Title: Mother-in-law invested in an alleged Woodbridge ponzi scheme - what do we do now?

Question:
For context: http://www.oann.com/alleged-ponzi-firm-woodbridge-agrees-with-sec-on-new-board/

We are in Southern California. My mother-in-law invested just under 100k with Woodbridge thru her financial advisor/investment firm she used. She has since passed away in which we inherited this investment. We've just found out about this from the firm she used to invest by them saying the Woodbridge filed for chapter 11. After doing some googling, I found that the SEC was actually suing them and alleging they are a ponzi. When I pressed him about this, he had us fill out a claim form but not submit it until further notice. My question is what do we do? Should we go ahead and submit a claim form on our own as that seems fairly logical - to claim what we are owed - not sure why we are waiting. Also, would it be a good idea to take legal action against the firm who my mother-in-law invested with for failing to do their due diligence? Any guidance is much appreciated.

Answer: Given the value of the investment and the complexity of the situation, speak to an attorney. The California Bar Association can refer you to someone. This is well beyond the realm of DIY advice.


Title: 14 year old employee slept with 20 year old boss

Question:
Help.

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A fellow coworker of mine, lets call her "Terry", slept with her boss, "Brian". They were always flirty with each other, but after Brian left for college, Terry told me in confidentiality that after work they had been having sex out in his car periodically. He would cover this up by saying that he was driving her home after work. According to her, this had been going on for over 3 months, and that they had both "consented" to the consequences of their actions. Terry has a history of sleeping around, and Brian has a history with underage girls (According to him, his first time was with someone underage).

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I don't know what to do with this information.

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It started at work, it involves her boss, she is under age, i'm wondering if I need to go above my managers head to the district manager with this information. This is in Michigan, so she can't consent until she is 16. Legal and all advice welcome please.

Answer:
 >lets call her "Terry", ~~slept with~~ **was raped by** her boss,

Corrected.

With that out of the way, the path is clear, you call the police because this guy raped a 14 year old child.
Answer #2: “Terry has a history of sleeping around...”

Her past sexual history is completely irrelevant of the statutory rape committed by your 20 y/o coworker multiple times. She’s too young to consent, and now you know about it. You have an obligation to report it. Answer #3: Call the police immediately. He had sex with a child.Answer #4: You can call the police and make a report.Answer #5: Call the police


Title: Signed an NDA, was abused by employer.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Ok wait a second. How did he force you to work 24hr days for no pay? How did he blackmail you? How did he abuse you? What state are you in?Answer #2: In NY, employees can't be forced to work for no pay, or for whole days at a time. That's illegal on its face, and an NDA that attempts to cover illegal activity is unenforceable.

That said, one has to wonder what was going through your head that you put up with this for any amount of time.

What kind of work were you doing, first of all?

Second, yes, contact an employment attorney. If this is as bad as your post makes it sound, you're best off getting a free consult to point you in the right direction from the get-go. Google the New York Bar Association and look for the directory listing for employment attorneys. Answer #3: Talk to an employment lawyer in your state, which you should have provided. It would surprise me if a NDA covered illegal activities, but some right to work states are pretty weird.


Title: Public school forcing 7th graders to watch republican speeches and propaganda.

Question:
I just found out my kid’s school system is making them watch republican only speeches and propaganda in class.

That’s illegal, right?

That mess shouldn’t be in a 7th grade class, period... much less one side only (regardless of the side.)

Am I wrong? Can I do anything about it? I’m furious!

(No political discussion please, it would be just as bad if it were dem only propaganda.)
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Define "republican only speeches and propaganda." Is this current? Historical?

What kind of class is this and what's the stated purpose?Answer #2: There's not a hard-and-fast rule that says it's OK or not OK.  It all depend on context.   What class?  What are they studying?   What speeches and propaganda?
Answer #3: Are they doing this as part of a lesson plan or something?Answer #4: How about you and the FB group calm down and formalize everything rather than explaining your position in an incoherent manner everytime you reply.

Your proof of evidence to support your case also needs to be more than a hunch. You need evidence this goes on almost daily otherwise its just part of the HISTORY class. Answer #5: What did the teacher say when you talked to him/her about your concern?


Title: My car got towed from the parking lot of my apartment complex.

Question: I need some advice! I live in AZ and my car got towed because it looked “abandoned” keep in mind that we have several dust storms here and it was around monsoon season so it looked very dirty. I was out of town, and came back to  believing my car was stolen. Until today, that I got a letter from the DMV saying my car was towed. My apartment complex has my cars make, model, year and color on my lease agreement. Was this legal??? Should they pay the release fee (which is now $213 and it will add up) ? I didn’t really think I was wrong for leaving my car in the parking lot of the apartment complex where I pay rent and live. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 first you need to get the vehicle back as you have an obligation to reduce damages.

next, you need to find out who authorized the tow.

if the appartment, find in your lease where it says they are authorized too. If there is nothing, you can probably go after them for the money.

If the tow company just towed it w/o authorization, you'll need to read up on your local laws regarding a possible illegal tow.


Title: Abusive Landlord Gave Me 6 Days to Move Out? [Oregon]

Question:
Hello Reddit,

Thank you for reading my post. This is a throwaway account. I’ve been renting from a 60-year old retired man for a bit over 4 months now. August is my last month in town (I’m moving to a different town for college in September). Yesterday he got extremely angry (details are included 2 paragraphs later) and started an argument with me, yelling, cussing and insulting me before telling me “You are bugging the sh*t out of me, I want you out of my f****** house by Sunday.” When I told him he couldn’t do that even though we don’t have an official lease, he said “this is my house, I can kick you out whenever the hell I want. All we have is a handshake”, before he pointed at my face and yelled “F*** you, and f*** whoever wants to f*** with me like that, you can lawyer up and you’re gonna get f***ed.”

That was about 14 hours ago. I don’t think I want to be around him anymore, but I’m not sure whether he can actually screw me over completely. I have already paid full rent for my remaining time here (Aug 1 - Sep 15, 1.5 months’ rent) in cash. He did say he’d give me my money back, but I don’t know if I can trust him. Also it feels like the way he treats me is almost harrasment -- the reason he got so angry is because I was cooking in the kitchen instead of on the grill in the yard, which “heats up the house”. The next paragraphs are a more detailed description of his reasoning.

Starting from the first day he’s been coming up with random rules. The first week he told me whenever I cook meat I have to wrap the meat packaging in a plastic bag and put it in the trash can outside of the house, because he doesn’t want the meat wrappers attracting mice and bugs. Then he complained about me not being social with him: he “didn’t like the way I set up my room as an efficient apartment”, because he wanted “someone to have casual conversations with”. I have a computer desk set up in my room. I’m not home that much -- I get off work at 5 and am usually out and about until 8pm. I’ll get home, make food and go to my room to eat / play video games. He complained about me not sitting down at the dining table with him to eat my food and not making enough small talks with him (which I do whenever I run into him in the house). He also complained about having my girlfriend over -- I used to have my ex-girlfriend over before we broke up, and now he’s saying I should have talked to him before I started to bring over my current girlfriend, even though I asked him if I could have overnight guests before I moved in and he said yes. Last week when I asked him to help me with a landlord’s reference for a rental application I’m filling out for my new place, he told me he did’t have time for my personal issues and got very upset.

The worst of it all is the kitchen access restriction. Early July he told me to stop using the kitchen inside the house and instead use the stove on the grill in the backyard, to “keep the house cool through the summer”. So I got a pressure cooker thinking it’d be a good alternative. He still repeatedly yelled at me whenever I do the minimum amount of cooking in the kitchen, like frying an egg in the morning. After a week he told me to stop using the pressure cooker and rice cooker inside the hosue and take them outside whenever I use them. And that’s what triggered him yesterday. I had the pressure cooker running in the kitchen around 7 pm and he just flipped out. He was cussing, yelling and flipping me off for about an hour. I even thought about calling the police on him because I felt harrassed and threatened.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your time. Any input is appreciated.

Edit: spelling

TL;DR Landlord restricts kitchen access and gave me 6 days to move out after I used the kitchen. Full rent for August and September was already paid in cash. Help!

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You definitely have rights as a tenant, and he can't kick you out on short notice legally, but that doesn't mean he won't do it illegally. If he does, you can sue him, but you may still find yourself scrambling to find somewhere to live in the meantime.

Your best bet is probably going to be playing nice, trying to find somewhere new to live immediately, and asking for a refund on any rent paid in exchange for vacating ASAP. The writing is on the wall here.


Title: Kicking a Roommate Out After a Month

Question:
He'll have been here for a month and a week as of Friday, which I plan on giving him as his last day to move stuff out. I'm telling him tomorrow, 11/9 that he is no longer welcome and must be out by 11/14.

No contract was signed, though their was a verbal contract that this was just a hold over until he found a place. He isn't working out at all.

What rights do I have?

I'm in Lexington, Kentucky. Please let me know what more information you need.

Answer:
 He's a tenant even with no formal lease. You have to give him 30 days.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/kentucky-notice-requirements-terminate-month-month-tenancy.html


Title: Applying to transfer colleges with DUI

Question: Do you have to admit to a first offense dui on a college commom application.. it was not aggravated

Answer: Answer all questions honestly.


Title: Parental Rights info needed

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Does a biological father have parental rights

They have equal rights as the mother until or unless modified by a court order. If he is not in the birth cert then he needs a paternity test and court order to enforce his rights.

Boyfriend cannot adopt. The law doesn't allow legal strangers to adopt like that

>Release the biogical father from child support payments? Is it possible for the boyfriend to adopt & be added to the birth certificate? Is it illeg

No. They are a right if the childs.

