Title: Was My Rapid Withdrawal from Benzos Malpractice by My Psychiatrist?

Question:
Hi everyone,

I'm on month 7 of withdrawal from lorazepam (Atrivan), a benzodiapine for anxiety.

I'm wondering if what my psychiatrist did was malpractice or not?

TLDR: My psychiatrist withdrew me off of lorazepam in seven days 100% from a dose of 3-4mg a day. She knew I was in emotional distress before withdrawing too as she knew my engagement broke off and my grandmother died. I actually had to start withdrawing the day after my grandmother's funeral. If you don't know what Lorazepam is, it's a benzo that is recommended to withdraw from over months or even years. Benzos are commonly known as being the hardest substance to withdraw from (even harder than heroin). In fact, they are one of the few drugs that the withdrawal symptoms alone can kill people. I believe my psychiatrist was reckless and could've put my life in jeopardy.

Here's my story in detail:

I started on Lorazepam in August of 2014 along with Prozac. After one session my psychiatrist diagnosed me with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Depression. She wrote me the prescription without warning me of withdrawal symptoms or not to drink alcohol with lorazepam. Stupid, young me didn't even realize that prescriptions given for mental illnesses had withdrawal symptoms. I was just excited to finally get help for my anxiety that prevented me from attending college regularly and doing everyday social things in public like getting groceries without having a panic attack in the store.

I didn't like how I was feeling (got nauseous and extremely gaggy to the point I was dry heaving every day) so she placed me on Zoloft after a short time along with the lorazepam instead of Prozac. I kept having the same issues so I was put on Paxil instead of Zoloft, all the while being on lorazepam (3-4mg a day).

While on Paxil I felt very out of control. I started drinking daily and doing reckless things (which is very abnormal for me as I'm a very mature and responsible person) as I wasn't informed never to drink on lorazepam. I started cutting myself for the first time in my life to help my emotional pain. I also overdosed on some leftover Vicodin (parents took me to the hospital, was okay) and months later attempted suicide on all of my leftover Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, and about somewhere from 85-120mg of lorazepam. I went to the hospital in an ambulance and don't remember much of what happened. I was placed in the hospital's psych ward for four days.

After my suicide attempt I withdrew from Paxil a couple of months later. I was sick for a week then felt better. I remained on Lorazepam the entire time. After my suicide attempt I was required to start seeing a therapist and started seeing a therapist who works in the same office as my psychiatrist.

Next I was put on Norepinephrine (sp?) because my depression was so terrible. I also had horrible side effects on this stuff, and begged to see my psychiatrist one day during my break between college classes because I couldn't take the horrible feeling. She took me off of Norepinephrine and placed me on Zyprexa.

Zyprexa worked for me better than anything. I had little side effects besides weight gain. It helped me eat (something I struggle with because of my anxiety), helped me sleep amazing, and almost immediately relieved my depression symptoms.

I stayed on Zyprexa for about 1 year, 8 months along with Lorazepam. I still cut myself whenever I had an overwhelming emotional distress.

I went off Zyprexa because my psychiatrist said I was gaining too much weight and that Zyprexa can cause diabetes if you stay on it too long, which is another thing she didn't warn me about before I started it. My depression was better so I went off and had again about a week of crappy withdrawal then felt better.

I stayed on Lorazepam and that was my only medication for 7 months. In December of last year I found out some rather unpleasant things about my fiancé and the same day about 10 minutes after I found out those things and broke off my engagement with him I found out from my parents my grandma was dying. She died the next day on Christmas Eve.

Being on Lorazepam always made me do weird things I had never done in my life before such as cutting, my Vicodin overdose, my suicide attempt, and after I found out these things in one day I overdosed on my Lorazepam to forget what had happened. I took about 40mg. The next morning I barely remember this, but I cut myself again and cut off my hair. All very bizarre behavior for me.

After this happened, I had to leave town for my grandmother's funeral. I knew I would run out of my Lorazepam early because of my overdose and out of embarrassment and shame told my psychiatrist (over the phone through their patient care coordinator) I dropped them down the drain instead. I don't think she believed me because of my previous suicide attempt. The patient care coordinator told me I had to withdraw from them.

I wanted to talk to my doctor, but they refused. I told them what had happened and that I was out of town for my grandmother's funeral, but it made no difference. My psychiatrist didn't even give me a 5 minute phone call to explain withdrawing to me. Instead I got a video chat from another lady who works in their office that I had never met before, didn't know my circumstances, or me. I was informed I had to withdraw in 7 days and that's all the pills they would prescribe me. I explained I wanted to wait because I was at my grandmother's funeral, but they didn't care. I was forced to start withdrawals the day after her funeral.

I only later on learned that it is extremely dangerous to withdraw from a benzo in 7 days. In fact, most recommend withdrawing over months or even years. My psychiatrist seemed to think what she did was reasonable. Lorazepam is one of the few drugs you can die from just the withdrawal effects.

As a result I was unable to take a job offer I finally got in December because I was so sick and haven't been working the past 7 months. My symptoms were unbearable.

I had: severe depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks multiple times a day, hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, muscle cramps, muscle convulsions, severe motion sickness that kept me house bound, diarrhea, shakes, hot flashes, tremors, weird pain such as severe teeth pain, heart palpitations, suicidal thoughts, nausea, zero appetite, severe weight loss, insomnia, nightmares, etc.

Just about anything and everything. It was the worst pain I've ever had to go through in my life. Those months were truly hell. I almost voluntarily put myself in the psych ward because of my suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, and hallucinations. The only reason I didn't was because I kept researching online anything to help me and learned about CBD oil and went back to my psychiatrist and begged her to give me that and she did and it helped immensely. It was the first time in days I could eat a full meal.

Since this happened I've been researching more and have been told by other mental health professionals that my symptoms seem more like complex PTSD (stemming from an abusive childhood) or bipolar. I asked my therapist (who is in the same office as my psychiatrist) and she was like well of course you have PTSD. She seemed under the impression she or my doctor had already told me that when they in fact never did. It doesn't make sense either as benzos are known to exacerbate PTSD symptoms, which is certainly what they seemed to do for me.

I'm finally starting to get back on my feet. I seem over the physical withdrawal symptoms, but still have many mental ones such as occasional severe paranoia, slight hallucinations when I feel very paranoid, depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety that is severe enough I can hardly go to a store by myself.

I know I overdosed, but that doesn't seem like an excuse to put me through such rapid withdrawals. I have never heard of anyone being taken off Lorazepam in 7 days.

Was this malpractice? I'm curious to know if I could have a lawsuit or not.

Answer:
 You can speak to a malpractice attorney, but it is extremely doubtful this would be actionable. While a week may be fast, the risk of death is from seizure, and even a week taper is probably good to prevent that. The doctor has a duty to stop prescribing a medication they believe you to be misusing, and going through more than prescribed is misuse.

Since you had no permanent health damages, there is no finanical loss to sue for. You should always speak with an attorney local to you who you can give all relevant facts to, but I would not hold my breath of an outcome you will be satisfied with.


Title: My girlfriend is being threatened to have sexual photos of her "exposed" by my cousin.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I'm sorry, are you trying to tell me that you've been sending and receiving child pornography via Facebook? So now what you're going to do is inform your cousin that he's in possession of child porn and that he needs to delete it. Then you're going to burn your Facebook to the ground and make a new one. You'll delete every single image you have of her and never ever get another one until both of you are past 18. You'll never do it over Facebook again for any reason. Monumentally stupid that move was. Answer #2: Probably gonna want to delete that last sentence. From now on, you are 100% positive you received these pictures the day after her 18th birthday. Whew lad...


Title: My employer is taking money out of my paycheck to pay for accidental damages, is this legal?

Question:
I work at a car dealership in Massachusetts and I accidently scratched some rims on a car, they were extremely small scratches that I didn't notice when I finished the car and sent it away. Now they are taking $65-70 out of my paycheck every week saying that I'm responsible for paying it back. I was never informed of this nor did I sign anything giving permission. Are they doing something illegal here?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Completely 100% illegal check this website out:

https://www.masslegalhelp.org/employment-unemployment/getting-paid/deductions

I would consult with an employment lawyer. Keep your pay stubs as proof of the deduction. I can’t believe how stupid your employer is to try and pull this stunt.


Title: Bumped a car two weeks ago now the owner is pissed.

Question:
Hi everyone !

First of all I'm from Quebec, Canada so laws are different. Two weeks, while going out of a parking, I bumped the front of my friend's (let's call him Matthew) car. So I got out to take a look at his bumper and mine and I haven't seen anything  so I went back in my car and left. Matthew's father recently found out about it and said there is a dent wich I have not seen. I have all the tools necessary to fix it and would like to avoid calling my insurance since I am only partially covered. The thing is I have reasons to believe he is lying and I am not even responsible. If I fix it myself can he still come back at me ? Or should I call my insurance right away and let them deal with it even though it was two weeks ago ?

It might look like nothing but it's stressing me out ! Thank you.

Answer: Call your insurance and let them handle it. It's why you pay them.


Title: The good citizen

Question:
Federial witness , burned by Prosicutor to  save time , Lost business, lost Patent, lost web sight , Lost 25+ years of work . I want the world to know the real cost of Helping the DEA  and US Marshels ...   I don't want thet Prosicutor to ever get the chance to trash a citizen ever again  .  I have been moved , 50 + miles from PO Box.
Long list .  I want  him on the street , and Compinsation ...   ??

Answer: Did you also lose the ability to write in proper, coherent English?


