Title: I'm probably getting fired next week, health insurance was cancelled LAST week? Help!

Question:
**Update: my husband convinced me to be brave and call the head of the school. She admitted that they were planning on firing me, but FORGOT to tell HR that they hadn't had the meeting to actually do it, and so they are retroactively reinstating my health insurance for the whole month! Thanks for all the help, everyone!**

Hi everyone,

I'm a teacher at a charter school in New York. Several teachers were fired at their end of the year meetings on June 24th and told that their health insurance would terminate on June 30th. I wasn't able to have my end of the year meeting as I was out of town for a funeral, but I just discovered my health insurance was also terminated on June 30th!

I haven't actually been fired (yet), but I likely will be as they fired most of the teachers on my floor and I didn't receive an email about tuition reimbursement that other people who were fired also didn't receive.

Nobody at the school is responding to my emails to help me figure out what is going on. Do I have any legal recourse here? I received no notification whatsoever that I am being fired, just the lack of health insurance. Can I demand that they retroactively provide insurance up until the date that they do fire me?

They have been doing LOTS of shady things at the school, like not having special education teachers (which is a legal requirement based on the students' educational documents), not giving us pay stubs for the past year, and not hiring substitutes when staff are absent/quit. I don't really mind being fired, but I DO mind not having health insurance!

Answer:
 > They have been doing LOTS of shady things at the school, like not having special education teachers (which is a legal requirement based on the students' educational documents), not giving us pay stubs for the past year, and not hiring substitutes when staff are absent/quit. I don't really mind being fired, but I DO mind not having health insurance!

Anonymous tips to the relevant overseeing body are a legal thing that someone could do.


Title: Wife took kids

Question:
I live in Canada

Wife took 1k out ABM from joint account, most likely to retain a lawyer who sent me a letter via email stating that she took the kids, will be back Feb 4 to work out separating agreement, and has gone out of town.

Is this shit even legal? I don’t know what to do right now, but I need to move quick
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Why wouldnt it be legal for a parent to take their children?

Hire an attorney and get a custody agreement


Title: Parents won't give me my car but the title is in my name

Question: So fell out with my parents and they are not giving me my car. The car is in their garage and they have the keys. The title is in my name. How could I go about reclaiming my car? I live in Minnesota.

Answer:
 go to the police to report a stolen vehicle.Answer #2: How old are you? Do you live with your parents? Did they have permission to hold on to your car, prior to them refusing to give it back.

If you are minor. Nothing to be done until you are 18.

If you are above 18, but still live with your parents, you can sue them for the return of your car. If you gave permission at any time for them to store the car for you, the police will likely say this is a civil matter. You can try, but it is as likely to work as not.

If you are over 18, your best bet would be to get another key from the dealer and take your car home.Answer #3: Tell your parents to return the car or you will report that they stole it to the police. Give them the choice if they are going to give you your property willingly or you will have to chance them getting charged with theft.  If your over 18 for that matter....if under 18 your SOL.


Title: Need advice for a lease break because of INSANE next door neighbor in NYC! I feel scared to live next to my neighbor!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Does your landlord also rent to your neighbor? It sounds like the easiest and cheapest way to handle this would be to have him evicted. I imagine if he is destroying his apartment and you inform your landlord of that problem he may end up out within the next couple months. That assumes you share a landlord.

Otherwise, you can call the police if he threatens, assaults, or harasses you.

You can choose to break your lease, but you will likely end up paying your landlord for the 2 months rent which is a pretty reasonable fee to break a lease. I would be much happier to pay that up front assuming you have a complete release from the lease than to have to pay for all of his reasonable costs to relet it and pay for the rent as long as it takes to find a suitable tenant.

I know that is probably not what you want to hear, but you probably cannot break your agreement  with your landlord without consequence because an unrelated party is disturbed and unsettles you.


Title: What is the minimum requirement to maintain residency in order to receive state benefits?

Question: I have a chronic, severe illness (cystic fibrosis) and rely on state insurance through Medical and GHPP, the state program that provides healthcare to disabled people. My dad is sick and I am moving to TX to care for him. However, I desperately need to stay on CA insurance as I have access to a new drug that helps me a lot with my disease, but is not available with TX medicaid because it is too expensive. I hope to go to graduate school while in TX, but don't know if it's possible to do that while still getting CA benefits. I inherited money and can pay the full costs out of pocket, so no need for a loan (if that makes a difference). I pay for a room in CA month to month, but no official lease. I work online as a ghostwriter and pay taxes to CA. Just want to find out what my options are. Thanks.

Answer: Don’t move to Texas.Answer #2: Are you asking how you can move to Texas but still claim the benefits that only living in California would entitle you to?


Title: Do I have a legal obligation to talk to someone else's auto insurance company when I wasn't at fault?

Question: I mentioned this in a previous post, but my daughter was the passenger in an auto accident this past weekend in Kentucky. Two of her teenage friends were also in the car. The car belongs to one of the teen's mother (I'll call her Stacey). Neither Stacey's daughter nor my daughter were the driver of the car, but the third teen who was driving actually backed into a parked car at Walmart. Stacey allowed the girls to drive her car while she was out of town but is now claiming it was stolen so she can avoid liability since the driver of her car is uninsured. Stacey's insurance company is now calling me and claiming they have questions. Should I call them back or avoid them? I wasn't sure if I had a legal obligation to do so. Thank you in advance.

Answer: Until you're given a subpoena, you're under no legal obligation to talk to them.


Title: Scooter was towed because the county did not link my registration with my insurance. Tow company damaged scooter and refuses to pay. Do I have a case?

Question:
Hi, I'm in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is a bit of a long story with really two issues:

1) County did not link registration with insurance so my registration was cancelled which resulted in my scooter being towed because of no registration. That was a $200 bill to get it out of impound. Can I get someone to pay that??

2) When I went to pick up my scooter, it was damaged and would not start. $192.61 to get it fixed. Tow company refuses to pay saying they did not damage it.

So here's the full story:

I purchased the scooter from a guy off Craigslist. Got insurance and registered it with Walton Co, GA in October 2013. In December, the county sent me a notification saying the registration was cancelled due to lack of insurance. Turns out the VIN numbers on the insurance and registration did not match because the VIN number on the title was wrong. I had to get a deputy to sign off on the VIN number written on the scooter to get it fixed on the title. Got that taken care of 12/27/2013...now the VINs on the insurance and registration match and registration should have been reinstated.

Fast forward to 6/21/14. I turned right on red when there was clearly a sign forbidding it. Unfortunately, there was a campus police officer behind me. He pulled me over and ran my registration. The registration was cancelled due to lack of insurance. Officer says he has to tow any vehicle without registration and calls the tow company.

6/23/14 I go back up to the county to figure out why my vehicle still isn't registered. They say I need proof of insurance (which I had already given them). I call the insurance company and get it all sorted out. County says it isn't their fault...but I didn't not ask for payment for the tow.

That night, I went to pick up my scooter from the tow company. Bill is $200. I think the county should be responsible for the bill because they did not associate my insurance with the registration. But I paid the bill to get my scooter back.

I go into the lot and try to start my scooter. It will not start. At first I thought the battery must be dead. Then I noticed a line had been pulled out from the left break. In order to start the scooter, you must hold in the left break. It would not start because that line was pulled out.  I filed a claim with the tow company that night and took my scooter home on a truck. Tow company said someone would call me about my claim in 3 business days but I never got a call.

I took the scooter to a Honda motorcycle place. Repairs were $192.60.

Today, I gave the bill to the tow company and asked them to pay. They refused, saying they never took responsibility for the claim that I filed.  I was also out of a scooter for a while because of this and would like to possibly roll that into the claim.

I have:
The claim that I filed
A witness that works for the tow company that says the scooter was damaged before I took it off the lot
An officer that will say the scooter was operational when it was towed (because I was driving it)
And a repair bill

Could I somehow get the $200 reimbursed by Walton Co for the tow bill?
Can I take the tow company to small claims court and win?
What other information would I need to make a stronger case?

Thanks for any and all help!!

TL;DR:

1) County did not link registration with insurance so my registration was cancelled which resulted in my scooter being towed because of no registration. That was a $200 bill to get it out of impound. Can I get someone to pay that??

2) When I went to pick up my scooter, it was damaged and would not start. $192.61 to get it fixed. Tow company refuses to pay saying they did not damage it. Do I have a case for small claims?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > County did not link registration with insurance so my registration was cancelled which resulted in my scooter being towed because of no registration. That was a $200 bill to get it out of impound. Can I get someone to pay that??

I'm confused.  Did you or did you not keep your registration up-to-date, by following the appropriate procedures?

Answer #2: If you can PROVE that the line was pulled out by the tow company and didn't coincidentally break you can file a claim with the tow company.

If the county is not admitting fault (and thus is saying you might be at fault).  I don't think there is a way in holy hell you are going to get them to pay your towing bill (even less chance on the damage issue)


Title: AK: Pulled into mother's eviction even though I was not on nor signed the lease.

Question:
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

About 5 months ago my mom was evicted from a house where the two of us were living (I am of legal age). To my knowledge I was not on the lease, but I definitely never signed a lease or rental agreement of any kind. When she was evicted, the process server gave me my own paperwork in my name and I was pulled into the legal issue myself and now have an eviction on my record. I asked the landlord why I had been filed against, and he just said that he filed on everybody in the house (aka the two of us).

Is he allowed to file on me even though I never agreed to anything? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks

Answer:
 Yes.  You had established residency.  He was required to evict you, otherwise you still had the legal right to stay.

