Title: DC / PA Voting – I'd like to petition to change my voting registration back to PA even though I have residency in DC because of lack of representation in Congress. Do I have a case?

Question:
I'm originally from PA and was registered to vote there up until 2014 when I changed my legal residency to DC and registered to vote in DC.

DC has a one non-voting representative in the House, Rep. Eleanor Holms Norton, and no representation in the Senate. Congress refuses to recognize DC as a state which would entitle DC to at least three votes in the House and Senate combined.

Because Congress is denying me equal representation and voting power in the House and Senate, I would like to be allowed to change my voter registration back to PA to get my Constitutionally-granted fair representation.

What judge or court do I have to petition to make this happen? Do I have a case?

Thanks.

Answer: No, you are a resident of DC,  not Pa. Answer #2: Nope. You only have the constitutional right to representation in the House and Senate if you live in a state. Those living in territories now and during westward expansion do not. Answer #3: Where you live is a matter of fact. Not something you can decide at will (at least without actually moving).


Title: I want to know how to press charges on my local police for human rights violations.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Nothing that you have described is a "human rights violation".


Title: Condo pet policy seems too controlling

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Not unreasonable at all, and not illegal.  I have a bunch of dogs, and it still makes sense to me.  Answer #2: > Please keep in mind other residents that may be afraid of dogs and or children.

AHHH, CHILDREN!Answer #3: > Is this even legal?

Why wouldn't it be?  First, it's *your* association.  The power to change it rests with you.

Second, none of this is that draconian.  They're saying "Keep control of your dog", which is strongly reasonable.


Title: Notarizing a residential lease in CA for proof of address

Question:
Hi Team,

I am renewing my indian passport at the SF Indian consulate in US.

I need to notarize my lease agreement for proof of address. My lease is like 4 pages long, and the notary charges 10$/signature. So I was wondering if I need to get all 4 pages notarized or just my signature etc?

I have never got anything notarized, so appreciate your advice.

Thanks

Answer: Notary here - if the last page is the only page with your signature, then that will be the only thing being notarized, just the one page. Bring the whole document with you, though. Also, have you tried going to your bank? Sometimes they notarize for free.


Title: Sold Car a year ago; Tow company contacting me w/bill

Question:
I sold a car about 1 year ago in Connecticut. I completed everything that was needed, removed the plates from the car, completed bill of sale, and canceled my registration.  Just yesterday I received a letter from a tow company stating "As the vehicle owner, you are responsible for any and all accrued towing and storage charges."  I believe they used the VIN to identify me.  The car must have been abandoned and then towed.

I contacted the buyer, and he said he never registered it in his name, and sold it to someone else.  At the bottom of the letter from the tow company it states:

\>Do nothing and the vehicle will be sold with the accrued towing and storage charges remaining your responsibility.  We reserve the right to use a collection agency if necessary.

\>If you no longer posses the Certificate of Title for this vehicle, because you:

\>A: Sold the vehicle to someone else

\>B: Traded the vehicle in toward the purchase of another vehicle, or

\>C: Donated the vehicle to a charitable organization,

\>you may disregard this notice. Otherwise, you are responsible for your vehicle.

My question is, should I contact the tow company to let them know I no longer own the car? I'm worried that if I don't, they will send collection agencies after me.  However, I live far from CT now, and I'm worried if I do contact them, they will also continue to hound me, since I can't show up in person with the bill of sale.

Answer: Give them a call and let them know the score. offer to send the bill of sale over email? you shouldn't be held accountable for something you have no control over


Title: [ON, Canada] Condo board is trying to remove our dog.

Question:
We moved into our condo at the beginning of April, and our condo board allows dogs (no weight or breed limit). We have a doberman who is currently being trained due to being attacked when he was younger by another dog. We had an "incident" where our dog barked at another dog. No injury, we just ended up walking away.
We got a notice saying that our dog was under review and was in danger of being removed. To note we were NEVER asked our side of the story. We were only confronted saying "this happened and your dog is up for review". Since the "incident" in April, no other incidents have occurred, and we do everything in our power to limit interactions with people as to not cause issues. This includes:

Muzzling the dog, choke collar, and leashed, with a minimum of 3 people accompanying at all times, one in front and one in back so we can't accidentally run into someone again. We climb 5 flights of stairs 3 times a day so we can let him out to go to the bathroom rather than go to the elevator. We have a dog trainer right now to help fix his socialization issue. He does not excessively bark, maybe letting out one or two barks but that is not even close to excessive. Again, no other interactions have happened since April.

We met with the condo board to discuss the dog with the trainer present, but the condo board seemed to reject nearly everything the trainer was saying. About how dogs aren't aggressive to the point of someone hunting them down, and instead usually go back on fear (since he was attacked). The condo board gave us 4 weeks to "fix" the dog, which the trainer explicitly said that is unreasonable and not something that should be expected.

We got an email from our owner saying that he met with condo board and that they told the owner of the building that they anticipate that the training will be "successful". The trainer did not say this. A side note: the owner of the dog that was involved in the incident in April has continued to try and follow us outside. She follows with her dog, even with us making an effort to get away. Is this harassment?

My question is this. Is the condo boards actions something that constitutes a violation of the Condominium Act, specifically Section 135? It seems like a massive witch-hunt on their part, and the continued lying and lack of unbiased actions makes it seem like this is something that can be fought. Thank you for your help.

Answer:
 Dogs barking at other dogs is normal.

Tell the board in writing that she is actively following you on walks. That behavior shows that she is not only not afraid of your dog, she thinks it is beneficial to her dog to be close to yours.

Also, head over to /r/dogtraining and ask them about choke collars. Doesn't sound like you have a trainer up-to-speed on the science. The muzzle should be enough protection.


Title: [UPDATE] Landlord and someone he hired threw away and stole all of my belongings the day before our eviction court date. (Location is Tennessee, specifically an URLTA county)

Question:
[Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/49scmt/landlord_and_someone_he_hired_threw_away_and/?)

I will keep this thread updated whenever I get new information. Stay tuned!

Finally got to speak to someone at West Tennessee Legal Services (free legal aid for cases like this) and she seemed very interested in my case. She told me to make an itemized list of everything that was in the house and bring it in as soon as possible. I am going to do that tonight, and I will go to her office tomorrow to get the process started. She knows who the landlord/real estate management company is and believes that they will try to settle this out of court.

She also said they can't personally go to court for me, but will fully prepare me to do everything and represent myself. I feel pretty comfortable doing that, but also may look into hiring a private attorney if anything seems too difficult.

I have yet to hear from the police department, was told to call late last week to see which investigator was assigned to my case. I have called twice and left messages, but no response yet. I did bring in my eviction notice so that is on record. Hopefully things start to progress soon!

**Edit 1:** Called the Police Department today to see if I had been assigned an investigator yet. I was told that, even with my court papers showing that I was legally still on the property, it is a "civil liability" case since it was his property. I repeated that they (landlord and another that isn't involved with our Lease) came in and stole all of my stuff. He said that since it involves a landlord it is not a criminal case. I don't understand how he can just go in and take everything and not be charged a crime?! It seems my only option is to sue, and that they will receive no other punishment.

