Title: [Hypothetical] If you live in a state when recording conversations is illegal can video recordings of people talking in sign-language also be considered illegal?

Question: I know it's a hypothetical, but we have a local case where three deaf people planned a murder and the sign language [conversation was recorded](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-04/cctv-caught-deaf-trio-discussing-murder-plot,-court-hears/7902536) on security vision and used in evidence.  I believe even if it was a voice conversation it would still be legal in our state (Victoria, Australia) but it just made me curious?

Answer:
 It is a bit tricky, because 2 party consent states still rely on the assumption of privacy being a determining factor in which conversations are recorded. For instance, a standard level conversation in a restaurant would probably not be protected, but a whispered conversation with the expectation that it would not be overheard would require consent of all parties.

As far as I am aware, it is not possible to whisper in sign language, so that rules out requiring consent to record anywhere that would be publicly visible.

The only one I really wonder about is if a camera is hidden in a place where someone might expect some reasonable level of privacy(private office, friends living room, etc).


Title: Paul Jenkins painting sold, gallery refuses to pay seller.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If you want to give them one more chance, you can send them a certified letter demanding they pay, and/or have an attorney draft up a demand letter. Then, contact a lawyer to start a lawsuit since these paintings seem to go for tens of thousands and would be over the limit for small claims court. At this point I'm surprised you haven't contacted a lawyer yet.Answer #2: Just a heads up OP. Might be a good idea to remove the artists name. I was able to work out what painting this (likely) was and who sold it based on the name, location and date.

If the gallery sees this might make the problem worse.


Title: Is it legal to sell food for free from your home if you offer it free with the purchase of something else?

Question: My Filipino neighbor sold fried eggrolls at her garage sales every other week until someone harped at her about the legality of selling food outside of a government food safety approved kitchen.   Today I suggested she should sell tickets for the same price and offer a free eggroll with each ticket purchased. Will she be breaking any laws doing this? We live in Iowa, US

Answer:
 Yes. Nobody will be fooled by that. You have not discovered one trick that health departments hate.

There may be exceptions to the general law for tiny home based businesses. Health rules vary by state or even county.

Answer #2: Its like how you're only paying for an escorts "time" and the sex is free.

Everyone knows whats going on, you aren't smarter than the entire history of law.


Title: After reading about police possibly deleting video surveillance from a shooting, I had a more theoretical question for the sub. What should you do if the police come to you and ask for your security camera footage for their investigation?

Question:
It was after reading [this](http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Alvarez-Addresses-Missing-Minutes-From-Security-Video-in-Laquan-McDonald-Case-353209051.html) article where the manager said the police asked for footage, then apparently sat there and deleted it.

Are you legally obligated to assist in the investigation?  Do they need a court order?  Can you make copies before you give it to them?  What about if backups are made automatically, are you forced to hand those over as well?  Can you watch the footage first and then testify as to what you saw in the footage?

Let's say that this is in Chicago (location of the shooting) if the law changes from state to state.  I would assume it has something to do with obstruction of justice but IANAL and my boss has talked about setting up video security in a couple of locations, so maybe someday it might matter (but probably not!)

Answer: You don't have to help police unless they have a court order. If they want video you can always provide them with a copy.


Title: How can I preserve money for mom before entering assisted living?

Question: I live in PA. My grandmother and brother were the primary caretakers of my mother (M.S.), but my grandmother passed away.My mother is getting about about 9k in life insurance money.  My brother is planning on moving to NYC in a few months. So we are trying to decide what to do with mom. My mother is only 50. She cannot care for herself, yet she is not ready for a nursing home. She has no assets besides her 800 a month disability check, and this 9k that is coming. We are deciding between low level assisted living, and section 8 with home health and caretakers coming by several times a day. We are hoping most of either of these arrangements will by covered by the state, neither me nor my brother could afford to pay for her care. But we would like to be able to preserve the 9k for her. She has never had much money, and 9k could really help all 3 of us get situated moving forward. Could this money negatively affect her future housing? Can we preserve it for future use?

Answer: In Pennsylvania the assisted living facility can come after your mom's family members for the cost of her care that is in excess of what Medicaid will cover. You can't hide the 9k and it must be reported to the State of Pennsylvania if she receives medicaid or **any type** of welfare payment. Failure to report it or conspiring to hide it is a felony.


Title: Tenant rights/what’s reasonable - rent incl gas not elec, landlord puts a lock on temperature and tells us to use a space heater if we are cold, says boiler is dangerous

Question:
So I feel like we are getting a bit screwed around but don’t know what’s reasonable to expect in this case.  It’s my first time renting in the US.

What I’m asking is:
Could I ask for a change in rent to account for the change in circumstance? What would you do? How do I have this conversation?

I know I need to say something and want a gauge of what’s reasonable.

(Ps formatting on phone and no idea)

Situation:

Our rent includes some bills (gas, laundry, WiFi) and not electricity. The apartment is heated by a gas boiler. There is a smart temp system. Our landlord had it set within bounds we were told because the last tenants put it at 80. So it has a lock on it that he won’t give us access to and won’t be upfront about. This wasn’t a problem at first. We actually asked him to lower the minimum as it was set to 72 and we like it colder at points.

So we have kept it 68-74. My room is not insulated, it is a noticeable difference than the warmer room. It has a door to the outside. Which is why it goes up to 74 for a bit of time in the evening, so my room goes up.  In sum, we keep it reasonable.

Now he locked it to max 70. Didn’t tell us. I asked for the code to unlock it. He ignored my message. I asked again a few days later and he has told me that he has set it at 70 (as if I didn’t know), that he was told by hVAC any higher will cause the boiler to overheat and that we couldn’t risk that. That if I’m still cold ‘please put on a space heater’

1) I am bothered by the boiler being that dodgy. That’s terrifying to me. This building is old. The floors are uneven and shake. (And more as youll read on, I’m just not wholly convinced about the structural integrity so already a bit on edge)
2) the space heater comment is obnoxious because we are paying for heating. I don’t own a space heater and don’t want to have to buy one. Nevermind the upfront cost, operating it would cost us more in electricity in addition to what we pay for heating. Basically he gets a break on gas and we get to pick up the cost in electricity
3) I don’t like how he hasn’t been upfront

Extra info/problems - shower goes cold quickly. Like if I shower after my roommate I get a few minutes of lukewarm water. We just don’t have enough hot water. I told him and he said he would take me through turning up the heat on the boiler, but I didn’t have the time to go through with that yet. It’s weird. And this was after he told me that the water would get warmer if I turned the knob... which was patronizing.

Also we have a few leaks in the ceiling.

The internet has been intermittently not working.

The smoke alarms were going off randomly in the early morning. I’d have to go into the empty Airbnb next store and reset them. Or that happened here too. To the point I’m worrying it’s carbon monoxide even though the annoying thing would alarm ‘fire. Fire. Fire’.

And the laundry machines disappeared for 10 days because he said some inspector didn’t like them there and showed up again broken and were replaced same day.  And I’m just realizing that sounds really not good.

There have just been a lot of little annoying things. And I’m trying to be reasonable but also getting bothered. What are reasonable expectations? Did I just have it super good in the UK where they had to fix things like this ASAP and were really regulated (HMO)?  I will have a chance to discuss this tomorrow. What should I say?

As for the lease, I’m not on it. I’m subletting from the person on it. As far as I know, it has nothing about limits for heating.

Answer:
 Heating is a Renters right. If the boiler is faulty it’s on the owners to fix. Answer #2: Maine heating requirements, according to [a local legal aid society](https://ptla.org/how-much-heat-and-other-basic-utilities-does-my-landlord-have-provide), are 68 degrees. However, it's measured by interior temperature rather than thermostat setting, so you may well have a code violation if your room doesn't maintain temp.

The link lists a series of steps, including the process to get free legal aid if the code inspector confirms a violation and the landlord refuses to remedy it.

That said, the situation is much worse in the northeast US than you're used to, in part thanks to the largely prewar stock and lack of competition from council housing--the annoyances such as internet downtime or poorly-maintained shared laundry facilities, or even leaks and iffy boilers (within the target temp requirements), are likely to be treated as best-effort questions to be solved by moving after the lease runs out rather than as baseline expectations.Answer #3: This isn't how we live in the United States. Specific location is helpful.


Title: PA - Child custody hearing

Question:
Hello! I am a bit frazzled and not sure where to start. I plan to find an attorney first thing in the morning. I just opened my mail to a child custody hearing date. I've had custody of my son since birth. There is no formal order with the court however. We've truly never had custody issues. His dad had always been a part of his life but when he was 2, joined the army. He has been stationed relatively close the past few years and so I'd make sure my son visits whenever he had the chance. Typically that was at least one weekend a month if his dad was not deployed or doing some other training.

His father has gotten a new duty station but won't tell me where it is. I am not sure he even knows yet to be honest because he just got back from a deployment. The paperwork from his attorney says he is asking for 45 days in the summer, one weekend a month, and alternating major holidays. I don't understand how this is supposed to work if he is stationed very far away. I can't afford to be buying plane tickets like that and I am not sure I would agree to 45 days of the summer. I am a college student and that is almost more than half of our summer. Also my son is in guitar lessons which I have to pay for regardless if he attends or not.

Can the court really come up with some sort of agreement if the duty station is unknown? It seems unreasonable that I would be compelled to send my child to Germany once a month versus if it were driving distance.

Answer:
 Yes then can make an arrangement no matter where he is stationed. If he is in Germany then in a practical sense travel can be more difficult especially when the child is young. Your child is not going to be flying to Germany every other weekend but he may get extended time over summer and holidays instead. A court will work this stuff out.

