Title: Former employer fired me for “theft” and took my paycheck to recover loss.

Question: She accused me of theft, which i denied. She then took my last paycheck as restitution. I live in Tennessee and i have read that this is against the law since i didn’t authorize this. Any help would be great.

Answer:
 You're right that you have to agree in writing for any deductions pursuant to a theft, yes. Your pay is due, your former employer cannot withhold it. Wage claim time, talk to Labor and Workforce Development.Answer #2: You mention the evidence of theft was circumstantial.  And you said you denied it to your employer.

You don't actually state whether you stole or not.

If you did steal, you should leave it alone.  The prospect of arrest is not worth it.

If you actually didn't steal (as opposed to believing there isn't evidence of it), then make a wage claim.


Title: Florida; job wants me to work over twelve hours

Question:
Then sleep less than seven hours, then work another over twelve hour shift the next day. Is that legal? Can I argue this somehow?

*edit* This job specifically is a movie theater, this weekend being Star Wars. In my last retail job, they didn't even make me work a "clopen" on Black Friday.

Answer: Are you a truck driver or some other profession where there are limits to how many hours you can work without breaks? If not, it's legal. You can refuse since slavery is illegal. They could legally fire you for refusing. Whether or not you would qualify for unemployment would depend on a number of factors.


Title: If someone can consent to driving while drunk and be tried on that decision, why can't the same be said about drunk sex?

Question:
The title may be a bit misleading, I'm not sure, but what I mean by it is if someone gets drunk and drives, they are judged off a decision they made while drunk. If you can be judged for consent to that, shouldn't you also be judged for consent to sex while drunk? Like say if it was two drunk people so coercion is out of the picture? I feel like consent to sex is a lot bigger of a decision, or at the very least equal.

Just want to mention that I still think that someone can't consent while drunk and that having sex with a drunk person is still rape. I'm just curious why the two aren't equal.

Answer:
 DUI doesn't involve consent, but voluntary intoxication is not a defence to a crime. So you can't say while yes, I punched someone but I was drunk and so not responsible for my own actions.

Rape is different. When you have sex with someone you need to ensure that you have consent, if you fail to do so then that's a problem. The reason you fail that test may be because the other person is not competent to give consent and that can be due to alcohol (or age, or disability).


Title: Is this really 'grievous bodily harm' if the person drank the drink without permission and of their own free will?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There are differing levels of care which you are required to provide someone on your property, depending on whether they are an invitee, a licensee, or a trespasser. Your duty toward a trespasser is to not actively harm them. Congratulations - you failed to meet even that low standard.Answer #2: You didn't know he would drink it? So what, you regularly make soap and laxative drinks for yourself? You put it there intending for him to find it, it's pretty clear, and given his history of going through your fridge, you knew he would come across it. Don't play dumb, it won't help you one bit.Answer #3: I know it's unrelated, /u/chocolatelax, but have you ever seen Mexico? It can be a very pretty place in some areas. Answer #4: > The mother now wants to sue me for grievous bodily harm.

people often threaten, but rarely follow through, so ignore it for now and do not answer any questions about it from anyone about this

that said, you set a trap designed to harm someone, and people (at least in the US) have gone to jail for that even where the person was in the home illegally, for example:

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/04/no-you-cant-set-a-trap-in-your-garage-to-kill-a-possible-burglar/361348/


Title: (Missouri) Can the employer be responsible for flood damage to employees car if it happened in their parking lot?

Question: While on the clock as well.

Answer: Generally, no. Acts of God alone (flooding, tornado, earthquake) fall outside liability.


Title: Kicking out belligerent house guest.

Question: Lately my friend has been inviting a disrespectful and verbally abusive friend into the home that not only disrespects me but my father and my pets as well. My father is a very calm and nonconforontational person, and verbal assault on him he usually doesn't take too personally. Tonight, there was a situation between said friend and my father where the friend was trying to close the door. My father asked her not to because he was enjoying the outside air but she got into a disrespectful argument with him and basically getting into cemantics about how he worded the way he intended for her to close the door. Anyway I decided to confront the friend about their disrespectful behavior. At first I approached mostly calm but firm and asserted that she should not act like that and I also reminded them that it is a privilege to be in his house and that it's very disrespectful to act this way to him. The friend told me that she has things going on and that she doesn't even care. After this I admittedly got angry and exchanged swear words with the friend before stopping and going back from our backyard into my living room. The friend then withdrew into my sister's room and me and my dad discussed not letting her into into the home again he agreed. But I am worried he may flip on his descision and allow her into the home again because he is very sympathetic to my sister. I'm wondering that if I call the police to remove the friend after asking them to leave if the police would "side" with me since I am not the owner of the home, only a resident. Also I am worried if my dad objects to this and disagrees with kicking the friend out. How will police likely handle this?

Answer: Police will ask the homeowner who is welcome and any unwelcome guests will be asked to leave.


Title: Colorado - Ex boyfriend threatening to release images and videos (recorded without my knowledge) if he "ever hears my fucking name again"

Question:
I was recently involved in a long-distance relationship with a man primarily located in Texas. We exchanged pictures, some of which were private and not something I'd like the whole world to see. We also talked on Skype a lot, with video chat.

I discovered he was married and quickly broke off the relationship, but it ended badly and he's really angry. Today he sent me this series of texts, which I saved:
6:24 PM "Tell me I won't hear from you again. I want to see you say it."
6:27 PM "I have pictures and hours of video of you. So, let me see you say I won't ever hear your fucking name again. From anyone. You fucked up and you're going to deal with it."
6:29 PM "Promise me it will be like you were never in my life."
He then sent me a picture of his laptop screen with a whole line of videos and images of me.

I was not aware he was recording any of our Skype sessions, particularly the explicit ones. I took the pictures, they're all mine, but I did not consent to having myself recorded. I'm very freaked out, both because I didn't know he was recording me and because I'm terrified of my friends and family seeing any of this material. It's not particularly damning, just humiliating.

Is there any recourse for me at all? Does it matter that the threats were made from TX and I'm in CO? Do I need to wait until he's actually released this material before it becomes a legal issue? I obviously don't plan on speaking with him again but I don't trust that's good enough.

Thank you for any and all help you may be able to give me. P.S. - I hope this flair is appropriate

Topic:
Douche

Answer: He just doesn't want wifey to find out. Ignore/block the guy. You could ruin his life a lot worse than he could ruin yours. (I presume you're also not married)


Title: [KY]Are drug test results in custody battles considered protected medical info?

Question: My wife's parents are getting a divorce and have two small daughters whose custody they are currently fighting for.  Both her parents agreed to take a hair/urine test and while her mother passed with a clean slate her father tested positive for a large amount of methamphetamine.  My wife's cousin was asking about the divorce proceedings and inquired about the results or said test and my wife texted her a picture of a portion of the results that only shows the drug tested for and the results(no names or identifying markings).  This morning my wife's father called her multiple times and left many angry voice mails talking about how mad he is she would try to ruin his life by slandering him to his own family(cousin is blood related).  He then texted her saying he was going to sue her for violating HIPPA by sharing medical information to "the public".  She is wondering if sharing that picture with her cousin falls under HIPPA as there is no marking or names or identifying markings, and if since it is part of a divorce proceeding, if it is considered public record?

Answer:
 1.  You don't get to sue someone who violates HIPAA regulations.

2.  HIPAA doesn't apply in this case

3.  Meth, not even once


Title: I am 8 days past due for rent, recieved a 72 hour notice for termination of rental agreement. That 72 hours is up tomorrow at 1 pm. I dont have any means of moving and taking my stuff with me in that time frame. What should I expect will happen next?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If you can't pay, your landlord will file to evict you.

You will be served with a copy of the complaint, which will include instructions on how to file a response.

If you respond, you go to a hearing with your landlord and present your defence before a judge. If you don't respond, your landlord will win the eviction suit by default.

Either way, if your landlord wins, you will be issued an order to vacate with a deadline attached. In most jurisdictions, the deadline is no more than a couple of weeks after the order is issued.

If you don't vacate by that deadline or file an appeal, the landlord can apply to the sheriff's department to enforce the eviction. The sheriff's department will come and order you out immediately, or lead you away in cuffs if you refuse to leave.

Your landlord will have to follow your jurisdiction's process for abandoned tenant property, which generally involves giving you a reasonable opportunity to reclaim your property.

The eviction may make it hard for you to rent in the future. Your landlord may also win a judgement for the outstanding rent, which can be used to seize bank accounts or garnish wages in most jurisdictions.


Title: Are there any restrictions on the hours landlords can perform construction on apartments in Michigan? (i.e. not 7 am only on weekends??)

Question:
I live in an apartment complex and every weekend for the past two weekends there has been construction going on right outside my window.

Here's the kicker: it only happens on weekends and starts at 7 am. for the past 3 weekends, i have woken up both saturday and sunday at 7 am by this god awful banging and CANNOT go back to sleep because they are literally banging on the wall with hammers that is right next to my bed.

I get that construction work has to be done, but they never do it during the week or during reasonable hours.

So, do I have any rights here?

Answer:
 There may be noise ordinances which prohibit it, but honestly 7 am sounds like it may be late enough to not be covered; even on a weekend. Noise ordinances are incredibly local though, so you'd need to list a city to know for sure.

I'm not a morning person either; so it'd certainly piss me off too. I just don't know if it's really legally actionable. You may want to speak with the work foreman and ask if there are any less disruptive tasks they can do first thing.


