walked into my room without knocking, confiscated weed, and now my college is forcing me to pay and do a program.

Question: An RA smelled weed and walked into the room (without knocking) violating my privacy and then confiscated my weed and my pipe. (Not very relevant, but I'm almost 100% sure he ended up smoking it himself.) The school didn't call the police, but they said I had to mandatory do this program to learn about substance abuse (it mainly pertained to alcohol) that will cost $100 and I mandatory had to go even though this was for weed and not alcohol. I'm so fucking pissed that the RA walked into my room violating my privacy. That's illegal, right? Because he's not the police or anyone, so he can't just walk into my room without knocking. Also, can my college actually make me do this program? I'm sure they just want a reason to collect more money instead of straight up fining me.

Answer:
 You underestimate the amount of rights you sign away when you agree to live in a dorm at college. They can, they did, deal with it. Sorry.Answer #2: The alternative was them calling the cops, you getting a drug conviction and being ineligible for federal financial aid. You should be sending them gift baskets for not reporting this to the authorities, not moaning about $100.Answer #3: Your RA is an agent of the college, chances are that he has the right to enter rooms when he has specified reasons to do so - like smelling weed.  Check your student handbook for the rules that govern that - it will depend on your college, but it certantly wouldn't be illegal for the rules to allow it.

Same for the program.  They can certantly make you take it as a condition of continued enrollment and charge you to take it.  If you don't want to do the program you can always quit school. Check your student handbook, to see if that actually says they can (but I'll bet it's in there).


Title: (British Columbia) Friend borrowed ID taken by police

Question:
So.. I did something really stupid tonight.  One of my friends in college is underage and she moved here from Alberta so she likes to party a lot and can't in BC yet.  I don't go out a lot so when she asked to borrow some identification to get into a bar downtown I said that she could.

I couldn't find my BC services card so I lent her my BC drivers license and my Canadian Passport.  Anyways I get a message from her telling me that she tried to get into a bar and the bouncer grabbed both my passport and my drivers license from her and would't give it back.

About an hour later I got some other identification together and headed down to the bar, found the bouncer and tried to talk to him (I told him she was my sister and had taken my ID)

He said the RCMP already had them and that we would both be facing all kinds of fines adding up to more than 2,000 dollars if I tried to collect them from the police.  He said his advice would be to just apply for a new drivers license and passport and hope that the police didn't come after me and take away my insurance and license.

He wasn't overly clear on what exact laws I was breaking and what the fines were for exactly.  I looked around the Internet and couldn't seem to find much.  I was hoping someone on here might be able to tell me the exact amount the fines are, what they are for and what my chances are of getting fined if I just apply for a lost drivers license.

Thank You!

Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer: Why on earth would you ever ever lend out your passport???


Title: USA - What to do when your life is threatened?

Question:
My husband is a doctor. Today, he denied a patient something that the patient was requesting - something that would have highly negative effects on said patient's health - and the man became angry, started yelling, called my husband a "fucking faggot" and said "you're a dead man" on the way out.

His office called the police, who determined that this individuals has multiple restraining orders against him and a history of violent crime, including arson.

I have no idea if this is the right place, but what can we do, legally, in this circumstance? If I should ask this question elsewhere, please let me know.

Answer:
 1. Get a restraining order - but this is only a piece of paper.

2. Legally purchase a firearm and learn how to use it. Answer #2: > what can we do, legally, in this circumstance?

Calling the police was the right move. You might want to follow up with them in the next few days. If you feel the threat is credible, you could seek a restraining order/protective order. I don't have a good read on the situation, so I don't know how serious, if at all, the man was.


Title: [OH] Can I Report my Roommate for This?

Question: To start, my ex-roommate who just left and started a co-op this semester owes me $150 for items he had no right taking with them because they were mine (2 Xbox controllers and a nice butane torch). I asked for my money back and then sent a cash app request... I got blocked. I told my other roommate to text him that I will he calling the cops if I don’t get paid by midnight tonight. I don’t want to cause a scene, but I just want my damn money back. This kid is the type of person to cause more issues from the situation or even try to throw me under the bus with him by saying something like “that torch was used for weed.” Anyways, I warmed him that if this has to escalate to the police and he pulls shit like that, I will have no issues at all telling the police about him giving out and trading his Adderall prescription. Not going to lie though, he has given me around 3 of his pills in the past, and I’m sure he would bring that up. Would I get in trouble for this as well, or would the police be more concerned about the distribution of the pills? I’m sorry, this probably sounds so childish and petty, but you have no idea how many times this kid has disrespected me, my other roommates and the room itself. I really hope it doesn’t have to come to this point anyway. I’m just curious right now.

Answer:
 Stop trying to blackmail your ex-roommate.

If you seriously need the money, small claims is your best route. Even that's not a great option, because it requires some time and effort on your part.

Otherwise, wash your hands of him and be glad to be rid of him. Often, the most mature option is not seeking payback, but letting an unfortunate situation go.


Title: [CA] Landlord wants to kick us out so he can build a house for himself, eligible for any compensation?

Question:
I live to a 2 unit duplex, a 3br/2ba apartment over a 2br/1ba apartment with a mirroring building next door (4 units total). Our landlord wants to tear down both duplexes and build a 10,000sqft house (we just got notice of a public hearing for the new build today).

We're not sure if we are under rent control and we're not sure when he wants us to vacate.