Answer:
 >She told me to make an itemized list of everything that was in the house and bring it in as soon as possible.

Just in case it helps, I recommend [reading this old post](https://np.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/43iyip/our_family_of_5_lost_everything_in_a_fire/cziljy3). Not sure if it will work the same way as home insurance in a fire, but hey, may as well try. Answer #2: Did you have renters insurance? They may help you in court. Since it was theft they may even reimburse you and then go after the landlord themselves.Answer #3: Thanks for the updates. I hope you're compensated appropriately for what you've lost.


Title: If police say "grab her" where do I stand, legally?

Question:
In this [grab her cop chase](https://old.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/olrw3g/arent_you_a_good_citizen/) the cop says "Grab her" to the camera guy, inviting him to catch the lady running away.

As the camera guy:

Am I legally compelled to comply and make an attempt?

If I do make an attempt, what crimes will be committed?

Is him even making the request legal?

Is it technically a request to assault someone?

Do you have any other thoughts on the legality of this situation?

Answer:
 Cop: Grab her!

Defense 1: What?

Defense 2: Are you talking to me or the other cop?

Defense 3: Am I even allowed to do that?

Defense 4: I am not trained to apprehend people. She could be armed and I might get hurt.

Defense 5: The female officer had already caught up to her. No reason for me to get involved.

No way this guy gets in trouble.Answer #2: >Am I legally compelled to comply and make an attempt?

In most of the U.S. and quite a few other countries refusing to assist a police officer when requested can be a criminal offense.

>If I do make an attempt, what crimes will be committed?

As long as your attempt is reasonable none in most cases.

>Is him even making the request legal?

In most cases yes.

>Is it technically a request to assault someone?

No.

>Do you have any other thoughts on the legality of this situation?

Wiki does at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refusing_to_assist_a_police_officerAnswer #3: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/35.30

Read subsections 3 and 4. 4 is the "citizen's arrest" while 3 is about assisting a peace officer or a police officer.

I agree with /u/SendLGaM 's answers.


Title: [MD] Mother named child without father's knowledge

Question:
My friend is in need of help but doesn't use reddit, so he asked me to post for him. I've tried to get as much relevant information as possible.  I'm going to refer to my friend as Faust, and the chick as Satan. Faust lives in Maryland, Satan lives in Virginia.

**Backstory summary:** Faust was with Satan on and off despite everyone telling him Satan was bad news, Faust discovered that Satan was/is a cheating manipulative liar, Satan became pregnant. They separated during the pregnancy, due to the cheating and lying on Satan's part. He tried to stay involved during the pregnancy. Faust said they had a pregnancy test done while Satan was pregnant to confirm he was the father.

Satan named the child without asking Faust's input, which makes him feel like he will never be on equal parent footing with Satan. He wants to change the name to something they both agree on (the child is two months old now, I think)- I told him time was running out for that to happen as the kid gets older. He is *really* upset about the child being named without his input, and said it makes him feel like he will never be able to equally parent if Satan won't agree to change the name. Satan's reasoning for refusing to change it is because she says it will make her friends & family angry. He needs advice on what to do in regards to the child's name (and probably parental/custody rights as well). He doesn't know of any good family law attorneys, so if someone can give me information to pass along to him that would be awesome.

Any questions I'll pass to him and reply with his answers, thanks for the help!

Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You can read the fabulous advice we gave earlier.  To your friend.

https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3d1us1/va_want_to_change_the_name_of_my_infant_son/Answer #2: Your friend's fixated on the stupidest part of this huge mess. He needs to get a lawyer and go to court and resolve 1. custody and 2. child support payments. Those are the actual important things that will affect your friend and his child. He needs to get those two things from a judge, in writing, so he can successfully co-parent with his ex. She sounds like a nightmare. If she demands $5000 per month to allow him to visit the child, if she moves to Alaska and doesn't leave a forwarding address, if she tries to get the kid adopted by her new man - having a court order on his side will help him. Changing the child's name will make no difference to anything that counts. In 10 years, would he like to be able to say "I was included in parenting this child"? Or would he like to be able to say "I haven't seen this child in 9.5 years, but, by golly, it has the name I wanted it to have"? (Also, paternity test. Your friend doesn't sound too bright, so please make sure the test was actually taken, it wasn't just the girlfriend saying "oh, it's totes you, for sure!" without any proof.)


Title: Just learned that a psychologist is referring my family to CPS because of domestic abuse in the home.

Question:
My family is in rough shape:  I was widowed 7 years ago and have three daughters, now ages 12, 13 and 16. I remarried two years ago to a woman who seemed wonderful at the time, but now married life is a nightmare. It's likely that she is suffering from a personality disorder and she physically and verbally abuses me. She does not abuse my girls, but she is very controlling and there has been some conflict between them.

I haven't (yet) separated from her because I wanted to give counseling one more try. Also, she's pregnant and TX won't finalize a divorce until the baby is born anyway. I have been documenting her abuse of me in case I need it for the divorce a future custody battle.

Recently my oldest daughter was admitted to inpatient psychiatric care for bulimia and depression. During her sessions, the nightmare of our home life and how it has influenced her illness came out. Now, my daughter just called me and said that the psychologist is going to refer us to CPS with the recommendation that all of the girls be removed from our home.

I'm in TX and plan to call a lawyer tomorrow morning. What other steps do I need to take to protect myself? Can I destroy my documentation of the abuse?

Help! I don't want to lose my girls!

Answer: You need to quit being so selfish in my opinion.  Your daughters should come first.  If she is abusive you should be getting your daughters the hell away from her.  Since you won't, it looks like now the State is going to do it for you.  Be a father.  Your happiness is NOT more important than your daughters' well being.


Title: I'm ready to fight AT&T (Florida)

Question:
This is a legal advice question but it probably will require some tech advice too.

I've been a customer with AT&T for about 4 years now, and during that time I have **never** received anything close to my advertised speed. I am currently paying for a 100mbps plan, but I'm lucky to get less than half of that.

Although I'm not an IT guy, I understand the distinction between wired and wireless connections. I am receiving less than half of my speed on a *wired* ethernet connection directly from modem to my devices.

I have called well over a hundred times, and had AT&T technicians come to my house well over a dozen times. Every time, they claim there are no issues with my speed. They conduct "speed tests" on their AT&T issued i-pads and assure me that I'm actually receiving MORE than 100mbps (over a wireless connection!!). When I show them the dismal speed test results on my laptop/desktop/phone, they insist it's a device issue and they refuse to report that anything is wrong.

I'm almost certain that their devices and speedtest servers are designed to spit out ridiculously high numbers. How can I prove this?

I imagine that if I want to threaten them with legal action, I'll need some sort of software or hardware that can objectively measure my speed over a long period of time and record that data.

Or perhaps there is another way?

