Title: Do we have a case to get out of our new apartment lease?

Question:
Boyfriend and I just moved into a new, luxury apartment complex on August 11. It's new construction and there are probably only 30 or so units filled so far.

On Day 1 I was standing in the kitchen and heard a HUGE slamming noise that vibrated our entire apartment and scared me half to death. After a bit of exploring and staring out the peep hole, we realized it was our neighbor's exterior door slamming shut. We tried our door, and sure enough, they are very heavy and slam shut when let go of. We didn't notice this in the confusion and chaos of moving in, but once we were getting settled we were like "Omg, this is obnoxious!" We watched a YouTube video and quickly figured out how to adjust the door hinge so the door shuts a little more slowly. Our door does not slam anymore.

We immediately sent an email to the office about this and got no response. We then went down and spoke to someone in person and she literally could not have cared less. Her words were "Yeah... I doubt they'll do anything about the neighbor's doors." (I should mention we hear MANY doors slam, but next door is the worst) So we went down the next day and spoke to another girl and she stared at us as if we had horns growing out of our heads. We explained how the exterior doors are VERY loud and it's unacceptable. We told her we fixed ours in about 30 seconds and she said "Oh, okay I will tell the manager." Again, silence. We went back the next day and spoke to the first lady and she said "Yeah... they're not going to do anything. I went over to the model unit and tried the door and it shuts like a normal door." We both just stood there completely defeated. We said how much of a noise nuisance this is for us as we are quiet people and I love to read, but can't do so because of the constant slamming. We asked if they could AT LEAST send a memo to the residents to be cautious of their doors and they said no!

We ended up getting 2 videos of the door slamming noise from inside our apartment so they could get an idea of what we are experiencing. We emailed it over, and the interim office manager wrote back and said "Do you know what door it is that they are slamming?" Seriously? I just told you it's the exterior door and we've also talked to your staff three times about this. Her response back was "Im happy to bring this up in a meeting. But Im not sure anything can be done. It sounds like this is just how the buildings were constructed, and Im not sure construction is able to go back into apartments and install anything. This is the first I have heard of this issue. I will try to keep my eyes and ears open if this continually is brought up." This absolutely infuriated both of us, so we've written a VERY honest review on the internet for this place. We thought that would trigger something in their office and they would fix the issue but we've heard nothing.

Their lease states: "Landlord must make all repairs and do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the Premises in a fit and habitable condition." It also states: "Tenants will conduct him/herself and require other persons on Premises with his consent to conduct themselves in a manner that will not disturb his neighbors "peaceful enjoyment" of the Premises. Use good judgement and thoughtfulness for others in use of his/her apartment and not to commit or allow any nuisance." So, the leasing office is unwilling to make this a fit and habitable living environment for us by fixing the doors. And, while I am sure our neighbor doesn't realize how loudly we are hearing their door, the leasing office is responsible for sending out a memo to deal with noise issues. I don't feel we should have to go to each person in our building ourselves and ask them to keep their door from slamming when the apartment complex can EASILY fix the issue.

Sorry for the book... this has just been a very, very frustrating week (the complex also has done many other things to upset us, but this is the biggest.) Do we have a leg to stand on here?

**TL;DR** \- Boyfriend and I moved into new apartment last week. Exterior doors slam EXTREMELY hard and it's a huge nuisance for us but leasing office refuses to fix it. Do we have an out of our lease?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You won't be able to get out of your lease without penalty (whatever is specified in the lease) because doors are loud. It is very unlikely that a judge will side with you in court if they sue you for breaking your lease. Yes, I agree they should adjust the doors. Yes, I agree from your narrative the building seems to be staffed by monkeys. You could offer to your neighbors to adjust theirs for them, but this does rise to the level of a habitability issue under the Implied Warranty of Habitability in any U.S. state.


Title: I live underneath noisy, alcoholic couple. I have called police and spoken to landlord on multiple occasions but he refuses to take action. Can I withhold rent from him?

Question:
I live in Los Angeles. I have lived in this apartment for about 6 months and signed a 1 year lease. The couple upstairs from me are clearly in a volatile relationship and have screaming fight on almost weekly basis. This has been occurring since I moved in. I clearly hear the man make specific threats of physical violence and feel compelled to call the police. Every time the police come the couple quiets down and does not open the door (basically hiding out inside while police bang at the door). So there has been no documented interaction between the police and the couple.

Additionally their next door neighbor has called the police and complained to the landlord as well. All this to say there has been multiple documented interactions between tenants and the landlord complaining about this issue. My s.o. Spoke with the landlord this morning and he said they will not take the couple to court because they don't believe they have standing to win an eviction case. I think this is bullshit and they just don't want to deal with it.

My question is: do I have a legal right to withhold rent at this point?

Sorry if formatting is off, I am on mobile.

Answer:
 Short answer: No.

Long answer: No, because [rent abatement](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/california-tenant-rights-withhold-rent-repair-deduct.html) is one of those deals where it is only allowed under certain enumerated circumstances and loud neighbors are not one of the enumerated circumstances.


Title: [Nevada, USA] What can you do once you realize your investment is a scam?

Question:
Let's say a guy, long story short, convinces you that he's rich and gets you to invest in his startup, and then later on you see signs that this dude is not rich but has actually just been using other people's money as "flash cash" to do things that kinda make him look rich, and keeps throwing investment/charity parties in desperate attempts to get more cash. Then a few people you know find out who you invested with and tell you that they got duped a few years ago.

So I'm at the point now where I realize this guy is conning me, but I didn't tell him I know yet, and I want to get my money back. He makes public posts on Facebook, I'm FB friends with people he's currently conning into investing their cash, I got my texts saved and stuff.

Is there anything I can do to take this guy down and possibly get my money back? Someone told me he's technically not doing anything illegal because I willingly gave him my money. However I also have a (non notarized) contract that states I am owed a lump sum or my money back by a certain date. Does that count as willfully getting someone to sign a fake business contract and making them believe it's legit and all that?

What do you do in situations like this?

Answer: You can sue him in small claims. You can talk to an attorney to see what options you have. You can talk to the police to see if anything criminal happened.


Title: My husband has a temporary restraining order from where we live with family

Question:
New Jersey, USA
Posting previous threads in edit

This morning I was woken up by the police. “Husband isn’t allowed to live here, grandmother filed a TRO. Pack a bag.”

We read the restraining order. She says that he accused her of committing fraud and that she was exonerated of all charges. This is not true. The fraud was reported to the state. She was not exonerated. It was reported on Tuesday.

She says he threatened her with bodily harm. This is not true either.

We have a court date just after Thanksgiving. Until then, husband can’t live in this house. He is a disabled veteran and cannot work. We are in the midst of a claim for disability.

What can I do? He says I should file a restraining order against her too, but what would happen then? Would I be removed from the house despite tenancy? Will we be compensated if the charges are false? Yes, I am trying to move out. I have two part time jobs.

Answer: Don't violate the restraining order. If you plan on getting one against her, make sure your things are already out of the house. See if friends can take him in for a few nights or get a cheap motel room and get a new place. Wheels are going to turn real slow this time of year, so bear that in mind


Title: Advice on how to get out of my speeding ticket?

Question:
I have read a bunch of posts about this subject on here, but I wanted to explain my situation.

I am 33, I got pulled over 3 years ago for a speeding ticket, and the courts were so backed up I didn't get my day in court till now. Before this incident, I hadn't been pulled over for anything in 13 years. I haven't been pulled over since it happened either. My ticket was for going 62 in 45, and I live in New York.

I always thought that if the cop doesn't show up, you get the ticket thrown out. My friend said this wasn't true as he got a ticket a few months ago, the cop told him he wasn't going to show up, and he went to court and they told him to pay a lesser fine for a different moving violation. No points, but still had to pay a decent amount of money. Is it true about it being dismissed if the cop doesn't show up? Was he an idiot to agree to paying the lesser fine?

I think there has got to be something I can do to get this dropped completely with no fine, but provided I have to pay a lesser fine, what would be my cheapest alternative. Do I have a chance of getting it dismissed completely?

Thanks for all the help.

Answer: Go to court, your option will be laid out in front of you.


Title: (Canada - BC) I'm not getting medical info (allergies, etc...) for my child (x-post from /r/familylaw)

Question:
Original post here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/FamilyLaw/comments/8zrssi/canada\_bc\_im\_not\_getting\_medical\_info\_allergies/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FamilyLaw/comments/8zrssi/canada_bc_im_not_getting_medical_info_allergies/)

**Background:** I've got an 10yr old daughter who lives with her mom & new husband roughly a 5hr drive away, but I take her \~every 3rd weekend and for some extended school breaks (over summer for a month, every second christmas, etc..). I pay the appropriate child support and have been doing so even while I was on student loans. We're on good terms mostly but do not have any written custody agreement in place.

**Problem:** I'm realizing that I'm always being told after-the-fact that of what medical things I should have done differently. A year back she visited me with an ear infection and we took her into a walk-in clinic where the doctor wrote her a prescription. When I returned her with instructions on finishing the medication I was told she wasn't supposed to have this type of medication (though it had worked without concern). Now that she has a retainer (through my work benefits, not that it matters) I still only hear from my daughter what it is she can/can't eat with it.