You can leave the house and ask that the eviction be dismissed.Answer #2: Not having a lease doesn't mean you can't be evicted, in fact it's more often than not the grounds for eviction to begin with.  You were in the home, and you needed to be removed, so they legally evicted you.


Title: MASS - landlord pulling some seriously illegal stuff - it looks like I have to take him to court

Question:
TLDR at the bottom

Story at first to explain, my actual questions are at the bottom

So my girlfriend and I have been living in a 3 bed apartment with 2 other roommates in Massachusetts for the last 7 months.

We all wanted to move out for Jan 1, we found new tenants to take over the lease, and the landlord checked their applications, approved them, and took deposit and last month from them.

We agreed to be out for the first.

my girlfriend and I got back from Canada on the 26th and the morning of the 27th while I'm at work he sends me like 4 or 5 emails telling us we were supposed to be out by the 26th and demanding we get out asap. I tell him that he never once mentioned that we had to be out for the 26th, but that I would do everything in my power to get out asap.

I changed my uhaul date and moved almost everything up to our new place by the evening of the 27th. All we had left was a couple car loads and to paint the spackling I did (to repair minor damages to the walls) and clean up after our other roommates who left the place trashed and disappeared without paying me ~$400 in utilities.

he told me to just let him know when we were gone and to leave the keys on the counter.

then I got a voicemail yesterday morning while I was at work that he had his guys go into the house and they told him it was trashed and that he was going to take our deposit and last month to pay to clean it.

so I hit him with a long email with a long list of complaints I told him that unless I receive the money he owes me I'll be hanging on to the keys and told him that if he tried to take my share of the deposit/last month that I would take him to court for all of his violations.

he immediately changes his tune and agrees to pay me and asks when I can meet. I tell him today at 4 or 5 and he says okay.

then he sends an email demanding me to be there in the morning. I told him that since I had already taken 1.5 days off from work for him this week that I would not be able to do that unless he was willing to compensate me for my lost wages.

so then he calls me a blackmailing liar, says I'm a bad tenant and that i destroyed his property, then said hes giving back the new tenants deposits and I'll be stuck owing him on Jan 1

So despite trying to work it out I am forced to take him to court.

Which is where my questions begin - I know I need to go to small claims, but what all should I do for that?

It seems like he's committed multiple breaches of quiet enjoyment (entering without permission, and trying to force us out early)

He also violated the whole "bad conditions/habitability" law (he didn't fix our fridge for 3 months, didn't tell us our room wasn't insulated, and had us move in with mold all over the bathroom ceiling) (on the insulation aspect - with the baseboard oil system going and a space heater on high 24 hours a day the room still never got above 50 degrees)

perhaps those last two fall more under the "unfair or deceptive act"

The lease also has him obligated for the snow removal - he only ever had half our spaces plowed, never did the walkway, and never salted anything.

beyond all that the money he cost us in eating out for 3 months is uncountable, and the emotional strain he put on us is immeasurable especially now that he's refusing to give our money back.

Also when I file in court do I file for just my share of the deposit/last month? or should I file for the full amount for the unit?

I'm just not sure how to properly handle this and I want to make sure I take the right steps from here... so... what do I do now?

TLDR: slumlord is stealing deposit and last month and I now need to take him to court, how do I do this properly?

Answer:
 The majority of what you are alleging should have been brought to your landlord's attention while you were living there, because the remedies for habitability issues and/or quiet enjoyment issues are forcing the landlord to make repairs (or otherwise resolve habitability issues), forcing the landlord to stop violating the right to quiet enjoyment by staying away from the premises, and/or breaking your lease if either types of issues aren't timely resolved.

You arguably have nothing to sue for. You aren't entitled to monetary damages for these issues.


Title: Florida, USA. I'm a victim of a form of Checking Fraud, and I'd like to know what I can do, if anything, to prevent becoming financially liable for the amount of the check.

Question: Throwaway account. Florida, USA. I was selling something online, the "buyer" mailed me a check for the amount plus extra and instructed me to take my portion for the item, and forward on the rest of the money to the mover who will pick up the item and deliver it. While I did think it was a bit strange, I understand moving and things can be a bit odd. I acted in good faith, cashed the check which went through, kept my portion and sent on the rest as agreed through another money transfer. Shortly after the "buyer" contacts me again stating they needed me to do this again because the "mover" needed more money than originally sent. I was going to get to keep another portion of this new check. This time I knew something had to be wrong. I called the company who the check was coming from, a company in another state, and they confirmed they'd had their account hijacked and the check I was holding was fraudulent. I called my bank, notified them that I'd unknowingly cashed a fraudulent check, and they understood but stated I'd be financially liable for the amount cashed in full, despite me being unaware of its fraudulence and that I too have now become a victim of the scam. The bank is naturally going to seek to reclaim any money possible, but they want ME to repay the amount, which was not a completely debilitating amount, but enough that I don't want to repay it if I don't legally have to. Do I have a legal leg to stand on as a victim as well and not agree to repaying the bank? In the instance of a hijacked credit card, you make file a claim for each purchase the fraudster made on your account and you are not liable for it if you didn't provide them your bank info, etc. They have an entire fraud department that ought to go looking for who has been illegally sending out these checks. I already confirmed that who ever the "mover" was has picked up the transfer. what are my options, if any, in regards to not repaying the bank? Thank you for any help and advice, even if it is that I'm liable.

Answer: Yes, you are liable.


Title: I was the victim of a hit and run. The perpetrator hit my parked car so hard it hit my step-mother's car. Dad is saying he will sue my insurance. (Nevada)

Question:
As the title says, someone hit my car while it was parked outside my dad's house. We were all inside asleep. My car was totaled and I have a steep deductible because I didn't realize hit and run property damage was not covered by uninsured motorist in my policy. Lesson learned.

My car (with emergency brake on) travelled six feet forward and hit the back of my step-mother's SUV. My father had previously removed collision from this car (or made it a high deductible). He is now saying he will sue my insurance for repairs.

I am doing everything possible to find the hit and run driver, but in the event I don't does my father have grounds to sue my insurance?

Answer: IANAL.  Call the police, and file a report on the hit and run.  Call your insurance and explain what happened.  Your dad can sue anyone he wants, but you didn't do anything to damage his property, and neither did your insurance.  I suspect that he might be hosed on this one, unless there is something in his policy that covers him.  Answer #2: Let him try.  I'm assuming you called the police and notified your insurance and all that jazz.  It's not your problem.


Title: Involuntary Manslaughter

Question:
So I have a roommate who is addicted to pills and often overdoses. She tells me when she does but I'm not always home. My question is, if she tells me that she took too many pills and I don't call the ambulance or take action besides trying to get to the house to see for myself, is that involuntary manslaughter?

&#x200B;

I'm only asking this because calling the ambulance has consequences.

a) she gets mad and therefore won't tell me about it in the future

b) it costs a lot of money

&#x200B;

I understand that her getting mad means nothing if it means saving her life, but the money thing is a big issue cause we are young college students who are making it paycheck by paycheck.

Answer: If you have a roommate who often overdoses and you both treat it like it's just part of normal life, you need to get yourself out of that situation and find a new roommate. That's your legal advice.


Title: Is there a way to get the legal benefits of marriage without getting married.

Question:
It seems that adult life has been set up in a way that makes things kind of complicated if you're trying to make financial decisions with someone who you are not married with. Some of the benefits of marriage include:

- Your spouse can make your medical decisions hassle free
- If you're married your spouse can get health insurance through your job and you get the family rate if it's offered
- Family leave is an option when you're married
- Making big purchases is simpler

There seems to be so many benefits but I have no interest in getting married. Are there legal ways to get some of these benefits without getting married?

Location: Fl, US

Thanks reddit.

EDIT: I've learned a lot today. It's odd that these important details aren't taught to us but are learned from experience even though buying a house and getting married are pretty big life decisions.

Answer:
 Yes... I have done so myself.

I've spent well into 5 figures on legal fees setting up the necessary trusts, POA's, Wills, etc., in order for my "wife" and me to be able to grant each other selective powers while not having to assume obligations which would be inherent in a marriage.

My situation is somewhat unusual though.

For most people, my advice would be:  Unless you have a specific reason NOT to get married.  Just get married.  It binds you together in a nice neat package.  And also provides you the tools to undo it if things don't work out.

And, really... the main power in marriage is the divorce process.

If you and your "spouse" decide to go your own ways, it becomes a real mess if you can't just file for divorce.Answer #2: Yes, you can set some up with a good lawyer and a few thousand dollars.

You can not get the spousal benefits of Social Security though, without marriage.


Title: [AZ] Public University Not Respecting National Holiday? [Please Help]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Does your university observe Columbus Day?  Were there classes? Were offices open?

I've attended several higher ed institutions, and I cannot recall a single one of them that observed Columbus Day (or Indigenous People's Day, depending on your location).


Title: Weed related question, my brother wanted advice

Question: So my little brother is open with my mother that he smokes and she's ok with it, but she won't let him tell his step dad. Her and I got taking about it and she keeps telling him that of he knew and my brother got caught his step dad would lose his job. He works for homeland security in an IT position. I'm pretty sure it's bull shit but I wanted to ask here while I research so I get some other people's knowledge as well.  We live in east Michigan, lower peninsula

Answer: Having drugs in the house can absolutely ruin a security clearance.Answer #2: Does the little brother live with him? Then yes, it could.


Title: Question about something i Have seen people post on Facebook

Question:
So i lately been seeing these posts from people on Facebook saying that Facebook involving software that steals personal information.