Title: Full security deposit taken following "violation of no smoking policy"

Question:
**The background:** Wisconsin- I lived in a rental property with one roommate. For the year that we lived there, I never smoked in the house. He did often. The security deposit withheld is $500 from each of us.

**The question:** Can my landlord prove that smoking occurred inside the house? If so, are my roommate and I jointly liable for the accused smoking? To proceed, do I need a lawyer? I am not interested in paying for an expensive lawyer for a small claim amount like this.

**The details:**The lease states, "no smoking will be permitted inside the house (...) If there is any evidence of smoking inside the premises at anytime during the lease, the full security deposit will be forfeited."

In the notices of damages he says, "When at house to address kitchen plumbing, it was documented that tenants had been smoking in the house. Tenants were reminded of non smoking policy."

There are no burn marks or visual evidence of smoking. There may have been smell.

My roommate and I are on good terms, but given my current financial situation and my lack of responsibility for this: i'm pissed.

Answer:
 > Can my landlord prove that smoking occurred inside the house?

He can smell. He can probably get an attestation from cleaning service that they cleaned cigarette ash. He can take pictures of butts. There's lots of ways to 'prove' smoking occurred, though basic logging is usually fine. I've also taken carpet slices and put them in Zip-loc bags if a judge has ever wished to smell for herself (it's never come to that).

> If so, are my roommate and I jointly liable for the accused smoking?

If you're on the same lease - yes.

> To proceed, do I need a lawyer? I am not interested in paying for an expensive lawyer for a small claim amount like this.

What do you want out of this? If your roomie smoked and you're on the same lease as him, you're jointly liable for his behavior. Best bet is to pay and move on and ask your roommate for money to cover his damages.


Title: My ex wife is living out of state with the children I have custody of and she isn't supposed to leave the state with them. I need advice please.

Question:
I'm not really sure how to go about this, but I'll give it a shot. Me and my wife at the time were split up and getting ready to divorce. One day she picked my children up and went to California with them before the court date that she knew she had (I wasn't aware she left at the time but I knew she wouldn't let me see the children. I show up at court that morning thinking she would be there so we can figure out custody and visitation etc. but she wasn't there. The judge granted me emergency custody and that the mother isn't allowed to leave the state of Arkansas with my two boys. It's been a year now and no one has done anything to find her and get my children back to me. She has warrants out for her arrest and still there has been nothing done about it. The crazy part is she lets me talk to them via skype and recently told me that I should sacrifice everything that I have going for me and move closer to the boys so I could see them. I just really want to get my kids back and I would really appreciate some advice on where to start or even what to do.

EDIT: So, apparently my lawyer lied to me. He said there wasn't anything he or the police could do about it when I first got the court order and she ran. He said that I'd have to wait it out until someone found her. But I found out today the charges pressed on her right now is a misdemeanor crime and I need a lawyer to push the other two charges (I have custody and she can't leave the state with my children) to criminal charges. Because I figured someone would have eventually had to run a background check on her and if they seen she has felonies then something would have been done. So, now I'm in the process of finding a new lawyer to help get these charges pushed to criminal.

Answer:
 You still have an order giving you full custody of the children?  You've told her this, and she ignored it?  You've sent her a copy of the order?

Call her local police department, explain the situation, send them a copy of the order.  Be prepared to travel to California and retrieve the children.
Answer #2: Do you know where exactly they are? If she wants you to move there, ask her.

Start working immediately on getting the custody order [domesticated](http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fl580.pdf). Once it is, the local police will help you get your kids.


Title: 17 year old MIP for Weed, what to do?

Question:
This is a first time offense, but essentially what happened was that I got caught for an MIP for weed and trespassing, I'm only 17 and I want to know what sort of things that I am entitled to as a minor in court.

Any advice on this?

Answer: You get your parents to get you a lawyer.


Title: Contractor hired to paint. Paint job was never finished and a paint compressor was left on our property. He was paid before the job was finished. MI

Question:
I'll start off by saying I'm just trying to help out my parents about what they should do. A painter was hired to paint the cabinet doors and cabinet frames in our kitchen, and the living room of our new house. The living room was painted and the kitchen was partially finished. This main constantly requested more money for materials and was paid for them by my parents. His job was terrible. There was paint marks on all sorts of surfaces that weren't supposed to be painted. In spite of me telling my mother not to pay him in advance, she did.
He left his sprayer in our garage, and has contacted my mom to allow him to get it the next morning for another job he has. He hasn't finished his current job(our house) and is basically telling my mom that she will have to wait for him to finish his other jobs first.
My mom has warned him that if he doesn't finish the job he was paid for, she will take him to small claims court(this is in Michigan). She is also contemplating refusing to allow him to retrieve his sprayer from our property, as a sort of spiteful refund for him not finishing the job.
Is she allowed to do this? What is most likely to happen in court? If she wins in court, will he have a deadline to pay by, or is it up to him to pay when he wants to? Is there a way to demand a refund for the job not finished? Thank you in advance

Answer:
 First, never pay contractors 100% up front.  Require production targets and partial payments.

Second, if the painter is licensed by the state, file a complaint with the state licensing board.  I'm unclear what makes you think you have a legal right to keep the paint equipment.  That could get you in hot water.

There is a timeline to pay in small claims court, but collections is notoriously difficult.


Title: Why is discovery required?

Question:
Complete legal procedural novice here. I understand that discovery is a required part of the legal process where both parties present each other with all the evidence they can possibly call upon in trial.

But it got me thinking, why is discovery mandatory? Why is it required that you reveal all your evidence to the defence/prosecution allowing them to come up with counter arguments and strategies. Why would the court require you to give up the seemingly advantageous position of having information/evidence your opposition doesn’t have access to?

Answer: Modern understanding is that justice is best served when both sides have as complete a picture of the case as possible, so that they can put forward well-researched and comprehensive arguments, rather than scrambling on the stand. Often, especially in civil cases, information exchanged during discovery helps lead to a settlement, as well.Answer #2: Because courts prefer issues to be resolved on their merits (not on gamesmanship). Trying to win by surprise is unfair to the other litigant. It would also permit a wrongdoer to hide evidence of their wrongdoing


Title: [OH] Power Shut Off without Notice. Says I owe them $3K?

Question:
Hey LA, long time first time. I came home last night to find a notice on my door that my power had been disconnected because I hadn't paid my electric bill in almost three years. Now back when I signed up for electricity I did auto pay so I'd get a small discount. Subsequently I ignored all mail from them since I was on auto pay. However, autopsy must have gotten switched off because apparently I haven't paid them almost at all.

There are a couple things that I'd like an opinion on. First,I cannot find any disconnect warning notice in any form of communication from. The only notice I received was the disconnect itself. Second, they must have  entered my apartment to shut if off and I received no 24 hour notice on that either. Do either of those things affect the payment situation? I am planning on paying a portion to get reconnected but I want to make sure that is a good idea first. Thanks for the help!

Answer: Lol you ignored all mail. You have no idea what they sent you. Learn how to adult. Call them and nicely and respectfully ask how much you need to pay now to get it turned back on.


Title: Sexual partner lied about HIV status, grounds for lawsuit/criminal charges?

Question: [Important to note: this was male to male contact] This happened about 48 hours ago. I went on a pretty good date with a guy from Tinder. Later, we agreed to go to his place because he took a class in massages, and my back was hurting. In his place, he told me to take off my pants for the massage and before I did so, I asked him repeatedly does he have any STD's or any sexually transmissible hazards I should be aware about. Again, I asked him this MULTIPLE times. Again and again, he denied having such. Things got pretty tense and he ended up blowing me. He also got a little bit of some cum and precum on his hand and he later fingered me without washing his hand. I also later gave him a hand job. This intercourses were all without condoms. So as I left, I asked him AGAIN if he had any STD/STI's and again, he again said no. Fast forward two days later, I texted him once more asking about if he has HIV. After a long discussion, he admits he had HIV and I flipped the fuck out. It made me furious how he so recklessly was jeopardizing someone else's health just because he was "in the moment."  He played some mind tricks on me saying how "it hurts that how he wasn't trusted." I'm not falling into that bullshit. I can't get PeP because it's too expensive. Plus, all clinics are closed by now and tomorrow is Sunday (all clinics are pretty much closed) which will make it 72 hours. He told me he was undetectable so even if we did stuff like bareback the chances of me getting it is supposedly .01%. I'm super furious right now and I have no idea what to do. I have screenshots of him admitting his HIV status and how he blatantly lied to me. I live in the state of Maryland and he currently resides temporarily in Virginia. I found this article online and I want to know if this is applicable towards this situation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_transmission_of_HIV_in_the_United_States

Answer:
 Who cares about upfront costs, there has to be a 24 hour clinic somewhere that can help.  Go there immediately.  If there is anything worth going into debt for, this would be it.  Answer #2: No legal advice but get to the ER asap and ask them for "post-exposure prophylaxis" for HIV. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-exposure_prophylaxis#Treatment

It's not really effective after 72 hours past exposure, so you need to go now.Answer #3: Please listen to all the advice you've been given and get to the ER immediately for Post Exposure Prophylaxis. Then talk to the police and consult an attorney.

That said, to help put your mind at ease somewhat: The risk of being infected by an HIV positive partner is much lower than you may think. See this [chart from the CDC](http://imgur.com/HHbXAZm). Consult a doctor immediately no matter what, but this should help give you a little peace of mind.


