Title: I don't have to show ID at a DUI checkpoint, but I do have to show ID if an officer comes to my house and thinks I'm underage?

Question: I'm confused. Clearly. When do I have to show ID? PA

Answer:
 > When do I have to show ID ?

If you are driving a car you must show your driver's license upon demand.

If you aren't driving, the topic becomes far more broad but remains simple:   you are not obligated to identify yourself to law enforcement.

You get into the 4th Amendment and Supreme Court cases like Hiibel and Terry.   You'll read about "Stop and Identify" statutes;  Pennsylvania does not have one.

Pennsylvania does require you to [not give false information](http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=18&div=0&chpt=49&sctn=14&subsctn=0) to a law enforcement officer if you have been informed that you are under investigation for a crime.    That includes telling an officer a false name, or false date of birth.

And as noted, if you are suspected of a crime you could be detained until you can be identified.   That includes suspicion generated because you look underage and appear intoxicated.

But if you are not driving, you have a very strong right to keep your mouth shut.


Title: Need help with bad neighbor

Question: I live in California is a suburban/rural area. My property is almost an acre long, and we have only used the front half for many years (fenced off). The next door neighbors had the same set up and he sold his back half, there are now two houses behind him. We had a realtor come look at our property last month and found that the man in the rear house had been parking on our back lot so two weeks ago we asked him to move his cars and crap off because we wanted to clear the property. He became angry and said he didn't want anyone building there and this past weekend while we were out of town, he built a shed on our lot! It is a solid building,  with foundation and it runs 12/15 feet on our property and into his driveway. What should I do???

Answer: Lawyer. NOW.Answer #2: Call the police.  If they determine it is a civil issue, contact a real estate lawyer.


Title: [CA] - Brother pulled out into a roadway and was struck by another car. Other driver died from accident. His insurance wants him to fill in a black declaration form that states he was not working, acting on another behalf, or has other liability policies to cover the accident.

Question:
The accident occurred a few months ago. He has not been detained or issued a subpoena yet. I am concerned of this being used as an admission of guilt that could lead to further legal action, especially when it concludes with "I declare, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing is true and correct..."

Any advice on our next steps here would be greatly appreciated, even if I may be just over reacting.

Answer:
 His insurance likely has a provision that they will not cover him if he is using his car for working (Uber, DoorDash, etc.). If he was, they are going to claim he was in violation of his policy and not covered. Furthermore, they want to know if there is any other insurance company that may be liable for sharing in the payments they are facing.

If he wasn't working, acting on another behalf, or covered by another insurance policy, he has nothing to worry about by signing the form. If he one of these things is true and he signs the form saying he wasn't, he can be charged with perjury (and possibly insurance fraud).


Title: [Update] nut thieves

Question:
Original post https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3qhsup/nut_thieves/

Update! I bought my mother a no trespassing sign in both English and Spanish. She still has to run people off her property occasionally, but it seems to be working for the most part. We spent the day picking pecans up, and we're still not done. Hopefully we'll get a lot of pies out of this crop. http://i.imgur.com/I5yeigV.jpg

Edit: Texas

Answer:
 Oh well done. I think that mostly this sort of trespassing is "I thought it was OK" but glad to hear you have had some improvement. Answer #2: Thanks for the update !

A friend and I have a bunch of fallow apple trees in the neighborhood that we harvest cider apples from, and we've gotten pretty good at getting permission by doing some pruning and raking as we go.   So your "we just figured we'd come in without permission and take your crop" crap really steams me and I'm glad to hear you were able to draw the line effectively.Answer #3: Now post pictures of the pies!


Title: What is the age of consent and/or statutory rape cutoff in Nebraska.

Question: Google is giving me multiple, different results and I do not want to risk prison for sex. I'm 18.

Answer:
 "In Nebraska, the age of consent is 17 years old. However, in certain circumstances, a person who is 16 or older can consent to sex with a person who is no more than 2 years older. Violating age of consent laws is considered statutory rape."

Interestingly enough, Nebraska's law is bigoted and only applies to heterosexual conduct.


Title: Telemarketer Keeps Calling me

Question:
Hello, I am wondering if I have a case because its getting ridiculous at this point. This month my mother called an infomercial using my phone. After being on the phone and finding out that she didn't like the pricing, she hung up. The next day I got a call from them about the product. I told them that I was not interested and went on with my day.

The next few days the same kept happening. So I decided to record the calls. I have recordings with me telling them that I want to be taken of the call and them agreeing (this happened twice) - once with the telemarketer themselves and the next with me calling the company with a number I was given to get off the call list.

Today, I was called again, and recorded the call again.

Also I don't know if this counts, but I was told by one of the telemarketers that the law could not do anything to them because the company CEO was friends with Donald Trump after I threatened to sue them if they didn't stop calling me (I did not have any proof at this point). This is something I don't have proof of, but do have a recording where I ask them if this was true (when I called to be taken off the call list) and they told me that this was information that they could not tell me.

I feel that this could be a scare tactic because they are Spanish speaking (like I am sure 99% of their customers are) and they might use that to deter people from their harassment in fear of being deported.

I have a number to reach the company and an address they game me.

My Location - California

Company Location - Florida

Answer:
 > the company CEO was friends with Donald Trump

LOL

these people sound hilarious i don't see the problem.  just fuck with them or block them on your phone.

alternatively you could find out what they are selling and pretend to b e acustomer while gathering information and then report hem to FCC or something.

or you could jsut make fart noises into the phone


Title: ex boyfriend owes money and blocked me off all social sites

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 Sue him in small claims court. Serve him his papers at his job.Answer #2: You're on r/legaladvice, not r/askingforadvicebutwonttakeit.
You've been given 2 different ways of dealing with this, and both you have shot down.  If you won't take him to small claims, and you won't talk to his commanding officer, then say a nice big "bye bye" to your money.


Title: Charged with assault against my boyfriend and I just got a letter for my first court date. What do I do now?

Question: On birthday my boyfriend and I got in a fight in my car parked by a busy street. I tried to walk home and someone called the cops on us. Since my boyfriend had been charged with two assaults already, I thought I should take the fall. I spent over 24 hours and jail. He claimed that he filed to drop the charges but I received my court date today. I’m scared and I really don’t want to lose my job over this. Any advice would be helpful or information from someone who has been through something similar,

Answer: You need to retain a lawyer. Assault is usually a fairly serious charge.


Title: (X-Post from /r/personalfinance) Employer withheld funds due to false accusations. Do I have any recourse?

Question:
Hi all,
Throwaway for obvious reasons.

About three weeks ago, I started working for a small business (only a handful of employees), and one of tools I used was a rather expensive camera. I have since quit this job (on June 19th), but due to a miscommunication, I was wrongly presumed to have stolen the camera.

During this time (specifically on the 24th), I was told that my check had been mailed to me. As of yesterday (the 29th), I have still not received the check, so I figured I would contact the owner. In a conversation I had with him this morning, he told me that he had not mailed out my check because he thought I had stolen the camera. The check is supposedly in the mail as of today.

I am livid. It really bothers me that a) Rather than contacting me regarding the status of the camera, he just decided to withhold my check and b) I have bills to pay, and unfortunately I am relying on this check to make that happen. It seems as though I'll just have to be patient and wait for the check to appear in my mailbox.
My question: Do I have any legal recourse, in this matter? I know this does not concern a great deal of money, but I don't think that should matter. I have been patient and forthcoming during these events, and I feel like I have been taken advantage of. I live in Texas, if that matters.

Thanks in advance to all for any advice you may have.

Answer:
 [File a wage claim](http://www.twc.state.tx.us/jobseekers/how-submit-wage-claim-under-texas-payday-law). Your employer's recourse if he believes you stole property is to sue you or to file a police report, not to unilaterally take your property in return.

Unfortunately, it is not a quick process.


Title: Trying to get a rent credit, water shut off for a day. Los Angeles CA.

Question:
I live in a big apartment complex run by a management company in South LA. It's a nice complex and I pay more than I probably should, because I feel safe and I'm a bit to lazy to move. It is a nice area though, and I pay enough that I expect things to be run well and handled efficiently. I've lived here for about 3 years and I've had several small issues with management being very heavy handed and having an attitude, but things have always kinda gotten done, so I haven't made a big deal out of it.

A week or so ago I got a notice on my door that they would be shutting off my water from 9am-5pm, in two days time, which seems like short notice to me, but whatever I wasn't going to be home at those hours. When I got home at 6 my water was still shut off, which irked me so I went down to the leasing office, which had closed by now. At 7 my water still wasn't on, so I called our 24/7 maintenance line (for the first time ever), and was told that they had a lot of buildings to turn on and my water would be on shortly. By 9am the next morning my water was still shut off, I called the office at lunch and they said they had heard complaints from my building and turned my water back on, when I got home it was working again.

Now I feel that I pay enough money that management should give me more than 2 days notice before shutting off my water for the better part of 2 days. Even more so I feel that if I pay for 24 hour maintenance when I call for the first time in 3 years it should be dealt with and I should not be lied to.

I have been trying to get a hold of the leasing management for the last 5 or so days to ask for a rent credit for this month (I asked for $50-$100 credit, not unreasonable IMO), since their maintenance was sub par, but the lady has been avoiding me and my calls, and did not call me back. I'm not sure if it is coincidence that today is the last day I can pay rent without being late, but she basically said she could not give me a rent credit and refused to work with me, so I walked out without paying, but I don't really know what to do:

Am I being stupidly petty? I don't want to just cave to this company steamrolling me, but if I am in the wrong here I will. Should I withhold rent? Reduce it by an amount I feel is correct? Should I pay and deal with it next month?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > Am I being stupidly petty?