I have been requesting medical information from her mom for a bit now and she keeps dancing around the issue explaining that I should ask her prior to taking our daughter to any medical facility, and that she'll advise me of issues at that time. I offered to take her in for an eye appointment since she had mentioned that her eyes had been hurting but I was shut down with little reasoning.

I'm not wanting to start a custody fight but I realize that something does need to change. I'm worried particularly with the teenage years and puberty about to come along that I'll be put even more in the dark in the coming years. What is the best method to make sure I as a guardian am a part of the decision making process of her health? Should I contact her family doctor myself, or should I ask my family doctor to open that communication channel? Should I be talking with family services about this?

What would the next step(s) be if I keep getting brick-walled on this? What should I avoid doing to make anything worse?
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 > What is the best method to make sure I as a guardian am a part of the decision making process of her health?

Easy. Get a custody order. It sets out things like this.Answer #2: You need to get a written custody arrangement  in place, that way, if either of you fails to comply, you can take the other to court for a judgement order.

As it stands, there is nothing legally in place that requires your ex to disclose your daughters medical info.

If you’re both amiable, having something in writing that can later be enforced (if needed) safeguards you both.

You don’t need a lawyer to draft it (but it is good to have one review it). Then you both sign with witnesses and a notary.

In that agreement you’d address Access (time spent) and Custody (decision making). If you both have Joint Custody, you’re both required to disclose anything pertaining to her, as well as medical decision making.

But again, with nothing legally in place, neither of you are required to inform the other of situations. Right now it’s just based on good faith.


Title: Owning a handgun at age 20?

Question:
I live in Florida and I've done some slight research on the subject. I am well aware of straw purchases and how super illegal they are and such. From what I've gathered federally you can not purchase a handgun until you are 21 but FL law says you can own one at 18. My birthday is coming up soon and I've asked my father, if it is legal, if he'd buy a handgun, as a present, for my 20th birthday and he said maybe. I plan on joining the police force in the future and my life may rely on my proficiency with my firearm and I want to start practicing both gun safety and accuracy. It seems like a big grey area and I'd appreciate ANY sort of answer or clarification.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: there is a loophole in the age restriction in federal law. you can *legally* purchase a handgun at a gun show or from a private seller at 18. federal law prohibits the *transfer* of a handgun from a federally licensed dealer to anyone under the age of 21. this would also prevent you from bringing your handgun into a dealer for repairs while you're under 21, since they cannot legally return it to you.


Title: US-Kentucky. Someone reposted a YouTube video I made years ago. Can I sue for copyright infringement?

Question:
I posted a video of my daughter freaking out when she was startled by a frog for the rest of my family to see. I eventually took it down but someone saved it and then reloaded it as part of a "Best of Freakouts" compilation that has hundreds of thousands of views, but isn't monetized.  I'm humiliated by the exposure this has gotten now; I'm assuming that I really can't sue for copyright infringement or emotional distress or slander or any other cause of action as a practical matter, but just want confirmation of this. (And would it have made a difference if both my video and the copy were monetized so I could prove actual monetary damages, or if it were still on YouTube on my channel? What jurisdiction would I have to sue in? Mine, The reposters, or where YouTube is located? Thanks.

Thanks so much.

Answer:
 It sure doesn't take much to humiliate you. Just complain to Youtube they have a  system. Answer #2: Something people are ignoring is the licensing. YouTube has two forms of license - Creative Commons and the Standard YouTube License. If the video was uploaded with creative commons, then you granted everyone the right to re-upload your video and include it in compilations. I wasn't sure about the terms of the Standard YouTube License, [but after reading it](https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms) I found the following in it:
>You also hereby grant each user of the Service a non-exclusive license to access your Content through the Service, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such Content as permitted through the functionality of the Service and under these Terms of Service.

Which sounds to me like you are also granting other users the right to re-upload your content. If I'm interpreting that correctly then by uploading the video to YouTube under either of the available licenses, you granted people the rights to do exactly what you're describing in your OP.


Title: Stolen pet in NYC?

Question: I'm here seeking some direction with what I should do in the case of a stolen pet in NYC. Basically, an acquaintance was cat sitting my cat and now she refuses to return her, claiming she adopted her. While it is true that we were looking for a home for this kitten, we did not in any capacity give this animal to this person. She was merely watching her. What do I do exactly, and where do I go? I live in Queens County, New York.

Answer: You can try calling the police but it is likely a civil issue since you gave her the cat, so she did not steal it. So you need to sue in small claims.


Title: Can the bank cancel a mortgage loan for any reason?

Question:
My uncle seems to think that a bank can back out of a mortgage loan for any reason. He thinks they set the interest rate too low for the bank to make money so they will just start canceling loans . Even if you are paying all payments and your income hasn't changed.

Is this true?

Answer:
 No; a loan is a contractual relationship, and the bank is as bound by it as the borrower is. A bank can ask a borrower to repay early, in principle, but it cannot foreclose on a loan for being in default unless the borrower is _actually in default_, as per the terms.

However, many loans have a wide range of clauses under which the loan can come due early, including changes to the title, failure to maintain appropriate insurance, and numerous others. Banks usually overlook small breaches, because they want the interest payments, not just the repayment of the principal, and small breaches do not endanger that benefit too far. A bank which wants to call a loan due early, however, might become much stricter about these clauses.

That brings me to the bottom line, though: foreclosures are expensive, and the loan represents a stable source of revenue for the bank. Unless interests rates rise sharply - ten percent or so might do it - the bank would lose money on turning over these loans.


Title: Police officer said we were both wrong. How much will my insurance increase?

Question:
I drove into a parking spot before realizing the other car was out of line.
I know everyone is eager to tell me that I’m at fault because I hit a stationary object, but there was no way to see how out of line the driver was until I reached into the spot further. When I tried to reverse out, I scraped the other person’s car.
When the officer arrived to the scene, he took notes and pictures, then said we were both at fault. However, I don’t know how the insurance companies will interpret this. What does this mean in terms of how much I’ll have to pay? Does the other driver have to pay me as well? Or am I 100% liable?
I was stuck in the spot until the police arrived; the only way I was able to get out was by the other driver moving their car out first.

Answer: You hit a stationary car? You're most likely to be found totally at fault by the insurance company.


Title: Our break room is in the same space as the general manager's "office." Is this legal?

Question: This is a throwaway, just in case. I am in California and I work at a gym. Our break room and manager's office is essentially the same room. Our break room consists of the manager's desk, a separate table and chair for us to eat on, a microwave, and a small fridge. However, during his conference calls or meetings, he locks the door. I can't get to my purse or any of my belongings in there when it's locked, as well as rest for my ten minute break. I can sit in my car but I feel as though I shouldn't be forced to if I don't want to. Is there anything I can say or do?

Answer:
 I don't see much requirement for a break room except in the context of breastfeeding mothers:

https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_RestPeriods.htm

As you are at a gym, presumably you can lock your stuff in a regular locker and then at least have access to it throughout the day.


Title: My great grandma says i can have her house when she dies. Doesnt want to write a will

Question:
Hello, its my first time posting on this subreddit. So my great grandmother is sick and ive been talking to her about if she has a will cause I wanted to know who gets her house. She told me she hasn't made a will and wasnt planning on to. My family is small and their is no doubt that my aunt will try to get the house. She told me I could have it since I asked about it along with her car, but she doesnt want to write a will. Could I record our conversation with also telling her im recording and she agrees i can her house when she decease? The state is in Mississippi
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 A recording of her saying that you get the house isn't the same as a will.

Mississippi *does* recognize oral wills, but there's limitations on the value that can be willed that way and time frames during which it is valid and it has to be witnessed.  It can't just be you and a tape recorder. (Mississippi § 91-5-15)

If she refuses to write a will, then it really doesn't matter what she tells you - the house will be inherited based on state law, not her wishes.Answer #2: Generally speaking, what will happen when she dies without a will is that everything will fall to a temporary legal entity called an estate. A person will be put in charge of said estate, this person is known as an executor. That person will then pay off any outstanding debts owed by the person out of that estate and then distribute the rest evenly among heirs identified by state law. If the house is the majority of value in the state it's pretty likely that it will end up sold off either to cover debt or to allow the executor to divide things evenly.

A will is relatively easy way to make her wishes known to those disposing of her things, but there is an alternative specifically for houses. If she adds you to the deed "with rights of survivorship" then the house becomes instantly yours upon her death. There's no inheritance because the house was already yours, according to the deed, you just automatically get control of her stake in the house as well. Though, if your aunt is planning on fighting for the house anyways it's likely to be messy however you cut it.


Title: Landlord texted me last night that I'm being evicted for smoking weed, that he's "allergic to it" and it's "in the lease". Smoking isn't in the lease, I've been doing it for years without complaint from him, and it's legal here. [Ontario, Canada]

Question:
Hi, pretty much all the details are in the title. I'm just wondering if there's anything I should be doing. He hasn't given me any forms saying he's going to evict me, just a text message. I double checked my lease and while it's not a standard lease, and clearly has plenty of illegal provisions in it, it doesn't mention smoking tobacco or weed anywhere in it. We live in the same house in separate units. I live in the basement and the only common area is the washing machines being next to a locked door that leads to my unit, and he has a locked door upstairs that leads to the basement.

