Title: Does the 5th amendment allow you to refuse to answer questions about your medical history in court?

Question: [removed]

Answer: I dont think pleading the fifth is applicable in civil cases. Only in criminal. This seems like a custody dispute, which takes into account non-criminal aspects as well.


Title: [Colorado] My car was stolen 4 months ago, I believe my ex boyfriend stole it. Police say nothing can be done because he’s had access to the car in the past.

Question:
As the title states, my car was stolen 4 months ago, the same weekend (but a day before) my ex boyfriend was arrested for Harassment with a Domestic Violence enhancer. I was in the process of moving us into my apartment so I still had a lot of my things and his things in the car. It was stolen from 10 miles away from my apartment as I was staying with a friend that weekend to escape my ex. This Monday my car was found, with everything but my ex’s belongings, 100 yards from my front door.

When I reported the car stolen and explained that I believed it could have been my ex I was told that they would be unable to list it as stolen if he was the thief because I’d given him permission in the past. When we didn’t find the car at any logical place he might have been I reported it again, the same day and it’s been listed as stolen for 4 months. When we found the car it solidified my belief that my ex stole it, but the officer that came out reiterated that if he was the one that stole it, using the spare key, they can’t do anything because his finger prints and DNA wouldn’t hold up in court due to him having had access to the car previously.

The officer did end up finger printing the car and pulling some DNA samples but I’m not hopeful.

My question is, does this imply that if I ever loan my car to anybody they can just take it at any time with no consequences? And if my ex did take the car, does he just get off Scott free? I don’t want him to get away with stealing my car and I don’t understand the logic of, if somebody has been in the car at any point, or had permission to drive it, they can just take the car and get away with it.

I am remapping the key I have with me now to ensure that while he still has the spare key, he cannot take the car again.

I have a criminal restraining order against him preventing him from coming within 100 yards of me or my apartment. The car being just about 100 yards past my apartment means he had to pass by my apartment to drop it off. How are any of these things not criminal offenses that he can be charged with?

Answer:
  Basicalky what the police are saying is that if it went to court he would just say that he had your permission to take the car and it would be impossible to disprove that.  Since you got the car back and aren’t really out anything, it isn’t worth the time and effort to pursue it any further.Answer #2: Cop's point of view: "You got your car back in one piece. I have bigger crimes to worry about. Go away."  It sucks, but it's true.

Do yourself a favor and get the car detailed. Tell the person doing it that you want all possible traces of your ex removed so that it's obvious if he steals it again.

While that's being done, take a video of the whole process. Have a selfie portion at the start with you saying something like *"Hello, world! Getting everyone's attention, especially [city] police department, to let everyone know that [ex BF] no longer has permission to use my car. If he ever touches it again, it's theft. Right now I'm getting every trace of him GONE so nobody can say any of his fingerprints are left over from when we were dating."* Post it on your FB, IG, and any other social media you may have. Tag [city] police department while you are at it.

Your next step is to find out how much it would cost to get the locks changed. If not the ignition, at least the doors and trunk.


Title: I just started a job as a 1099 contractor delivering pizzas. I’m not paid anything hourly but I do have scheduled shifts and must wear store apparel. Is this ok?

Answer:
 You are definitely not a 1099 contractor, you are an employee and as such should be getting paid hourly along with tips and mileage.Answer #2: INAL, but am a business owner and took a class recently where this was discussed.  We had an employment lawyer speak and based on what he told us, it sounds like you are actually an employee of that company and should be paid hourly.  One of the things the lawyer told us was key, was scheduling.  If an employer is telling you when to start and stop work, then you are not really an independent contractor.

Check out this chart.  The first thing on there says:
"If the employer can exercise
complete control over the way in
which a worker completes a job
(how, when, and where they do
the work), that worker is an
employee."

https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/FAQ-IndepContractorsvsEmployees.pdf
Answer #3: Definitely not legal.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/understanding-employee-vs-contractor-designation

Is this a major chain? They should know better.Answer #4: While you're in the right on this, prepare for repercussions. I've seen a couple smaller local pizza places shut down over this exact issue. It's their fault they can't run their business, but it does mean you and all your coworkers will likely lose their jobs.

They can close the business, fire everyone (they can't JUST fire you, that would be retaliation and they know it, so they fire everyone) they lay low for a month or 3, move to a new strip mall, and re-open under a new name.

Food delivery is shady business. You'll get the satisfaction of doing right by yourself, and you SHOULD, no job is worth allowing someone to take advantage, but if I were you I'd start looking for new work ASAP. Answer #5: How ARE you paid then?


Title: (VA) Reckless Driving lawyer didn't help

Question:
I am writing this for a friend of mine who just recently got out of jail for a speeding ticket.

It was 80 in a 40.  She was advised by friends to hire a lawyer and after looking up reviews, she hired X lawyer to help her reduce the sentence.  Something along the lines of temp license for work instead of full suspension.  She said that he basically "threw" her under the bus and never actually mentioned what she hired him for.  He just kind of agreed with the judge and said that she fully accepts all the punishments, etc.  Afterwards she said her mom was complaining about how he didn't even fight for temporarily job license or anything and he mentioned how he could have done that and he will try and do something afterwards

She just got out of jail and said that he did nothing to help.  She paid him 1000$.  He advised she takes the driver improvement beforehand. In the end she was fined 300$, 4 days jail, and 6 months suspended license, which in my research, seems to be the standard.

I don't know much about it and never really looked up the standard fines etc until now.  It just seems fucked up he charges 1000$ and does nothing for her.  Any advice?
PS:  Anyway to get transcripts from the case?

Answer:
 You could certainly argue that he did do something.  The maximum penalties are $2500, 6mo suspended, and 12 months jail.

She was going 40! over, attorneys aren't magicians.


Title: Step Daughter (F11) molested report done. After report Mom is now taking fiancée’s side. Is this a case to file for full custody?

Question:
A little insight my SO and I have been together 6 years we have a son together. I have a daughter from a previous relationship and my SO has 3 daughters from 2 previous relationships. He has primary custody of his oldest 2 which leaves us with his youngest daughter lets call her J (F11).

J lives with her mom and her moms fiancée lets call her M and well call him B for this story.

My SO and M had a bad split up and it took her 5 years to move on so the relationship between them has never been good.

M meets B about 2 years ago and since we have noticed some controlling behavior from him. She is not allowed to see my SO in general which is a little ridiculous, considering they have a child together. Court Order is followed 100% on there part per his request UNLESS it is convenient for HIM.

So Tuesday morning My SO gets a call from J stating she had been touched inappropriately by B ON MONDAY morning while she was getting ready for school and told her  "don't tell your mom, we just had a moment' when he was dropping her off at the bus stop. M works 4am- 12pm so she was not home at the time.  B works 2pm-10pm.

J had already told M about the incident on Monday afternoon after school, and M called B to confront him about it. M said B had admitted to it and said it was an accident. M still stayed at the home and slept in J's room she didn't see B since they were in bed when he got home. M left to work at 4am leaving J with B alone knowing what had happened the day before. M came home for lunch around the time J gets ready for school. B apologized and said to please let him take J to the bus stop. WHICH SHE ALLOWED!!

M picked up J from school around 8am went to the police department. When J called my SO he was working about an hour away so he rushed back to town. My SO called me and explained what happened and I rushed to the PD as well. To sum all everything up we were told we would need to wait to be contacted by Forensic since the case involved a minor. A call would be made to M in 24-48 hours. While waiting to be seen by an officer M told me B had admitted that he had in fact molested J, she also told my SO. I was told to step out with J so M and my SO could speak with the police. When they were speaking to the officer and were told they would not be picking B up for this my SO said "isn’t it enough that he has already admitted it to her (M)?" M stayed quite.

M was going to go stay with her mom and J said she wanted to stay with us for a week, but once she was at home with us she texted her mom saying she wanted to be with her.

The following day I receive a call from M asking if we could keep J for a month. She said J is 'acting to happy, like nothing happen and believes she may be lying.' also said that if j is lying she is going to 'beat the crap out of this little girl' she said she 'couldn't be with her and needs time away from her' to get her mind in the right place because she still loves B.

We agreed to keep J for a month as she requested, I had a temporary custody agreement signed by M, my SO and myself notarized to give to the school. The school is aware of what happened. CPS has gotten involved which I believe may be due to my explaining to the school why we were getting temporary custody. (They were already aware of the molestation)

So now what we had been worried about has came true, M is taking B side, she believes he didn't do anything and said he only admitted it because she was yelling at him (even though she said she confronted him calmly) she has since moved back in with B and has told us that B has gotten a lawyer because 'cops twist words around' M states she will be finding a new place but has to stay with B since 'she pays bills there'

CPS has spoken to J about OUR living situation and her moms disciplining.

I should also add that J and I have had talks about this and she told me she would get in trouble if she did not tell B she loved him back. She also stated she does not feel comfortable around him and did not like him but didn't say anything because her mom was happy.

Now we want to get a lawyer involved to get custody of J since we believe she is not safe living with M and do not believe M is capable of putting J safety before herself. I should also add she has been in a physic ward for thoughts of self harm.