Title: Grandmother signed over mobile home title to grandson, who was then duped into signing it over to an uncle.

Question:
Hi LA. A few months ago my husbands grandmother signed over the title of her mobile home (trailer?) to her grandson, my husbands cousin.  Said cousin is going through a divorce, and his uncle convinced him that the ex-wife could get the trailer if it remained in cousins name.  So cousin signed it over to the uncle.  Grandma entered the hospital about a month ago and should be out soon, but still not doing great.  She was expecting the grandson to be living with her to help her when she gets to go home. Uncle has decided that’s not going to happen, and has barred grandson from living there. Instead, another uncle and his girlfriend have moved in. This is not what grandma wants. They also work full time and cannot be home with her enough.

Unfortunately this uncle also has power of attorney, and has been acting very strange when hearing good news about her recovery. He wanted her taken off oxygen immediately after she had to be revived my emts and put in icu. We are working on revoking this.

What can we do about the title (deed?) to the trailer and the living situation?

Answer: Sounds like elder abuse. Check this site https://daas.utah.gov/adult-protective-services/ and give them a call. They take it seriously.


Title: Brother in laws card got charged $61,000 for two drinks at Hollywood FLs new Hard Rock

Question: We are in Florida and the new Hard Rock opened up here in Hollywood. My brother in law went with a few friends last weekend and ordered two rum and cokes at the club. Somehow his bank actually allowed this which blows my mind but the club charged his card over $61,000 with NO explanation. He does not make much money so now his account is negative $61,000 (mine would be negative too) plus he’s getting hit with over draft fees. He’s contacted the club but they have been dismissive and unhelpful. He is considering going to a lawyer but he obviously has no money so I’m wondering what his options are here.

Answer:
 I'm surprised the transaction actually went throughAnswer #2: IANAL, and this isn't legal advice -- but holy smokes this is \_exactly\_ why using a debit card for purchases is such a bad idea.  When you dispute a credit card charge, you're not responsible for the charge while it's being investigated.  With a debit card, you generally are.

Head over to /r/personalfinance as they may be able to offer advice on working with the bank on this.Answer #3: He needs to talk to the fraud department at his bankAnswer #4: only thing to do here is to dispute it with the bank, they will eventually credit back all of the money and fees they charged.Answer #5: He needs to call his bank immediately.


Title: Is it false advertising if an apartment complex states that it’s “student housing” but has adults and families who aren’t in college living there?

Question:
I live in Oregon and am currently living at a student housing complex in Eugene. When I moved in, it was advertised that it was student housing and I had to get proof that I was enrolled in school, yet there are people living here who aren’t in school at all (I’ve talk to them. There are literal families living here). I was just wondering if that’s considered false advertising?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Maybe the complex was not always student housing and those tenants are grandfathered in.

There's really no law that says that non-students cannot live in apartments designated "student housing" (and it would ultimately be up to the complex's discretion) so I would be surprised if this was some sort of false advertising.

Did you ask the complex if the apartments were exclusively rented out to students and students alone?


Title: [NM] a guy is making repeated attempts to contact me and I've asked him to leave me alone, but I don't think I can go to the police.

Question:
TL;DR: A guy I had sex with when he was underage has tried to contact me repeatedly over the course of the last three years and I don't know if I can file a police report without being arrested for statutory rape.

Throwaway because reasons.

Like the title says, I'm in a pickle and I'm pretty sure there's not a way out of it. A guy I know has been contacting me repeatedly on multiple online platforms even though I've asked him to stop and blocked him no less than thirty times over the course of the last three years. Normally I'd just file a police report and seek a restraining order, but I don't think I actually can without getting arrested for statutory rape. It was probably close to 4-5 years ago, but this guy and I had sex one time while I was nineteen and he was 16. I knew full well he was 16 and I take full responsibility for my idiocy in deciding to have sex with him. I won't explain the circumstances because they're not important to what's going on.

I just want him to leave me alone. That's all I want. But I know that the minute he finds out I've called the police or filed a restraining order, he's going to tell them what happened and I don't think there's anything I can to prevent that. There are text messages confirming that we had sex so it's an open and shut case unless his wireless provider isn't able to provide copies of the texts.

Is there some kind of statute of limitations on this kind of stuff or is there something else I'm overlooking? I'm hoping to avoid going to a lawyer but I will if I have a case to make sure this doesn't become a problem for me.

Answer:
 If it's been five years statute of limitations has run out, but also if he was 16 and you were 19 you're likely covered by New Mexico's Romeo and Juliet law, because the law explicitly states that the crime is for sexual conduct with a minor 13-16 years of age by someone at least 4 years older.Answer #2: > Normally I'd just file a police report and seek a restraining order

Someone trying to contact you is not going to be enough for you to get a restraining order.

You need to just learn to ignore him and hope he goes away.


Title: Keeping children away from mentally ill father

Question:
My ex husband has been in and out of the psych ward. He is dealing with mental illnesses, such as, mania, depression, psychosis, delusions, etc.  He was recently in a car accident due to some of these delusions.

We share children, and although he only gets them every other weekend, I fear for my children’s safety when they are with him.

I will no longer be letting him take the kids on his own. I’m a student and earn poverty level wages (working on changing that) I also collect child support. Point being, I don’t want to hire my lawyer again.

Is there another way I could go about obtaining full custody of my children until he can prove his sanity? I figured I would just deny him alone time with the kids and wait for him to try to fight me.

Answer:
 You can file for custody modification without hiring the lawyer again, but "waiting for him to try and fight you" is not the best plan. If you're found to be in contempt of the existing custody order, the kids could go to him full time, and you could face fines or jail.

To secure the children's safety and stability, you need an official order that gives their custody to you. For that, you'll have to go back to court. If you don't want to hire the lawyer, look up when/where the nearest family court legal aid clinic in your area is, and go. Ask how to file for emergency/expedited custody modification based on the fact that one parent is a danger to the children. Expect that the court will probably still give him supervised visitation, but his overnights may go away.


Title: My former boss is impersonating me! Please help!!

Question:
Hi Reddit! I am unbelievably stressed out over this matter and any good legal advice on what I should do next would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Some background on me: I was an assistant event coordinator at a event planning company in Beverly Hills, CA for just under 2 years. I quit my job after experiencing severe emotional abuse from the owner for the entire duration of my employment there among other things such as illegally being on a 1099 when I should have been W-2 (no overtime, social security, etc), doing activities outside of my job description such as pick her 3 yr old and 5 yr old up from school when she forgot about them, and (get ready for this) getting nude in front of me on multiple occasions :( I worked out of a home office in her house and was the only employee with the company as most wedding planning companies are. There was however a house keeper and nanny that worked for her as well that were also around for this. This woman was a NIGHTMARE.

About 5 months ago I got a job offer as an Event Producer at an event venue in the area in Los Angeles. I was free!!!! I began my new job and tried to forget about the horrific past 2 years when about 2 months ago I received a strange phone call/voicemail/text message combo of a woman with a catering company I had never heard of sounding very angry stating she never received the paper work I was supposed to get to her. I told her I had no idea what she was talking about and she let me know that my former boss had given her my contact information just that morning!

This happening led me to decide to access my old company email address (which has my name and the company name in the email). I logged on to find that she had been actively using the email for months with my signature on it after I left pretending to be me! She was impersonating me to both clients and vendors. I found hundreds and hundreds of emails after I left the company signed with my name, people writing and responding to "me", as well as contracts with my name on them, and emails of people writing that it was nice speaking with "me" earlier (leading me to believe she is impersonating me on the phone as well!!)

I mostly feel so stressed out because my new company works with a lot of the same vendors that my past company did. I am beyond worried because she does not hold herself in the professional way that I do when it comes to business. I have heard her curse at multiple people on the phone and I am worried to the point of feeling physically ill that she is destroying my professional reputation in the small Los Angeles events community where everybody knows everybody. I saw a lot of emails of people asking "me" where their checks were etc. and I am scared someone is going to write something negative about me on a review site like Yelp when it was never me who did it! I believe she is doing this to use me as a scapegoat for when she doesn't do something, messes up, wants to be rude, etc.

I ended up contacting a lawyer and having a cease and desist letter sent to her to delete the account. I tried logging back into the account after being informed she received the letter from my lawyer and it told me "password is incorrect" which I don't know if that means she changed the password and is still using the account or it is deleted and the account is just saying that. Either way I am scared she is still doing it.

I was also advised by my attorney to file a police report. I did this and the police have it on file but they told me I am in a weird grey area where she is blatantly doing something wrong but it is not technically identity theft so they can not press criminal charges against her.

I am wondering what to do next?? Do I have a case to sue her for this?? In the beginning my attorney seemed to think I did, the police officer I spoke to also thought I had a civil case. As of the past few days my lawyer seems less into the idea of suing her for this (he is a close friend of my boyfriends and has been working on this for me free of charge) and I wonder if he believes there is no case there for him to make money or if he is just too busy on other things to continue focusing on this.

My apologies for the crazy length of this post I just wanted to make sure all the details were down. Any advice if I have a case to sue her or not would be greatly appreciated!!!! I would love to be able to sleep again at night and move past this!!

Thank you!! :)

Answer:
 Not legal advice, but I would suggest emailing all the vendors/clients/etc. that you currently work with that you do not work for the other company any more and any emails or other communication they receive from the other company from "you" are not from you.

Obviously, keep the email professional and business-like and don't make any accusations.