My personal opinion?  Yeah, you are.  Things happen, people make mistakes.

> Should I withhold rent? Reduce it by an amount I feel is correct?

No and no.  You have no right to withhold rent for an issue that was fixed.  Rental laws allow for temporary loss of service or incovenience without penalty.

Pay your rent like normal, lodge your complaint, move on with your life.


Title: [COLORADO] Police took my iPhone 7 when I was in jail without my consent. Can they break into it?

Question: My phone is password protected. What can they get from it? I do not believe they had a search warrant at the time of taking it. A detective came to me when I was in jail and asked me if I would consent to them looking at it and I said no but they took it anyway.

Answer: Unless they have a warrent they are not allowed to open it.


Title: Issue with a roommate.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Do you think it is a good idea to stay there and not pay her for a few days?

Nobody here is going to recommend that you break the law.


Title: Restraining order against someone out of country?

Question:
My mother has been the victim of severe harassment by a US citizen who now lives in Germany. Long story short, they were in a relationship, didnt work out, he went back to Germany. Now that she has blocked him on everything, he is finding more ways to contact her, such as calling from multiple German numbers (Verizon doesnt allow blocking foreign numbers), calling her workplace, and even attempting to call me and my grandmother today. Harassment includes, but is not limited to; threats to her, slandering, blackmail, and suicide threats.

From what ive heard and read, there's not much that can be done as long as he resides in Germany. Hoping someone else here might have some insight.

Many thanks.

Answer: A US restraining order holds no weight in Germany.  Youll need to seek out German counsel for this.


Title: Just got charged about 1000 dollars worth of courses on Udemy.com

Question: Hiya, I recently noticed I got charged 1000 dollars extra worth of random portoguese courses on [Udemy.com](https://Udemy.com) (I do not speak portuguese) after purchasing a single course worth like 2 bucks. There is seemingly no way of directly contacting them about this so can I contact my bank and get them to charge it back? I live in Norway and Udemy seems to be based in the US.

Answer:
 People here aren't going to be familiar with Norwegian law but if your bank has a procedure for chargebacks I would go ahead and file for one if you've been unsuccessful in resolving it with the company.

There are many companies that offer a low teaser price on something and automatically enroll you in ongoing future purchases unless you follow a (frequently complex) procedure to get them to stop. This may be one of them.

For example, there may be something buried in fine print that the $2 purchase was for the first lesson and you would be billed for future lessons at a much higher price until you send them a haiku in Portuguese begging them to stop.

Edit: Also ask your bank to stop accepting future charges from this company. This may require you to change your credit card number.


Title: Ex girlfriend stole my title and got a loan.. Dallas TX

Question: OK i was dating this girl for 3 months I would let her barrow my truck so she can go to work when her car got mess up..  Never thought she had stole my title from my room and Forge my signature saying I sold her my truck that's my baby for a Mexican like me and I just finished paying for it last year...  Anyways she dumb me out of nowhere last month...  and now  3 days later a tow truck comes picks up my truck and I ran outside and ask why he ask me for my ex girlfriend...  N I said no sir is mind he said dude she got a loan and hasnt paid it so am here for the truck...  Idk what to do know I need help I want my truck back....  I called her and she ignores me....  Am a Mexican with no ss...  And she took advantage of me...  I need help...

Answer: Sue her for value of truck.


Title: PA-Do changes to PA Grandparents Rights affect my current Grandparents Rights Order?

Question:
In June 2016, my son's paternal grandmother filed a petition against me for partial physical custody of my son (grandparents' rights) under statutes 23 PA CS 5324 and 5325. During preliminary objections, it was agreed that paternal grandmother did not have the right to file under statute 5324.

My son's grandmother and I have a turbulent history including physical violence, threats of suicide, and other mental question marks. I was intent on going to a hearing. However, on the morning of our hearing, I was advised that despite our history, paternal grandmother was entitled to visitation with my son under statute PA 23 CS 5325, and should we got hearing, my arguments would not be valid to stop the judge from awarding her visitation with my son. Fearing that the time she would be granted would be more than what was offered, we came to an agreement for a visitation schedule.

I was recently advised that, in September 2016, the PA Supreme Court abolished the statute (PA 23 CS 5325) that paternal grandmother was awarded standing under.

With that being said, I have no idea how this impacts my order moving forward. If the statute that she was awarded standing under is abolished, what happens to the current order? Is it still viable?

Also, I would definitely appreciate help in understanding what my options may be moving forward. I don't understand how the abolishing of a statute impacts my current case, and therefore, do not know how to proceed.

Should I pursue litigation to change the order now that the law has changed? Does it make a difference how recent my order was entered versus how recently the law was abolished?

What are my options if paternal grandmother no longer has standing?

I would appreciate any and all help as I weigh my options.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > However, on the morning of our hearing, I was advised that despite our history, paternal grandmother was entitled to visitation with my son under statute PA 23 CS 5325, and should we got hearing, my arguments would not be valid to stop the judge from awarding her visitation with my son.

Advised by who? I hope you didn't take legal advice from your the other side's lawyer.

Regardless, you're going to need to have a lawyer of your own look at the agreement and if you want to go to court over custody (though I don't see why you would have to initiate it if there is no court order currently) you would need one anyway.


Title: How is this not kidnapping?

Answer:
 I mean if she's was falsely incarcerated based on bogus subpoenas, it seems like kidnapping to me. Am I wrong?

Insane and scary scary story btw. For obvious reasonsAnswer #2: Maybe not kidnapping, but unlawful detainment.


Title: [UT] As per this section of my rental agreement, can I terminate the lease with no penalty if I give a 30 day notice?

Question:
The wording at the end isn't entirely clear

Here is the section:

The tenants may terminate this lease by giving signed, written notice to the lessor at least thirty days before the end of the month which is to be the tenant's last month as tenant of the premises pursuant to this lease. If the tenants relinquish or abandon the premises before termination of this lease pursuant to this paragraph, the lessor may, in the lessor's sole discretion, retake possession of the premises and relet them, and shall thereby terminate this lease as of the date of reletting premises, regardless of when notice was given. The lessor may treat the tenants' absence from the property for more than one week after rent has come due as abandonment. The tenants' obligation to pay rent and all other obligations of this lease shall continue in effect until this lease is properly terminated as required by this paragraph. In case the tenants move or abandon the premises before the end of the lease, tenants agree to pay lessor a penalty in the amount of one month's rent.

Our lease is up at the end of February. We signed on January 1st of this year and had forgotten that the lease went through until then. The four of us would prefer to leave when the new year starts, and it seems to me that it is possible with no penalty.

Am I right in assuming, as per the second to last sentence, that we can give a 30 day notice to terminate and then be free from rental obligations after that?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > In case the tenants move or abandon the premises before the end of the lease, tenants agree to pay lessor a penalty in the amount of one month's rent.

You’d owe at least a penalty of one month’s rent, and possibly be on the hook for rent until the place was rented to new tenants.


Title: Ex has BPD, can I use that to get custody? [Canada]

Question:
We already have a custody agreement, but my ex wife has been being really difficult and harassing lately and I'm worried about my son. She has been trying to "catch me" being a bad father so she can remove him from my life entirely, she lies to him about me saying how horrible I am and he should hate me and my house. I don't think I can prove any of that but I can likely prove her suicide attempts and BPD diagnosis somehow. Will a judge consider those things? She lies about me constantly and is very manipulative, so I'm not sure if I can use her borderline as an explanation for the things she says. I really am worried about my son and his well being, she's been so difficult lately, without going into detail, I know it's not a healthy environment for him.

Just for reference, I consulted ONE lawyer so far, but he completely dismissed me because she was "married to an engineer" and I'm just a tradesperson, so he basically said i have no case. He said no one would believe an engineer would marry a person that is as harassing as I say she is. I don't believe for a second that this is a valid reason to not go for custody and I chalk that up to him being elderly and believing mysognistic or misandrist beliefs about gender roles and children being with their mother.

EDIT: I'd just like to say, I am not trying to get custody to hurt my ex. I would like to get custody because I believe the things she does and says to him will hurt him long term. He doesn't have a stable home, she moves from man to man constantly and is always having him call the new guy dad. Then boom, guy is gone and kid lost a "dad". She has taught him the N word and he laughs about it and says mommy laughs when he says it. (she's a pot smoker and he says it in a context that apparently pot smokers find acceptable). She tells him dad (me) doesn't love him. She tells him he is a bad kid and she cries because of him. She is drunk around him often. She yells very terrible things at me in front of him. I am worried about the psychological damage her actions, because of her BPD, will cause him. There are so many things I could list that I think are damaging, not to mention the way she treats me (threatening physical harm to me and my girlfriend, calling my girlfriend names, driving by our house, calling for no reason, attempting to break us up with lies about my history, contacting her family with lies, etc). I am NOT worried she will physically harm my son, he is in no IMMEDIATE danger. I am worried about the long term affects of a BPD mother on my son. I don't want her to be gone from his life, but I want him to have a more stable environment. His mother needs a lot of help but refuses it until she is in the hospital for suicide attempts. I can't withhold custody from her, I need to take legal action. I was just wondering if these things would be relevant to a judge in custody case.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Your issues with her aside, I think it's important to stop referring to your ex as "crazy".  That term is insulting and has no real legal or medical definition.