When the agreement is worked out make sure is specifies who pays for travel and who does the transport. The amount of time he is asking for sounds pretty standard and reasonable.


Title: My sister may be stealing my identity (again). Need advice.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Is that probably what happened?

There is no way to know what "probably" happened based on your meager few paragraphs here.  Maybe that's what happened.  Maybe not.

If you find your your sister is stealing your identity, then you can (and probably should) file a police report and let them investigate that crime she is committing.

You can also file a fraud alert/credit freeze on your credit accounts, and regularly check your credit report to ensure that there are no fraudulent accounts on it.


Title: Can I be sued for pulling a door forcefully while someone else is holding it?

Question:
I work as a security guard in a building that's not open to the public. We have a few stores that have access to our building and routinely people sneak into our building through those stores. When someone sneak in, I have to ask them which store they come in from so I can report it to our management.

&#x200B;

So I saw a woman in her 30s wandering in our lobby. I asked her to leave. As she was walking out, I nicely asked her which door she came in from. She started giving me an attitude yelling " I HEARD YOU " then when I asked her again that Im just wondering which door she came in from, she started passive aggressively telling me if I keep being this rude to her she will call and complain about me to management.

&#x200B;

I told her "Ok just leave"

She tried to take a picture of me and I explained to her that she cannot do that because its a private building. She was like ok then went out and refused to let the door go so she can take a picture of me.

&#x200B;

So I pulled the door forcefully while she was holding it. I didn't touch her in any way or form.

She suffered no injury.

&#x200B;

Can I be sued for that?

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Answer: If she suffered no injury then no because there were no damages.  But unless you are psychic you cannot guarantee that she suffered no injury.


Title: sexually molested while sleeping

Question: This happened couple of months back. Iam a guy and i share my room with another guy as iam short on money. one night when iam  sleeping i felt someone grabbing my penis. I woke up, saw my room mate suc*ing my penis over my shorts. i shouted at him and he went back to sleep. i was too tired to comfort him immediately and so went back to sleep too. I dint have the courage to comfort him in the following days. Recently he moved out of the house and i now feel safe to proceed legally. What are my legal options. I don't have any proof that he molested me. Btw This happened in BC, Canada. Thank you.

Answer:
 The sooner you report the assault the better.  So sorry you had to experience this. Take care of yourself.Answer #2: You may contact the police and report the incident.

Your testimony is evidence, but there is no guarantee that the prosecutor will file formal charges.


Title: A stranger approached me in a grocery market parking lot and offered to remove the scratches on my car. I said yes, paid him, and now I'm wondering if I just got scammed?

Question:
Ok, so this is going to sound insane, but this just happened to me not even an hour ago. I'm located in Bergen County, New Jersey. For context, I'm an 18-year old girl.

Background: The car that I drive originally belonged to my grandmother, but she eventually gave it to my mom after our Range Rover was destroyed in a car accident last October. (Grandma bought herself a Jaguar now to replace her old car.) Because of this, many of the scratches on my car (there aren't too many actually) are from when my mom and grandmother drove the car. (They passed the car to me when I got my driver's license in April this year.) This is important to the story.

Anyways, my mom had asked me if I could drive to the local grocery store to pick up some stuff for dinner. After I bought what I needed, I walked back out and towards my car, only for a suspicious older-looking red car to pull up behind my car. A man stuck his head out and asked me about the scratches that are on my car. I told him what I said above and he told me that he could provide a "free estimate".  For the man's age, I figure he would be between 45-50 years old? He said that the car should be looked at because the scratches could be rusting it, and he said that he could do it right here, right now, in the supermarket's parking lot. Here's the thing: this has never happened to me before, and of course I was suspicious, but the guy kept begging me to let him remove the scratches and re-apply the black spray paint to the spots. (My car is black). He even used a little boy (who I later found out was his great-grandson) to convince me to allow him to fix the spots.

He rubbed the scratches with some kind of cloth (I'm no mechanic so I don't know what to call it) and then spray-painted the black spray-paint onto the spots. He originally asked me for $40, but I didn't have enough in cash, so he made me run inside the store to get to the ATM to ***withdraw $60,*** and then made me go back inside again to withdraw ***$80*** because he claimed he fixed my front bumper?! I was a bit of an idiot and I didn't check, but I just gave him the money since I was getting nervous and since I wanted to get out of the parking lot. Before I was finished though, he asked me for a final favor to give him one of my $5 bills to his great-grandson so he could go ahead and buy him a fish at the PetSmart that was right in front of us. (I saw him leaving the parking lot right away afterward -\_-) He used the fact that he barely had money to convince me to do it.

Before the guy started working on my car, there was a woman who was walking towards our direction that moved the great-grandson away from the two of us, so I'm thinking that she was his mother or something. I do have a memory of what the guy physically looked like, (he also told me his first name), and just in case he ***did*** scam me, I did manage to take 3 photos of his car, with the license plate number showing in all 3, just in case the police would ask me for a description of his car. I have no photos of the man and his family, though. So Reddit here are my questions:

* Did this man scam or trick me in any way?
* I know I gave consent as the driver of the car, but did what he do was illegal by fixing it himself without showing me proof of his profession?
* I checked the car before I left the parking lot, it seemed to be alright, so I do think he actually did a good job. But if anything comes out strange, should I tell the police?
* Also, should I tell my parents? Although I'm 18, I'm not moving out of my house until September which is when I start college. I'm scared to tell them, but I also feel bad if I don't.

And listen, I know very well that I should have said no in the first place, but the man kept begging me to let him because he was out of a job and low on money! My dumbass brain said yes! I'm just nervous that I essentially let a stranger take advantage of my naivety and make me run to the ATM twice to pay him so much.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Yes, you just got scammed.


Title: My landlords think I'm in violation of my lease agreement. Am I?

Question: Okay so I posted here a couple days ago on this same subject. I live in a double wide trailer in Idaho. The back third of the house has been separated by a wall and there is no access to it from the inside if the house, it has its own entry. It also has its own bathroom and walk in closet. I asked my landlords if I could use it as a guest bedroom and they told me no I could not. I asked on here if they could tell me what I could and could not do with that room and was told it must have to do with a code violation like not having egress windows. I looked into the bedroom codes for my state and there is nothing about that room that was in violation of any codes. So I decided to use it as a guest bedroom temporarily while my aunt stayed with me for 20 days. Yesterday the landlords told me I was breaking the lease by using that room as a bedroom because the lease says I am renting a two bedroom home not a 3 bedroom. They told me they would raise the lease by $125 if I wanted to continue to use that room as a bedroom instead of just a storage room. Am I really breaking the lease by doing that?

Answer:
 I think your landlord is crazy. It's hard to say anything definitive w/o reading the lease, but generally it doesn't matter if the lease says 2 BR, 2 BR + den, 3 BR, 1 BR + office + giant closet, or whatever. Unless you're violating a rule about guests staying too long, too many occupants, or something like that, it doesn't matter if your guest sleeps in your bedroom, your spare bedroom, or your oddly-inaccessible-from-the-rest-of-the-house 3rd roomish thing.

She'll try to evict you for not paying the $125 and you can explain the situation to the judge. Make sure you don't miss the court date if she tries to evict you. Answer #2: > because the lease says I am renting a two bedroom home not a 3 bedroom.

Does it really say that?  Your lease also likely says nobody can live there who isn't on the lease. You can argue in front a Judge whether 20 days counts as "living there" if he tries to evict you.


Title: Question pertaining to recording a traffic ticket hearing

Question:
I reside in Oakland county Michigan and wondering if I can record any traffic court case in the court room with my phone, or if not, if i can write down notes during the hearing.

My father is illiterate and needs me to go into the court room and record/write down notes from a traffic ticket case of someone who hit him in a car accident.

 Thank you in advance for your time and reply!

Answer:
 That will be up to the judge.

The answer may be "no" on the recording.  You can certainly take notes if you so desire.


Title: (North Carolina, US) New employer wants to hold a deposit from my first check. I've never heard of this before.

Question:
Today was my first day working for at a new job, doing web marketing and social media for a wholesale company. When filling out all the paperwork, the manager showed me on the employee agreement that there would be a $400 deposit held from my first paycheck. When I asked him about this, he said that since the employees can potentially deal with sensitive information, they have always had this policy. The deposit will be returned upon resignation or termination.

Up until this point, there is nothing I found suspect about the company, workplace, or my position, but this just struck me as strange. I lack the proper Google-Fu to research this (everything I search just gives me info on direct deposits and the like) so I'm hoping someone can clarify this for me.

Answer:
 I've never heard this before.  Will the deposit drop you under minimum wage for your first check?  Answer #2: They want $400 as a deposit against you misappropriating sensitive information? Do they want $200 for your office chair and $1000 for your computer? How about the electricity and toilet paper in the office that you might misuse? That sounds absolutely absurd. I guess they can charge you a deposit but your gross paycheck can't be less than minimum wage and you have to agree to it in writing.Answer #3: honestly, i wouldn't go back. here are some problems with this:

-i'd guess they didn't outline the process under which it is decided if someone get's their deposit back, right?

- who decides?

- do they hold the money in a separate account, that is guaranteed?

- does it earn interest?

- does everyone there seem new? this is probably their way of trying to get peolpe to stay.Answer #4: Sounds to me like your manager wants a $400 interest-free loan.

Contact your department of labor and check with them.  If you're still not sure, bring the document to an employment lawyer.Answer #5: I also work in Internet Marketing and I have never once heard of that. I've had to sign NDA's and No Compete agreements, but having a deposit is ridiculous.