Are we eligible for any sort of compensation or relocation money? Do you know about how much? No one under 18, although the people below us just had a baby, also no one has any disabilities)

I did a quick Google and there were a lot of different answers it seemed like, that's why I'm here.

Will provide any information you need to better answer the question.

Answer:
 Do you have a lease?

Where in California(city or county) are you?


Title: Planning on filing malpractice suit in VA. What medical records can that doctor obtain from my new physician? HIPPA

Question:
I'm planning on filing a malpractice suit in Virginia as a result of negligence causing injuries. I am going to a new doctor soon (outside of Virginia) who's going to do thorough exams and workups. If I do bring suit, can that doctor obtain/subpoena my new and/or past out-of-state medical or mental health records?

Anything I should know in particular about VA malpractice laws?

Thanks.

Answer:
 >Anything I should know in particular about VA malpractice laws?

Make sure to not even attempt this without an attorney.  Medmal attorneys work on contingency and offer free consultations.

>If I do bring suit, can that doctor obtain/subpoena my new and/or past out-of-state medical or mental health records?

I'm repeating that YOU personally should not try to sue.  Get a lawyer.  Your doctor can't subpoena anything...he's not a party to any action.  There's not even a pending legal action yet.

Your new doctor should just be able to request those medical records in the normal course of treating you.  Or you can request those records and give them to your new doctor.


Title: Dad filed a custody report, saying he can take me, my lawyer saying he can’t, but then(<—-

Question: Hi, my name is Ethan and I’m am from Illinois, to clear up anything with the law here, and my dad, who has not helped raise me at all, during the 15 years I have been alive, just filed a Custody Report, saying he can take me from my mother( Which, has never stopped my dad from seeing me, he just never asks) He says that, since I’m homeschooled my mother isn’t putting me through school, even though we have all the proof that I am, so he’s weak as a twig there. But, one day, he was taking me back to my moms place, he tried to mental abuse me, by alienating from my mother. Saying that he’s great and she’s a dick hungry whore(he didn’t say that, just hinted towards it when he has 4 other children with 4 different women.) Told my mom, and done. Then another time, we went out to eat(My dad, his 5th girlfriend, and myself P.S. The only reason I even went with him is bc it’s free food, knowing I could get any amount of food no matter the price) on the way back he said that I should change my last name to his (I was conceived out of wedlock) I said I might hyphen it, and told him about my aunt and uncle(Who just got married 2 months prior to this) My aunt is a Nurse, and my uncle is a RN, and they didn’t change their last names bc it would cost time and money to change everything, he then proceeded to call my aunt and uncle lazy(even though my Aunt graduated first of her class but 0k) and said it wouldn’t be costly, but they are to lazy to do it. I was instantly offended(Bc my aunt is the first of my family to graduate from University, therefore she is my roll model) But didn’t say anything bc I didn’t want him to use it against me. I stayed silent, and furiously texted my mom, and then another time, he tried to alienate me by saying when my mom was pregnant, she said that she hated me, for causing her problems, and he will be the better parent, so what I did, I slowly pulled out my phone, slowly opened the camera app, hit record, and when he would ask “Ethan what are you doing on your phone” I would switch to reddit(with r/OfCourseThatsaThing pulled up) and say I was lookin’ on reddit, he would say 0k,  and go back to his talk, and I would start my recording again. After I got home, I showed them to my mother, who instantly texted my lawyer. Then, that day came, I had just woken up at 10:35, I was making my morning coffee(yes I drink coffee and I’m 15, and it hasn’t stunted my growth, I’m 5’9) then I got a text, from my dad, saying that no matter what, he is coming with me, even through force. I got instantly anxious and worried. I immediately ran to the the door, and locked it. I didn’t know what to do after that, so I sent the screenshot of the text convo to my mother, and lawyer(who my mother knows well, not romantically, just good friends in high school) I know he’s saying he is going to kidnap me, but, he’s lied to get me himself out of trouble(one time he made text convo to show me that my mom didn’t love me, and one time said the red mark on me, from him backhanding me when I didn’t like his food, was from me falling on my face. So please help

Answer:
 In the mean time, you're 15.

You don't need to go with your dad, even for the free food. Don't have contact for right now.

Advise both your mom and lawyer that until you feel safe, you want to stay with them.

When you get to court, tell your lawyer to speak on your behalf the safety that you feel is compromised because of your father.

Be careful OP


Title: BC CAN - Employee gave 2 weeks notice, refuses to show up for scheduled shifts

Question:
Recently, a key employee decided that she wanted to move on.  Excellent opportunity for her, so I accepted her two weeks notice and staffed a replacement for her duties, however, her knowledge is pretty specialized and she has been with us for over a decade.  Traditionally she would train the office employees and there is no training material developed for a transition.

&#x200B;

Well, she is on the schedule until her notice period expires but she refuses to come in and train the replacement.  I want to cease her employment but I do not want to have to pay her severance as she left many accounts in completed disarray and is now refusing to aid in the transition.  I just want her out of my business.

Can I legally terminate her employment and only pay her severance for the remainder of the notice period?

Answer: She is currently still employed until her two weeks are up. You can fire her **with cause** for not showing up to work her scheduled shifts. You have no obligation or reason to pay out any severance or regular pay for her remaining two weeks if you fired her with cause.


Title: Movie Theater Law (Florida)

Question:
Yesterday I drove to my local movie theater to pre-purchase a ticket for the new Star Wars movie coming out next week. I arrived and was told the theater was sold out/all seats had been paid for and that no more tickets were available.