Your ex has a mental illness.  If that's effecting her ability to parent appropriately, then it's fair that you address it.  But seeking to use it to force custody away isn't really playing fair.  The courts usually seek to keep parents in a child's life.

You are setting an example for your kids in how mental illness is to be viewed and handled.  Please keep in mind that there's a good chance one of your kids may inherit their mom's illness.  Consider carefully whether you want to demonstrate disdain, or support, for their mom.


Title: Breaking my lease with my apartment complex

Question:
Ok so here's what happened. This past Tuesday, I got home from work and noticed our shower was draining very slowly. About an hour or so later, the toilet won't flush (nothing in it except its own water, it just filled up and very slowly went back down). We called our apartment's 24/7 emergency maintenance number as this was an explicitly listed problem (also we only have one bathroom so now I have to drive to a public toilet to use the bathroom). No response after multiple attempts to contact (they all went to voicemail and we left messages).

Wednesday morning my roommate called the office manager and explained what happened. She apologized that they didn't answer the phone like they're supposed to and sent maintenance out to take a look. My roommate and I were both at work, so we weren't able to monitor the progress ourselves. After a few hours, we hear back from the office that everything is fixed. Fast forward to about 6 pm. My roommate gets home from worked and our entire unit is flooded. Apparently they didn't fix it and the toilet overflowed throughout our unit. It went through the wall and soaked her closet and the things under her bed, as well as through my closet wall. It also made its way into the living room. We called emergency maintenance and after about 30 mins, they came out and said there was nothing they could do as they didn't have the equipment or tools to handle it. They told us they would come back the next day with some towels to dry it up.

Obviously with sewage water on the floor, we couldn't stay there. We moved as much as we could that wasn't ruined yet up on top of counters and tables in case it leaked any more and then gathered our two cats and went to a friend's house for the night.

My question is, do we have any basis for breaking our lease? We have been dealing with incompetent maintenance and office staff since we moved in (we didn't have a working stove/oven for the first 3 months we lived here) and I am worried they are going to try to downplay the severity of this and tell us it's fine, they just need to wipe it up. I know we are supposed to give them "reasonable time" to fix this, but what does that mean? We can't stay on our friends couch forever with our cats locked in his office. What should we do here?

EDIT: Forgot to include location in the original post. I live in Florida.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: See if your city health department will come out.  Not all cities will, but it makes it easier if they do.  Answer #2: Weird, I also live in Florida and have the same current issue with my apartment complex (flooded bathtub with sewage 8 times, water flooding apartment 5 times). They were awful before they "changed management" and now it's even worse. I'm interested to see what is said here because I honestly can't take this anymore.


Title: Is it possible that a school can be held liable if they allow a student to leave school early without permission, and the student ends up passing away from some sort of accident or other cause

Question:
Several years ago, I heard of a student who left school early without permission. He got in the car with his friend. The car ended up crashing accidentally. The student tragically died. His parents filed a lawsuit against alleging that he shouldn't have been able to leave school without permission. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any more information about the case so I don't know how it was resolved.

What are the chances of parents in such a case being successful? Is it likely that they could be awarded damages? How would they be able to prove their case? How would school be able to prove their case?

Answer: Much more likely if the student was 7 instead of 17.  Or if they had an IEP in place for an at-risk student.  For a generic high school kid who goofed off campus to joy ride, it sounds far-fetched to me, though you never know what a sympathetic jury might find.


Title: Mentally ill friend being financially taken advantage of

Question:
My childhood friend has a condition that is managed on medication, but debilitating otherwise.  Recently, she had to be admitted to a hospital.  I went to the ER the first night (got home at 1am and had work at 7am) to inform the doctors all that I knew about her condition (which was very helpful they said). After a rough few days (psychological assessment and all) my friend began improving.

My friend's parents have passed away and she has no siblings.  She has some far relatives who she barely knows who only recently (a few years) became a part of her life.  They removed me from the list of people allowed to talk to doctors about her condition without me knowing, and say they "want to keep it all in the family". My friend (still admitted) is acting strange when I call now, even telling me that I no longer need to visit.  Whenever she tries to stand her ground on an issue (post discharge plans), her relatives pressure her to reconsider and accept their view.

My friend has lots of money saved up, and her relatives know about this. They, on the contrary, do not have much money.  Because she has no immediate family, they are next of kin from the hospital's point of view. This also makes it difficult (nearly impossible) to even say anything on her behalf (response from staff: "her family will know best, it is not your issue")

She is recovering, but still susceptible to suggestion. I fear that her family is brainwashing her against me in efforts to get her money. She is very naive in general, and particularly naive in thinking that her far relatives are always looking out for her, simply because they are related to her in some way.

I have no bad intentions here, and hate seeing this happen before me. I am genuinely looking out for my friend's best interest.

I would imagine there are many people in a similar situation who cannot make decisions for themselves. What can I do to prevent them from taking advantage of my friend?  Is this a lost cause?

Probably relevant: we are in IL

Answer: You could express your concerns on her behalf to Adult Protective Services, but honestly the social services system generally prioritizes even distant relatives over even the closest of friends.


Title: Musician (busker) loudly plays outside, sound carries into my apartment (DC)

Question:
Nearly every night, the same musician plays outside the metro stop near my apartment building. He plays for hours, regularly past 10 PM, occasionally past 11 PM. The actual street he's on is commercial (metro stop, restaurants, etc.), but there are a couple of big condos/apartment buildings just off that street. With the window closed, I can hear him playing in my bedroom like he's right outside, even though he's probably half a block away. Is there anything I can do about this? Thank you.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Call 311 and report the noise ordinance violation. You can get up to 90 days in jail now.


Title: What are my options with a rhino horn that was obtained before the 1985 embargo? (The horn has actually been in the US since the late 40s - 50s)

Question:
My dad got this rhino horn sometime in the 40s in Indochina (he was in the French navy). The horn has been in the family since I can remember (I'm 43). I would like to get rid of it, but I know there's huge controversies surrounding rhino horn trade. What are my options? Can rhino horn obtained before the 1985 embargo be sold? I think it's bad juju to have the thing around and definitely don't believe in poaching ANY animals, but the horn exists and is in my possession, that's the reality. If mom didn't need the money I wouldn't even be asking, but I know this thing is worth a lot of money, so if I can get rid of it and help mom out too, that would be ideal. I'm pretty sure there's not much that can be done with it except for keeping it locked up so the bad luck that comes from owning it doesn't leak into my life so much.

I live in WA state. The horn is small, about as tall as a light switch plate (I took a picture next to a plate for size comparison. Didn't have a banana at the time).

Answer: Call natural history museums in your state/area and ask them if they want it.


Title: I was formally written up at work for leaving due to an emergency. Not sure if I have any legal rights.

Question: I live in Utah and have been working for my employer for about 8 months. I had 2 hours of sick leave available but about 50 minutes before the end of my shift on a Thursday I left early to take myself to the emergency room for severe chest pains. I have a written email between myself and my supervisor hours before leaving stating that I had severe chest pains and needed help. I ended up going to the hospital and finding out that I had had a minor heart attack (I have a history of heart problems, which my work knew about informally but not on paper), I missed the following day at work (Friday) and didn't have enough sick hours to cover it, but I did have a doctors note. I came in Monday and was given a write up for an unexcused absence. I presented my doctor's note but my supervisor told me that they don't accept them as people can forge them. I also offered to call the emergency room department at the hospital I visited to prove that I was indeed there and it was an emergency, but she stated it didn't matter. I'm curious to know if there's anything that I can do about this or if what they did was perfectly acceptable?

Answer: What *exactly* does it mean to be formally written up at a job and what are the consequences?Answer #2: Does your company employ more than 50 employees? Have you been employed for at least one year? Have your worked more than 1250 hours in the last year? You may be covered by FMLA, depending on your answers to these questions. If you are covered by FMLA, notifying your supervisor that you had chest pains and needed help should be enough to put the company on notice that you needed FMLA leave.


Title: A competitor stole my intellectual property is threatening to sue for defamation

Question:
I am an artist & small business owner and a couple weeks ago, I was notified by a customer that someone was selling products that looked exactly like mine (w/o my permission, of course). Wanting to solve this as amicably as possible, I contacted the seller asking them to remove products that had my intellectual property on them. The seller adamantly denied any wrongdoing because they saw the design online, "asked around", and couldn't "find" the owner so assumed it was a free-for-all and seemingly threatened that if I didn't have the legal paperwork, more of my designs would be stolen. I informed them about the U.S. Copyright Law, which states that all intellectual property belongs to the creator the moment it is published/created. They still refused to cooperate, so I filed a copyright infringement report to the selling platform. The platform sided with me and removed their listing.

Then, I informed my followers on social media of the art theft and to be wary of knockoffs that may be circulating. (I never mentioned their real name or called them anything nasty - the only identifying info was the shop name) . An "anonymous user" left a very long and nasty comment on that post, which I believe was later removed by the social media platform. Not wanting to draw it out, I left it at that and moved on with life.

A couple days ago, I received notice they filed a counter report to my copyright infringement report on the selling platform (as all sellers are given the option to do in case a report is ever filed w/ malicious intent) and I basically had the option to either bring the issue to court or let the seller re-list the item after a certain number of days. And before I even had time to process that, they had the audacity to hire an attorney (seems legit & provided his bar #) to send me an email demanding that I remove specific words (that insinuated the seller stole my designs and is selling knockoffs) from my social media post (the one warning customers of knockoffs). If I didn't, they threatened to file a defamation lawsuit.