You may want to ask said contacts to let you know if they do receive any future communications from "you" at the old company.


Title: Can my parents stop me from taking my laptop when I move out? (USA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Not a legal response, but if you are moving out and your parents attempt to prevent you from taking your computer with you, then that really is, in the long run, the least of your worries.Answer #2: How old are you?Answer #3: I would say the best advice is to not bring legality into it. Move the important stuff out now, and store it at your friend's. For the next few weeks, avoid all conflict if you can - don't rise to the occasion.

When you move out, give them much lip about you being too old to mooch, and really sell that you're doing them a favor by leaving. I don't know your situation, but that may be enough to convince them to leave you be. Good luck with moving out and your job search!


Title: What are the privacy rights when dealing with a parent and an 18 year old who owns their own phone?

Question: My girlfriend has been 18 years old for some time now. She pays for her own phone which is in her name. She lives with her mother who demands she give up her phone at 8:00 PM every night so that her text messages can be read. She is also not "allowed" to delete messages or use the phone past 8:00 PM. What is the legality of all this considering my girlfriend is 18 and owns the phone?

Answer:
 Your girlfriend does not have to comply.

And her parents do not have to provide her with a place to live, money for food, college tuition, car insurance, transportation, or any other of the numerous ways they are probably supporting her.

She can move out, live on her own, and have her own rules.  Or she can accept support and live by mom and dad's rules.  It's her call.Answer #2: "Privacy rights" tend to protect individuals from government intrusion, not motherly intrusion.  If your girlfriend consents to handing over the phone for nightly inspection as a condition of living at home, then there's nothing legally actionable here.

Edit: Does she pay rent to live there like a tenant?Answer #3: >What is the legality of all this considering my girlfriend is 18 and owns the phone?

It is completely legal. She is agreeing to do this. No one is forcing her.

She can absolutely refuse to grant them access to her phone. It is her property. Their home, money, food, etc are their property. They can absolutely refuse to share those.

So, this is one of those adult type moments. If she wants to be an adult, she needs to be prepared to adult.Answer #4: She doesn't have to agree. Unless your girlfriend has a history of terrible behavior, her mother sounds unbearably controlling. Your girlfriend should move out and stop accepting housing, food, clothing, and whatever else she gets from her parent. Answer #5: It's not illegal for your GF to agree to do this stuff in exchange for a free place to live.

She'll have to decide which is more important to her.


Title: Were we "had" by a viral campaign from the guy claiming bugging in his hotel room? I saw a tv commercial tonight that featured...

Question:
(NV) Mods, should I have written you first? If this is inappropriate, please let me know but I was watching the FX channel and saw a making of a new tv show and there was a scene that features a ceiling fan making cricket sounds and the tv show is about gov't surveillance/mystery.

Is this a huge viral campaign here in this sub to get people to "tune in". If not, I just had to mention the coincidence because my mind is always on viral marketing and thought I'd call it out if anyone else hadn't seen it.

Sorry again, but I feel like I had to mention it before anymore people invested too much more time on OP.

Answer: The person who posted that is well known around here. Us starred folks know who he is, he's a very ill person, and it's not the first time he's posted here. It's definitely not related to whatever you saw.


Title: Mother has blown her disabled sons trust fund on herself, despite explicit instructions not to. Is this illegal? What can be done?

Question:
I should start by explaining that I am posting for a friend of mine, so my apologies if anything is not detailed enough. I'll try to make this as factual as possible without inserting my opinions.

My friends relative has a son who recently turned 18. When the son was 2, his father died. He received social security benefits for his fathers death, and he also received social security for a disability. The disability is not physical (bipolar depression). He is able to function, attend regular schools, he graduated early from high school, and is a smart and functional young man, despite his disability. His mother quit her job and stayed home for the next 16 years, supporting themselves with his social security, and various government benefits.

The father also left his son a trust with around $40K, which was inaccessible to the mother, (despite her attempts), and was to be distributed to the son when he turned 18. There were explicit instructions that a certain amount of this money (around $8K) was to be spent when he turned 18, with the balance to be deposited into an ABLE account within 60 days. There was some kind of advocate for the sons trust who discussed this with the mother in advance, to help ensure compliance. The mother asked the advocate if she could use some of that money to pay off things she bought for her son, like a store credit card that she used to buy her son a gaming system for Christmas, personal credit card debt for things like furniture, a TV, etc, or even her car loan debt for her personal car. The advocate explicitly told her that she was forbidden from using her sons trust money to pay for any debts that were held in her name.

The day her son turned 18, she took him to the bank and had him withdraw all the funds, around $40K, in the form of a cashier's check. They deposited it into a checking account in the sons name, which she held the debit card for (and the PIN). The son convinced her to let him buy a few things for himself (a bed, computer, and an instrument), and then she held onto his card. She bought herself a new TV (claims her son broke the old one), new furniture (claimed her son wore out the couch by sleeping on it--he didn't have a bed), paid off her credit card debt, prepaid her rent through the summer, and went to the casino for days at a time. She had her mother write her fake receipts for things, to justify the large cash withdrawals. When questioned about this, she said that she was simply reimbursing herself for the cost of raising her son. Within a few weeks, her son only had $6,000 left in his account, which was then deposited into the ABLE account.

From my estimates, the kid spent around $2,500, there was $6,000 left, which means his mom spent over $31,000 of his trust. This seems...wrong, to me. Especially because she was explicitly told that she could not use this money for her personal debts, and did so anyways.

For context, I would like to mention that this woman has very much infantilized and brainwashed her son into believing he is helpless without her. She insists on being the only person to dispense his medications, she has convinced him that he should never be allowed to drive, should never try to get a job, etc., despite him wanting to be independent, drive, and work. She would not allow him to have friends over, or go to their houses, forced him to take baths that she would "supervise" (until he told a counselor at an inpatient facility about this, and she was confronted and grilled about it), and had a 7 PM curfew, even now as an adult. That's just some of the things she's done to keep this kid sheltered and dependent on her. In my opinion, she did all of this to ensure that she would be able to take his money from him without any resistance, and she succeeded.

My question is, is this illegal? If so, who would this be reported to? What proof would they need to gather? Is there some kind of system that monitors and watches for cases like this, or is there nothing that could be done because he's 18 and "allowed it"? Does he need an attorney, and if so, what kind? What can my friend do to try and help?

This is happening in Wisconsin. The ABLE account was opened in another state. (Not sure if that matters or not)

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys might have.

Answer: Financial exploitation of an adult-at-risk can be reported to the [relevant county help line](https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/aps/aar-agencies.htm). Wisconsin Adult Protective Services [defines](https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/aps/definitions.htm) adult-at-risk as any adult with physical or mental conditions that impair their ability to care for themselves, and deceiving him or taking his money without his informed consent for her own bills could certainly qualify as financial exploitation as it is defined in Wisconsin statute.


Title: College students parking in front of my house and also blocking my rear driveway. The college security seems disinterested.

Question: I have a house directly across from a college campus. My family and I usually park in front of our house, but we've had multiple instances over the last couple of weeks where college students and staff are illegally (theres a sign that says Resident Parking Only) parking in front and we have to park further down. Also, the students have parked in my rear driveway over this period. When I call campus security, they tell me the kids in the front of the house are legally parked even though there is a city sign stating otherwise. When I call security about the students blocking my rear driveway, they forward my request to the local police department who have never made it on time to catch a vehicle blocking my driveway. So, what is the best course of action to take to get this matter resolved or should I give up and accept that college kids and staff park like jerks?

Answer:
 What are the laws regarding towing in your city/county/state? Location matters.

In my town, any car that blocks a driveway can be towed after calling the police or parking bureau. They usually get towed within an hour or two. You should call the city to determine what the guidelines are where you live.

Regardless, stop calling campus security. Call the police.


Title: Have I been wrongfully terminated? If so what should I do?

Question: Question is in the title. I work for a coffee shop in Dayton Ohio. A customer came in, and placed an order. I prepared their order while my fellow employee rang it up. I served them the drink, and they grabbed it and walked away. Moments later, my employer came and told me I needed to pay for the drink that was stolen. I asked them if I could call the police or take some form of legal action instead. They fired me on the spot.

Answer:
 > Have I been wrongfully terminated?

No.

> what should I do?

File for unemployment and look for a new job.


Title: Is it legal to threaten to create a gofundme to put up billboards if senator doesn't voice support for net neutrality?

Question:
North Dakota

Basically if John Hoeven doesn't voice his support for keeping net neutrality I want to start a gofundme to put up billboards with his face on it and how much money he's taken from telecom companies telling everyone how he sold out a free and open internet and would like to tell him as much. Billboards are cheap in north dakota, $500-1000 a month. Is this illegal?

Answer:
 Legal. And pointless. Answer #2: > Is this illegal?

No. It is not illegal.


Title: I want to be released from my apartment lease (TN)

Question:
In April 2016 I signed a lease that ends July 2017. Starting around Feb or March this year I noted a large amount of strangers in my building. I did some investigation and found that almost 20% of my building is listed on airbnb. I am shocked as this was sold to me as "luxury residences" and I had no idea that they were allowing Airbnbs to operate. I have done some investigation and know that in Nashville, AirBnbs can operate in apartment buildings and I know my building has provided hosts with express authorization to operate (they need documentation to get a permit). I am mostly concerned with safety I had to undergo a background check before I could get the key fob that gave me access to the building  and assumed my neighbors would too- but there is no background check for the airbnb people. I have asked people I know and have heard that some buzz words I should maybe use are "failing to provide a secure environment."