So I took my $10 and went home. I then had a bright idea.

I logged into the website for the theater, selected the exact show time and date I had previously enquired about and was able to purchase 4 tickets (I decided to surprise a friends with tickets). I paid the now 11 per ticket and there was also a convenience fee of $2 per ticket. So $52 vs the $40 I would have paid.

I felt kinda screwed. So I called the theater and got a manager on the phone. He confirmed that they sold out for that showing on Thursday (which was a day before I went in the first place).

I asked if there were any seats that were reserved for  online order only. This was my first hypothesis and he confirmed that no, all seats can be purchased either online or through the box office.

Which brought me back to the online fee. To me, with everything I've witnessed and hears, it seems like the theater is lying so as to force people to buy online. My thought process being that if the theater always tells people who try and pre purchase that tickets are sold out, purchasers will only buy online and thus spend more money.

I had a buddy of mine, one I'm not surprising with tickets to the first showing, replicate going to the box office. He was told the showing was sold out. He was able to buy 2 tickets online no problem.

So he called the theater. Had a similar discussion I had. Except he asked the manager how he was able to buy tickets online still. Manager admitted the theater did exactly as I suspected.

What is the legality of this? At the end of the day I don't have a need to throw a big fit about the dollar amounts; but the principal of the matter could be applied to much larger purchases as well.

Do lies about a service plus a higher price constitute some violation or breach?

This is in Florida if it matters.

Edit: Looked everything over as was suggested here, and by my buddy, and discovered the ticket itself was a higher price as well as there being a convenience fee.

Answer:
 In all likelihood, the manager has no idea how the tickets are allocated. But they can allocate and charge differently however they want, provided they aren't doing so for illegal reasons, such as charging more to members of a certain race. Answer #2: >Do lies about a service plus a higher price constitute some violation or breach?

This is interesting.  To begin with, you don't know if it was a lie.  You spoke to a 'manager' at the movie theater, but we don't know if that person sets policy or gave you the correct answer.  The manager is clothed with apparent authority to speak on the company's behalf, but a 'lie' can be chalked up to incompetence.

Secondly, a posted price about a ticket may not constitute as a contract.  The courts have ruled that it can be seen as an invitation to treat.  If that is the case, the business is not obligated to sell you the goods at the posted price as they would in a contract situation.

From a practical standpoint, have you called the theater and asked for a refund for the transaction costs?  Getting an answer on that would be the first step.


Title: Case of Parental Alienation?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This isn't parental alienation.  That's literally impossible with a newborn.

He needs to establish paternity and file for support and custody time.

>She then asked how to get him to leave her and her baby alone and my brother said "Go back in time and close your legs."

Yeah, that's hilarious, if you're a misogynistic asshole.  Because conceiving this child is totally on her.  He had no choice in the matter.

Your brother (and you) need to keep in mind that he will be co-parenting with this woman for the rest of his life, and particularly the next 18+ years.  It makes absolutely no sense, regardless of his emotions, to behave in anything other than a civil manner at all times.  It won't help him in court, it won't make his life easier, and most importantly, it's harmful to the child.  If he plans on being a real father, he needs to learn that the child is now the most important thing in his life.  Answer #2: He can do what literally every other father has to do in these situations: file for custody and visitation. That is the only next step

He has no right to force Mom to show visits absent a court order. Yes what she is doing is legalAnswer #3: Your brother needs to hire a family law attorney to obtain partial custody with visitation. As a newborn, it is unlikely the baby can be too far from mom. But as the baby grows, that will change. His attorney will be able to work this out.Answer #4: Your family can do nothing. Your brother will need to go to court to work out custody/visitation/child support. Prepare for an uphill battle.


Title: Retail: Punched out but not allowed to leave. Should I be compensated?

Question:
I work in a retail job that involves punching in and out on a timeclock. The company is a pretty large, with a presence in most states and well over 100 stores in the United States. My store manager makes it a point during store meetings to stress that employees must be ready to work (e.g., have your uniform on) when punching in. This is strictly enforced as, in my opinion, it should be. However, on closing shifts, employees punch out at the timeclock and must wait at the employee entrance/exit before leaving. Some important details: the employee door is located at the opposite corner of the store--and on a different floor--than the timeclock. The employee door is locked and alarmed. The closing manager is typically the last one to arrive at the door. And nobody is allowed to leave (the door remains locked and alarmed) until all employees are ready and the manager checks all bags and jackets.  Some of my colleagues are starting to grumble that they're off the clock, but not allowed to leave. The over/under on the wait is (since I've been tracking it) ~6 minutes. Should we be paid for that time? I know it sounds like a small issue, but the average store in my company probably has about a dozen employees on each closing shift. There are about 150 stores. That's 657,000 closing shifts per year. Somewhere around $750,000 per year in unpaid standing-around-trapped time.

Making matters worse: the closing managers punch out on a computer near the employee exit just before leaving. Their mentality is that "we have to do bag checks and lock up the store, so we're still doing work." Granted, we the peons are no longer "working," but we're also not allowed to leave. Seems to me like that time should be compensated, but I'm hoping others might have some input.

Answer:
 You *should* be paid. Unfortunately for you however the Supreme Court has looked at this issue in the context of I believe Amazon warehouse employees. And they ruled that it's OK to force people to wait off the clock before they are allowed out.