I'm pretty sure he can't evict me but I want to know a few things: if I do end up having to defend myself in court/landlord-tenant board, will the fact that I was smoking weed while living here before it became legal in October help or hurt me since this is the first time he has ever complained about it and now he's claiming to be allergic to it? Surely he would have noticed or told me to stop months ago? I've lived here since July 2017 and I've vaped and smoked weed here in the backyard since then, but never inside. He definitely should know that I've been smoking something considering he's seen me in the backyard smoking and he didn't complain then.

I'm pretty sure he is retaliating because I complained about the inside temperature being 5 degrees C last month and reminded him about it last week (law requires landlords to maintain 21 degrees C for tenants during winter months). I don't know, either way he's threatening to evict me and I want to cover my bases.

Answer: You have a lease. That's a signed contract. He cannot renegotiate until the lease expires. If you haven't broken the terms of the lease,  he cannot cancel it early unless there is an early termination clause. If he tries, any half-competant lawyer will eat him alive in court. Answer #2: literally just contact the LTB - ontario's laws are insanely pro-tenant - they won't look well on these threats


Title: Fired from my job after asking for an accommodation for disability at work - WA

Question:
I really have no idea how ADA works so I figured I'd get some opinions here. I live in Washington State and I started working for my employer (a big retailer) at the start of July. In my initial interview I disclosed I have fibromyalgia and that I would need a position where there wasn't a lot of physical work (I know you shouldn't do that but I had a good reason as the original position I was offered I knew I would not be able to do).

They decided to find me a different position and I was hired on as an Electronics Associate very quickly. I didn't realize how much running around and constant movement you'd have to do (it is very busy and you constantly have to run back and forth between areas getting different items for customers) and it quickly became apparent it was effecting my health. I decided to request an accommodation and the co-manager asked me what I wanted which I said that my hours either be reduced or I get moved positions (this was about about 2 weeks ago). The co-manager I spoke to made it seem like it'd be no problem and temporarily moved me to a different department as she looked in to getting me moved to cashier. On the date she told me I would not be working Electronics any longer, she told me she wouldn't be able to move me that quickly after all and I'd have to work out my scheduled weeks as an Electronics Associate but she'd change my position for the newest week... which never ended up happening. The newest week's schedule came out and once again I was still scheduled as an Electronics Associate so I went to speak to her again, which she told me she was making my immediate supervisor change all my days to 4 hour shifts until I could be moved positions.

I had 3 days off and she told me my schedule would be changed by the time I came in for work but the day before I was scheduled to go back to work, it still hadn't been changed so I called and spoke to a different co-manager and she changed my first day to a 4 hour shift but told me I would need to speak to the other co-manager about the rest of the days that weren't changed. I spoke to my immediate supervisor the day of my 4 hour shift and he told me he was only changing my shifts to 4 hour shifts on my newest scheduled weeks and I'd have to work out my currently scheduled shifts as scheduled and asked if that'd be a problem which I said it would be, as he had me scheduled 8 hour shifts 6 days in a row, so he told me he'd try to find someone to change positions with me. Later that night I overheard my co-workers saying something to the effect my immediate supervisor had told one of them he wasn't going to go out of his way for one employee.

The next day I decided to speak to my co-manger again (the day I got fired), as she's above him and she's the one who told me she was making him change them. She acted like she had no idea why my schedule hadn't been changed over my 3 days off like she said they would be and said she'd go talk to my immediate supervisor but if my supervisor felt I had to work those hours, I'd have to deal with it. She told me she'd go talk to him and get back to me (which she never did). So I decided to go to HR and request accommodation that way since I kept being promised things and they were never materializing. I was given an official ADA forum to fill out and bring to my doctor and a completely unrelated manager came to speak to me and told me if my hours couldn't be changed that I could take breaks through out the day as needed, which I agreed upon.

I went on lunch and immediately when I came back my immediate supervisor came and found me and told me he and the co-manager needed to speak to me. That's when they told me I was being let go due to availability and due to company policy they wouldn't be able to move me after all. He told me 4 hour shifts now supposedly weren't possible in the position I held, which I know is a lie as both me and my co-workers have been scheduled multiple times with only 4 hour shifts and he told me directly the day before that he was going to change my hours to 4 hour shifts. On my termination paper it says "Due to availability one-sock-to-rule's assignment has ended."

Is this something they can do? Ask you what accommodations you would like, agree to do them, then suddenly decide they want to just let you go over it? I wasn't even offered an alternate solution until an hour and a half before I got fired. I realize bothering them about it probably caused me to get fired but I kept being constantly promised that this or that was going to happen and when it came time for it to happen, it didn't. Because of this I never once thought it would be an unreasonable accommodation as they had agreed to it and never once told me it wouldn't be possible or try and find a different solution with me.

Answer:
 Under the ADA re: reasonable accommodations, you have the right to request (not demand or expect anything under the sun) an accommodation that, if provided, allows you to satisfy the duties and responsibilities of your job more easily. It ultimately comes down to what the employer can feasibly provide to you without causing the employer great detriment.

It seems your manager jumped the gun on making those promises to you. Maybe she didn't have the authority or didn't know how it would impact the department as a whole. But an accommodation can't really be cutting hours or discharging your job duties, because then you're really not doing your job anymore. You could ask for specified timed breaks, a chair, etc.
EDIT: when you said physical work, did you clarify running around was an issue, or did they interpret it to heavy lifting? It seems like your conversation upon hire is the key here.

Here, they're saying you're required to work a certain amount of hours, and you cannot, therefore, your lack of availability is the basis of your termination. You really need to have a sit down/face to face discussion regarding your situation. This isn't something they can decide while everyone's running around the store acting on a whim. This issue needs a serious and private meeting. Just by reading this, It's unclear whether when you were hired, if you formally requested the accommodation and/or if your condition was fully disclosed as a disability under the ADA. This may make a difference.


Title: I posted a video on youtube and another site downloaded it, slapped their logo on it and posted it. Then a second site stole it from them, posted it on facebook and it got 10 million views. Is there any legal recourse for me to send them an invoice or anything? Or is this just a loss?

Question:
I'm unfamiliar with this sort of thing, but if I'd gotten the 10 million youtube views that would have been a good amount of ad revenue. But then again, I did post it on youtube and didn't get 10 million views. I've heard of photographers sending invoices to people who post their work without permission. Does the same apply to videos? Or to things posted on youtube? Or is youtube pretty much understood to be fair game for poaching videos you want to download and repost on your own site?

I'm located in the US.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 You are free to send an invoice.  They are free to ignore it.

You should file a DMCA takedown notice with Facebook to have the content removed.

If you wish to sue, you should register your copyright and hope that you're within the 3-month window from the date of first publication to still obtain statutory damages.

Answer #2: Yes, look it up, if someone steals your video you can have their channel run the video but the monetization goes to you.

Or you could order a copyright strike and the video will be taken down.


Title: California Service Dog

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Those online registration things are a scam. Don't touch them.


Title: Therapist betrayed my trust/privacy

Question:
Hello, this is in Boston,MA

I have severe PTSD and have been regularly going to therapy.
My therapist (I had been seeing her for about two years) along with some "expert" recently started an 18 week "Cognitive Reconsructuring Therapy" program for PTSD. For months, my therapist kept pushing me to try it but I wanted nothing to do with because I don't like talking about certain things, especially not to someone I don't know (it had to be with another therapist.) She kept telling me that she thought it would really help me and that "studies" have shown this program to be very helpful. After months of her pushing it, I agreed to try it.

After I agreed she was like, oh I should mention that your sessions will be recorded. I almost changed my mind right there but she assured me that only three people would have access to the recordings: her, the other therapist and the "expert." She said the recordings were only so they could advise the therapist.

I just completed the whole program last week. At the very last session I asked when would the recordings be deleted....to my HORROR she said that the recordings are being used to train other therapists! I told her that wasn't cool, nobody ever mentioned that and I want them deleted. I did NOT sign up for that....I didn't sign anything at all.

I already emailed the administrator over the weekend but I completely lost trust in this place. What else should I do? I feel so sick. I want the other participants of this program to be notified immediately that their recordings...where they discuss very painful/difficult things, things that the typically don't like talking about are being used for training purposes and God knows what else.

I posted this to r/ ptsd and a couple people suggested that I post it here.

EDIT, Thank you all so much! I really appreciate all the advice and feedback!

Answer:
 Take a deep breath, and know that in the long term you're going to be alright and that you rightfully feel violated.

Not much can be done about the existence of the recordings because you consented (albeit under false pretenses).  However, you might be able to have a say in how they're used.  There might be something more applicable, but at face value [part 3 title 1 chapter 214 section 3A of MA general laws](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleI/Chapter214/Section3A) might be applicable.

I would definitely complain to the licensing [board of registered psychologists](http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/licensee/dpl-boards/py/) about the conduct, and keep working the administration.

This might also be a HIPAA violation unless they've gotten your written consent to share this information with other parties.  Read up about this a bit more, and if you believe there was one, [file a complaint](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/).

Try to dig up any paperwork you actually signed.  They sometimes like to bury disclosures like this in mountains of paperwork, and if you signed it, you might not have a course of action.

Worst case scenario, consult with a lawyer to look over all of your paperwork and see if you did consent to such use of recordings.Answer #2: You signed no papers at all?Answer #3: If any of the therapists involved here are members of professional associations or colleges, you should get in touch with those organizations and report them.