Thanks so much for your help!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Go back to the drawing board on your "buzz words" and enjoy your last few months in the place.


Title: Chase bank refuses to cash their own check without account

Question:
So I opened the mailbox the other day to find that I was awarded 219 dollars from a class action lawsuit against my mortgage company.  The check was written from an account with Chase bank.  I took the check to my local Chase branch and where I was told they could not cash it without me opening an account.  They said the type of account it was written from requires the money to be deposited into an account for tracking purposes and they cannot cash it under any circumstances.  This sounds really fishy to me, like they're forcing people to open accounts they don't want.  Does anyone have experience with this?

Edit: I live in Florida.  10 minutes ago I cashed the check at a Publix grocery store for a meager 2 dollar fee with only my ID.  I won't be doing business with Chase in the future.

Answer:
 Why don't you just deposit the check in your account at your own bank?Answer #2: There's no law that requires banks to cash checks, at all.  I personally think it's very bad business not to cash your own clients' checks, and it's a great reason to never use Chase, but... c'est la vie.

They do have fraud issues, but one would think that could be mitigated by seeing photo ID from the check casher.  I mean, they'd be happy to "open an account" seeing that very same ID, right?  Yes indeed.  So that pretty much shoots the fraud argument in the head.


Title: [TX] What would happen my guns that I legally own if I am evicted from my house and have no where to put them?

Question: I think the title is sufficient enough. But I just am curious as to what would happen if a person lost their home and had no place for storage. What would happen to their weapons? Say that no one repossessed them, and the person simply lost their house.

Answer:
 If they have a car, still, they can be stored in the car.  If they have a place to stay, they can likely go there.

If neither?  Well, if you're truly homeless, start selling some stuff.  You're not going to want to lug around a bunch of guns, anyhow.  They take up too much room in the shopping cart


Title: MN-Divorce. Husband trying to get into school before divorce papers signed. He's not working or looking for work.

Question:
Husband and I are married for just over 9 years. He's depressive and has severe anxiety. He failed out of nursing school for his RN in Dec. of 2015 and has lost his job in Dec. of 2016. I had to give up on the marriage. He wouldn't try to persevere in either of these situations and I had been doing everything in the home (cooking/cleaning/laundry/taking care of girls-to/from school/daycare) while working full-time and couldn't do it anymore.

I'd have to tell him what to do day-to-day for anything to get done by him. It was more of a parent/child relationship than marriage. He was and is in therapy but to no avail. He has a very strong victim mentality that runs deep through his family (mom is mentally unstable as well-his dad is a self-proclaimed enabler). Since he lost his job in November, I've been the only parent for the girls. I work full time as a chemist, get the girls ready in the morning-drive them to their schools/daycare and pick them up/bathe/bed. They're in sports and I do most of that as well. He still lives in the same house with us, too (and still doesn't help).

He's not looking for a job. Upon losing his job, was in therapy for three weeks, smoking pot every day. He had been working as an LPN. Still has the capacity to do so but chooses not to look for anything.

We have two girls (3 and 6) that I'd do anything for but I'm scared of what's coming from the husband. He's unreliable, unstable, and non-committing to anything. I've asked if he could provide any type of support (home, school, driving, dinner) for the girls and he's said no multiple times. He's not the person I married and I know he doesn't mean to hurt the girls, however, he's been dragging me down in misery for years and I'm now in survival mode.

However, I've been in contact with people that inform me that he's looking into school. I haven't completed the divorce papers yet and originally, he agreed to essentially split everything down the middle, shared custody, and he'd pay half for the childcare costs. Now, obviously, he's not going to be able to do that without a job.  I make around 65,000/yr and he made around 45,000/yr when he was working.

But, I have also been working relentlessly every weekend since deciding on divorce to prep our house to sell it. My parents have graciously been here every weekend as well. He hasn't lifted a finger. He's gone most every weekend and evening at friends' houses nearby or traveling two hours to another friend's home.

Couple questions (I'm looking to get a lawyer asap---but I also don't have much money as I'm trying to keep paying bills while he's putting in nothing-he gets 374/week unemployment and puts in 300 every once in a while. He keeps the rest of the money to himself...one of the many problems).

Can he still have shared custody if he doesn't have a job? Isn't trying to get a job?
Can he start school in this situation? Will I have to swallow the full cost of childcare? I don't make enough for a mortgage and all the childcare costs. I know I can't squeeze blood from a turnip, do I have options here? Help!

Like I said, the girls are my number one, he's his own number one. How can I survive this?

Also, can he expect alimony from me as well?!

I went through grad school while we were married, got a degree. He went through nursing school for the LPN (successfully) and most of RN school (unsuccessfully) while we've been married.

What can I do?

Answer:
 He can still share custody and visitation, even if he's unemployed. If he's not able to provide for the children, then his visits may be restricted to shorter periods (days only, for example) until he gets his income and life together, but fundamentally being unemployed does not automatically make him a bad father or a danger to the kids.

He can start school, although paying for it will be a bit of a challenge. You should talk to a lawyer sooner, rather than later, so that you can ideally ensure that his education expenses and any student loans he takes out are his sole responsibility, rather than a joint one.

If you end up with primary custody, your husband will likely owe you child support. However, if he doesn't - or can't - pay it, there's no public fund to replace it, exactly. Apply for SNAP and any other public assistance you might qualify for, but with $65,000/yr gross income, your options are likely pretty limited. You'll likely have to sell the house during the divorce so that its value can be split between you, so start looking for somewhere more affordable on your income now.

Given your relatively even earning potential, spousal support/alimony is unlikely, but not impossible.

_You can do this_. In fact, once the ball is rolling, things will likely get easier: you'll no longer, for example, have to spend your money feeding and housing this man-child, or dedicate cognitive or emotional resources to supporting him. Reach out to a local womens' shelter, as well, and see if they can connect you with low-cost counselling and legal help.


Title: Terrible neighbours

Question:
Hi guys, 4 months ago my mom purchased a semi-detached house in southern ontario, since then our neighbours have been absolutely atrocious. There are approximately 12 people renting an 1100 Sq ft home, 4 adults (2 renters) and atleast 8 children aswell as two pit Bulls. They play their music until 1 am on weekdays, have trash littered on their front lawn, and party extremely late on the weekends. We have asked them to turn it down numerous times but unfortunately it has resorted to calling the police. But, about a week ago the father of the children threatned my mother, saying he was going to burn our house down. We have this and all the other incidences recorded and my mom is attempting to get a peace bond against the father and also trying to contact the home owners. The police said they can only call them to say not to threaten my mother and that she can't get a peacebond with out his name.

What should we do? can we some how find out his name? we also know the names of the home owners but have no way to contact them. Also not sure if it's worth mentioning, some one tried to break into our house a month ago, but no way to know who it was.

Answer:
 1.  Look up ordinances in your area.  If your estimate of sq footage is correct, depending on the layout of the house, there is a good chance 12 people exceed the occupancy ordinances and you can notify the city.
2.  Call the police for every threat, noise violation, etc.  Call the city if garbage litters the front lawn (they can ticket the landlord and order him/her to clean it up).  Do NOT engage these people yourselves.
3.  Eventually, these will all come back to the LL.  The city knows where to find him/her.  He/she will get tired of dealing with it and order them to shape up or ship out.


Title: Doctor didn't tell me my cancer was growing.

Question:
I'm a long time cancer patient. I go in for a scan every couple years. At the scan before last, my doctor pulled MRI up on screen and told me there was no sign of cancer. He went so far as to say "We cured that sucker." I remember vividly because as you can imagine I was elated to hear those words.

Flash forward to last month. At my routine scan my doctor says the tumor is back substantially, and now it's in a difficult spot to operate in. Referred me to a specialist who deals with this type of cancer.

When I got all my records from doctor to take to specialist, I noticed in radiology notes that my scan before last (the one where doc said it was cured) that the radiologist had noted new cancer growth. My doctor never shared this info with me.

I think what happened is my doctor read my scan in front of me before radiologist had a chance to review and report results back to him. But as a result of this miscommunication, my cancer is  potentially inoperable and life threatening.

Any legal advice? Thanks

Answer:
 Medical malpractice is an extremely complicated area of law. Yes, you may have a case.

I'd strongly recommend you find a personal injury attorney with experience in medical malpractice cases. Specifically ask if they've handled MedMal cases before, ask if they've taken any to jury trial, and ask what the outcomes were.

&#x200B;

I'm very sorry to hear about your illness. Best of luck.


Title: I stole $20 to eat and I think it was caught on video

Question:
I work in fast food. I was at the register today and I figured (stupidly) that I’d snatch a twenty to be able to bring dinner home for my family because I haven’t been paid yet
I ended up putting it back and saying I must’ve dropped it but my boss didn’t look really convinced and she said she’d watch the security tapes to see if anything happened and I’m worried about getting in trouble even though I gave the money back. What’s the worst that’d happen if she saw I tried to take it?

Answer:
 You could be arrested and charged with theft, though since you put it back before leaving the premises the prosecutor may decline to pursue it.  If you are approached by law enforcement, say nothing without an attorney.

At the very least you can expect to be fired.Answer #2: You will definitely get fired and they could call the police about it.


Title: BAH Fraud?

Question:
I was in the Marines and should probably know better than this, but I need some secondhand advice before I do anything further.