We are unsure of where to go from here.. Do we wait for the police to take action? can we refuse to give J back to M after the 30 days? Any advice would be appreciated! FYI we are in Texas

&#x200B;

TLDR: Step daughter molested By BM Fiancée, he admitted it. BM gave temp custody to me and my SO for a month. Now BM is back living with Fiancée and believes Step daughter may be lying.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 Get a lawyer and file for emergency custody orders. "Child would be living with man under police investigation for sexual assault of that child" typically sets up a very easy decision for judges. The orders may well be in effect only until the police investigation concludes or mom changes her living situation, but getting her out of a potentially dangerous situation is an urgent matter.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;


Title: Parking Accident: Person wants me to pay in cash. Need some advice. (Washington State)

Question:
What happened: I drove in to try to park and I hit the car in the right left bumper which left a pretty big scratch. The driver wasn't around and I left them my info. To jump forward he got the estimates which was $1154 to break it down 600 for the part and the rest for work labor. The person offered me to pay in cash for 700 dollars so my insurance doesn't jump up which I don't want my insurance company to get involved. My question is there anyway for me to have some paper for him to sign to so that he cannot claim to my insurance company after I paid him? Someone told me there's a liability sheet somewhere online but can't find one. Or should I risk it and hope for the best?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: What you're looking for is a [liability release form](https://www.nolo.com/products/release-for-property-damage-in-auto-accident-pr107.html).


Title: Student serves classmates cookies with Grandma's ashes baked into them. Is there a crime? What would be this student's legal exposure?

Answer: In my opinion, this would constitute common law battery, though California law likely has its own definition as well (in my state this would constitute “assault,” which never made sense to me).Answer #2: I agree that this is criminal.  Probably battery but some states have criminal 'Disposal' which relates to human bodies or hazardous waste, especially of a medical nature.


Title: [New Jersey] I have reason to believe my Landlord is getting ready to sell the building I'm currently residing in. Are there any laws protecting me from being evicted from my home unexpectedly?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you have a lease, it carries to the new owners. If you're month to month they can give you notice to vacate just like the current owners can now.


Title: Landlord raised rent $30 with no notice (month-to-month), North Carolina

Question: [deleted]

Answer: North Carolina doesn't have a statute defining required time for notice for a rent increase, so they can change it without notice.


Title: [MI] Purchased a car, transmission totally gave out 4 days later UPDATE

Question:
[Follow up to this](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/36dga0/mi_purchased_a_car_transmission_totally_gave_out/)

Well, after informing the dealership I was considering contacting the state attorney generals office and an attorney, they agreed to do all the warranty work, charges waived. I got a new transmission and a few other minor parts replaced free of charge. They got my vehicle back to me just before a long weekend. However, I missed a day of work as a result of dealing with this.

Then, a month later, I've put about 1000 extra miles on the car and everything seems great, and now it appears the alternator has given out. I'm having several 'gear head' friends look at it, and then taking it to a mechanic before I do anything here, but I'm now missing another day of work to deal with this car, and paying additional costs that I reasonably assumed the dealer would have taken care of before selling the vehicle.

At this point, this vehicle has costs me missed work and hardships as a result of repairs that the dealer decided to not repair when it was in their possession for over a year. With as many things are going wrong, the writing is on the wall here and I'm just trying to figure out, do I have a potential case here, as I have damages inflicted on me due to their shady sales in the form of missed work.

My question here is, what obligation does a dealer have in my state to provide a vehicle in a, 'working' condition, and what exactly would constitute that? From that, would I potentially have a case here? I'm thinking odds are I'd have a weak one, but I'm interested in opinions.

Answer: Alternators don't get replaced until they go bad. The dealer wouldn't have replaced an alternator as a part under a normal wear and tear inspection. Obviously there are larger issues with the car you bought but it's possible that the alternator just happened to go. It's not something that would be related to the transmission issues.


Title: Because I have absolutely zero clue about death, wills, and the legal system at this point, this is going to be a crappy title and poorly worded question.

Question:
I’ve been through the experience of having a loved one die off, and a plan with the estate and stuff has to take place (keeping the house and property, etc in the family, figuring out who has what in the will, etc.) I’ve never heard of a situation where property that never belonged to the deceased to get caught up in the situation.

When my grandma died, we raffled off items that included the furniture and nick-nacks she collected through the years, and some of the bigger items like the classic John Deere tractors she had in storage. I’m curious, what if someone, say a relative happened to have stored tractors that they owned outright in that shed when this all happened, how this scenario could turn ugly.

I ask this, based on a similar scenario where my dad left some toys of his (a vintage Coca Cola semi truck), and nobody but his siblings believed him.

Answer: It would go to probate court to be decided who owns what.


Title: Accidentally returned empty box to Home Depot

Question: I need help. I was given a box for an item from my parents and instructed to return it to Home Depot (NJ) for a store credit (worth about $40). I returned the box, got a store credit and they scanned my drivers license. I then spent the store credit on another item. It wasn't until later tonight that we found out the item was never put back in the box, meaning what I returned was an empty box. Will they believe me? Will I be getting a ticket in the mail because they have my license number? Will I have a loss prevention officer waiting for me?

Answer:
 Take it in tomorrow with all the paperwork you have.  If it was a mistake, then that will fix it.

Out of curiosity, what was the item?Answer #2: Some might say you attempted to defraud the store.

To remedy that impression, you probably want to immediately (like, 9AM tomorrow) return the item to the store and correct the problem.Answer #3: They should have checked the box or maybe been able to feel it but just take the item back and explain.  If you figure it out before they do that is a good thing.


Title: [California] Target fired me, turns out they fired the wrong person. Confused and angry, I quit right there. Seeking legal advice asap?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Legal advice for what? You quit your job.


Title: [CA] Can I be banned from an office building for my behavior outside the office building in public?

Question:
There’s an office building in LA where I go to see my doctor (once a week for 7 years). There are a couple outpatient addiction centers inside, and smokers used to congregate near the entrance to smoke on breaks. Eventually, the building didn’t want them smoking there because it looked unsavory (even when legally far enough from the entrance).

After my doctors appointment today, I walked about 50-60 feet from the entrance, stood on the sidewalk (public sidewalk of the building) and vaped my e-cigarette. A security guard came up to me and said:

“I’m only going to tell you this once. If you want to smoke, then go across the street. I looked on the cameras and saw which suite you are coming from. If you do this again, management will have you banned from the building.”

Again, I was in an area which legally permits smoking. I just happened to be an an area visible to visitors, where they don’t want me (especially groups of smokers) smoking because it doesn’t look nice.

If they banned me from the building, I wouldn’t be able to see the doctor who saved my life and I’ve been seeing for over a decade. Can they do this?

Answer:
 >  Can they do this?

Yes.  You have no right to enter someone else's building.


Title: My house has no water and it's the weekend, so. . .ya know. . .(Nevada)

Question:
I'll try and keep it short.  Water pipe leak in the house.  A closet was pooling up with water.  I shut off the water main to the house.  We've been in the house for 6 years and the builder gave a 10 year warranty.  So, called them and since our move-in the builder merged with another and they're giving me the "Oh, we have no idea what community you're talking about. Oh, we only warranty water pipes for 2 years.  Oh, it's the weekend so I'm just a messenger service".  OK, called my homeowners insurance.  "Do you want to file a claim?"  I don't know if that's the correct thing to do. Right now I just want someone to fix my plumbing and assure me it's covered.  "Well sir, I'm just an answering service.  A claims adjuster can give you advice on Monday."

So, what am I supposed to do besides take my family to Wal-Mart to go to the bathroom and not take showers?  Should I pay out of pocket and hope the warranty or homeowners will reimburse me later?

TIA for any feedback.

Answer: This is not legal advice. You can live without water for a few days assuming your outgoing pipes aren't damaged. Either your house is close enough to other houses that you can fill up buckets of water to fill the top tank after you flush, or there aren't any houses nearby so you can go #1 outside and only need to use the toilets for #2. You can also take bird baths with hot water and soap, and get water from the store for cooking and drinking.


Title: trying to get paid back

Question:
 I loaned a friend of mine years ago about $30,000. Since then she has done really well for her self, she turned it around in the stock market to over $15,000,000. I know because she has told me as well as sent me a screenshot of her account showing that amount. To show that she was grateful she said she would pay back the original $30,000  plus extra, all totaling $500,000 she said she would pay me. I have text messages from her saying everything in this post.

Over the past few years of trying to get her to pay me that money. She hasn't been able to, saying that the bank lost the check she requested of the amount. That she has wired a test amount to my account of $5 when it arrived she tried sending more it never arrived. It has been back and forth of trying and failing to get the money sent, always running into a problem. I have even offered to come up to her take her to the bank so she can get a check or withdrawal the money in cash, the day of coming saying that the bank will not allow her to just walk in and take out that amount of cash. She has made promises to have the money by "X date"  to have it come and go countless times. Each time causing me to have to change my life plains to make up for not having the money.

Is there any legal action I can take? Or am I stuck with just hoping one day she will send the money to me? thank you so much for the help in advance.

Answer:
 It is incredibly unlikely that your friend actually turned 30k into 15M. It is trivially easy to edit websites to show any dollar amount in your account for the purposes of a screen shot.

If she has written (text or email) that she owes you the money and intends to pay you back, you might be able to do something with that (and a lawyer's help).

More likely though is she doesn't have the money.


Title: [NV] Phychiatric Hold

Question:
What exactly are the rights of someone being held at a behavioral health facility?

My boyfriend [19] was admitted to one on 8/15 due to an attempting suicide. He has no records of mental illness prior and his doctor had mentioned that he saw no reason for him to stay longer than the 72 hour hold.

However, the day he was supposed to be evaluated his doctor was too busy. They told him that he would be seen the next day.  The next day, his doctor took the day off. Was then told that he could see a different doctor to be evaluated to be released.

Now they are telling him he can't see a different doctor and HAS to see his original, which no one is telling him when the doctor will be back.