Title: [Syd, AUS] Doctor notified grandmother of cancer cells in her body without confirming consent with next of kin

Question:
Hi all

This whole situation is likely my fault but my grandmother’s general practitioner called me (I’m her next of kin) to notify me there may be a presence of cancer cells in her body. She wanted to ask me if I should tell my grandmother. I said no I need to speak to the rest of the family first and admittedly never called her back. However I assumed she wouldn’t tell my grandmother without getting a yes from me. The whole family and I agreed there would be no point in telling her as it’d only cause her stress. Additionally the doctor noted due to my grandmothers age there’s no treatment available for her.

It has been two weeks and about a few days ago this doctor told my grandmother about the cancer cells. This has caused my grandmother an immense amount of anxiety and hasn’t been sleeping. The doctor has not prescribed her anything to assist her in the situation either.

Do we have any legal standing to sue the doctor for telling my grandmother without full consent from her next of kin?

Thank you all in advance
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: Does your grandmother have some sort of mental impairment? If she has her full faculties, there is no reason she cannot be told her own medical diagnosis. I understand that she is distressed but the doctor has a right to discuss the patients health with them.


Title: Leaky roof damaged my tv, should the landlord who knew about the leaky roof buy me a new tv? ( I don't have renters insurance)

Question: last night it was raining very hard and there's a leaky patch on my ceiling leaking water down to my tv and damaged it, is the landlord required to buy me a new tv because I've told him about the leaky roof before and he never fixed it? Note i don't have renters insurance. Thanks.

Answer: You also knew about the leaky roof and chose to leave your expensive elective electronics underneath it.


Title: Fortune 500 employer saying their vague guideline of spouse or "significant other" only refers to LGBT. Discrimination?

Question:
ALASKA Boyfriend and I work together but we don't supervise or manage one another. He won a trip from our company to reward his hard work and great sales, he's allowed one guest that they will pay for. He was told to put me on there and the rules did says employees significant other... however, they called and gave him 24 hours to change the person and take my name off. After speaking to our boss and two more up the chain, we got in touch with the program coordinator and he gave us the final no. Adding that significant other is only for gay or lesbian couples.

Is that allowed? Can companies actually go against their own guidelines and policies?

Answer:
 This isn't making much sense at all!

>He was told to put me on there

Why would anyone have to tell your boyfriend who to "put on there"? Is it not his decision?

>..however, they called and gave him 24 hours to change the person...

Change it to who?? Firstly I'm going to to presume (because you haven't explicity explained their reasoning) that you are not allowed on the trip because you are not a spouse.

But since you *are* his significant other, (and I'm pressuming he's not married to someone else) by default there is absolutely nobody else who is allowed to accompany him.  So who could they possibly expect him to change the name to??


Title: Roommate tripped in a pothole at our apartment complex and broke his wrist. (Tennessee)

Question: My roommate was taking out the trash in the evening around 8pm and tripped in a pothole at our apartment complex and broke his wrist. The apartment complex parking lot is not lit at all and there is no path to the dumpster except for going right through the parking lot. The complex is not maintained at all and the parking lot is full of cracks and pot holes. In addition to this, the complex painted the parking lot jet black as well as parking spaces curbs and did not add any lines to signify what is a parking spot. To sum it all up, the parking lot has no lighting and is jet black from end to end, has major cracks and pot holes, is on steep hill and its a complex with 4 buildings with 25 units. Should my friend get a personal injury lawyer to sue the complex for his injuries.

Answer: Personal injury lawyers almost always offer free or discounted initial consultations. You friend's worst possible out come from talking to one is hearing the word "no".


Title: Can Chris Roberts (the guy who is making Star Citizen) just up and leave with everyone's money? What would the legal repercussions be?

Question: Like, say he took everyone's money and just bought a ticket for private space flight, went up there, and snapped pictures of himself just flipping the bird to all the backers of Star Citizen? What could/would happen legally?

Answer:
 A team of lawyers would start collecting crowdsourced money for a jpeg of a lawsuit.

/s

Theoretically he could be indicted for fraud. Practically speaking, it'd be a trick to prove the state of the project is literal fraud and not, say, mismanagement and that thing that happens to software projects announced six years ago and overhauled several times pre-alpha.


Title: [CA] Should my parents transfer their property to my name?

Question:
My parents, mid 60's, asked if they should transfer the title of our house under me and my sister's name. We have no plans to sell it but I assume they want to take care of it now as it may be easier.

The property is worth $700k and it is almost paid off and we purchased it for less than half that.

Is the best course of action to transfer the title now or are there other things to consider?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 If they're planning on doing it for Medicaid purposes, they need to realize the look back period is five years. And if they had enough assets to have a $700k house, they likely have too much to worry about Medicaid anyway. There are tax implications for them in the gifting (or they can take it from their lifetime exemption), and you'll be responsible for property taxes on the $700k, which are probably pretty sizable. The transfer will probably kick the property taxes up under Prop 13; but there may be an exception to that regarding family transfers. Answer #2: The best course is to speak to an estate planning attorney.  Or several.  They'll often do a free initial consultation.  By the time you've gotten the third or fourth explanation of why a living trust or something else might be a better option, you start to believe it.  But I don't know about CA - perhaps this is the best option there.

If you do decide to change title now, your parents will have to file federal gift tax returns, though it's unlikely that any gift tax will be due at this time.

You also need to consider that by gifting the houses now, you're losing the benefit of the stepped up basis upon your parents' passing.  This means that if you do sell after they pass, you'll be looking at a much higher tax bill.

(If it's not obvious, IANAL.  But I am an EA, and can comment on the tax issues.)


Title: What weapons are allowed under the 2nd Amendment

Question:
What level of weaponry am I allowed? Are there any conditions attached? (For example, in *Heller* he wanted/needed a licence for a handgun)

How does what must be allowed under the 2nd Amendment contrast with what is allowed in consitutional carry states (the Federal government is obviosuly allowed to pass some restrictions, and so are states - what are they currently, and how far are they allowed to go)

Answer: The intent of the founders IMO was to guarantee the right of the citizenry to bear the type of arms they would be expected to have with them to report to service with a militia. So that would include pistols and long guns but not cannons, which are more properly classified as "ordnance" and not "arms". So in modern context I believe citizens should be able to possess pistols, rifles (including fully automatic assault rifles), and shotguns but not howitzers, anti-tank guns, and certainly not nuclear weapons. No person would be expected to report to militia duty with those.


Title: American Airlines gave me false information and screwed me!

Question:
So my wife and I enjoyed a short work/vacation in NYC last week. On the way to the airport (LaGuardia) for our departure we receive 3 updates from American Airlines saying our flight has been delayed. We received one final notification that it was cancelled. As we pull up to the airport, we both receive an automated call letting us know we had been re-booked for the following day. We chat with the first agent at the counter and she said there are no other flights and earliest is tomorrow. It was obvious we're going to be there for the night. I asked why it was cancelled and after reviewing a few things she found it was due to crew availability. At that point, since it was their fault, I asked for a hotel. She referred me to a supervisor. Supervisor comes out, I request a hotel, he reviews some info and tells me flight was cancelled due to weather. Ok. No big deal. My credit card has travel delay insurance that covers me up to $500 in expenses for hotel, food, taxis, etc. We find a hotel and head back to the city.

The next morning I call AA to request an email stating my flight was cancelled due to weather. I need to submit this statement along with my receipts to the credit card company for reimbursement. After a few minutes, the agent comes back to tell me that the flight was in fact cancelled due to crew availability. At this point, I'm livid. The credit card travel insurance won't cover expenses if it's the fault of AA.

I sent AA an email requesting reimbursement for my expenses because they gave me false information. AA is stating they won't reimburse me except for the amount of their contracted rate with the hotel.

Do I have a legal claim to my actual expenses based on the misinformation that was given to me by AA that caused me to pursue travel delay insurance?

Answer: Do you have status? If you have status, even silver, you can go through the AAdvantage route and see if they can resolve your issue. The reason I suggest this, is that looking down and seeing that you have status and fly reasonably often with them may get a better outcome.


Title: Apt complex just slapped a ghetto ass 5 day access note on every door. Is it legal though?

Question:
So any time my complex has needed access into a unit it's been far more personalized with the name of the person, unit, exact times, etc., but today everyone got one of these slapped on their doors.

&#x200B;

[https://imgur.com/z7cbb5h](https://imgur.com/z7cbb5h)

&#x200B;

Is this a legally considered 24-hour notice for all 5 of these days? Am i just at the mercy of whenever they want to walk in the door for the next week, or is this total bullshit?

Answer:
 It is not illegal (though I'm just guessing as you neglected to include your location). Nor is it uncommon. I would venture to guess that it also fulfills the terms of your lease.... though that is just a guess. You should verify by reviewing your lease yourself.

LPT... your use of the term "*ghetto ass*" made me cringe. Might want to lay off those sorts of racially charged terms. Answer #2: That is a completely standard notice.


Title: [UK] Is it illegal to roll someone else's car out of the way, without their permission?

Question:
#TL;DR man struggling to parallel park realizes that the car behind him is unlocked, opens it, releases parking break and rolls it - harmlessly - a few feet backwards

This is mostly an 'out of interest' question, rather than a very pressing matter.

I was parking up in front of a friend's house last night. It's a one-way little side street, cars parked parallel on both sides, but no other cars actually driving on the road.

I pull up to a space, reverse in, and start to shimmy to straighten up.

Another driver does likewise at a space a few cars up on the other side of the road - from what I can see the last space available - except he's driving a much bigger BMW and can't quite fit in the space.

I see him try a few more times to swing into the space, then he gets out of his car to look at the angle he's at, and scratches his head. I stay put and roll down my window to listen, having a sneaking suspicion he's going to ding someone's car.