Answer:
 >I imagine that if I want to threaten them with legal action, I'll need  some sort of software or hardware that can objectively measure my speed  over a long period of time and record that data.

That, combined with the language in your agreement *guaranteeing* you some minimum speed would likely be a slam-dunk case.

The problem is that you're only going to be able to come up with the former.  The latter does not exist in your agreement if you're a regular, residential subscriber to their services.

You are, more than likely, promised a service with a *maximum* download speed of 100mbps -- not a *sustained* download speed of 100mbps.


Title: I got a parking ticket for facing the wrong direction when I was facing the correct direction...and there’s a photo directly on the ticket showing it facing correct direction. How should I proceed?

Question:
Florida

Downtown Fort Myers and I parallel parked. I was 100% facing the correct direction, and on the ticket is a picture showing my car facing the correct direction. I was within the lines, and it was a perfect parking job. I was literally one of only three cars parked on this road and all of us were facing the correct direction...yet I didn’t see tickets on their vehicles.

But my issue is...why the ticket? How should I go about fighting this? Only info listed on the ticket is how to pay it online. There’s no way to contest it.

Any information is appreciated.

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Get in contact with the Circuit Clerks office to politely inquire about proper steps. Typically you need a court data to dispute with a judge.Answer #2: Just to clarify, you are saying that you parked with the passenger wheels to the curb facing the direction of traffic but were cited for facing the wrong direction?Answer #3: You sure it's a real ticket?

Scammers love to issue fake parking tickets these days.  Maybe you should call the Fort Myers PD and inquire.Answer #4: Do a google search on contesting a parking ticket in that city.

I got one in SF, wrote a friendly letter and included evidence, then got a letter back informing me the ticket was dismissed.

Pretty easy.Answer #5: Contest it. There are numbers on the ticket, call them.


Title: Quick legal question I have (I know it depends on the state)

Question:
Say I had cops come to my door and demand I come with them to the police station and and answer questions for them (say a family member did something like murder someone). I tell them I won't speak without a lawyer. In response, they handcuff me and place me under arrest. Then, when I get to the station, they deny me my right to an attorney and say I won't get one until I answer their questions.

What could happen to them from a legal standpoint?

Answer:
 They could very badly lose the civil rights lawsuit you'd be able to file which would cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

They could face possible criminal penalties for the unlawful arrest and criminal federal civil rights violations.Answer #2: From a legal standpoint it means any evidence/confession they got out of you due to the illegal arrest (assuming they don't have actual cause to arrest you) would be thrown out of court as a Miranda violation in the event of any actual criminal trial. Possibly any downstream evidence they collect as a result of that confession/testimony as well.

I suspect that in real life a Section 1983 lawsuit would not be as expensive or fruitful as /u/Cypher_Blue suggests, in part because I'm assuming they really would have *some* grounds to arrest you, but are just failing to Mirandize you.Answer #3: Followup: if this happened, would it be smart to say absolutely everything bad you knew?

My reasoning is any information they gleamed wouldn't be useable in court.


Title: Roommate arressted for child porn

Question: My roommate was arrested of a year ago for child porn. I have had no contact with him. & I know very little of what's happened. His public defender is now trying to contact me. Visiting my apartment daily, calling, & just today she found my Facebook with a fake last name. Do I have to respond? Can I just block her?

Answer:
 They want you be a witness, probably.  If they can't get in touch with you, they can subpoena you, then you have to respond.

It also might make your life easier to just talk to her and let her know that you know nothing about the matter and will testify that you know nothing.  Then she'll most likely drop it before going the full subpoena route.


Title: Brother dead, only son dead, does ex-wife have an interest in the estate?

Question: Connecticut: My parents died with no will. My brother divorce his wife some 10 years ago. They had one son. Both my brother and his son have since died. Does the ex-wife have an interest in the estate of my parents? If so, is it a full value/full share? Thank you.

Answer:
 She likely has no interest in the ex-husbands (your brothers) estate.  Most states have some version of a statute that cuts an ex wife out of a will upon divorce.

It is probable that the son's estate would pass, at least in part, to his mother.


Title: I have reason to believe a child in my preschool is being sexually abused. Reported it to my admin, nothing happened. Where to from here? (Xposted /r/advice)

Question:
I am a teacher of two year olds, and have been teaching for roughly three years now. I’ve had the mandatory DSS training training that includes determining signs of sexual abuse in young children, as well as college courses that address the topic.

I had a student (she was recently moved to the next class up) who is very much special needs (likely Down syndrome and a sensory disorder in one), but her parents seemingly aren’t taking steps to help her. While in my class, she would often touch herself and hump her cot to completion during nap time, and if this behavior was stopped she became irrationally upset. When changing her diaper, I and my assistant teacher noticed that her privates were often very red, to the point that at first glance she looked to be bleeding, and she was *gaping*. She never attempted to mess with any of the other children outside of kissing on the lips, but that kind of behavior is pretty typical of a two year old.

Her family situation isn’t the best. Her family are Chinese immigrants, and she has a twin brother who is very clearly cared for more than she is (new clothes, always put together, wears an expensive golden chain, etc.) Her mother definitely seems to have some sort of mental disability herself, but not something severe. Her father doesn’t speak to teachers often,  but when he spoke to me he often tried to intimidate me.

As a mandatory reporter, I brought my concerns to the administration and they told me to write out what I have witnessed in a non-biased way and they will send it along the proper channels.

It’s been four months and nothing has come of it. I honestly believe they never contacted anyone about it, and when I ask them about it I never get clear answers.

Her current teacher was telling me that the girl has recently begun smearing her feces on the walls (and tried to put in on her teacher) when she uses the bathroom. I know this too is a common sign of sexual abuse, and let her know my concerns and the steps I’ve taken. She said she will document any behavior she finds to be out of the ordinary from here on out.

After finding out that the girl is showing more signs of abuse, I’m beyond irritated that nothing was done. My last day at the school is Tuesday, but a big part of me still wants to say something for the sake of the child.

What should I do? I know that I could just call CPS/DSS myself, but I don’t want to be seen as a disgruntled former employee or an overly sensitive one.

Answer:
 You don't say where it is that you live.

In most states, mandatory reporters are legally required to report possible sexual abuse TO GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATORS, not to their management. I would advise doing exactly that. You don't say where you live so I can't supply contact information, but I'm sure you can find it with a quick Google search.Answer #2: You went through your employer's channels and nothing happened.

You are a mandated reporter until at least Tuesday. Therefore, you must report this to the proper authorities.

Today.