No. He has no legal relationship to the child and cannot adopt. Boyfriend cannot adopt.

> Is it illegal to deny the biological father contact with the child?

It is a violation of court orders (if there are custody orders) and contempt.

Answer #2: A biological father has parental rights until the court rules he does not.  A mother can't deny a father contact in a visitation schedule, unless the court says she can.  None of the irrelevant facts change that.

If mom wants her BF of six months to adopt the kid (!!!), they could track down the bio dad and ask him to sign over his rights so the kid can be adopted.  If you do this, YOU MUST USE A LAWYER.  This is a complicated field of law, and if you mess it up, you can sometimes lose your one shot.


Title: [MA] I make glass dildos and people want to test them. I'm unincorporated and uninsured. Trying to draft a contract so I can do this

Question:
Title says it all. I have had a lot of requests to buy and to test them but have had to turn people down since I'm not comfortable with the liability risk.

I am thinking such a contract would include:
- In consideration for a reduced price (or a free dildo)
- You are strictly liable for any harms resulting from your use of the product
- You waive your right to bring any suit or other legal action against me for any reason, including but not limited to manufacturing defects, use that results in harm, etc...
- You agree not to use the product anymore and to notify me immediately if there is a break, chip, or crack in the product
- You agree that the product is only for your use, that you will not use it with anybody else who has not signed this contract, and that you assume all liability for anybody else's use of the product
- You agree that this contract will be in effect for any other products you may use from me
- You agree that I can use your ideas, feedback, and suggestions to create, sell, or otherwise use in any way in perpetuity without owing any royalty or payment
- You agree that I can use your feedback for product testimonials, product ratings, or other consumer or marketing purposes so long as the use not linked to your personal identity

Is there anything else I should be considering or adding?

Answer:
 >Is there anything else I should be considering or adding?

Yes -- consulting a lawyer and having him or her advise you on liability waivers.  These are complicated creatures of case law and require specific wording to maximally insulate the drafter from liability.  As a result, they're not really a DIY project.


Title: Son's Dad moving him up to booster when he's not ready(WA)

Question:
I've had issues with my son's Dad regarding car seats.

My son is 42 inches and 43 lbs. I want him to be in a harness car seat. Which in the 5 vehicles in my family he is.

His other side of the family insist he is ready for a booster. My son already is small for his age, has health problems, and was in the NICU after birth.

I want what is the safest for my son. I've provided top of the line car seats. Letters or recommendation from ceritifed technicians recommending the correct car seat.

Today I forgot my son's car seat for pick up for the ride home I borrowed his dad's booster. My son is not fit for it. The seat belt is over his stomach, he is slouching in the seat, the belt is over his neck barely touching his chest.

His dad is threatening to call the police and persue legal actions because I won't give back the booster. I have offered the monetary value of the booster and have provided a top of the line harness.

Is there any legal action he could even threaten me with? Is there anything I could do to protect myself?

We live in WA state. (PS his dad is planning yo be a police officer and is applying to join the force, idk if that factors in to this?)

Answer:
 Give your child's father back his property.

If you have a problem with the way his father drives your son around you can either talk with him, or go to court and amend your custody order.Answer #2: You took something that doesn't belong to you. That is called stealing. If you want the dad to be required to use a harness, go back to court. Keeping the booster when you know it's not yours and he wants it back is...bad. give the booster back. If y'all can't agree on the type of seat to use, go back to court.


Title: [Ohio] Is hanging (or burning) someone in effigy protected speech?

Question:
The recent protests around Brock Turner's house in which people are carrying firearms and holding up signs with veiled threats had me thinking: if the protesters were to hang him in effigy outside his house, would that be protected speech under the first amendment?

Applying Brandenburg as precedent it would seem that it would be, yet I've read about people being arrested for the same thing.  After searching the internet, I cannot come to any solid conclusion.

Answer:
 Context matters.

Actions which might be protected speech when done in one context might be true and immediate threats when done in another. Hanging someone in effigy outside of their own home, with a crowd of armed buddies, is a lot more likely to be interpreted as a threat, as that does rather seem to be the point.


Title: I'm 16 and I just recieved a ticket for 62 in a 35

Question: I was driving home today and I got pulled over and ticketed for doing 62 in a 35. What should I do and what are the effects of getting pulled over going over the speed limit by this much?

Answer:
 Your location will matter significantly here. No matter where you are though, rough guesstimating, say goodbye to your license.
You’re most likely losing it for a while.
Reckless driving, in some places this is a felony for the speed you were going in relation to the speed limit.
Insurance will go through the roof as You’ve got a pretty serious ticket with less then a year behind the wheel.
You’re going to have to bring your parents in on this and pray they have the money to get you a lawyer. You need one. Now. Answer #2: Get a lawyer!


Title: A friend is threatening to sue me for giving away an item he told me to give away.

Question:
Ok this is going to sound a bit odd, so just bear with me. My ex-coworker moved to another state, gave me the keys to his apartment, and asked if I would help get rid of the stuff while he was gone. I had no problem with it as he was hooking me up with a nice couch and table and chair set, for free. I thought it was a pretty sweet deal, and wasn't annoyed by it at all.

He stated that all the stuff that was left in the house needed to go. I tossed some of it, gave some of it away, and took the rest home. Looking back at it now I probably should have just let him handle everything, but I was just trying to help out a coworker and thought it was on the up and up.

So, when I get ready to turn in his keys I let him know that the apartment is cleared out, and that it's all handled, no worries. He says that's great, thanks a lot. Fast forward TWO MONTHS and he's messaging me about a TV Stand he had in the apartment, and that he DID NOT authorize me to give that away....that he wants it back, and that if he doesn't get it back he'll take action against me.

I don't know what his game is. He's always been a bit hard to read, and the way he left the job should have told me to steer clear of dealing with him (he promised my boss he'd handle the outside marketing - I work in Insurance - and basically took all our materials and just sat on his ass for a few weeks. He mailed in the key to the office and basically texted my boss laughing about it).

So, what can I do here? The TV Stand was actually really nice, I gave it away to a casual acquaintance who needed one. I've contacted them to no avail, but I'll continue to try. What should/can I do here?

**edit --- Thank you LocationBot --- I'm in Indiana**

Answer:
 > What should/can I do here?

If you can get the TV stand back without much hassle, you can do that.  You don't appear to be under any obligation to, but it may nip this in the bud.

If he told you to get rid of the stuff in the place, and gave you no further instruction, it's likely you have no liability.  He can still try to sue you, if he wants; but frankly the costs of that may be prohibitive for him.

Until or unless he sues you, you don't have to do anything.


Title: What if you straight out refused to reveal your identity after being arrested, ever?

Question: Would you just live in prison or would they have to let you go without a criminal record eventually? What steps could they legally take to identify you? Hang posters on the street? This whole scenario is cracking me up [9]

Answer: They will hold you in jail until your identity can be confirmed.  There is no time limit.  Legally they can hold you until you die.


Title: Unemployment Denied for odd reason. Should I appeal?

Question:
Quick background. I am from New Jersey and had been working at a company for about 10 months. I was offered a better position at a different company. Seven week later at the new company I was laid off -.- Leaving me unemployed. When I tried to file for unemployment benefits while I am looking for a new job I have been denied.

Now the reason I was given was that because I had only been working for the new company for 7 weeks I was ineligible for unemployment benefits. The Unemployment office cited this clause:

**43:21-5. Disqualification for benefits.**

**43:21-5. An individual shall be disqualified for benefits:**

**(a) For the week in which the individual has left work voluntarily without good cause attributable to such work, and for each week thereafter until the individual becomes reemployed and works eight weeks in employment, which may include employment for the federal government, and has earned in employment at least ten times the individual's weekly benefit rate, as determined in each case.**

So personally I think this is complete bullshit because I am short only a few days and have made well over the x10 amount of my weekly payout. So I decided to look up the clause and see what it says in totality. When I see this:

**43:21-5. Disqualification for benefits.**

**43:21-5. An individual shall be disqualified for benefits:**

(a)     For the week in which the individual has left work voluntarily without good cause attributable to such work, and for each week thereafter until the individual becomes reemployed and works eight weeks in employment, which may include employment for the federal government, and has earned in employment at least ten times the individual's weekly benefit rate, as determined in each case**. *This subsection shall apply to any individual seeking unemployment benefits on the basis of employment in the production and harvesting of agricultural crops, including any individual who was employed in the production and harvesting of agricultural crops on a contract basis and who has refused an offer of continuing work with that employer following the completion of the minimum period of work required to fulfill the contract*.**

Now I do not work in the agricultural section at all. I work as a programmer and web developer. Since there is a specific note for that subsection could I use that in my appeal for my benefits?

I do not really know about law but perhaps someone who knows more about can give me some more feedback. Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 Since you left your old job voluntarily, but did not work at your new job for 8 weeks, you are ineligible for benefits. Sorry but that's the law.

The part about agriculture has nothing to do with your claim.


Title: Removing an article from the internet

Question: I am from Michigan. I was involved in some illegal activity years ago. Part of my plea agreement was that I served my sentence and my record would be expunged and there was to be no public knowledge about my crime but there is still an article that is readily available on google. I have tried contacting the website and asking them to take it down but they claim that my plea agreement does not pertain to them because my deal was with the state of michigan and not them specifically. What can I do?

Answer:
 > there was to be no public knowledge about my crime

That's not quite correct.  An expungement is from your criminal record, and the law does not require every newspaper and website in the country to go back and delete news reports about the crime.

Many employers Google all their job candidates, but many don't.