He then walks back to the car behind him, which in turn has about half a car-length of space behind *it*. He looks around, then tries the door (of this random car). It's clear from his body language that he's just trying his luck and this isn't his car. To his delight the door pops open, he leans in very briefly as i wonder what to do, then I hear the handbreak click. He walks to the front of the the car and slowly rolls it backwards 3-4 feet. He checks the back, resets the handbreak and closes the door.  I'm 99% sure he didn't touch anything else in the car.

Then he gets back into his car, parks easily with all the extra room, locks his car and walks off.

#Is he breaking a law?

I mean, I know I'd be annoyed if I saw someone doing this to my car, and I'm sure he'd be liable if he damaged it...but as this played out, given that I’d be witness to his innocent intentions... has be broken any law?

Answer: Hi there! This board is mostly for rebelling colonists who do not know the difference between a solicitor and a barrister, apologetic Northerners, and upside-down convicts. Try /r/legaladviceuk in order to get advice regarding the laws of Her Majesty's Government.Answer #2: "I swear I wasn't trying to steal it, I was just trying to push it so I can park wherever I want!


Title: FMLA in Wisconsin

Question:
As a result of a recently discovered terminal illness which lead to death in the family, my wife has used up her remaining vacation and is asking her employer for about a week of unpaid time off in addition to the bereavement they offer for the death of a parent. Her employer is protesting this.

I'm reading through the actual Wisconsin laws to find what her rights are, and while they are plenty generous for our needs, there is a caveat. WI statute 103.10(2)(c), requires that the employee has worked for the the employer for 12 months, which my wife has not. I also believe that the headcount at her company is less than 50, which is the minimum requirement for the laws to apply.

Does anyone have any experience or insight on where to go next? I am still looking, but so far have been unable to find any documentation on how FMLA is to be applied if either or both of these requirements are not met.

EDIT: I've read up some more. This is really a hell of a case of "buyer beware" that we will have to look out for in the future, as well as a few good future job interview questions regarding policies since there is no legal requirements for time off from small companies. I suspect we will begin job searching soon for my wife because she insists that the week off is needed to help her mom figure out where she is financially and legally. My father-in-law did a good job keeping my mother-in-law in the dark about finances and she was happy to be free of the knowledge until it bit her in the ass.

Answer: FMLA does not apply at all to your wife (for both the employer size and lack of 12 months of employment).  The employer is not required to grant her any leave under FMLA.


Title: Can I Get Control of My Savings Account From My Parents/Can My Father Still Physically Restrain Me?

Question:
I am an 18 year old who is trying to live self-sufficiently in college. My parents are currently in control of my savings account, and have been holding it over my head, threatening to drain it if I don't comply with what they want, and not allowing me to take money out of it. It's a savings account that is under my name at the bank, but was created by my parents. All of the money in that savings account was mine, transferred there by yours truly, from my paychecks. I really want to be able to live self-sufficiently, as my parents are very toxic and unhealthy people, who were quite abusive to me when I was younger, and I'm trying to get some space from them. Is there a way for me to get the savings account information, and be able to use it for my own needs? I have upcoming bills that need to be paid.

The other question pertains to my father. He has a habit of physically restraining me, and dragging me physically to places that I do not want to go. For example, he recently physically restrained me, and took me away from my college campus, and to his home to "Have a talk with my parents." Is this legal for him to do, considering that I was not being harmful to him or myself, and also that I am legally an adult?

Thank you so much for the help!

Answer: Is your name on the account?


Title: Phoenix Arizona, USA. Friend of mine being asked to leave his house he's been living there since he was born.

Question:
Hi. My friend has been living in his grandmothers house since he was born, 35 years now. His grandmother was put in a group home due to her Alzheimer's and dementia about 3 years ago. His cousin just recently took power of attorney over his grandmother and is now selling the house he is living in. Last week his cousin came by to tell him he has 30 days to vacate the house. Yesterday she came by again to tell him he needs to be out in less than a week.

Is there not some sort of due process she needs to go through to evict him? Also, he is not on any lease. He has been living w/ his grandmother since he was born.

Answer:
 Absent a lease, the law defaults to a regular month-to-month lease.

Your friend's cousin will have to provide the notice that Arizona requires, and after that, follow the proper eviction procedures.

Keep in mind that all of this is essentially just a delaying mechanism - there is nothing your friend can legally do that would keep him living at the house permanently.


Title: (NH) Recording my neighbor from my own sofa

Question:
So, I live in a senior apt building which is less than 25 feet away from the next door apt building. The girl that lives right outside my living room window is constantly throwing small, but very loud, parties outside of her backdoor. I can sit in my house with the windows closed and it sounds like her and her "guests" are screaming in my living room. They drink and smoke weed, crank the music up and the more they drink the louder they get.

My landlord owns both buildings, and we've been complaining. I recorded video of inside my own living room with the audio recording too so I could show him how bad it is.

He plans to serve her notice to move this week and asked if I'd go to court with him when the time comes. If he wants to use those videos in court, will they be admissible?

This girl and her "guests" are visible from the street and visible by just walking over to my window and looking outside. My understanding is there is no expectation of privacy in a public area. And, certainly, I am allowed to record inside my own living room, right?

According to section 2 of this article it says a journalist doesn't need consent if recording a conversation in public. What about recording a mini-frat type party in my own living room? https://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/state-state-guide/new-hampshire

TIA, you guys are great!

Edit: a word and formatting is hard. ugh lol

Answer:
 You are generally correct in stating that there is no expectation of privacy in public. However, different factors come into play since this is her residence. You don’t want to be accused of or held liable for a tort here, even if it might be legal. She is likely to be upset at the fact that she’s undergoing eviction and she could potentially sue you (even if the suit is without merit).

I recommend against offering the recordings in court. If you want to be useful, you can still testify under oath that you witnessed her behavior first hand.Answer #2: You would be better off downloading a noise meter app for your phone, checking what the legal limits for various times of day, and then calling the non-emergency police number.

Noise complaints get more attention when they are accompanied by a noise level in db.


Title: [FL] Company mowed my lawn and sent me a bill without me having hired them.

Question:
I got home from work yesterday to find that my lawn had been mown while I was away and that the company had left a bill taped to my front door for the amount of $112.12 for the cost of mowing and weed whacking.

I admit they did a very good job, but I did not hire them nor did I call them and ask them to come, my lawn was about a week grown in from the last time I had done it and was in no need of mowing yet in my opinion.

Am I obligated to pay this company? What do I do if they show up asking for their money and I don't pay?

I live in Volusia County, FL if this is any help.

Answer: Do you live in a HOA that has the authority to monitor your lawn height and hire a crew then bill you for it?


Title: American's getting into canada

Question: I am having my bachelor party in Montreal. I was convicted of 3 violent gross misdemeanor 3 years ago. I am off probation early for good behavior. I have heard everything from don't worry about you will get in for sure to no shot don't bother. I also have a german passport, So I had a thought of using that at the boarder instead of my american one. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 You want to consult with an immigration attorney just to be certain. You could also call the Canadian border security agency for clarification, but a lawyer is your best bet.

Do not enter the country on your German passport if you're not actually living in Germany. If you are in the US and have a valid American passport or enhanced driver's license, that would be the appropriate ID.

The only people who give you a really concrete answer on this are immigration lawyers aware of the intricacies of current Canadian border requirements, and how your misdemeanors in detail. Spend the extra money and whatever you do, look into insurance on prepaid events in the event you don't get to cross.


Title: I live in the same neighborhood as the NYPD cop who killed Eric Garner and we have the same name. The shared similarities between us are extreme yet totally coincidental and now I face threats, intimidation, and fear. Could legal action be necessary?

Question:
The officer who killed Eric Garner in an illegal choke-hold and sparked an international race debate as well as the Black Lives Matter movement is named Daniel Pantaleo. I don't have the same exact name as him verbatim, but I'm 1 letter off from his exact name and tons of blogs, news sites, and papers have misspelled Daniel Pantaleo's name to the exact spelling of my name. As a consequence of this irresponsible journalism, I've had my identity mistaken with his and faced tons of threats, intimidation, and fear living in my own neighborhood (where the real killer cop actually lives). The surrounding details only increase the extreme level of coincidence regarding this situation:

1. I've confirmed that I'm the only person living in America with my exact name. Although there are several people named "Daniel Pantaleo", there's no one else with my exact name which is 1 letter off.

2. D.P. lives two blocks away from me and has a 24/7 police protection detail stationed outside his house because of all the threats against his life. There are always cops just standing there  guarding his house, which I pass by often.

3. Most people say we look similar at first glance even though I'm significantly younger than him. Like him, I'm a relatively in-shape white male with some Italian features.

4. Because I couldn't find a good summer internship, I took up work with an event-based marketing agency to make money before going back to college. At least twice a week, I had to go to the HRA (human resources administration) in Staten Island to pitch government-paid free phone services to welfare recipients. This HRA is located directly across the street from the site of Eric Garner's murder, where there is a large memorial and most residents intimately knew Garner and his family. My job involved wearing a name tag and approaching/talking to the people in this community. I also happened to be sent to this location on the anniversary of his death this past summer, where there was a huge protest, lots of media, and Garner's whole family. People actually thought I was that cop all the time and I faced much easily avoidable intimidation, threats, and subsequently loss of income due to poor job performance (the job had commission-based incentives).