Call the [Virginia Child Abuse Hotline](http://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/cps/index.cgi) at **(800) 552-7096.**


Title: [AL] I got a traffic ticket for an obscure law that I strongly believe was also misinterpreted while visiting for five weeks, but I will be gone by the court date

Question:
Full Story:

I got a ticket for an improper turn after making a right turn on red in Montgomery, AL.  I'll detail my argument below, but the short version is that it's a major stretch of an interpretation of a law that even the officer that wrote the ticket said he didn't believe in, but his sergeant was forcing him to sit at the intersection and give the ticket.  I'm in the military and here for five weeks for a class.  I received the ticket on my first day in the city and was given a court date about a week before I leave.  When I showed up to court, the clerk asked if I wanted to contest it, I said yes, and they gave me my "trial" court date in January (I leave Montgomery this week)

I live several states away and the cost of traveling out here would probably exceed to cost of the ticket, but I believe the ticket is complete BS.  What are my options?  I called the court to ask if I could send in a notarized statement or attend by phone (two things I've known other people in the military have been able to do in the past), but the person that answered the phone wasn't being very helpful.  I'm presuming a lawyer could arrive on my behalf, but how much would something like that cost?  I'd think it wouldn't require much time/effort beyond just showing up, but don't really know.  I'd be willing to hire a lawyer to show up on my behalf, depending on the cost.

Here's my full description of what happened:

Right turns on red are legal in Montgomery and there is no sign to indicate that you can't turn right on red.  I came to a full stop, waited until it was clear, and I used my turn signal properly.  The officer did not dispute any of that.  I received the ticket because (as best I understand it, it doesn't actually make sense to me) the intersection is a place where a freeway off ramp meets an intersection of two other streets and they believe that I'm crossing two streets and I technically ran a red light on the second street.

The intersection is the corner of Herron St and N Holt St (https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3749556,-86.3210121,18z?hl=en) and I was exiting the freeway and turned right on Herron St.

The law cited (32-5A-130) basically says that the government is allowed to put up "control devices" to direct traffic at intersections and that drivers must obey those control devices.  Even if the light on Herron St (the road I was turning on to) did apply to me, which it wouldn't because turning right on red sometimes involves going underneath a red light in the other direction, it was green because traffic was going through the intersection before I turned and was still going through after I turned.  There was no "control device" of any kind that indicated that I shouldn't be able to turn right on red.

I do concede that it is a safety concern to have people turn right on red there because most people probably aren't watching for traffic on Holt St when they cross the intersection, but I don't see anything that actually makes it a violation.  Per the officer, the only reason there isn't a "no turn on red" sign is because of some jurisdiction issue with the state controlling the land used by the freeway and the city controlling the rest of the land.  As I mentioned above, even the officer didn't think the ticket was fair, but he was told by his boss to sit at that intersection and give the ticket.  He even encouraged me to contest the ticket to try to prompt the city/state to figure out how to just put up a sign to make it clear.

I appreciate any advice you can give.  Thank you!
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > the intersection is a place where a freeway off ramp meets an intersection of two other streets and they believe that I'm crossing two streets and I technically ran a red light on the second street.

I would agree.  I don't think this interpretation is obscure or strange at all.  You can only make a right on red in an "unbroken curb" situation - where you don't have to cross over another street to get there.  You could turn right onto Holt(if it weren't a one-way), but not Herron.


Title: Landlord moved new tenants in before my lease was up.

Question:
So I moved out of my last apartment July first even though my lease says that I have it until July 31st. Rent is all paid up so pretty much I was renting two apartments for the month of July. Today I stopped by my old apartment to check if there was any mail that was not forwarded and new tenants have already moved in. Normally I wouldn't care but this land lord has given me a hard time for the past year. Is there anything that I can do regarding this since technically he is in breach of the lease?

Update: After reading your comments I contacted the landlord and called him out on the tenants moving in early. He agreed to pay me for the days that the new tenants moved in. Thanks for the help everyone!

Answer:
 You can write a certified letter stating you expect a full refund for the month of July because it was rented to another tenant, which is a director violation of the law.

If you don't get a refund, you'll have to sue.Answer #2: Send him a demand letter for a refund of all of July's rent. You rented the apartment for the month, and he can't double dip.Answer #3: First principle here: If you were renting, that means you have exclusive use of the space.  If the landlord moved someone else in, he violated your lease, and you can get your money back for the time he had other tenants in.

Second, I would push hard for your security deposit.  Was there ever a move-out inspection?  If there wasn't, he's going to have a hard time showing that you caused any damage (as opposed to the new tenants).Answer #4: Do you still have the keys?
I would also make a paper trail to the landlord about this situation for Court. Email your landlord and ask why you just tried to enter your apartment someone else is living in it and you still live there?


Title: This can't be legal for a judge right?

Question:
Super long story but I'll try to keep it brief.  I got a DUI in 2011.  My lawyer recommended going to trial.  Only evidence was officer testimony that contradicted itself and was based on improper roadside tests.  I'm convicted.  Judge gets an INCORRECT alcohol evaluation that wasn't mine.  I try to tell her that while completely flustered.  She thinks i'm lying and SLAMS me, wants four months in Jail.  Prosecutor never even asked for it.
Immediate appeal.  In the mean time there was some screw up with the case numbers and case is remitted back to municipal court to correct.  While there the correct evidence was presented and we had a resentencing hearing.  Judge drops jail time.
Appeal continues for another year.  District court Judge says there wasn't enough evidence and overturns the conviction. I'm of course very happy.
Now the city, like 9 months later, appeals it to the Nevada Supreme Court.  Basically they said District court was wrong because everything must be viewed in 'light most favorable to prosecution'.  (So why do we even have an appeals process if they are not allowed to disagree?!) So I lose that and call my attorney because i know i need to complete my original sentence.  They tell me the case is closed and there is nothing I can do.

So here is the real question part of all this.  I get a call on my way home from work on a Friday that says I am scheduled to be in court Monday morning to re-open the Municipal case.  I show up and the prosecutor argues that it was improper to resentence me and jail should stand, basically ignoring the corrected evidence and the extra punishment she gave for believing i was lying.  Judge sides with prosecution on resentencing and basically sentences me again.

Here is the part that I believe can't be right.  They give me an 80 hour alcohol test.  A test that is testing if I drank BEFORE the case was open, BEFORE I even knew I had to go to court and BEFORE there was any active court order.  So she re-opens a case that was previously over turned and then says I violated a no drinking order, days before it existed. (100 ng which is way less that should even be considered by a court from what I read.)  So because I 'violated the order' she sentences me to 9 days in jail, 4 already served.

So now I'm going to jail for 5 days, scram bracelet for 90 days and alcohol tests for 18 months.  This DUI was 5 years ago and I have had no trouble since then.  But I'm getting slammed for this alcohol test that I can't believe should be legally relevant.

Mostly a rant, but what the hell should I do?  Just take it?  I just want my life back!

Answer:
 >Basically they said District court was wrong because everything must be viewed in 'light most favorable to prosecution'. (So why do we even have an appeals process if they are not allowed to disagree?!)

That's an overstatement and probably not what they said, which was that the *facts* must be viewed in the light most favorable to the judgment.  That's correct, because the appellate court does not retry the facts of the case.  They're there to correct legal error, not second guess the trier of fact unless the evidence presented -- viewed in the light most favorable to the judgment -- fails to support a conviction as a matter of law.

>Mostly a rant, but what the hell should I do?

You can hire a lawyer to appeal, or complete the sentence.