Edit:  Relevant is the "right to be forgotten" - [link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_be_forgotten).Answer #2: You can ask them nicely.  That's about it.  The fact that you were previously convicted is accurate, and you can't stop someone from talking about it.Answer #3: > I have tried contacting the website and asking them to take it down but they claim that my plea agreement does not pertain to them because my deal was with the state of michigan and not them specifically

They are correctAnswer #4: There are places like Reputation.com that will push the negative links down in Google.  But, It is up to the site to remove it.  Answer #5: nothing, unfortunately. you cannot force them to take down the article.


Title: Did my employer ask me to do something illegal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You're definitely way beyond what this sub can provide, but I'd lean towards reporting it. Medicare fraud complaints are taken very, very seriously. Part of the ACA unlocked a ton of funding to investigate fraud. You can choose to remain anonymous.

https://www.medicare.gov/forms-help-and-resources/report-fraud-and-abuse/report-fraud/reporting-fraud.html

Let them figure out whether or not it's fraud.


Title: My best friend was just arrested for charges related to child pornography. Despite being terribly hurt and angry over this I'm curious what kind of road he has ahead of him. (OR)

Question:
So even I don't know all the details but essentially he's being charged with:

Encourage Child Sex Abuse 1

Use Child in Display of Sexual Conduct

The long and the short of it is he was caught taking photos of underage girls as they undressed. (From what I understand there are 13 specific charges)  This is a HUGE fucking surprise to his friends and family.  Its his first offense outside of drug related stuff in his late teens (he's 36 now), what kind of future does he have to look forward to?

Also I would like to throw out there that I do not in any way shape or form approve what my friend has done, I am incredibly hurt by his actions and his family is literally falling apart over this.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 He will bring going to prison. If he is lucky he will be in protective custody or a pedo-only unit. If not, then he will have a very rough time.

Once released he won't be able to get a job and will be restricted where he can live and work. Anything involving a licensure is certainly out of the question as is anything involving children. Answer #2: He doesn't have much of a future to look forward to. He's facing jail time and he's going to have to be placed on the sex offenders list.

Not really sure what we can tell you. He should consult with a lawyer if he hasn't already. I would recommend you distance yourself from him.


Title: Could I live in a shed?

Question:
r/Advice suggested I post this here:

I need some advice about whether or not living in a shed is a good option for me. I live with a roommate now, and our expenses for rent, etc. come to about $1,000 to $1,200 per month, excluding food, clothes, and gas. I take home around $1,300 a month and pay half the rent costs. I'm not building up my savings as much as I would like, and I really have no safety net. I'm concerned that if one of us loses our job or something major happens that I/we would be homeless. I am thinking of buying about an acre of land and putting a prefab shed on it for us to live in. I found one parcel of land I can afford to buy on a personal loan (you really can't get land loans these days) if I'm not also paying rent. I could easily afford a 120 sq foot shed (12' by 12' structures do not require a permit) as well as the electrical work (which I would get permitted) and some insulation/drywall. Any piece of land I could afford does not pass the perk test, so a septic system is out of the question. I could buy a composting toilet for around $500 or even make one in a pinch. The issue is that where I live it is illegal to use a composting toilet in a residence, and it is illegal to live in a structure that doesn't have septic! If I list my perminant residence as my parents' house, what problems could I run into actually living in a shed? I can hide the composting toilet before any inspections and just deny that I live there. What am I overlooking?

Edit: I live in North Carolina

Answer: Why not just get a box truck and live in the back? There was actually a guy that worked for google and they let him park it in the parking lot. If you find out you violate code somewhere, you just drive away.


Title: Ran from a cop while on a motorcycle

Question:
Hi Legaladvice.

Here's some backgroung,

I'm 20 years old with a good job in the IT field. I live in Las Vegas, NV and don't have anything other than tickets on my record.

Now here is what happened.
Last month I was riding a motorcycle that I had recently purchased and decided to put a plate from a bike I already owned on the motorcycle. A motorcycle cop signaled for me to pull over after speeding and I didn't pull over, I took off (big no no and i've learned my lesson).

The cops later showed up at my parents house looking for me, the plate was registered to my parents as I had just moved in with a friend. I showed up and admitted to it all as there was no way I could get out of the situation due to my parents acknowledging that I had recently purchased a black bike and acknowledged my riding gear.

The cops did not arrest me or suspend my license. I took them to where the bike was stashed so they could verify that it was me even though I had shown them pictures of the bike as well as a picture that had the license plate visible in it. I did not have a motorcycle endorsement nor Registration or Insurance.

They then charged me with 7 traffic violations and did not tow the bike.

Here are the tickets in order on the slips.

1: Citation - 484B.600c
Desc - Speed FASTER THAN POSTED 21 -30 MPH Over

2: Citation - 484B.650.3
Desc - AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

3: Citation - 484B.550.1
Desc - Drive EVADE, ELUDE OR FAIL TO STOP on Signal of Officer (Misd.)

4: Citation - 486.061.1
Desc - Drive Motorcycle WITHOUT VALID Motorcycle LIcense/Permit

5: Citation - 482.54.3
Desc - Unlawful TRANSFER of License Plates

6: Citation - 482.545.1
Desc - Operate UNREGISTERED Vehicle/Trailer/Semi

7: Citation - 485.187.1
Desc - OWNER Operate, Permit Operation W/O EVIDENCE of INSURANCE

Now here is the deal, I am not looking to get out of any of these. I deserve this and then some. They could have easily towed the bike, suspended my license on the spot, and arrested me. All of which I deserved. What I am looking for is some advice on what I should do.

I already have motorcycle insurance and I am about to get the bike Titled and Registered as soon as I find the Title that my ex-room mate lost.

I've spoken to some lawyers and they all told me the same thing, that it wouldn't be worth it for me to get a lawyer/attorney because there wasn't much they could do and not to sell the bike as it would look like I was just running from the situation.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 IANAL, but I would say selling the bike would look more like you're trying to get away from the wrecklessness. I'm not sure why selling your bike would look like you're running. It doesn't make sense to me.

If it were me, I'd sell it because you're going to lose your license anyway.Answer #2: Local attorneys are going to know the local judges better than us. So do what they say.


Title: Rape on college campus (California)

Question:
I live in a dorm at my college campus.  Recently my roommate Jessica (not her real name) broke up with her boyfriend Mike.  He cheated on her and then dumped her, and she was heartbroken.

About a week later, she decided to get revenge by accusing him of raping her.  She told our RA that he got her drunk at a party one time and had sex with her without permission.  Our RA usually gives people community service or something, so she was hoping that would happen.  However, John (our RA) decided to call the police, and Mike got arrested.  His family was unable to make bail (his dad is a janitor and doesn't have a lot of money), so he is still in jail pending a hearing.  The police came and interviewed Jessica and she told them a bunch of lies.  John also talked to the police, and they told him that this is a pretty good case and Mike will be looking at a few years in state prison.  He has also been banned from campus and the dorms.

Jessica has been joking about this with our other roommate, and boasting about how she is getting revenge on him.  I guess that's true, since he did cheat on her, which was completely unacceptable.  She has the right to be upset.  But this may have gone too far.  I don't know how to feel about all this.  Of course I cannot really say anything, because I will lose all my friends.  I talked to another girl on our floor about this, and she said that if I snitch I will probably get kicked out of my sorority (she is on the board) for breaking the unity of the group, and it will make my senior year here pretty bad.  I'm just conflicted and I don't really know what to do.

Answer:
 I am having trouble believing this is a real post and a real situation.

Here's why. I cannot imagine that a person (let alone an entire group of people) with any sort of morals or ethics would let an innocent man go to prison for a crime that everyone knows he did not commit.Answer #2: I mean, you have to weigh your own conscience.  If a sorority will kick you out because you "snitched" on a sorority sister who is lying (while you know she is lying) about rape, and could easily ruin this guy's life, is that even a group you want to be in?

Furthermore, do you want to have this weighing on your conscience for years to come if he is ever charged?  Even if he is not found guilty, this guy would have been sent to hell and back.

Do the right thing, and tell the truth.  If you lose friends, who cares.  You'll make more.


Title: I think I was lied to about my grandfather's will, is there any way I can find a copy of it? (Connecticut)

Question: My granfather told me I was in his will but at the time he passed my father (the will executor) and I were not speaking (we still aren't).  I've never heard anything about the will and never heard from an attorney.  Can I find a copy of the will anywhere?  Thanks for any help at all.

Answer: Wills are public record. You can go down to the county courthouse where your grandfather passed away.


Title: RARE: Med Doctor Discriminated & Failed Student/Contract Law

Question:
So, this is probably a very, very rare case, but would love to hear some advice. In medical school, the second two years are the "clinical" years where you switch from one doctor (preceptor) to another every few weeks testing out the different departments & specialties. When done through your school, there is usually a process for when a preceptor has unjustly failed a student: some way to challenge this grade. However, when you set these rotations up through a third\-party agency, these protections are not always in place.

It would be difficult to prove discrimination based on any larger context (i.e.: race, gender, etc.), though clear discrimination occurred. The preceptor had, in fact, created a list of tasks to be done for a completion grade, and stated that all of these assignments had been completed.

As the preceptor is "under contract" with the agency (though seemingly a very loose contract: they only care about getting paid) and there is an "agreement" between the medical school and the agency (but not directly with the preceptor), would this fall under contract law? What are potential resources in order to find out more about what to do in this instance?

Answer: Huh? So there was a list of tasks, you don't do them, and now you say it's discrimination?


Title: ADP payroll technical issues, and not getting paid

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice,

I was wondering if you had any ideas that could help me -

Issue:
I haven't received my direct deposit for two weeks.

Background:
I work for a company that uses ADP payroll services to pay its employees. Recently, the company has been bought out by a another company, so there have been some changes.