Post goes like this :
"Due to the fact that Facebook
has chosen to involve software
that will allow the theft of my
personal information, I do
declare the following: on this
day, August 31th 2014, in
response to the new Facebook
guidelines and under articles
L.111, 112 and 113 of the code
of intellectual property, I
declare that my rights are
attached to all my personal
data, drawings, paintings,
photos, texts etc... published on
my profile. For commercial use
of the foregoing my written
consent is required at all times.
Those reading this text can
copy it and paste it on their
Facebook wall. This will allow
them to place themselves
under the protection of
copyright. By this release, I tell
Facebook that it is strictly
forbidden to disclose, copy,
distribute, broadcast, or to take
any other action against me on
the basis of this profile and/or
its contents. The actions
mentioned above apply equally
to employees, students, agents
and/or other staff under the
direction of Facebook.
The contents of my profile
include private information.
The violation of my privacy is
punished by the law (UCC 1
1-308 - 308 1 -103 and the
Rome Statute). Facebook is
now an open capital entity. All
members are invited to post a
notice of this kind, or if you
prefer, you can copy and paste
this version. If you have not
published this statement at
least once, you will tacitly allow
the use of elements such as
your photos as well as the
information contained in your
profile update."

Is Facebook is really allowed to do it ?
Do they do it?
Does posting this really make a difference or is it just a load of bull?

Sorry if stupid question just curious.

Thank you.

Answer:
 > articles L.111, 112 and 113 of the code of intellectual property

What the hell is the "code of intellectual property"?  I can't imagine any IP law that would require you to "declare" your rights are attached to works you create.

In fact, the WIPO treaty requires that copyright *automatically* attaches to works created.

> UCC 1 1-308

What the heck?  I am 99% certain that the UCC doesn't apply to Facebook.

> Facebook is now an open capital entity

I don't even know what this is supposed to mean.Answer #2: This stuff has roughly the same effect as writing "without prejudice, UCC 1-308" near your signature on a real estate lease - which is to say, none.


Title: My sister is being forced into the next grade in the coming semester

Question:
For context, my family lives in Florida - in the pinellas county school system

My sister who is 15 was held back this year in 8th grade due to medical disability, she has POTS which in turn gives her learning disabilities such as dyslexia and memory problems so when she had gone into 8th grade a year ago, she failed out because she couldn't concentrate in the classes and had really bad headaches. she attempted hospital homebound last year but ended up barely participating in that either due to the pain. So this year she is repeating 8th grade again. She is happier, has made friends, is doing so much better in class (all A's and B's) and is finally starting to feel like she belongs. She already has a highschool picked out that she'd like to go to due to their theater program.

Well it is nearing the end of the first semester and my mother gets a call that basically told her that my sister actually DID pass 8th grade somehow, through a mixture of averaging grades from her early semester grades the year before and some of her hospital homebound grades. they told her basically she passed with straight D's or something like that. Due to this, they told my mom that they were going to pull her out of eighth grade come the next semester and put her into 9th grade at a highschool she doesn't like and didnt choose. They did not discuss any of this with my mother or my sister before they made this decision, and they are telling my mother that there is some kind of law that means she has to go to the next grade.

It just doesn't make any sense, she is just starting to belong and only JUST now starting to understand 8th grade content. If she was shoved into 9th grade, she would not be prepared for the content and would only have ONE semester to learn all the content in time for exams. They keep telling her they'll like put her in summer school and get her online classes and this and that and its just... how are they allowed to force this on a child who doesn't want it?

What I'm asking is does my mother have any chance to fight this? My mother has spoken to someone who told her that because my sister is disabled, perhaps there is a way to fight this.

(i am sorry if my post is lacking in any details, if people need more specifics I can definitely ask my mother for extra info, this is my first ever post here and i just hope that I can get maybe a few replies)
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 If she has a 504/IEP, her parents may be able to call a meeting, and request an accommodation that she be kept in the 8th grade.

Support from her doctors would help.Answer #2: >  how are they allowed to force this on a child who doesn't want it?

Because the school's job is to provide the least restrictive educational environment for a child, not to do what the child wants.

This is time to have an IEP meeting to discuss this plan. You may also look into requesting a new psych ed evaluation re: this placement.


Title: (Florida) Is this stealing an Uber?

Question:
I'm a 22 yr old girl in Florida. I bought an iPhone on Craigslist, and the seller left his icloud signed into, which let me see all his photos, emails, contacts, etc. The only way I can reset the phone is by typing in his icloud password. I texted him asking for it and the reason why, and he never responded.

I noticed that he has Uber installed. With his credit card information logged in. Is it stealing to use this account to request an Uber? Thanks

EDIT: Thank you all who have taken the time to answer my question. This was a confusing situation for me, but now I completely understand, and I really appreciate the responses and explanations. Thank you!

Answer:
 The fact you even have to ask...jesus christ. Answer #2: Yes, it's stealing.

And the seller was either dumb or he has sold you a stolen phone, which means you're going to be out that phone after a bit. Answer #3: Username checks out.Answer #4: Are you sure that this is the seller's account? Or is it possible that you just bought a stolen iPhone? If the latter, then you need to talk to the police. Because stealing is wrong, and also illegal.Answer #5: > EDIT: Thank you all who have taken the time to answer my question. This was a confusing situation for me

Our educational system has failed you.  As have your parentsAnswer #6: Yes, it's stealing. It's not your money.


Title: Moving a city from one state to another, what would it take?

Question:
I've heard claims that St. Louis, Missouri wants to claim Long Beach, California and move it from Los Angeles County and treat it as part of St. Louis.

What would it take to do this, would Congress even allow it?

Equally, the NYC borough of Manhattan wants to claim San Francisco as part of the borough too, based on what I'd heard people saying on social media.

But legally, what would it take for these to happen, would it even be allowed or would this screw up the geography too much with all the enclaves, exclaves etc.?

What problems would this mean for the justice system, and transferring California law to Missouri law or NY state law, especially for things like alcohol, education etc., DMV etc.?

Wouldn't this be problematic for Congress or the President to get going?

And as for the issue of state taxes etc.... don't get me started on this.

Wouldn't this be problematic for all three states?

Answer: Please cite your sources on this- I’d love a laugh.


Title: Is this Copyright infringement?

Question:
Hello
I had a question that has been lingering in my mind for months. If someone were to say make custom spongebob artwork and put it on a T-shirt, and sold it, is this considered copyright? Could you get in trouble for doing something like this? Could you do drawing pictures of famous celebrities?

Would appreciate any thought!
Matt

Answer: SpongeBob is a registered trademark. So you would need permission from the holder in order to be able to market your shirts. Celebrities on the other hand aren't themselves considered to be a registered trademark.


Title: Sex offender wants to sue us for harassment

Question: Hello all - my wife recently found out there is a sex offender living near us. We have a six year old son who has two friends he plays with in the neighborhood. My wife, told my son not to go near this individual and if they did ever come out while the kids were at play, to come inside the house. My son then told his friends and then his friends decided to go to the individual’s house to ask about the situation. My son was not involved with this. Now it’s been a few months later, and today while I was at work, the individual’s spouse confronted my wife, attempting to tell her that the individual was innocent, etc. My wife said she didn’t need to hear the story and was only concerned about the safety of our child. Later, both the individual and their spouse came back to our house explaining themselves again, and also stating the the two kids my son plays with (not OUR son) were now throwing rocks at their door and that now they may sue US for harassment. If these two are being harassed by the kids from across the street, how is that our problem? Does this person even have a case? All we did was tell our son to stay away from the person because he was dangerous, which is a matter of public knowledge.

Answer:
 You better have your information correct.

15 years ago a sex offender moved in across the street from me. He and his wife tried to pass it off as an age difference with her dad calling the cops. His victim was 9. A year and a half later I called the cops on him. It looked like Toys R US and Academy had blown up in his yard and he was holding a 9 yo on his lap. He was arrested, his wife fired (she was a SPED employee for the school district and had him meet her on campus for lunch), and she moved out.

In the 14 years since then every family that has moved in there has been harrassed with the males being accused of this man's crimes. Not by the immediate neighbors, but other people. The first time - it was the state's fault because his info wasn't removed/corrected after he was arrested. 3 years ago some woman published a list of "Sex Offenders' Addresses" on Next Door. Seeing my neighbor's address I started running all the others through the state database - The majority of her addresses were incorrect. I was verbally attacked for pointing out the information was wrong.


Title: Found out a friend of mine poses as a minor to elicit older predators, then blackmails them for money

Question:
I live in Ontario, Canada. My friend recently confided in something to me. She said that she poses as a 13 year old girl online and finds older men to talk to. Many of them don’t mind the young age and will talk dirty with her and send nude pictures. After getting close with them, she will ask to add them on social media. Then she will blackmail them for money and threaten to send the screenshots to people in their friend list.

She said so far she only managed to successfully blackmail three men. She showed me the text conversations and the transactions in her PayPal account as proof of her little operation she does alone.

I was wondering if this is illegal.

Answer: Yes, blackmail is very illegal.Answer #2: It's illegal as hell, though they probably wont report her as they would have to incriminate themselves to do anything about it. Pretty common scam


Title: Owner of SunEdison prepaid solar lease received contract rejection notice after they filled bankruptcy

Question:
Four years ago I paid SunEdison upfront for a 20 year home solar panel system lease. SunEdison is supposed to provide monitoring, maintenance and repair as needed for the life of the lease. The power generated is mine to use and sell on the Massachusetts solar market. After 20 years, I have an option to buy or have them remove the system from my house. I figured after 20 years the panels would be antiquated and worthless so I'd planned to take the support and let them remove it after the lease. The initial investment will have paid for itself in another year or so in free power and solar credits.