One of those situations where the law is definitely an ass.Answer #2: Dude I thought you got knocked out and forcibly detainedAnswer #3: It's pretty well-established that the federal Fair Labor Standards Act was not intended cover traveling to or from the workplace--even if that means taking a long time to get through security, or traveling a long way down a mine, for instance. It's really more of a legislative than a legal question at this point.Answer #4: This sounds really familiar to a situation I was in more than 15 years ago, except that our waiting time could easily be an hour - a single computer to clock out, a complex clock-out process and extensive bag/coat checks for over 100 employees (front-line staff and receiving dock workers, etc.)

It eventually went to court. The employer was not obligated to get additional computers for the clock-out system, or hire more security guards for bag checks. We were essentially told that we were in a situation similar to being "engaged to wait" but that there was no recourse and no pay due to us.


Title: Court case approaching in October. My attorney died so I have to find a new one. No lawyer wants to take my case unless I have an expert oral surgeon lined up. Wisdom tooth extraction resulted in permanent nerve damage on my lower right lip/chin area. How would I go about finding an expert?[Hawaii]

Question:
Nerve damage after tooth extraction of all 4 wisdom teeth. Operation took place in 2014. Numbness on bottom right portion of mouth, from right corner of lips to middle bottom lip down to jawline. Dentist retired shortly after my operation and moved to the mainland.

Found lawyer to take case. Sadly this lawyer passed away. Court case is in October, no new lawyer is willing to work with me unless I find an expert. (Dentist saying my nerve damage was due to malpractice?)

After getting the insurance at my new job, went into new dentist office for initial check up. Dentist noticed I still had all 4 wisdom teeth, suggested I get them removed. I agreed to an extraction for all 4. I couldn’t afford the gas so I did local anestheaia. Dentist and his assistant performed the operation. The next day I noticed I still had numbness on my lower right side of my mouth. From the far right corner of my lips to the center bottom lip down to my jawline. I have been to neurologist twice. I was told both times my nerve damage would most likely not heal. The neurologist told me it was most likely caused during the injection from the needle of the anastesia.

Now I’m tasked with finding an oral surgeon ‘expert‘ willing to testify on my behalf that my nerve damage is a result of malpractice. How should I go about finding such a person? Thanks for your time
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 I'm a physician and perform nerve blocks and use local anesthetics routinely.

You are unlikely to find this worth your time unless you received no preoperative counseling at all (and didn't sign anything). Parasthesia and numbness are known side effects of LA infiltration, many cases improve significantly by 1 year, and would be considered minor injuries even if persisting for a longer period of time. You will have trouble proving that his care and injection technique fell below the established standard.

Good luck either way.Answer #2: It is possible that either the American Dental Association or the Hawaii Dental Association may be able to refer you to a local forensic dentist.

Hawaii Dental Association:  https://www.hawaiidentalassociation.net/

American Dental Association:
https://www.ada.org/enAnswer #3: I am a former dental assistant. Parasthesia is a known side effect of local anesthesia. It is rare, but it does happen. I did the job for three years and only saw it once. Fortunately, that guy recovered after about four months.

It sucks, and I hate it happened to you, but I doubt you will be successful in pursuing any legal action. There is no way to avoid this sometimes... it just happens, unfortunately.Answer #4: So I googled “local anesthesia dental consent form” and every single one mentioned the possibility of nerve damage, noting that very rarely it is permanent. I’m certain that was on the one I signed at my dentist too. I think it is standard practice. I am not a lawyer, but I would be surprised if you *didn’t* sign a consent form that stated that.

I would have assumed you didn’t have a case based on that. But since you previously had a lawyer on contingency, he obviously thought you did. Can you get his notes?


Title: Employer asking me to deny customers on basis of race.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > If I were to record him explicitly telling me to deny service to someone on the basis of their skin color would that be 1) admissible in court and

depends on the state's recording laws and the exact circumstances of the recording. you don't say where you are so we can't say.

> 2) enough evidence to win any type of litigation brought against him?

that's up to the jury.

> I sue him for some heavy money here?

you probably can't, because you haven't suffered any harm. you have not, for example, been denied entry or employment on the basis of your own race. you can't sue on behalf of others.

> If he were to fire me would I have any legal recourse?

unlikely. at-will employment works both ways, sadly. you'd have a good claim for unemployment, though.

your best bets are:

* find a new job
* see if your city has a civil rights commission that might be willing to investigate

there is also federal jurisdiction here. this happened at a big club in dallas, called Kung Fu Saloon, over the past couple years, and the feds got a consent decree about it. however, i don't know what federal agency referred the issue to the DOJ. you could probably call the US Attorney's Office in dallas (http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx) and see if they can point you to the right agency. news report on the kung fu case here: http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/06/justice-department-kung-fu-saloon-will-no-longer-be-able-to-discriminate-against-patrons.html/

edit: if you live in dallas and are actually talking about Kung Fu, call the US Attorney and let them know. they'll *love* hearing about it.


Title: I think I'm being exploited a little bit by a legal loophole. Is there anything I can do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: This isn't really a loophole, the law needs to set the threshold for a required break somewhere.


Title: [Ohio] got a paraphernalia charge and potential possession charge, questioning if cops had the right to search my bag?