I met my now wife about 8 months prior to her leaving for boot camp in the Navy around January 2018. Fast forward to July 2018, we get married. Everything was going great, better than great. She was new, unaware of BAH and all it entails and when the idea of marriage came up I was convinced it was from the heart. She came home for pre-deployment leave and we got married. She informed me about 3 days before she deployed that she did not turn in the paperwork on time and would not be receiving dependent related pay (BAH BAS etc) I saw her paychecks slowly going up and not long after she deployed, knowing the BAH was actually in effect. I had gotten an apartment to house myself and house our new puppy after discussing it with her and agreeing to the cost etc. She backed out of the agreement shortly after that and locked me out of the account. I had to contact her command and of course they were making sure she was giving proof of me receiving this money. Here’s where it gets confusing. I  don’t have access to her account directly, she is having her Mother who has access send me the money. I just learned not too long ago that her BAH/separation pay etc is around $3,000. I’m only being sent about $400 via her Mother. Somehow she is giving proof to the command that I’m receiving all of it when in fact I am not. I’m stuck in this apartment lease, I’m barely surviving and having to BEG her mother for this money every month which is nowhere near the total amount of what I should be receiving as her dependent. What can I do?

Answer:
 It could be that she's sending her mother the appropriate amount, and her mother is sending you a small portion.

Contact her chain of command, tell her that your wife is not giving you the full amount of BAH and that she is having her mother give you a portion of it, and have them handle it.  Your wife is going to be in a pretty shitty position if her chain of command had to get involved two times to get her to pay you.

You can also start filing for a divorce and work with a lawyer to get alimony.


Title: ELI5: Trump passed a Federal law saying that ISPs can sell their data to advertisers, then Minnesota immediately made it illegal?

Answer:
 That's not quite what happened.

There was a regulation under Obama that ISPs can't sell your information.  Congress repealed the regulation, meaning there is no current federal law on the subject.  States, therefore, probably have the freedom to regulate this until and unless federal law says otherwise, which it doesn't at the moment.


Title: I reported my manger to hr and she confronted me about it in front of a room full of customers and employees. The District manager is going to talk to me soon. What do I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Reported her for what? It's generally not illegal to be a jerk boss and yell at people.


Title: Roommate is leaving and sticking me with all the rent- need advice

Question: My roommate and I signed a joint lease through aug 2017. Now she is saying she is going to spend the next few months traveling and stick me with all the rent unless I accept a random roommate from Craigslist. I can't afford to pay it all, do I have any options here? This takes place in Florida btw.

Answer:
 Choices:

- Allow her to sublet (if your lease allows it) Really, if the lease allows it then you won't have much say at all. It will be between her and the landlord.
- Pay all of the rent through the remainder of the lease and then sue her for her half afterward.


Title: Boss opts not to hire moving company for a move from our old office (NJ) to a new office (NJ). Instead has employees work outside work hours to handle the move.

Question:
I think the title sums it up. We are in the process of changing office locations. Rather than hire a moving company, one of the owners just rented a Uhaul truck and had everyone load that up one afternoon.

We knew we were moving but didn’t know until that morning we were moving that day so everything was done haphazardly. The old office was left a mess and now we’re being told we have to go back and clean the old office outside of normal work hours.

The reason I am asking is I had pushed back on this whole thing because it seems largely unfair and in the interest of cheapness. Once I made my opinion clear I was asked to meet with the two owners and my boss. This meeting was about poor performance...from the spring. But the meeting came about only once I spoke up about the unfairness of the whole moving plan.

Is there anything illegal about asking employees to do not related work activities outside of normal work hours or is this somehow just normal work activity?

I just want to know in case anything else pops up. Being able to call a practice illegal is a lot more powerful than just calling it a dick move. And now that somehow my performance has been brought up because of me questioning it, I’d really like to know if I have a fair point.

Answer:
 As long as you are getting paid it is legalAnswer #2: If you are a non-exempt (hourly) employee, they have to pay you as normal.

If you are a salaried employee, they most likely do not have to pay you any additional money.

They can fire you for almost any reason, including complaining about having to work the move.  (you can be fired in 49/50 states at any time for almost any reason other than race/sex/religion/old age; some states have a few more protections, but "I wasn't hired to do this" is not one of them).

The only thing I can think of that would prevent them from firing you over this would be a doctor-confirmed physical disability.

The only way to protect yourself in this situation is to have an employment contract (different from at-will employment agreement, which is most likely what you have) or a union (which negotiates employment contracts).


Title: Does enlisting excuse you from a criminal investigation? (USA)

Question:
My buddy is currently being investigated for assault charges, however there's one witness (the victim has no clue who it was) who spoke with the cops and all other witnesses are solid friends of ours who have refused to speak to the police. The cops have been harassing my buddy, who spoke with them briefly and denied everything with an alibi, as well as myself and a few other friends, who keep telling the cops to fuck off and not given statements.

Here's the thing, he's already signed and ships off to the military in two weeks, currently with no formal charges brought up against him. Given the weakness of the case (one witness testimony and all others present not going to speak unless forced to, in which case we will all deny and provide an alibi) is he in the clear once he ships out?

Answer:
 So you're telling us that your friend did, in fact, assault someone and your plan is to lie to the cops and provide a false alibi in hopes that him being military will make this all go away?

You're all idiots. Your 'friend' for assaulting someone and trying to lie to make it go away. You for agreeing to lie and for posting this amazing display that will one day be referred to as "Exhibit A." Answer #2: I imagine hes worse off if the he gets caught in the military Answer #3: > is he in the clear once he ships out?

No. Answer #4: He ABSOLUTELY needs to tell this to the recruiter. If he hides this, they will seperate him on undesirable terms and will bar him from reenlisting. It is obvious that he did this so seriously think about whether he/you should be given a gun and put in a position where innocent people could die.Answer #5: No.  He can be charged up to the statute of limitations which will likely be at least a year.


Title: Food stamps and research studies (MO)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Income means all money from any source other than ones specified in [these rules](https://dss.mo.gov/fsd/iman/fstamps/1115-015-00_1115-015-70.html). It's too much to be excluded as "irregular income." But if it's paid all at once, it might be excluded as a "non-recurring payment." The best thing to do is ask someone at the SNAP office.


Title: is there anything i can do or am i too late?

Question:
so back in maybe 2009. my high school had set up these summer cheerleading practices for us. during a stunt a girl fell on my head. literally, from being held up above my head to falling down onto me. there was nothing done by the school.. i’ve been dealing with terrible neck pain ever since. i want to know if there is any compensation. i honestly just want medical bills paid for. consistently having to go see a chiropractor and getting back and neck massages sounds great and all but my pockets aren’t loving it.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: The statute of limitations on a personal injury claim in Florida is 4 years. Unless you had an exception to the statute of limitations (you were in a coma, etc.), your claim may be too old to bring regardless of the merits.


Title: Bad cell phone reception at work - Would I have legal claim against employer if someone couldn't contact me in an emergency?

Question: I have fairly bad cell phone reception in the office where I work.  I've heard other people at work complain about it too.  Suppose someone tries to contact me at work with an emergency but I don't get the call due to bad phone reception in the office building, so I can't get to them in time to help.  Could I make a legal claim against my employer?

Answer:
 > Could I make a legal claim against my employer?

Sure.  It'd be a complete and utter failure, but you could make it.  You have no right to good cell phone reception.Answer #2: >Suppose someone tries to contact me at work with an emergency but I don't get the call due to bad phone reception in the office building, so I can't get to them in time to help.

You aren't 911.  Nobody should be calling you if they need immediate help.

>Could I make a legal claim against my employer?

Of course not.  How do you think people reached someone at work 25 years ago?


Title: [CA] Murder-suicide of my uncle and aunt, need clarification on handling their estates.

Question:
So to try and keep a long story short, my uncle killed my aunt a couple of days ago and I was wondering how the division of their estates were going to go. They both left no will (that we can find so far) and it will most likely go through probate court.

Now, my uncle had 2 children but not with my aunt. She didn't have any children but her next of kin would be her mother (my grandmother) who is 86 years old. I would be taking over the legal representation on behalf of our side of the family.

They had a couple of rental houses that are the most valuable assets they left. One was in my uncle's name and two others were in both of their names. I have been reading up on California's slayer statute laws but would love the help of you guys on what kind of scenarios I am looking at here.

I guess I need a little background of them that might be some help. My aunt has been getting things ready for divorce, but did not want to just leave my uncle with absolutely nothing (they both knew of the impending divorce). So she was getting together with an estate lawyer to try and decide how to separate the land in which they owned. She would take on the burden of the two joint properties and he would get the last property in his own name. She was making sure he was set up because he had been out of work for nearly a year and a half. She did most, if not all, of the financial decisions in the family.

The plan I have with the properties is to keep them up and running especially for the time being seeing as though two of the properties have tenants in them, I'm just a 24 year old university student but hopefully the savings/stocks/life-insurance will help keep things afloat while I try and find a job to help supplement the mortgage and tax payments. Thank you for reading.

Answer:
 >So she was getting together with an estate lawyer to try and decide how to separate the land in which they owned.

I would contact the lawyer your aunt was working with prepping for the divorce. I am sure they will help you. Sorry for your loss.


Title: Urgent question!! Could I take legal action against reddit?