After realizing all these things, I reached out to all the massive news outlets who misspelled his name to be mine and asked them to fix it. They all complied except for the website with the most-viewed article regarding the matter, which failed to answer me twice (I included that I'm incurring damages and would sue) and still hasn't fixed it - perpetuating this mistaken identity problem through pure negligence. I came to some lawyers asking if I could sue this website (which happens to be a decently known multimillion dollar media conglomerate) - they told me the case would be really solid but I don't have enough proof of damages. But how do I prove threats and intimidation that only occurred in-person? I used to get threatening phone calls to my house all the time but don't have any recordings of them (they resumed around the time of the anniversary of his death yet we never managed to capture a recording of one). Now I have anxiety about my family's safety in our home while I'm away at school. How do I go about proving the damages and even if I can, does this present a very strong case to sue the media conglomerate? Are they likely to simply settle? It's also important to note that I'm a broke student and can't afford lawyer fees. One lawyers tried to offer me a package where I had to pay around $2,000 for them to send them a letter and try to get a settlement but it seemed like a gimmickey and manipulative lawyer and I said if they were so sure of a settlement why don't they just do that work for a large percentage of the pay-off (they didn't want to do that).  So yeah, that's my really weird situation in a nutshell and I figure /legaladvice is the best place to take this

Answer:
 You should ask the attorneys what, specifically, they're looking for.

I don't honestly believe you have much of a case, but if they do they should tell you what you need and how to get it. Answer #2: I'm assuming you don't want to change your name?Answer #3: Call the police every time you get a threat. Otherwise, not much to do. Even if the last media company were to make the correction, there are still people who wouldn't notice that they got the name wrong.

Do you have a middle name that you can use? My first and last name is pretty common (and are the exact same name of a police officer who shot and killed a groom to be after his bachelor party in Queens, where I grew up, several years ago), so I use my middle name, or at least initial, in almost everything.

TIL: there are still college students who have landlines listed in the phone bookAnswer #4: I'd contact your local media and see if they would cover a story on this to clear the air a bit. I'm sure one of them that spelt the name correctly would jump at the chance to publicly slander it's competition that may or may not have lead to your life being at stake.

I'm just taking a stab so take it as a grain of salt


Title: ADVICE NEEDED! Etsy seller threatening legal action. Please help.

Question:
Hi! Thanks to anyone viewing this post and willing to offer any advice. I live in the UK and ordered a mug from a seller. the first mug came broken with a broken handle. I sent a picture of this and the seller left another. I enquired today whether it had been sent to the correct address and she stated that she would just refund the amount instead of me insinuating that she hadn't sent it. I replied that I was offended that she had assumed this. I said I would write a review reflecting her hostility and did stating as such saying that I didn't expect this response.

She replied that she would be taking legal action. I then edited the review (one star) stating that the mug came broken, she refunded but I was still disappointed that it hadn't arrived. She replied to my comment publicly stating that she would proceed in legal proceedings but I offered to edit the review and told her that I was willing to have a discussion about it.

Do I have a case here? I really can't afford to employ a solicitor.
Thanks

Answer: Probably nothing will come of this. But if she gave you a refund why only 1 star?  I think you are offended a little too easily.


Title: Can I Use My Vertical License While In Vegas

Question: I just turned 21 yesterday and i'm going to Las Vegas on the 15th of April and I am wondering if my license that is a vertical license will create issues for me there? Also my license doesn't expire until 2018 should i be renewing it for the horizontal one now?

Answer: Most business, ESPECIALLY casinos, will refuse all under 21 licenses, regardless of your age. To get a new ID ASAP.


Title: Help! Lunch is trapped in a locked room!

Answer:
 ((hug))  I can empathize with your plight.  My wife is a wonderful cook and I left my lunch on the train a few weeks ago.  They were tacos.  I was upset too.

Expect to go through the 5 stages of grief:

1. Denial and Isolation

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

You're somewhere between anger and bargaining right now...  Don't worry, acceptance will come in time...  ((hug)) there there, Tiger!  It'll be okay.


Title: Update: I refused to go CI over a paraphernalia charge in Wisconsin. Help?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Listen to your lawyer, of course.  But personally, I don't see anything here that would defeat a paraphernalia charge.

Cops are allowed to lie.  And unless you're in a custodial interrogation situation, you're not entitled to the presence of an attorney.  Even assuming the right to counsel was violated (doubtful), the remedy for that is exclusion of any statements made after requesting an attorney.  Even without any statements, the fact is that the State searched your property and found drug paraphernalia.  That's pretty much all it needs to make its case.

Wish you the best of luck though.


Title: Any federal laws that prohibit sharing/doxing of a private person's life? Inspired by the recent events of white people calling cops on black people.

Question:
The latest one being [a black Chicago woman having cops called on her allegedly over a fraudulent coupon](https://twitter.com/_SJPeace_/status/1018250696523747329).

Now, there are clearly some laws about what you can publish about someone's private life or risk getting sued for defamation or whatever. For instance, whenever it comes to celebrities, if some random citizen decides to go with some IRL story about a celebrity, you'd bet the celebrity's lawyers will be all over that rando, suing newspapers that dare to publish the story and so on.

In here, the black woman used the guy's full name, and pretty much everyone on twitter is sharing private information about the guy, such as his linkedin profile, phone number, private pictures and so on.

Isn't it illegal? Can't he sue for doxing/defamation/whatever? And what laws are there to regulate those?

Besides, any corporate business companies, for example hidden camera shows, when filming people in public, **have** to ask for a permission from filmed people in order to be able to show their faces otherwise they have to blur.

Yet even here on reddit, on the subreedit  r/itookapicture, photographers freely post photos which clearly show strangers' faces.

So what are the laws? I'm more interested in federal laws here.

Answer: It is not defamatory to publish true information about anyone, and "doxing" is not an actual legal concept. The information that you describe as "private information" is actually not private information, unless the "private pictures" were hacked or something. Information that you post publicly on the internet, like linkedin or other social media, is public.


Title: I'm paid up. I'm a good tenant. Landlord and son packed up my entire apartment while I was gone, took door off hinges. No eviction, no notice.

Question:
Studio attached to main house. My landlady lives in terror of her meth-addict son, and lies to the police to cover for him. Sick situation. He came back to live with his mom, decided he wanted my apartment, tried bullying me out. Attacked me twice. Gaslighting me, terrorizing me for months. I got an assault charge finally and order of protection is going through this weekend. Mother's Day he came into my apartment with his mom's key, held me down, threatened my life, pushed me out. I came back a day later to my entire apartment packed up. Meth heads love menial tasks. All doors off hinges, including main door.

Cops come. He speaks for his mom, says 'Officer, he helped us pack.' Yeah, right.

I'm getting my stuff and just moving. This is too crazy to deal with. Not even going to fight it anymore. I did nothing wrong, he'll get my apartment, his mom will lose the rent she was making from me. Good riddance. It's a gorgeous, cheap studio, but not worth this level of insanity.

I know this guy is a thief. He bragged to me about how he steals a couple of times. I just know he'll have taken some of my things. I'm sure he'll have taken my nicest things, like my really nice-quality American flag, my box of old camcorder tapes I made growing up, my camera. I just know it. I'm terrified to be there so I just looked in the fridge and he had taken all my more expensive frozen foods, and my nice lamp was in his garage. My mini fridge is gone.

The cop said it was a he said she said. He doesn't know if I helped them pack or not. But another cop in the dept. knows this guy is crazy. And he's the one who took my assault complaint after I showed him an audio recording of this guy in one of his psychopathic rants.

Once I figure out what's missing--whether it's something expensive or something priceless for sentimental reasons, like 40 camcorder tapes full of footage... what do I do?

The cop who was there, who didn't know the situation, said "this is a civil matter" and told me "Hey man, my ex wife threw out all my stuff one day, and it sucks, but it happens." I handled it well, didn't call him a fucking idiot, just said "Ok," and left with my lamp.

What do I do here?

Answer: He held you down with a knife, please dont walk away from this. You have the opportunity to put this freak away. Do it.


Title: Kids taken from mother, police unable to help?? [Toronto, Ontario, Canada]

Question:
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this but not sure where to turn to...

My sister separated from her husband about a year ago. They have two kids, ages 2 and 3. The husband hasn't payed child support. There was no custody agreement (because the husband is a very violent and unstable person, she was afraid he'd retaliate if she filed for divorce, custody or child support).

The father hasn't really had a lot of interest in the children, until about two weeks ago. The father took the children for a couple days, but now will not give the kids back. He says they're "in danger" with the mother. Yet as he was taking the kids, he was asking my sister for $100. His car has been repossessed. He is known to use cocaine. He has gang affiliations. He does not have a stable job. He is living with his mother in a basement and relying on her for everyday living.

About a week ago he contact child protective services (with hollow and vindictive claims) but they found no evidence of wrongdoing on my sister's part. He told cps things like: my sister had the girls  in the company of a convicted sex offender. Which turned out to be true, but the offender was the husband's co-worker and friend, not my sisters. While they were together, the husband INSISTED the offender stay there for a few weeks, despite my sister's protest (my sister didn't even know the 'friend' had convictions, but the husband did).

Since all this has happened, my sister has field for custody but that court date won't be till March (meaning that the kids will be away from their mother for over two months, best case scenario). The duty council and court clerk said things like: "is this guy for real??" and GO GET YOUR KIDS BACK!!," but HOW????

The police can't seems to do anything, cps hasn't done anything to help, but I REALLY want to do something. Frankly, it's tearing my family apart. We all miss the kids so much.

How far can I as the uncle, or my sister, go to get these kids back?
 I'm thinking the most drastic measures if necessary. And can I sue the husband if he's made claims about me specifically that are untrue to cps? Would the courts be lenient towards me if I took drastic actions to get them back?

Given the situation, I really have lost faith in society. I feel like there should be an amber alert to get these girls reunited with their mother, yet we're going on day 15 here. Any help would be appreciated because my whole family is suffering a lot because of this.