Title: Trapped in a trap house

Question:
Hey y'all first time posting

Here's my ordeal. My girlfriend and I used a housing fb page for our university. And out of shear desperation we moved into a lease take over house. We paid the previous tenants of the lease who were moving out $500 each for their part of the deposit (which I was content about because the original deposit was $560). As well as the two of us moving in, two new tenants also moved in paying for a deposit the same way. The realtor for the house hasn't sent us any paperwork to sign regarding the lease and hasn't processed our applications. However rent is now due, but my girlfriend and I are skeptical about continuing to live here.  We walked in knowing the house was 420 friendly however one of the housemates is now partaking in stronger recreational activities, which is making him more aggressive. I have only been living here for a month and I can see the sudden change of character. The other housemates lack common sense and see nothing wrong with the situation of hardcore drugs. On top of that, to afford his lifestyle, he started to sell drugs out of the house.

How would I go about getting our deposit back as well as be able to move out of this living situation without any legal consequences. [CA]

Thank you in advance.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Depends on what you signed. Generally, you are responsible for rent until your lease ends or until you or your LL find another tenant. Penalties may also apply.Answer #2: Are you on a joint lease with that guy or did the landlord have separate leases with everyone?


Title: Do I have to pay this bill?

Question:
Location: NJ, USA.

So I went for a consultation at the oral surgeon about having my wisdom teeth removed. I gave them all my insurance information and they gave me a paper to sign that said the bill would be $110. The only thing the insurance doesn't cover is the anesthesia. I asked them if they were sure because I really didn't think the procedure would be totally covered but they said yes it was so I signed the paper. Today I got a call saying that they made a mistake and it's actually more like 500 dollars because they didn't realize that I hadn't met my deductible for my insurance yet. So unless that deductible is met, the insurance won't cover it. But, I feel like I shouldn't have to pay for their mistake. What I signed was a two-way contract. I think they should have to pay the difference to my insurance company and I just pay for the cost of the anesthesia. I mean, why else would I sign such a contract unless it was to protect me from them changing the price later from what we originally agreed upon? The problem is, I suspect they aren't going to do that. And if no one pays the insurance that 500, then they won't cover the rest of the bill, and then I'm out something more like 2000 dollars. So I don't want that to happen and I don't want to argue with these people who are going to be doing surgery on my face...

Answer: You are responsible to know what your insurance will or will not cover and also to know your deductible.


Title: Should I be okay if I break my lease. From a legal standpoint. Context Below

Question:
Hello, I'm 23 currently living with my girlfriend who's the same age. We just moved into a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment in New York State for 975 dollars a month. We were living further upstate and moved to get closer to my girlfriends mother who was sick at the time. (Stage 4 Kidney disease). The night we moved our stuff into our apartment sadly her mother passed away and left behind two children, my GF's sisters. With no where to go we had to take in her sisters into our new 1 bedroom apartment. We contacted the landlord as soon as this all happened and let her know our situation.

Obviously with this being a 1 bedroom 1 bath and the bathroom being in the bedroom this was not going to be suitable for us to live in. We told the landlord that we didn't have an option and needed to get a bigger place and will have to move out and she wasn't happy that we were going to break the lease. Mainly because they held the apartment for us for a month (which we gave them the money ahead of time to do). They told us we could stay for a month or two with increased rent (1375 a 400 dollar increase) to figure it out but after we will have to Sub-let the apartment to someone that we choose and conduct background checks and ensure they're good tenants. They would also like to meet and approve the person then from there on out we have to have the new person pay us and we have to transfer the money to them until the lease is fulfilled. We told them with everything going on including our busy work schedules this wasn't going to be possible for us and they're hinting at taking us to court for it.

We offered they just keep the 1k deposit we have with them and let us move on but not sure if they're going to be ok with that. My question is if I just leave and move into a new spot and break the lease will my side stand up in court if they end up taking it that far? Or are we completely screwed here. Let me know if I can give any more context to help make the situation more clear.

Answer:
 Your need for more space does not give you a legal right to break the contract you signed.

You can:

1. Go with their offer and sublet the apartment. You will have to pay rent if your leasee does not pay you. You are liable for this.

2. Stay.

3. Leave and be sued for the entirety of your lease amount and any damages that go past your deposit.


Title: Rent was "All Utilities Included" but landlord now wants us to pay for utilities

Question:
 I'm a college student and I'm moving into a house on Monday (today is Thursday). I have 2 friends who lived in the house last year and they're renewing their lease for another year. The landlord just told us  that our rent, which had previously had "all utilities included" would no longer include utilities. We'd also need to pay for gardener and maid services. The utilities and services will add another $150-$200 a month on top of our already pricey rent.

I read online that if a landlord increases your rent in the state of CA then they need to give you 30 to 60 days notice beforehand. Since my friends have already been living in the house should they have received some notice?

Any help would be really great, sort of lost about what to do here

Answer:
 30 days' notice for rent increases that are 10% of the rent or less.

60 days' notice for rent increases that are 10% or more.

Has the lease been renewed yet?

Edit: source

http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/lt-2.shtml

Edit: /u/EndsInATangent has made a valid point that these notification requirements apply to month-to-month or periodic tenancies, and not to new or renewed fixed term leases. Without further clarification from OP we don't know if these notice requirements apply to OP's tenancy. Answer #2: Has the lease been renewed?

Have you signed the lease with the "all utilities included?

If both are yes and this is a fixed annual lease, LL cannot change the terms of the lease. You do not have to pay for utilities.

If both questions are answered no, please look at Biondina comment.

Answer #3: Did you/they manage to renew the lease before the landlord announced the price change?

If so, congrats! Landlord can get stuffed for twelve months.

If not you/they can try to push back. If the rent increase is less than it will cost him to find a new tenant, he may just forget about it. There are a lot of things a landlord has to do at his own expense when a property changes hands, not to mention the fact he'd not getting paid while it's vacant.


Title: [NY] Help with adopted dog

Question:
 Throwaway because I don't want to be identified.  Last weekend I saw on a local facebook group that a dog was looking for a new home.  He was a service dog who's owner had just died while walking him.  The man had no family at all, so they were looking to find him a new home.  The dog ended up at a nearby police precinct, and I just so happened to have a friend of a friend who is an officer there.  We connected and the officer said the dog was available and mine if I wanted it.  I was also told that if someone didn't take him that night, he would likely end up at a kill shelter.  He left my name with the other officers at the precinct, and I went and picked the dog up with no problems.  I did not sign anything or do any paperwork.

A day or two later, the officer texted me to say that a friend had come forward.  This friend did not want the dog, but supposedly wanted them to prove that they did not send the dog to be killed by the local ASPCA.  He asked for my address and I gave it to him, to prove to this woman that the dog went to a loving home.  I was told that internal affairs would be in contact with me to ensure that I had the dog and that he was safe.  I never actually heard from them.

Yesterday, he texts me again saying that the woman is raising hell and is now demanding the dog be given to her.  She is willing to pay back any costs we have incurred.  She's also supposedly threatening legal action against the police and myself, because evidently the police did not follow protocol, and were supposed to send the dog to the local ASPCA either way.  I did not respond to this message.

This morning, he texted me again, saying that his captain spoke to him, and "we need this dog back", and that he's sorry but he will help find a new dog.  This time I responded, saying that I am willing to defend this in court if necessary.

His response was that was okay, but his precinct still needed the dog back immediately and take it to the ASPCA, and then I will have to fight with this woman for the dog.  I did not respond and he texted again saying he will come to my house right now to pick up the dog.

My question is, what, if any, is my liability here?  Do I have a legal right to this dog?  And more importantly, I do not think this woman has any legal right to the dog either.  If this woman was willed the dog, I wouldn't be hearing about this via a text message from a police officer.  My suspicion is that the police did not follow protocol and are looking to now make this go away as quickly as possible.  What are my options here?   I would like to keep this dog as he is great with kids, is already trained, and I can provide him with a safe and loving home.  I have no idea who this woman is or if she can provide the same type of environment.  I wouldn't hesitate to hand over the dog if this woman can prove her relationship and connection to the dog - but everything about this just seems like it's not by the book and smells fishy.

Answer: The dog was the deceased owner’s property and needed to be treated as such like any other property. It should have been taken into custody by animal control and housed until a determination could be made where it would go next. It appears the police did not follow protocol and gave you what amounts to stolen property. You can try and fight it but should retain a local attorney. Was this an actual service dog trained to perform duties or a “companion service” dog? Depending on age etc. an actual service dog could get rehoused with another needy person and the dog allowed to do what it’s been trained for.


Title: At what point should a jail be held accountable for negligence. Have contacted local law enforcement and FBI as well. No one cares. [Oklahoma City, County Jail]

Answer:
 If the jail offered medical assistance and the inmate refused it, that's kind of that, at least until the inmate is clearly experiencing a medical emergency. A jail isn't any more able to force someone to receive treatment than you or I are, and while a blood infection could possibly compromise someone's competence to make that decision, it's not guaranteed to do so and the jail may not have erred.