Question: Hi /r/legaladvice. I'm a 17 year old male living in Ohio. I recently was the founder and top moderator of a small sub devoted to a very controversial topic (I'm not gonna give the name here cause I'm trying to avoid attracting the attention of the admins). To make a long story short, my sub was very recently removed for very dubious reasons and when I tried to get some clarification from the admins, my complaints fell on deaf ears. Although this isn't something that I would want to do if I had any other option, I'm starting to consider trying to take legal action. This seems like a very clear case of censorship and suppression of free speech, so I think I might have a case here, but I'm trying to get the opinions of others. Is it possible that I could successfully sue and, if so, how much could I likely make (I have very little legal experience so I'm afraid of possibly getting duped into taking a low settlement)? Please answer as quickly as possible cause I'm afraid that this thread and/or this account might soon get targetted by the admins!!!

Answer:
 Thread locked due to off-topic posting.Answer #2: Dude reddit can discriminate agaist any content or person they want as long as it's not an illegal reason. And the 1st admentment on you protects you from the government.Answer #3: have you read through their privacy/disclosure agreement?

Did they disclose why the subreddit was closed *breaking x, y, z rules)

There are some very strict guidelines as per why subreddits are shut down.

You havent provided enough details for anyone here to say whether it was justified or not. Knowing reddit, you likely broke the rules the they shut down the sub redit.

Taking legal action against reddit would be sily, try mediate and retaliate the reasons for closing the subreddit and see what happens from there.

The mods here are generally fair with subreddits, so without sufficient details your case is just a teenage whinge.

First step as legal advice would be silly, your goal is to appeal the closure with justifiable evidence your sub was within the rules of reddit guidelines.

From there is up to you (and you're unlikely to see any damages unless you were profitiing from the subreddit itself, which also unlikely as it is a public forum, not an advertising market)


Title: Possibly being sued for backing out of home purchase. Any advice? Green Bay, WI, USA

Question:
My fiance and I have spent the last 2-3 months searching for and touring houses, looking for our first home together (currently renting).  After many terrible showings and a couple false hopes and budget increases, we finally found one we liked. Her dad looked at it and liked it as well (her parents are helping with financing). The real estate agent kind of rushed us a bit to put an offer in (there was another showing and an open house scheduled), so we put in an offer a couple thousand below asking price, and it was accepted the next day. So we signed the contract, put down $500 earnest money, and pending home loan/inspection/etc we would be buying it.

After my fiance talked to the loan guy at her bank, she changed her mind - the loan guy does real estate on the side, and has an investment on the same street that hasn't sold in 2 years I guess, and they generally refuse to do loans on flood plain homes anyways. So the loan guy (whom my fiance's family trusts quite a bit, they've worked with him before I guess) convinces my fiance we shouldn't do it, and combined with some hesitations she already had (which I really, *really* wish she had brought up earlier) we decided to try to back out.

Now, the current owners want to keep the earnest money (which I understand, that's what it's for)... and sue us for damages. I guess they claim that because they had to cancel the open house, they may have missed out on another, more serious offer. This house has only been on the market for about a month, far shorter than many of the places we've looked at, and it's actually a pretty nice house at a good price - I personally don't think they would have to wait very long to get another offer. Not to mention that we put in our offer in full seriousness - it's not like we have $500 to throw around making random offers on houses.

According to our real estate agent, they are visiting with their lawyer on Tuesday to see if they can pursue this lawsuit. So now my fiance is stressed/freaking out about all of this, and I'm wondering what the likelihood is we're actually sued? What the damages could be?  Would a countersuit make any sense? We're losing out on time we could be spending looking for a different house now that we're stuck with all this.

Any thought or advice would be greatly appreciated, and I'll be glad to answer any questions.

TL;DR: Getting sued because we backed out of a purchase offer, help please.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 In Wisconsin, the seller can't keep the earnest money AND sue for damages. It's an odd law, but you have to choose one or the other.  The theory is that keeping the earnest money serves as liquidated damages, in lieu of proving actual damages.  On Tuesday, their lawyer will probably tell them this.  This doesn't actually solve your problem, but I like being a know-it-all.

What you should have done, is have the loan officer find some excuse to deny the financing, since you suggested that your offer was contingent on financing.  In fact, didn't you say your house was in a flood plain and they wouldn't have given you a loan?  Depending on how your financing contingency is worded, you should be able to get a written denial from the bank, and use that as your justification for the breach.


Title: Absolute nightmare with auto loan and trying to have an extra month's payment collected.

Question:
**TL(won't)R:** Can a bank attempt to collect the next month's payment and claim it's to "bring the account current" if they think you haven't paid the previous 2 months?

**Backstory:**
So I bought a new car and made the mistake of not having a loan all ready to go when I went to the dealership (not making that mistake again) and got a reasonably good bank, or so I thought at the time. The bank is based in Illinois/Utah and I live in Iowa if that makes any difference.

So the issues began when I went to make my first payment in September. Apparently this bank doesn't allow you to pay online unless you are paying from a checking account with that specific bank. I brush it off and call up the bank to make a payment over the phone, not a huge deal. Give them my Fidelity account information and assume all is well.

I get a call a couple days later saying that my payment was reversed. Alright, that's weird, whatever. I asked them what the last digits of the account number they had (apparently they don't keep the whole number on file or so I was told) and it was wrong, so I assumed the agent just fat fingered the numbers or misheard me somehow the first time. Give them my info again.

A couple more days go by and I haven't seen the payment post from my Fidelity account so I call them back. I was told it had indeed been reversed again and I talked with an agent who said that he'd be sure to follow up with me on Monday (it was a Friday when I called) whether the payment went through or not.

At this point I had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with my Fidelity account number which is 17 digits long. I asked them specifically about that and they said it shouldn't be a problem.

Monday rolls around and I don't hear anything back, so I wait a week and call them back again on Sept 22^nd. This time they tell me that all is well and I don't currently owe anything on my account.

Now I call them Oct 3^rd to make my next payment. They told me I only owed my usual monthly payment so I made that and moved on.

Then on Oct 9^th I get a call saying I am 2 months behind on my payments, I am no longer allowed to over the phone for the next 2 years, and my car will be repossessed if I don't basically immediately send a Western Union payment to them. The amount they told me I owed to "bring [my] account current" was much higher than 2 months payments, and I assumed it was because it was late fees or something.

I went to go make the Western Union payment and called to confirm the amount and info I needed. This new rep told me that I owed significantly less than I had been told the previous time. Apparently the first person I talked to was attempting to collect the current month's payment which wasn't due for another 4 weeks on top of my other payments. This wasn't ever conveyed to me.

Now my real question is, is it legal for them to attempt to collect an extra month like they did? I was told by a very friendly customer service person that she didn't know why they tried to do that, but it was standard practice for their collections department to try and collect the next month's payment as well. It was never told to me that it was including the next month's payment, it was repeatedly stated as bringing my account current.
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer: My scam alert goes off every time somebody mentions Western Union. Did **you** call **them** to verify they wanted payment this way? Somebody could have gotten their records and is calling everybody who is behind in their loan attempting to get money from them.


Title: Getting ready to close on new house, discovered I cannot get high speed internet yet the MLS listing stated it had high speed Internet available(WI).

Question:
I'm a Web developer and rely on uncapped high speed internet access, not only for my business but for my family and our streaming lifestyle. When I went to setup service to our new house I discovered that NO company can provide high speed internet to the house. When pressed their realtor said they are using a Verizon Hotspot for their internet.... definitely not high speed internet.

My realtor seems to think it's the listing agents fault for checking the box on the MLS sheet that stated the property had high speed internet.

If I had known there wasn't high speed Internet I wouldn't have considered this house, and at the very least I would have not paid what I paid.

Charter says the sellers had a survey done in 2013 and they are 2600 feet from nearest connection and it's $20 a foot to run line.... so the sellers knew they didn't have access to high speed internet.

What are my options?

Answer:
 You haven't bought the place yet right? Do you have unwaived conditions?

If so at this point your options basically are:

1) Don't waive conditions/buy the place.

2) Use this as leverage to negotiate a better deal.Answer #2: Tell them that you made the offer based on representations in the MLS listing which are false and which the sellers know to be false.  You won't close and you want your earnest money back.  If they don't give it back then sue them.  In the end, you'll probably get some sort of negotiated settlement, probably something like 1/2 of your money back.


Title: CA - Client disputing hours billed

Question:
Long story short: I'm a web developer.  An agency "A" needed a website built, so they contacted recruiter "R" who brought me on  via hourly contract to do the work.  I did the work, I'm proud of it, and I did it in less time than the deadline.  Unfortunately, "A"'s developer compiled a list of qualms they have with the work without bringing complaints to me.  The qualms include claims that have been addressed and approved via telephone prior to delivery of the work.  So I'm left thinking the developer has an outdated copy of the work or something, but that doesn't matter: "A" is saying they don't want to pay for 100% of the hours I worked, claiming they don't feel like they got that many hours worth of work.

I'm furious.  In eight years of doing this there have been times I've been shortchanged by a client where I felt like "well yeah, there was something I could have done better" so I let it slide, but this was top-notch work and I didn't even bill for the final six hours.  "A" wants to come to an "arrangement" with "R" so they don't pay for all of the work.  I'm not open to accepting any arrangements on this one.  They can pay me for 100% of the work or they can get fucked as far as I'm concerned.  I know I probably need a lawyer if I'm going to take any action other than "bend over".  What kind of lawyer do I need and what are my options?

The contract was for "work for hire" on an hourly basis and not for any specific goals or milestones -- very standard boilerplate contract in my business.  It was a three-week project, so probably not enough cash to spend a lot of time or money pursuing.