I know cease and desist letters are often used as a scare tactic by competitors, but would still like to hear some opinions as it's probably not a good idea to just completely ignore them.  There was no deadline given in the email, so I'm not even sure when they would allegedly file the defamation lawsuit. My question is - what are some options for next steps? If I remove/replace the specific words they want taken down, is that an admittance to their ridiculous claims? By doing so, would I be susceptible to more ridiculous lawsuit threats from the individual in the future? Thanks in advance.

Answer: Document everything, including evidence of your own creation of your artworks. If/when you actually get served with a lawsuit, hire a lawyer.


Title: Caught GM stealing money from the restaurant. What do I do?

Question:
A little background- I worked with him at another restaurant until he got a better offer at this one, and he asked his favorite employees to follow him to the new restaurant (the old restaurant shut down bc of bankruptcy)

Im greatful for the offer, love my new coworkers, the food, the location, and when my phone got stolen, the GM let me borrow his old phone till i got a replacement. I thought he was a great boss and decent person.

Except last night i noticed him doing some pretty shady stuff. Every cash transaction we’re supposed to hand to the manager and they’re supposed to close out. I had two large cash transactions, and noticed some time had passed without him closing them out. He denied me ever giving the money to him (we have cameras so im not worried). When he closed one out and I mentioned they left me a $5 tip that he didn’t give back, he asked “are you trying to steal from us?” (Which to me is major projection)

He also gave a $25 discount (which he denied doing when i asked him about it but he’s the only one who has the ability to discount checks) on one table after they already left and gave me cash....obviously he’s gonna pocket that extra $25. My last table also paid in cash. After they left, he voided $18 worth of drinks.

On top of that, he rang in their cash transactions as gift certificates, so another $250 ish that the restaurant wont be expecting/missing.

 I took a picture of the time stamp on the voided reciept, as well as a picture of the empty drinks on the table. Also took pictures of the transactions showing up on the computer as gift certificates, in the hopes that there is footage of those tables actually paying in cash and me giving the cash to the GM. Thats about as much proof as I have.

I don’t know what to do from here. Im afraid hat the missing money and all the voids and discounts under my name will come back to bite me. Do i warn my coworkers so they can document if it happens to them? No one really dislikes the GM. Im about to move out of state so if i do report him i have nothing to lose, but moving isn’t 100% set in stone. Id feel bad for not getting involved but Im afraid my proof isn’t enough.

tl;dr: caught gm stealing cash without the best proof. Not sure where to go from here.

Answer:
 These are all tried-and-true restaurant tricks and unless the owner (or whoever is above him in the chain of command) is  totally clueless, it'll be really easy for them to verify this based on logs in the POS. IMO you should go to them with the information you have -- for me, it's not even out of a sense of righteousness, but, like, if he's stealing from the restaurant how do you know he's not stealing from you and your coworkers and fucking with your tips somehow? Take all the evidence you have and go to the owner, it should be really easy for them to confirm it themselves.

edit: and yeah, I don't think you need to worry about "gathering more evidence" or something . If you have a computerized POS it's really, really easy to put two and two together (like, why is the manager applying voids only to items on tickets paid with cash instead of on credit card tickets? etc). Leave that to your boss's boss Answer #2: This is extraordinarily tricky....
Do you have regular access to the ownership of this restaurant?  Or is it a corporate thing.
There's enough going on here, that if something were ever to come of it, you wouldn't want to look like you're "in on it".


Title: Company banned Millennials [Illinois]

Question:
I work in a small division of a large midwestern company - if you live within in the midwest, you almost certainly buy something from us. My company pays extremely well (I am only 3 years out of college and already at six figures - unusual in my industry). Working for this company is a major accomplishment in the industry, and getting let go from it will likely negatively influence your entire career.

Recently, the manager of our division (a VP) has been firing people with no warning for minor mistakes or policy violations. Over time, I noticed all the people fired were from my age group, and anybody older than us was never punished for the same mistakes. I pointed it out to my supervisor who said he would look into it. A month ago, he told me the reason the manager was firing people is because he said millennials are lazy and entitled and he doesn't want them in the company because they need too much "hand-holding and baby sitting." The VP said they are going to hold out for the next generation (some of our interns come from it). My supervisor said every time a millennial does something wrong, all they do is talk about how many problems they have, or how they have depression or anxiety or something else. Apparently, another division in the company is doing the same thing, the company is aware of it, and doesn't care.

I told my supervisor they are going to piss off an entire generation, and he said, "Half of them are unemployed - who cares?"

Is this discrimination and can I report them? Now that I have discussed this with my supervisor, I am worried I will be next.

Answer: In Illinois, discrimination against people under the age of 40 is not illegal.  There is no recourse here.Answer #2: It is discrimination, but not illegal discrimination.  The law prohibiting discrimination applies to people 40 and older.


Title: Lost a PC game I bought back in 2010, was wondering if I could pirate it without it being illegal

Question: Hi! As you can see from the title I lost a PC game I bought in 2010, and I was wondering if I could pirate it without it being illegal. I live in British Columbia, Canada. Any help is appreciated!

Answer: No you can't.


Title: Falsely accused of cheating by a professor, and now am failing her class.

Question: I don't know if this is necessarily legal advice but I need all the help I can get. My accounting Professor assigned a take home test which was to be done on our own time ( we could use our notes and the internet). Our assignment was to make financial statements on excel. I did all my work on my own without consulting any classmates. A few classmates asked me questions that related to accounting but never direct questions on the test or any specific answers. This resulted in a few of my classmates spreadsheets having a mistake that I also had. She also told me that others assignments looked just like mine, obviously I can't control this, but this is her main piece of evidence. She has now given me a zero on the entire test and the take home portion. I can no longer pass this class and will have to drop it if she does not change my grade. I also have to meet with an academic dean, which would mean this goes on my permanent record. What can I do to prove my innocence? I have time stamps to prove that I did my assignment before any of the others who were also accused. Is answering a question cheating? Please if anyone could help me or has experienced anything similar could help, I am out of ideas.

Answer:
 > I have time stamps to prove that I did my assignment before any of the others who were also accused

Means zilch.

>  Is answering a question cheating?

If you answered a test item in collaboration with other students that led to you all turning the same work? Sure.

This is an academic issue, not a legal matter. Your recourse is through the department and this professor.

I can tell you, from a teaching perspective, "all these tests look identical by coincidence I'm innocent" is a bullshit story that has never worked any time I heard it.


Title: Wedding photographer charging more than what contract says.

Question:
So the fiancee and I are setting up our engagement photos. The location we want is about  1 1/2 hour away from the photographers office. Our contact says verbatim.

"Travel and overage fees. The client shall pay $2 per 50 miles from Photrographers office."

And that's it. While attempting to schedule with him, he informed me that the millage charge would be $2 per every mile over 50 miles.

I don't want to fight with the guy because I'm afraid he'll take shitty photos if I do. But can he legally charge me per mile when that's not what our contract says?

Edit: photrapher is based out of Connecticut and has his office in Connecticut. I live in New York.

Answer: It's generally held that what are clearly "typo"-type errors in advertisements and contracts are not binding. If someone puts a decimal in the wrong place, someone else doesn't get a Mercedes at 10% of MSRP. A travel fee of $2 for 50 miles is not quite that blatant but does appear to be an error. It probably should have been clarified if it was truly $2 for 50 miles or $2 per mile or $2 for 5 miles or what.Answer #2: Get a new photographer.  It is not worth the headache.


Title: Bought Pita bread that was mouldy

Question: Is it legal for a store to sell mouldy food and what can I do because of it because I ate of of the breads before realising half of them are covered in blue spots of mould.

Answer: You can call or visit the store and get a refund.


Title: Help!! Child porn

Question:
So cut along story short, i'm 16 and i'm panicking a lot.

So, I was watching porn. It was on one of those dodgy looking websites.

I googled 'teen porn' and clicked the first one I saw that I liked, and went to the site. Everything seemed normal, except there was links everywhere.

I clicked on one of them, child porn popped up. The type with newborn babies and toddlers. I was absolutely disgusted. I instantly clicked off.

I went back there to get the link, reported it to Internet Watch Foundation.

I read up about the laws on child pornography because I wasn't sure, and it said downloading, possessing and distributing child porn is illegal. I was like oh ok, it was an accident, no harm done.

But then I read something about the images being CACHED on your computer, so now I potentially have child porn in the cache of my PC and that counts as POSSESSING it.

So, for the past few weeks, i've been increasingly anxious that the police will kick my door down and arrest me or my parents. So tonight, I couldn't stand the anxiety anymore, I posted in a facebook anxiety group asking for someone to pm me so I could tell them my anxiety.

So, some dude messages me. He asks me and seemed pretty supportive, so I guess I told him what happened and he said he's screenshotted the messages and is reporting me to the police, before blocking me so I couldn't reply.

Let's just say, I have GONE OFF THE HANDLE. I think the police will investigate me, find the porn in the cache on my PC and think that I am a paedophile and arrest me. One thing is jumping to another. No kids. No wife. No job. No life at all. I'll become a sex offender, i'll lose all my friends.

Answer:
 Breathe.

If this was the only instance, then you're almost certainly not getting raided.

Stick to legit porn sites in the future and you'll be fine.