The trust ~~may currently be without a chair, as the previous chair resigned in March following allegations that the trust had violated its responsibilities under open meetings laws~~ (Edit: they elected [a new chair](https://nondoc.com/2021/05/17/oklahoma-countys-jail-trust-elects-new-chairman-limits-public-comment/) in May). However, the trust will be holding an open meeting tonight, at 6pm, at Fifth Street Baptist Church in Oklahoma City ([source](https://okcfox.com/news/local/jail-trust-looking-for-public-input-on-long-term-solutions-for-oklahoma-county-jail)). It's probably too late to get items on the agenda, but there may be an open questions period.Answer #2: A jail is liable if they act with deliberate indifference to an inmate's serious medical needs. You don't really know enough to have any idea if that's what was going on here. They can't force treatment on someone, even if failing to treat is likely to result in death.


Title: [California] We have homeowner's insurance through our HOA. When it came time to use it for something that wasn't our fault, HOA refuses to allow a claim to be submitted.

Question:
Through our HOA, everyone in our community (including us) has something called "inner walls out" insurance which covers everything from floor to tile to refrigerators. More importantly, the insurance covers the drywall, ceiling, and floor, which is what was damaged from water from a faulty washer/dryer installation. That damage required an expensive restoration. Here is a quote from an introductory letter from the insurance we received through our HOA and paying HOA dues:
> "The master policy covers each unit from the inner walls out, including all permanent fixtures, flooring, improvements & alterations that are a part of the building and structure. Also covered are permanently installed appliances such as those used for refrigeration, ventilation, cooking, dishwashing, laundering, security, or house keeping.

After the incident, the HOA covered the first part of the restoration: the tearing out of drywalls and sinks and the drying. However, the HOA decided they do not want to cover the rebuild, leaving our house in an unlivable state. They additionally do not plan to submit a claim and blocked our claim submission. Lastly, they plan on billing us for the first part of the restoration.

We were told by the HOA we didn't need structural/inner/outer wall insurance, we just needed personal property and liability. Now that we need to submit a claim so that we don't have to fight the installer ourselves, the HOA is blocking our ability to access the insurance.

The terms of the policy require that all claims go through the HOA, as the HOA holds the policy for all the properties in the community. The policy adjuster let me know this when I attempted to file the claim: The HOA can drop the claim if they wanted to.

The HOA did not say why they did not want to use the insurance, I would guess it's because they don't want to risk a premium increase. (complete guess) However, they quoted the following from our CC&Rs:
> (v) Maintenance Caused by an Owner. Notwithstanding any other provision
> of this Declaration, all costs of maintenance, repair or replacement of a Joint Structure
> necessitated by the negligent or willful action of an Owner, his or her occupants, tenants,
> guests or invitees, shall be borne solely by that Owner.

They are using this as a reason to block us from using the insurance. However, this language to me is talking about cost of maintenance, this doesn't have to do with accessing the insurance we 'bought' through our HOA dues.
What's our options?

Edited for clarity, thanks for the comments.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You'll need to get into the details here, and the best thing to do might be to consult with a real estate lawyer. It's too hard to figure out what's going on just from your description.Answer #2: you need to get the details on the HOA's policy.

generally HOA carries insurance for "studs out" meaning only exterior walls and roof is covered.  i think that's what you mean by "inner walls out."  ie only what's required to maintain an external appearance of habitability.

anything "studs in" or interior is your responsibility and you need to get your only policy for that.  likely this is why the HOA is denying your claim.


Title: The Officer misspelled my name on a speeding ticket

Question: First of all, I plan on going to the courthouse in a few hours and paying the ticket, regardless what may or may not be said here. With that out of the way, I was pulled over in Ohio for speeding on my way home from MN. I didn't notice that my name was misspelled on my ticket since I assumed the officer actually looked at my license and registration to spell my name. What kind of repercussions would there be if I just didn't pay the ticket?

Answer: A spelling error isn't going to prevent them from finding you.


Title: Students to Sue College and Teachers Union

Question:
Hello,

I'm new to Reddit but I figured this would be a good place to get some advice.
Currently in Ontario, Canada the college faculty is on strike after negotiations between the tracher's union and the colleges have failed.
We are currently moving into the 4th week of the strike after negotiations have just again failed recently.
There is no likely resolution in sight.
For students this is a difficult situation to be in. Many of us have taken out loans to pay for our education and rent/living expenses. This education is now in jeopardy as we have missed a critical amount of time. Even if classes were to resume the content we would miss because of a compressed schedule would be significant.
I am wondering if there is any way for the student body to file a class action lawsuit against either party in order to accelerate a resolution or to recover a portion of our tuition lost or expenses incurred?
My legal knowledge is minimal so please if you have the time break it down for me if there is anything that can be done.
Thank you in advance for your time.

Answer:
 You purchased an education service from the school.  They're the one that owe you either the education or a refund of your tuition.

The school hired the teacher's to provide you the service.  The school deals with the union.  You have no relation with the union, so wouldn't sue them.

You can ask your school to withdraw and refund your money for the semester due to the strike, or to settle the strike so you can continue your education.  If they provide neither, you should get a legal opinion as to your options.

Answer #2: Nope, you won’t win if you sue.

The exact same thing happened in Manitoba for last year, and even though a **ton** of students tried, they all lost. So don’t bother wasting your money. Write to the university and demand tuition reimbursement, but you will be wasting your time if you try to sue them. Answer #3: You can't sue people for using their right to strike.

If your semester is cancelled the school owes you a refund, that's about it really.

Your best bet to make changes is to remember this bs when elections role around next year.

If I was you I'd have spent the last 4 weeks on doing something useful to enhance my education/career.


Title: FIRST TIME HOME BUYER: seller is asking for conveyance via a quitclaim deed vs warranty deed. Is that normal?

Question: Making an offer on a house, and the seller is saying conveyance via a quitclaim deed vs warranty deed. Does it matter?

Answer: You'll be hard pressed to find a lender to underwrite a mortgage without a warranty deed.  Walk, don't run away from this.


Title: Mame Arcade Machine In Commerical Bar

Question: I own a Taproom/Bar and want to put a arcade or some form of video game entertainment. I am seeing that Mame arcades and build your self arcades are so much more cheaper then single system games. Is it ok to have a Mame Arcade Machine in a commercial place if its setup for FREE PLAY and I dont require any drink purchase to use the machine?

Answer:
 No, the mame software license prohibits commercial use, including free play in a commercial establishment. Even if you were to obtain roms with a license which allowed you to play them, you would stiill be infringing on mame's license.
 http://mamedev.org/legal.html


Title: (NJ) Roommate thinks I stole wallet, police called me, in the end no charges happened. What happened?

Question:
Gonna sum this up the best I can. I want to be clear that this event happened 3 years ago, and I wanted to ask reddit on why nothing happened to me.

The story:
Roommate was not the friendliest person but luckily was leaving soon. He threw a party the day before he left and disregarded the noise ordinance and my feelings on having the party. I called the police to kick them out and everyone but the roommate left.

The next day as the roommate is going back and forth to get his things out of the apartment, he claims I took his wallet and he made a big deal out of it and called the police and everything. Police intimidated me and threatened to "stop playing games and just give it to him" but I kept saying over and over that I don't have it.  Eventually they left.

I was getting sick and tired of this asshole roommate, when his friend came over with a truck and they both left in the truck to transport big furniture, I took some of the roommates stuff and threw it into his car (no idea why he keeps it unlocked) to help speed up the process of him leaving. Roommate realized this and told police and the police called me and said it makes me look even more suspicious for the missing wallet, the police then asked me if I went in his car and I said yes and the cop said "okay you'll get a court date in the mail".

Weeks go by and nothing in the mail, I drove to the police station and asked what happened and it was a different cop who told me that in the end the prosecutor found not enough evidence for the missing wallet  and dropped charges.

But why though? Even though I admitted that yes I was in his car. And yes I know i was an asshole for going into his car, this post is about legal issues not moral issues.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: In the end the prosecutor found not enough evidence for the missing wallet and dropped charges.


Title: A company I used to unofficially work for is threatening to move against me if I don't provide them ownership of a YouTube channel that I created for them by tomorrow.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If they were paying you to do work for them, you worked for them.  If they paid you to create a product for them (this channel) it belongs to them.  Why would you want to keep it?Answer #2: Why do you feel you're entitled to keep a channel that was created for a company and has their content?


Title: [CA] Can I successfully fight this restraining order?

Question:
Good Afternoon:

My ex recently (30 days ago) broke up with me.  We lost a baby back in March and our relationship was very rocky after that.

To make a long story short, after she ended the relationship (via text!) I sent her about twenty e-mails over the next couple of weeks. In the e-mails, I apologized for mistakes that I made during the relationship, told her how I felt about her, and tried to change her mind.  She responded to maybe half of the messages, so there was some dialogue - it was not just me inundating her with messages.

Yesterday, I was served with a Domestic Violence Restraining Order. She's asking the court for a no contact order because, in her words, I will not accept the end of the relationship and she feels threatened by me.

I've never said a threatening word to her. Nothing.

How likely is it that I will be able to "beat" this restraining order in court, and what strategy should I use?  I am concerned about how this will affect my employment.  We also live in a small town and it's very likely that we will run into each other in the future at the store or a bar, etc.  My understanding is that I would have to leave immediately (even if I had arrived before her) or face arrest for violating the Order.

I think I am going to explain the situation and my mental state at the time, apologize and tell the Judge that I realize it is over and have no intention of contacting her again.  That may not work though.