My boyfriend is obviously unhappy with this. Is there anything that can be done or does he have specific rights to leave on his own? Can they actually force him to stay past the 72 hour hold?

Is there anything his dad could do?

Answer:
 Yes, if this is involuntary they can hold him past 72 hours if they feel he is a danger to himself or others. In most states I believe they can hold someone up to 60 days before they need a court order.

Looks like in NV they will have to release him unless they are planning to file with the court for an extension. I would have him ask if they are getting a court order to extend. But either way I would look into getting an attorney asap, because NV law on this is pretty convoluted. Answer #2: Pretty sure a doctor at the facility must see him within 24 hours of admission.  His father can file a complaint with the insurance company, as it almost seems like the facility is dragging this out purposefully.


Title: [Colorado] Car accident while 38 weeks pregnant- should I ask for more money for pain and suffering settlement?

Question:
 Colorado

TLDR; should I be asking for more money for pain and suffering settlement as result of an accident where lady ran a red light and hit my car when I was 38 weeks pregnant? No injuries but dealing with driving anxiety.

I was completely stopped at an intersection when the light turned green I proceeded through. On my passenger side there was one lane of traffic completely stopped and the second lane a ford truck blew through the red light- I realized they weren't stopping and hit the gas to avoid being t boned. This was probably at about 35 mph. My back bumper was clipped off completely, no airbags went off. I opted for an ambulance and rode to the hospital where labor and delivery monitored me and the baby for three hours. Nothing ended up being wrong physically but it did cause uterine activity.

The car was totaled out- the owner of the car (my brother) opted to keep it and we fixed it. However, I didn't go back to work at all. I missed two days then decided to resign a month early due to the stress and upcoming birth. I am having bad anxiety about driving. I've drove maybe three times since the accident and when I am a passenger I literally scream out or cry every time I see a car from the right side that looks like they aren't stopping. I sometimes have to completely shut my eyes and hang on to the oh shit handle to avoid a panic attack. I am going to seek treatment for this as I am hurting and scaring my boyfriend when he drives me around and I can't even fathom driving with my newborn son. It's to the point where I don't want to even set up a therapist appt because I don't want to be driven or drive there.

My medical bills add up to more than $5000 and they offered me $1500 for lost wages and pain& suffering. The adjuster said she cannot pay any of the bills until I agree to an open ended release. Should I be asking for more money or am I lucky to get off with this amount? To me it's not so much about money as it is about being fair to someone (me) who is ignorant. Thanks in advance for the advice!
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 Have you had the baby yet? If so, congrats! I wouldn't sign anything until you've recovered from delivery just in case there are issues.

You probably will want to see if you can get a free or cheap consult with a PI attorney. However since you were not actually injured physically I wouldn't hold my breath.


Title: (LA) My friend moved to a new apartment which has music blaring from a nearby club.

Question:
My friend just moved into the historic French Quarter against everyone's advice. She found a cute studio apartment for not a lot of money, but it's impossible for her to fall asleep because there is a loud club which plays music throughout the night. It is above conversational level noise. The real estate agent failed to disclose this information, and my friend had seen the property twice during the real estate agent's business.

Is there anything that she can do? She's already signed the lease and moved in? Can she break her lease citing a civil code or get a discount on her rent? Thanks guys.

Edit: She's only interested in legal recourse involving the landlord and real estate agent. She can't go after the club because New Orleans basically does not care about noise violations on Bourbon St.

Answer:
 >She found a cute studio apartment for not a lot of money, ...

Now, she knows why it's not for a lot of money. If you are expecting NOPD to come enforce noise complaints on Bourbon Street, that's going to be a long wait. She saw the location, she must have passed by the clubs during the day to get there. It's unfortunate she didn't return at night to see what went on.


Title: [NJ] Having trouble kicking out a squatter

Question:
I live in New Jersey.
I have a squatter living in my basement and won't move it. He is possibly an illegal immigrant however I am not 100% sure on that. He has threatened my father(landlord) saying that he would take him to court. However, there is no proof of him living in the basement. Rent is collected only in cash and no lease was ever signed. We got him to move his stuff out because we told him he had to leave but he still stays there sleeping on the floor. We plan to change the locks in the basement so he wouldnt be able to go in. I want to know if it is ok to do that based on all the information given above.

Edit: He also hasnt paid rent in 3 months.

Answer:
 You don't have a squatter, you have a tenant.

Do not change the locks.  That's called constructive eviction and is illegal.

If you want him out, the only way is to go to court and get an eviction order.  This is not a fun process, especially in New Jersey.

The easiest thing is to offer him a sum of money to get out.  Start with $1,000 and see if he's interested.

Also, this is what happens when you rent illegal units.


Title: [GA]Wife tells me she wants a divorce out of the blue and is not willing to divide assets evenly.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Is there evidence of her cheating on you? If there is, keep it in safe place. Also, take screenshots of balances from your accounts, if she tries to drain it you can show the judge.Answer #2: Get an attorney. You cannot afford NOT to have one at this point.Answer #3: If you have proof of her infidelity, just know she's DQ'd from alimony in GA.  Lucky(?) you!

How Does Adultery Impact Alimony in Georgia?

When adultery is the cause of a divorce in Georgia, the spouse that was unfaithful is barred from receiving alimony. It’s not enough that one spouse cheated during the marriage - the infidelity has to be the reason for the divorce for it to result in a ban on alimony. If one spouse cheated, but the other spouse forgave him or her and they continued to live together, the unfaithful spouse won’t be barred from receiving alimony.


Title: [TN] Where is the best place to get an Attorney for a Class A Misdemeanor that won't wipe my bank account? X-Post r/Trees

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If you don't qualify for a public defender, contact your local bar association. I'd recommend borrowing from friends or family if you have to.

You need to get over the idea of your parents not finding out. They're going to find out either way. Also make sure you're honest with your attorney about what happened.

E: I'd also ignore anything that comes up in your /r/trees post. The responses so far have been absolutely idiotic.


Title: Please help!

Question:
Recently I've been helping babysit for my sister's kid. My sister, the child's father and I all live in Tennessee. My sister and her ex(the kids father) are separated, my sister has custody and the father is ordered to pay child support, however he does not. On the nights I babysit I stay over at my sister's house. Recently the kids father has filed a complaint saying I am a resident at my sister's house and that I'm a drug addict creating an unsafe environment  for the kid. My sister got a letter from the court requesting that I a "resident of the house" am to go and take a drug test at the court in a week.

Is this something I need to worry about? I'm not a resident at the house, and my address is listed differently on my license. I have had one piece of mail delivered to my sister's house with my name on it. Will that cause a problem?

I do not want to take a drug test, based on the principle that I'm innocent of what I'm being accused of and I don't think it's right to entertain these unfounded accusations from the child's father. I have no prior drug convictions and there is no probable cause for me to take a drug test.

What should I do in this situation? Can I do anything to stop the child's father from creating any more untrue complaints in the future? I don't think I can sue for slander because they're are no quantifiable damages, but I don't feel comfortable in a position where the child's father can just make anything up about me and force me to appear before a court.

Tdlr; living in Tennessee, My sister's ex the father of a child my sister has custody for, made a complaint saying I am drug addict residing at my sister's house creating an unsafe environment for the child. I babysit for my sister weekly and sleep over at her house when I babysit. The court has requested I take a drug test. I am not a resident at my sister's house and do not want to take a drug test based on the principle of not entertaining his unfounded accusations. What should I do in this situation, is there any way to stop the child's father from creating any more false complaints?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Then you stop watching this child and stop sleeping at their house. That is about the only option. Because the father certainly has a right to be concerned if you use drugs. And refusing to take the test is going to look like you do use drugs


Title: [WA|CO] Father of children threatening to use CPS take custody of kids, but he is on parole and has had custody revoked.

Question:
I am posting on behalf of my girlfriend.

She has 2 kids, both with the same father, but the younger of the two does not have the father listed on the birth certificate.
The father, in Huerfano County CO, was convicted of 'Unlawful Use of a Deadly Weapon' and put on probation. The older child was taken by CPS for 2 weeks (the younger was not born yet).
CPS gave full custody to the mother in family court, and thereafter the father broke probation by not showing up to scheduled meetings with his officer.
While he was 'on the run', so to speak, he was not in contact with mother and on drug binges. So mother left for Texas to stay with family.
While mother was in Texas, father was eventually found and put into prison for 18mos.
Mother and i moved from Texas to Washington (Thurston County), where we have lived now for 1 year.
Father is out now, in Alamosa/Alamoso County CO on parole. He has not had parenting rights taken away or any no contact orders imposed, nor orders to pay child support.
Mother has kept lines of communication open, he is able to call and talk to the kids. He is out on parole though, and cannot leave CO to visit, and we have not made attempts to visit him.
He is frustrated he can't see his kids, and is threatening to have CPS take the kids away from mother and to give him custody.
He has also made some other threats, and we are currently working on police reports/harassment protection. Originally we were told by Alamosa to file police report in our state/county, but then our state/county said to file where father is residing. We were advised to pursue an anti-harassment or domestic violence protection order.
We have contacted his parole officer as well and let them know he is making threats.
Mother has not pursued forcing him to pay child support and a court has not ordered it, she has asked for money but he has not done so in a long time now.

Mother has generally been lax with father since she was trying to give him opportunities to be an adult and be in the kids' lives, but that is now changing.
The kids are 2.5 and 5 years. Father has never once met the younger, and it has been about 3 years since he has seen the older.

Some things that are unclear to us, is if he can actually use CPS to try to take custody.
If he can force mother to take them on visitation to CO since he cannot leave his state.
If mother can deny him visitation/phone calls since he is being threatening and not paying child support.