Today I received a legal notice saying that SunEdison has filed chapter 11 and my lease contract is being rejected. The rejection date is said to be listed in the table of rejected contacts at the end of the letter, but that column is blank in every row of the table, which includes my contact. It said I have 2 weeks from the receipt of the letter to file an objection and 30 days from the rejection date (which seems to be missing entirely) to assert any claim.

I gave a few questions:

- What kind of attorney would I consult about this?

- Does this mean the solar system is mine free and clear but I have to pay someone else now for monitoring and maintenance?

- Under what circumstances would I object and what would that entail?

- Under what circumstances would I assert a claim, how would the amount be calculated, and what would that process entail?

Any thoughts/advice much appreciated.

Answer:
 My company is actually taking over residential maintainance and repair for a lot of suned customers in MA and CA. I'm not on the technical side, but I can ask around and see if I can get more info if that would be helpful. As far as I know, residential customers are not being charged for routine/ repairs, but I'm not positive as that's not my team.

What size is the proiect? Is it on your roof? When was it last serviced? Have there been any interruptions in production? Are you still receiving credits (I imagine credits come from the state correct?) I know we've been performing work residentially in MA for suned customers but have been focusing on folks with major repair issues and outages.


Title: [WA, USA] Friend, 17, turning 18 soon, was arrested for domestic violence for hitting her dad. She's been released for now, but may have to go to court and be tried as an adult because she's turning 18 in 3 days.

Question:
So, here's the story, I only have her side of the story so I don't know how much of it is exaggerated or stretched.

She got in an argument with her parents that escalated to screaming which led to her saying something along the lines of "I would rather die than live here".  Leading her father to say "I can help with that" and come towards her aggressively.  She said that he was about to hit her so she hit him first in the stomach.

After that the parents called the police, when the police came they got the parent's side of the story, which I don't know, then went to her.  She said that the police didn't ask her for her side of the story on what happened, but simply asked "did you hit him or not" to which she said yes.  The police then read her her rights, arrested her, and took her to jail.  The police informed her that she will have to go to court in 8 weeks, and will probably be tried as an adult since she is going to be 18 in 3 days.

She was released at 3am today and taken home.  A few details I haven't mentioned, her dad has a history with child protection services, as he has hit her in the past.  My friend is confident that if she calls them, her dad will go to jail, but doesn't want to as he is the main source of income for the family, and she has a little brother who she doesn't want to effect.

What I'm hoping to gain from this post is clarity of what actual possibilities could come of this situation, and is there anything that can be done to help it.

Thank you so much for your help.

Answer:
 Because you don't know many of the details, sadly there isn't much that we can give you in terms of possible consequences, good and bad.

**However**, what we can tell you is that she needs a lawyer, or if she can't afford one a public defender. Don't expect to be clued into anything after she gets counsel, because I can't imagine a defense lawyer that would advise her to talk about her case to anyone who isn't her attorney.


Title: Can my landlord refuse to allow my sister and cousin to stay in my apartment while i’m not here?

Question:
It says in my lease that if i want to accommodate anybody, i have to get written approval from her first but i don’t believe i’m “accommodating” anyone. They won’t be living here, my sister and cousin just want to stay over for a week while this place is empty. I feel like she’s being extra unreasonable because she was genuinely planning to lease this place out as soon as i left.

To give a little context, my lease is until the end of July, but i was planning to be out of here by July 3rd. I didn’t expect her to, but i asked anyway if i could only pay half of the rent for July since i wouldn’t be here for basically the entire month. She said no, and was completely within her right to, but i still wanted someone to make use of this place since its empty and being paid for, so i asked my sister if she wanted to come to Berlin and stay over.
I emailed the landlord letting her know she would be getting the keys at the end of the month now instead of when i leave July 3rd, and she flat out refused, saying “this ain’t an Air bnb,”. But i’m not renting it out i’m letting my sister, who she’s met before, stay for a week in my apartment that i’m paying for?
Does accommodating actually mean no one can stay over? This is my first time having a landlord so i don’t understand why she would be allowed to dictate who stays over.
I don’t know why she would be so unreasonable unless she had already made plans to lease the place out honestly.
Is there anything i could do?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 From my limited knowledge of German law any  clause limiting frequency and duration of visits is invalid and can be ignored. However, any visit longer that six or eight weeks can be considered cohabitation or subletting, the latter generally only being valid with the landlord's consent.

Edit: if you've paid rent til the end of juli you have no obligation to return the key before that time. The enjoyment of the place is still yours til the end of the rent agreement.


Title: [NJ] Mother's employer not paying health insurance premiums, employees stuck with bills. Union not assisting.

Question: So my mom has worked at the same place for many years and ownership was changed maybe 12 years ago. Since then employees have had less and less rights. I recently found out that all the employees have been stuck with medical bills because the employer hasn't been paying the insurance company. Additionally the union hasn't been responsive. I believe the union is connected to the owner and there is some sort of scam going on here. The owner has taken advantage of these employees because he realizes that most are too afraid to take action or just aren't equipped from a financial or educational perspective. What is the best way for these employees to take action? I need to find out more information, but I am definitely looking to assist in this battle. Additionally, the employer has stopped raises for 5 years and is just overall awful towards employees. I know raises aren't backed by labor laws, but I am sure there are a lot of shady labor practices going on at this facility.

Answer: Most Unions are very large entities with smaller local chapters. If the union is involved it's more than likely limited to the local, find someone to contact up higherAnswer #2: As far as the health insurance goes, this is almost certainly a part of the contract.  The employees need to contact their union reps and have them file a grievance against the company.  If the union arbitrarily fails to pursue the grievance (i.e., without any reason for doing so), or does so in bad faith (e.g., if they are actually in the pocket of the employer), then an employee could file an NLRB complaint against the union or sue the union and/or the employer.  But a labor attorney would be more able to help with how that would go down.


Title: I left my phone at a friends, he wont give it back unless I sleep with him. What crime is this? What should I do?

Question:
I left my phone at a friends apartment. He says he wont give it back to me unless I have sex with him. What crime is he committing by doing this? Is it considered blackmail? Extortion? What should I do to get my phone back? The phones market value is only about 40 dollars tbh. Any advice would be appreciated. I have proof via social media messages he sent me where he said he wouldnt give it back unless i "got fu\*\*\*\*\*"

&#x200B;

Thanks to anyone who replies. Mucho appreciante in advance. <3

Answer: This is Extortion, potential RAPE if you go through with it.  Call the cops.  This pervert is going to prey on others... :(


Title: Mother of child will not reply or tell me her address.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You should show up.  If she doesn't, you can file a contempt order on Monday.  In that order, also request that she keep the court & you up to date on her address and cell phone.


Title: Got banned from laser tag, re invited, and then denied after payment. [WI]

Question: A while back I worked at a laser tag facility, where I was tormented by a regular customer. The guy was an ass to anyone who came through the doors. I had asked management to get rid of him several times, which after numerous reviews left about the kid, he had picked up two bans, first was a 30 day, and then "permanently" after I had left the job, they had gotten new management and the kid was allowed to come play again. A few of my friends and I went to go play one time, and he was there. The first thing I did when I saw him was spit right in his face and walk out. Which I admit was stupid for me to do. The guy who was the manager on duty yelled at me to get out and not come back. I happily obliged. Fast forward to a week before Christmas. I get an invitation from the laser tag place to come play in a "VIP" session for all of the top players, which I was not able to attend anyway. After receiving an invitation to play again, I assumed that I was no longer banned. So last weekend a few of my friends and I went to go play, as we all worked there together and it was always a good time for our friend group. I paid about 5 hours before our session was about to start. We all walked up ready to play and then the new manager said I was not allowed to play. They said they would refund me the money as long as I never came there again. I have not recieved my money and it has been 5 days. Can they kick me out, send me an invitation to play again and then kick me out after I had paid and then not refund me the money?

Answer: I suggest you drop the issue and hope no one presses assault or trespassing charges against you.  Talk to a therapist to learn appropriate ways to deal with situations.


Title: governor actions?

Question: so in MI, the governor cuz of covid-19 said you cant travel to your 2nd home if in state (out of state non-homstead can) Is this legal?

Answer: Yes, she can using emergency powers outlined in Public Act 302 of 1945. [Here's a writeup on the subject.](https://www.mackinac.org/emergency-powers-under-michigan-law)


Title: Robbed during A Drug Deal

Question:
In Tennessee, USA

I need help. I was robbed during a drug deal and the person put a gun to my head and took 200 dollars.  It was a marijuana deal gone bad.  I got out of the car and he drove away and then i got into my car and followed him and got his plate numbers.  Then in my anger I decided to call the police and then formulate a story (lie) about how I was stuck up in the parking lot by some random person and then ordered to get into his car where I was robbed and then kicked out.

I followed a police officer to the station where I met with a detective.  He asked me what happened and I said that I was with a friend and we were going to a restaurant and I my friend went inside to get a table and use the bathroom while I finished an uncomfortable conversation with my girlfriend (again all of this is made up) up until a random person came up to my car and pointed a gun at me and told me to get out and to go over to his car and get in, where he robbed me.  Then i said that I ran to my car and then called my friend and picked him up and drove off towards the direction of the car that I was robbed in where I got the plates.

Now, while some of this is true, the important part isn't (this all occurred because of myself trying to buy drugs).  The detective met with my friend and I and showed us pictures of the 6 different people and asked us to identify who was in the car.  We both picked the same person and the detective decided that there was enough evidence to move forward and prosecute.

I and my friend go to school hundreds of miles away and we are on break, so we obviously didn't want to fly back down to a trial and case against someone. We told them that we would rather not prosecute because it would be time consuming.  They kept trying to say that this person is bad and we need to get them off the streets etc. etc. We said that we had a long day and would like to leave and talk to them later about whether we wanted to prosecute or not.  They kept insisting that we go ahead and pursue it and get a warrant etc etc.  We kept saying that we are glad that we talked with them and that they did work and everything but that we would like to leave and it was getting near dinner-time (5:30).