Title: [Texas] We managed to close despite the listing agent/agency being a complete mess...such a mess, that they didn't bother to collect their staging furniture before close

Question:
x-posted from /r/realestate

About $1200 worth of furniture is still in the home after we closed. We went over and changed the locks (took video of the home and of us changing the locks in case the sellers tried to get creative with entry). The sellers (a large flipping company known for having a ton of housing inventory and being shady) jerked us around for 30 days until close, not completing repair conditions until 15 minutes before our Title appointment. We requested at least 3 times in writing the week of close for them to remove the furniture before the final walk through. We have no intention to return the furniture and I don't see anywhere in the standard TX contract that we signed that indicates that they retain any right to the property in the house past close. Anyone been in this situation?

Relevant parts:

2. PROPERTY: The land, improvements and accessories are collectively referred to as the “Property”.
11-2-2015
  .....
 B. IMPROVEMENTS: The house, garage and all other fixtures and improvements attached to the above-described real property, including without limitation, the following permanently installed and built-in items, if any: all equipment and appliances, valances, screens, shutters, awnings, wall-to-wall carpeting, mirrors, ceiling fans, attic fans, mail boxes, television antennas, mounts and brackets for televisions and speakers, heating and air-conditioning units, security and fire detection equipment, wiring, plumbing and lighting fixtures, chandeliers, water softener system, kitchen equipment, garage door openers, cleaning equipment, shrubbery, landscaping, outdoor cooking equipment, and all other property owned by Seller and attached to the above described real property.
C. ACCESSORIES: The following described related accessories, if any: window air conditioning units, stove, fireplace screens, curtains and rods, blinds, window shades, draperies and rods, door keys, mailbox keys, above ground pool, swimming pool equipment and maintenance accessories, artificial fireplace logs, and controls for: (i) garage doors, (ii) entry gates, and (iii) other improvements and accessories.
D. EXCLUSIONS: The following improvements and accessories will be retained by Seller and must be removed prior to delivery of possession: (none)

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPERTY CONDITION: "As Is" means the present condition of the Property
with any and all defects and without warranty except for the warranties of title and the warranties in this contract. Buyer’s agreement to accept the Property As Is under Paragraph 7D(1) or (2) does not preclude Buyer from inspecting the Property under Paragraph 7A, from negotiating repairs or treatments in a subsequent amendment, or from terminating this contract during the Option Period, if any.
(Check one box only)

(1) Buyer accepts the Property As Is.

*(2) Buyer accepts the Property As Is provided Seller, at Seller's expense, shall complete the
the following specific repairs and treatments:* (repair conditions)

B. At closing:

(1)Seller shall execute and deliver a general warranty deed conveying title to the Property
to Buyer and showing no additional exceptions to those permitted in Paragraph 6 and
furnish tax statements or certificates showing no delinquent taxes on the Property.

(2) Buyer shall pay the Sales Price in good funds acceptable to the escrow agent.

(3)Seller and Buyer shall execute and deliver any notices, statements, certificates,
affidavits, releases, loan documents and other documents reasonably required for the
closing of the sale and the issuance of the Title Policy.

(4)There will be no liens, assessments, or security interests against the Property which will
not be satisfied out of the sales proceeds unless securing the payment of any loans
assumed by Buyer and assumed loans will not be in default.

(5)If the Property is subject to a residential lease, Seller shall transfer security deposits (as
defined under §92.102, Property Code), if any, to Buyer. In such an event, Buyer shall deliver to the tenant a signed statement acknowledging that the Buyer has acquired the Property and is responsible for the return of the security deposit, and specifying the exact dollar amount of the security deposit.

10. POSSESSION:
A. Buyer’s Possession: Seller shall deliver to Buyer possession of the Property in its present or required condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted: upon closing and funding according to a temporary residential lease form promulgated by TREC or other written lease required by the parties. Any possession by Buyer prior to closing or by Seller after closing which is not authorized by a written lease will establish a tenancy at sufferance relationship between the parties. Consult your insurance agent prior to change of ownership and possession because insurance coverage may be limited or terminated. The absence of a written lease or appropriate insurance coverage may
expose the parties to economic loss.

Answer:
 Typically at time of closing you own the house and any remaining contentsAnswer #2: The purchase contract that you signed doesn't say anything about furniture.  You own improvements, which are basically just things attached to the property.  And you own accessories for those improvements.  (So, not only do you own the lock, which is attached to the property, you also own the key, which isn't.)

But, it doesn't say anything about furniture.

Did they take most of the furniture and only leave some?  Or did they pretty much just leave everything?   Also, look for stickers on the back to make sure it's not rental furniture -- if it is, then they didn't have the right to transfer it to you anyway.Answer #3: IANAL, but I just wanted to say that it is possible that the staging furniture doesn't actually belong to the listing agent/company. It may belong to an interior designer (stager) whom the listing agent is a client of.

If the listing agent never told the staging company that the home was sold and when to remove the furniture, the crappy listing agent may be screwing over another business owner that didn't do anything to you.

Then again, if the stagers were told to remove the furniture by the correct date, it would be their fault for not removing their own furniture in time.

If there was a separate staging company who also got screwed, I would hope their contract covered them.


Title: Did I lock myself into renting an apartment?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Read what you signed. What did you agree to?Answer #2: We can't really tell without reading the actual documents, but it doesn't sound like you're locked into anything. It does sound like you're out an application fee, though.

In the future, you should definitely not sign a lease on the spot, the moment it is presented to you. Not even if you read through it then and there. Take the time to read it over *away* from the rental agent. If you encounter pressure to do it then and there, this is a big warning sign of future landlord bullshit probably to come.


Title: So my landlord has notified my roommates and I that he's moving into our living room.  What can we do to fight back? (x-post from AskReddit)

Question:
I live in a house with four other young professional guys in our 20s. Yesterday my roommate received a series of text messages from our landlord saying that he was going to need to move into our house and sleep in the living room starting today. He said he was going to be working a lot in the area and had nowhere else to go. Is there any way we can stop this from happening?

BACKGROUND

We live in Virginia. One of my roommates has lived in the house for over 4 years, I have lived in the house for just over a year, and the other three are fairly new tenants. There has been trouble with the landlord and his irresponsibility before. We have, in the past, received foreclosure notices in the mail and there was concern that we would be kicked out due to his failure to pay the mortgage with our rent money. This eventually was resolved. He is slow to fix broken appliances, has asked for rent a few days early, etc.

THE LEASE

We have a lease signed by four of the roommates, but the fifth roommate is not on the lease. The landlord has had 5 tenants for the 5 bedroom house for the past 4 years and has received 5 rent checks (for varying amounts) covering the total rent amount. So he has known about the 5th roommate for several years, though this roommate is not documented on the lease.

THE PROBLEM

Obviously none of us want our landlord staying in our living room. We know that this would likely void the lease, but other than moving out, is there any way we can actually stop him from moving in?
Obviously we are not too keen on paying to hire a lawyer. Anyone have any ideas?

**EDIT: My roommate spoke to the landlord on the phone yesterday and here is what happened:

- My roommate called him and told him that he spoke with all of us and we all agreed that we aren't comfortable with him moving in.
- He said he applied for a job in the area and is still looking at his options.  Also said that it's still a ways off so nothing is needed immediately.
- He said that he'd most likely want to use the house for some storage.
- He then said he would like a place to stay for Thursday and Friday nights most likely.  My roommate said again that we aren't comfortable with that and those expectations weren't set when we signed the lease.
- We agreed that nothing would happen in the near future, and we would discuss this again once he looked at all his options.**

Answer: He's not allowed in for purposes of taking up residence (absent a bizarre term in the lease to the contrary). If he attempts to enter to move in and does so without your permission, call the police immediately. Trespassing, case closed.


Title: I was fired for being late to work one time after seven months.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 In absence of any contracts, you were in at-will employment. So that means they can fire you for virtually any reason except protected class.

You should start finding another job and meanwhile you should definitely file for unemployment.


Title: Warrant for Arrest Over a Middle Finger and Crumbs

Question:
This occurred in North Carolina and I figured I may as well share my experiences because I still can hardly believe this happened to me. Also typing it out again helps me to remember what happened. I have already paid for a lawyer and that whole process has been started, but Id love to read someone else's opinion of what happened and etc. Also so that its clear I am not African American, nor did I exaggerate anything in this post. Also my record prior to this was clean as a whistle. I've only had a speeding ticket.

A week ago I was driving and an unmarked/undercover police vehicle cut in front me. I didn't realize it was a police officer so I gave him the middle finger, and that's when everything began to get worse. His lights come on immediately, and he stops his vehicle right in front of me, I go around him and pull over. He comes up to my window very angry and yelling. Asking me what the hell is my problem. I say hey man I dont want a problem with you sir.

He then says that he smells marijuana, he asks me three times if I have anything in the car, and I say no sir I am sure of it. He called a K9 unit but before they could arrive I gave him the go ahead to search. As hes searching Ive got my hands on the trunk and etc. legs spread and what not. I hear him go AH HAH! Then he proceeds to come up to me with what is most certainly less then .1 grams of marijuana. I doubt it'd even weigh on a normal scale, but he says its possession. So im going to be charged.

Naturally I begin to beg for mercy. Exclaiming things. Yada yada, just asking for anything he can do. He says if I rat out the guy I get my pot from, he'll drop the charge. I say dude... I've got to think about it. No ticket or citation was given to me at this point, he said I was free to go. He calls me at 9:30am the next morning like he said he would and its another detective, some lady. Me and her set up an appointment for 8am the next day. I just didnt show up, I decided I didnt want to tell them anything.