The most recent change/impact was the transfer of employees to the payroll of the new company - by that, I mean that I now see the new company's name on my ADP payslips. I do not know if that means that the new company is using ADP's services for just our subset of employees, or if both the old and new company were using ADP, and there was a simple transfer of employees by ADP.

I've called ADP and confirmed/verified my bank account number and routing information for the direct deposit, and those look good. I'm still able to see my payslips, and I'm able to see what amounts I should be getting paid. The method of payment, "Direct Deposit", is also shown on the payslips, as well as the correct routing information, and correct bank account number.

I've been informed that the issue stems from my bank account number beginning with a 0 (zero), which caused some sort of glitch/error for my information during the transfer of employees between the old company and new company. I thought that was fine; I'm not going ot berate a customer support agent/employee for something out of their control.

But, it's now been two weeks since that payday, and today is the next payday, and again there is no direct deposit into my account. Payslips show a total of a little over $1800 in payment I'm missing.

Question:
Is there any type of pressure I can apply to ADP?

EDIT:
This is in Florida

EDIT:
I've spoken to HR, and did get a deposit just now. Just waiting on the second payment now.

Thanks for all the help, everyone! I should be good at this point.

Answer:
 Technically you have not been paid for a month of work, not 2 weeks. Correct your post!

Otherwords:
http://www.dol.gov/wecanhelp/howtofilecomplaint.htm

File a complaint facekeyboard!Answer #2: Talk to your company HR, not ADP.  Your HR uploads the data and they are doing something wrong most likely.


Title: Can my HOA management company suddenly change our monthly amount after closing claiming "mistake"

Question:
My husband and I purchased a new construction house in an existing neighborhood back in March.  There were 12 single family homes added on a vacant lot in this neighborhood.  The original neighborhood is about 10-years old.  We were told the HOA was $250/month by the builder.  We proceed to closing and all goes smoothly.  Fast forward to now, almost 8 months later we get a bill from our management company for a whole bunch of charges to the tune of $700+.  We call them and we're told we have been paying the wrong HOA amount and it should be $330/month.  We question this since it's much higher than we were told.  The HOA management company initially tells us to look on our HUD statement.  THAT is the correct amount.  So I look back at all the closing documents.  And it says $250.  AND there's a letter in there from the management company verifying the amount of $250 to the title company with the breakdown of how those funds are dispersed.  We bring this to the attention the management company and now they're crazy defensive.  The story has changed many times from them claiming the builder agreed to pay a lower amount while they were selling the properties and it was supposed to be raised to $330 when it changes hands from the builder to the buyer to basically them saying it's $330 and they have no idea where this $250 came from like we made it up or something.  The manager at the management company is crazy crazy defensive and threatening to foreclose if we don't pay.  The bottom line is in the HOA meeting minutes, the HOA amount was raised from $250 to $330 last fall.  Before we moved in, before we were even under contract.  EVERY single document we have, even notarized closing documents say $250.  However she says it doesn't matter what our closing documents say.  It's $330.  Pay up the back fees and pay $330 moving forward.  I have no idea at this point where the real mix up was.  Almost all the new new construction homes have closed and ALL of them were told $250 and have it on their closing documents.  Even someone who closed two weeks ago, after we got our first nasty gram letter.  Everyone is in different stages of getting these letters so no one has really done anything yet but bicker with the management company.  The newest family to close knew nothing until today when we told them and they were PISSED.  So...where do we go from here?  Honestly, $250 vs. $330 HOA could have made a difference in our decision to buy.  I don't know who made the mistake here or how to even start.  Do I even fight this or just pay and move on?  I know the HOA can vote to change and raise rates at any time really, so I'm not sure what resolution I expect.  I suspect it's the mistake of the management company because that woman is flipping out.

tl/dr moved into new construction house with $250 HOA/month.  Now we're told it was a mistake and it's really $330/month, 8 months after we move in, got whopped with a bill for back fees and told to pay up or foreclose.

Answer: Two things: 1) I would talk to the builder about it as he is the one whom sold you the house at $250 a month and that he should pay the difference for the first year. 2) I would look through the rules of the HOA to see if they have limits on how much they can raise it in a year. We had a 5% max (which was than raised to 8%) so it could only go up so much per year. A 32% raise in a year seems extreme and you would want to get that corrected to have a limit per year or you could be in trouble down the line.


Title: [Michigan] Grandfather sexually groped my mother. Aunt/uncle do not believe her, called police on her.

Question:
Background: My grandfather is 91 years old. My mom is his 24/7 caregiver. He still has his mental faculties (although after this I'm not so sure). I lived with them as a child and into my adult life.

On three different occasions my grandfather sexually groped my mother. First time, he leaned in when she was in a chair and groped her breasts and thighs. Second time, he grabbed her butt. Third time, (not sexual groping but highlights something he said) he leaned in over close to her while she was on the phone sitting down and she told him to give her space. He turned around and called himself a sicko bastard.

He has never acted like this before and I thought it was the start of Alzheimer's. I didn't know that he grabbed her butt until now so I thought i was a one time thing. He told her later he was really sorry about what he did and it was "stupid". My mother and I had been hoping it was a one time deal and would never happen again. It's just so absurd because it's totally out of his personality. All of this took place over the span of 6 weeks ~ 2 months.

Today everything came to a head. Now, my grandfather is denying everything and my aunt and uncle don't believe my mom and think she's making it up or is mentally unsound. My aunt called the police. No one was arrested. They took my mom's side, my uncle's side (who was leading the police there) and asked me if my mom had a history of mental illness. I told them she did not. I did tell them she has depression and anxiety.

Right now my mom is staying with my at my apartment. This happened about 4 hours ago.

My mom doesn't have a lot of money so I'm worried about her being able to afford a lawyer. also, it's going to be three against two (my grandpa, my aunt and my uncle against my mom and myself). I think I won't be taken as seriously as I'm the daughter of the victim so I have a strong bias.

What steps should we take? We have a card for shelters if she needs to go there. I want her to stay with me but she doesn't want to after she gets her stuff together.

What can my aunt and uncle do to my mother legally? Could they arrest her for slander?

I'm in a stupor that all of this happened and that he flat out denied what he did even though on several occasions he said it was wrong of him.

Thank you for any advice.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 This isn't only sad and depressing, it's [common](http://www.alzfdn.org/EducationandCare/inappropriate_sexual_behavior.html). I'm unclear why your aunt felt the need to involve the police, but that ship has sailed.

Filing a police report is *not* grounds for a defamation suit. Answer #2: I'd call your local Area Agency on Aging to learn more about Alzheimers and what caregivers can do to take care of someone who is acting out inappropriately--figure out why it is happening (Grandpa is either confusing your mom for his wife, or the impulse centers of his brain are being affected) and how to mitigate/prevent those behaviors.  Sorthum's link about inappropriate sexual behaviors is a good start.

http://www.michigan.gov/osa/1,4635,7-234-64081---,00.html

Your grandpa should go in to his doctor to have his memory tested--there are many different things that can cause dementia--some are easily curable.  The fact this came on suddenly without other memory symptoms (that you know of), makes it more likely this is something physical and curable--a UTI, vitamin deficiency, or med side effect.

I'd have your mom stay with you the next couple days--your aunt and uncle aren't in the mindset right now to believe this might be a physical problem or the start of dementia.  Let things settle down and get some info from Agency on Aging so they can see this is a common problem that a doctor needs to investigate.

Remember that your aunt/uncle aren't doing this to be malicious, they are trying to protect your grandpa in the best way they know how.

If they don't cool down/won't listen, then your mom should go to the shelter and ask for help there.  Your mom is a tenant and would need to be evicted, but hopefully it won't come to that.


Title: Worried about if my mom is "conning" my dad into more childcare than he needs to pay

Question:
Okay so I used the word "conning" because I couldn't really think of a better word but here we go. So my parents have been divorced since 2002 so my dad has been paying child support since (I live with my mom). Right now I'm 20 years old, about to be 21 in a week or so. I just graduated from community college in August of 2016. I want to go back to school but I was planning on taking a year off to save up money first. (So I'd be going back to school August 2018).

Well the other day my mom came into my room and asked when I was planning on going back to college. I said that I was planning on taking the year off so I could save up money. She said okay, but then went on to explain that if I didn't go back to school, they'd have to rewrite/renegotiate/ re-something (I forget her exact words) my dad's child support payments because it was written in them that he had to pay a different amount if I was living with my mom while in school vs not being in school. So I thought nothing of it at first but then later that day my mom and step dad called me upstairs to tell me they wanted me to go back to school immediately.

They argued that if I wait a year I wouldn't want to get back, and that since I can't get a job i better go back immediately, etc. etc. but I'm a little worried their main concern is because they don't want to receive less money from my dad.

Some other information: While my parents do buy food and keep it in the house, I tend to buy my own and eat my own. They will often pay me back for any clothes I buy. But I pay for my car loan, car repair, gas, insurance and phone bill. My point is I don't really know what the child support is legally supposed to go to, but I often pay my own bills so i don't know if that matters since i'm mostly independent at this point.

Another thing to note is I also have a younger brother who my dad pays child support for and I live in New York.

So basically I'm worried about my moms motivations when it comes to me going to college and because it seems to me to stem from her worrying about recieving less money from my dad I don't know if there's anything I should/ can do about it or if it's just one of those things that's completely legal but just kind of selfish sounding (her wanting me to go back to school just to keep getting money)?

Answer:
 >They argued that if I wait a year I wouldn't want to get back

This is a legitimate concern. I've seen people do this and regret it years later when it's a lot harder to go back to school.