Title: I bought a car on Ebay but seller never sent it help

Question: I purchased a car on ebay from an overseas seller. The seller told me it was fine if I paid through paypal so I did, however my car has never arrived and the seller won't reply anymore. What can I do in this situation? I haven't received a reply in weeks from him. I don't have the car nor my money, I need help please.

Answer:
 >I purchased a car on ebay from an overseas seller.

My bet is that you did NOT buy the car on ebay.  My bet is that the car was advertised on ebay but you used paypal outside of ebay to make the purchase.  If that's the case, then you likely cannot (successfully) dispute the transaction via ebay or paypal.

You could possibly find out where your money went and sue that party, but it seems unlikely you would be able to collect if they are really overseas (they may not really be overseas, but they probably are).


Title: (FL)How to get an elderly person taken from a home you believe is unfit for them?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Florida Adult Protective Services (APS) and Elder Abuse Hotline

(800) 962-2873


Title: Emergency: Landlord is trying to kick me out in 48 hours. (Gilbert, AZ)

Question:
I live in Gilbert, AZ. I rent a room in a four bedroom house, my landlord(LL) also lives in the house and we have two other roommates. For the last week me and the landlord have been going back and forth, it all started admittedly because of me.

 About three weeks ago I left some strawberries in my room and over night we had an infestation of fruit flies. I got rid of the fruit, but unfortunately I am a very messy person, and long story short they had plenty of places to breed and it only got worse. Fast forward to last Sunday, LL asks to see my room because the other tenants are complaining about bugs. To save time I will just post the chat logs [here.](https://imgur.com/a/sHxtlMp)

To me, it seems like he is being completely unreasonable, and as far as I know what he is threatening is not legal under AZ law. My biggest concern however is the lease agreement, which I have taken pictures of and posted [here](https://imgur.com/a/5baVje7) (somehow I don't have to second page, which sucks, but I'm not sure if there was anything relevant in that section). Particularly items 31 and 32. I don't know if this is a legal contract and if a judge will grant a writ of restitution so fast. Basically what I am asking is how fast can he legally kick me out? I want to leave as soon as possible, but I have work and I can't manage to pack and move everything in two days. What are my options here?

Please help.

TL;DR- Landlord wants to kick me out in 48 hours without giving any written notice, which (I think) is illegal under AZ law, however our rental agreement might give him the ability to do this?

Answer: The law trumps your rental agreement. AZ law says he has to give you 5 days from written notice for failure to maintain premises (which includes being a slob). Next time don't be a slob in someone else's house. Answer #2: Your landlord exhausted absolutely every resource he had in order to get the bug problem taken care of. From your own text messages we can see you made little to no effort- most of the time you didn't even respond to him. It'll be up to state law when he can kick you out, but there is definitely cause for you to be removed from the premises in an expedited manner as you are actively causing a health issue for your roommates.


Title: Why are you guys so damn downvote happy?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Link to the post?

It was either:

A. You were wrong about something and were an asshole about it.

B. You didn't actually have a question, you just wanted to argue your incorrect point.

C. The usual downvote brigade that just downvotes everything downvoted you.

D. All of the above.


Title: Showing movies in private question

Question:
Can you have a private residence and then stream any movie you like to your friends & don't charge anything except maybe for food and beverages and perhaps donations ... Isn't this technically legal ? Couldn't I have people become my Facebook friends and also have them sign a paper stating they agree to being my friend and also maybe have a video statement with myself also in the video (maybe even friendship hug too) (even meet in person if necessary)

Would this be okay?

I know some might say only for a small group of friends, but what classifies as a small group?

 If I have 4000 Facebook friends and 4000 video statements of my friends and I. Also signed documents ... And I only have maybe 1000 per screening wouldn't this be a relatively small group compared to my total friend count?
I'm curious what others think as I haven't seen anyone post a similar idea.

I'm in USA

Also note I will not be hosting content..Just streaming.

Answer: Do you own or lease the rights to the video? If you do not then you cannot.


Title: Busted for Using a Fake ID

Question: I live in upstate New York. Last night the bar I was at was raided, and everyone's IDs were checked. I was using a fake and I made the mistake of handing it to the cop. I was charged with a 509-6 traffic violation--which, as I've already read, isn't the worst thing I could've been charged with. I've also read that if I plead guilty, I'll end up with a fine of $75 to $300 dollars, an $80 surcharge, and the potential for my license to be suspended for 90 days. I'm willing to pay the money, but I want to know if pleading guilty will impact my insurance rate, job prospects, and if it will end up costing just as much as a lawyer. Does anyone have an insight into any of these questions?

Answer: You've admitted to committing a crime. Not a lot anybody can do for you, especially not cheaply. If you're hard up for cash, ask for community service instead. Maybe learn from this experience and not commit crimes anymore. Answer #2: A lawyer only deals in possibilities.  If you hired a lawyer, you might end up, worst case scenario, with the same or worse fine and also legal fees. Think about that.


Title: [Nashville, TN] Should I have to pay for this hospitalization?

Question:
I was institutionalized due to depression at a psych-ward so I was required to surrender my pump. I told the doctors there my rates and what I medically need, but they did not care to listen and used a sliding scale for me when I am on a carb scale.
They would refuse to give me insulin whenever I would need it (sugars at 250+) and I could not have access myself to it. After 4 days, I was released early and sent to the ER due to DKA, excessive vomiting, my sugars skyrocket to 500 over multiple days, altered pH in my blood (was around 6), and super low levels of required minerals in my blood. I was pretty much dying.
Now the bill comes back and I need to pay $1500 for the ward and $8000 for the ER stay, and I want to know if I have any legal ground to stand on to at least not need to pay that. It was not my fault I was admitted to the ER (it was due to negligence to my health by the ward), and I don't want to pay for the stay at the ward because they nearly killed me to begin with.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I got my medical history and it states from which ward I came from, the condition I was in, and what the sitter told the hospital staff about what happened.

edit: I have Type 1 Diabetes.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: Medical malpractice is highly fact specific and beyond the scope of the sub. You can usually get a free or low cost consultation with a med mal attorney.Answer #2: Call up the billing department and argue your case. The hospital system I work for will discount a bill up to 100% if there is a case of poor quality of care.  This usually entails a month plus long investigation, so you may not get your answer quickly.


Title: The cops think I sell cocaine!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 What is the powder?

As a side note, I have a friend who is a food scientist who travels around the world to do work in industry scale food production facilities. He carries around a briefcase that is legitimately just completely full of bags of white powder. He is from an arabic background. He has a SUPER fun time going through customs/airport security.Answer #2: what is the white powder?

if you have done nothing illegal, encourage them to test the substance to ensure it is not cocaine.


Title: Out of nowhere, my daughter's step dad left a rage fueled, extremely disrespectful, and threatening (IMO) voicemail on my phone. No court history...not sure where to go from here.