Answer:
 In addition to the other advice here, when she talks to a lawyer she should ask if there are any interim remedies that may be available in the short term.

If she fears for the safety of herself or children, she should also ask if she qualifies for a Restraining Order (I am unsure of the standard for granting one in Ontario).


Question:
My girlfriend is a pure definition of a sociopath and is pregnant but the only reason she wants a kid is so I can suffer. A few weeks ago me and my girlfriend were having sex and when i was about to finish she latched on to me after I told her I was about cum. She eventually told me that it was ok because she was on birth control then after a week she ended up telling me that she wasn't ever on it and she doesn't want to have a baby.

We continued to wait because she didn't know what she wanted and eventually she tells me that she had already started "the process" of having an abortion. She then goes on to tell me a few days later that she doesn't want an abortion instead to keep the baby because she feels her family wouldn't see her the same but she told me a while before that I couldn't tell my parents because she didnt want anyone to know.

Here's where the sociopath comes in. She tells me she had 3 abortions before 2 of the 3 no one knew she was even pregnant and the 3rd one her dad made her get it. So I asked her if she already started the process why not just finish it and then next time me and her have this problem then we do it together. I always told her that i want to do things right with her and me not even finishing my first year in college yet, a kid would be a bad idea.

My girlfriend is a straight up liar and manipulator. She says that she went to her first appointment and got an ultrasound but when I asked for proof she didn't want to show me saying it's her decision. Then I asked her why she never told me she was already having an abortion and she said she didn't think I needed to know. There is so much more to this but I just know that we aren't ready to be parents. She even sat down in my face and said she wasn't a to have the kid so that she can watch me bust my ass paying child support for a kid I would never be allowed to see and that when the baby gets older she's going to tell him/her that I was a pretty much a dead beat so that the child can hate me as much as she does. I feel like my life is over and it hasn't even started yet, I'm only 18 and she's 21. I need to know what can I do because now I know what her plan is and I don't want to go through it. Is there a way where I can take this to court or something and possibly get the baby to go up for adoption because I'm not really 100% on abortion after time has passed and I'm running out of it. Please help

Answer:
 >is pregnant but the only reason she wants a kid is so I can suffer

If only someone would invent a way for men to prevent the women they sleep with from getting pregnant it would solve a number of problems.

>Is there a way where I can take this to court or something and possibly get the baby to go up for adoption

Without the consent of the mother? No. You will have to pay support, but you can petition for visitation and/or custody if you like.

Is she still your gf? Because that is a lot of terrible stuff to say about a girl while you are still dating her.


Title: Can my employer demand I delete an employee facebook group unless it's run by a manager? (Iowa)

Question:
I work at a restaurant in Iowa and was recently told by a manager that we are not allowed to have a facebook group unless a manager is in charge of it. This is a private group and we state in the info that it is not affiliated with this restaurant. The group consists of previous and current employees, and while we do talk about shifts and work, its also just a place to socialize or plan hang outs. Can my employer demand the group be deleted so they can run it, or am I protected against getting in trouble if I refuse?

Edit: Can you provide sources or explain more in depth? Does the NLRA not cover this?

Answer:
 They can't make you delete it. They can legally fire you for not deleting  unless you want to argue you are trying to unionize or some other specifically protected activity. If you are fired for this reason you would probably be able to get unemployment if this was all time spent outside of work.Answer #2: To be clear, you don't *have* to get rid of that group. Your employer can ask all they want, and you are under no obligation to remove the group. There is nothing they can do to force you to delete the group.

However, because Iowa is an "at will" employment state, absent an employment contract, your employer can fire you for just about any reason -- including remaining in the group. The exceptions are well-defined and involve things like membership in a protected class, discussing compensation, discussion unionization, and so on.

So yes, you can keep the group, but you may also be disciplined for it.Answer #3: If the restaurant does at least $500k in business annually and the group is there largely for discussing the terms and conditions of your employment, then, no, they cannot require you to include management. Over the last 6 years, the NLRB has held a number of employers liable for NLRA violations for their social media policies,and the restriction you describe is very similar to some of the ones that violated the act.

See https://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/fact-sheets/nlrb-and-social-mediaAnswer #4: This is not legal advice, but why is your employer able to see your facebook activity?  Unfriend any managers, and ratchet up your privacy settings.


Title: Shooting and generally unsafe apartment complex... Chances of getting out of our lease?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The chance is basically zero, unless the landlord is the one doing the shooting.


Title: Insurance revoked due to missed payment, got into a car accident

Question:
I rear-ended someone this morning and while no one was injured, there was significant damage to both cars. While pulling my insurance information from my email, I noticed I had received emails from Progressive about missed payments and that my insurance was revoked 5 days prior. I payed as soon as I could after the accident, but I realize this really puts me in a bad situation. I'm really at a loss as this is my first real accident. Any advice regarding how I can best move forward here would be greatly appreciated.

(If it's relevant, the person I hit did not have insurance)

Answer: You will be responsible for paying the damages you caused out of pocket.  They can get an estimate, and then you can pay them what you owe them.


Title: Haven't signed my notice to vacate, Property management is aggressively showing my apartment once or twice a week 6 months prior to lease end.

Question:
OK first thing first, I live in Kansas and my lease lets up in August. On December first I was mailed a letter to sign of intent to vacate  or to sign a new lease in my apartment for another year that is legally not required to be completed until 1 month prior to my move out date. While I intend to vacate I haven't given them any notice as I'm not required to. Now they have taken my lack of signing a new lease as clearance to bring people through my apartment twice a week since January First! And intend to continue doing so until August.

So my question to you is, do I have any options for recourse to stop them from showing my apartment so frequently? It's extremely disruptive and feels like a violation of my privacy that people are being paraded around my home 8 times a month for 6-7 months.

One more Thing, I called them and asked them to stop and was transferred to the owner by the front desk receptionist where I was promptly told I had no say in the matter and was then hung up on. That jackass.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Do they give you notice?

You could always hang offensive posters in every room or have porn on the tv.


Title: Cousin crawled in thru window of office building, despite having office building keys and access to off-hours passcode, because cousin could not remember the passcode despite using it 20 minutes before. Is this still illegal? New Jersey.

Question:
My cousin is house-sitting, cat sitting, and plant sitting for a friend who is on vacation. This friend asked my cousin to also go to her office and water the plants in her office. Friend told cousin to drive there in friend's car.

My cousin went to the office. She looked up the passcode in her text messages. She entered the office building using the passcode and then a key to the building and then the key to friend's office. She watered the plants.

She left the building and it locked behind her. Cousin then realized she had left the car keys in friend's office. She tried to get back into the building but could not remember the passcode. She tried to open the car where the passcode was in her text messages, but the car was locked with her phone inside. The keys to the car were inside the locked building.

Cousin tried all the doors of the car and then climbed on top of the car and tried the sunroof but they were all locked.

Cousin then tried to open the windows in friend's basement level office but they were all locked. Cousin tried all the doors to the building but they were all locked and nobody was there. Next to the passcode was a telephone number for the security company but cousins phone was locked in the car.

Cousin began to panic because it was getting dark in an unfamiliar city with no access to phone or transportation, it was a desolate area of a higher crime level city, and cousin did not see any open businesses around.

Cousin then checked the rest of the windows on the basement level. One of them was open. Cousin called into the building through this window, went straight to friends office, retrieved the car keys, exited the building and left in the car. Cousin left a whole lot of dirty fingerprints on the open window and the window ledge and the wall. Was it a crime for cousin to do this? What is the best way for cousin to proceed? There were security company alarm signs around the building but cousin did not hear any alarms while in the building and nobody at all showed up. Cousin has not told anyone about this.

Answer:
 Well your "cousin" would be charged with breaking and entering on both times in the building since the company didn't authorize the entry. The friend would probably get fired also.

Your "cousins" best option is to never speak of this again and go on with life. If cops ask questions they should get a lawyer immediately and follow the lawyers advice.


Title: NYC - Superintendent Reserves all parking on block

Question:
There's a guy who is the superintendent for 3 or 4 apartment buildings on my block in Brooklyn. He seems to have the keys to a bunch of different people's cars. Like, everyone in his buildings that has a car, his friends and so forth. Street parking is always a bit scarce around here, and it can be a real pain finding a spot nearby.

What this guy does is hang around out front literally all day long. As soon as anybody leaves, he hops in the car behind the new spot and moves it forward so as to save the spot. And he leaves a ton of space during the day. You know those spots that look like you might just fit, but actually are not quite long enough? Like 3/4 car length spots? Imagine that between every two cars on an entire block. On both sides.

Then as people come home from work, they phone him up and he will make a spot. Or they just double park, and he will park them all as he gets to it.

I'm not sure if anything he is doing is illegal, but it sure is frustrating. I am not on his side, and so I essentially cannot park on my block ever. I've asked him if I can park in spots and he is just like "no, I'm not moving anything for you". He's pretty hard to communicate with in general though, just because of accent and language barrier. He once asked me if I had any money, and I refused to even consider paying him to park on a public street. I haven't seen that kind of thing often though, or really have any evidence.

Is there any statute that might make the police care about this kind of thing? Do I have any kind of recourse at all, other than "park somewhere else"?

Answer:
 You can call 311 or the police for when the cars are double parking, but otherwise unfortunately nothing really illegal is going on. Cops aren't going to care, they don't even give a shit about all the placard abuse that goes on throughout the city on a daily basis.

"Park somewhere else" is really your best option. Answer #2: This is standard practice in many NYC buildings, usually arranged by the super, porters, or doormen (don't get me started on the poles and cones that doormen will use).