Well fast forward 1 week later and I wake up at 9am to the guy I flipped off at my door step with an arrest warrant, they cuff me and everything. Fingerprints and mugshots, the usual. But before we left my house I asked if I should bring my wallet, they said yeah sure, we'll need your license. I then ask if I should bring my phone, and they say yes you may need it.

Were in the magistrates office and Im handcuffed in a chair. I wiggle around and grab my phone out of my pocket, I succeed in sending a text. The man looks at me and says hey cut that shit out. I exclaim well I thought you said I should have it? I send a second txt and he lunges across the room and I react by tucking my phone up against my chest like a football and turning around in the chair. Thats when all hell breaks loose and he tackles my stupid ass out of the chair. I go flying, he goes flying, the chair goes flying. 3 men come out from behind the glass going WOAH WOAH WOAH. I get knees in my back and etc. Then they charge me with resisting arrest.

So.... thats how I got 2 different charges 1 week apart. Over a middle finger. I've never felt this dumb in my entire life.
:|

So my question is basically this: My lawyer wants to fight my case, but my friends said that I should probably use a prayer for judgment, which one do you guys think I should do? Also how likely is it that my lawyer wants to fight it just because he knows it will cost more? Does this firm just want my money and is success in court an outcome that is very unlikely?

Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 >Over a middle finger

*Over marijuana, FTFY...Answer #2: Thanks for the story.  Get an attorney


Title: My mom was notified today that her work is closing down in 2 days with this being the first notice. Can anything be done?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Ontario is pretty good laws for employees regarding severance.

I believe the minimum is 1 weeks severance for each year of service, but that will vary depending on hours workes, salary and job title.

She should check with an employment lawyer for a free consultation to see what avenues can be pursued if she feels she isn't getting fairly compensated.Answer #2: They didn't need to tell employees the bar was for sale or was closing. But, they have to give notice, or money in lieu if she isn't given actual notice. It can also be a mix of actual notice and money.  If the company had more than 50 employees (or a sufficiently high payroll) they ALSO owe severance in addition to money in lieu of notice.

I second the suggestion to go see a local employment lawyer. Your mother may be entitled to significantly more money than the statutory minimums.


Title: What is "Voluntary Dismissal by [plaintiff] Without Prejudice" mean for me?

Question: Hello /r/legaladvice.  I currently am a defendant in the NY Eastern District court.  I was checking PACER and saw that the latest item in my civil docket read: "NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal by [plaintiff] *Without Prejduce* (Entered: 09/16/2015)".  Common sense tells me that this means plaintiff has dropped the case.  But, I am wondering if this means it is done and won't come back up in the future?  What exactly does this voluntary dismissal without prejudice mean for me?  Thank you.

Answer: It means they dismissed the case, but can refile it


Title: Neighbour sexually harassing my girlfriend - listen to the recording and tell me what I should do to solve this.

Question:
This took place in Toronto a few nights ago.

I have tried writing this post in great detail a few times, but it essentially just becomes a novel so i will keep it short for it to be readable.

I moved to a new place a month ago. The house has several units, but is not an apartment building. I have my own unit in the basement, across a 4 ft wide hall from an identical one.
I moved here a month ago. Made sure to introduce myself to the neighbor. Blue collar guy in his 50s. Got a bad vibe from the very beginning.
Quickly realized he likes drinking and blasting loud music. I am a student (international) and have morning classes, but i took the 3-4 times he was up partying late as one time things, and didn't want to make a fuzz about it.

&nbsp;

**11 PM, sunday night:**

My girlfriend was visiting. We had dinner, and went to bed. Eric, as i chose to call the neighbor, was up blasting music at a disturing volume, singing and clapping loudly.
I walked out in the hall, knocked and politely asked him to turn it down. He replied by throwing to sets of earplugs on me, claiming that you cant even hear the music in the hallway.
30 minutes later, i try again, pleading that i have a quiz in the morning and need to sleep. He shrugs and keeps on partying by himself.

&nbsp;

I call the landlord, who lives upstairs. He comes down, eventually (after 20 minutes) manages to make contact with Eric, who dismisses the landlords request for him to turn it down (at this point it is way past midnight and we are both pretty worked up).
He stops playing music for five minutes. When the landlord had left, it all started up again. What then transpired was a four hour long marathon of him behaving like this:

&nbsp;

https://mixstep.co/byqsgosvkbcm **<-- ACTUAL AUDIO, some compression/EQ added to clear up muddiness**

&nbsp;

These are just two of the many clips i took during the night from my apartment, standing by the door. As you can hear, he repeatedly screams "Faggot", "Pussy", and made threats to "Bang your whore/Bang her, i'll make that happen, don't you worry". One time he said "I will rip her open, bring her here!". When i said that i was on the bed with my girlfriend trying to comfort her.

&nbsp;

Needless to say, i was on my way out the door several times to take care of him myself, he almost pushed me over the edge. My girlfriend, though, was smart enough to stop me, saying she would not allow me to put her in danger. Fair enough.
After another hour of this, we said enough was enough, and called the police, all while this was going on. After 90 minutes, two officers showed up, moderately interested in what we had to say, questioning that we even called them.

&nbsp;

I am from a european country where this would have been grounds for harassment/sexual harassment charges to be laid, and the police would also have made sure to bring the perpetrator out for examination (drugs? weapons?)
These two officers, who i am sure had handled more serious matters during the night though, turned sour on me when i questioned them saying "This is not a crime, he is just being a jerk". They were more concerned with me and my attitude (I was in distress, so was my girlfriend, and we were diligent, but not unfair or down right rude). I just wanted to know what the hell was going on, and why they didn't think he was harassing us).

&nbsp;

While the cops were here, Eric turned down the music, shut his lights down and pretended not to be home. When the officers left, he instantly started up again.
The policemen, in their attempts to speak to Eric, knocked on his door, and windows, called him "Bitch", and "Pussy", which also struck me as very odd.

&nbsp;

**Anyway, current status:**

&nbsp;

I got home about one hour ago, after spending two days at my girlfriends parents house. Eric is in the hall, doing laundry. Has apparently apologized to the landlord, but that does not mean shit to me.
I have aquired a bottle of dog spray and will use force if i have to defend myself. We went to the police office today, but they gave us the same attitude as the cops two nights ago, which i am suprised and disappointed by.
I guess, reddit, my question is:
Is this right? Is this how canadian law/police works? How do i resolve this situation?

&nbsp;

**TL;DR:**
Neighbor spent a whole night harassing me and my girlfriend with sexual remarks toward her. Cops showed up but did not do anything. Acted unprofessional.
Recording of a fraction of the six hour long rant:
https://mixstep.co/byqsgosvkbcm (What is this guy on??)

Answer:
 A quick google tells me that, depending where you are in canada, stopping the harassment falls squarely on the shoulders of your landlord, since he has a legal obligation to ensure his property is free of harassment. Look up your local laws regarding this and if they fit in with what my google told me you should inform your landlord of his legal obligations.

Don't worry about the landlord getting uppity either, most of the laws contain clauses which prohibit absolutely any sort of reprisal or punishment for making the complaint.


Title: Toxic work environment, If I quit my husband could die.

Question:
My husband has terminal cancer.  I work full time for insurance to cover him.
Lately my work environment due to a abusive manger has become toxic.   We’ve gone to management and it’s become worse.  I want to look for another job.  But I worry that if I leave for another job my husband will be without care for 3 months.  He has regular chemo that’s very expensive.  Also he’s type 1 diabetic.
Medicare won’t kick in for several months.
What are my options?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: I know it’s expensive, but COBRA is an option.


Title: I secretly recorded Louie CK's set at the Comedy Cellar. Can I get in trouble for releasing this video?

Question: I recorded Louie CK at the Comedy Cellar. He is blurry and out of focus but you can perfectly hear his entire set. Can I sell this footage? Post it publically?

Answer: Why would you think you would have the rights to something recorded within a private establishment?Answer #2: Depends. How much do you enjoy being sued?Answer #3: Why would you want to do that?


Title: Fire Chiefs "Dog" is destroying my fence.

Question: (OKLAHOMA) Well, as of the past 4 months there has been this blue heeler on my block that has been harassing my dogs. It started off as, simple barking at night and quickly evolved in to this dog chewing on my privacy fence and literally openeing up 4 good size holes for it to access my back yard at any time. Ive spoken with animal control before, and at the time we thought the dog was unspoken for in my neighborhood. As of yesterday, I can confirm that my neighbor, the Fire Chief, lets this dog sleep in his house, feed him and pet him. Nobody could approach this dog. So now I'm stuck. Has it been his dog the whole time? And with Video evidence of him taking care of this animal, can I pursue charges against my neighbor for allowing his dog to destroy my property? If I left any important details out, just ask.

Answer:
 You can't pursue charges per se but you can file a police report of property damage and sue in small claims court. Answer #2: I would just call animal control the next time this is happening and say simply "There is a wild dog in the neighborhood that is being a nuisance and destroying property". If it is the fire chief's dog, he would probably have it micro-chipped and they would give him a call. If it indeed is his, you could probably sue in small claims for cost of repairs.

 As the long time owner of a blue heeler myself - until that dog gets to be about 7-8 years old, its energy levels are equivalent to that of a dog constantly on amphetamines, and if it doesn't have a job to do, it will expend its energy by destroying stuff. If we didn't run or play ball/frisbee with ours for at least an hour a day, it seemed to have a particular grudge against toilet paper rolls and slippersAnswer #3: Did you speak to the Chief?  Does he agree that its his dog?