Answer:
 The phrase "Not my problem" comes to mind.  You should use it regularly when dealing with R.  You have a contract with *him*, not with A.

Small claims might be an option if your damages are less than $10,000 (if you are operating as an individual) or $5,000 (if you are operating as a business).

[link](http://www.courts.ca.gov/1256.htm)


Title: [California] Dealer charged me $650 extra without telling me about it in advance just for diagnosis

Question:
My Nissan Rogue had the check engine light on so I took it to the dealer. They said an appointment to diagnose it would be $120.

Since funds are tight, I asked them if they could credit it to any future repairs, they agreed.

After 15 minutes in the shop, a mechanic came over to me with a form and said they would have to insert a special device into the car to continue diagnosis.

He said he needed my approval before going forward with it **as a matter of routine procedure**.

After an hour, they say the diagnosis is complete and hand me an invoice of $120 + **$650**!

When I ask about the $650 extra, they say that's the price for the special exam I signed for.

**That form did not mention the price at any place nor did it mention it would cost extra**. I asked them to make a copy of the form for my records.

I asked the mechanic who got my signature why he did not say it cost extra and he said he does not know about pricing: the service writer does and I should have spoken with the service writer to find out what I was signing up for!

I asked the service writer why she had not mentioned that my car needed a special test and that would cost me extra money and she said it's not possible to predict in advance what exact tests might be necessary.

How would I know all these details without working at a car dealership?

Unfortunately I was not able to stop the $650 extra charge from going through my credit card as I had signed the first document (where they charged me $120 for the appointment) which said I would need to pay any future charges.

**I do not feel this was right and am hoping all you experts would be able to give me some advice either way**.

Answer:
 Call your credit card company back and be more vehement with them.  You approved a $120 charge.  Dealer charged you more than that.  Dealer has no paperwork showing your approval for a larger charge.

https://www.bar.ca.gov/consumer/auto_repair_guide.html

Ludicrous that reading any computer data can even conceivably have a $650 charge.  That should be fifteen minutes at an hourly rate of $120 or whatever they're charging nowadays.


Title: [MD] Received a summons for eviction but have already paid rent. Now I want to be evicted. Can I?

Question:
I was late on my December rent, but have since paid it. It never went to collections, and my credit appears to be unaffected. But I still have to go to court because the process has been initiated, so my question is...can we simply proceed with an eviction anyway? If so, what would the consequences to my credit be?

Everything that I've read is focused on the (presumably) delinquent payment as being damaging to your credit, which makes sense. But that didn't happen here, so if the court ruled in favor of an eviction, would the only consequence be moving out? Or does an eviction ruling carry its own set of consequences?

For context, my current lease isn't up until October 2020, but recent issues have made it more appealing to move out earlier.

Answer:
 >Or does an eviction ruling carry its own set of consequences?

You would have a very hard time finding any landlord willing to rent to you.Answer #2: > Or does an eviction ruling carry its own set of consequences?

Yes. You don't want an eviction on your record. It's going to be ruinous to your ability to rent in the future.

If you want out negotiate with your LL to break your lease.


Title: Confiscated something child had that parents did not buy.

Question:
Hello. Recently, my boyfriend's father confiscated a chest binder that I had given him.

Just for context, my boyfriend and I are both minors, and his father has full custody although my boyfriend visits his mother's house every Wednesday and every other weekend.

I had bought the chest binder with my own money from GC2B. I likely still have the email receipt for it. I mailed it to my boyfriend's mother's house, and he had brought it to his father's house.

    His father found the chest binder, as well as a phone that my boyfriend's mother bought (registered under her name), and confiscated both.

     Would either of these items being confiscated be considered theft? The father bought neither of the items, but has full custody of my boyfriend.

If this would be considered theft, what can we (me, my boyfriend, my boyfriend's mom) do about it legally?

Thank you for your time!!!

Answer: Your minor boyfriend's legal guardian can confiscate items you bought him, yes.Answer #2: Your boyfriend's mother, if she was so inclined, could raise a stink about this in court and probably get it returned to her house. But otherwise generally speaking either parent can confiscate an item of their minor child's.Answer #3: The person involved is a minor, correct? Under 18? Then no, it’s not theft; parents can make decisions like this for their minor children.Answer #4: Full custody of minor = full control of minor and all possessions.  This includes any gifts given to said minor.


Title: What can happen if you expose yourself to a Minor on Omegle? North Carolina

Question:
First...I really messed up and I know it.  It wont happen again but I am freaking out right now!

I was on Omegle video and a young girl was there teasing me with her mouth. She kept licking lips and fingers and I got excited and I started masturbating.

As I was in act she asked my age (38) and said she was 16. I was already masturbating and did not stop.

She then said she would leave if I didnt show my face and body together. I showed her briefly (Stupid Stupid!). She kept teasing me and, eventually she got me to cum.

Then she held up a cell phone with her friend on facetime and they said they were calling the police and telling their parents.

Im freaking out! This could cost me everything! I will never going back to Omegle again. Hope its not too late.

How much trouble can I get into? I understand potential for blackmail, but can I get arrested?

Answer:
 Ah, the daily tinder scam thread.

It's a scam.Answer #2: You can definitely be arrested.

And pro note--no cute, young girl wants to see that crap unless they want blackmail material.  Answer #3: deleted  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^0.9303  [^^^What ^^^is ^^^this?](https://pastebin.com/FcrFs94k/17561)Answer #4: If she is, in fact 16?

Yes, you can be arrested for providing pornography to a minor.


Title: I have been paying child support way past my children's 18 th birthday ,when I contacted child support about this matter I was informed I was to pay till there 21 st birthday . No where is this stated in any of my court papers and neither one of them our in college.

Answer: You'll need to provide a little more detail than that.  Start with your location.


Title: [California] My cousin was followed and attacked by another girl. She's filed a restraining order against her, but now the girl's dad shows up to my cousin's house consistently and vandalizes the house. What can she do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > vandalizes the house. What can she do?

Report it to the police.Answer #2: Call the police! Keep copies of all the information you do have! (You can also probably search online for his address + last name, or look on facebook, and figure out his name to give to the police too)


Title: Guy breathing on my neck

Question: [removed]

Answer: You can stop assaulting people who get too close to you. Or as I tell my children, use your words. If this is how you react to little things, you will end up in jail.


Title: Slum lord land lord in upstate NY did not proof read the lease and gave me a 1000 year term on an original 6 year lease. Language in lease says term is $2750 in 6 monthly installments. Does this give me an essentially free apartment after I have paid it off?

Question: Hello, I would also like to know if I can use the above as leverage to get some fixes done in the apartment primarily heating and insulation. My electricity bill went from $45 a month to $245 a month with heat on and the apartment is still 50 degrees F with ice forming on the windows. I need to wear sweaters and blankets around my apartment to be warm. There is also a broken front building door lock and none of the doors have self latching locks. This leads to the front door being left open which is right outside of my apartment letting cold air in and introduces a major security risk. Please let me know if you need any more information.

Answer:
 For your title, that will not be enforced, particularly if it is clear it is an error/typo.

For your other issues, have you written the landlord about the issues?


Title: Middle car in a three car accident, just received a traffic citation.

Question:
I was driving in the left lane of a three lane highway in PA, USA and the car in front of me slammed on the brakes and started to swerve into the middle lane. I reacted and applied my brakes. As I was coming to a complete stop with room to spare another car slams into my rear and pushes me into the front car.
I have very little front end damage, a small dent on the front bumper. The front car did not really have any damage that I could see to it's rear. My rear bumper is damaged and so is the tail-light and some of the panels. The rear car had the most damage with the hood pushed up and the airbags deployed.
Additionally, the man driving the third vehicle was arguing with his passenger after the accident saying that he was "just speeding up to change lanes" or something to that effect.
On the scene the PA state trooper came and took statements and generated an accident report. After giving me the report he stated that he would not be writing any citations "unless the guy in the third car could not produce valid insurance."
Today I received a citation in the mail citing that I violated PA title 75 section 3309 subsection 1. The charge is "Driving on roadways lanes for traffic." The nature of offense is "Failed to drive within a single lane and or movement from lane was not made safely, causing and accident."
My issues is two-fold. First, I did not change lanes or attempt to change lanes and did not cause the accident. Second, I don't really have the time (having just started a new job) to appear in court to fight this ticket. What is my best option in this case? Should I plead not guilty and wait for a court date, is there something I can do that would allow me to take care of this without having to take a day off to appear in court? Is it possible the trooper might have issues the citation to the wrong car, since the nature of the offense does seem to match the statement I overhead the driver of the third car make after the collision?

Answer: It's possible the trooper made a mistake.  If you don't want to pay, you're going to have to fight it in court.  The good news is the court will likely work with your schedule.  If your assigned court date isn't good, just call the number and ask if you can change the date.


Title: [Raleigh, NC] Defamation via Social Media

Question:
I am a small organic farmer who participates in local vendor events, one of those being at a small minor league baseball venue. My business has been participating at this "pop-up" retail location for 3 years now and we have built a very strong repertoire with management and collective ownership to where we have a blanket invitation to all events. This past August, an interaction with a fan, who was "supervising" a large group of male children, roughly 8-10 boys, all aged in the same range, took an incomprehensible turn for the worst.