Here's where I'm worried: The detective split us up and first asked my friend if I was buying drugs.  He said asked my friend not to get offended or if he knew about any drug history with myself. My friend didn't say anything and kept to the story.

Then he called me in.  He said that my friend has given additional details to the story and that I should tell the whole truth. I told him I had told him the whole truth and that I don't know what my friend was talking about.  He then said that he suspected that this was a drug deal gone bad and again I denied it.  He then said that a falsification of a criminal report is very serious and that he was trying to help me. He said that we should prosecute so we can get him and his actions far outweigh anything I didn't do (referring to buying weed).  Again I said that I was assaulted and robbed and that I had enough for today and wanted to leave.

This is where he raised his voice and said "You can't leave". I then ask if I was being arrested and he said no and then I ask if I was being detained and he said "Yes, now sit down, mister." I sit down and wait for 30 minutes.  He then comes in and says that I am free to leave and I go get my friend and ask him for his card and information.  He gives me his card and we leave.

The officer that first responded and lead us to the station takes us out to his car and he asks me to sign the criminal report saying that he responded to the case.  I noticed that it said "prosecutor" under the signed part and I asked him about it and he said that I was either that or the defendant.  He said that this was simply the fact that he responded to the call.

Help please.

Sorry, I forgot to ask: Am I in any trouble with the police? Can they go get a warrant and arrest him? And would I be brought into this case? Would I get in trouble for falsification of a police report?

Answer:
 If you're robbed at gunpoint in a drug deal, THAT'S IT. GAME OVER. Your money is gone unless you know this person personally and want to 'deal with it' (which is not reccomended). WTF were you thinking? The police are gonna help you get your drug money back? You have to accept certain losses, and this $200 was one of them.

Also, why would you talk to the police, and then tell them you don't want to file a charge? Don't report it if you're not going to pursue it.

This was actually the worst way you could have handled this situation. The best way would have been to scrounge up $10, buy a gram, and then go home and smoke and be sad about your loss.Answer #2: I'd love to know what city/state you are from...so I can help you of course.Answer #3: Is there a question?


Title: [CO] Right turn on a yellow light

Question:
I need advice on a red light camera violation that I received in the mail today. I want to know if I was actually in the wrong here but I'm not entirely sure, so I'm looking for confirmation from you guys.
Here is the link for reference:
[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/DNlVZ0c.gifv)
I made a right turn just as it was changing to red, and I want to know if I was actually in the wrong. I was going 17 mph in a 40 mph zone as I was turning, and the red light time is .9 according to them. If I did nothing wrong then I am willing to contest to get it dismissed, I can't afford a ticket at the moment. I'd appreciate if you guys could give me your advice on this thanks!

Edit: Thanks Reddit strangers, this is my first ticket since I started driving and now I lost $75. I'll do better! Hopefully...

Answer: If that is your car, you 100% ran that light. No defense.


Title: Big TV network stole my video, edited out my face, then used it to promote their sports broadcasts without crediting me

Question:
Hello!

Throwaway account.

I made a short video that got popular. Without going into detail, the entire video is of just me doing some funny stuff.

A big TV network took it, edited a hockey player's face onto my face and basically made my video into a way of promoting their upcoming TV broadcasts on their official social media pages, where the edited video got about a million views in total. Apart from putting the hockey player's face onto my face and adding some text they kept my original video exactly the same as it was.

The edit is very bad and I find the whole thing hilarious (not the video itself though... the edit is... not great). They haven't contacted me and gave me no credit. They even put their own watermark logo on the video!

I'm wearing a sweater with my own brand's huge logo through the entire video and if I for example was someone who didn't want my brand connected to a specific hockey team I would be very angry right now.

In theory, what could I legally do against this?

Thank you for your advice!

Answer:
 Contact an intellectual property attorney. Let him handle it.

Also, I think copyright might be something where the loser pays the winner's legal fees (US, federal, assuming US but I didn't see location in your post), so if your case is as clear as you make it out to be, you can probably afford it.


Title: [New York City] Club adjacent to our building is extremely loud; a meeting is being set up between landlord, tenants, police and bar owners -- advice?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Get a decible meter and familiarize yourself with local noise ordinances.

"It's loud" doesn't go very far. "From the property line the volume is blah decibles, in violation of city ordinance blah" is much more meaningful.

Simple meters run 20 bucks or so, fancier models can be a couple hundred, I'd go with the cheap ones with decent reviews. Answer #2: Well I'd familiarize myself with the noise ordinance and ask that it be enforced.  I don't think you need an attorney in this meeting since the police seem to be looking for a community solution to the problem.Answer #3: Look up local sound ordaninces. Get a sound meter. Find out how much they are in violation by, especially if it's multiple nights in a row. Bring all of that.

The rats are a different issue and you'd bring that to whoever does health inspections but DO NOT bring it up at this discussion i.e. turn your music down or we will call the health inspector.


Title: My Father has reset my phone and computer, saying it's his property so he can do what he wants.

Question:
Hello again, Reddit.

I've posted here numerous times now, and it seems like my life really hasn't approved

&#x200B;

Recently he reset my computer and phone in an effort to put more parental controls and restrictions on my electronics because he believes I spend too much time on it. However, in doing that, he's removed all my files on my phone (which were backed up to my computer, which also got reset.).

&#x200B;

I work a small side job doing graphic art, and when he reset my computer all my work is gone. In addition, I had images that I needed for school on my phone, and because everything got reset I can't access them anymore.

I want to ask r/LegalAdvice if this is legal. Me being a minor, and him being my parent.

They gifted me the phone for Christmas, but they said the gift was the usage of it, not ownership, which I understand. Therefore, he owns the phone & computer, but does he own the information stored on the phone / computer? Can I do anything to prevent him from doing this again?
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 Yes, he is allowed to do thatAnswer #2: he can do that.

back up to the cloud next time.


Title: [NE] Doctor failed to tell me my positive HPV test results and didn't notice overlook for two years. Is this medical malpractice?

Question:
I was given my first pap smear in May 2014. My usual GP was not available that day and another doctor did it. I did not recieve a call so I inquired after a couple weeks and was told my pap was normal and the STIs (gonorrhea and chlamydia) were negative. HPV was not mentioned by the office and I didn't know it was tested for.

In 2015 I went for my annual physical and my doctor didn't mention the test or results. We did not do another pap as per the usual frequency of every three years.

However I recently went in for my 2016 physical and towards the end of the physical she noticed my positive results for HPV and had me do another pap smear.

I am furious I was not told my results, especially since I called them to ask. Had I known the results I could've told my sexual partners for the last two years. I am not sure how to proceed, if I should contact a personal injury (which since there is no cure there was no further injury) or a medical malpractice lawyer, if any at all. And honestly I am embarrassed to talk about this with anyone, I don't want my mom knowing I have an STD.

Thanks for any help!!!

Answer: It doesn't sound like you actually know what HPV is.


Title: Currently have a friend staying at my house, and his parents are quite furious.

Question: Alright, I live in Kentucky. I have a friend who is 19 years old staying at my house, and by my house, I mean owned by my mother, I'm also 19. He had a falling it with his parents and he got a call while away in college from his parents saying that he wasn't going to be able to stay at their house during the summer due to falling out with each other. So, since he's my best friend, my mom and I offered him a spot to stay at our house over the summer, so he wouldn't have to get an apartment, so he could save money. Now, his parents are quite furious about this, his parents living about three streets over. They sent a message to my mom threatening action if anything happens to my friend while I'm staying here. My friend basically despises them at this point and wants nothing to do with them. What could they possibly do to us for having my friend stay over at our house?

Answer:
 He (and you/your family) can ignore every single interaction the parents initiate with him (and any of you). If they're financially supporting him in any way, they can revoke that support (tuition, health insurance, phone bill or car insurance, etc.). If any of you receive any official legal summons or lawsuit documents, be sure to respond as required in the document. Other than that, he (nor anyone else) has any legal obligation to them.Answer #2: Nothing, Your friend is legally an adult he can do whatever he wants without their parents getting involved.Answer #3: Nothing, and if the parents set a foot on your property, you, your mother, and your friend are all allowed to call the police on them for trespassing. Your friend can even be there alone and the law is still on your side.Answer #4: they can't do anything legally. But I'm curious, they don't want him staying with them, but they are mad he found another place to stay? were they wanting him to sleep on the streets?Answer #5: The parents have no rights to stand on.

However, in light of all the "unofficial tenant" dispute threads, you should probably outline some sort of an agreement with your friend specifying how long he's allowed to stay etc. If he doesn't want to move out, you might have some difficulty evicting him, regardless of the fact that he lives rent-free.Answer #6: Your friends is an adult by law. His parents can take one up butt.


Title: Took car to hibdons for battery replacement. They broke a lot of things. What am I supposed to do now?

Question:
**HALF UPDATE**:

I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. I truly am having a very difficult time trying to deal with this.

I have an appointment scheduled tomorrow at 1pm. I also called Hibdon's customer service and filed a complaint. They gave me a case number and told me that will contact me within the next 2 days.

So I might have an idea as to why so many seemingly unrelated things are broken after a battery replacement. I need your opinions and thoughts on this.