Question: I was stopped with my friend by the police at about 4:00 AM while we were biking home. I had a backpack on with a grinder with marijuana residue in my bag. They stopped us and started with a quick spiel on us not having helmets or headlights on our bike as well as not having the bikes registered, there have been a lot of bike thefts in my area so I didnt question anything and fully cooperated. After about 5 minutes and 2 more cop cars showing up the officer we were talking to says "and there's one more issue" he then turns on his flashlight and points it at a small bag of pot on the sidewalk behind us. We both denied any connection to or knowledge of the bag and at that point the officer asks me to set down my bag and cuffs both of us. As he cuffs us I told him that I did not consent to a search of my bag, after some time in the back of the car they end up searching my bag and find the grinder, i walk away from the incident with a drug paraphernalia charge and drug possession charge. The biggest thing that irks me is that there was absolutely 0 proof that the bag of pot they found on the ground belonged to either of us and in that sense it seems like it wouldn't give them the right to search my bag without a warrant. So I guess I'm questioning whether I could fight that in my court. My other question is: could I reschedule my court date and potentially get off scott free? I've heard that by rescheduling there's a good chance the officer involved wont show up to the new court date and the case will be thrown away, is that worth attempting? I can potentially get a lawyer but ultimately I'm trying to lose as little money as possible off of this

Answer:
 Was it your drugs?

> I've heard that by rescheduling there's a good chance the officer involved wont show up to the new court date and the case will be thrown away

Lol no.


Title: Ex Husband making threats about going after my new husbands income for child support, not legal? {MN}

Question:
My ex husband has custody of 1 of my 3 children, he is angry with me atm because I found evidence that will take her away from him. He is now claiming that he will be calling his lawyer because he is sick of the "pittance" (court ordered child support that was figured out through the system in full accordance with the law) I give him.

He said he can and will go after my current husband's income for child support for my daughter. Im 99.9% sure this is just him blowing smoke but I wanted to do a quick check on it just to make sure we dont have to cover our ass.

Also another quick question. I found out my daughter who is just 12, is staying home by herself all day,every day. My ex lives alone now(recent) and I found out he is leaving at 6am and not returning home till 10pm or even later every night because he works two jobs. Is this legal? She is basically living alone at 12. He only stops home to drop her food, often she is without a working phone.

Answer:
 Your current husband's income has very little bearing on your child support obligations. Directly, it has nothing to do with it. Child support is not calculated by household income. It's calculated by the individual income of the parents. Having said that, it could indirectly affect your child support obligations. For example, anything he pays for regarding the children can't be used to offset your child support contribution, like him paying for daycare. You have to use your income and your expenses. Your ex's "lawyer" will likely tell him to not pursue this because that's not how any of this works. If he decides to pursue it, he could be popped with having pay your attorney's fees to defend against the action.

As for the custody, it's "legal" in the sense that's its not illegal. Having said that, it's probably not in the best interest of the child to be left alone that much. You could petition to modify the custody/vistiation order if he can't be there for his children and you can.


Title: [Las Vegas, NV] Apartment complex not cleaning dog park or providing poops bags

Question:
For context: I live in a large apartment complex and have been in the same unit for almost 5 years now. The buildings in this complex are arranged around the outside of a square block, with the center either filled with grass and trees, or, as is the case on my block, a small dog park. The dog park is less than 20 feet from the bottom of the stairs that lead up to my apartment.

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Within the last year, I have noticed that the dog park has been running out of doggy poop bags and that the park has been getting more and more filled with feces. It seems like the property management company keeps cutting back on how often they clean the park or replace the doggy bags. They also don't seem to do anything to enforce the rules that owners clean up after their dogs.

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While this isn't usually a problem for me (I bring my own poop bags with me when I go to the park), the big problem is the smell and the flies. When the weather gets warmer, the smell of the feces in the dog park can be smelled from my second floor balcony, and even inside my apartment if I open the windows. The next big issue is the flies that are everywhere because of this. When I walk from my assigned parking spot to my apartment, there is always a bunch of flies in the area, and if I even open the door to walk onto my balcony, 3-6 flies seem to get inside immediately.

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As you can imagine, this is quite frustrating, and it seems to be a health hazard as well to have a dog park full of poop sitting in the middle of all of these apartment buildings. My question is, does the management company have a legal responsibility to keep that dog park clean? I always pick up after my own dogs, and will even quite often pick up poops around where my dogs went, but I simply can't keep up with the amount of feces left in there all by myself.

Answer:
 So it is a crime in NV to not pick up dog poo. You can call animal control about it. Places are absolutely not required to provide bags that is the owners of the dogs problem.

“7.08.010 - Caring for animals; sanitation; nuisance.

A. No owner of any animal shall cause or allow the animal to defecate on any public property or upon any street, sidewalk, public way, play area or common grounds owned jointly by the members of a homeowners or condominium association, or upon private property other than that of the owner, unless such owner or custodian immediately removes and disposes of all feces deposited by such animal by the following methods:
     1. Collection of the feces by appropriate implement and placement in a paper or plastic bag or other
         container; and
     2. Removal of such bag or container to the property of the animal owner or public receptacle for
         depositing animal feces and disposition thereafter in a manner otherwise permitted by law.
B. No owner of an animal shall permit any waste matter from the animal to collect and remain on the property of the owner or custodian, or on the property of others so as to cause or create an unhealthy, unsanitary, dangerous or offensive living condition on the owner's property, or to abutting or nearby property of others.
C. No owner of any animal shall cause unsanitary dangerous or offensive conditions by virtue of the size or number of animals maintained  at a single location or due to the inadequacy of the facilities”


Title: [Texas] Pro Moving Helper left his phone in my UHaul, it was damaged, am I liable?