This is not illegal if he isn't putting up barricades or other obstructions to keep you out of open spaces. Or threatening you when you try to park. Parking badly is not against the law.


Title: (AR) Workplace charging salaried employees PTO while the business is closed

Question:
Hey all, thanks for reading/advising in advance.

I'm a young professional working in a service oriented, for-profit company in Arkansas. For this past Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, the company I work for has been open to provide service to our clients for half-days (4 hours each day).

Recently, a couple salaried co-workers and myself have noticed that on those days, each employee that worked those holidays had 4 hours of paid time off deducted from our paycheck for a total of 12 hours because "we were only open 4 of our usual 8 hours" on each of those days. Additionally, we have had a snow day that was a whole 8 hour day and a late start the following day deducted for another 10 hours. That's a total of 22 hours taken out of our paychecks.

We were not informed beforehand that these deductions were going to happen, or why other than one employee being told that "it was requested that we do half days for the holidays" as a justification for why we were automatically deducted.

Is this normal? Legal? Scummy? I am trying to save a large amount of time off for my honeymoon later this year (and a vacation that is already paid for) and I just keep getting deducted PTO for days that I worked (as a salaried employee), or that our business was closed for (locked doors, no one worked on). Do I have any kind of legitimate complaint or ability to challenge that based on legal stuff?

Side note: I really love my job and the administrators I would have to go challenge. Our business has a strong familial atmosphere and team feel to it. I feel blessed by our environment because for a service organization it is uncommon to feel like a whole organization is working for the same goals. That said, I want to get this resolved (or know to just move on about it) and want to try and keep that relationship intact.

Also, I have no idea if I posted this in the right place - so I apologize for that. Please direct me elsewhere if there's a better subreddit.

Again, thanks for the help everyone!

Answer: Neither federal or Arkansas state law require private employers provide PTO or paid holidays. If your employer requires you to use PTO to make up for deficiencies in hours on days in which the days are shorter or they are closed, this is legal. Because you are exempt and salaried, you must be paid your full salary if you work any portion of the week. This is most likely why your employer pulls from your PTO to make up any hours you are short for whatever reason (holidays, weather days, etc).


Title: Is it legal to shoot a Moose in Alaska if it’s destroying your property?

Question: Title

Answer: No, not without a tag. They do issue tags to protect property, crops etc


Title: Just fired for having POTS (Medical condition), What are my leagal options?

Question: So I have a condition called POTS (posterial orthostatic tacacaridia syndrome) and was just fired from my job because of it. It causes me to pass out when I go from sitting to standing sometimes. It's happened three times at work over the past year and they decided that it's not okay for them to have me around anymore. I am a club volleyball coach in Wisconsin and I was wondering if it's legal to fire me over this. I'm unconscious for about 30 min and am still able to work after I wake up. Is there something that can be done? Any response would be appreciated even if it's completely okay for them to do this.

Answer:
 Have you requested a reasonable accommodation?

As a volleyball coach, it seems at least possible that there is no accommodation that can allow you to perform your duties (or even to keep you and the team you coach safe) given your medical condition.  In that case, it may in fact be appropriate to end your employment.
Answer #2: Allowing you to pass out for a half hour at random times is likely not a reasonable accommodation. Have you talked to your doctor about anything that can be done about this?


Title: Guy threatening to sue me. (Grand theft, stolen property.)

Question:
I hope this doesn't turn into a long story, so I'll keep it as concise as possible.

I am in Kentucky, he is in Indiana.

In the past, I bought and sold a lot of Honda Ruckus. I know a lot about them and decided to make some money buy fixing and selling them.

08/31/2015 - Sale date

I sell an individual a Honda Ruckus. It is a 49cc Gas powered scooter/moped. He pays me $1150 in cash, I get bill of sale, he goes home and thoroughly enjoys it. He had no complaints.

01/12/2016 - Arrest Date

New owner messages me via FB and asks me to call him. He tells me that he was pulled over the previous night and arrested for grand theft auto. I tell him I had no idea it was stolen. His attorney contacts me and I send the attorney all of proof of my contact with the previous owner when I bought it. I gave his attorneys the name, address, and phone number of the individual I bought it from. Shortly after, his local PD calls me and I tell them I gave all the information to his attorney. The officer knows the attorney and says he will get in touch with him for all of the info.

Today, 04/19/2017

I received messages from the guy who was arrested. I can post his exact messages if requested, but I'll paraphrase since his grammar is somewhat painful.

"Hey man. My attorney told me to message you and ask you to pay me the $1150 that I paid you for the scooter originally. I don't wanna have to take you to court for $30,000. That's time in jail, lost wages, time lost with kids, attorney costs, court costs, and everything. If you don't pay me the $1,150, I'll have to take you to court for the $30,000 my attorney suggests I sue for."

Do I have anything to worry about here? I had no knowledge that the item was stolen. The officer who arrested him was super appreciative that I had all the info of the individual I bought it from. He acted like I was totally in the clear from a criminal perspective.

I just don't see how any judge could hear this case and think that I would owe any money when I had no knowledge of the item being stolen. To me it just sounds like a threat and he was hoping I'd be scared and pay up. The guy is a felon and doesn't have a lot of money so I don't think he really has the money to be taking me to court.

I welcome your thoughts and advice. Thanks!

Answer: IANAL, but if this guy could sue you for $30k, why would he settle for $1,150? Seems fishy to me. Answer #2: This is a scam.


Title: Parents don't want to give unpaid child support

Question:
Hello, I(20M) years old and my sister (19F) didn’t receive child support from my biological father, my stepfather tried to sue him a couple of times but we didn’t get the money, my father didn’t pay either and nothing happened. Now I am on the US, and my mom and I, saved money to sue him again. This is the fifth time suing him for child support and now it isn’t my stepfather that are dealing with this situation, but my mom and I.

Getting closer and closer to court, my mom and stepfather keep saying that the money doesn’t belong to me and my sister ( even me paying a part for the lawyer), but for the parents that raised the kids. I ain’t gonna stay with my parents anymore and my sister have health conditions, I’m afraid that the money won’t be used for that and it should be divided for each kid since we are both adults now, what are my options? I don’t want to have a legal fight with my mom, should I just gave up?

Tl:dr My stepdad sued my father in the past for child support 4 times already, nothing happened, now I am in the US and both my mom and I saved money to sue him. They (mother and stepfather) says that they will figure out what will happen with that money instead of distributing between kids.

Answer: The money doesnt belong to you. Support is to pay back the parent for the money spent to support and raise you. You are owed nothing.


Title: 5 months into my lease, 6 fumigation attempts for cockroaches and the problem is no better. Can I withhold rent? What are my options?

Question:
5 months ago I moved into a new apartment in Los Angeles.  A couple days after move-in I noticed there were cockroaches hiding everywhere (didn't notice them at first as I visited in the daytime and they were nowhere to be found).  But, this is SoCal, cockroaches aren't uncommon.  I notified management and they came out and sprayed two days later.  Flash forward to now.  If I were independently wealthy, or had good credit, I'd have already moved.  I scrub twice a week and keep a very clean apartment.  I've come out of my bedroom at 2 am, flipped on the lights and seen some nightmare quality scenes of cockroaches scattering.  Just last week I discovered nests in the legs on my furniture.  (I know, how couldn't I know they were there... I didnt.) They are in my dishwasher and refrigerator.  This isn't just a few roaches in the kitchen.  This is waking up with them in my bed.  Call management, spray, etc.  I can't seem to get through to the landlord that the spray isn't killing them and that the infestation is far worse than they know.  As of the end of September I contacted the health department and they inspected today, much to the dislike of my landlord and building management.  My landlord, we'll call her "Judith"  said I am becoming a problem tenant, offered me my deposit back and told me to move.  EASIER SAID THAN DONE.  I have typed a letter up to withhold rent and having trouble with the idea of paying rent in good conscience.

I realize the standard response is just "MOVE!" but it's really not so simple for me.

Can I legally withhold rent?   What can I do here?

Answer:
 Withholding rent, when it's allowed, is specifically for the sake of spending that money to solve a problem. You can't just punish your landlord by holding back $50 -- that fiddy needs to go towards a repair.

You said the health department inspected. What did they say? Answer #2: Lift up the cooktop on your range.  This is their favorite spot, its warm and full of food.

They love any appliance.  Microwaves, can openers, anything that will have a warm motor.  They love the back of TV's.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/repair-guide/ranges/how-to-replace-a-glass-cooktop-on-an-electric-range/jcr:content/repairInstructions/instructionsParsys/carousel/Lift%20cooktop/carouselImage.img.jpg/1389654308311.jpg

Is this a building where you could be living above a hoarder?  Answer #3: I had a similar problem as you. I felt like the fumigator must be scamming our land lord because they did nothing. So I got this:

https://www.amazon.com/Advion-Syngenta-Cockroach-Bait-Tubes/dp/B002Y2GNVM

Cured us in 2 weeks. Furthermore my neighbors are still battling roaches over a year later and I'm still bug free.


Title: Is there a legal way to prevent your own funeral being held and attended?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can leave explicit instructions and money for what will be done with your body but you can't prevent people from memorializing your death,Answer #2: Jump into a volcano, pretty sure there won't be a body available for a funeral.

You have no rights over your corpse after death.  It's not part of your estate.  Typically a funeral might be held before anyone even bothers looking for a will or anything like that.  Local government rules and your next of kin's wishes will determine what happens to your body.

There are suicide hotlines you can call to talk to someone:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Suicide_Prevention_Lifeline

Note that your call will be automatically traced and they may send police to your address without your permission, so you should call from a payphone or a cellphone you bought with cash from a 7/11 or something like that.