Answer:
 You are going to want an attorney if you want to fight this.  You want someone who knows the rules of evidence and knows the standard that must be met to get an order issued.  Answer #2: Just leave her alone man. Don’t get yourself in trouble over this.

Download a dating app and move on, it’ll be the best for both of you.Answer #3: You need to leave this girl alone. Do not communicate with her. "Trying to change her mind" could qualify as reasons for a restraining order to a judge. That's plenty of reason for her to feel threatened.

Focus on yourself: go to the gym, join a meetup group or two, do hobbies that have nothing to do with her. Look into a therapist to work through your feelings about the lost child and the end of your relationship. Leave her out of the equation.

She is making plain and clear she wants nothing to do with you. Respect that. Answer #4: Restraining orders are not something that you want to oppose on your own. Get a lawyer.


Title: Does Newsweek's recent article questioning the citizenship of Kamala Harris have any validity?

Question: This is a serious question and I don't know the answer because I'm not a legal expert, but it seemed like a reasonable objection from Newsweek based on the 14th amendment. I understand that typically the legal consensus is that if you're born here, youre a citizen, but the article makes some apparently good points such as the fact that the 14th amendment takes into account the jurisdiction of your birth, for example, if you were born in the United States to two foreign nationals who had student visas. Can any constitutional experts weigh in on whether this article has any validity?

Answer: Don't you think several constitional experts considered that when vetting Harris for the nomination? And the fact that she is the VP pick should tell you that the article has no validity.


Title: Colorado - Question for the most rational people on Reddit

Question:
I am having a follow up, not entirely related issue from [this post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2ghki3/colorado_usa_private_car_sale_scam/).

I'm going to use poor grammar so this isn't more of a novel than it has to be.

.

History:

Last September?? I want to buy a car here in Colorado. Bank agrees to loan me money but requires seller to come to bank to sign papers. No one wants to take that time. Boyfriend agrees to lend me money, register the car in his name then come to the bank and sell it to me.

Car turns out to be a rip off. Complete lemon. Boyfriend and I decide to sue the guy in small claims(subject of last post). Boyfriend has sued people before and has a lot more free time so agrees to do the suit in his name and take care of most of the paperwork with me helping. I encourage boyfriend to register and then sell me the car still as it being a lemon isn't his problem and the bank wouldn't know any better than we had that it is busted. Boyfriend has various reasons why not to but does not register and sell me the car. Boyfriend does not file the small claims suit until December? despite encouragement. Boyfriend declines to do the first court date because "You're never ready by the first date". New court date is March 3. Mutliple attempts by me are made to get him to clean up the part where I owe him money. The ONLY way I have this kind of money is via the bank loan.

.

The Issue:

It was an abusive relationship and I've tried to get away multiple times but got sucked back in. I finally have gotten out, I would like to leave for Canada this weekend, I am staying in a hotel and have lost most of my possessions as I could only take what would fit in my (different)car. I realize he was dragging out the small claims car for control purposes and so we would remain tied. He expects me to show up to the court date in March and I am sure expects me to pay any difference between what he put up and what he gets in small claims. I have had to quit my job to get away from him, I can not pay him nor will any bank give me a loan now. Besides all my various fears about retribution that I don't think anyone can help with. I'm afraid if I tell him I'm not coming to court he won't show either but will want me to pay him the entire $8500, if he wins in small claims which is somewhat more likely with me as a witness then he will get $7000 from that leaving only $1500 remaining which I could painfully find to pay him.

.

He has the title which is in neither of our names yet and the lemon car. He also has texts of me agreeing to buy the car from him at that price via a bank loan I was pre approved for in August or September. I have texts documenting abuse and of me trying to arrange the transaction but being refused at the time.

.

I partially want a legal answer but I partially want just a rational persons answer from an ethical perspective. WHAT SHOULD I DO? I'm normally very ethical but I'm scared and desperate. I keep thinking this has become his problem now. Do I owe him that money after trying to arrange to pay it and being refused multiple times? Should I stay around and show up to the court date?

Help. I'm sorry I have no idea what parts to pull out for a TL;DR
 Edit: differentiated cars

Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 **My attempt at a tl;dr for others:** The car cost $8500. Ex-boyfriend bought it. OP agreed (in texts) to pay him $8500, but that sale has not occurred. The car's a lemon. Ex-boyfriend is (slowly) suing the person who sold him the car, and thinks he can win the lawsuit for $7000. Ex-boyfriend has physical control of the vehicle. (There's also issues of abuse but I believe that is legally separate.)

OP wants to know if: 1) (s)he owes the ex-boyfriend $8500; and, 2) (s)he should show up to court, in the hopes that he'll win the case and (s)he will therefore owe him less.


Title: [FL] Apartment complex demanding two times monthly rent to terminate lease.

Question:
First off, I want to start this by acknowledging how foolish I was for this and that this was easy to avoid.

Back in February, I started looking into living in an off campus apartment in Tallahassee. I did some basic research that went as far as really just reading some reviews and looking at the prices. I came across a place that I had drove past before and it looked pretty nice. So, with stars in my eyes and thinking that moving into an apartment would signal my last step into adulthood, I decided to apply.

This is where I should have started to notice the huge red flags. The very first apartment I ever applied to. Basically, they just start by taking your basic info such as my guarantor (Mom) and my income (which I had none of at the time). Then you have to pay a $1 application fee. Such a low fee I just paid it and got on with it. Once you pay that application fee, it immediately took me to sign a lease contract online. Like I said, I was naive and didn’t really read it, so I thought surely all of this is just part of the application because there’s no way I can be accepted that quickly, and I signed it all electronically.

I applied to other places afterwards and noticed how different the application process was. I had to pay a significantly larger application fee ($30-$50) and once I submitted the application, I had to wait to be approved.

Now eventually, probably a week later, me and my mom decided that it would be best if I just stayed on campus. So these apartment places I applied to just kept calling me but I just ignored them because I figured they were just trying to get me to come in.

But one day (probably a month after applying) I got an email from the original apartment place, we can call them AC. Saying how multiple forms were overdue like a guarantor or deposit form, concession form, and a roommate profile form. I emailed them back telling them that I would not be living there and they responded that because I had not terminated the lease within 48 hours, I would have to pay a lease termination fee of two times the rent agreed upon which came out to $1020.

My mom called them and tried to get more info from them, to which they said “I remember when 22chainz came in! He took forever!” However, I had never step foot in the place. They said all I could do is take them the lease termination form. On the form, it just asked for my name, phone number, email, and the date of the lease application, and the date of the termination. I applied on 2/19, and the date was 3/19. My mom’s advice was to just right the termination date as 2/20 instead of 3/19. She also said to not give them my phone number or email. Just the name and dates. So I took it there, and I folded up the paper to buy me some time as I walked out. I handed the girl the paper and just booked it out of there. They chased me out of the place and as I was driving off they were throwing rocks and sticks at my car. They kept calling me and my mom with basic threats but we never answered, and have not talked to them since I turned in that form.

In April, I received an email from them saying that the first payment is due July 1st. It is now July 16th and I haven’t heard anything from them since that email. The “move in” date is August 17th.

Basically, I know I fucked up with this and it could have easily been avoided. I know that I signed a contract so that’s where my doubts lie. But I really do think this place is a scam. People have told me that this place will pay people up to $500 in gift cards just if they write a good review about them online. The place has many bad reviews despite this. I know they can probably get a few kids to fall for this and make an easy $1000 so I’m hesitant to believe in their bullish nature.

I’m losing sleep over this because I don’t want this to effect my credit or my wallet as at the moment, $1020 is a lot of money and that seems pretty steep to terminate a lease. I just really want some advice on this because it’s actually driving me crazy. People tell me the worst that could happen is they take it to collections but my pessimistic mind thinks otherwise.

If any more info needs to be provided I will gladly oblige.

Thanks

Answer:
 1. What
2. Does
3. Your
4. Lease
5. Say

That will have all the answers you need.


Title: Can California discriminate against residents of other states in the area of legal gun carry? (So far theoretical, no actual case.)

Question:
Guys,

I'm a "gun nut" :).  I have an Alabama gun carry permit and live in Alabama.

If I were to drive to California while packing I'd be breaking Cali law.  They don't recognized any other carry permit from any other state and they don't issue their own state permits to people living outside California - this is hard-coded into Cali law.

I think Cali is therefore violating the constitution - specifically the "privileges or immunities clause" of the 14th Amendment.

In the case of Ward v. Maryland 1870, a New Jersey merchant name of Ward operating in Maryland was subject to extra taxes for out-of-state merchants by MD law.  He didn't pay them, fled and then sued from out of state.  The Supremes sided with Ward and said that the PorI clause blocks discrimination of this sort.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/79/418.html

In 1872 in the Slaughter-House Cases, the Supreme Court said that the functionality described in Ward earlier was the ONLY thing the PorI clause did.  They specifically mention Ward with approval:

>The case of Ward v. Maryland bears upon the matter. That case involved the validity of a statute of Maryland which imposed a tax in the form of a license to sell the agricultural and manufactured articles of other States than Maryland by card, sample, or printed lists, or catalogue. The purpose of the tax was to prohibit sales in the mode, and to relieve the resident merchant from the competition of these itinerant or transient dealers. This court decided that the power to carry on commerce in this form was 'a privilege or immunity' of the sojourner.