Title: UPDATED - Landlord will not return my deposit. She had a lawyer contact me stating that I owe them money (LA, CA)

Question:
This is a continuation to this: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3gmd7g/los_angeles_ca_landlord_withholding_full_deposit/
---
So I moved out on August 22nd as agreed upon by my landlord and myself. Attached with my August's month's rent (full amount of August) was a note that stated that I would expect my deposit back no later than 21 days after my departure date (because my former landlord stated she didn't have the money to pay me back and would require another person to move in before she would have the money to pay me back). I also asked for the prorated rent back for August since I was leaving on the 21st (off the landlords accord since she was travelling and wouldn't be able to check me out at the end of August).

---

This past week, I received two letters from a law office at my parent's home. The letter indicates that I did not provide a 60 day notice (I only provided the "please return my deposit no later than this date" and a phone call agreement. She refused to provide me with an address so I was unable to send a registered mail letter for proof) and makes me liable for August and September rent. Now I actually owe September rent + attorney fees + misc. cleaning fees.

---

The end of the letter states that the land lord is willing to come to an "agreeable" settlement where she will give me about 10% of my deposit back and everything will be settled.

---

Legal Advice, do you have any suggestions or advice for me?

Answer:
 Small claims court. Even if she was entitled to keep any of it, she forfeited that by not sending an itemized statement to you by 21 days after you vacated.Answer #2: Did your lease require 60 days written notice?  if not, oral notice is okay. how did you get her the rent if not by mail?  why couldn't you have given her notice of termination by that route?

if you did everything right and LL is just being a shit, you can either stand your ground and threaten small claims, or you can propose an alt settlement. like 70%


Title: Is there a way of legally being declared "family" with a close friend for next of kin / inheritance purposes?

Question:
Location: USA, TN

My best friend and I have very complicated/nonexistent relationships with our family. He has very little family. I have a very complicated relationship with my parents and the majority of my family. We are looking for a way of legally declaring each other as family for next of kin, inheritance, life insurance, emergency hospital visits (although we're not sure if the hospital definition of family is strictly legal/blood), etc etc.. as if we were blood related brothers. We looked into adult adoption but, theres an issue with that. My actual blood brothers are the only family I have contact with. They are minors and I'm not sure how my parents life insurance (I'm still the beneficiary for my parents life insurance if both parents are deceased) or guardianship over them would be effected by adult adoption of/by my best friend and I.

thank you in advance

Answer: No nonfamily cannot be declared family unless marriage/adoption/etc.  But you can control who inheritance goes to by writing a will.  For life ins, you can choose beneficiaries.  For hospital you can set emergency contacts.


Title: The company I work for is about to lose me $350. (Oklahoma)

Question:
The job I do requires special licensing, another person in my position failed to renew his license, this has led to me having to work significantly more. While I don't mind the overtime, I had a plane ticket purchased before the other person's license expired. My company was aware of this and is now trying to make me skip said flight in order to cover the shifts the other person can not. They are refusing to reimburse me for my loss. Do I have any legal recourse?

In addition, over the next month, there are two major events I am significantly involved in. The time for these events was also requested off before the other person's license troubles. Do I have any legal recourse if they try to force me to choose between my job and these events?

Please help me. I would have to start all over if I have to leave this company and I need to find a way to convince my boss that this isn't right and that I should not be forced into skipping important personal events that were already known before another person screwed up.
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 No to both questions. You work when your employer wants you to work. Of course you can never be literally forced to work. If you do not work when requested you can be legally fired. Whether or not you could collect unemployment would depend on the circumstances. Answer #2: > I had a plane ticket purchased before the other person's license expired. My company was aware of this and is now trying to make me skip said flight in order to cover the shifts the other person can not. They are refusing to reimburse me for my loss. Do I have any legal recourse?

Sorry but there is no legal recourse here. You can choose whether you want to skip your flight or not, but but they can also choose whether or not they continue to employ you. It sucks but nothing legally you can do about it.

> In addition, over the next month, there are two major events I am significantly involved in. The time for these events was also requested off before the other person's license troubles. Do I have any legal recourse if they try to force me to choose between my job and these events?

Sorry, but no again. Your only recourse is to quit. If it were me, I'd let them know that these things are important to you and that you are not going to go out the $350 or miss these events. While it may not be what they want to hear, if you are important to them then I would hope they do not fire you over it. But that's a distinct possibility.


Title: [GA] Hurt my back at work and they cannot accommodate - Now what?

Question:
State of Georgia here. I hurt my back at work last Friday (9/30) and immediately filed an occurrence report to indicate I had been injured. I declined immediate medical treatment in an ER and said I'd wait and go to a doctor if it did not end up getting better after I had a few days off to rest. It didn't, so I set up the appointment today and went. The doctor ruled it as a strained back and put some restrictions on me until my next appointment in 10 days. There is very little way for my employer to let me stay in my current job role and meet those restrictions (I'm in patient care and I'm not allowed to lift or pull or stand for lengths of time).

I immediately called my manager, who told me she couldn't accommodate me and said I basically just won't be working for the next 10 days. I asked what I need to do as far as getting paid, and she vaguely mentioned something about filing for FMLA and after 3 days I'll collect a paycheck. She didn't fully know about it and directed me to call the risk management employee about it on Monday (the same person who set up my doctor's appointment).

I don't want to go into this without having my ducks in a row. I googled it and apparently a lot of workplaces skip a workman's comp filing and go straight for FMLA because they don't have to pay out if you file FMLA. I'm very concerned because my employer has always tried to cut whatever benefits they could to save a dollar. I do not want to be a victim here, but I also don't want to raise a stink over the 48 hours of work I'll be missing in those 10 days if it's not necessary. My manager did say I'd be paid after 3 days, and I couldn't find anything on what that's about.

Any insight would be most helpful, legaladvice!

Answer:
 Georgia's [WC handbook](https://sbwc.georgia.gov/sites/sbwc.georgia.gov/files/related_files/site_page/employee_handbook.pdf) states the following:

>What will happen if I am unable to work because of my on-the-job injury?

>You are entitled to receive weekly Temporary Total Disability benefits if you miss more than seven days from work. Only if you are out more than 21 consecutive days due to your injury will you be paid for the first seven days. Your first check should be mailed to you within 21 days after the first day of disability. You will receive two-thirds of your average weekly wage, but not more than the maximum rate provided by the Workers’ Compensation act at the time of your injury. Your authorized treating physician must verify your disability and absence from work.


Title: Girlfriends mother spent her self made college fund

Question:
California
My girlfriend has been in FFA and 4h for about 5 years. She raised, breed, and sold goats sheep and other animals. She obviously started before she was 18 so her mother (who works at the bank) made her a savings account to hold all of her money. Let's do some crummy math. Goats sold usually weigh about 70lbs or something (not sure I don't do it she did) usually when she sells them she gets anywhere from 18-25$ a pound. She had a lot of animals too many to count and almost all of them were sold. That's a lot of money. She also won some scholarships for school which are also "gone." Is there anything she can do or does the idea of her age or a joint account screw her completely? Thanks for your time

Answer:
 That's the drawback of joint accounts. All people who are part of the account have unrestricted access. Are you sure the mom wasn't a custodian? that's different.

Also the scholarships might be recoverable, but that part is out of my depth. That's all I can say without a location.


Title: My downstairs neighbor is either hearing things, exaggerating, it the bionic woman.

Question:
I'm not sure if this is the best place for this, so if it should be elsewhere, please let me know.

I, a 28 year old guy, live with two other people (s/o and close friend) in an apartment in upstate NYS. We rent through a housing council for low-income people, because we're all poor as shit. We've lived here for almost eight years now and despite having to pay our rent in increments instead if all at once, they fucking love us. No complaints, no issues, we're super clean and have actually repaired things ourselves to save them time, and it's been appreciated.

Our downstairs neighbor, who has been here for a few years now, is an older lady who apparently complains frequently, namely about us and "the noise we make".

I was sympathetic at first; s/o and I are musicians, we have friends over sometimes, and we can get a bit loud. The first time she complained, I figured that's what it was, but apparently, she's either hearing things or has *obscenely* sensitive hearing.

She's complained that we're running around, screaming, moving furniture, throwing things, and jumping down the halls, at *3 in the fucking morning*.

Our roommate goes to bed at 12, my s/o wakes up early for work and most nights we're sitting here on the couch fucking *quietly* watching TV.

The crowning achievement in this shit was when she said this shit *when we were out of town*.

Whenever we've talked to her she's polite, and rambles for 45 minutes about how she doesn't want to be a bitch *buuuuut* etc .

The office has told us personally about her complains every time so that much is good, nothing has formally come against us, but I'm getting so paranoid about it.

Honestly, what confuses me the most is that she's never complained about anything that *would* make sense, like us coming home late from shows, singing or playing music in the apartment. It's all this moving furniture bullshit, or jumping

BONUS POINTS because we actually went and got fucking rugs to maybe help it, despite the fact that we all intentionally try to walk quietly, and it's done nothing to help.

I'm going to call the office on Monday and ask them what to do, because I'm losing my mind over this, but in the mean time any advice would be good. We're also actively looking for another apartment.

Answer: Is it possible that she's hearing a different neighbour and assuming it's you? Sometimes noise carries in surprising ways. It could be coming through the vents amplified from a different unit.


Title: I’m on the HOA board, and one of the homeowners may have threatened me? Paranoid or restraining order worthy?

Question:
I’ve been on the board for only a few months but was warned about this homeowner by multiple people prior to joining. After the meetings the Board and Property Manager (PM) do a walkthrough of the property, and after our first walkthrough this owner stopped us and asked me what unit I was in. I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable answering so I avoided the question, and he said he wanted to know so he could verify that my deed was correct. I told him my deed was just fine and we went our separate ways.