Thanks kindly for any advice or for sharing experiences. I realize a general piece of advice will always be "consult a family lawperson" but we are not there yet. Also, the FamilyLaw sub is virtually entirely dead, so i posted here first, no x-post.

Answer:
 CPS is not just going to "give" him custody. He would have to retain a family lawyer and file a motion with the court to have his custody order modified. He cannot force the mother to bring the kids to CO if she was awarded full custody.

Seriously doubt that anything will come of this, as he already is not showing that he is a reliable father. Absent a lawyer (and the money for one) and a new custody agreement, he cannot do anything.


Title: Mother lives in TV, Father lives in ME. Father is holding son and cut off contact.

Question:
My best friends son is in Maine visiting his father. He was supposed to be returned yesterday to Tennessee. The father is ignoring the mother's phone calls, the police have been notified. They won't do anything because it's not kidnapping, it is 'restraint by another parent'. They told her to go to a lawyer in Tennessee, and Tennessee lawyers are telling her to get a lawyer in Maine. She set up a gofundme page, but it's unlikely she will raise money within a significant amount of time.

She tried Pine Tree Legal, they don't deal with family matters. She went to the court in Tennessee AND phoned Maine's court, and was told she needed a lawyer before filling out the forms, and/or told about a 30 day waiting period.

The court order states that the father only gets custody every other Saturday, Father's Day, half of Christmas and Thanksgiving.

They made a verbal agreement that the boy would be returned yesterday, but now they are in hiding. The police have gone to his address and his family's addresses.

What can she do???

Answer:
 If I were her, I'd file a contempt action for violating the court order asking for very severe sanctions, and I would file a modification lawsuit seeking to truncate dad's visitation, or only allow visitation in mom's city,  supervised. In both cases. I'd ask for an emergency hearing (though for the rule to show cause, it probably wouldn't be practical). If she has no idea where he is to serve him, she might ask for an emergency or expedited *ex parte* hearing.

She needs an attorney ASAP. Is the child supposed to start school soon? She should borrow or sell whatever she can to get one. Generally, the court that issued the last custody/visitation order retains jurisdiction. She would file in that court for the contempt matter, and if she has moved since then (for at least 6 months with the child), she can file a motion to change venue to her new location.

EDIT: word and spelling (of course---I cannot type ~~hte~~ the)


Title: 500k bond for DWI?

Question: A relative of mine was recently charged in Virginia with DWI, 2nd offense within 5 years. His bond is set at $500,000. I was wondering why his bond would be set so high?

Answer: Because there is almost certainly more to the story than "he got a DWI."


Title: Can you be arrested for saying that you have killed someone? [US/UK]

Question:
Lets say hypothetically that you tell law enforcement that you've killed someone, no one in particular, just that you have murdered someone, and you describe in detail what you did, leaving out names and specifics etc... Can they arrest you for this? Without having any evidence? Is your testimony enough?

Further extending this, if you tell someone that you've committed a crime, but leave out specifics, can you get arrested for this?

Thanks.

Answer:
 “I once shot a man.”  - No arrest.
“I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” - Possibly arrested.
“I shot a man in Reno on September 23rd, 2015, just to watch him die, and then I drove off in his cherry-red Kia Optima.” - Definitely arrested.Answer #2: Arrests can be made if there's a reasonable suspicion. An admission of guild would be sufficient to raise reasonable suspicion.

You're very unlikely to be charged if there's no body, evidence, or anything else that supports your claim though.


Title: Domestic Abuse/Violence in Minnesota

Question: My friend, who is 15, has 2 siblings who are both below the age of 6. They told me about an abusive father they have, and sought advice for what to do. I'm no lawyer, so I told them that the best option was to consult a lawyer, but what else do they need to know about how to file a case against their father?

Answer:
 >the best option was to consult a lawyer

The best option is to tell a trusted adult (school teacher/church member/family friend) or call the police/child protective services.Answer #2: How old are you? If they are being abused, they should tell a trusted adult or contact child protective services.


Title: My boss is holding my FASFA grant from me and will not give me the reimbursement

Question:
Kinda long post ahead, on mobile.

So a little back story is that I’ve been working at this company for about 5 years and my boss wants me to take over the company when he retires. In preparation for this, he thought it would be a good idea for me to get a small business certificate from the local community college.
He has agreed to pay for 70% of tuition costs as long as I cover the remaining 30%. We have both been holding up our ends. I use the company credit card (my boss’s account with the company name on it) to pay for the tuition and he takes the 30% I owe out of my checks over the period of a few weeks.

A few months ago I filled out the FASFA federal student aid form and waited for a response on my award, if there is one.
A few days ago I find out that I was eligible for the commonwealth grant of tuition reimbursement and that they automatically put the money back on the company credit card, that I have no access to.

I asked my boss if I could have the money because I need a new computer and other school related things. He told me that I can’t because he paid most of the tuition so the money is his. Even though what I paid for my part is about equal to the grant they gave me.

This FASFA aid had nothing to do with him, it was all filled out and based on my parents and mine income (I still live at home). It is given based on my individual need and in my name.

Is there anything that I can legally do to get that money or is he actually entitled to it?

Answer: Notify FAFSA that they incorrectly dispersed funds to someone who is not the recipient.


Title: My abusive father refuses to divorce my mother unless he takes full custody of me.

Question:
Backstory: I used to live in Bahrain with my mother and father until he had a psychotic episode and slapped the shit out of my mother. This was about 12 years ago. My mum wanted to get a divorce but she couldn’t as Bahrain laws are so misogynistic that she couldn’t even divorce him unless he got full custody of me (I was about two years old at the time).

Fast forward to today and me and my mum happily in Scotland but she is not making much money and is technically still married even though she basically much never speaks to my father.

My dad now lives in a Bahrain a different wife and a daughter. He has never paid a lick of child support and he still refuses to divorce.

Is there anything I can do here? Both me and my mother are legally illiterate so I thought reddit could help in some way.  Thank you.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: Your mother can [almost certainly file for divorce in Scotland](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/family/relationship-problems-s/getting-divorced-s/). It's not clear that a Scottish court could do much about their assets or that a Scottish child support order would mean much to someone in Bahrain, but they can decide custody if you live with her so that your father cannot legally take you with him without your mother's consent, and they can sever her marriage, so that she can remarry and so that her husband is no longer part of her legal life. If her husband has remarried, that may be grounds on its own.


Title: My pitbull bit a 12 year old with a hired walker, what do I do? (California)

Question:
Throwaway account.

&#x200B;

I have a large dog.

Yesterday, my regular walker called out, I hired a walker for the day from one of the walker apps.

During work, I get a call from the temp walker, saying that the large dog bit a teenager as they rolled by on a skateboard. I honestly had no idea what to tell her, and I couldn't honestly recall what I did tell her, because of all the stuff that flooded through my head at that moment. She ended up giving some platitudes to the kid and then she put the dogs away in my apartment and left. She then sent me a vague text about what happened and she stated that the teenager said it was okay and that the bite was only major enough to tear his pants. The walker app doesnt give out the walkers real phone numbers, so now the number that she texted me with is no longer active.

&#x200B;

I get a call today from my wife, she had a neighbor come and tell her that there was a Facebook group for my city that acts as a sort of neighborhood watch bulletin and that we are currently targets of their interest for this incident. One commenter in the group posted my description and a general area of where I walk my dogs. As you can imagine, the posters in these neighborhood watch groups are up in arms, and understandably so. Also, it turns out the walker wasn't very good at estimating age, or she lied, because the "teen" in question is 12 years old.

&#x200B;

What is the best way  to handle this situation? My wife wants to send an apologetic email to the mother, offering to pay for their bills and attempting to settle this any peaceful way we can. I dont think this is a bad idea but I wanted to fire this post off asking for this subs input on the matter.

&#x200B;

I would rather lawyer up before admitting guilt to anyone, but there may be legal ramifications for not taking my dog to animal control to be quarantined within 48 hours of the incident, from what my wife tells me.

&#x200B;

Any advice is appreciated. If I was in a better state of mind, this post would be better edited and formatted, as it stands, I will attempt to provide any info that helps advice givers.

Answer:
 Anyone [with knowledge is legally obligated to report the bite to the public health officer](https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/InvestigationManagementandPreventionofAnimalBitesinCA.pdf)/animal control. You are legally obligated to make the report, you're also legally obligated to cover costs of the injury, if there are any.

Liability can explode due to a failure to report because it is possible that your failure to report will result in them needing to go through a rabies vaccination round. Does the dog have a violent history?


Title: (NY) What can you legally do to prevent your separate but still married SO from receiving a large loan?

Question: My wife, which we're soon to be divorced, was just approved for almost a $20,000 loan. Since we're still legally married, that will also be my debt, since I know she can't afford it. What can I legally don't to prevent her from receiving it?

Answer:
 Division of marital debts in New York is equitable. IOW, it is done primarily by what is considered "fair" by the judge. You can argue that the debt was arranged by your spouse alone, and that you never consented to it, and that the transaction happened while you were in the process of divorcing, and therefore it should not be your responsibility. And when I say "you," I mean "your divorce attorney," whom you immediately notified when you found out this was happening. Answer #2: Does "Soon to be divorced" mean soon to complete the divorce proceedings, or soon to file and start the divorce process?  Your answer may heavily weigh on the outcome of this (or at least the complexity of keeping it off you).Answer #3: Have you spoken with your divorce attorney about this yet?
Answer #4: IANAL but did you have to sign any loan documents or anything else saying that you would be liable for this new debt? Or was it on a primary residence that both of your names are on?