>and that since I can't get a job i better go back immediately, etc. etc.

If you can't get a job how are you paying your own bills and almost independent now?

>Some other information: While my parents do buy food and keep it in the house, I tend to buy my own and eat my own. They will often pay me back for any clothes I buy. But I pay for my car loan, car repair, gas, insurance and phone bill. My point is I don't really know what the child support is legally supposed to go to, but I often pay my own bills so i don't know if that matters since i'm mostly independent at this point.

You sound like me at 16, except my parents didn't reimburse me for my clothes. The child support helps pay for the roof over your head, the electricity and water you use, and the gas for heat if that's what type heater you have. It helps pay for all those little things that you never think of to cost of before you live on your own, like dishwasher soap and toilet paper. It also helps cover some of the cost of the food you have the option to eat.


Title: Pharmacy worker keeps saying things about what I buy or medication I purchase when coming to my workplace or in public, what can be done about that?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Bring it up to her boss.Answer #2: This happened to me in a different context. A liquor store I frequented for beer etc had one person who would make defaming comments across the entire store... For instance, I was buying up the remaining stock of a limited edition seasonal beer that I love (you can only buy so many per person of limited edition beer here) and it was going out of season so their excess of it was marked down considerably. This is a chain store but it's the only one in my town with specialty/nicer alcoholic items. So I would go in every few days and get more of it to store. (This wasn't excessive - think a 12 pack every 3 or 4 days) and he would, everytime, yell across the store "Have you already drank *all of that beer*!? Its only been one day!!", "Weren't you just here last week?!?", and "Already back for more??!" and people would stare at me as if I was a homeless wino stumbling in off the street... It is a nice store and was always full. I explained to him every time why I was there and why I was buying what I was buying in that frequency (not that I should have had to explain anything) and he kept doing it. Eventually I asked to talk to a manager, and *he* was the manager. So I just stopped going there. Wish I had done something then.


Title: Update! Thanks for the advice I got from you all on my old [post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/30re71/unlawful_firearm_possession_am_i_screwed_for_life/)

Question:
I had been getting shot down from every job I applied for due to my history. It turns out that the paraphernalia charges etc from 10 years ago that were dropped were still on my record.

I found a lawyer thats a friend of the family to help me out for free in getting everything taken care of. So as of next Monday I will have everything expunged and be able to get my license back (excluding the gun charge.)

But the best news is, I had him look into the gun charge that has been haunting me. He can't make it go away, but informed me that after 5 years I can have it expunged as long as I don't do anything stupid between now and then. I don't plan on it.

But, thanks to everyone that looked into it and helped me in the right direction. I appreciate it.

Answer:
 And I messed up the title. Great. =/

But still. Thank you.


Title: NYS - Rights of bullied child

Question:
Hello,

My child has been having difficulties all school year with a child in his class. I've engaged his teacher and I've tried to allow him to handle issues on his own as I feel thats an important skill to learn. Last week, my child broke down and couldn't handle the stress anymore. He was being taunted daily, pushed, kicked multiple times per week. The child doesn't single out my son, this literally happens to ALL the kids in the class. The child already had permament lunch detention (3rd grade) and is in principal office multiple times per week. I emailed his teacher, principal and social worker last Tuesday to express my concern and asked to work togethor to find a resolution. The social worker called me and advsied that she works with this other child already and wanted to meet with my son 1-2x before end of school year to help him move through this and she would also ensure they were not in the same class this year. My son was relieved at this plan. He liked that he had an adult he could talk too and who could help him figure out how to work thru things on his own and what incidents he needs to involve an adult. I have not yet heard from the principal. FYI - She handles all disciplinary issues - not the teacher.

I just received a phone call from the school nurse who advised my son was seen because this child now bit my son in the cafeteria.

I am not looking to sue anyone or any entity. I basically need to know what my rights are as a parent. What responsibility does the school have to protect my son (and other children) from this? I need my son to be safe at school. Is my only option to home school him?

Answer:
 This is the NYS law regarding bullying and elementary school kids: http://capsli.org/dignity-for-all-students-act-dasa/

Each district must have a designated person to deal with bullying - I'm assuming this is the social worker you have spoken to. They are trained to deal with bullies in schools.

If I were you, I would request a meeting with the social worker and the principal to discuss all their next steps, including what they plan to do immediately to ensure that your child remains safe, and not just next year.

Here's some helpful tips for parents:
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/bullying/Bullying_Primer.pdf


Title: Illinois. Can I be forced to make major changes to my house based on a covenant that no one is following.

Question: My house was built in 2009 and we bought in 2015. All homes are custom. The covenant was  approved in 2003 before any houses were built. My house doesn’t follow many of the requirements including % of brick and side loading garage. Someone recently bought a vacant lot and let me know that they want to change the covenant prior to building and if It doesn’t get approved they would sue to have me make the required changes to my house. Would they win?

Answer:
 Just to clarify - is there an HOA in place?   A lot of people don't understand that your deed can contain CC&Rs even without an HOA, and that your neighbors can sue you to enforce them.

Your neighbor CAN sue you if you're violating them.   I would sure be SURPRISED if a court was willing to impose substantial consequence to try to make you comply.  Selective enforcement also diminishes the strength of their claim - this is one case where the grade-school 'but everyone else is getting away with it!' actually does have a little bit of relevance.  It's not IMPOSSIBLE he can get traction, but it's unlikely.

That said - if nobody is following the covenants and nobody cares enough to try to get an HOA spun up - I'd start with trying to help my neighbor get the restrictions lifted or eased, because that benefits everyone.

And some day when he asks to borrow a cup of sugar, don't let him...  because he was an asshole for trying to strongarm you into doing it his way in the first place, rather than leveling with you respectfully.Answer #2: Not specific to your state: It would be a weak case against you. The HOA likely has a wide degree of latitude to modify, interpret or abandon its own rules, as long as the rules are enforced in a consistent manner. If the HOA denied the new owners application, the new owner might have a decent lawsuit against the HOA itself to seek to overturn the rule (and such a lawsuit might cost you indirectly as an HOA member). But there is no way a court is going to force existing owners to modify any superficial/design detail of an existing structure.


Title: [MA]Can the school legally do any of this?

Question:
A friend and I have been wondering whether or not we could do anything about the stuff that's been happening to us at college. I asked my friend who typically goes out at night to grab me some chips at a local convenience store
And he was caught leaving past curfew. We also got in trouble over walking through the old girls dorm which is currently unoccupied and undergoing renovations. We knew that going out past curfew was against the rules but we didn't know that we couldn't walk through the dorms as a lot of the doors were unlocked as they haven't issued a student handbook or told us all the rules. The punishment that they gave us was ridiculous, they came into our rooms and took our our electronics (Desktops, game consoles, laptops, etc.) and they told us we could have it back after two weeks. They also said that we couldn't go anywhere without a staff member knowing where we are or being with us. We never signed anything that gave them permission to do this so is this legal? Also we're being forced to worship with them, go to church, and dress a certain way while doing so. We didn't know we'd have to do any of this when we first came here though as all this stuff being mandatory wasn't advertised on their website or anything.

Answer:
 Are you attending South Harmon Institute of Technology, for God's sake?  If this is for real, you guys have to run fast and far from this "college."  Your families are nuts for paying for you to attend an unaccredited school that doesn't even have running water.

You're both 18, so go get jobs and get away from that place.  Don't throw away good money after bad, either.  Community college is a better option than where you are now.Answer #2: An unaccredited college??  How many students are there? Has this happened to any other student in this time?  Who exactly was it that came to take your stuff?Answer #3: Are you sure you didn't agree to any of this by signing something during the enrollment process?  And that they didn't give you a rule book of any sort?

If you do leave - make darn sure you understand their withdrawal and refund policy.  Follow the withdrawal policy to the letter and understand beforehand if it will mean you owe them money after it's done.  Just leaving will not trigger a withdrawal for some time and would likely leave you owing the full semester or even years tuition and fees.Answer #4: If what the school is doing is illegal then what should we do?Answer #5: I wonder if it's this place.  When it was open before I gave financial aid training there a few times and OP's description of what happened would not surprise me at all http://atoday.org/atlantic-union-college-will-reopen-this-fall-without-accreditation.html


Title: Using real helicopters in a game

Question: Hello. I'm working on a 2d action game with helicopters in it and am not sure whether I can use real names and self-drawn 2d sprites of them. Googled a lot on this topic but didn't find anything clear. I'd be happy if anyone knows about using AH-1, AH64, A129, Mi-24, Mi-28 and Ka-50 in a game.

Answer:
 Bastardise them slightly, then no copyright issues can occur.

For example, Mi-24 is a military designation and no one can copyright that, just don't call it a Миль Ми-24, and make the 2d sprite of them distinct enough that they are not identical to the actual hind.


Title: Mexican exchange student on J1 Visa studying in California; Can I purchase and/or smoke weed?

Question: I'm studying on CSU in orange county; when they told us the rules, a slide said that consumption of illegal drugs could lead to deportation, but they also said that "one was removed from that list" (it was obviously marijuana), so I wonder if I, as a 21 year old Mexican exchange student on J1 Visa in California, can purchase and/or smoke recreational marijuana? and if not to one, or both of them, what would the repercussions be?. Thanks your time!