After a couple nights of intense googling and shuffling through many forum posts about car issues that are  vaguely similar to mine, I believe that the A29 fuse has blown out. [This is why I think that.](http://i.imgur.com/qsB8WGy.png) [(source)](http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/sm/1/2/Contents/enu/61TR0D/EWD/SCT/SC/SYS/E000169_enu/web/html/E000169_enu_Print.html) Many (if not all) of the issues have their components listed under A29. My theory is that the jump attempt blew the fuse. A concern is that the jump might have damaged other things as well. I'm going to ask the dealership technicians to see if this is a possibility and if they can confirm that Hibdon's are responsible for the damages.

My main concern is what the manager told me this morning. I tried to telling him that I believe that the damages were incurred when their technicians tried to jump my car. However, he immediately interrupted me and said that the jump tool was dead which was why they had to push start it. The technician on Saturday definitely did not mention that. He told me that they tried jumping it but couldn't get it to work for some reason which was why they had to push start it. I think it is suspicious for the manager to mention that detail after the fact. I am afraid they are still going to try to deny the damages possibly caused by the jump.

Just to confirm again... can a bad jump cause a fuse to blow out?

Would confirming damages caused by a jump be enough to prove that they messed up my car?

Also, I would like to thank everyone for the advice, suggestions, and tips. I refuse to be screwed over.

 ~~~~~

~~UPDATE~~:

I went to store and spoke to the manager. I told them that I suspected that their attempt to jump start my car battery with their jump tool was the cause of my issues. (The manager denies this by claiming that the battery jump tool was dead that day.) I will be taking my car to the dealership to handle the diagnosis and repairs. It has definitely gotten to the point where I need to pursue legal action. Manager outright denies any wrong doing and tells me to "take it up with corporate". I am a young college student with no experience on such matters. **How do I proceed with seeking legal counsel and action?** I don't even know where to start! Do I need to contact my insurance?

~~~~~~

Hello,

(Background... skip if you don't want to read.)

Yesterday, I took my Honda Civic LX 2012 MT to Hibdon Tire Plus to get the battery tested and replaced. I had to jump start to car to get it to the shop. After I dropped it off, they called me and confirmed that the battery was dead and that I needed a new battery. They also mentioned that the radio wasn't working and the odometer wasn't reading. This surprised me because I was listening to the radio on the way to the shop. I told them that was not possible because they were working when I dropped it off. I also gave them the go ahead on the battery replacement but went to the shop immediately to find out what was going on with the car. When I inquired about it, they told me the same details and made it seem like these problems occurred because of the battery. They also mentioned that they identified these issues "prior to service". I went outside after I paid and tried to use the key remote to unlock the car. It doesn't work. Red Flag. I get into my car and noticed that the tachometer needle is sitting at 2k RPM. 2nd Red Flag. Curious as to what the tech was talking about, I turned on my car... and the i-MID display doesn't turn on. Final Red Flag. I definitely did not drop the car off like this. I'm pretty sure I would have noticed something like my i-MID display not working (I look at this screen every time I drive). Sprinted back inside and tried to explain the situation to the service person who checked me out. They tried telling me that they identified these issues before they started working on the car. I contested everything because my car definitely was not like this before I dropped it off. I, not taking any of their crap, managed to frustrate the service person. They blew up, started yelling at me, and claimed that I was trying to fuck them over with free car repairs. Their manager then came over and assured me that they would "get it figured out". (It is closing time at this point). 3 hours pass by then the manager explains to me that they cannot determine the situation because the OBD2 port isn't working and they do not have the correct tools on hand to further diagnose the issue. He then asks me to bring it in on Monday (It was Saturday), so they can continue trying to resolve the issue... oh man.

**So here are the issues I've identified so far:**

* odometer
* radio
* remote key unlock
* tachometer needle (does funky business) *
* power locks *
* i-MID display
* hazards (they work but is no longer audible) *
* car alarm
* anti-theft system
* OBDII port *
* windows *
* automatic interior lights *

*works when car is on and running

I'm pretty sure the list will continue the grow...

**Some details and thoughts I didn't mention earlier:**

The specialist told me that they tried to start the car to get it into the shop but couldn't get it to start (I told them they needed to jump it). He told me that they tried to use some jump start tool but couldn't get it to work, so they push started it to get it into the garage. I'm assuming that is when they realized those "issues". So currently, I am under the impression that these series of events caused these issues.

**What do I do?** I'm pretty sure the people at Hibdon's still think that I brought my car in with the problems already existing. That is definitely 100% not the case and I am not about to pay for mistakes I didn't make (*Maybe my mistake was taking it to a tire shop in the first place*). From my interactions with the service people and the manager, no one has admitted that this was their mistake.

Thanks for your time.

(this post is also cross posted in mechanicadvise for car advise)

TL;DR - Brought car into Hibdon's to get battery replaced. Got the car back but a lot of things are broken / not working properly. Please help?

Answer:
 They had some numpty jump your vehicle wrong and fried one of the computers.

Have it towed to another mechanic for diagnostics (it's a pretty straight forward job to tell if they jumped it wrong) and then demand the first shop pay for the repairs.


Title: Switching from bi-monthly to bi-weekly pay

Question:
Hey All,
My current employer pays bi-monthly and is planning on switching to bi-weekly at the start of the new year. Their plan is for the first 2018 pay check to be issued on 1/19, which would mean 25 checks in the year...1 short. And that the "balance" of that 26th check would be distributed when the employee leaves the company..

Im sorry but that simply isn't right. Are there any reasonable courses of actions or is everyone SOL?

-United States
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 You mean from Semi-monthly (2x a month) to Bi-Weekly (every 2 weeks), right?

If they continue to pay you Semi-Monthly through 12/31 (a Sunday) then your first pay period will be for Jan 1 - Jan 14th. 5 day wait is fine (pay date 1/19). They are not holding the balance until you quit, they are paying you every 2 weeks, 5 days after the close of the payroll period.

You are only receiving 25 of the 26 pay checks in 2018 because the final one will be in early 2019, just like your current one for 12/16/17 - 12/31/17 will probably be in early 2018.


Title: (Brussels,Belgium) Somebody sent me(41M) private and topless photos of my wife(40F) from our last vacation and asks for money. I am shocked and do not know what to do.

Question: Me(41M) and my wife(40F) were in Mykonos,Greece on vacation a couple weeks ago. We are both people who are in business world and living a luxurious life,i guess this is the reason why we were the target. We stayed in a nice resort during this vacation. Yesterday,an anonymous instagram account sent me some photos of my wife,sunbathing topless on the beach,with her face clearly visible with me next to her,with other photos taken while she was getting a massage in the resort,which were the most shocking ones. The person who sent me the photos wrote me that we were very interesting and they couldn't resist doing it and "they" had a huge crush on my wife.I did not reply them. Later, they asked for money for not posting the photos online.I have no idea what they are up to,whether they are just looking for fun or something serious. Before contacting with the authorities,i wanted to ask for advices, i am kind of shocked and can not think what to do.

Answer:
 Whatever you do, don't pay them.  If you give them money, you'll just be demonstrating that you're willing to pay, and they'll just keep asking for more.Answer #2: In my opinion, it's gotta be someone working at the hotel.  Who else there would know how to contact you?  Only someone at the resort that could look up your information.

I'd call the resort and ask for a manager and make a complaint.  You probably are not the first person that this happened to and they may know who on the staff did it.Answer #3: Obviously you’re going to contact the authorities and let them handle it. Don’t give them a penny, because they will just ask for more. This is obviously a shocking invasion of privacy but really it’s just a photo of a woman’s titties that nobody will care about unless you are some sort of celebrity. Just ignore them.

Is it possible somebody from the hotel is responsible?Answer #4: Is this the nudist resort you posted about last month that you were super turned on to go to with your wife?

I mean, if it’s not, you may want to reconsider your nudist resort trip.


Title: [NJ] my Highschool is refusing me for 6 weeks of summer work, Help please?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You are entitled to pay for *all* the hours you worked.

I would call the New Jersey Department of Labor and explain the situation to them.  They would be able to advise you on what to do further -- perhaps filing a wage claim.

http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/wagehour/content/contact_us.htmlAnswer #2: They should have caught that at the front end.  They legally have to pay you for all hours worked at the rate that was agreed upon.  Anything less is illegal.

Who oversees the person who is responsible for paying you?  Go to them and then if they aren't helpful you will need to contact the NJ Department of Labor.


Title: Next door apartment neighbors smoking weed and having groups over to smoke. Do I maintain deniability if you can clearly smell it in the hall? Should I say anything?

Question:
It doesn't bother me that they're smoking. Sometimes the smell has leaked into my apartment, which is kind of annoying, but not a big deal. I'm just wondering if they got caught, could my door be potentially getting knocked on by the cops? You can VERY easily smell it walking by their closed door. I'm pretty sure I'm in the clear if I don't talk to the neighbors about it EVER and I keep my nose down, but l'd like to hear it from knowledgable anons on this subreddit. Thanks.

Edit: In Texas. And thank you to most of you who provided excellent answers. Like I said before, I was thinking I was good, but it was confirmed by this subreddit. Thanks! And by the way, no I don't smoke.

Answer:
 we don't live in a gestapo state, you don't have to report other people's crimesAnswer #2: So, what's the issue here, the smoke getting into your apartment and annoying you, or the fact that you think the police could confuse your apartment with theirs as the source of the smell in the event somebody else reports it?

I absolutely LOATHE the following phrase, however, it rings true in your case: "If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid", with that said, you still have some obvious rights. If you're afraid of a raid on your home due to pot smell, it's a little over the top. The possibility of you mistaken as the source of the smell is certainly there. However, any cop worth a damn will be able to tell the actual source.  Answer #3: Without knowing if you live in a state with medicinal marijuana, it's hard to say but I highly doubt your state has a law that mandates people must report crimes. Just write them a note asking them to put a towel under their door and call it a day.