Fast forward to tonight. He came up to me and the PM after we had finished our walkthrough and said, “Your deed is fine, by the way. I looked.” I told him it was a little creepy and after a bit of back and forth, he said, “When you lose your property and the shooting starts, you’ll be glad to know me.” as he walked away.

Here’s my question: am I being paranoid, or is this a threat that is maybe restraining-order worthy? We are in Southern California.

Thanks in advance.

Answer: No of course it isn’t. The guy is clearly a bit odd ball, but to think you could get a restraining order over this shows you to be more than a bit paranoid. The property that you own is public record, and I’m not so sure why you would be so unnecessarily cagey about giving that information. If you had said “ I’m in unit 401” then you would have dealt with this in the moment, but because you were all cloak and dagger about it, you got this result.


Title: Foreign worker, wife is getting threats from male officemate’s wife

Question:
tl;dr possibly crazy wife of coworker threatening my wife. Questions at the bottom

Wife and I are foreign workers living in Malaysia. Wife has a male officemate, let’s call him John, from work (same country where we came from). When we met John a couple of years ago, he was still single. John met and married this girl, let’s call her Yoko, also from the same country we came from.

Yoko has been accusing John of having a thing for my wife, which eventually led to her accusing them of having an affair. Wife and I thought it was cute the first few times we heard about it, until tonight when Yoko sent Facebook messages to my wife threatening her. Messages were along the lines of: stop seducing my husband, you don’t know who or what I’m capable of, don’t test me or you’ll get it.

Wife got annoyed and irritated and asked me to talk to John. I called John and asked if it was Yoko sending the messages, which he confirmed. John was basically apologizing and saying that Yoko has been doing that to most of their circle of friends. I asked if I could talk to Yoko (never met her or talked to her until tonight), John says they’re having a fight right now and says he doesn’t even want to talk to Yoko, so he gives me her number.

Called Yoko, again, tried to confirm if it was her sending messages to my wife, to which she said yes. I asked what the problem was:

1. She said my wife sent John a Facebook message 2 years ago, when John and Yoko were on vacation back home. Checked with John and counter checked with my wife, it was about investment advice which John asked first because he was planning on investing because John and Yoko were getting married.

2. Yoko said John and my wife had been going out, even before John and Yoko were married. Personal experience, yes, go out as in get dinner with common friends always as a group (including me) and mostly with my wife’s girl friends.

3. She said John had been taking the train home with my wife after work, again, yes, because we live in the same building and always with a group (with other women, who I found out, Yoko is also jealous with).

Bunch of other stuff she was paranoid about which were perfectly innocent unless you had a dirty mind.

Tried to talk but she kept on interrupting, couldn’t continue talking to her because I was getting pissed off her with her paranoia.

John calls me after a couple of minutes, asking what I said, because Yoko said I confirmed all her suspicions (wtf is wrong with this lady?). John says he’s on speaker phone. I said I asked what the problem was, I tried to talk but Yoko kept interrupting. Tried to explain while on speaker phone, but Yoko stormed off.

Again, John was basically apologizing and hinting Yoko might have psychological problems and might be unstable. Said she’s done that to their circle of friends.

Sorry for the wall of text, my questions are:

1. Since we’re foreign workers from the same country, should I be bringing this up with our embassy here or with the local authorities?

2. Is there any legal action we should do to protect ourselves, seeing that Yoko might be unstable and might do something violent?

Answer:
 1. Do you work for the US government?

2. Your wife might be able to get a restraining order but it probably wouldn't deter Yoko. Does she have dip immunity?Answer #2: Let your bosses know your wife is being threatened by John's wife.  Ask them how they intend to protect your wife from John's violence.  If you are not happy with their answers and you really think this woman is a threat, you need to rethink this job.  Unfortunately, Malaysian police are going to treat this the way any other police will - it isn't their job to prevent crime.  Once a crime has occurred they may help you, but til then...your best bet is your bosses, then the police, then if you are really convinced this woman is going to hurt your wife and no one will help you you need to decide if staying is worth it.


Title: Probable cause for search of apartment question

Question:
Hi All!

Palm Beach County, Florida

I'll be brief: If a neighbor calls the police because they see me smoking out of a pipe does that give police enough information to claim probable cause and search my rented apartment without a warrant?

Answer: Depends on what substance they are searching for, and whether that substance is what you are smoking.


Title: Friend committed first degree burglary

Question:
State:CA

My friend stole some stuff out of a garage, got arrested and is now being charged with first degree burglary. This is his first time ever committing a crime. He has full time job, a good person, 21+ years of age. He just did this dumbass mistake on impulse and now is going to pay for it. I've read he could face 2-6 years in jail and have a felony on his record. He ultimately admitted and returned the stolen property to the police. How lenient will the judge be at first time offenders such as my friend or will the book be thrown at him?

Answer:
 He's not a good person. Good people don't do that. They follow the social contract that you don't trespass and steal other people's shit.

He will likely do at least some time. Whether that's in prison or jail and for how long will depend on the judge, the prosecutor, and his attorney. Answer #2: Your friend needs a criminal defense attorney to get him the most favorable outcome.

Also, good people don't steal things on a whim.


Title: Was I detained or arrested?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Just drunk tank. Custodial for purposes of you sobering up and then released.


Title: Background checks for guns and states with legal marijuana

Question:
If they can't drug test then why do the forms for firearms ask if you use illegal drugs? In states with legal marijuana, many residents lie on the forms because of marijuana. What are the implications of this?

Colorado

Answer: Lying on a form to the federal government about a drug that is illegal on a federal level is a fucking horrible idea. Doesn't matter if it is legal in your state.


Title: [serious] Can I get sued for rear ending someone?

Question: A few weeks ago I rear ended someone, both cars were still fully intact and the worst damage done was some scratched up paint on both cars. The lady I hit said she was fine but that she bumped her head, I don't believe that because her bruised forehead looked yellowish gray, I'm no Dr but I'm pretty sure that almost fully healed bruises look like that. And she did not leave in an ambulance. So, yesterday I get a call from my insurance company to give them all the info they need and they tell me that she is wanting the full amount for medical and vehicle damages and that she has an attorney. The guy I talked to said he highly doubts she'll get the full amount but my boyfriend thinks that was his way of "nicely" telling me that she wants to sue me. I'm so confused and stressed out about this. I'm only 18 and haven't even started college yet. I have no idea what to do and would just really appreciate some insight on this. If it helps, I live in Tennessee.

Answer: When you have your head up your ass and rear end someone yes you can be sued. Usually there is no defense since you should have been paying attention. If she has medical bills you need to pay them. If she has pain and suffering you need to pay it. She can sue if your insurance company does not make acceptable offers to her. But let your insurance company deal with it. And pay attention.


Title: Illegal towing of my car in Missouri

Question:
I was allowing a foreign friend of mine to borrow an older car in a town two hours away from where I live. She returned to her home country and I left the car in her large apartment complex lot because there was no posted signage stating that there is no unauthorized parking. After she moved and before I could retrieve the car, the apartment complex decided to resurface their parking lot. Naturally, they had my car towed. However, I don't believe that it was towed legally.

When I went to retrieve the car (over the weekend) and realized that it had been towed, I immediately contacted the police department records department to find out who it was towed by and the details of the tow. They informed me that the tow report was filed independently with the reason being that it was towed due to posted signage about no parking. It was also done without authorization from law enforcement. According to the abandoned property laws in Missouri and in this situation they would have required law enforcement authorization or signage at least 17"x22" stating that there is no parking at all entrances.

The tow company is demanding over $500 that must be in cash and the apartment complex refuses to pay for the tow.

I have pictures of the entire property proving that there is no signage. I requested all records pertaining to the tow and filed a police report for an illegal tow. Despite all this, the police say that my only option is to file a civil lawsuit. How do I go about fixing this? The manual clearly states that breaking this law is a punishable crime.

I should also say that I'm aware that it wasn't smart to leave my car there and that's not what I'm arguing. I just know that this was done without proper procedure and I have proof and I'm still getting ripped off on a car probably isn't even worth what they're asking for it.

Here is the manual for abandoned property in Missouri for reference: http://dor.mo.gov/forms/Abandoned_Vehicle_Manual.pdf

Any advice would be amazing! Thanks!

Answer: You don't live there and didn't have a right to keep your car parked there. It was probably towed as unauthorized, not as abandoned. Not sure why you think you can fight this.


Title: [MD] Left my phone in a Lyft in NYC - driver confirmed he had it, but disappeared.

Question:
I contacted Lyft the day I lost it and they were able to contact the driver who confirmed it was still in his car. Lyft then went forward to create a shipping label with tracking, but it's been over a week since and the driver has stopped responding to Lyft's messages.

How can I get this phone back? Should I press charges, and if so, how?

Answer: Call the police and file a report is your first step.


Title: My deceased father's second wife is being unreasonable with his legacy

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You're not going to find too many people familiar with Greek estate law on /r/LegalAdvice. If the amount of assets sounds significant (which it does per your narrative), you should *absolutely* find the Greek equivalent of an estate attorney and have a consultation with them to get Greek-specific advice on how to proceed.


Title: I’m a 17 y/o dependent and got a $1200 stimulus check

Question:
My little sister (14) got a $1200 one too. Has this happened to anyone else? What do I do, I don’t want to commit tax fraud..
Topic:
Tax Law

Answer:
 you're not eligible for it. someone filed taxes incorrectly. you should get a cpa to review your parents taxes and figure out where they screwed up. people are getting stimulus payments they don't qualify.

we don't know what the consequences nor how to pay it back if it was deposited in you account. but they can do so.