Answer:
 Be aware that if CBP finds out that you're using illegal drugs you can be deemed inadmissible as a drug user.Answer #2: Locally you'll be fine. But it's still illegal at the federal level. Normally the only encounter with federal law enforcement is the boarder. So if you are at the airport or land boarder, the CBP caught you using, or recently used, or carrying, or found even trace amount in your luggage, or when driving to cross, anywhere in your car like under the seat or in the corner of the trunk, you may be deemed inadmissible and turned back to where you came from.
Also CBP has the right to search your phone and social network. So if they see you posted this, you may get into trouble.
Also this is not just at the Mexican border. If you are traveling in WA, NY or anywhere near the northern border, a wrong turn could send you into CBP. Or coming back from a trip to Canada, it's legal in states and provinces both sides, but still illegal at the CBP checkpoint.Answer #3: My husband admitted to using weed (In a legal state) on his medical exam for USCIS, which did cause some issues for his permanent residency/ with our lawyer.  So that may be something to consider long term.

FWIW Our lawyer determined that in filing for PR there was no need to admit to the crime of smoking weed (The question is something like have you committed a crime you haven't been charged for) even though it was on the medical, and my husband got approved after the first interview.


Title: update: small claims today, tips?- Month to month roommate (NYC) moved out without paying last month's rent, cable bill or painting room back

Question:
hello all- here is a link to my last post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/34jda9/month_to_month_roommate_nyc_moved_out_without/

I am going to small claims today. I am unsure if she will show up. I got full security back for the entire apartment, but she owes me about a grand ($4 short) for painting her black room back (LL asked me to paint to white and then took care of painting the entire apt as per NYC law) and everything else. I sent her an email in June with a rundown of everything she owed me and why (written by a lawyer friend) and she responded admitting she knew owed me and would venmo me (I gave her a date a month away to pay me by), so hopefully I don't have to pull out the million texts, emails, photos of the room, etc.

Any tips for me? I have printed all emails and texts, have all receipts, proof that she lived there (mail she left in the mailbox, rent payments), proof of our month-to-month arrangements, etc. The only possible issue is that I lost one home depot receipt for $95 but printed out my bank statement. In the grand scheme not that worried about $95...

Any additional advice would be great!

Answer:
 AFAIK You'll want your evidence in triplicates. One for you, one for the judge, one for the roommate.Answer #2: Dress and behave as professionally as you can. Presenting yourself well matters in court. Make sure to bring all your documentation and have it well organized.

Good luck!


Title: Is it illegal to use recordings of phone calls in which would prove your innocence, even though the other caller did not know the call was being recorded?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: This is not the sub for hypotheticals. Thats r/legaladviceofftopic. And it would depend on your state.


Title: [BERKELEY, CA] Landlord found out I'm illegally subletting my space.

Question:
The lease clearly says that I'm not allowed to sublet, and doing so is in grounds of terminating the lease and evicting me.

There are 3 girls living there who have been sending me money and using my checks to pay rent. One of them stupidly revealed to the landlord that she was a subletter, when she was caught having a dog over at the apartment.

Landlord has called me three times and I'm too scared to answer.

What can I do about this? Thanks.

UPDATE: Landlord was mad about the dog and gave me a warning. Idk what the hell just happened. Thanks everyone.

Answer:
 You need to have a "house meeting" and explain to everybody that they will probably have to find a new place to live very quickly. You made a stupid decision and got caught.  Ducking your landlord only increases the chances they will be completely unwilling to cut you any slack.Answer #2: >One of them stupidly revealed to the landlord that she was a subletter, when she was caught having a dog over at the apartment.

Why is that stupid for her, you're the dumbass who deliberately broke the lease and allowed people (presumably) to have a pet in the home when that wasn't allowed.

I'd pick up the phone, since I'm an adult.  I'd also be prepared to be evicted *and* possibly get sued by the tenants.Answer #3: You can apologize and grow up. The LL is probably going to evict you. Enjoy!


Title: Staying in house with medical garden, cops come, take plants, now I'm being hit with felonies.

Question:
So I sleep some nights in a room in Washington and on the other side of the house is a medical garden run by friends. They assure me it's all legal and I trust them, they show me a bunch of licences I look up online about the laws it all checks out. I get a job out here so I'm staying more often hoping to get myself together.  One day I come 'home' from work and the narcotics task force is at my door telling me I can't go inside. They say they need to check if the house is in compliance with the laws, they say again and again they just want to make sure,  and if they have too many plants they will take the extras and that's that. I call up a friend who helps run it,  they say yeah let them in we are in compliance. So I do. They come in they throw a search warrant at me and tell me to get out,  they take all the plants and search the house only to find absolutely nothing. They come outside say that it wasn't in compliance and leave. Turns out a law was adjusted in the county that made the compliance amount less. (I'm obviously dumbing this down). Nothing happens except extreme embarrassment for a few weeks until I get something in the mail at my actual address saying they are charging me for two felonies. I have a completely clean criminal record (save for some driving infractions) and I can't afford a good lawyer. I could probably qualify for a public defender. What do I do?

Also,  no one else is charged.

Answer:
 You took the fall for the house? Dude.

You need a lawyer.


Title: My fiancée was caught in the middle of a shootout and we could use your help [Milwaukee, Wisconsin]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No grounds for a lawsuit because no damages.

Aside:
Can you get workers comp to cover job-related mental health appointments?Answer #2: You can't sue for what "might have" happened. Not only that, but the company did offer a reasonable work-around to the unsafe environment, albeit somewhat late. But there no law that they must be speedily responsive to their employee's requests.Answer #3: 2 guys with Uzis spray down a house and there is not a single news story about it?


Title: Mice in my rental home landlord refuses to hire an exterminator.

Question: The last month has been a nightmare. I've found my cats killing mice on 5 separate occasions, 2 the last two days. They are indoor cats, so I know they aren't bringing them inside. My house is very tidy and clean, as well. I've called my landlord about this three times, the first time she said to put out traps and d-con, which I did to no avail. The 2nd time, I left a message she never returned. We called again this evening and directly asked for her to hire an exterminator, to which she refused and said it's never helped in the past and to keep putting down traps and poison. I have a 3 year old and a 10 month old, so traps and poison aren't the safest options, especially if they aren't helping since I'm still finding mice. That being said, my landlord has a nasty reputation as being a slumlord around here. If one ever complain about landlords, everyone knows exactly who you are talking about. She owns over 100 rental properties in this tiny Minnesota town so moving isn't really an option since she owns most of the rental properties around. I'm scared for my children's safety, as mice can bite and carry diseases plus the poison and traps are not safe with them around. What are my legal options?

Answer:
 There are different kinds of traps. With pets and young children, the traditional snap traps are off the table (also, due to offshore manufacturers copying the design without understanding it, and cutting corners, they are less effective than the ones you could get 40 years ago). Look into enclosed traps (mouse has to enter before it's exposed to the mechanism), or (look it up on YouTube) roller/bucket traps (couple inches of water in a bucket should still be child-safe, especially if the child's weight is enough to tip over (and spill the water out of) the bucket if they fall in.

DO NOT use poison. Due to rodent behaviour on finding a new food source, rodent poison has to be slow-acting. You don't want your cats to eat any "walking dead mice" (poisoned, but it hasn't killed them yet).


Title: [TX]My estranged wife put me in a mental institution for 4 days

Question:
I spent four days in the county mental health unit (because I was admitted Thursday night and observed Friday morning and they can't release on weekends). During this divorce it has got grittier and grittier. I will admit, I have said comments about suicide and not being able to live without her and my son.

However, I was placed into a unit with people that had had attacked other people or harmed themselves. I have no history of mental illness and no violent track record. She was able to get a court order to put me in the county mental health institution where I received pretty much no counseling and just tried to make the best of it by doing crosswords.

There was a hearing that I was not invited to and could not attend because of work. Due to me missing three days of work, I ended up losing my job. While I was there, for a period of time I had nothing to read but the handbook they provided me when I was admitted. It said that having someone falsely admitted was a crime. I think this has to do with child support and custody.

Wat do?

Edit: I get what I said was wrong, however I do not think my freedom should have been taken for 4 days and been put in a situation with dangerous individuals. Think what you will.

Answer:
 You were not falsely admitted. You were suicidal.

Answer #2: What to do. Stop threatening suicide for one.


Title: Apartment complex took down my review from Google to hide violating Google's review policy. Can I take further action?

Question:
Texas. My apartment is currently holding a contest with a prize of $250. To enter you must submit a positive review on Google, a direct violation of Google's review policy (paraphrasing; Google reviews will not be incentivized or all the reviews can be removed)

It also seems that they are taking down any reviews that poorly reflect them in an effort to boost their 2 star rating. Is there anything beyond reporting this to Google? I've tried looking up how to do that and I feel as though what I found wasn't the right thing.

Here is a picture of the promotion: https://i.imgur.com/z9wTkLe.jpg

Answer: You can report them to Google. How are they able to 'take down' reviews?Answer #2: The apartment building cannot remove some's review of their business. The most they can do is flag it, and then Google will take a look and decide if it needs to be removed.


Title: I [MA] was picked up in Amherst, VA for speeding and possession. What should I expect?

Question:
Throwaway for the obvious reasons.
All of the relevant facts as I see them are as follows: I'm a college student licensed in Massachusetts, and am going to school in Connecticut. During the summer, I was driving back home from Virginia when I was pulled over going 79 in a 65 zone. The officer also smelled marijuana that was in my car. As it was only about 1 gram and I wanted to be able to get home that day, I was nothing but cooperative with the officers that were on the scene (So much so that one of the officers commented on it), even engaging in small-talk with one of the officers.  After a little while, the officer that had pulled me over field tested the pot in front of me, and I was sent on my way with two citations to traffic court, one for speeding and the other for the possession. As far as I know, my financial aid is unaffected, as I was charged with the possession outside of the award period.