Title: Biological grandfather keeps sending things to 8 year old adopted son (CA/TX)

Question:
Using a throw away because I don’t want this connected to my main account. So I have a very unique situation here. I have an 8 year old son who I adopted (was finalized about 6 years ago) when I lived in California, now myself and my adopted son live in Texas.

Since we moved to Texas in 2015, the biological grandfather of my son has been sending various gifts to him but in the last month the frequency of these gifts have increased significantly, and I want it to stop. He usually sends the gifts around Christmas time, my son’s birthday, and now I’ve been getting packages every week, just yesterday I received two packages.

The first two packages he sent, I returned to sender, hoping he would get the idea, but they continued (they are also coming from different vendors every time- never his own personal address). I found his email address through one of those lookup sites and sent him one about two years ago asking him to stop as well as a couple months ago, there was no reply either time. He sent two bigger gifts this past year (a bike and some play set) that I would have gotten charged to send back, so I just donated them.

Every time I contacted the vendors they have offered no solution to me, they have said I can refuse to accept the packages, but they are always delivered when I’m at work and I’ve never had to sign for one of them, also I always have no idea when they are coming. But the packages I’ve gotten the past couple weeks have all one thing in common. They have all been sent by eBay.

Today, after receiving two packages in one day I decided to contact ebay. Ebay was aboslutely no help. They said it’s not against their user agreement for someone to send packages to a minor. Even though I told them it’s an adult male who is harassing me and my family by sending them. Apparently there is no way for them to block the buyer from sending packages to my address because he hasn’t violated any rules, I’ve tried escalating the issue with “supervisors” but after speaking to one they hung up on me after saying there’s nothing they can do.

After speaking to ebay I called the non-emergency hotline at my local police station and spoke to an officer. They said there’s nothing they can do because it’s a civil issue. I can’t even file a police report because they don’t consider what he’s doing harassment.

I have just called the court in Los Angeles thru which the adoption is and have to call back because they currently aren’t available (they have weird limited hours)

I just have no idea what to do. From my understanding biological grandparents have absolutely no legal rights to a child once you adopt them. What are my options here?? Can a cease and desist letter do anything? Please help.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You can file a restraining order/harassment case in civil court I guess. But just donating everything is easier and cheaper.

He had no rights. But one doesn't need rights to send gifts to someone elseAnswer #2: could you ask him to invest in your child’s future (education savings etc) instead of gifts?


Title: Locked out of apt, emergency maintenance staff unresponsive

Question:
In light of tree law, I am bringing something different for you all to help me out with.

Long story short, I am locked out of my apartment - as in, I am missing the only set of keys that will let me in.

The apartment has an emergency maintenance staff on hand to deal with this and unlock an apt for a fee, yet when I call there is no option to leave a message and no answer.

I have just called a locksmith to let me in, but unfortunately this will be significantly more expensive and will require destruction of the lock to enter, plus the cost of a replacement lock.

I need to get into my apartment tonight as I have nowhere else to go (it’s already 1 am).

So the questions is, am I going to be held liable for any of this because I forgot my keys, or is the complex at fault for have unreachable maintenance staff? Further, do you think I’m in the right to present an invoice from the locksmith company and request the difference paid back to me? Can they evict me?

This is urgent, as the locksmith company will be here in 30 minutes, so do me a solid Reddit!

The state is Alabama

Answer:
 You are going to be liable if you forgot your keys. The maintenance service offered is a convenience, not a right. You have precisely 0% chance of convincing the landlord to pay for your locksmith.

By the way, if you take a drill bit to the deadbolt you can drill it out yourself in about 10 minutes, then run up to Lowe's and buy a new deadbolt for about $30. Will probably be a hell of a lot cheaper than what you will pay the locksmith.

Also, whatever you do, make sure your landlord has a copy of the key. It's likely required.


Title: [VA] I received a payroll check in the mail from a company I have never worked for

Question:
I just got a check in the mail for $250 from a company I never worked for. I applied for a customer service job at a local company, received an offer, and filled out the new hire paperwork. It didn't pay much but I had been unemployed for a few months at this time and could really use the money. Immediately after I received an offer for a better job making more money along with benefits so I let the first business know that I would no longer be able to start work with them. It has been about a month since then and I just received a check from the first company in the mail.

So far I'm not planning on depositing the check. I've tried calling their corporate number but I can't reach them. Is there any way I could end up in trouble with them? They have my direct deposit info so I will keep checking my account to see if this happens again. Is there anything else I should take into consideration?

Answer:
 Not that this is the case here, but it's a known scam.  They send a cheque, it gets cashed, then call to apologize for the mistake and ask (or threaten) for the funds to be returned.  You send them a cheque for $250, only for the original one to bounce, and suddenly you're out of pocket.  If the cheque is drawn on an obscure bank in a small town in another state, it's a definite flag.

Don't cash it, then you can just offer to send it back when they call.

Answer #2: Call the location you were going to work at and talk to HR.Answer #3: If you think you were not owed this $250, I would continue to call the office you were supposed to work at.


Title: [NE Ohio] Ex bf stole my car, abandoned it in state park. Confused & need advice please.

Question:
I am on mobile so I apologize for formatting errors or anything else.

TL;DR ex stole my car from his fathers house (my mechanic) vandalized it, left it in a state park. What is my recourse?

Details; I dated "Ex" in high school, kept sporadic contact over the years. Recently got back together for about a month and I kicked him out of my house when I discovered his drug use and lies.

His father has been a certified mechanic for 30+ years, and I had a Malibu that needed gas lines, brake lines, and coolant reservoir looked at/replaced.

Ex and I took the car to his dad's house and dropped it off, and left the payment with the vehicle. Ex's dad said it will be finished in a week.

One week turned into three weeks, and that's around the time I asked ex to leave. I have only ever spoken to his dad about car stuff. The first time I ever spoke to him in the 15 years I've know ex was when I talked to him about the car.

This is getting long...

After I kicked ex out, apparently he went to live with his dad. As ex was abusive to me, I blocked him from my life, so I don't know if he is living there or what. Ex's dad and I had an agreement in place before all of this that if the car is too much and he can't fix it, because he just had surgery and has a small child, he will get it towed to a yard and I can get it then. Our agreement was he had 24 hours to notify me in that case.

Last Wednesday, my mom (the car is titled in her name, we are switching the title today to my name) received a phone call from a police officer that the car was found abandoned in a state park, and the windows were busted out, tires slashed, hubcaps missing, gas tank door ripped off, interior slashed, battery missing, engine severely damaged from what appears to be a blunt object, and the car is totaled.

The park rangers had the vehicle towed to a lot that is several hours from me. I called the lot and asked them to take pictures of the vehicle.

In order to get the vehicle off the lot (and stop the fees racking up) I have to get a release from the park ranger and show proof of ownership. The police are still investigating, after my mom got that call, she called me and I called the same officer and told them the car must have been stolen because that is NOT where I left it. The officer still has to speak to ex's dad.

My questions are;

The citations for abandoned vehicle on state park property are going to my mom. *After I transfer the title today, should I show up in court in her place?* I haven't received any citation and neither did she but the officer that called her initially told her that there WILL be citations.

*How can I get my money back from storage fees, legal fees, paying for the car to get fixed in the first place?*

*Is ex's dad responsible for this?* I feel like I'm supposed to go to small claims court to get my money back from all this, but who do I name as the person responsible?

Please help me out. I don't even know where to start. I'm waiting for the officer to conclude his investigation to the stolen car, and I have to wait til Friday to show proof of ownership to get the hold off my car from the park ranger, he is on vacation til then.

Sorry this got so long, thank you for reading.

Answer:
 The EX's-dad, does he have insurance for his business or is he a backyard mechanic? He should be fully responsible for a car he was in possession of to work on. Answer #2: You can sue the dad.  He was, in legal terms, a voluntary bailee for his own beneifit - meaning he accepted custody of your car for profit.  He has a very high duty of care, and he breached it.  Whether you'll get anything from him is another story. Answer #3: You should BOTH go to court.

You're going to have to sue somebody, or alternately when/if it turns into a criminal case, the prosecutor might seek restitution.

Well, he'd have a bailment, I guess, but the answer is going to depend on some facts that you don't know yet.

What you need to do, if you haven't already, is start filling out police reports and documenting stuff. Your ex, presuming he is the one that did this, should be arrested. However, unless there's a crime reported, the officers/whoever in charge of the vehicle aren't going to be making much effort to preserve evidence.


Title: TN lost title and owner change

Question: My dad bought a truck new in 1987 and I'm currently restoring it.  He bought the truck under the development company he owned at the time which is no longer in existence.  He passed away in 2011.  I do not have the title for the truck and it would have been under the name of his company.  I have the paperwork from the last registration renewal which is under the company's name.  His estate was not probated I think because everything was just left to my mom.  I'm trying to figure out how to file for a lost title either under my name or my mom's name but I anticipate the clerk's office not letting me do this since it was registered under the company's name.  Any advice?  Thanks.

Answer: I went to the courthouse at lunch and wanted to follow up with the resolution.  I did not have a copy of the death certificate yet but figured I would just see what they said.  I explained the situation and they asked if I could sign for the company.  I said yes (not sure if this is legal but the company doesn't exist anymore anyway).  They charged me $11 to print a copy of the title.  Then they let me sign the title over to my name and will send me a new title in the mail under my name.  Then they let me register the vehicle under my name.  I was very surprised this worked but it did.  I appreciate the help.