These children were going largely unsupervised for the evening, which generally lasts from 6pm - 11pm. I personally had to ask them to be careful when playing catch around vehicles so as to not damage anything with a wayward ball, which was received with apologies and a noted increase of care on their part. In the early innings, a foul ball went under a car, and one of the larger boys proceeded to grab the back of the neck of a quicker child and proceed to push his face into the dirt to prevent him from retrieval. A female co-worker on site saw this and was going to approach the children with corrective measure in mind, and I instructed her not to interfere with other peoples' kids, stating it just wouldn't end well. These occurrences were quickly dismissed by myself as sales began to increase and the night grew busy. When things hit a lull, I decided to see what inning the game was in. Upon leaving my stand, to view the scoreboard, I was distracted by two young male kids fighting. One kid had the other by the collar of his shirt, twisted into the ball of his fist, and was attempting to pummel the other, who just happened to have slightly longer arms, making the blows glance off one cheek or the other. I called out LOUDLY, and my voice carries even in a crowd, "Whose kids are these", and waited for head to turn. Nothing. "HEY, WHOSE WATCHING THESE KIDS", I asked again loudly, with zero response from those sitting near by. About that time, the kids separated, with the kid whose arms were longer, knocking the hat of the other kid by flipping it's brim, and using that moment of distraction to get away. He parted and went to the fence along the field, to watch the game. The other kid, proceeded to follow him, and raised his fist, and hit him in the right ear, from behind. At this point, being an adult, I felt it absolutely necessary to prevent further altercation, and step in, seeing as no one else seemed to notice what was happening.

I approached the kid who threw the "cheap shot" and waved my hand in front of his face, saying, "Excuse me, young man." He glanced slightly to the right, my direction, and ignored me. I reached forward, and lifted his hat from his head, via the brim, and got his attention. I began to explain to him, there were better ways to deal with conflict than fighting and he couldn't just hit people because he was upset. I spoke to him for roughly 15 seconds, before I heard a woman exclaim, "WHO ARE YOU?!".

A bit taken back, I asked her, who she was, and she proceeded to identify herself as the child's mother and demanded to know why I had his hat. My response was not shock, but relief, in that, FINALLY, a parent was present. I proceed to explain to her the situation I had witnessed and why it was I felt the need to interfere. She was having none of it and became belligerent, cussing and demanding I give her the hat. I did so promptly and told her, if she had been paying attention to her child, instead of being glued to her cell phone (I had walked past her when approaching the child), then she would have seen the absolute need for any adult to step in. I walked away from her while she continued to berate me and returned to my retail table.

I spoke with on site police that evening about the incident and the only exchange there was I did the right thing, but to avoid possible conflict in the future, it would be "BETTER" to find staff or an on duty officer and let them handle the situation. I spoke with management staff about the incident and eyes were rolled because they know me and my character and it was stated they would deal with it.

I got a phone call that evening about 1:30 am from the general manager asking for specifics, because the woman had gotten on Facebook. She had posted a picture of me, tagging many people, telling them I assaulted her son, and was "watching" young boys play alluding to the fact, and actually stating emphatically, I was dangerous, and a sexual deviant.

We, park staff and I, decided it would be best, if I personally skipped the next vendor event, even though my staff and business was still welcomed to participate. I did so. The following week, the local paper ran a front page news story on my business and our efforts. I proceeded to attend a ball game that evening with a friend who held season tickets. The woman, happened to be there that evening, took more pictures of me, and again, took to Facebook, calling me a child predator and a child molester, and again, encouraging people to not support me or my business, tagging people whom I actually held business relationships with.

I again received a call from stadium staff, letting me know, she was "slandering" my name again, and I needed to take action to mitigate the situation. I still have these conversations documented. Both in text and voicemail recording. I have documented screenshots of all her false accusations.

I spoke to local attorney, who is a friend, and explained the situation, only to hit a brick wall because his firm represents the individuals business holdings, which are in excess of $10m annually. He stated his firm would have to recuse themselves from any further dealings with the case, due to conflict of prior knowledge, and suggested I seek out of county council, as any of the reputable local firms have some interaction with the family holdings.

Upon doing so, I was told by several attorneys, the case held no value. In part, because there was no jurisprudence which accounted for social media "ramblings", but also because I am a "nobody" to them when it comes to upfront monetary commitment. After several of these sort of off-putting interactions with larger civil firms, I've been a bit put out.

I sit on 2 county boards and 2 city boards and have been actively building the platform for larger political ambitions. I volunteer in the local school system and passed all necessary background checks. I have ZERO record.

Statues say this is an open shut case of libel defamation, but it really is libel per se, based on the accusations of sexual misconduct. I fear her and the families standing in the community (extreme wealth and global contracts), has created a bias against me and had an immediate impact on my business and my personal being. Statues state I don't even have to prove damages due to the implications of her statements, which are wholly without merit and unequivocally false. The other aspect of this equation, the family owns and operates the only other organic farming operation in the county, and I believe they have targeted me, specifically, as a means of creating a competitive advantage for their business, by means of these accusations. It seems to me, anti-competitive business practices (restraint of trade) should enter into this lawsuit.

I've made this post, albeit a bit longer than intended, to seek legal advice. Am I completely delusional in thinking I have legal merit to pursue this lawsuit? I honestly feel like my future in this community and state has been jeopardized by these false allegations. Nothing I do, even in a court of law, will remove the inevitable stain she has tainted my reputation with. I'm beside myself in trying to sort what to do, to the point I'm literally rendered paralyzed in my ability to run my businesses. (yes plural, but I'm trying to be brief, believe it or not).

After growing weary of trying to prove my value to uppity attorneys, no offense intended, I'm in the process of filling pro se, and I feel like I'm drowning in documents and forms and procedures, simply to regain my own dignity. It's beginning to feel futile, yet I feel like JUSTICE demands I not bend over and take it.

What say ye? Do I proceed and bumble my way through litigation? Do I find a small time attorney looking to make a name for themselves? Do I continue to seek a large firm with resources that can bully someone wealthy enough to burden the court with a relentless flow of documents? Do I just give up because I'm really not that important and accept the fact people can and will say whatever they want without penalty to their actions?

I'm beyond frustrated at the ever creeping thought that justice only belongs to those that can afford it! Please give legal advice! Thank you, in advance, sincerely.

Answer: You're going to need to cut that down. Way too much detail


Title: Can my mother sue my boyfriend? [Florida, USA]

Question: To keep it short, my dad snooped through my iCloud, found a sex video that my boyfriend and I took on my 18th birthday. Mom is claiming the date on the video is earlier than that, she wants to sue him for dating me/having sex (ie being a “predator”) when I was 17 and he was 21. She claims she’s talked to a lawyer and could at least get him fired from his job (he works at Starbucks.) I am 19, we live 2500 miles away from her, I just want to know if I need to keep a third job option open in case she follows through with it. Any advice is heavily appreciated. <3

Answer: I can't imagine what damages she could possibly seek.  I think she's probably just trying to scare / manipulate you.Answer #2: If you are a minor in the mentioned video, you could also be held accountable for child pornography charges. Possessing photos/videos of yourself underage is still a crime, it’s a lot worse if other people are involved. Who was filming?Answer #3: Where were you when you started dating?


Title: Signed lease with boyfriend, who is now my ex. I moved out, he won't sign anything to break lease or release me from it. What rights do I have?

Question:
Location: Arlington, Virginia

Long story short, my boyfriend of a year and a half and I took the plunge in October and moved into a new apartment together. Well, things didn't work out, and I broke up with him. I, out of kindness for our broken relationship, temporarily moved in with family friends until we can figure out what to do. This has made my commute a living hell, commuting an hour plus with DC traffic. I originally was able to walk to work, so it's been a difficult transition. I'm looking for a new place closer to work, and should be able to move this week.

I've given him three weeks now to figure out what he wants to do as far as him moving. Neither of us can afford the apartment by ourselves, although I have offered to be the one to stay. I'd probably have to get another job to pay for it, but I do love the apartment. He refuses that option though, saying that I'm the one who wanted this [breakup] so I should be the one to leave.

I've talked to our leasing office, who has given us a few options. One is a lease termination settlement fee, which would be a month and a half of rent with thirty days notice. The second option is a sixty days notice, which includes a stipulation that we continue to pay rent until the apartment gets re-rented.

I've spoken with my ex about these options, but he is refusing to sign anything, either releasing himself from the lease, releasing me from the lease, or signing one of the early termination notices. I'm essentially financially captive to him, and he knows it and is trying to exploit it, saying things like "Why should I move when I have it so good?" and "You should be cordial to me since you need my signature."

He is being vindictive and I don't know what options I have, if any.

tl;dr: Ex-boyfriend is holding lease and his signature above me and won't allow me to take the apartment, leave the lease, or break the lease, since I need his signature for all of those options. What can I do?

Answer:
 You signed the lease, you're responsible for it. He's under no obligation to break the lease or allow you to. You should try to work it out amicably as best you can, or see if you can work with the landlord further.Answer #2: It sounds like you already know your legal options.

> "Why should I move when I have it so good?"

A negotiation requires both sides getting something. He currently has the best situation possible with you paying half of his rent. This situation gives him power over you and conveniently keeps you in contact with him. You'll have to change the current situation if you want him to want a different agreement. I'd move back in and if he still resists start "dating" again. But now I'm digressing into /r/relationship_advice...Answer #3: It's nice that the landlord is offering some fairly reasonable options. Nothing can proceed until everyone agrees, though. Meanwhile, both of you have the right to live in the apartment, if you wish. How that will work in practice is obviously going to be complicated.