Title: [AZ] Relatively new apartment, less than 48 hour access notice for "community inspection"

Question:
Let me preface this my saying I an more curious about the legality of this access as opposed to taking legal action, and advice on securing my apartment.

My boyfriend and I live in a relatively upscale apartment complex, and are the first tenants in our apartment (the complex was opened in phases and was recently completed). We have been there for about three months.

When I got home from work from last night I did not see any notifications.  This morning there was a note on the door dated yesterday informing us that our apartment would be entered sometime on Wed or Thursday for "community inspections"  and we were given a several hour window each day. On the notice, which had a law firm monograph, was a warning that refusal would be a violation of the rental agreement.

I've lived in apartments for the past 15 years and have had management enter for repair work, HVAC maintenance, pre move out inspections but never for something generic like "community inspections" which was the sole reason listed. I have no idea what they are planing on doing, if they are going to rifle through personal items or what.

My boyfriend and I both work and are gone during the day, and he owns a small business and often has cash at our apartment prior to depositing it, which makes me worried. Neither of us use drugs or are engaged in illegal activities, and we are pretty fastidious and keep the apartment in excellent condition.

I have a few  questions:

1. Is access of this nature legal? Especially since it appears the notification was < 48 hours (of course I cannot prove this)

2. What are the limits for a "community inspection" if any?  Can they look through my stuff, cabinets, drawers, see what sort of sex toys I have, etc...

3. Any advice on securing the apartment?  Normally I have no problems with maintenance in my apartment for repairs when I'm not there, but this seems sketchy. We are for sure going to make sure we don't have cash laying around. I'm thinking about leaving my laptop on and streaming the camera, so I can at least see what they are up to.

Thanks!

Answer: Landlords only have to give a 24 hour notice typically.


Title: Is it legal for my landlord to lock my thermostat?

Question:
I live in Massachusetts and it’s beginning to get cold again. I occupied this residency last year and recently renewed my lease for a second year. My landlord is a psycho as it is, but now he crossed the line. One freezing night I decided to get up and turn up the heat a little, but discovered that he came into my residency and put a lockbox over my thermostat while I was gone. This didn’t happen last year, and the lock was installed a couple days ago. He says that he’s the one that gets to control the heat, but is this legal? Keep in mind, it says this nowhere in the lease.

[Here](https://imgur.com/gallery/IzClz5F) is what I mean.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Is it above 64 at night and 68 during day?

> Residential

> 105 CMR 410.201

> Temperature requirements. Regulation requires temperatures of at least 64 degrees at night and 68 degrees during the day from September 15 to June 15. Temperatures should not exceed 78 degrees. There can be exceptions, so be sure to read the regulation for details.

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-winter-heating

Other questions are who pays utilities, and is there any provision against you just bringing in a space heater. Answer #2: Do you pay a flat fee for utilities?

It's fairly customary for tenants to not have control over thermostats in that situation. There *are*, however, regulations about how the temperature is regulated.

[This should help](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-winter-heating)


Title: I'm worried I will miss my court date because I never heard back from the town (rural NY).

Question: I got a speeding ticket two weeks ago and mailed it back and plead not guilty the same day. I haven't gotten a letter back yet telling me when my court date is and I don't want to miss it. I called the town hall and got the rudest public employee I have ever talked to. I had just barely started talking when she heard the word "court" and immediately interjected with "this is the town hall, we have nothing to do with the town court" (really? you work down the hall from them in the same local government office building and can't give me any information?) and then she hung up the phone on me. I called back and tried again and she just said that "the court clerk is away for a few weeks, you can leave a message at xxx-xxxx" I told her that I had already tried that number many times and that it was busy every time, and she said "I don't care" and hung up. I'm worried about missing my court date and I feel like there is no one to talk to about it.

Answer:
 If someone calls you and asks to speak to your neighbor, you would probably tell them to just call your neighbor, right?  You called the wrong place, so don't be surprised when they just direct you to where you need to go.

You can go in person to the clerk of courts to check your date, or many counties have online systems you can use to check court dates.  If those fail, call the police department, and ask how to look up your court date.  They may be able to assist.


Title: (USA-TX) Owe $1800 for 2015 taxes. Very low income, scared.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 First off, breathe. We need to get your life on track.

lawhelp.org your looking for your local low income tax assistance center, your local LSC should help. They can help you with tax issue.

Go apply for foodstamps. You can probably do it online

Google Federally Qualified Health Center. Find the closest near you. Go make an appointment and go get seen.

Breathe, youll be fine. Most of our nation is poor, you can survive it too. Answer #2: I doubt that they'll let you play only $20 per month but yes, you can do a payment plan.

Relax, the IRS doesn't want to throw you in jail. That costs them money. Their job is to collect money, not spend it.


Title: Employer took me off the schedule (oregon)

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: If they've taken you off the schedule, I'd file for unemployment right now and move on with my life. I'd take a photocopy of the schedule and let them explain how this doesn't amount to termination, should they contest the firing.


Title: Should I form an LLC? NJ-Based

Question:
Over the course of a few days, I have done some due diligence research work for a company organized as a Limited Partnership. The managing partner mentioned I should create a personal LLC, with which I can invoice him. The payment would be ~$2k, and was wondering if there is an alternative to forming an LLC.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 $2K is the only payment?  If so, then it's stupid.  Nobody sets up an LLC to accept a single $2K payment -- just way too much overhead and expense.  The alternative is that he can send you a $2K check made out to you personally.

Sounds like the managing partner is trying to avoid any suspicion that you re an employee and wants you to be an independent contractor instead.


Title: [GA] I was recently in a wreck then got a ticket for driving in a suicide lane a week later. What is the best way to handle this?

Question:
I was recently in a wreck in which I was at fault.  The car in front of me stopped very suddenly for a bus on the other side of a 5 lane road, which I did not fully process right away.  I hit the brakes but it was raining at the time of the accident, and I could feel my tires being unable to brake as they slid under me, and I rear ended the car.  The police were called and I was issued a ticket to appear in court for following too closely.  The only damage that I noticed to the other car was a large dent in her bumper.  My car took most of the impact and damage.

The second incident occurred a week later in which I was stuck in traffic at morning commute hours and got into the center lane to make a left turn about a quarter of a mile up ahead.  I was pulled over and issued a citation for illegally driving in the center lane.

This has been a bad year in driving for me since I was also issued two tickets earlier this year.  The first for not coming to a full stop at a stop sign and the second for speeding 14 over the limit, both of which I paid out online and did not try to fight because I didn't foresee being in a situation like this since I haven't had a ticket before this year (granted I'm only 21).  I want to know what the best course of action for how to handle these tickets is and what to expect as I've never actually gone to traffic court and am pretty nervous about it.

Answer: I'm 28 and have only had a single speeding ticket after a decade of driving and you've had 4 incidents by 21? My only advice is to be a more careful driver.


Title: Odd droning noise underneath apartment is almost unbearable.

Question: I live in an apartment in Wisconsin and me and my significant other have noticed this odd droning noise coming from what we believe to be underneath our apartment. This noise seems to vibrate throughout the unit and starts in the very early morning and doesn’t quit until later in the day. Its sort of like a pulsating sound coming from some sort of machine. It’s come to a point to where we can’t even sleep sometimes and we also have a baby on the way. We’ve tried to have a fan or a tv on to block out the noise but it is so loud it doesn’t matter. My question is if we have any rights when it comes to this problem. Perhaps moving to a different unit or something along those lines? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Hey - This happened to me.  It took probably years of puzzling over it before I realized the woman in the apt below mine (bedrooms line up) had a ceiling fan (old and droning) that she ran nearly continuously in the summer.   Hope this helps.  Good luck! Answer #2: Is it [The Hum](https://www.nbcnews.com/science/mysterious-hum-driving-people-crazy-around-world-6C10760872)?  There's a map of The Hum [here](http://thehum.info/newhum/).Answer #3: What did your landlord or apartment managers say about it when you reported it? Answer #4: Hey, I actually have relevant experience for this sub for once...

Had this exact thing happen in the office I used to work in.  Weird droning sound, seemingly from underground, starting early-mid morning and ending late afternoon.

Turns out there was a construction crew doing hydraulic excavation (pressurized water + vacuum) under a building nearby.  The vibration of the equipment was resonating *just* right that the municipal sewer/water pipes were carrying the sound straight into our building.

There was sadly nothing to be *done* about it, but the noise stopped when the excavation was finished.

**Edit**: Oops, removed the YT link.Answer #5:
Have you investigated what is causing it??

If another tenant is running a rock tumbler or air compressor or something that's one legal aspect, if it's the landlord's unlubricated rattletrap A/C unit or blower that's another.

First determine the cause.Answer #6: not to be rude but you are not ready for legal advice, you haven't even contacted the landlord to see what was causing it. this is like the guy who wants to sue the cable company for overcharging him, but he didn't even call the company to tell them so they could fix it.......Answer #7: Report it to your landlord.


Title: NY: OC asked for Emergency Conference - Judge requested I attend without my attorney

Question: After two appearance in two weeks, the OC asked for an Emergency Conference today to force me to sign a tax waiver giving my ex the deduction. It is not in the Judgement of Divorce and it is against IRS rules (sole custodian, provide more than 50% support, no visitation). My attorney (given the very short notice - we were advised yesterday to appear today) - said she was unavailable and that we needed to reschedule. The Judge, late yesterday, said that I must appear alone. Don't I always  have a right to representation? I signed the tax forms and sent them in already. I plan to appeal but first must get through this rouge judge. My questions are: Can I be forced to appear without counsel? Am I entitled to notice - more than a few hours worth? What are my chances on appeal?