Title: Wife Getting Requests for Call from Attorneys Representing Both the Plaintiff and the Defendant

Question:
My wife works as a registered dietitian in Illinois, USA. The family of a patient she provided dietary services to from a previous employer over three years ago is suing said company. My wife stated she really doesn’t remember any details, aside from the face of the person mentioned. Due to her providing care at that time, she’s gotten a few mailings that she’s ignored up until now. They’ve since turned into certified mailings, one of which (from the plaintiff’s side) being a subpoena to go to a notary and provide a video recorded deposition testimony.

The part of this that’s the most odd to me is that attorneys from both sides are reaching out to her. We understand she must respond to the subpoena, but we’re not really sure which attorney she should reach out to first. Should we reach out to a personal attorney first, the one for her former employer, or the one for the plaintiff? Should we reach out to all of the above, regardless?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Answer:
 Nothing "odd" about attorneys for both parties trying to obtain information.

Contact the previous employer's attorney to find out what the lawsuit is about and what they need from her. Then respond to the other attorney.

She can consult with another attorney if she needs representation.


Title: I was just offered $600 for notes from the class I'm in and the homework solutions by someone writing a book on the subject.

Question:
 Is this legal? He wants my notes, the professor's notes, and the homework solutions. He wants to wait until the class is over but this seems sketchy to me. He's NOT in the class but he attends the lectures and he's told me and my friends that he's writing a book on the subject so I assume he just wants reference material. This is in California btw, and it's a physics class for reference. Please help, I don't want to get into anything illegal!

Update: I told him no so everything is over, thanks for the advice.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 If he wants the professor's notes and handouts, why isn't he buying them directly from the professor or the school? Oh, right, because this is a fast path to getting kicked out of school for academic dishonesty, that's why.

It's not illegal for you to share your notes. Sharing your prof's notes and the specific homework problems & solutions might be copyright infringement. _Both_ can get you in trouble with the school, even though one isn't illegal, because the school's policies can be stricter on this than the law is.


Title: Made the mistake of trusting my mom's friend and sent sensitive info to a random stranger.

Question:
My mom has a friend who helps her with accounting/ tax related stuff and they wanted my paystubs for whatever reason. I wasn't really thinking, so I sent them to the email they told me to use. Only for them to tell me 15 minutes later that they hadn't gotten them yet, and "oops! We gave you the wrong email!"

Obviously I'm extremely distressed now as that had the last 3 digits of my SSN, my bank name, my full name, my employer. Is there any possible next step I could take? My mom's friend told me the email belonged to her daughter 5 years ago and she has since forgotten the password.

I checked haveibeenpwned and it comes up clean so best case scenario no one has access to it, but on the off chance this lady is lying to save face, what are some precautions I should take?

Answer: You can lock down your credit info, but what was sent out to that old email isn't really that damaging/bad.


Title: [NE] Sister victim of car accident, other driver changed story once cops arrived... No witnesses, "he said/she said" scenario. What does she do?

Question:
Long story short, my sister was driving down the road and got side-swiped by somebody who simply was not paying attention to the road. She is fine and he is fine (no injuries), but her new car took quite a beating. She had called the police before talking to the other driver. He was compliant and seemed like a nice guy but said he didn't have insurance and was hoping to deal with this "under the table". I am not sure if he actually admitted fault and/or apologized, but it sounds like that's the direction the conversation was headed. When the officer finally arrived, he got really upset with her and totally changed his story, because he knew that now he was in trouble. He told the officer that she is the one who pulled into \*his\* lane and pinned everything on my sister. The officer said that everything is a "he said/she said" scenario at this point and so no tickets were issued (excluding a ticket for him because he was not a licensed driver). So now, she is wondering what her options are going forward. Does she pay the $1000 deductible to get her car fixed? Does she wait it out? Does she let the insurance company deal with it?

TL;DR: Sister was in a car accident, other dude is at fault, she called the cops, he got mad, he told the officer everything is her fault. No tickets issued. What does she do next?

Thanks in advance!

Answer: She calls her insurance company and lets them sort out the problem for her.


Title: A unpublished poem by famous poet

Question:
I am writing a book and I have a poem written by a famous poet. ( Poet now deceased )
This poem was written for one of the people in the book I am writing about, who is also deceased. It was written down on a single piece of paper and given to him, where it stayed until his death. His family then took possession.
It was given to me to research by his family.
There is only 1 copy and it has never been published but is poignant to the story as it addresses him personally.

If his family ( not the poet) but the man it was written for are ok with me including it in my book,
does that violate any copyright of the poet and will or Can I be sued by his estate?

I live and work in the UK

Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 Assuming the poet died sometime in the last few decades, you need permission from whomever controls the poet's literary estate.  That might be someone in the family, it might not.  Get it in writing.

The feelings of the relatives of the person for whom it was written are not legally relevant (unless they happen to control the literary estate).


Title: My sister bought a truck when she was engaged, but the relationship ended and he still has the truck.

Question:
Long story short: my sister's dad died last year and left her a good sum of money(120k+). She bought a $24k truck outright from a dealer, the intention was for him to get a job and have transportation to work. Here's the jist:

-The truck was paid for with her money, but it was taken out of a checking account they shared (both names are on it)
-Both of their names got put on the title
-He has a history of battery, even spent a weekend in jail after pushing her around a couple years ago. Total scumbag
-They broke up 2 weeks ago.

She moved in with me when they broke up. I am trying to find out what legal recourse she has in getting the truck back/his name off the title. Would she win in a civil suit If she can prove it was her dad's money that bought it?

Answer:
 Titled property belongs to whoever is on the title.  It doesn’t matter who’s money bought it.

If both names are on the title she has just as much right to it as him but not more.  She may be able to get half the current value of the car.

“If the co-owners names are joined with “and” then both parties must be present to sell the car. Titles using “or” between the co-owners' names either party can sell the car without the other party present. Check with your state to make sure you follow all applicable state laws.”

There are a few states where even if it says and it is effectively an or (like New York) and she can sign the title over to be sold if she has it.

Really USA is not a valid enough location to give complete legal advice.


Title: My neighbors broke my windshield with a golf ball while I wasn't home

Question:
Last night the neighbors were hitting golf balls and they broke my car's windshield. One of my housemates was home, saw them hitting things, and heard the crash of the ball hitting my windshield, but he wasn't sure what it was at the time. I found the golf ball under my car this morning too. I'm planning on going over to their house later today to tell them that they need to pay for my new windshield, but I'm afraid they'll say no because no one physically saw them do it. What would my options be if they refuse to pay for it? Should I file a police report and have my housemate give them his testimony on what he saw and heard that night? Would all of this info be useful enough for something to come out of filing a police report?

Pics of the windshield: https://imgur.com/a/Fr6kzDE

Answer: Have you called your insurance?  My policies have no deductible for new windshield and usually it won't raise your rates


Title: Can I reduce the amount of rent I'm paying if I'm no longer able to use one of the utilities that's supposed to be included in rent?

Question:
We have roommates that are entirely unreasonable and we aren't able to use the washing machine because they always have their clothes in it and it's gross to touch someone else's dirty laundry. I tried to ask them if they could not store their clothes in the machine anymore, and they refused and told me I need to wait til they get home to be able to use it, or to move the clothes myself. I want to opt out and just not use it. I'm not trying to take $50 dollars off or anything, but is it reasonable/legal for me to take the cost of washing my clothes off of rent since I'm unable to utilize the washer and dryer and I'm unable to wait for them to get home because I have to do laundry for work?

Edit: I wasn't clear enough before. We have a rental agreement with, and pay rent to, our roommates. They are preventing us from using the washing machine, the use of which was supposed to be included with rent.

Edit 2: We are in Shasta County, CA.

Answer: You want to pay your landlord less because of a dispute between you and your roommates. No, you cannot do that.


Title: [AZ] My college dorm building has mice. What can I do?

Question:
As stated above, I live in Arizona. I attend a state university and live in one of the on-campus dorms. Around late November I saw a mouse run out from under my bed and out of the room. Since then, I’ve had multiple more mice and have spoken with other people living in my hall. Most also have problems with mice. I called campus maintenance and they put a couple traps in my room,  but those have done nothing, and maintenance has said that is all they can do about it. I’ve done everything I can to make my room unappealing to mice (the traps are still there, I’ve gotten rid of all food), but they are still here. When I got back from winter break, mouse droppings were EVERYWHERE. I’ve found them in my bed, in my desk, in my cups and mugs. I am thoroughly disgusted and I feel like I’m doing everything I can. I know mice can make people pretty sick and that is making me paranoid. Is there anything more I can do? Is there anything more the university can do?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: I’d start by escalating your complaint within the housing department. Hopefully you took pictures of what it looked like after break? Include them and make it clear that you consider this a habitability issue. Point out that mice in your part of the country can carry hantavirus. If you make it all the way to the director of housing and they’re still blowing you off, see if your university has a student ombudsman you can contact.


Title: Florida and need help. Im afraid that my mail in ballot might not count or will get rejected.

Question:
So i sent in my mail in ballot a couple days ago and i received a text  earlier today with this message
>Ron DeSantis is endorsed by dozens of county Sheriffs and supports law enforcement. Andrew Gillum signed a pledge to cut funding for police and wants to remove them from our public schools. Who can count on your vote for Governor? Press 1 for DeSantis, Press 2 for Gillum. http://floridapolitics.com/archives/277844-sheriffs-desantis

I think I messed up by responding with a 2 to the text. i shouldve known this message was pro Desantis. I think that this text was a way to reject or throw away certain mail ballots, as a lot of voter suppression tactics have been seen in the news lately, i dont think that this suspension i have is too far off. I just want to know what can I do to make sure my vote counts. I took pictures of my ballot and the envelope i sent it in just in case there is a way to see if my vote wasnt counted.