If not, just call animal control and file a police report for the damage.

If it is his dog, explain to him that he is liable for any damage caused by his dog.   Either he pays up, or you go to small claims court.


Title: If I make a bet with someone and create a document which outlines the terms of the bet in great detail, with several signatures from the other party as well as footage of them agreeing to said terms, in the event that they don’t pay up, am I able to sue them?

Question:
I’m absolutely serious about this post, and I’m not trying to waste anybody’s time in advance.

 I made a joke bet with someone who agreed to something which is highly in my favor. Then I joked about the money involved. One thing led to another and now I’ve typed up and recorded legal evidence outlining the criteria of the bet. If it helps, the sum of money is to be collected in 21 years, which might make it more difficult to collect. So my question is, when the time comes, based on this evidence will I be able to sue them in the state of New York?

Thanks!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You can sue anyone for just about anything, but you're never guaranteed to be successful. In some places contracts that obviously favor one party are not enforceable, it's called unconscionability.


Title: Fake Id was taken by liquor store

Question: So my friend went to a liquor store and bought booze roughly 20 times with his fake. Then one day when trying to buy liquor from the store they confiscated it. The id has his name on it, and he’s really freaking out about what might happen. He’s worried it might be charged against him as a felony, is that possible? If the police do contact him what should his next move be? I said he should get a criminal defense attorney if they try to talk to him, is that correct? Any advice is appreciated.

Answer: It is a misdemeanor in some states and a felony in others. He will likely have a fine and probation if charged. A lawyer is a good idea if he is charged.


Title: Told I can't return to work due to my migraines.

Question:
[Kansas]I'll try to be brief.

I suffer from migraines, and have since I was a kid. As I got older, they got worse, which occasionally requires me to deal with them at home, as they are usually severe enough to prevent me from functioning.

Recently, I went through a several-month medical ordeal that I had thought was a complication from migraines. It got so bad that I eventually quit my job, as the doctors were convinced it was psychological and not getting better any time soon. I couldn't function at all; I spent most of my time feeling like I was having a constant panic attack and pacing my apartment.

Eventually, I figured out that it was medication complications. I addressed it and was back to normal within a week. After talking to another manager at my workplace, I was told I should try to get my job back, as it had only been a couple of weeks total.

So I asked. I got a letter back from my direct manager. I'll try to be precise without quoting: your migraines made you an unreliable employee and I'm not offering you your job back. You're welcome to reapply in the future if you proved somewhere else that you were reliable and brought us medical proof that your migraines would no longer be a problem.

1) Is it legal to require medical proof for me to work a desk job based entirely on job "reliability" rather than safety (i.e., I'm not running heavy machinery)?

2) Can I be directly denied employment based on a medical issue like this, even if I had volunteered the information while I was employed there?

I'm not looking for a lawsuit, but I loved my job, didn't want to quit it, and am willing to tussle a bit to get it back if I need to. Any experienced eyes on this would be appreciated.

Answer: You quit your job. That's all there is to it. They have no obligation to hire you back just because you want them to.


Title: (Australia) Ordered earphones online, didn't arrive, can't contact website.

Question: A few weeks ago I ordered 4 pairs of earphones from [this website](https://greendeals.com.au/). The earphones were $1 each, and postage was $11 (AUD, the earphones are still on sale at that price). After a couple of weeks without them being delivered I emailed them, and sent a message through the website. I didn't receive any reply whatsoever. I have sent several emails since, again with not a single reply. Is there anything I can do? Should I contact Paypal and ask them to reverse the transaction? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 >Should I contact Paypal and ask them to reverse the transaction?

yes


Title: Removing clock hours as Discipline

Question: Is it legal (specifically in NJ) for a boss to erase clocked in hours as a form of discipline at her discretion?  working as a waiter at local restaurant

Answer:
 No, that’s theft.

They are required to pay you for all hours worked.


Title: How can I move on my own at 16?

Question: My mom runs my like and makes it miserable I am allowed to do nothing and am always lectured, interrogated and mentally abused. How can I move out on my own at 16. I have a job, and will be getting a car soon.

Answer: If you can't support yourself (apartment, insurance, and the other masses of expenses that go along with it) you will not be able to be emancipated.


Title: So my roommate got busted with cocaine. What should I do?

Question:
So I've been living in an apartment nearby my univeristy since August. I have 3 roommates who I had never met before and we all signed separate leases. I don't really associate with them and know very little about them.

This morning at 6 am cops disguised as UPS workers broke into the apartment and handcuffed cuffed us all. They had a search warrant and they began to tear through the whole house. After cuffing me and talking to me they let me go and told me to come back in two hours once they were done searching.

I came home to what I assumed was a copy of the warrant and a list of seized items.  It claimed that they had found cocaine in one of my roommates bedrooms. I had no clue this was going on and I've never even seen cocaine before. Luckily they did not seize any of my property but the rest of my roommates had their electronics seized.

So I need to know what the best move is for me going forward. Am I in trouble? How can I protect myself best? Should I try to get out of my lease and move? Or should i wait to see if he gets evicted? I have no clue what's going on and I could really use some advice

Answer:
 > Luckily they did not seize any of my property but the rest of my roommates had their electronics seized.

If they took stuff from all your roommates, but not you, it's a smart assumption you aren't in trouble. Anything they took is possible evidence, since none of your stuff was taken you aren't being looked at as a person of interest.

Since you're all on separate leases, you aren't responsible for their rent or anything so you're in the clear there. You can ask the LL to let you out of your lease, but they wouldn't be under an obligation to do so.


Title: [OHIO] Are employers required to pay for new requirements of the uniform?

Question:
So my employer is giving us until the end of the month to buy no slip black work shoes. I was wondering if he's required to pay for them since they weren't required before. At my old fast food job the shoes where provided for us and we were allowed to keep them after we left.
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 IIRC correctly, the rule of thumb on whether or not they can make you buy your own is if the item would be considered reasonable to wear outside of work. (Non-logo, traditional clothing)  I believe in this case it would be. Answer #2: Life advice:
You can buy non-slip shoes at Walmart for ~$20.00
I'll let other people tell you the legality of this whole thing, but if you end up having to buy them, that's where to go.


Title: BC, Canada: FtM trans coworker was beaten up by friends of offended coworker

Question:
Throwaway because super obvious of who this applies to.

Two co-workers got into an argument about her becoming a him.  Guy was so offended by trans person process he quit.  Next day trans person got off work, waited for bus, and we then beaten by 3 of offended person's friends. Friends claimed to trans person that trans person forced offended guy to get fired. Trans person went to go to ER.

Besides filing a police report, which was already done, is there anything else trans person should do?

Answer: He could consider suing the people who attacked him for his expenses/lost wages from the attack.  If they have anything worth suing for, that is.  That's about it


Title: Neighbor has Mooring ball in front of my dock.

Question:
So a new neighbor moved into the camp next door to me. This weekend I came up and noticed that they put in a mooring ball for their boat. The problem is that the ball itself is almost in front of my dock and then when it is stretched out on its chain it ends up being almost directly in front.

 The neighbor wasn't there at the time, so I am hoping that I can just talk with them and they will move it, but is there anything I can do if they wont?

[Pictures](https://imgur.com/gallery/GhztNJu)
What makes it worse is that we are on the far end of a cove, so to the left of the camp is land and shallow water. So it is really blocking access for us.

Thanks Everyone

Answer:
 As someone who deals with moorings a lot, and spends lots of time on boats for my job, that mooring isn't unreasonably close to your dock IMO.

Does the town where the lake is located regulate moorings, issue permits, etc? If so, you might be able to contact whoever in the town is responsible for mooring permits.


Title: People on the internet are trying to dox me so I've been putting up fake employers. Can they sue me for the harassment they're getting from other people? (OR)

Question:
 I made a post that went viral and people are very angry. They're trying to dox me and it's annoying at best. I've been putting up fake employers of anti-gay companies (hobby lobby, chick fil-a, urban outfitters) to throw them off. These hoards are now harassing the businesses. Apparently Urban Outfitters is PISSED and is trying to find me to pursue legal action.

My question is: Am I liable for harassment other people throw at these "employers"?

Answer:
 I don't want to call you any names, but, dude, you realize you can make your Facebook profile *private* right?

And you can even deactivate it? Maybe this will be a good thing for you. Take a break from social media for a month or so.Answer #2: What do you mean "Putting up" fake employers? What did you say about the companies that's making people harass them?

Yes, if you said something false about a company and it's causing them to be harassed, they can sue you for defamation.Answer #3: Why don't you just leave that part blank? I genuinely fail to understand why this isn't the sane option. Also make everything under the sun as private, not public as possible.

And it is 'hordes' (large groups) and not 'hoards' (saves stuff)


Title: Purchase of sex toy, (17)

Question:
Hello! I am a 17 year old living in Alabama. I would really like to purchase a sex toy online through a prepaid Visa card. Is it considered illegal to purchase a sex toy and use my name on the shipping/billing address? The money is my own, however I do not want to wait the remaining months until my 18th birthday. Also, I've read about the **Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act**, would that also be an obstacle in this matter?

Summary:

I want to know if I can get into any legal problems by purchasing a sex toy as a minor, and using my name on the shipping/billing addresses?