Answer: Don't sign a god damn thing that your attorney hasn't reviewed and approved. Be polite to the judge but refuse to sign anything.


Title: [Canada] why am I flagged as interested in firearms

Question:
I had a breakup with my partner and went into mental crisis and was dragged by police to hospital as I was thinking of taking a whole bottle of pills. Just thoughts. A month later I knew that I was flagged as a person who might be interested in firearms.
I never touched any in my life. I have no history of crime, offenses or violence at all. I can't even hurt an ant for God's sake. I'm peaceful. Just knowing that I'm being flagged disgusts me and makes me feel offended and like a bad person. Why is this happening?

Answer:
 >went into mental crisis and was dragged by police to hospital as I was thinking of taking a whole bottle of pills.

This is why.Answer #2: Can you please elaborate what "interested in firearms" means in this context. It does not appear to be a term of art in Canadian law. Who is flagging you?

I am not a Canadian, and by extension I am not a Canadian attorney - so what follows is guesswork. In the US if you are involuntarily detained you cannot purchase or own firearms until your rights are restored formally. I am guessing this is the case in Canada as well, and what you are saying is that as a result of your involuntary mental health hold you are prohibited from possessing firearms. Is that correct?


Title: Is it legal for a cop to search a parked car without permission?

Question: I live in Texas and recently got a non-moving violation ticket for parking in the wrong direction on a two-way residential street. Two other people got a ticket as well, we meet up with friends every Monday at a friend's house and always park like this (now we know that it isn't legal and have corrected it). We thought it would be a small fee, but it is $103. We saw the cop outside the house and figured it would be better not to interfere since people were drinking and not able to move the cars anyways and talking to him would probably make things worse. But he parked his car in the middle of the street blocking traffic, so if anyone that was sober wanted to move their car they wouldn't be able to. He stayed there for a good 30 minutes, maybe more and the part that I'm wondering about is if it was legal for him to search our cars. They were parked on a public residential street and he took his flashlight to each of them and looked inside for a good amount of time. He also flashed his flashlight at us when we think he saw someone looking out the blinds, but he never approached the house, just left everyone some hefty tickets. I know and completely accept that we were parked illegaly but the amount for a none moving violation seems excessive. I'm going to the court house to speak with someone about it but could anyone provide any advice on the matter?

Answer: Not a search. Plain view, public street.


Title: My Dog Got Attacked

Question:
Apologies for the formatting, I’m on mobile

This morning I was walking my 10 weeks old puppy along the beach when it got attacked by a large boxer dog. The dog was about 60-70 pounds larger than mine. The dog was off its leash and I got the owners information. After a surgery and a very costly vet bill, is there anything I can do?

I’m in Delaware btw

Answer: You can file a police report about the attack for documentation.  You can send the bill to the owner of the dog.  If they refuse to pay it, you can sue them for reimbursement.


Title: Devil living next door.

Question: I have a bit of a predicament. I currently live with my Aunt, who owns a large duplex and garage given to her in her Aunt's will. A few years ago, my Aunt's brother, "Bob" and his wife, "Carrie" were having trouble with their trailer, due to their pipes freezing. My Aunt let them stay in the other side of the duplex until their home was livable. There was no official lease or anything of the sort, just a mutual agreement of payment of around $400 a month. Carrie works as a custodian at a local school, and Bob does not work. Since then, they have paid at most 25% of the rent they were supposed to. It only took about 6 months for the pipes to be fixed. Carrie and Bob then allowed one of Bob's kids from a previous marriage to live in the trailer, and they continued to live here. Ever since Bob married Carrie, he has been a completely different person. Bob used to be a tough, but kind and gentle man, but now he is a grumpy asshole. The best adjective I can use for Carrie is a bitch. My aunt's mother, "Debra" had been going through health issues the last few years, (as normal for someone in their mid-80s). Due to this, she has moved in to Bob and Carrie's side, which they agreed to at the time. They treat her like crap; Plain and simple. They pay no attention to her, only cook anything for her if she asks specifically, and yell at her like she is the one doing things wrong. Just last week, Debra was feeling cold, and Carrie yelled at her and told her its hot. I took a thermometer over there, and it was 54 degrees. Carrie is a hypochondriac, she makes up things, and tells everyone how rough and horrible her life is, even though she has it made, almost freeloading off of us. My aunt and I cook lunch each Sunday for the family, and they come almost every time. Carrie talks to me like I am three years old, even though I am 16. Just the other day I was helping Debra plant flowers, and Carrie walked over to me and started to speak to me in an insulting manner, telling me how to put a flower in a hole and fill in the excess, even though I've been managing a garden at my aunt's house for over 10 years; which has produced hundreds of fair award winning crops and flowers. I was spraying Round-Up on the weeds on the sidewalk in front of the house and garage, and she started screaming at me about how it would get on her plants, over a hundred feet away. There was no wind, no rain, or any possibility in this universe that it would get even close to her plants, which she barely keeps alive anyways. Each side of the home has 3 bedrooms, all upstairs. Debra's doctor said she should not walk upstairs, so we have moved her bed downstairs so she wouldn't have to go upstairs to sleep. Bob and Carrie have already filled the garage, which is at least 2000-some square feet, with their junk, in addition to one of the 3 bedrooms on their side. Debra recently told us that she went upstairs to get a blouse she wanted to wear, and found that Bob and Carrie had went into her room and started to fill it with junk as well. As you have probably noticed, they are not the best renters. My aunt is 65, working full time to pay all the bills and still paying off the house. She is having troubling doing so, as you probably know why. If we were to rent it out to someone, we could easily charge at least $950 a month for that side of the house, in addition to renting out parking spaces in the garage. Debra could live on this side of the house. This would easily pay for the bills. They keep getting worse and worse, and my Aunt, Debra, and I are sick of it. Debra is submissive and doesn't want to kick out her son, but she knows Carrie needs to go. If it were my choice, they would have been gone long ago. My aunt is torn between the two choices, and is being stressed out over what to do. What should I, or my aunt do about this? Since there was no official documentation of the home being rented, would we need an attorney or could we just tell them to leave? If it came down to a decision between the home, my Aunt, and her mother, or Bob and Carrie, I think you know what I would choose. Edit: Location is South Central Pennsylvania, Cumberland County.

Answer: If they have any sort of proof that they have lived there for so long they will generally count as tenants, and you need to give them 30 days notice. Check what applies to landlords in your state. Answer #2: TLDR:  Aunt needs advice on evicting her brother and his wife from other half of duplex for agregious non payment of rent, junk hoarding, and crappy attitude. No written lease, long term tenancy. Answer #3: tl;dr please.


Title: Forging government documents

Question:
Hi guys.

I did something terrible.

TL;DR

I forged an official document about corrections for building plans, and gave it to my boss to cover my own mistake. He just fowrded it to our customer so he couod see the "corrections" we received, and the customer went to the city to ask about it. The city realized it was forged, and reported my company to the state.

How can I exonerate my company? They are good guys, and I lied to them repeatedly to make this happen. It would destroy me if my actions, that I took alone, lying to the company about it constantly, brought down the company.

The long of it:

I work for solar company in SoCal and we are very busy this time of year. We had a customer sign in San Diego, and we did all the prep, took measurements, made plan sets, and it was my job to get those sets to the city. I was very busy, and forgot about it for a few days. I lied about it, and dug the whole deeper and deeper while lazily not foxing my problem. After 2 months of no word back from the city, which is very unusual, I decided that instead of telling my employers that i fucked up pretty royally, i decided to cover my tracks. It was very easy to edit a city document for a few years back, and make up real sounding corrections. I forwarded it to my boss, with a lame excuse about thw city's system being new and wonky. And it is new. Just not wonky.

Turns out, he forwarded it to the cuztomer to show them what the hold up had been. That is something that never really happens, but of course he was doing nothing wrong. He had no reason to believe anything was amiss, and just wanted to sent it to the customer to clear our name. The customer then sent it to the city to very if it was legit, and it of course it wasn't. I guess he smelled my shit when everyone around me couldn't because I'm very well known for extreme, self harming honesty.

The city is now bringing some form of charges against my company. Last bit just happened. I have no idea what exactly the charges will be, but I'll happily do whatever it takes to shield these people from it.

I am the bad coworker. I am the the perpetraitor in the horror stories that people tell about their shitty coworkers.

This is still a small business, and its been the CEO's dream for many years. It holds everyone here's hopes and dreams. I cannot be the one that crushed those dreams.

Please reddit. Help them. Help me.

Answer:
 You need a lawyer.

The way you help out the company is by coming forward and making a full and complete confession that it was you and you alone who did this.

That may be a terrible idea for you personally.

Lawyer, now.


Title: Can my parents call the cops and report my computer stolen when they gave it to me four years ago?

Question:
I’m moving my life across the country right now and my parents are threatening me to send back my laptop they got me four years ago for college or else they will report it stolen. What should I do? Do they really have a case?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 They can try.  The police will laugh at them if they tell them they got it for you 4 years ago for school.

If they lie to the police, that is a different matter.  And you should have any proof handy, that they gave it to you four years ago as a gift.


Title: [Hawaii] My SO is being accused of theft by her employer.

Question:
We've only learned about it this morning, and so there aren't many details and she's still "under investigation", but I wanted to ask to see what kind of scenarios I can expect, just in case.