This is my first serious run-in with the law, and I'm unsure of what is going to happen. I cannot afford a lawyer, and as I go to school in Connecticut, I do not have the ability or the money to go back and forth to Virginia for any drawn out proceedings. Since both citations were sent to traffic court rather than criminal court, should I expect different results for the citations? Would it be beneficial to put myself at the mercy of the court? I know that possession in Virginia can mean jail time, but is that guaranteed? Does having a clean record, my demeanor with the police, and being enrolled in school help my chances? What about being from out-of-state? I've gone to court in Massachusetts before for a speeding ticket (which was thrown out at the mercy of the court), and was given the chance to give a statement. Will I have the same opportunity here? I realize that I made a serious mistake, and I feel that my best odds are if I show that I'm genuinely apologetic to the Court. But with little prior legal experience, I'm unsure of what to do. Does anyone have any advice on what the best way to approach the situation is?

Answer: You need an attorney. Possession in Virginia is a criminal offense. You need to get it taken care of so it doesn't remain on your record.


Title: A guy who broke into my house a year ago has been violating the anti-harassment/no contact order for months, and I had no idea... [Help?!]

Question:
USA

I rarely post on Reddit and this is a throwaway for obvious reasons so please excuse any errors in formatting. This is also LONG and BIZARRE so thanks for reading.

Long story short: Last New Year's Eve (2016 technically), I returned home to my apartment around 1am with my boyfriend at the time. When we parked my car in our alleyway parking spot, there was a very clearly inebriated younger guy (about my age, college students) in my/my neighbors bay of cars. He was clearly out of his mind wasted. He was attempting to open our neighbors car doors and didn't even seem to realize that we were sitting in my car with the lights on staring at him, wondering what to do. He continued trying to get into our cars with keys, our storage closets, and our upstairs neighbors apartment door.

My boyfriend accidentally left our front door unlocked for a few seconds while bringing our dog inside, and the guy came into our apartment and attacked my boyfriend. The guy was very drunk/high, my boyfriend had to hold him in a chokehold until the cops arrived and arrested him for residential burglary, a felony. No real damage or injuries came of

This is where things get bizarre...

I have been taking my final class for school this entire fall. It was a small class, in which I had to work with a small, chosen group for ten weeks. I have gotten to know and befriend these people, I text them about our project and am friends with them on facebook.

I received the no contact order from the DA office three weeks after it was sent (at the end of November) due to it being sent to my old address, where the incident occurred but I had moved. He is still being charged for the felony. The notice comes a few days after my class has. When I read the notice, I recognized the name as one of my group members. I have been working with the man who broke into my house ALL QUARTER and confirmed this with DOB. I did not recognize him for many reasons, including not knowing his name until the no contact order was issued.

My issue is this:
I can not contact the district attorney and see how this all plays out without them knowing I knew who he was. Or, I contact them and let them know he broke the no contact order, and I did not realize who he was.

Did he know the whole 11 weeks we knew each other, or did he know for only 3 weeks? If he knew the entire time, what a low life. Risking his arrest and whatnot for the benefit of himself remaining in the class.

I don't know if he thinks I knew who he was, and that I simply chose to ignore the situation. I did not know.

I am confused, if he only knew for three weeks I'm not sure that I want to get him in anymore trouble. However, he should still be punished for the initial crime. I don't know how this information, on either of our ends, can play into his trial. He provided me with one of the scariest moments of my life. If he was irresponsible enough that "one time", who knows if he might do it again to someone else.

TL;DR: a guy broke into my house, a no contact order was issued, but I have been in a class with this guy all fall (and did not realize it was him). How long did he know I was the persons house he broke into and should I contact the district attorney - risking getting him in more trouble?

I'm just not sure what to do, if I should tell the district attorney or not. I'm confused and upset. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: tl;dr guy drunkenly walks into OP's house and starts a drunken fight, DA is pursuing charges and advised OP that drunk guy was issued a no contact order, due to address change OP didn't get notice until weeks after it was issued, didn't know drunk guy's name until then, OP now realizes drunk guy was in their class all semester. OP is unsure if drunk guy ignored no contact order or not and wants to know if they should tell the DA.


Title: [PA] I have a complicated situation on my hands regarding my father being falsely accused of sexual assault. Advice appreciated, story in text.

Question:
This morning my Aunt M., who is 17 years younger than my father, stormed into my parents' house with her husband and my other Aunt S./Uncle.  My Aunt M. suffers from bipolar disorder and has been in an abusive relationship with her husband for many years.  Well today she accused my father of sexually molesting her when she was 4 years old.  This puts this at 47 years ago.  While the foursome was there they threatened violence against my 71-year old, Multiple-Sceloris-stricken father, and tried to persuade my 68-year old mother to leave him immediately.  My two uncles allegedly threatened to "kill" my father, banged against the wall and told him that if he "could stand up" (he's wheelchair-ridden) they would physically beat him.

My father wouldn't know how to hurt a fly; he's a peaceful, loving person who has invited Aunt M. and her children into our home many times when Aunt M. was suffering physical abuse at the hands of her husband.  That notwithstanding, I am not sure what to do now.  File a police report?  Connect with a family attorney and putting a statement on record under oath?  We have no idea.  But there have to be legal provisions to help those falsely accused, correct?  And the incident today would seem to call for some form of police report being filed, no?

I'm at a total loss and thought I'd start here before making calls tomorrow.  All help, thoughts appreciated, I will answer all questions I can in the comments if more information is required.  Thank you in advance.

Edit: As of February 9, I have learned from my cousin that my Aunt M. has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the area specializing in mental health issues.

Edit 2: I'm disturbed by the amount of people down voting my comment about my father being incapable of these actions.  A down vote is not used in that fashion in this forum, particularly if you don't know my father or the situation.  My father has had Multiple Sclerosis for 44 years and has spent his life doing charitable work for a wide variety of causes.  He is the most decent, gentle and generous man I (and the VAST support group that has come from this) have ever met.  This is not a "is he guilty or not" forum, this is an advice forum.  Shame on those who would down vote that comment, please just do not participate if you are not going to help the situation.

Answer: Your father can get a restraining order against them.


Title: How do I ensure that my father would be solely responsible for a loan?

Question:
When I was 3 my parents divorced and part of their unofficial agreement stated that my father would not have to pay anything for child support as long as he would pay for my education.

Years later, I am 20 and he has no money to even help with school. Grants covered my associates, but now I'm beginning my bachelor's and have no way to pay for it. My mother and I never really saved for college because we expected it to be covered.

My dad agreed to apply for loans under HIS name, but is asking for all of my information. He claims that he not cosigning with my info, but I don't really believe him. He says that he will have a letter stating that he will be solely responsible for the loans notarized, but is that legally binding if we cosign?

Also, why would he need me to cosign if he's planning on paying it himself anyway. How would this affect me if he doesn't pay it?

Sorry for the lengthy description and backstory, but I feel like it's important. Thanks for any insight!

Answer:
 If you're cosigning then you'd be responsible if he can't payAnswer #2: Sure, that would be legally binding.  If he didn't pay for the loans, you could sue him.

After you paid for the loans.

How you make him solely responsible is to not cosign on the loan.

If he adds you as a cosigner without your permission, that's identity theft.


Title: Co-subletter needs garage for topless jeep.

Question: Arrived to my new place a couple days ago. Co-sublessee tells me that she has been offered the single garage spot as apart of a sublet that she signed in June apparently. As another tenant of this unit, does that not involve me involuntarily ceding some right I had in signing the sublease? My lease does not mention me not being able to park in the garage, but she says hers explicitly holds the spot for her. The worse part about it is that there’s a spot behind the garage that I could park in, but because she leaves before me in the morning, I can’t park there because I would be blocking her. She won’t budge, even offered to pay her. Do I have any leeway in this situation?

Answer: So your lease says nothing about parking? If your lease doesn't entitle you to a parking spot, you're probably out of luck. Answer #2: Why do you believe that you have a right to park in the garage?


Title: Apartment won't accept intent to vacate

Question:
Hello,

I recently wrote a letter to vacate 60 days prior to my lease end date as per my lease agreement cited.

Once the office received the letter, they informed me that they will not accept my letter as my intent to vacate because they have their own intent to vacate paperwork, which was not sent to me at any point in time.

Is this legal?

I live in Colorado.

**Fast Update** - Thank you for the quick replies! There is no stipulation of intent to vacate forms or paperwork cited in the lease. I copy and pasted the section of the lease that makes mention of vacating the property and quoted it in an e-mail to the office. I copied not only the manager, but the corporate office escalations inbox asking them if there is a section I am missing on the lease where it states I must sign their forms to give intent to vacate.

I received the following response back within minutes of sending that e-mail - "We put your notice in effective today. If you could please come when possible to sign the paperwork that would be greatly appreciated."

Thank you reddit for the fast replies :)

Answer:
 > "We put your notice in effective today. If you could please come when possible to sign the paperwork that would be greatly appreciated."

Uh, no, you want it to be effective *on the day they actually received it.* Letting them reset the clock isn't good for you.Answer #2: I suspect your notice was perfectly valid unless the lease says the notice must be on their form.Answer #3: If “effective today” isn’t 60 days prior to the end of your lease, you should follow up again.Answer #4: If your lease says you need to provide 60 days notice and doesn't put any other stipulations on it, then you've provided the proper notice (make sure you have a copy of the notice you provided them to prove it).

As a courtesy, my landlord had their own 'notice form' they wanted me to fill-out but would backdate it to the day I provided them my own written notice.Answer #5: Make sure you read their notice before signing it to ensure it doesn't say something like "I agree to forfeit my deposit" or some other shadiness.  Of course you could also tell them to pound sand, just because, with respect to signing their form.