Lots and lots of adults have had sucky times as a teenager and have gotten through them and lived outstanding, happy, awesome lives.


Title: [CA] Now that wife has green card, I think she will file for divorce - should I be afraid?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Future earnings, meaning earnings after divorce are totally yours. She can request spousal support, but that depends on a huge variety of factors. Can't tell from your post if it's likely to be awarded.

Your parents gave help? Do y'all still have that money? Do you have it in a joint account? Do you have a written agreement to pay it back? There's really too much info missing to answer whether she can "go after" it.

If you know a divorce is coming, there is nothing stopping you from filing. You should talk to an attorney in your area about your options.


Title: [PA] - Upstairs neighbor is very noisy, downstairs neighbor thinks it's me.

Question:
I recently moved into an apartment in Philadelphia and I've noticed that one of my neighbors on the floor above me (I don't know exactly who) makes a lot of noise, banging and stomping often very early in the morning. This doesn't really bother me because I'm usually awake anyways, however my downstairs neighbor is, understandably upset, and thinks that I'm the cause of the noise. She has complained to me directly twice and refuses to believe me when I explain that it's not me. This most recent time she threatened to call the cops if I disturb her again.

I'm certain that I'm not the cause of my neighbors problems, and I've already complained to my landlord about the upstairs tenant. What is the best way to get ahead of the situation with as little headache as possible? How do I deal with any police officers responding to a noise complaint?

Answer:
 First, it's possibly you. If you can hear your upstairs neighbor through the ceiling walking around, downstairs neighbor can hear you. It's doubtful upstairs neighbor walking around is transmitting to downstairs neighbor, unless they're making far more noise than that. **That doesn't mean you've done anything wrong and in fact you haven't from what you've told us.**

Make sure your complaints to the landlord are always in writing (email or text are fine). That will generate a paper trail if it ever becomes a problem.

Don't worry about her calling the police. If you're in Philly I'd be surprised if they even send out a car for a minor noise complaint. If they do happen to come to your door show them the writings to your landlord and explain that it's someone above you. You're under no obligation to talk to them or let them in your apartment, but from the details you've given here you're not doing anything wrong.


Title: I purchased $1000 of counterfeit goods from China that were seized in customs. I've now received a letter via certified mail from an attorney representing the brand.

Question:
In November of last year I bought a few headphones off a website in China. The headphone listed they were "used" and "refurbished". In December, I got a notification from US Customs that said they were being seized because of trademark infringement and referenced the brand name and trademark information. I responded to customs to "abort" the shipment - meaning they would throw them out and I never received them.

A few days ago, I received a letter via certified mail from an attorney representing the brand. The attorney wants me to respond within 10 days with information about purchasing the product - where did I purchase them, who was the supplier, how much did I sell them for, a written statement saying I would not do this in the future, etc. It also included a copy of the notice from customs with my information on it.

I never received the items in question since they were seized. What should I do? Should I respond? Should I seek legal counsel?

KY - US

Answer: You have no obligation to respond. If you are going to then you need to talk to a lawyer first.


Title: So I was watching an episode of a Netflix show called Black Mirror and in this episode, a couple accidentally run over someone on a bike with their car and kill them. What could be some criminal punishment I could face if this happened to me?

Question:
This is assuming I'm not impaired in any way (i.e. using drugs and alcohol).

Also, there would be no witnesses. Just me and the person I hit.

Answer: As long as this doesn't end up in a long chain of murders where the primary witness against you is a guinea pig...


Title: Is it possible for non-americans to farm on American soil?

Question: If they purchase american land(which is possible, I checked) can they start farming?

Answer: They can't legally work themselves while inside the US without the proper visa / work authorization. Also some crops have quotas or limitations (for example tobacco). Otherwise, sure.


Title: [Georgia] Should I hire a lawyer personally to help deal with other lawyers in a family matter?

Question: My 90 year old grandmother is in the hospital, most likely awaiting hospice. My mother was her caregiver. Mom got drunk, pushed around grandma, police... 4 new felonies on top of violation of probation.. mom's looking at 5-7 easy thanks to prior offences. I am the only grandchild, so now the top of the PoA list. Actual legal question: My grandmother has a general attorney for her will, assets, etc. and another for her property that has been in dispute due a contractor that I won't get into unless someone asks. Her worth with stock and property is upwards of 9 million. Should I hire my own attorney to sort through all this paperwork or go with the one she has that handles the day to day? I live four hours away and have not been involved with any of this. I'm not a rich woman, my grandma has never shared anything with the family, so I don't really know what I'm juggling here.

Answer:
 1.  Hire an attorney.

2.  Document the hell out of everything.  Any time significant assets are on the table, things get ugly quick.  When you add to that felonies, and hospice care, it can get pretty scary.  So, hire your own lawyer.


Title: Arrested for dui when my car died. [IL]

Question: I was driving home when my car died at a red light. I called my Uncle to pick me up but the police got there first. this is my 3rd arrest. Both previous arrests resulted in not guilty verdicts. Will they have any bearing on this case? I also refused all tests unless I had an attorney present.

Answer:
 The previous arrests will not affect this one.

But that does not mean you're in the clear here. The fact that your car died is not a defense to the DWI, which can still be proven.  Refusing the tests might have either helped or hurt you depending on the rest of the circumstances.

You need a lawyer.Answer #2: Not an attny. Am ex-firefighter. Please don't drive drunk.Answer #3: I assume you realise that IL is an implied consent state? Did you refuse chemical tests in the previous situations? Because if so you are looking at an automatic 3 year suspension. If not, and this is your first refusal, you'll be getting a one year suspension.


Title: NC, USA: over a decade of procrastination on a relative's estate and it still isn't closed out. What are my options?

Question:
Hello reddit,

Just over 10 years ago I had a relative die and he named my mother as the executrix of his will.  This was a huge mistake: my mother is the queen of procrastination and as long as she has her fingers in her ears and her eyes closed, she can pretend that problems don't exist.

I read over the will a very long time ago and I seem to remember there were a number of CDs (certificates of deposit, not music CDs) involved that totaled up to a few hundred thousand dollars.  These were supposed to go to various family members.  I don't believe my mother received any; these were for various aunts/uncles.

My mother received several hundred acres of farmland and timber, a 100+ year-old house, and an old dilapidated car.

To my knowledge, she has basically done *nothing* on this estate.  Or whatever she's done, she hasn't finished.  I don't think any of the money has been passed out but I could be wrong (I'm 99.9999% sure she hasn't stolen it...she isn't like that...she's just lazy).  She has a tenant living in the farmhouse who is constantly several months behind in rent because my mom is too nice to do anything about it and he does a decent job of keeping it up.  I don't believe she even has a lease for him other than a 'handshake deal' and his rent isn't very much at all, not even enough to cover the most basic of taxes/utilities/whatever else.

**Somehow she's avoided closing out this estate for over a decade.**  She's told me she's filed extensions, paid taxes, etc.  I don't know anything other than what she's told me.  She just...won't close the stupid thing out.  There's *always* another excuse.  For a number of years she basically acted as a personal nurse to several elderly people (2 relatives and a friend) in addition to her job so she'd always complain about being tired from that.  2 of those have now passed away so her excuses are now literally dying one by one.  But somehow she can magically find time to do *anything else she can think of* other than working on this estate to close it out.

* Is there anything I can do here?  I've tried for years to get her to do this and she just clams up and refuses to do it.  I've offered to come and help catalog the property, to help do whatever she needs and she's refused.  In the meantime I've started my own family and just don't have time to help anymore.  That ship has sailed.

* What are the possible legal ramifications of taking this long to close out the estate (or even never closing it out and then it's my problem when my mother dies)?

* I'm an only child and she has told me that one day she plans to give me the land/house/etc.  Is there any possibility of the state of NC swooping in and just taking it all since she hasn't finished the estate?

It frustrates me to no end that she's literally willing to potentially put several hundred thousand dollars' worth of farmland and timber in jeopardy (I think?) because she's just plain lazy.

Thanks for any insight someone might have.

Answer: Hire a probate attorney, have them move the court to appoint you or another relative as the personal representative of the estate. Extreme tardiness is a basis to have an executor removed.


Title: [Hypothetical] Let's say a person appeared who has no papers whatsoever. Legally, there's not even any proof that they exist. How would the government deal with that?

Answer:
 There was a Radiolab podcast on this (sorry, on mobile so can't look it up). Long story short there was this girl who was born to hippie religious parents in rural Texas. They did a home birth and no birth certificate. They never sent her to school or got her vaccinated. Totally off the grid.

She ended up leaving to live with extended family when she was like 16 and has been fighting hard to get her life in order. She can't go to school, can't get a job, etc. they were talking about passing some new law in Texas to account for situations like this. It was a major cluster fuck. Answer #2: There is not an easy answer to this.  [This was asked on reddit a few times](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/3n4iw7/i_have_no_birth_certificate_or_id_how_to_prove_i/).

The short answer is, if there is absolutely no proof you were born here, you may be fucked.  You can file a delayed/belated birth certificates and each state has their own rules.  [Here are West Virginia's laws on delayed birth certificates](http://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/hsc/vital/Delayedbirth.asp).  Even then they would be fucked because you need 3 independent sources that show where you were born.

Answer #3: There are thousands of people in rural parts of the southern US in this circumstances. As late as the 1950s poor families would have a home birth and their name would then be written in the family bible, no birth cert would be obtained. These people have lead difficult lives, limited access to education and opportunity is made worse by the fact that they have no documentation. It was a piece in an NPR series as they were not allowed to vote in the 2016 election despite being legally entitled to do so.