The Slaughter-House decision also described the potential scope of the Ward v. Maryland ruling:

> This definition of the privileges and immunities of citizens of the States is adopted in the main by this court in the recent case of Ward v. The State of Maryland, while it declines to undertake an authoritative definition beyond what was necessary to that decision. The description, when taken to include others not named, but which are of the same general character, embraces nearly every civil right for the establishment and protection of which organized government is instituted. They are, in the language of Judge Washington, those rights which the fundamental. Throughout his opinion, they are spoken of as rights belonging to the individual as a citizen of a State. They are so spoken of in the constitutional provision which he was construing. And they have always been held to be the class of rights which the State governments were created to establish and secure.

This tells us that one of the rights a state cannot discriminate in has to be those related to the 2nd Amendment, especially after Heller and McDonald.

Slaughter-House text:

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/83/36.html

The logic in Ward was yet again upheld by the US Supreme Court in 1999 in Saenz v. Roe, in which a person recently arrived to Cali was given the same reduced welfare payment they would have received had they stayed in their previous state.  This was yet again struck as a violation of the PorI clause.  While they didn't mention the Ward case it dovetails perfectly with what the Ward court had decided.

(Clarence Thomas wrote an interesting Saenz dissent in which he agreed that the 14th's PorI clause bars cross-border discrimination but argued that it was supposed to do a hell of a lot more.  He basically re-hashed in shorter form Hugo Black's dissent in Adamson and Yale law professor Akhil Reed Amar's book "The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction".)

**Therefore, I believe that Cali's cross-border discrimination on gun carry permits and rights is already banned.**  The discrimination is even more clear-cut than the discrimination banned in either Ward or Saenz because this is an enumerated piece of the Bill of Rights in play.

So, could somebody like me packing heat in Cali from out of state be successfully prosecuted in Cali, and if they were would a habeus and 42USC1983 action in federal court against Cali work?

Answer: Nope.  There have been dozens, if not hundreds, if not thousands of people who have been arrested while illegally carrying firearms in California but with the proper permits in another state.  So far not one has successfully appealed on your grounds.  If you want to be yet another statistic then go for it


Title: Can I sent a thank you and goodbye email to my clients after I've been fired?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 What's your location?  Asking because the validity of the non-compete depends on that.

But sending a goodbye to your clients is not unheard of if you've fostered good relationships with them.


Title: I was a passenger in a vehicle where marijuana and a bong were found. Not charged or processed but told we cant travel to the states anymore. (Canada)

Question:
[*UPDATED*]

Hello, and thanks in advance for any feeback.

I was in a car that was pulled over for window tint originally, as the stop progressed the officer smelled marijuana and searched the car. The driver told him where the drugs were and he took them out. The officer was telling everyone in the car that he could arrest us and process us all for possession. He ended up letting us go after we talked about it and pleading about how it would affect our future. We were issued no tickets, but did give our ids to him.

There is a lot of confusion about travel to the states because he was so vauge. It was not my weed and I didnt know we were travelling with it. Will I really be unable to enter the US? He said it would not be on our criminal records and we have no court dates. Just that we were all "subject chargeable" for possesion.

It was about 3 grams of weed and I dont see why I cant travel because I was in a car with someone and their drugs.

Anyone know if this is true and what steps I can take to have it removed if it is?

UPDATE: I spoke with the local detachment and it turns out that there will be a record on my file saying i was chargeable for possession under 30g of marijuana but there was no charge laid. It will be on file for a few years but unless a border guard has a bad day and wants to put it on me I shouldn't have a problem.

TL;DR I was not charged but I could have trouble if a border officer sees that I could have been and doesn't want want to let me in.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer: I don't think this would be very likely to affect your future travel at all.Answer #2: If there is no criminal record or arrest or even a ticket, I doubt it would show up at the border.  You can try and find out.


Title: Can i be fired for being arrested at a protest?

Question:
I'll soon be working at a Veterans affairs hospital. Say if I attend a protest and get arrested for civil disobedience, can I be fired?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Unless you have an actual contract , you can be fired got any reason.  (Exceptions are race, color, Creed, etc status)Answer #2: You can be fired for any reason that is not a protected class.  Getting arrested is not a protected class so if your employer found out and wanted to fire you for it, they can.


Title: An animated feature just premiered on Netflix that stole the plot, imagery and title of my short film that played at festivals worldwide. I’m trying to find legal representation in Canada that would work for a percentage of the damages awarded.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You've posted too many details, honestly. Get off Reddit and only speak to your attorney. Answer #2: If you've already talked to real lawyers and not imaginary internet lawyers, then posting here is kind of pointless. This is sub is for "simple legal questions". Intellectual property law is as complex as it gets and I'm happy two lawyers told you that your case is "airtight".

If you desire contacting additional further counsel beyond what you've already done, use the Canadian Bar Association's [find a lawyer tool](https://www.cba.org/For-The-Public/Find-A-Lawyer).


Title: What to do about neighbour's rowdy backyard bonfires? [Ontario]

Question:
My mom lives in small town a few hours from us (me & husband) in the city.

Almost every weekend her neighbour has a huge bonfire in his backyard close to her property. Him and his friends are loud and drunk and it keeps her awake. The flames are huge and she worries if it caught the wind it could burn her house down. Her backyard is quite overgrown with brush.

The cops say bonfires and noise are bylaws and they can't do anything.

The bylaws officers don't work on the weekends.

The fire department is all volunteers and we think they won't show up unless her house is actually on fire.

She talked to the neighbour once to ask him to keep it down and not have fires. He was like, oh yah sure no problem! And the next weekend, another loud party with a big fire.

This guy is mid 20s, collects welfare or whatever. Just a redneck piece of garbage. My mom is a nice but nervous lady in her 60s living alone. She works at a nursing home and teaches piano lessons.

Ideas we had:

* Spray his fire with the hose til it goes out.

* Register a complaint (with a lawyer somehow?) so that if her house does burn down there's a record.

* Have my husband talk to him again but I'm pretty sure this won't help.

What should we do next?

Answer:
 >Spray his fire with the hose til it goes out.

This ends with your mother in jail, for at the very least, criminal trespass. Probably a few other charges as well, various property crimes.

>Register a complaint (with a lawyer somehow?) so that if her house does burn down there's a record.

This won't do anything.

>Have my husband talk to him again but I'm pretty sure this won't help.

You can do this, but it may not help.

If the police as telling you it isn't illegal and the bylaw officers are not willing to come out either, then there is nothing that can be done. It sounds like it may be annoying, but not illegal in the area your mother is in.


Title: Getting alimony and child support paid through the court system (in California) instead of directly through my husband.

Question:
My husband and I are amicably, legally separated. We came to a legal agreement in mediation that a judge signed. Afterwards, we decided he would direct deposit alimony and child support into my bank account, without involving the courts. But now I'm trying to move to a decent area, with decent schools, and my income isn't considered enough. Landlords are willing to count alimony and child support as part of my income but they want to see it going through channels that assure it is in my bank account every month. My husband agreeing to our current arrangement in writing isn't good enough for them.

My husband isn't happy with me wanting to change our arrangement so I'll have to do it without him. Is it as easy as filling out some forms and filing them with the court, with a copy of our agreement, and serving and notifying him of any court mandated changes? Or is it more complicated than that?

Answer:
 Did you have an attorney that represented you at the time of your divorce, or who helped you during mediation?
If you had a positive experience, you would do well to reach out to that attorney - that attorney will likely know something about your case & may be able to discuss some options with you or perhaps even with the school that you are trying to get your child enrolled in. If that attorney will be contacting the school, do expect to retain the attorney & pay the attorney’s reasonable fees.


Title: Do I need a prenup? [MI]

Question:
I recently got engaged to my girlfriend of 3 years and we are planning on getting married next summer.   I am going back to school this fall to start a new career and won't be working much over the next 4 years.

I was able to save a fairly large sum of money from my previous career and I have earmarked that money to pay for my new degree and living costs while I am a student.  My girlfriend has little money in savings at this time, but has a good job and is starting to save more.

We split all our bills down the middle and we plan to continue to do that while I am in school so she is not going to be supporting me financially.

My concern is that for some reason our marriage doesn't work out (I don't foresee this actually happening, but I am a worrier and like to mitigate risk) and we get divorced while I'm still in school.

Do I need a prenuptial agreement to protect my savings if a divorce were to occur or does the fact that I had this money before we got married mean anything? If she were to get half of that money it would destroy my goal of getting out of school debt free.

I'm not worried about a divorce once I am working, just for those 4 years when I'm burning through savings for school and not bringing anything in. I know it's just money, but I think I would be emotionally devastated to lose that money that I would worked 10 years to accrue so I could do this debt free.

Just wanted to hear where I would stand in the eyes of the law in Michigan. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
  > emotionally devastated to lose that **money**

All prenups, all wills, all contracts ever, have had cases where they are challenged and contested and spend years tied up in the courts.

There is no guarantee, none, that a prenuptial will protect you 100%.

What will, is not marrying her.

Legally, if you don't marry her, you'll be spared the possible emotional devastation that is wracking your every waking thought.