Thank you all in advanced!

Answer: A response to a political ad/poll text is not an official method of voting. Your vote is not affected.Answer #2: This is a normal push poll don't worry about it. If you really want to be sure, call the local BOE on Monday and ask them the method to verify votes.


Title: Girlfriends car was repossessed. made the payment 30 hours later, towing company is saying the car is going to auction.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You may want to contact the police and let them know that you have proof that the vehicle is to be discharged to you and that the tow yard is attempting to auction off your vehicle regardless. They might not want to get involved but I'd think that would be theft by conversion.Answer #2: You need to document the payment was made and let the bank fix it. If you've already made the required payment to release the vehicle, you've met your financial duty.


Title: Neighbor's cat needs to go to the vet. If they won't bring him can I without getting in trouble?

Question: What we thought was a stray is actually a neighbor's cat. The cat spends most of his time at or around my house and has done so for several years--years before we knew he had real owners. Recently he got into a fight with another stray and needs to go to the vet for an abscess that has developed on his face. I noticed the injury this evening and have never spoken to the cat's real owners. I don't want to get sued but I also can't stand to see this cat suffer. So, if they do not take him to the vet can I without worry of getting into legal trouble? I live in the California Bay Area.

Answer: I would contact a local rescue group or police. The ASPCA investigates animal abuse and neglect and that seems to be happening here.


Title: [US] I want to get married to my US citizen girlfriend as an international student but what are the consequences if the marriage doesn't work out?

Question: I am an international student who is about to graduate. I would strongly prefer to stay in the US over my home country, and I would also want to stay together with my girlfriend. We're both willing to get married to try to stay together. But I'm worried about what would happen if it doesn't work out. Would our marriage be considered fraud? Would I be prevented from coming back to the US?

Answer:
 When you're married, you can apply for permanent residence (a Green Card). You have to provide some basic evidence that your relationship is real to get approved. At first, your status will be conditional--if you get divorced during this time, you have to take extra steps prove that your marriage was legitimate in the first place to keep your status.

What's important here is that you have a bona fide relationship. Getting married for immigration benefits isn't really something you're supposed to do, but the kinds of cases where people get denied (or even prosecuted) are when they marry a stranger, or marry in exchange for payment. You're in a situation where you very reasonably could get married--it is normal to let immigration factor into that decision, but it should ultimately be a genuine step you take.


Title: Attempted a left turn from private street and was hit by a wrong way driver that illegally passed in a no pass double-yellow zone. (Texas)

Question:
Formatting credit to: /u/NE_Coach - Thanks man!

> I was yielding to turn left from Old Montgomery Road onto the West Interstate 45 service road. Directly past Old Montgomery road, the West Interstate 45 service road turns into a one way on ramp.

>I yielded to a vehicle that was entering Old Montgomery road and after confirming that he was going to turn, I began my left turn. Shortly after starting my turn, I noticed a white compact vehicle heading towards me at a high rate of speed on the wrong side of the roadway.

>Shortly after starting my turn, I noticed a white compact vehicle heading towards me at a high rate of speed on the wrong side of the roadway. I attempted an evasive maneuver to go from a possible head on collision to making my vehicle completely perpendicular to his and accelerating straight for the grass median between Interstate 45 South and the West Interstate 45 service road.

> Unfortunately, I was unable to clear the service road completely and the wrong way driver clipped the rear driver side corner of my vehicle causing his vehicle to careen across the frontage road and come to a stop on the opposite side of the frontage road. I was yielding to turn left from Old Montgomery Road onto the West Interstate 45 service road.

>It than became apparent to me that he had preformed an illegal pass on the vehicle that I was yielding to during his right turn onto Old Montgomery Road and that he had decided to stay on the wrong side of the road as it would be turning into a one way after Old Montgomery Road.

>I soon learned that the wrong way driver was uninsured and I called the police. I moved my vehicle back across the frontage road and parked in front of him. It than became apparent to me that he had preformed an illegal pass on the vehicle that I was yielding to and he had decided to stay on the wrong side of the road as it would be turning into a one way on ramp after Old Montgomery Road. I soon learned that the wrong way driver was uninsured and I called the police. I was given 100% fault for failure to yield.

Questions:

>I guess my first question is, what is the percentage of fault here?

> should I fight this?

>I was told by an expert accident investigator that there is a law or statute that voids right of way to operators that cause an accident while passing in Texas.
Does anyone know where I can find this?

I understand that I failed to yield to oncoming traffic but I was unaware that, in a lawful sense, the label oncoming traffic also applies to wrong way drivers.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 The ticket is 100%* yours.
Just because someone else was breaking a law does not migrate the fact you pulled out without ensuring you had a clear right of way. You have a duty to yield. It supersedes anything else. It doesn't matter what laws of the road other drivers might be breaking, it doesn't remove or reduce your duty to yield right of way before entering a road.

Now, of course the other drive should receive his share of tickets. But his tickets do not reduce yours. What it may do is reduce your insurance liability. However, since the other driver is uninsured you'll have to use your insurance anyway.

*Unless there is some obscure Texas law that says otherwise. You'll want to check with a local traffic attorney.


Title: [Nova Scotia] Doctor fired me as a patient, didn’t notify me.

Question:
I recently called my doctor and was informed by the secretary that my doctor is no longer my doctor. I haven’t seen her in many years. My issue is a number of things. I had a 1 major surgery and 1 minor surgery during this time, and since I was never informed of being “fired” I don’t know if she ever looked at these records, or who is holding the records at all. I also had an x ray on my back to determine the root of my back pain (grandmother and sister have scoliosis) and since she is listed as my family doctor, the information is sent to her. I have been in pain for a few years now and I had the x-ray done over 2 years ago, and if nobody ever looked at my x rays and I have been living in pain since then, do I have any sort of case? And what can I do to find a new doctor or retain her as my doctor because in my city (Halifax) there is a great shortage of family doctors.
Topic:
Canada

Answer: Were you actually "fired" as a patient (not questioning that this isn't possible) or is it an issue of a certain amount of time passing without seeing them and now it means you just need a new referral to see them again from a PCP?


Title: I lost a key to someones house that they gave me and now they want to get all the locks changed. Am I on the hook?

Question: Basically the title says it all.  Someone gave me their key to make a copy.  I lost the key and now they're saying they don't feel safe in their own house and need the locks changed.

Answer:
 Maybe not legal advice, but here's an option.

You would be surprised at how easy it is to re-key a regular lock. Stop by your local hardware shop and go to the contractor's desk. Ask if they can re-key a lock and how much would it cost. I worked at a hardware store while I was in college and while it wasn't a service we publically offered, it was generally something that we could do. It wouldn't hurt to ask and it's quite cheap.

Alternatively, you can buy a cheap [rekey kit](https://www.amazon.ca/Prime-Line-Products-2402-Schlage-Re-Keying/dp/B008RIDQD0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533223027&sr=8-1&keywords=rekey+kit) for $20 bucks. There are a number of 5-15 mintue videos out there and with a steady hand, you could rekey the lock in 30 minutes.

Source: I am an amateur lock picker :)


Title: [IL] Would it be destruction of property to take a bunch of sand from a public park for a senior prank?

Question:
The idea of taking sand from by a lake in my city to put in front of my school to make a pseudo-beach is being discussed. Looking at the   law I think it might be a class A misdemeanor.  The idea then is to have a beach party/ luau on the "beach". If we had a bonfire on the "beach", would that be illegal.

Thanks for any replies. I don't want anyone to get in legal trouble over a joke.

Answer:
 Yes it's illegal, buy some sand if you really need it. Also, run this by the school if it's something you're okay with. As a prank, do not light anything on fire near a school or dump sand that you'll have to pay to get removed at the very least

EDIT: Some life advice as well, let someone else be the person that conducts the senior prank. It almost never works out well for anyone involved and depending on exactly what you do, it could impact your plans for after graduation


Title: Can I pay rent with Cash?

Question:
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 The rule is that they can't require you to pay in Euros or Swiss Francs or Rubles.  They have to accept payment in US funds.  Parties to a contract can specify how the funds are transferred.

What does your lease say?  If it says "no cash", then no cash.


Title: [CA] Was pulled over for a texting ticket

Question:
I was using the voice to text function on my iPhone at a stoplight and was pulled over.

My question is, basically, does the law allow for "hands free" texting. I found a bill ([here](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB1646)) that details:

> Under existing law, it is an infraction for a person to drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone, or an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication, **unless the telephone or electronic wireless communications device is designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation**, and is used in that manner while driving, except as otherwise provided. A person under 18 years of age is prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device, even if equipped with a hands-free device. A violation point is not given for a violation of these provisions.

It seems fairly straight forward, but I'm not sure if I'm missing something or if this is not applicable to my own case. I think I would almost rather pay the ticket then look like a complete doofus in a courtroom because I misquoted/misinterpreted a law.

Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks :)

Answer:
 Basically, the statute was enacted to enable Bluetooth functionality and new technological advances which help you maintain as much focus on the road.  Holding your phone and speaking to it, as much as you'd like to think is hands free, technically isn't UNLESS you can show that, via some wireless functionality you can make your phone listen to you say "Text Sarah, blah blah blah blah. Send" and it will do it by itself.

Opening your messages, pressing the microphone button, speaking your message, and pressing send does not constitute "hands-free operation."  It's construed pretty strictly as it was enacted for the safety of everyone.