My girlfriend has been working at a pharmacy for about two years now. She's part time, I work full time somewhere else, but I drive her to and from work, so I know exactly what she goes to work and leaves with on her person. She used to take her Zelda backpack with her, but hasn't done so in a long time (I'm pretty sure it's been over half a year since she stopped bringing her bag to work). Now, she walks in the door and leaves with nothing but her phone, some pens, and keys.

So this morning she texts me saying that they're accusing her of stealing. As angry as I am about the situation, here are completely unbiased things I know about it so far.

- She's the only one who works with the cosmetics warehouse section
- A few boxes of products were opened and items were missing in that section of the warehouse
- At least two employees reported her to the management
- Her boss claims to have seen her leaving the store with a large black bag "sometime last week"
- Her boss trusts the word of the employees who reported her more than her word
- They haven't checked the security camera footage yet
- Her locker was investigated and they found nothing but a plastic bag with tampons and pads, and are using that against her
- Sometime in 2015 another employee was fired for the same reason (stuff missing, he got the blame, was fired)
- Approximately $300 worth of cosmetics and electronics are missing

Here is why I believe she is innocent:

- I've known her for around 13 years, we've lived together for over 2 years, we do literally everything together, the only time we aren't spending time together is when we are at work. Not exaggerating. I would know if she brought something home or suddenly got extra money.
- She doesn't bring anything to work but her phone, a few pens, and her keys.
- There are several employees that are always getting her in trouble for no reason. She's not the friendliest person but the worst she'll do is say something rude if you get her angry.
- $300 worth of stuff is *far* too much for a 5' 2" girl to sneak out of work in her pockets.
- She enters and leaves work only when she arrives and goes home, and it's always through the front door of the store, where cameras can see and many employees are watching.
- Even back when she used to take her bag to work (read: over 6 months ago), they do bag-checks when leaving the store.
- She has never been in trouble for as long as I've known her.

We're very young and don't know how to deal with this. We really don't want her to have a false theft accusation on her record, but her boss is telling her it's "really not looking good for her". We've never experienced legal trouble like this and so I have no idea how to approach this situation, so I'm hoping someone can give me an idea of what could happen and what I should do in those situations.

I will also update this post when I can, with any new info on the 'investigation'. If I've broken any subreddit rules, please let me know so I can adjust the post accordingly. Sorry if the post is a bit lengthy; I'm very frustrated as I type this out.

Thanks in advance.

Edit 1: To be clear, I want advice on what we should do if they wrongly conclude that she's guilty of theft.
Also, is there anything we can do to try to prove that she hasn't stolen anything?

Answer: Tell her to sign NOTHING. Even if they play nice it can only come back to bite her in the butt.


Title: Can an employer claim ownership of an employee’s intellectual property OUTSIDE of work hours?

Question:
My friend (let’s call them Will) has just received a contract for a part-time job as a photographer/content creator in Australia. The following is from the IP segment of the contract:

“Intellectual Property:
All work undertaken and materials created whilst employed by [Company Name], including but not limited to all
correspondence, websites, material, systems, databases, information (written and graphic), remains
the property of [Company Name]. On ceasing employment with [Company Name], all intellectual property must be left with
the business.”

Pretty standard stuff, but then we get to the last sentence:

“All rights of any nature to any intellectual property developed or created by you in the course of
your employment, whether the intellectual property was created DURING BUSINESS HOURS OR NOT, will
vest with [Company Name] upon creation.”

Naturally as a creative person, he has other projects that he does in his own time. Can an employer claim the rights to their staff’s IP, and is the solution here just a simple amendment of that sentence to exclude creations made outside of company time?

Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 You can negotiate a carve out of IP you create in your own time and with your own tools (can’t use their equipment or software). Usually the IP should not be in the same ballpark as what your employer does.Answer #2: I think the key phrase here is "in the course of your employment," which according to [wikipedia means stuff you do for work](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Course_of_employment).  So, if your friend is taking pictures for work, even outside of normal work hours, that belongs to his employer.

Whatever it means though, your friend is well within his rights to ask the employer what they think this means and to clarify the language to ensure everyone is on the same page.Answer #3: Yup! This happens all the time in the video game industry. I believe he has to sign a contract though. But if the employee doesn’t sign a contract there is no job.


Title: Should I get a lawyer to remove website content?

Question: Online a local newspaper website there is an article saying that I got arrested. I was actually falsely arrested because cops are stupid and the case was dismissed and I got it expunged. Yet, the website webmaster refuses to remove it! I told him there is no police record of the incident anymore (i have legal paperwork) but he says "just because you got it removed from the reports doesn't mean that it didn't happen" then hung up the phone!! Should I come with a lawyer? Is that even legal...

Answer: Yes, it is legal.  You have no right to have the article removed


Title: Trying to sell my home and the tenants have blocked the door and won't let our realtor in.

Question: My father and I live in Virginia and are trying to sell our house. Our lease clearly states with ample notice we can have our realtor show the place. The tenants have purposefully been very stubborn since learning of our intention to sell. They have found a new place and will supposedly move out on the 15th. They just sabotaged our open house by "revoking" permission the night before the open house even though they have known about it for a week. After not replying to our texts showing how we are legally allowed to, they have blocked both doors with boxes and left a very nasty note for everyone showing up, calling everyone pricks and threatening the fact that the husband used to be a marine and how we are all under video surveillance. What should we do, are they even allowed to make these claims? I am worried they will trash the house before they leave.

Answer:
 Move to begin the eviction process if they will not allow showings, as yes, with ample notice you are properly allowed entrance into the unit.

If you fear they will trash it, document everything, retain their security deposit (if it covers everything that they damage) and possibly sue them for damages over it if so.

Answer #2: You can move to evict them for breach, but that requires a notice to quit and filing with the court.  If they are gone in the 15th that’s not going to happen in time.  If they trash the place you sue them for the damages.  Those are your only options.Answer #3: I know everyone is saying start eviction, but they are leaving in a few days so that might not even be worth it.

Id post a 24 hour notice to enter, then enter and take video and photos of the property and make sure there are no damage or if there is get video of it now. This way if anything does happen you will have to sue them in small claims (or if more in regular court). If they changed the locks a well then make sure to call a locksmith and get them out ASAP to change the locks and charge them for that.


Title: [NYC & CT] Do boating/fishing/firearm permits from Connecticut jeopardize my rent stabilization in NYC?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you claim CT residency when you don't actually reside in CT, your larger issue will be criminal prosecution for falsifying your application. It might be used against you if the landlord found out and claimed you were in fact residing in CT with your family.


Title: [NJ]Lesbian couple getting married; is everything covered under the marriage?

Question:
Hi everyone,

I hope this isn't out of place.

I am marrying my partner of 6 years this summer. We are getting our marriage license from our township and a friend's father is officiating the day of the ceremony/reception that is another township but also in NJ.

I know when we start to have children we will need to visit a family law layer. But is there anything legally we should be doing for the marriage to be completely a marriage? I know there has been the overturn of DOMA and the SCOTUS ruled all states must recognize same-sex marriages but with all the hearings and everything I get so confused.

So basically, is our NJ marriage license good enough for everything? If an accident were to happen would we be able to visit each other in the hospital? Does it matter what state we're in (like if we were on a vacation)? Would her assets go to me in event of a tragedy and vice versa? Basically, are there any other forms or power of attorneys we should be filling out or is the marriage license enough?

Thank you all so much for the assistance in advance.

Answer:
 If you're married, you're married. All states have to recognize all legal forms of marriage. Gay marriages are a legal form of marriage. Having said that, it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and get a healthcare POA/advanced directives executed in the event there are serious injuries or illnesses. Answer #2: > I know when we start to have children

Make sure that if one of you is going to be the biological mother you go through a licensed medical facility. If you have a baby "the old fashioned way" the father will have rights to the child.


Title: How to properly offer equity instead of paying salary/wages (very small brick and mortar business)

Question:
My partner and I are starting a business selling phones (prepaid). We are 50/50.

However, a third friend has shown interest in working for equity only (and supplementing with another part time job). We're thinking maybe he gets 10-20% equity - unsure on the number.

What's the best way to structure this?

We'll have 1000 shares/membership interests from the get go (it's going to be an LLC).

Should we issue 80% between the two main partners and than allow 20% retained by the LLC itself (unissued)? OR

Should main partners take 50/50 and then give 3rd guy 20% of our own shares on a vesting schedule?

What is a normal vesting schedule for a small business like this? (3rd guy won't be paying in most likely because he doesn't have cash)

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Florida, man.

Answer: You should be discussing this with a in-person business attorney.


Title: This is long but I DESPERATELY need advice!! Can I get Domestic Violence misdemeanor 1 charge removed? [OHIO]

Question:
I know this is long, but please read this! It's really important! I really need advice!

I'm 26 years old. In 2014 my mother passed away, directly after her passing I developed agoraphobia, panic disorder, depression and anxiety. A month before the one year anniversary of my mother passing away I was extremely suicidal. My STEP mom has always been a fucked up person and I removed myself out of her life for years due to horrible things she has done to me. Once my father was aware that I was feeling suicidal he demanded me to stay ONE night at their house and assured me I would have my own personal space and that my step mother has changed and she wanted to help me.

I finally agree to staying one night as long as I was brought back home the next day. Unfortunately I was forced to stay there for a month, the first couple weeks were fine - I stayed in "my" room the whole time as I didn't want to be around people and confrontation triggers my panic attacks. During the 4th week her and my father were arguing and she took her anger out on me. She would come in my room, yell at me and make fun of me for isolating myself, I would walk outside not saying a word and she would follow and harass me. I dealt with a lot of mental and emotional abuse that week and begged my father to take me home. (I had no other friends or family, no money, no transportation).