Title: Age of Consent Laws in Illinois

Question:
Hello. To keep this short and simple me and my boyfriend have been together for almost a year. I am 15, and he is 17, but there’s one problem, he’s about to turn 18 and i’m confused about age of consent. I don’t want to break up with him but it would kill me if he got in trouble. We’ve spoken about it and in the end it was “do we really have a choice?”. I attempted to read up on it and saw that Illinois’ age of consent was 17 and there are no Romeo and Juliet laws. Since he’ll be an adult i’m assuming there’d be no way our relationship would be legal considering i’m a minor. Would someone be able to sum it up in plain english exactly how the laws work and if there’s any possible way around it.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: There is no way for you to legally have sex with your boyfriend until you are 17.


Title: [Ca] Someone started stealing my water and now my bill is huge and I don't know what to do.

Question:
Okay so I moved into this trailer park three months ago. I am not well off financially obviously and so this bill is really messing me up.

I live with one other person, we dont have a dishwasher or a washing machine and we hardly do dishes in the sink. We both don't even shower every day either so I honestly can not figure out how this happened. Anyways our water bill this month was $150 and it says I used 32 units of water. Last month it was $60 and first month it was $30. We checked for leaks and there is none but I have heard people walking around outside where my hose spigot is. I also often see lights on next door when I  know the trailer is abandoned and the first month a lady "from the park" was "cleaning" that specific trailer and asked to use my water.

I'm going to pay the bill but because of the dramatic increase I pretty much can't afford food.

Sorry for wall of text, I just need to know I have some options of anything. I already put locks on the outside spigots but is there any way to .. I don't even know like get someone to look into it? I own the trailer but rent the space and as far as I know maintenance of pipes is done by the park.

Answer:
 If you go out and look at your meter there should be a little wheel that spins when there is water flowing or a hand that measures gallons as they go by.  You want to make sure that wheel isn't spinning when you aren't using water.  You could have a pipe broken in the ground that's leaking and never show any evidence of the leak where you can see it.

It would be hard for someone to steal that much water unless they had a hose hooked up to your water supply.


Title: What kind of lawyer do I need for a court order to turn over the funds in an UGMA?

Question: My father is the custodian/account holder and refuses to turn the money over and I need a court order. Am I looking for finance law/tort/family law??

Answer:
 This issue is fundamentally an issue of trust law. So you'd be looking for a lawyer who practices in trusts and estate planning.

There are likely to be other involved issues as well.


Title: [Arkansas]Apartment furnace flooded entire unit with CO and manager refused to fix it.

Question:
TL:DR Faulty exhaust in heaters caused apartments to be flooded with CO. Landlord doesn't want to fix it. What can I do?

I am posting this from my parents house in Texas, but the issue happened in arkansas. I live in some medium rent, not too bad neighborhood, apartment complex near little rock. The units all have a individual heaters, however share the same exhaust in each unit. (A unit is an 8 apartment 2 story "house")

Some how the exhaust for the heaters were blocked and we are all now getting back draft. One day EVERYONE'S CO detector goes off at around the same time. Our manager tries to say that it is a glitch with the alarm system and its giving false positives, however these are not wired to a central system. They are all individual cheapo CO detectors (the kind that look exactly like smoke detectors).

I am not buying his story so I go and buy a cheapish one that has the digital readout on it.

As soon as I brought it home and hooked it up it was beeping at me hardcore. It read between 80-100ppm depending on the room it was in. I went upstairs to my neighbor and asked him if he would let me. He was more than happy because he was worried too.

After I got some numbers in his room, I immediately called 911. My neighbor knocked on the the only other person that was home in our unit at the time. (Middle of the day, most people are 9-5ers) We all stood outside while the fire dept arrived. My landlord came out as soon as the fire engine showed up and he was very mad that we called 911 saying it wasn't a huge issue and we were blowing it out of proportion. Either he thinks we are stupid or he is stupid on how dangerous those levels of carbon monoxide are.

The fire dept gets there and they take readings telling us to stay outside. Must have gotten much worse since the firefighters then went inside with their breathing equipment on. The ambulance personnel were asking us questions like have you had any headaches, nausea, confusion or just any symptoms that we werent having yesterday. I told them no. Pretty much as soon as the detectors went off it wasn't but 5 minutes before the landlord was telling us to ignore the alarms as they were false and only 5 minutes after that I left for the CO detector. They asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I told em no.

 It didn't take long to figure out that the heaters were causing the issue as the fire dept detectors were reading significantly higher concentrations near the vents.

The landlord decided to shut off the heaters and call it good. He does not want to fix them. He told us its been a mild winter so we didn't need heat.  I get it that arkansas isnt the coldest state but it still gets pretty fuckin cold here and telling people with children not to run their heaters is criminal. (Probably literally is criminal.)

So I packed up my shit and came down to my parents place in Dallas while we wait for the landlord to get off of his ass. He does not want to do anything till after the taxes are filed in april for some reason.

Is this even legal? Can he rent out unsafe apartments to people? What can we do? I am still in a contract for the apartment for 9 more months but I do not want to live in that unit if it is unsafe.

Answer: Contact the responding fire department and obtain a copy of the incident report. (the NFIRS report, pronounced like "niffers") Be sure the narative and the important facts (like ppm of CO) closely aligns to your version of the events. If it does not, find the supervisor of the person who signed off on the report (probably a Battalion Chief) and politely discuss your concerns, and work with the system until the report and your version are consistent. This report is the "facts" as the FD sees them, and is a powerful document to have, its also a federal requirement. If the LL will not fix the CO issue, the apartment is not habitable. It is not legal to turn off the furnace to eliminate the CO issue. If the eqipment is itstalled it must function. Do not screw around with carbon monoxide, it will kill you. (IANAL, was a firefighter who delt with NFIRS compliance)


Title: Employee resigned and stole company information for weeks before

Question:
[Boca Raton, Florida] The company is an industrial distribution company owned by my mother.there are a total of 4 employees.  This employee signed a non-compete before being employed.

In case people don't understand how this company works. The job of the company is to represent industrial manufacturers and sell their products to those is the certain territories that the company is allowed to represent. We also work on government bids listed online for industrial goods.

Just yesterday this employee handed in his letter of resignation after being reprimanded for failing to set up a shipment that lost the company $10,000.

 I personally have never liked this guy and suggested installing an service that screenshots the employees screens on their work computers every minute.I was given the go ahead to install it 2 weeks ago.

Once he resigned I accessed the service and checked to see if he did anything malicious before leaving the company. What I found was disturbing. The earliest date I could access was may 31st. Since then, every single day the screenshots showed him accessing his personal email very often. His personal email showed that he was establishing an LLC company that is capable of doing government bids and representing manufacturers as an distributor. This company was officially established on may 1st and is listed under his friends name, not his. He also took the liberty of sending all our customers and vendors to his friend, along with our personal contacts for business. He has also been taking government bids from our database that we pay $2500 a year for and has been working on them/sending them out to other 3rd parties that he has been working with.  He has been an employee here for almost 2 years.

Reddit, what should be done about this?

Answer: You are 100% in lawyer territory.  Do not dawdle on the internet. Hire a business lawyer, today.


Title: (USA. New mexico.) So I have another itty bitty question for this sub Reddit.

Question:
This is more law orientated, (I think?) (If you feel this would work better in another sub reddit let me know and I'll post it somewhere more practical)

anyways!

So my question is this.

Exactly what can I do about being on my mother's health insurance? She told me recently that it doesn't run out till I'm 25 years old, I'm 21 right now so I have a while to wait but the reason I'm asking is, is there any way to legally get off that? and to change it myself to my own insurance? or do I have to wait the 4 more years till it's null and void?

The reason I'm asking is because I need to move out of my abusive house hold and something like this could be a very large problem for me, I'm also worried she could use what she has to find what doctor I use or where I live or similar things. (I admit these are just paranoid thoughts, I don't actually know yet how this whole thing works.)

As always any feedback would be appreciated. ♥
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: You can get your own policy whenever you want.  Then you give that policy to your providers and ignore the existence of the other policy.


Title: Did I put my dad in jail?

Question: My dad just got a DWI, he never drinks but today he was really drunk. He sped up and got into a head-on collision with another car. Luckily, no-one was injured. After we hit, my dad told me to get out and run, and pretend like I wasn't in the car. I couldn't bring myself to run away and lie, so I stayed. They did all of the BAC tests, and he ended up getting arrested. We had to hire a lawyer, and I'm constantly being told that he's going to get a higher sentence because of a minor being in the car with him. I really don't know what to do, and I feel really bad. His arraignment is tomorrow. [NY]

Answer:
 No, your dad did that to himself.Answer #2: You absolutely should not have run. What if your injuries had been a little more severe; but the adrenaline was keeping you from feeling it? You could have gotten a mile away and had an stroke or something due to a dislodged blood clot. Regardless, it was his decision to drink and drive. The only way I'd feel even the slightest bit bad was if I was old enough to have my permit or license, knew my dad was drunk, and let him drive anyway without taking the keys.
Answer #3: If your dad is driving around that drunk with you in the car, he probably needs the time in jail...Answer #4: No, your dad made his own bed with this one. You didn't force him to drink and drive.Answer #5: Your dad put himself in jail.Answer #6: That's considered child endangerment when driving intoxicated with a minor in the car. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is an automatic felony. I think the age changes based on state to state, but you are lucky to be alive my friend. Answer #7: Unless you pulled a gun on your dad, forced him to drink a great deal, and then forced him to drive, then you weren't the one who put your dad in jail. He is.