Title: Landlord refusing to give me new unit [SC]

Question:
Hey guys, I’m in a weird situation.

In may of this year, I renewed for a new unit in the apartment complex with which I stay in currently. My current roommates have been literally awful. Treating me and my dog like shit awful. I can’t stand them.

That being said, I specifically signed a new lease stating that I would be assigned a new unit.

I called today to ask which unit I would be in next year, and their response was that they couldn’t place me because they’re booked with new leases.

She told me I was stuck in the same lease I am now until 2019, and the only way for me to get out of it would be to sublease (very hard in this area).

That being said, how should I go about handling this? I have a lease printed out here that says my new leased unit would be assigned. I specifically stated I DID NOT want the same unit. The lease specifically states I will be ASSIGNED a new unit.

Here is a clip of the contract (image)

https://ibb.co/hLshz8

Tl;dr: terrible terrible roommates so asked for new unit. Signed for new unit. New unit won’t be given despite contract saying it will be. Only have until Aug 1 to figure this out. What are my options?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Says to be assigned.

They assigned you the same room


Title: Ohio- My boss is practicing dietetics without a liscence. Who do I report this to?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Are you asking if the complaint form that the Ohio Board of Dietetics has put out for this exact situation is the correct form? If so, yes, of course it is.

Yes, you may have to testify. The accused has the right to face his accuser. This should not cost any money.


Title: Did 'Get-It-Now' violate any laws?

Question:
Location: Wisconsin

So I needed to get a new laptop and I discovered a local Get-It-Now franchise had one I was looking for. I filled out the initial application online, to be contacted by the store and to find out how much it'll cost, set up payments and schedule to go in and finish filling out paper work.

I get a call next day, telling me they sold out of that laptop, none of the local stores have it and they (Get-It-Now) aren't planning on getting anymore. They tried to up-sell me on a different model saying it's "basically the same thing.", but I told them no thanks.

I get a call two weeks later and the guy I spoke with told me that he got the laptop I wanted, but it was used, so they sent it in to be refurbished, I asked him if I was getting a discount because the product was refurbished and he told me they'd knock $800.00 off it.

I was informed it may take between one or two weeks to get the refurbished model back and they'd call me when it was ready so I could come in, fill out the paper work, ect.

That was just last Friday.

Monday morning at 10AM I get a call from Get-It-Now, from a different employee asking me if I was aware I missed my first payment that was owed this weekend. I was flabbergasted.

I informed her:
I never even GOT the product.
I haven't even filled out the paper work.
No discussion of prices or payment were ever made.

She said "she'd look into it" and hung up.

It's one thing to discuss buying a product and I thought it was cool the one employee kept me in mind when they got the used unit, but, is it me or does it seem like they kind of violated a law or something?

I am pretty sure I need to go into the store, I need to sign paper work, they need proof of who I am and all sorts of other stuff. Am I wrong in considering this? I am concerned they took the basic information provided from the  initial application online and just set up the entire thing without my consent or discussing ANY of the details with me.

Answer:
 > seem like they kind of violated a law or something?

That very much depends on what you did online. You agreed to something online. But they may also just have made a mistake. You really need to call and make sure they are not ruining your credit over an error. And go online and make sure you read everything.


Title: My boyfriend [18yo] used his mom's credit card without her permission and now she's threatening him with arrest a month later [NY]

Question:
Hey guys,

Throwaway just in case anybody we know reads this.  Basically, my boyfriend and I are both 18 and he's found himself in a pretty tough spot.  He recently had a falling out with his mom who was financially supporting him.  She stopped giving him money, but he had her credit card number memorized from previous (permitted) usage.  We go to school in different states, and since he was cut off, he foolishly decided to use her card without permission to book flights to come visit me; around $1000 - $1500 in total was spent.

She noticed the charges a few weeks ago, and their falling out worsened.  They don't see or speak to each other and he receives no financial support from her; she decided to no longer pay for his college as well.  The only way he can regain her financial support is to do some type of structured treatment program for young adults; he is adamantly against going to a program, as he spent the better half of 2016 in two different programs against his will, neither of which helped him with the issues his mother wanted to address.

So, he has refused to go to a program, but now things are coming to a boiling point as she is giving him an ultimatum: do a program or she'll have him arrested for using her credit card.

I know that what he did was wrong, but her approach seems wrong to me, too.  He truly feels scarred by the programs he did previously (and says they made him worse, not better) and would rather fix their relationship through intensive outpatient therapy or something similar.

Basically my question is: how screwed is he in this situation?  Does he have any leverage?  What would the charges against him be like?

Thanks to whoever answers, I know it is a somewhat unique case, but we are desperately trying to figure out a way to keep their relationship from deteriorating altogether (which it would were he to go to a program or be arrested).

Answer:
 Make sure he doesn't memorise your credit card info in case you have a falling out.Answer #2: It's shitty that she's threatening, but he did break the law. It's tough to say "she should just file a police report or sue him," but that is actually the best legal advice for her: making it conditional on your friend's behaviour shades into extortion fairly quickly.

He can make a police report for that. He'll likely have to explain the extortion in the process, so he should speak to a lawyer about how to do so without incriminating himself for credit card fraud in the process.

His other option is to cut contact and move on, and to deal with a police investigation or a lawsuit if and when it happens.

Their relationship is, for the time being, over, no matter how things evolve. Maybe it'll recover one day, but at the point where a parent is extorting their adult child, the relationship is already so badly damaged that trying to salvage it for its own sake is unwise.


Title: Help preparing evidence for police. (Alaska)

Question:
I am assembling evidence for a group sexual assault survivors, myself being one of them.  My friends and I went to a private school where we endured abuse at the hands of staff and other students.

We will need to coordinate a wide amount of evidence for several people, victims, accounts and abusers, things like dates.

&#x200B;

My question is thus, do you know of any method that can make this process easier?

I.E. some kind of group project software, or app that would be good for this kind of thing.

Answer: The best legal advice anyone can give you is to let the police gather the evidence, and the victims/witnesses point them to it. Any other method creates a greater path to question the integrity of said evidence and testimony.


Title: [San Francisco, CA] Tenant laws - Is an apartment bedroom required to have a window to the outside if the entrance to the bedroom is frosted glass?

Question:
picture:  http://i.imgur.com/KjyaAnx.png

The sliding frosted doors on the left are bedrooms.  You can see the glazing area is just frosted glass with access to the kitchen/living room area.  Each bedroom has an electric baseboard heater which provides no outside ventilation.  The only way to get ventilation is by opening the bedroom doors.  There literally are no vents in the bedrooms.

I'm basically trying to figure out alternative ways to break a lease incase this doesn't work:  https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5jfdfy/san_francisco_california_alcoholic_roommate/

Answer:
 Bedrooms must have two points of egress.  It is a fire code violation.

Call the [SFFD](http://sf-fire.org/division-fire-prevention-and-investigation), I am sure they are extra diligent after the [Ghost Ship fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Oakland_warehouse_fire).


Title: [California] - Web company failed to build website, but tried, and wants to be paid for trying

Question:
I hired a company to build me a web site.   We agreed on a scope, a timeline, and an estimated price.   Everything was billed hourly.

Well past the deadline, with the project half complete, the company admits that they don't have the skill to do what I asked (they build a web site, but not nearly to our specifications) and offers to hire a third company - at our expense - to finish the work.  We decline.

The Web company now wants to be paid, hourly, for all the time they spent trying (and failing) to build what we wanted.  It adds up to about $25,000.  The amount is roughly the total that was estimated in the contract.   However, we received nothing usable from this project (we are still using our old website).

Do I have to pay them for trying, even though they failed?

Answer: If your company can afford a $25k for a completed website, refer to your company attorney. That amount is high for online advice. Answer #2: How did the contract outline you'd pay the other company?  Some say you pay based on milestones, others upon final delivery of the complete product.  Some leave it out, which opens them up for a partial and unusable product.


Title: Uk - advice needed. 13 year old school refusing, parent being threatened with prosecution.

Question: 13 year old child school refusing, parent doing everything within power to try get child to school but child still refusing. Various exclusions for impulsive and violent behaviour. Child has diagnosed ADHD. Working with council wellbeing service however powers are limited. School threatening prosecution. What other options do we have?

Answer:
 LegaladviceUK as others have said, but what do you mean you have tried everything? Take him to school.

My eldest tried this in highschool. I took off of work, put him in the car in his pajamas, drove him to school, carried him into his classroom, and then sat outside the room to prevent him from leaving. It only took 2 days for him to decide he could rebel in some less embarrassing way.


Title: My teacher rummaged through my classmate's wallet without their knowledge or consent. What can I do about this?

Question:
[Louisiana, USA]

Earlier today, two of my classmates had to leave class to deliver papers to a nearby school on the same campus. One of them forgot their wallet and left it on their own desk. My teacher took it upon herself to take everything out of the student's wallet (ID's, licenses, receipts, etc), look through it, and tell the entire class what each thing was. She had no apparent reason or justifiable motive to look through the wallet. She didn't even have the audacity to put the things back in their spot and just left it all in a pile on top of the wallet for the student to deal with.

When the student came back, the teacher told her what she had done, and tried brushing it off as a joke. The student seemed very uncomfortable and disturbed.

I feel like my teacher could get in some serious trouble for what she did. I don't believe it was okay for her to not only invade a student's privacy without their knowledge or consent, but also to publicly announce what was in the wallet.

Is my teacher in the wrong here? Is there anything I could do about it, even though it wasn't my privacy that was violated?