Question:
    For a more detailed explanation and background, read my original post here:  https://www.reddit.com/r/Custody/comments/3k3zx8/my_daughters_stepdad_left_a_threatening_voicemail/

I'll try to cut right to the point.  My daughter is 12 years old.  We (me, my daughter, my girlfriend, my daughter's mother and step father) live in Louisiana.  My daughter's mother and I were never married, never went to court, and have remained friends even after we separated permanently.  Since circa 2007, my daughter has, by a schedule of my design, stayed with her mom every other Fri - Wed.  I get her on Weds and then the following Friday she returns to her mother.  I did this on purpose back then because I wanted to make sure she was with me overnight more times per week than with her mother, just in case we ever went to court.  We never went to court.  We always talked out our differences and co-parented effectively.

Fast forward to last week.  My daughter's step dad, who has until now been very friendly to my face and we had a great relationship, called my phone when my daughter was acting out.  For no reason, he leaves a 3 minute long voicemail that consists of him yelling at me (literally the entire message) in an absolute rage.  He indirectly suggests physical altercation, but never comes out and says it.  He berates and disrespects me as a man and a father (no idea where any of this is coming from, as I have always been commended by others on what a good father I am and I have a wonderful relationship with my kids) in the message and is not able to calm himself down for the entirety of the message.  The tone and content of the message, in my opinion, is incredibly threatening and a cause for concern.  Here's a guy who for the last few years has been nice to me and calm and collected.  I've never seen him lose his temper once.  This was the polar opposite of guy I thought we knew.

He mentioned a few times in our exchanges via text (after the voicemail) that I should "get a good lawyer," and then in the next breath he would seem calm and even agreed to me changing the terms of my daughter's schedule to a total 50/50 where my daughter switches houses every Friday and both households have little or no contact unless there is an emergency.  I am now concerned that he may have issues with anger management that I was not aware of, and I am concerned about my daughter, mine, and my family's (my girlfriend and my son (my daughter's half brother) from different relationship whom i have full custody of and lives with me) safety and well being.  The step dad owns his own business and makes a whole lot of money.  He is on some macho shit right now and I'm worried he might take me to court and make my life difficult just to show me he can.   I have a good career and a good job,  but raising two kids is expensive and I live paycheck to paycheck.  I would not be able to afford a lawyer at all, and would have to represent myself (which i understand is a huge no-no).  He has money to blow and would hire the best lawyers money can buy, against which I seemingly would not stand a chance.  I have a squeaky clean criminal record, am drug free, and have always had majority time with my daughter.  I'm hoping this helps.

So here are my questions:

-Should I go to the cops with this voicemail?  I'd like to file a report to have an official record of all of this, but I don't want it to get back to my daughter's mom or step father on the outside chance that we can continue to care for my daughter in a civil manner and without involving the courts.  Is there a confidential way to create a police report to protect myself?  If so, is that a good idea or a waste of time?

-do I stand ANY chance at all in custody court if he hires high priced attorneys and I can't afford an attorney?    What are my options if it comes down to this?

-should i just eat shit on this one, swallow my pride (this voicemail and other things he said afterwards were incredibly disrespectful, to the point that I don't think any man would have stood by and let it go), and do whatever it takes to stay out of court?  I almost feel like at this point I would be teaching my daughter by example to let people walk all over her.  She has overheard most of this, unfortunately, and is not stupid.

I apologize for the lengthy post and am extremely grateful for any and all input and advice.  Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 So that is A LOT of text. Are you legitimately threatened? If so call the police. If not, block his number and move on. Answer #2: You can file a police report.  Your state should have a statute for harassment by electronic communications.  Answer #3: Have you talked to your daughter's mother about the voicemail?Answer #4: You said he is a "serious weightlifter" and that he has money. I hope you're not offended by me suggesting this, but: is there any possibility that he is using steroids? Unfortunately, many weightlifters (of course not all) use them, and they can cause intense anger. There's a term for it: "roid rage".

It's entirely possible that he is not using them and that this is just who he is. But if this behaviour is new, steroid use may be something to consider.


Title: Is gay marriage also legalized in the U.S. territories?

Question: Just curious if there's another caveat.

Answer:
 Good question. I haven't read the decision, but it probably isn't legal in the territories yet. It's a complex issue, but constitutional rights don't automatically extend to the territories.Answer #2: The District Court on Guam legalized gay marriage a few weeks ago. [Link to news story](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/world-news/guam-legalizes-gay-marriage-first-territory).

Answer #3: I've read the opinion and it only mentions that states are required to grant marriages and recognize them. It explicitly leaves out territories, and unlike the recent healthcare decision, it seems that there is no intent to include anything beyond the text.

However, I am only a law student and unfamiliar if SCOTUS decisions normally apply to the states and territories.


Title: [Update]Minimum wage worker, $62 uniforms.

Question:
This is an update to
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4lkvtf/minimum_wage_worker_62_uniforms/
this post. I've contacted the DOL, they had me contact the Ohio DOL in Columbus and the lady said that if they DIDN'T take it out of our checks, it is NOT illegal. She said Ohio is a "work at will" state, and that if an employer requires you to pay for a uniform they are not allowed to take it out of your check (if you make minimum wage), BUT they can require you to pay for it in cash (whether or not you make the minimum) if they require a uniform.  Originally when I told them I wasn't going to pay for the uniform they threatened to send me home, if I didn't come back with the money they would consider me absent, (and subject to termination etc.). I have a picture of the memo of them demanding the money from us.

Edit: Does the fact that Ohio is a "work at will" state negate the top answers on my original thread? If yes....well, damn. If no, is there something I can do? And should I? One memo the owner put up says he is allowed to "request" the cash, but the reality is, they demanded it from us (hence my picture of the memo), are they breaking any laws?

Answer:
 Wow. That was not the answer I was expecting you would receive.

So basically they're saying that it's legal to require employees to purchase their own uniforms as long as the cost is not deducted from their paycheck? That seems counterintuitive, as it's clear the uniform fee is coming directly from the earned wage - that has already been taxed!

It feels especially unfair as you'd have to work almost 8 hours to recoup the cost before earning "actual" wages.Answer #2: I would contact the Ohio DOL again and try to speak to someone with more authority.Answer #3: All I'm saying is this just doesn't make logical sense. No from checks, but yes from cash (which comes from checks). It just seems like it would either be no for both, or yes for both.Answer #4: Just find a different job, don't bother with their BS because obviously it isn't a good place to work anyway.


Title: This may sound crazy

Question:
Hello. So, me and my cousins were hanging out. We were all in the outdoor lani. We all were just goofing around. Well, then one of my cousins told my younger cousin (who was about 3) to poke me with the pencil. She ran around with the pencil poking everyone. Well, my cousins kept telling my younger cousins to poke me. She ended up poking me in the stomach. I pretended to act surprised that she would do that. Well, eventually, the poking became more physically violent. She ended up poking me in the stomach, back, butt, arm, and chest. Eventually, I ended up bleeding.
Would my cousins be legally liable for telling my little cousin to poke me? No joke, I ended up bleeding. I ended up getting stitches in the end. Would this count as physical violences or assault of any sort? This isnt the first time my cousins have attacked me. At first, it ends up playful but eventually they end up being naughty and physically hurting someone. Usually, its always me. I told them not to do it but they keep on doing it. Did I do anything wrong for allowing my cousins to attack me?