Title: Neighbors Dogs I am Watching Attacks my Family's Dog San Diego CA

Question: I live on a private drive maintained by the neighborhood in San Diego and am watching my neighbors house and taking care of their dogs while they are on vacation for a few weeks. One of the dogs I am watching has a history of behaving violently around other dogs beside the second dog I am watching and I have been told to keep him away form other dogs while walking him. Today, while over at my neighbor's house my mom knocks on my door to tell me something. When I open the door the border collie bolts past me through the doorway because as it turned out my family's dog (toy poodle) had followed my mother out of our house and was behind her. The border collie bites my dog by the neck and begins shaking her around in the air. While pulling the collie off of my dog he bumps into the door causing it to collide into the wall( no door stopper) and breaks the glass on the door. When we pull off the first dog the other dog I am watching bites the poodle by the neck and shakes her as well. My dog was bleeding at the end of it but luckily my other neighbor is a vet and took her to her clinic. So my question is. Who is responsible for the cost of the veterinarian's work and who is responsible for fixing the door?

Answer: You are responsible for both.


Title: (IL) do police have do disclose what exactly their reasonable suspicion is to ask you tostep out or search your vehicle?

Question:
Since fireworks are illegal in illinois its common to drive 20 minutes to the indiana border from the chicago area for them. My car has a cargo cover that came with the car and blocks anything in the trunk (suv) from being seen.

My friends parents always get pulled over because their plates are illinois and the cops know what a going on but they hide the fireworks from the cops.

Woukd the officer be able to make someone step out or search their vehicle under the "reasonable suspicion" if having illegal fireworks?

Also, do they in general have to tell you what their reasonable suspicion or probably cause is in order for you to have to step out, can you ask "until you provide me knowledge of your reasonable suspicion I will not leave my vehicle".

I dont mean to sound like a sovereign citizen that's not my intention, those people are only good for YouTube laughs.

TL:DR
If a cop pulls you over and asks you to step out or to search your car due to "reasonable suspicion/probable cause" can you deny either until they tell you what their suspicion or cause was

Answer:
 > Woukd the officer be able to make someone step out or search their vehicle under the "reasonable suspicion" if having illegal fireworks?

Not if the sole basis for that suspicion is Illinois plates and a cargo cover. There'd need to be some articulable basis that your friend's parents were actually transporting fireworks.

> Also, do they in general have to tell you what their reasonable suspicion or probably cause is in order for you to have to step out, can you ask "until you provide me knowledge of your reasonable suspicion I will not leave my vehicle".

You've just turned a lawful search into an arrest _and_ a lawful search - and you won't get the answer you want. No, the police do not need to explain themselves on the spot, and refusing lawful commands from law enforcement in that situation can lead to an arrest.

If you believe the cops have no basis for reasonable suspicion, get an attorney afterwards.


Title: Canada child custody/child support

Question: I figured out yesterday I'm going to be a father, she's my ex and the way she is she'll try an bleed me dry. I would like to know what my options are as I want to be in the child's life as much as possible. I will awnser any other questions if necessary, don't be afraid to ask.

Answer: When the child is born you file for custody. That's all there is to do.


Title: Classification of Newborn as 3rd tenant?

Question:
(In Texas)

My wife and I had a child 2 weeks ago, and while I was explaining why we weren’t home when maintenance came to fix something in our unit, I told them we had been in the hospital for 3 weeks due to complications of my wife’s labor and son’s birth (both are now fine, no worries).

The receptionist immediately informed me after saying this that only 2 tenants are allowed per bedroom (we live in a one bedroom, our son sleeps in our room). I tried to brush this off as soon as possible and change the topic.

I looked in our lease agreement, and there’s no such language - just a line that asks for the names of people occupying the apartment (including minors). At the time of signing, it was just my wife and I.

Will we be in trouble here? Is this grounds for eviction? Please help assuage the stress of a new parent lol.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: They cannot evict you for having a baby. If they try, go talk to legal aid or a tenancy attorney


Title: Company refuses to let me partake in trip I won through them

Question:
I won a paid trip based on my sales for the previous year (2016). The trip is in Spring of 2017. I will not be with the company as of end of Feb and they deem that "Because I am not a current employee at the time of the trip, I am not eligible for any part of it.".  It is a rather expensive trip with a decent sized cash bonus attached. I have the choice of going on the trip with the cash bonus OR getting a cash out; which is much less. I would consider taking the cash out as it is better than nothing. My question is: Is this legal? What recourse do I have to get what I won?
Edit: Location is CT

Answer:
 Even though you have gone through the hoops to earn the award, from the company's perspective, it does not make sense to pay out awards to employees who will produce nothing in the future. Furthermore, from a logistical standpoint, assuming the trip will involve multiple employees from the company, it would be absurd to include a former employee in the group.

That they're offering any money constitutes a good faith effort on their part. Also, keep in mind that the "retail value" of the trip award is probably much greater than the actual cost incurred by the company. Just take the money.Answer #2: 100% legal - bonuses are at company discretion.

I found this out the hard way a few years ago. My former company delayed our 2014 end-of-year bonuses until June 2015. Then in April they announced they were closing our local office. Everyone had to move to a different facility across country or be laid off at the end of 2015. I asked the HR person about the bonuses for people who elected not to move, and she reminded me that those were at company discretion (the not so subtle hint was that if you stayed, no bonus). I wish I could say that putting in my two weeks notice was satisfying, but my ex-boss made the last two weeks extremely unpleasant.


Title: Couple blocked my car and screamed at me on the road

Question:
Long story short they stopped their car in front of mine jumped out and started screaming at me. Blocking my car with their body and blocking half the lane in front of me. Can someone legally do this in NY?

I filed a police report, they said since they didn't threaten to kill me it didn't matter.

Answer:
 You did the right thing.

Move on with life.  Enjoy the holidays.


Title: Wrongful termination? Discrimination?

Question:
This is kind of long so please bear with me.
I was a temp for a big name hospital in my city.  However,  when I was hired I signed documents that direct hire employees do and my status aas "permanent " according to their system. I signed a document in regard to attendance. 6 days out and given a warning after that may be terminated.
I missed one day because of food poisoning.
This last week I had some dental work done on an infected tooth (totally not my fault it was up against an impacted wisdom tooth). I had a filling replaced on said tooth.  But because the filling was so deep I was in tremendous pain the next day.  My dumb self went in to work anyway and after about an hour I went to my manager and complained.  I didn't even ask to go home. She asked me if I needed to.  I was also told my health comes first and if she saw a drs note I would be excused. In conversation i told her i had trigeminal neuralgia.  (Its nerve damage in the brain/face that causes electric shocks). I tomd her I was going to see a dr because I was afraid it was going to cause a flare up of the tn. I was excused. Well I called the dentist and was tooth the tooth needed to be extracted. I had an emergency 'surgery' at 2 30 PM that same day! I called my manager and left a message.  There was no way in hell after the anesthetic and pain meds I was given that I'd be able to drive myself home.  The next day I was extremely light headed and had chest pains on and off.  I again called the supervisor and let her know what was going on.  No response.  I finally went to the urgent care.  I had chest pain and anxiety and it was speculated that it was because of the medication (penicillin I've never taken it). I was told to stop immediately.  I then called my staffing agency to let them know and ask if they heard anything from the supervisor and they didn't.  I had them speak to hr and I was let go.  For my attendance eventhough i was excused and that i wasn't a good fit for the company.  Which the day before this happened myself and my colleague were told how great of a job we were doing and even given a reward.  This leads me to believe that I was let go because i told her about the t.n. and they violated their own policies, it was a signed contract.  Im upset.  I was going to ask for the hr number and a copy of my signed agreements.  Then go from there.  What do you think?

Answer:
 You don’t say what state you are in, but assuming you are in the US (except Montana if you have been employed for over a year) then you are likely an at will employee.

Absent a union agreement or some sort of contact stating you can only be fired for cause (which are super rare), you are an at will employee.  At will means you can be fired or disciplined for any reason (including a bad or inaccurate one) or no reason at all so long as the reason isn’t membership in a protected class or engaging in some protected activities.  The federally protected classes are race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, pregnancy, veteran status and age (which is 40+).  Some states add other categories (such as sexual orientation). The federally protected activities are some protected collective bargaining activities, filing wage claims, filing EEOC claims, filing sexual harassment reports, filing reports with OSHA, and use of protected leave such as FMLA. Again, some states add extra protections (such as protections for use of sick leave which doesn’t qualify for FMLA).

This doesn’t appear to have been illegal on its face.


Title: Charged with some very serious felonies, innocent. Need advice.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Yes your lawyer should interview your "mistress" and your client.


Title: Update on my criminal contempt charge for using offensive stationary w/ a traffic fine payment

Question:
Update on this post: http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/28n3nl/tn_need_advice_on_a_contempt_charge_for_using/

I went to court today with some notes and guidance given to me by /u/Manny_Kant . The ADA and everyone in there was opening laughing about this, except for the clerk who was offending by my note.

The judge asked me why I sent the note and I explained that I sent it against my better judgement but didn't intend to direct any ill will at any member of the court, nor did I intend to obstruct justice.

He had me apologize to the clerks and dismissed my case.

Special thanks to /r/legaladvice and especially /u/Manny_Kant who spent a lot of his time helping me with the intricacies of my case and to /u/Citicop who gave me solid advice about what I needed to do regarding my warrant.

As a side note, I heard a lot of profanity being thrown around in the court room by people waiting and even to some of the cops and attorneys standing around, which I thought was ironic.

Big thanks you guys.

Answer: I'm glad it worked out for you.  At the risk of incurring the wrath of /u/manny_kant, I hope you learned a lesson on how discretion is often the better part of valor.