Answer: The only thing you can do it report it to administration. What the teacher did was trashy, but nothing illegal happened. The teacher will get a warning unless this is a repeat offense. Students need to report bad behavior like this. It's the only way to get rid of the bad teachers.


Title: Ex boyfriend posting explicit videos UK

Question:
My ex boyfriend who is an absolute nutcase (killed my dog, raped me, abused me for over a year) gets away with every crime he’s ever committed due to us living in the lawless U.K. I’ve always had lack of evidence so every police case has been NFA’d. This time, he’s put up extremely graphic videos of me on pornhub. 5 videos, 2 pictures. I was out of my face drunk at the time and I’m practically falling asleep on half of the videos and for most of them I didn’t even realise he was filming because I was so out of it. I’ve reported this to the police and they’ve simply called him to ask him to remove them and he hasn’t. He’s now claiming that I told him to upload them, which I obviously haven’t. This is clearly very distressing specially seeing the views go up into their thousands. I’ve had enough if I’m honest and just feel so low with having a year and a half of this monster in my life. Where, legally do I stand? I thought there was now serious laws against revenge porn?
I’ve obviously contacted pornhub but they’re yet to be taken down.
Please help
M
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 A poster on one of yesterday's threads shared this link.

https://revengepornhelpline.org.uk/

>The Revenge Porn Helpline is the UK’s only service dedicated to supporting all adults who have been victim of intimate image abuse. We provide free, non-judgemental and confidential advice and support via email and phone*.
>
>If you’re reading this because someone has distributed intimate photos or videos of you either off or online, you have been a victim and deserve support.


Title: Regarding Spouses and Handguns (NE)

Question:
Greetings!

I'm not in any legal trouble, here, I am just interested to learn a little about the law today regarding my situation - I'm a stable, all around American gal with a crazy methhead brother about to get out of jail next week. I'd like to be prepared.

 So, throwaway time!

I live in Nebraska with my family. My husband owns a few firearms: three rifles for sport, and one handgun for home defense purposes. *He is the owner and purchaser of the handgun*. We are both 21+ years of age; neither of us are felons and both of us are responsible gun owners with no criminal history.

My question is this: in a strictly home-defense scenario (think violent intruder) where I was home alone, would I get in any legal hot water for using the handgun to defend myself?

I ask this because it is my understanding that, while rifles and shotguns are available to anyone 18+, handguns are a little more controlled and The Man tends to be a bit more picky over who gets to have one.

Sorry if this is a mess. Basically my question is this: If I am not a felon, am in my own home where my husband's handgun is accessible, can I use said handgun to defend myself or is that a giant no-no?

Thanks!

Answer:
 If you are lawfully allowed to possess handguns, you may use the handgun which belongs to your husband to lawfully defend yourself in your home even if he is not there.

I cannot imagine a situation where anyone would even consider that improper.


Title: [TX] Is shooting into a house which turns out to be unoccupied attempted murder?

Question: Bit of a debate with friend.  Someone angry at resident shoots into a house through window at a chair believing that the resident is sitting in a chair.  In fact, resident is not home.  Attempted murder or not?

Answer: Did they intend to kill this resident?


Title: [Indiana] Update: Went back to the court this morning, they finally acknowledged the error. Promised me it would be corrected today.

Question:
[First Post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2tovdh/i_screwed_up_my_rent_check_now_my_landlord_is/)
[Second Post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2vjuim/update_went_to_small_claims_court_over_eviction/)
[Third Post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2vtjx3/3rd_update_case_was_dismissed_back_rent_and_fees/)

I went back to the small claims court this morning with all my paperwork. The woman came up to the window and I explained that I believed that there had been an error. I explained the situation and showed her the initial summons, then the order to dismiss, then the order to move.

She looked quizzically for a moment at the paperwork, and then asked if she could have it. I was reluctant, but handed it to her. After all, I have copies. She disappeared for a bit. I watched, from the window, as she walked from one desk to another, performing the same show and tell as I had, and apparently being routed up the chain of command. She walked back to her desk, sat down, looked at the paperwork for a moment, and then got up and walked out of sight again.

I stepped away from the window to allow other people to be served. Finally, after about a half an hour, she returned to the window and waved me over. Handing me my paperwork, she explained that there had been a clerical error (my words, not hers) and that they were in the process right then of sorting it out. She explained that I would be mailed the new dismissal order, signed by the judge, and that I could look it up on the township website. I looked it up as soon as I got to the office, but it hasn't been updated yet.

So, for the moment, it seems that the situation is in the process of being resolved. I feel that I must again thank every one in this thread for giving me excellent advice and peace of mind during a very stressful episode. I'm sorry that there wasn't a big dramatic climax, but I suppose that's life.

Answer:
 Thanks for the update.  You will find that as long as you are polite and patient, most court clerks are willing to help, especially if they see something wrong.  However, if you cross them, then don't ever expect to get your desired outcome.Answer #2: TODAY IS UPDATE DAY!

I feel like we had another day recently with a lot of updates too.

Congrats on getting it all sorted out. It's all fun and games till you're the one it happens to. Hopefully this will be a huge weight lifted.


Title: Landlord/friend/roommate and I got into a fight. He wants to raise my rent. We never signed anything and I am encouraged to move out if I don't agree to pay.

Question:
[/r/personalfinance told me to post this here.]

I am a recent grad and I am living with a childhood friend. We used to live together under a mutual friend's roof but decided things weren't working out and he bought a house with the help of his parents and I moved in with one of my college buddies (so the 3 of us). None of us had signed any lease agreements because we did not think it was necessary. Due to some recent conflict between me and my friend (the owner), tension has been high in the house. We pretty much ignore each others' presence.

Seven months ago, I had talked to the owner about getting a dog and he was absolutely ok with it. He mentioned nothing of charging fees or raising rent because of the dog, so long as I took care of him because he was MY dog. And I did do that - I paid and took care of him for everything.

Now, after this recent conflict, he decided that the dog was "deprecating the floor and yard" and wants to charge me an extra $60 a month for this. As far as I can tell, there is no damage to the artificial wood flooring and any damage that may occur to the yard is due to the owner's failure of regular upkeep (we have a whole fall season's worth of rotting dead leaves underneath a layer of snow).

My questions are these: how easily would it be for him to evict me and make me homeless in this negative degree weather (MN)? How long of a time do I have to get out if I need to? Should I move out of the house? I have tried talking to him but he is not willing to discuss neither the conflict or the sudden charges.

Any and all help is much appreciated!

Edit: The extra $60 isn't quite what is worrying me. It's the threats of kicking me out that scares me. I don't know what would stop him from doubling my rent etc.

Answer: you have a month to month tenancy.  if he wants you to move out he needs to give you 30 days notice or more depending on your state law.  if he wants to increase your rent he needs to give you 30 days notice or more depending on your state law.  if you want to move out you need to give him 30 days notice or more depending on your state law.


Title: Can my employer make me continue to work during 10 minute breaks? (Washington)

Question:
It kinda pisses me off a bit, but I can’t find anything, so maybe this is legal. I recently turned 18 and work a 9 hour shift. I had to take one of my 2 10 minute breaks an hour after I started, but was told I had to continue to take front counter and drive thru orders while on break.

Is this legal? (Washington State)
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 https://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/files/policies/esc6.pdf

>In certain circumstances, employers may have a business need to require employees to remain on call during their paid rest periods. This is allowable provided the underlying purpose of the rest period is not compromised. This means that employees must be allowed to rest, eat a snack or drink a beverage, make personal telephone calls, attend to personal business, close their door to indicate they are taking a break, or make other personal choices as to how they spend theirtime during their rest break. In this circumstance, no additional compensation for the 10-minute break is required. **If they are called to duty, then it transforms the on-call time to an intermittent rest period and they must receive the remainder of the 10-minute break during that four-hour work period**

As per this document, your work is allowed to require you to remain on call as long as you are allowed to attend to personal business. If you are required to work during the rest period, your employer is required to allow you the unused portion of your break later on in the shift.


Title: How can I protect a house I plan to buy after I get married?

Question:
This would take place in WA state.

For those unfamiliar, the housing market in the Tacoma/Seattle area of WA state has seen houses double in value in the last 4 years without any increase in pay mostly because amazon moved into the area. Ive been saving for 2 years now on my own. Ive got about 41k saved up which could get me a house at the 200k range. The problem is that with the price increase a 200k house is now basically apartment sized. Im not kidding. Apartments are about 700-800 sqft and rent for about $1350 a month.  The 200k price for a house is also not in the best part of town and I want to leave for work each day knowing that my dog is safe home alone.

So Ive done the math and in order to afford a house in a decent part of town Ill need to save up all next year without having any fun.

The problem is my GF wants to get married before that. I dont want to buy the house after we get married and have it become marriage/shared property. I want to keep it single/common law property. Do I only sign my name on the mortgage paper? The home loan will be in my name only as I applied for the loan before we talked about marriage. At that point she was just a FWB from another country. Which is why she wants to get married, so we can see each other for more then a few weeks at a time and she would need to pack up her life to move to the states. She wouldn't bring much to the relationship finance wise either. We have been talking for more then a year and seeing each other for about 7 months now where she has already made 2 trips to the U.S. and is about to make her third soon.

Answer:
 Don't get married in Washington if you want real estate purchased after the date of your marriage to be separate property.

You could have her sign a pre-nup detailing that real estate is not to be considered marital property.  You would both need lawyers to draft it and ensure that it fair.  Even then, a judge might throw it out in a divorce.

Without some agreement like that, once you are married the property will fall under WA's community property laws.