Question:
I hired two guys from a moving helper company for 2 hours of labor. One of the guys put his personal phone in the back of the Uhaul I provided so he could listen to music as he worked. When we got to the storage unit to unload things into my unit, my husband found the phone in the back and the screen was cracked. The mover helper accused my husband of having done something to cause a piece of wood from furniture to fall on the phone. He is saying he wants us to pay him a $200 deductible to fix it.

I called his company and the owner would not take responsibility for it since it was not a company issued phone, just the mover helper's personal phone.

I told them to take it to small claims and the helper said to me that he wanted to remind me that if it went to court I would have to pay for all the days he misses work in order to come to court and lost wages.

We got his name and number. I called MovingHelper.com and a rep there stated that it was the helper's responsibility since it was his personal belongings and as a pro mover should know better than to leave it in the truck while working.

Who is liable for the damage to the guy's phone?

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
IANAL - Former HR;
He can go whistle. There is nothing unusual in the scenario - the work being done was typical of what is expected, and there were no special requirements from the employer (you) that put his phone at any special or unusual risk. The best he could do is to take you to Small Claims Court, which costs him a filing fee...and where he is likely (never ever say *never ever*) to lose.

My company never paid for broken phones or glasses et al. No responsibility for accidental damage to personal items when the accident could have just as easily happened anywhere.
Refuse to pay him.


Title: Hello! So I just found out I have a nationwide arrest warrant, and a bench warrant where I am from.

Question: I was running with the wrong crowd, and was using drugs for a short period of my life. I’ve gotten sober, and have gotten my life together. I just found out about these warrant, and I need advice on what I should do.

Answer: Contact an attorney in Colorado and find out what is going on with the warrant. Then arrange to go back and face the music. It's awesome that you have changed your life but you still need to pay for any crimes you committed in your past life. See if your attorney can work out a deal with the prosecutor given your turn around.


Title: How would you arbitrate this situation?(spoilers for the most recent It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode)

Question:
For those who haven’t seen the episode, the basic outline is this:

Dee(the female of the group) purchased a scratch off lottery ticket at a convenience store with money she was given by her brother, Dennis. Dennis' money wasn’t supposed to go towards the purchase of a scratch off, but rather a tip for the cashier.

While outside of the convenience store, Dee drops her purse and the ticket is blown by the wind to the other side of the street where Mac(Dennis and Dee’s “friend”) sees the ticket and goes to pick it up. At that moment Mac picks up the ticket, a piano is dropped from above Mac. Dennis and Dee’s father, Frank(who is across the street at the time) sees the piano about to crush Mac, and in an effort to alert Mac(a closeted homosexual), shouts out a slur for a homosexual. This gets the attention of everyone on the street, including Dennis and Dee’s other friend Charlie, who kicks Mac out of the way of the falling piano, saving his life.

In summation:

Dee believes the ticket is hers, as she is the original purchase

Dennis believes the ticket is his because it was his money that was used to purchase the ticket without his permission

Mac believes the ticket is his because he found it on the street

Charlie / Frank believe they have the right to a percentage of the ticket’s worth due to circumstances around saving Mac’s life at the time of him finding the ticket.

Answer:
 It's Dee's but the cashier might have a cause of action against her for the tip as Dee misappropriated money that was to be delivered to her. No one else has a claim.

Dennis: if i steal 100 from you and use that money to buy stock, you dont have a claim against the stock, you have a claim only for the 100 (plus interest). Further, he had already given up possession of the money, meaning he may not even have a claim to the money she embezzled.

Mac: the finder of lost property has a better claim to that property other than the true owner. He knows who owns it (it at least he knows the parties that are fighting over ownership and that at least one of them has a better claim).

Charlie /frank: you can't claim entitlement for a reward for services rendered without being asked prior to rendering them. Consideration of past acts is no consideration. If they didn't ask for compensation before acting, they aren't entitled.


Title: (WA state) Landlord lost my rent check. I have the reciept. Now what?

Question:
First of November, I went to the bank and got a cashier's check for $775 to cover November's rent.  I went to the landlords office, gave the lady the cashier's check (came straight from my bank account, bank issued cashier's check, made out to the rental company) and the lady wrote on the part of the cashier's check that I keep (carbon copy of it) her initials and the date.  I remember handing it to her, I remember the gal taking it and I remember her writing it down in their book I brought the money in.

Now the office can't find it.  She wants me to bring the receipt part by today to show them, which I'm going to do.

What do I do at this point to protect myself?  What else do I need to do? I'm freaking out thinking about how the heck I'm going to cough up an extra $775.

Answer:
 I'd bring a copy of the receipt along with the original.   Give them the copy but not the original.

Also, it is possible to cancel a lost cashier's check.  Go to where you got it to do so.  There is a fee that I would tell the landlord they need to pay.  Also, it can take up to 180 days for the funds to be returned to your account so they would be waiting for their money.


Title: Rebooting Your Fingerprint-Locked Phone Just Prior To Being Compelled To Unlock It.

Question:
I read an interesting article in the Washington Post about a recent case in which a man was compelled to supply his fingerprint to unlock his phone. There's been some precedence for denying Fifth Amendment protections for supplying a fingerprint to unlock a phone since it is seen as being comparable to taking a blood sample or appearing in a line-up. It is my understanding that the Fifth Amendment *does* protect you from being compelled to supply a password to unlock a phone.