The 1 year anniversary of my mother passing came up, and my step mom was next door at her friends house and was on the phone with my father who had her on loud speaker calling me lazy and stupid and that I am mental, accusing my father of fucking me and just saying horrible things, I broke down in a panic attack and started uncontrollably crying. My dad finally realized enough was enough and told me to pack my things he's taking me home.

As I'm packing my things my step mother comes home and freaks the fuck out on me, I FINALLY open my mouth and tell her it's fucked up that she'd treat someone so horribly who is suicidal on the 1 year year anniversary of their mother passing, she told me to kill myself and then said these words: "Fuck your dead mom", I got up and punched her right in her face. She of course calls the cops and I get taken to jail for a night.

\------------

I was mentally fucked through the court process. I had domestic violence charge from when I was 14 from a similar issue with my step mom talking shit about my grandfather after he passed away. My public defender told me they were going to look into my childhood records if it went to trial and I'd more than likely end up with a felony so I should plead guilty. I was not explained beforehand by my public defender that getting a M1 would cause me to not be able to work with elderly and children which was my life plan. I was put on the spot during my hearing and agreeing to terms I didn't fully understand at the time due to my mental state. I REALLY want this off my record, I'm getting a degree in psychology and want to work with people and help them.  I'm not a violent person by any means. Given all these circumstances is there ANY way to get this off my record? I hate that this is fucking with my career and shows up every-time I apply for a job or look for a home.

Answer: An M1 domestic violence conviction isn't eligible for expungement in Ohio.


Title: [US - Louisiana] Gay marriage + State insurance questions

Question:
I am marrying my partner who works for the state of Louisiana in July and the HR department at his work says they cannot add me. Is this legal? Is there something I can do about it?

We just contacted some people and only heard back from the HR department once, so it may work itself out but I was wondering if their statement had any merit.

Thanks.


Title: My mother, nail salon owner, is summoned to court because she forgot to buy worker's compensation insurance before buying store

Question:
My mother was fined for around $15,000 several months after a government official discovered she had not bought worker's compensation. In addition, she is to be summoned in court next month for criminal penalties on top of paying the fine.

However, my mother is a first generation Asian immigrant and is not proficient in English. She said she didn't know about this law before she bought the store ownership from her old employer, who is now retired. We are knee deep in debt and this will be a huge blow to our financial situation.

I was wondering what would be the best course of action now, since we currently do not have the funds to hire a good lawyer and cannot afford anymore punishments?

Answer: She is facing criminal charges. A lawyer is simply not optional at this point. A good lawyer might be able to get the fine lowered .


Title: How to remove my mugshot from mugshotexplorer.com

Question: I have been able to successfully remove my mugshot from almost everywebsite except mugshotexplorer.com. My arrest was completely dismissed and my record has been cleaned. I have tried contacting them but the email they have listed, keeps bouncing all the messages I send. Any one else tries to get them removed from this website?

Answer:
 Information about your arrest and mugshot is public info. Even if you did pay them to remove it, it will just pop up on another similar site eventually. You can't force any of them to take it down.

Look into SEO and reputation management to get other positive information about you ranked higher in the search results.


Title: I don't trust my tennant

Question:
So, about a year ago, I had a friend in need who needed a place to live. The original arrangement was he could have the entire unfinished basement (1000sq ft) and was able to work on it and finish it and I would purchase supplies. I just used the shower down there as the one upstairs needs to be re-modeled, I'm in no rush as I have a second one downstairs and it will cost about $4,000 in supplies for my bathroom. His would be his payment as he had done so much for me over the years. Well, 3 months went by without much work, by now he finally found a job, I kindly asked how long he intended staying and he said just through the winter. That was fine and I asked for $300/mo as rent to cover electical and other misc expenses which he agreed was fair. About this same time he also began putting up drywall and painting the basement which was an added bonus but not required. He stayed through the winter and finished one room, then proceeded to find a girlfriend which he moved in without asking. After the fact, he explained that she was going to start paying rent, and offered an additional $150/month. I thought this was fine as she never interfered. So by now, he has put down many loose pieces of carpet and painted the cement walls, bought a fridge, installed cabinets, I would say he has a fully furnished 1000sq ft apartment down there.

He is quite upset he never received thanks for all the work he has done. As he was working on things, he would always tell me "I'm just doing this because I'm bored".

This entire time I've been using g the basement for laundry as the washer/dryer are at the base of the steps, recently he asked that I not use the washer dryer after about 5pm as that is his relaxing time and it makes too much noise. Unfortunately this is the only time I am available do laundry, I will have to go to the laundromat to comply with this request.

I'll admit, he has done a lot of work here, I would feel guilty asking him to leave at this point. I also don't know what legal power I have being the homeowner in the event it gets to that point. He has been living here a year undocumented. All payments have been under the table as its just been a friend helping a friend, at this point it is becoming a business deal. In order to comply with this inconvenience he has requested, I would need to ask for more money to make it worthwhile.

What I really need is a lawyer, but don't see the point in paying for one when its likely to cost me more than I would gain.

EDIT: I am located in WA

Answer: You can ask him for more money, or you can give him written notice that he has X number of days to move out (X being determined by your location, which you failed to list).


Title: Coerced into buying Tacoma after 3 visits. [VA]

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons. Here is my story and what I have done already. I'll just copy my letter over that I handed the dealership. Any and all advice is what I'm asking for and if you think/don't think I have a case then please let me know.

Letter:
"I am greatly dissatisfied with the service of [dealership] and am prepared to file a complaint to the Consumer Affairs Attorney and further action, if necessary. Starting with my original desire to purchase a used truck from your inventory in a short amount of time and there not being one, I purchased an [used SUV] for around $10,000. 2 months later I received a phone call from a secretary saying that [dealership] was having a promotion on used vehicles and that my original interest in a truck could be fulfilled and was told to check the online used vehicle inventory. Doing so, I was interested in an [common mid sized truck] that they had for 14,000 dollars and gave my original salesman a call. After me recently buying the [SUV] I was under the impression that because it was a promotion that they would just be “swapping” the vehicles. This was not the case as they added negative equity from the [SUV] on top of the 14,444 for the [truck] and charged me all new licensing fees and title transfer fees. I had the [truck] for about a week before getting a call that not only did my loan with [original credit union] go through, but supposedly Toyota wouldn’t finance the truck either (never saw paperwork confirming this) and was rushed back into the dealership after a long day at work. After being told again that my truck supposedly couldn’t get financed (at this point I could afford the payments easy) that Toyota would only finance me if I were to purchase a new or certified used Toyota vehicle. After being put in a line behind 3 people that showed up after me in an effort to tire me out I’m presuming, I test drive a 2014 Tacoma Prerunner and a 2013 Tundra, and am essentially told to choose which one and after multiple hours after a working day; I sign a contract for a ‘twin’ of the Tacoma I test drove earlier. Feeling exhausted and pressured in the first place to sign the contract, I do (against my better judgment) thinking I could afford the truck no problem. After 3-4 months of driving the truck and the payment being equal to my housing rent I come to the realization that I cannot afford this truck and I need something more suitable. I am not interested in doing any more business with [dealership] but after reviewing “The Federal Trade Commission’s” definition of Unfair Conduct I am presenting this written statement providing [dealership], a last chance to make things right. As a recap I felt coerced into this contract with a truck I cannot afford. I would prefer if this did not extend to the court and was settled as a "strict foreclosure." For citing purposes here is the statute that I am referring to:  ‘Code of Virginia under Title 59.1, Chapter 17 (Virginia Consumer Protection Act) Section 59.1-196 et seq.’ A summary of this: unfair and deceptive practices statute: In many states, you must make a written demand for relief before you sue. The law allows the seller one last chance to make good. If you have to sue, many states require proof of "injury" before you may recover. Loss of money or property is enough to prove this. You should be able to show that the seller's actions actually caused the injury. For example, only if you were determined to buy the car no matter what the seller said would you have a hard time showing that the seller's conduct caused you injury or loss. If you based your decision to buy on what the seller told you, or if you were coerced into buying something that you didn't really want, then you may be able to use the statute. Remember to begin the procedure before the statute of limitations expires. This time limit varies by state, but is typically three or four years.
Respectfully,
Me"

Now, story time. So original plan was to walk in and try to work something out, and if not then walk out leaving the truck in the parking lot and the contract + keys on the counter and leave. This is what actually happened: after talking with the sales manager and him telling me how nobody would finance a 10,000 dolar car and have a (now) additional 8,000 of negative equity. I ran my numbers and the most I can afford on a 72 month contract would be 16,180. So I grab the letter above, sign it. And hand everything over to him asking him to sign saying he recieved the letter. He says "I'm not signing a thing, you're crazy! And then continues to lecture me on how this is childish and not to leave my truck in the parking lot because they are going to tow it and I'll eventually end up paying that tow fee anyway when it comes down to being repossessed. So I end up taking everything back and leaving. Now my question is, do I have ANY legal pull in this? The not approving the loan for used truck for new truck feels like a bait and switch and the keeping me there until 11:30 feels like coercion. Father thinks they monkeyed with the loan because I shouldn't have qualified for a 563 a month loan when my rent alone is 650. Any and all advise is greatly appreciated.

TL;DR coerced into signing truck equal to house rent, wondering if any legal pull in VA.

Answer:
 I'm missing the part where you were coerced into doing anything.Answer #2: >He says "I'm not signing a thing, you're crazy!"

When you grow up, you should be that guy.