Please dont tell me this is stupid. They can get pretty violent when they play.

Answer:
 The three year old stabbed you hard enough to need stitches? I mean in a practical sense just stop it next time, you should be able to overpower a toddler.

How old are you?


Title: Question regarding Cyber Bullying

Question:
If you see someone posting racist hate speech online...and you comment on it replying to them something along the lines of “I’m sure your employer would love to see that screenshot”....

Is the threat of showing their complete considered cyber bullying?

I called someone out on Facebook for being racist and essentially said what I said in the example and her rebuttal was that I was cyber bullying. I responded no it’s just a simple fact and you’re spouting hate speech.

I’m curious if she could actually use what I said against me as cyber bullying. I’m not actually worried she would because she’s an idiot but I’m just curious.

Answer:
 Cyber bullying isn't illegal until it becomes harrassment. You're free to tell the persons employer. I got a racist fired from a boat dealership once, made my week, highly recommend it.

edit: but take screenshots and send them by email


Title: How screwed is my friend? (IL)

Question:
A friend of my brother, whom I've known since he was a freshman in high school, got into what I surmise is big trouble. He was out drinking with another friend and decided to drive home. Ended up crashing into a (thankfully) unoccupied state police cruiser. The passenger friend was unrestrained. Both ended up in the hospital. Passenger has multiple injuries, including fractures to jaw, neck, and arm. Driver is under arrest with a slew of charges, the foremost which seem to be aggravated DUI and causing accident w/ bodily harm. Bail was set at 500k.

I've always known him to be a sweet person, but I suppose this serves as a reminder of how one irresponsible decision (or an acute series of them) can upend your life. Based on what I've read here in the past I would imagine he desperately needs the best criminal attorney he can possibly afford. Generally speaking, though, what could be be facing in terms of consequences?
Topic:
DUI

Answer:
 The bail amount is a big tell that this is a very, very bad case. I don't know what the other charges you speak of are, but agg DUI is a class 4 felony in IL. He is facing 1-12 years in prison, revocation of his license for 2 years and $2500+ in fines.

He's not only going to be personally liable for *all* the medical costs of the people he hurt (insurance will not cover this), but will need SR-22 insurance once he's able to drive again. This is going to cost in legal fees alone at least $10,000.


Title: Neighbor is shooting birds with a BB gun in their own front yard, what can be done? [TN]

Question:
Posting for a friend who doesn't use Reddit, but the title is pretty self explanatory. On of their neighbors (who is an adult) is shooting birds with a BB gun from/on their own property. They are located in Rutherford County. I looked through the TN Annotated Code but couldn't find anything about non-powder gun restrictions in our state. I don't think there *are* any restrictions on BB guns from what I've seen. Outside of the fact that they're shooting animals, they're shooting a BB gun in a residential area, which at the very least could be a safety issue.

-Should be a gun safety issue, a wildlife/animal cruelty issue, or both?
-Who can be contacted about this issue?

Thanks in advance for the advice- I'll check back periodically for any answers I might receive.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Contact the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.


Title: Unlawful lockout at my apartment, are they wrong?

Question:
So I live in Texas. I live in a two bedroom apartment with a roommate and we have individual leases. Originally she put the utilities bill in her name. She decided to move out unexpectedly and I haven't heard much from her, she hasn't been paying rent or bills and she cleared her room out.

 But like I said we have separate leases and I'm still paying mine. I got a call last week and a voicemail from my apartment landlords saying they needed to talk about utilities as they had been turned off (I didn't have access to my roommates account). A few days later I just set up my own utilities account and never called them back assuming I had fixed what they needed to talk about.

So rent is due on the first of each month and you have until the third to pay. Today is the third and I hadn't payed yet and planned on paying tomorrow, one day late. When I got to my apartment the locks had been changed with no notice.

They are saying they thought the apartment was abandoned so they had the legal right to do a lockout with no notice. All of my stuff is still in the apartment my room has everything in it and I was only one day late. Was this an unlawful lockout and do I have the rights to terminate the lease? Thank you for your help.

Answer: Yes, it is an illegal lockout. Even in cases of abandonment, they still need to go through a formal eviction. They haven't done that -- it's not possible in the amount of time you are talking about.


Title: A friend got her Instagram hacked recently. Can she sue for emotional distress?

Question: A friend of mine got hacked on Instagram about a month ago and says it's been putting her through stress. She claims her uncle is a hacker, so once he tracks the IP of the hacker, can she file a lawsuit against the hacker? Especially if brain scans prove that she, in fact, has anxiety because of it.

Answer:
 There is no 'brain scan' that can prove the source of her anxiety.

She can file a lawsuit if she wants- that will be easier to do if the hacker is in the USA than if the hacker is not in the USA.

In order to win, she'd have to show specific medical damages- that may not be easy to do.  She should discuss it with a lawyer in her area.


Title: My Honda Fit might kill me - What are my options? [CA]

Question:
Today I discovered that my Honda Fit has been recalled for the widespread Takata airbag issue that has injured, maimed, and killed drivers since initially being reported several years ago. However, Honda's website states that parts will be unavailable until fall 2016 to fix the affected parts in my vehicle.

I've got a pretty strong aversion to driving a potential death trap, so I'm wondering if I have any recourse as far as requesting a replacement vehicle, or some accommodation for temporary transit (unfortunately, my commute is 40 miles round trip, with no public transit available on my route). I'd love feedback on what I might be able to do here!

Car was purchased and is owned and operated in San Diego, CA.

Answer:
 A little perspective is probably in order here.  There have been a dozon or so deaths associated with these airbags in the past few years, out of 53 million recalled vehicles.  Call it 5 per year to be generous.  In the US, there is a bit over 1 fatality per hundred million miles driven.  Your car is only marginally more of a death trap than it is otherwise.  If you drive 10,000 miles in a year, you're 1000 times more likely to die in an auto accident of something unrelated to these airbags.Answer #2: Sounds like you should call the dealer.  Did you buy it used from an individual?  I'd try the Honda customer service number first if that's the case.

> THE REMEDY PARTS NEEDED TO CONDUCT DRIVER'S AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALLS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE IN THE FALL OF 2016. HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS IN AN INITIAL LETTER WITH A SECOND LETTER BEING MAILED WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. PLEASE DISCUSS YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS AND CONCERNS WITH YOUR DEALER, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF, OR REIMBURSEMENT FOR, TEMPORARY ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION AS NECESSARY. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA'S AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-888-234-2138. HONDA'S CAMPAIGN NUMBER FOR THIS RECALL IS JX3.

http://owners.honda.com/service-maintenance/recalls?id=Answer #3: It seems to me that your first avenue of resource would be to contact Honda and ask what, if anything, they are willing to do for you. Have you done so?