My question is this: If you knew your that your phone was subject to an impending search, and your phone *could* be unlocked with a fingerprint, what would be the consequences of powering off the phone? Most phones which unlock with a fingerprint require a password on boot. Would this be seen as subversive and put you in contempt of court? For the sake of argument, lets say you've done this before being compelled to unlock it. For example, the police arrive at your home, announce themselves, and you immediately shutoff your phone. Or, if you're using a phone while driving and are pulled over, and you rebooted the phone as the officer walked from his car to yours (knowing he/she would be interested in making sure you weren't texting).

Answer:
 If you're worried about the law and your phone, you need to ensure you have a lengthy passcode on it, and no other way of unlocking it.  You can *compelled* to give up your fingerprints, face image, or other external attributes but you can only be *encouraged* to give up information which exists only in your brain.

Thinking that you're going to get one last chance to mess with your phone when confronted by police is not a good plan.

Amusingly, the police have even made efforts to work around the above, for instance they've mugged people for their phones (following the target until he unlocked the phone to make a call, then rushing him and mugging him for the phone while it is unlocked).


Title: How can a college require on campus residence of a legal adult (18) [Austin,Texas area]

Question:
Sorry in advance, I am posting this on behalf of a very good friend, in hopes that we can help him actually go to college and get out of the life he was born into.

The short of it is that my friend is about to graduate HS and just found out that as part of his attendance to a college, he must live on campus. He is a legal adult (18). His father abandoned their family almost a decade ago and he is estranged from/does not interact with his mother who is a drug addict.
The school policy is:
http://www.reslife.txstate.edu/exemptioncancellation/exempt.html

He cannot afford to live on campus, and not going to college could easily destroy his future.
Short of me adopting him... Can I even adopt an 18yo to become his legal guardian?
I told him that he should drive down there and talk someone about his situation and how he might not even attend that school if he's forced to live on campus. Then maybe try to shame them on social media if they do not help him out. but IANAL....

Any help would be AMAZING! thank you all in advance.

Answer:
 Yes, they can require students live on campus.

He can talk to the housing authority at the school and find out about their free or reduced fee housing programs, or he can take out student loans to cover the cost of housing.Answer #2: Even being a state school instead of a private one, it's still only likely subject to the rational basis test, if at all, to justify this policy.

He should look into community college, if he can't afford to live on campus. Public communities colleges are also usually cheaper than four-year colleges, and the credits will transfer to a four-year college.
Answer #3: This information would have been readily available to new applicants. Your friend should talk to student housing about his issues. They likely have grants or loans for kids who have no money. If that doesn't work, he can attend another school that doesn't require it. If it's too late to apply for the fall, he can go to a tech school in the meantime.


Title: Should I be worried?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Where I live they turn over bad checks to the District Attorney and they handle the prosecution.  You confessed in your post you were guilty of writing the bad check.  Did you sign a lease. She can come after you for it.

Also please add paragraphs.


Title: [NY] Was my attorney practicing law illegally?

Question:
Not sure where to go with this, so I came here for some advice. I run my own business and deal with a number of fairly complex buying and selling of services/goods so I hired an attorney to help me draft all of my contracts. Since February 1, 2012, I've been paying him about $100 per contract draft and he usually takes care of about 5 a month.

Recently, a client brought it to my attention that my attorney had been disbarred in the state of New York and is trying to get out of a contract I had them draft as a result. This could cost me thousands of dollars and if they talk to some of my other clients, it could be a huge issue for me.

I guess my main question is three parts: Was he practicing law for me when he shouldn't or was he just looking at my contracts? Second, can my clients renege on the deals I've made with them as a result? Third, where should I go from here? I've already stopped using him and I'm taking a month break so I have some time before I'll need an attorney again but is he okay to use still?

Miscellaneous info that may be relevant: All of his business cards and letters he sent were signed XXX XXX, esq.

Answer:
 >Was he practicing law for me when he shouldn't or was he just looking at my contracts?

This is shady. If he's reviewing contracts and presenting himself as an attorney, he's gonna be in big trouble. There's a reason we don't do contract reviews or otherwise offer specific legal advice in this sub, and it's to avoid exactly this problem.

>can my clients renege on the deals I've made with them as a result?

Likely not. It doesn't require an attorney to have a contract. You could have written it yourself, it really doesn't matter. However, if the contract was poorly written there may be a way to get out of it.

>Third, where should I go from here?

You should meet with a real attorney ASAP, before your break is up if at all possible. At least start making some phone calls. You should also report your fake lawyer to the Bar right away.Answer #2: If your attorney was indeed disbarred when he handled the contracts, he may have been practicing law without a license.

That does not, however, make the contracts automatically void.  The other party would have to have some reason in the contract itself why it was invalid.  Otherwise, the law would be punishing clients for an attorney's wrongdoing, and the law generally doesn't like to do that.Answer #3: >a client brought it to my attention that my attorney had been disbarred in the state of New York

I would check up on that.  Use [this.](http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/attorney/AttorneySearch)

Clients can't get out of your contracts with them because of who supposedly drafted said contracts.


Title: (FL) Must appear at Courthouse within 10 days for Petit Theft misdemeanor

Question: I was caught trying to shoplift about $250 worth of merchandise at Target. My Notice to Appear says that I must go to the County Court within 10 days to pay the fine for Petit Theft misdemeanor. I want to represent myself. How should I plead: not guilty or no contest? Is it possible to keep this off my record if I ask the judge if I've eligible for a diversion program?

Answer:
 > not guilty or no contest?