  -Additonally is it legal to use a peusdonym for my shipping/billing addresses?

  -Does Alabama's Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act serve as additional issues?

**This is a serious post, and I value any legal input. Thank you very much.**
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 The Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act prohibits the sale of sex toys, not the purchase of them.  So that is not an issue for you.

It is not legal for a minor to purchase a sex toy in most states.  That said, the odds it will come out that you're a minor are very slim indeed.  And of course if you purchase a "novelty massager" that's not a "sex toy."  That's why Alabama still has shops selling sex toys... I mean novelty entertainment items.


Title: Friend told Army Recruiter fake name on my phone, recruiter threatening legal trouble

Question:
Just for reference I am in Idaho and currently a senior in high school. My friend is a sophomore.

We were in our debate class which we don't do anything in and one of our friends had an army recruiter card. My friend thought it would be fun to call them, and I offered my phone for the job. He called and said he wanted to get some information and the guy asked for his name and my friend said he was Derek Jeeter. The recruiter started getting aggressive so my friend immediately hung up.

About 5 minutes later I start getting phone call after phone call from this guy and I eventually answer. The conversation basically said that he knew my real name and my future was fucked because calls like that to a federal facility are illegal. He said he would be contacting the state and seeing what they want to do about it.

I am recently eighteen so needless to say I am extremely shaken up. Basically, I just want to know if I am screwed or not. Thanks.

UPDATE: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3zxx8t/update_friend_told_army_recruiter_fake_name/

Answer:
 He's trying to get you to stop bothering him. So stop bothering him. Answer #2: Block and ignore.  The recruiter didn't have anything better to do that day, either.
Answer #3: Nothing is likely to happen. You and your friend should stop being dumbasses.


Title: Accidentally stole netflix, what should I do to make this right?

Question: Last year I went on vacation with my family and decided to make a netflix account on the xfinity box the owners had set up in the condo. I went with the free trial and disregarded everything else because I was drunk, just quickly passing through to get me some netflix. Fast forward to yesterday: I was checking out my billing cycle on my netflix account because I had decided to cancel it (RIP Disney content). Lo and behold, I have been billing it through this poor guy's xfinity unknowingly for an entire year. At this point I'm shitting bricks thinking I'm going to destroy my life with fraud charges or something. Hell, we even rented out the same condo this year. We really like the place. How do I make this right and what should I do moving forward?

Answer:
 Not sure how you billed him since it asks for your debit/credit card information.

But, just call him and tell him that when you go to the condo, you are willing to pay back the money spent on Netflix because you didn’t realize it was being billed to his account, while you were using it. Answer #2: The morally right thing to do is contact the condo owner, explain what happened, and offer to repay him.


Title: Inherited an apartment years ago. Now when I am trying to sell it, my mother claims the money belongs to her. Can she do anything?

Question:
I live in the USA. About 15 years ago, I inherited an apartment from my great-aunt who passed away. My mother was executor on the will, the entire estate was left to me (pretty much just an apartment).

Now, when I am going to sell the apartment, my mother is claiming that the proceeds of the sale belong to her, and that all along I was just holding onto the apartment for her. She says there was a verbal agreement to this, and if I don't give her the money, she will cut me and my family our of her life.

From a legal perspective, everything is in my name. Is there anyway she can come after me for the money? My parents paid for renovations and other costs when I moved in many years ago.

Friends say I should offer to give her half to keep the peace. Seems to me like that's extortion.

Should I offer to pay back the money that was laid out years ago for renovations? It was about $100k. Or does that open up other issues?

I don't know how to resolve this issue.

Answer:
 Were the renovations a gift?

>Friends say I should offer to give her half to keep the peace.

I wouldn't.


Title: Am I legally alloewed to live with another family member ?

Question: Im currently a 14 male turning 15 in a couple days and im wanting to ask my parent if I can stay with another family member which I know she will defiantly disagree with. Would I be allowed to do it without her consent since im starting to become depressed and anxious because of her boyfriend who is an alcoholic with severe anger issues and has beat her up multiple times over the last few years. She is always lying to me saying she'll come home from the pub but ends up staying until late at night aswell as saying she wont put up with his behaviour but always takes him back. I live in New Zealand & dont feel like the environment is healthy, helps appreciated.

Answer:
 I don't think anyone here knows New Zealand law. I don't. But *in general*, it is fine for you to live with other family members if your parents agree. If they do not, you can't do it unless a court orders otherwise. Domestic violence in the home is a reason that a court might make such an order. You should speak with a school counselor or other trusted adult who can help you contact your state's child welfare system.

Also, you only mention one parent. What's happening with your other parent?


Title: [TN] Criminal Investigator pressuring my dad to finish a job the customer refuses to pay for or buy parts for.

Question:
About a year ago my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. They caught it early and did surgery to remove part of her lung and lymph nodes and thankfully she has made a full recovery. My parents aren't very well off. They get by but they don't have good insurance and my dad, a heavy equipment repairman, made sure she had the care she needed but had to cut corners everywhere he could and make ends meet. He works for himself and used to have a business license and pay the proper taxes on his company etc. When my mom had surgery instead of renewing his business license and paying his taxes which, in addition to other things he did without, were due around the time she needed money to put toward medical bills. He put everything he had saved into Dr. bills. He continued working under the table a little just to get by and taking care of my mom until she had recovered enough to not need constant care and then started to try and get things together again.

While all this medical stuff was going on with my mom, one of the jobs my dad picked up was from a man he had never worked for before. This man called and wanted my dad to work on one of his machines. My dad said he would do it and the man gave him money for some of the parts. My dad started working and although it was taking a little longer than normal because of the circumstances, he was making progress. The man wasn't happy with the time it was taking. My dad said he'd agreed to do the job and would do it as fast as he could but the man was aware of the circumstances and was aware that my mom came first. Incrementally throughout the job the man was supposed to pay for labour and, if need be, buy whatever parts were necessary to continue and fix the machine. When it came time to pay for part of the labour the man flat out refused. My dad told him until he paid what was agreed upon he wasn't doing any more work. The man never would pay the labour owed and my dad told him he could come get his machine he wasn't going to fix it for free and he could have the parts that weren't installed yet that had already been purchased. I don't know if the man didn't want to come get it or didn't have a way to, but he has left the machine at my dad's for months along with the parts.

About a week ago a man knocked on the door and my mother answered (my father wasn't home). He asked if she was my father's wife and explained that he was a criminal investigator. The first question he asked after this was, "How long has your husband been working while on disability?" My dad has never been on disability and we have no idea where this idea came from. The man asked a few more questions and left a card for my dad saying it was in his best interest to call him by the end of the day, which my dad did. The CI told him he knows he has been doing some jobs under the table to which my dad was honest about and explained why. It turns out the CI is friends with the man who owns the machine and he threatens that if my father doesn't fix his machine it wouldn't, "be in his best interest". But, he tells my father if he can talk to this man and work it out and get the machine fixed he will forget about it and nothing will come of it. My father agrees and calls the man to  make plans to fix his machine. My father isn't doing as bad now, although he's still not well off, and figures if he can fix this problem amicably and it keeps the law out of it then why not. The man says he still wants my dad to fix it and they agree that he will.

The very next day my dad gets a letter in the mail that he has been reported to the state for working without a business license and not paying his taxes last year or this year. The CI told my dad if him and the man worked it out he would leave it well enough alone and went behind his back and got the state involved anyway. Now he calls every few days and asks where they are on the machine to which my dad says they are nowhere. He keeps threatening my dad saying it's in his best interest to fix it. My dad says there is no way he's fixing a machine for someone who refused to pay and also tells the CI he is at fault for my dad not fixing the machine because his biggest motivation was not having the state involved and settling everything amicably between the man and himself, which the CI has foiled. The CI continues to threaten him by saying well all I can tell you is it's in your best interest but is very veiled with his threats, no longer giving specifics why. Should this not be a civil matter between the two men? I don't understand how a criminal investigator has any say-so in the matter.

The state is estimating that my father makes $5k per month and wants back-taxes paid for the past few years and obviously he has to renew his business license before working any more. This is a lot more money than my father makes. He talked to an accountant friend of his who said he can get the income adjusted to be more realistic. My question is this: What can my dad do legally in this situation? He knows he shouldn't operate without a license and he has to pay his taxes but I completely understand when he says the surgery and medical bills came first no matter what and he couldn't afford everything at the same time. Does he have any feet to stand on, legally? Is what the criminal investigator is doing here legal? It seems like this type of thing should be illegal for so many reasons. I don't know how to help him.

Sorry for the long post, I tried to add as many details as I could. There may be small things I'm missing here but I tried to get all the major details I could from my mom. My dad hasn't even mentioned this to me because he doesn't want me to worry I guess.

Answer:
 Wait a second.  What agency does this "Criminal Investigator" claim to work for?  I can almost guarantee that he's full of shit, and is just the buddy of your dad's unhappy customer.

> What can my dad do legally in this situation?

Call the police and tell them he's being extorted by someone he believes is impersonating a police officer.

Edit: On the tax issue, work with the accountant to figure the taxes he actually owes, file, and start paying.

Answer #2: There's no such thing as a "criminal investigator" in the US.  The police investigate crimes.  Private Investigators have no authority to do anything other than turn over their findings to whoever hired them.  Your dad is getting a shakedown, also known as the crime of extortion.  If he's getting real letters from the state about back taxes and his license, he needs to deal with that separately and operate a legal, tax-paying business.  Then he should report this to the police