Title: Mom wants to put kid up for adoption against Dad's wishes. [DE/VA]

Question:
Long story short, a cousin of mine broke up with his longtime girlfriend, and it was a bad breakup. I don't actually know what was going down in their relationship, but his ex is now telling people she's pregnant with his kid, won't let him have the kid, and wants to put the kid up for adoption. If she doesn't want the kid, Cousin would rather raise the kid himself, but she's insisting he has no legal rights to raise his own child.

Possibly relevant info: the mother lives in VA and the dad in DE. Both have nonviolent felonies on their records. The mother is currently fighting a drug addiction (I have a lot of sympathy for her, but that might be relevant) and the dad has been sober and clean for five years now. I know the breakup was vitriolic, but as far as I know no one so far is claiming abuse, just lots of yelling and insults on both sides.

We've already advised him to get a paternity test when the kid is born (since there's some uncertainty) and also get a lawyer, but he's wondering if he even has a leg to stand on, here. Can the mother just unilaterally decide to never let the father raise his kid, even if she doesn't want it? If she does refuse to inform him when the kid is born, is it within his rights to seek the kid out? If she puts the kid up for adoption, can he put himself forward as a parental candidate? He really wants to do right by this child.

Sorry if this has been asked before; I tried to look but couldn't find anything.

Answer:
 The mother can not put the child up for adoption without his consent. She can abort without it, but if she carries to term, he can veto an adoption. He needs to be placed on the state putative father list where the child is born and apply for a paternity finding and custody.

This would not remove the mother's right of access or either one's support obligation, though. Answer #2: > she's insisting he has no legal rights to raise his own child.

There's a truism in the field: never take legal advice from your adversary.

Your advice is spot on. If he's adjudicated the father on the basis of a DNA test, then he will be involved in any attempt to have his child adopted, and the bar for having his rights terminated against his consent is quite high. If he's unsure if he has a child, or when his child will be born, he should also sign up for both states' putative fathers registries ([Virginia](https://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/ap/putative_fatherhood.cgi), in Delaware through the Office of Vital Statistics, if I understand correctly).

Both states also operate Safe Haven systems, which allow a child to be abandoned by either parent shortly after birth. There is ongoing litigation on the subject of whether this unfairly prejudices the rights of the other parent, when done without their consent, but as things stand the reality is that if a child is given up under these programs, odds are, the other parent will never be aware the kid existed. These programs, by design, allow parents to abandon children in safe care _anonymously_, making it hard to even identify the possible other parent.


Title: Travel question with child

Question:
My wife is planning on leaving the country to go visit her home country in Europe. I just found out she was cheating on me with a coworker and now I'm wondering if there's anyway of preventing her from taking our 3 YO son out of the country with her for 6 weeks. I'm not sure if she'll come back.

I live in the US in MA and anyone with any information would be a huge help. They leave in less than two weeks and I'm trying to weigh my options here.

Answer:
 If you are seriously concerned that she intends to abduct your child, then you should consult an attorney immediately to file an order and discuss your options. You should gather any evidence to show that she will not be coming back (e.g., moving money overseas, any job offers overseas, any written communication she has made about intending to stay, etc.). This is not something to delay.

You didn't say what country she is from, but if she does move there with the child, you have certain rights under the Hague Abduction Convention if that country is also a signatory. The State Department's website has some excellent resources. But obviously, it's much better to prevent an abduction than to try and locate an abducted child.


Title: Anyway I can protect my assets from my cheating wife? (CA)

Question:
From what I've heard from a couple of attorneys, I'm screwed. But would really love to know if there's some better way to handle this:

Background:

I caught my wife of 7 years having an affair and now she doesn't know if she wants to end the marriage or the affair so I'm stuck. We were having intimacy issues due to many reasons, mainly trying to have a child for the past few years. Other than that, there had been no indications nor have I given her any reasons that  justify what she did. It is a shock to everyone who knows, including myself. She said she would be amicable if it comes an end but I am worried sick. We've kept our finances separate and contribute equally to our marriage. I contributed more because I earn higher wage. Other than that, I have my own accounts and she has her own. I know CA is a no fault state (stupid). And she said she would be amicable but I don't know if she'll change her mind. What can I do to protect what I have saved for us from my own earnings at this point? Attorney suggested getting her to agree on settlement amongst ourselves without executing the divorce paper but at least I have that while she's "figuring out herself". Any suggestions are appreciated. Maybe I can file it in GA (where we got married) but we've been in CA 3 years now so not sure if that's even possible. I'm not sure about if GA laws are more fair, either.. I'm definitely grasping for air here..

More info:

1. No kids.
2. Only our house has both of our names on it. Which I am willing to let her have, which is more than what she deserves to be honest.

Answer: You're already talking to an attorney - that's really the most important thing. But the law is not designed to figure out who in a marriage is more or less 'deserving' by dint of behavior. They're not a marriage counseling service.


Title: IA- Delivery man lets lose with a tirade, company refuses to replace him, saying I just need to cooperate

Question:
I own a franchise business. This morning a delivery came in, about half an hour early. I was finishing up some information that the delivery man needed and apparently did not greet him warmly enough.

Delivery man went on an absolute tirade about how I’m not the only person on the planet, how I have a “fucking attitude” and how I need to “grow up woman.”

I didn’t engage, but got the entire exchange on video. I spoke with the franchise liaison and asked to be changed to a different driver’s route (this is not the first issue I’ve had with this driver, but has been the first since we installed cameras).

Franchise liaison has said I need to cooperate and get along until he can address it in a few days.

The delivery driver didn’t out right threaten me, but came at me in a menacing fashion and I was legitimately afraid he would get violent. He’s a 60 year old man and I’m a 30 year old pregnant woman, and am typically alone when he arrives.

Does this count as assault? From what I am seeing, there needs to be threats of harm or actual physical threats. Thanks.

Answer:
 Your reading is correct. You don't have a legal issue here.Answer #2: > Does this count as assault?

No, yelling at you is not assault.  Answer #3: Congratulations on finding a new delivery company.

You are free to ban that driver from the property, and to call the police if he won't leave when reminded he's not welcome. You can expect that the delivery company will drop you as a client if they won't work with you on that, and you can absolutely get ahead of this and work to end your relationship with them if you'd prefer. Depending on contracts in place, that may be easier or harder.

But I can't see any obvious crime here at this point.


Title: Can my work force me to be part of a "secret santa"? [UK]

Question:
I just started a new job like 3 weeks ago and next Tuesday is the "birthday" of the company. Today I just got handed a bit of paper with someones name on it and told that it was my person for the "secret santa" for the birthday party and we all have to get something that's £15.

Can they force me to participate? I know it seems petty but they said nothing to me before and I don't think it's right that my work can demand gifts from me especially as they never gave me a choice of participating or not. Can they give me any problems if I make an issue out of this on principle? £15 is a lot to be spending on a near total stranger.

Answer:
 I once worked with someone like you.  Someone who pulled a snit whenever asked to contribute a small amount to a birthday cake, or for a boss's day present, or flowers on secretary's day.  You know what?  Most of the staff just hated her.  Her work life was so much more difficult than necessary.  Everyone was thrilled when she finally left.

Do you really want to be that person?  It's a new job and you are just beginning to introduce yourself.  Suck it up and buy the damn present.  Without complaining.  Who cares if it is legal?  You have to work with these people.Answer #2: I'm not a lawyer in the UK, but I think it's safe to say that no, they cannot *force* you to participate. You'd be an idiot not to though.

Is this your first job? Most companies have "traditions" like this. At my office, we do a "secret santa" for Friendship Day, and have a thing whereby everyone brings in cake to share on their birthday. The present that I receive on Friendship Day is usually crap, and I don't eat cake - but I still participate because the minute saving is not worth making myself a pariah for.

Yeah, you could talk to your boss, say you don't want to be involved, and save £15 - but then, next Tuesday, it will be painfully obvious to everyone else that you - the new guy/girl - are the only one who didn't want to buy anything. Hell, imagine if they don't re-draw the secret santa and whoever got your name still gives you something whilst your giftee goes without - can you imagine how awkward that would be? Is that really the first impression that you want your colleagues to have of you?


Title: Wlmington immediately terminating lease due to "natural disaster clause" in lease. Is this enforceable or an illegal eviction? (NC)

Question:
http://m.wect.com/story/39180861/renters-told-by-management-we-must-terminate-your-tenancy-immediately

My cousin lives here. Hundreds of people were told their leases were no longer valid because the complex has been condemned due to the hurricane. They are not providing alternate housing. Is this "natural disaster clause" in their lease actually enforceable? I don't see anything in NC law about exceptions to provide habitable housing.

Answer:
 Why would you think it wouldn’t be enforceable, the property is no longer habitable, the reason for that is outside of the landlords control.  No law is going to force a landlord to buy a new property to put displaced person into.  Heck, the law won’t even require that they have to rebuild the existing property and offer to rent to the current individuals upon its completion.Answer #2: So you're saying the owner of the complex gets double screwed because they lost their property and they have to immediately come up with funds to house everyone?

Yes the "natural disaster clause" is real. Answer #3: [It doesn’t look like your cousin has a case. ](http://www.legalaidnc.org/get-help/self-help-library/hurricane-matthew/tenant-rights)

The landlord’s expectation to provide habitable housing [is very narrow](https://mobile.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_42/GS_42-42.pdf) by only naming 12 scenarios that the landlord is obligated to remedy and says nothing about providing alternate housing.

Your cousin’s options are to voluntarily terminate the lease within 10 days or wait to be evicted. They should get in touch with their renter’s insurance to see if it covers moving costs.

Edit: hang on, they’re offering to waive fees associated with relocating to their sister properties:

> Transfers to other units under New Providence's parent company, Tribute, are also being offered on a first-come, first-served basis with moving fees and deposits relating to the move waived.

That’s providing alternate housing.