"No contest" is just pleading guilty but making it slightly harder for Target to successfully [edit: sue] you.

You are looking at up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine...and a criminal record that will follow you around impacting school, getting an apartment, jobs, etc.

You need an attorney.

A judge can appoint a public defender if your income that is equal to or less than 200% of the current federal poverty guidelines (which mean you would need to gross less than $23,760 annually if you are an individual, no kids, etc.).

Hire an attorney, or:

1. Go to your court date.
2. Say nothing other than "not guilty" (when asked) and then ask to be appointed a public defender.

You could also contact the local public defenders' office this week and see if they can help you now.
Answer #2: Yes. If its truly your first offense you should be eligible for diversion. But diversion is no picnic and isn't the cheapest option.


Title: [ATL-GA] Big Lot near a "public" open space. People wander into my lot and have had at least one incident. What to do?

Question:
**TL;DR:** 3 acres of land inside the perimeter in Atlanta; no fence; people on my property think it is a public space; what to do? No trespassing signs?  Build a fence?

Note:  I searched an didn't find any questions similar to this one.

Long time redditor - but using a throwaway because, you know, creepy people.

I live in a neighborhood "inside the perimeter" in Atlanta and have 3 acres. It is mostly covered in invasive privet and bamboo.   That said, I have started to clear out a yard for the kids and a path to ride bikes on  (with some decent obstacles… a 3 minute-a-lap path that would at least be good for evening rides after work).  We'd like to restore as much of it as possible back to "natural Georgia."

The property backs up to a church property.  The church allows people to use the property (playgrounds and such) and they also host some sports teams (several big multi-use fields) along with other activities.  They have so much land - all low-lying flood plain - and people who aren't even church members go over there and picnic and stuff, treating it like a park.

There is a large (from bank to bank probably 15 to 30 feet) creek that separates my neighborhood from the church.  However, for about 100 feet, the creek is completely within my property.

People walking from the church on their property cross over into my property without realizing it.  Now that I've cut a path - entirely on my property  on "my" side of the creek - people are starting to cross the creek (it is very shallow when it is not raining) and wander into my back yard.
 Yesterday, someone went so far as to move some boards on a bridge I use to cross a smaller creek that is entirely in my property, and proceed to break some glass bottles on the path - apparently with the intent of preventing me from using my own path.  I did call the police and they filed the appropriate reports.  The boards were moved so that I could no longer walk around my own yard!  This was well inside my property line, and was certainly done knowing that I wouldn't be able to cross.  Also, one board is missing still.  I assume whoever did this took it back to the big creek.

I bought the house about a year ago thinking that if we could clean it up, we'd have a great space for the children.

My fear now is that I've opened it up, and people will continue to trespass.

I hate to put a fence up.  I don't want to have to put up "no trespassing" signs.  I'm okay if people want to come down to the creek where it is shallow and let their dogs play - the best stretch of the creek is a part where I own 30 feet or so on the opposite side from my house.   I don't want to get into a dispute with the church, but the only way to access my backyard is from the church property.  And I certainly don't want any creepy people walking around.

**Questions:**

Am I at risk for any liability if I don't do something?  Would a "no trespassing" sign be effective?  If someone uses my bridges (again, legally built and 100% on my property) to rob my neighbor's house and then retreat into the woods, have I contributed to that?  If someone gets hurt on my section of the creek am I liable?

Edit:  Thanks for the responses... and no, I will not be building a piranha filled moat.

Edit2: I will probably put up some signs to indicate it is private property.  I appreciate the suggestions.  My father did suggest an alternative:  hang dead animal on strings at various places on the path to just scare the crap out of people.  I pointed out that creepy high school kids would probably be more attracted to it.

Answer:
 > I hate to put a fence up. I don't want to have to put up "no trespassing" signs.

If you don't give people some warning that your property is being intruded upon, it's difficult for you to argue that they've violated it.  If you don't want to put up a full fence, some signposts might do the trick.

> Am I at risk for any liability if I don't do something?

Possibly, yes.  Liability may exist, even if you post signs and fences, although it's certainly lessened.

> If someone uses my bridges (again, legally built and 100% on my property) to rob my neighbor's house and then retreat into the woods, have I contributed to that?

Almost assuredly not.

Answer #2: Here's an alternative.

Rope the property. Put posts up every few feet of the parameter and run a rope around each fencepost. It indicates the property is fenced off but it isn't ugly and distracting like a chain link fence and more natural looking.

"Private Property" signs further indicate the status of the property. Both are likely needed.

>I hate to put a fence up. I don't want to have to put up "no trespassing" signs.

Well, if not people are going to assume your land is a public space. There isn't any alternative. Answer #3: By the way, have you talked to the church and told them what you plan on doing?  They might appreciate advance notice, and they are best placed to answer questions if their members ask why the property is now of limits.


Title: I was given the wrong prize at a raffle, do I have to return it?

Question: Short and simple, my high school has a raffle at one of the dances.  There are many prizes ranging from kitchen appliances to concert tickets.  I won a small prize and when I went to claim my reward, I was handed a PS4 instead.  I left with the PS4 and took it home.   The next day I began receiving calls accusing me of stealing the PS4.  I'm planning on returning it, but I am wondering if I legally have to.  My high school is in Illinois and is a public school.  Many thanks to anyone who can offer some guidance.

Answer: The PS4 belongs to the person who actually won it. You can’t keep it in the same way that they couldn’t keep your car if the valet gave them your keys by mistake.