Title: Need advice. Woman claims my dog bit her.

Question:
This will be long, sorry. This also just happened today and I'm a bit emotional.

Tldr. My dog got in a scuffle and possibly bit someone and I'm liable for thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Back story: I live in Pennsylvania. I'm going to start this out like everyone in this situation but it's the truth. I've never seen one ounce of aggression from my dog ever. (I know all dogs can be aggressive at anytime for any reason). My dog has been to a very expensive well known dog training course and will sit, heel, and do other things on command. We've taken every precaution to make sure this does not happen. Not because he's ever been aggressive but, because we know how people view large breeds, we wanted to be able to show that he's well behaved and under control. My dog loves other dogs and is very playful. He's a year and a half old GSD. If another dog gets aggressive with him he usually just moves away because he's a giant baby.

On to the story.

I live in a large apartment complex with hundreds of large breed dogs. This morning I was taking my dog outside to do his business and we walked around a blind corner into another lady and her small breed dog. Her dog was about five pounds or so. They start to scuffle and her dog becomes aggressive and growling. Both dogs were on a leash. I get control of the situation and pull my dog away while the entire time her dog is biting at mine and she is just trying to get in between them and pick her dog up. She can only pick it up a few feet off the ground before it panics and she drops it. She does that several times before the situation is over. Which couldn't have been more than fifteen seconds. She then walks several yards away and I get my dog to sit so we can wait for her to leave as he still needs to do his business. She turns back around and approaches me again and says my dog bit her. She stands five feet from me while my dog calmly sits by my side not moving and pulls up her pants to show me the wound. It was a quarter sized wound/bruise on her knee no blood at all. She asks for my number which I give her and she goes inside. I guess I should mention she lives right next to me.

I'm really shaken up by the whole situation because I'm now worried for my dog and I return inside immediately to wake up my boyfriend. I just have a feeling this is going South real quick. I explain what happened. While I'm explaining the situation her boyfriend, easily 250lb guy comes charging out of their apartment yelling up to the window that our dog attacked her and we need to come outside. (Thank God I went inside I don't know what would have happened had I still been out there when he came barging out) So we go outside and he tells us our dog "attacked" her and she's bleeding an needs to go to the er. He just kept saying "she's bleeding what are you going to do about this?" He then says we need to go to the hospital with them and pay.

I should also add that she was wearing thin light grey sweatpants at the time of the altercation. She finally comes back out showing no sign of injury(no limp or anything) in the same light grey sweatpants no blood to be seen. She lifts up the leg to show my boyfriend and the injury is not covered by a bandage and is not bleeding. No blood on the leg no blood on the pants. The entire time her boyfriend does all the talking asking what were going to do. He's clearly lying and trying to get money from us. He keeps saying "if you won't do anything I'm calling the cops". We told them that if we were legally found liable we would cover the medical bills but were weren't going anywhere with them. Finally he decides to call the cops and they walk away to their car.

The cop shows up and takes their statement in the parking lot and then approaches us with them in tow to take mine. Which doesn't seem right to me. I feel he should have heard me out without them ten feet away. The cop takes my info. Just my name, number, and birth date. He then puts his note book away clearly done with my side of things. He asks for our dogs paperwork and my boyfriend goes back in to get it leaving me with them. I start asking the cop questions and try to tell my side of the story and he just defends the other couple and writes nothing down. He said there is a wound so he needs the paperwork. I explain that I'm cooperating and were getting the paperwork but he just keeps defending the "victim" and is still not hearing me out. The cop just goes on and on about not wanting her to have to get a rabies vaccination. In the mean time I'm explaining her dog also bit mine and why the fact that she had a dog in the mix isn't a factor. The cop just kept saying it's because shes injured. There is still no PROOF that my dog is the one that caused this tiny wound. Just she said she said.

Keep in mind the entire time she was in the middle of the scuffle trying to get between them and trying to pick her dog up.

He then takes pictures of the wound and our paperwork and says no charges will be filed but he has to contact the spca. He leaves and the couple goes to the hospital for their "emergency" two hours later. (still no blood)

Not even an hour later the spca calls saying they are outside and want to come in. They are adamant about coming inside. (My dog only barks at people when they walk in our home with out him meeting them first. We always take him outside and let everyone pet him first). I said I would bring my dog out but that I'd rather them not come in. So I go down stairs and open the outer door to the building and he starts straight up the hallway stairs ahead of me and stops outside my door. I tell him I'm not comfortable letting him inside my tiny apartment with my dog. He ask "why is he aggressive". I explain no he not and that you would just be a stranger walking into my house. Most dogs wouldn't be comfortable with that. He was visibly annoyed but I'm not letting a stranger in that has no legal authority to be there.

We are in the hallway and my boyfriend walks out of the apartment. The spca guy glances in and says "oh a german shepard". Like case closed we got our guy. He then tells us our dog is under a mandatory ten day quarantine at the end of which we have to take him in to the vet to have him examined and released. A bill we now have to pay. I ask about the other dog and ask if it will be under quarantine too since it bit at my dog. He didn't respond to that question. He says our dog can only be outside to go to the bathroom and can have no contact with people or other dogs. If he's seen with anyone else they will come take him away and it will cost us a hundred dollars a day for them to keep him in isolation.

I don't know who's going to monitor that. Its an insanely busy apartment with hundreds of dogs. I guess the "victim" will keep an eye out since their literally next door. Now I feel like the next ten days are at the discretion of these neighbors that hate us.

Spca guy kept telling us that it's not a big deal this happens and he will be in contact after he looks at the "bite". So he hasn't even assessed the situation or looked at the wound before he approached us. He said he was waiting on her to get back from the hospital. He shakes my boyfriend's hand doesn't look at me and leaves. I still don't get to explain the full situation. Also I'm sure by the time he sees the injury it has been poked and prodded for hours and it looks way worse.

We wait several long hours for a phone call from the spca guy. He finally calls and tells us that it was an injury that he's determined was caused by our dog (with out examining our dog or hearing my side) and that we are liable for all damages. He says he's not giving us a citation and that the "victim" will be in touch with her bills. I ask him for a report or statement documenting this since it just became a legal issue and he said I can come pay for a report at the spca but they don't just give them out. Its not standard procedure. Okay.

I now have no contact information for this woman. No contact information for the original cop. No info for the spca guy. No legal document on the situation. No photos or evidence. This woman is just going to eventually contact me and I'm expected to pay her bills.

I do feel really bad that she got hurt. It was poor timing and a freak accident. There just simply isn't enough proof that my dog caused this. I just don't this was fairly or properly handled. I'm not saying my dog didn't do it but I mean Google images of a german shepard attack and tell me a quarter sized bruise is cause for all of this. He now has a permanent record with the spca and her tiny aggressive dog isn't in any trouble at all. I know dog owners have to take responsibility regardless and I'll pay the bills. I just don't think we were fairly treated or that tis was fairly investigated.

I also posted this on /rdogs but I was hoping for a legal opinion.

Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom on this situation? I'm kind of at a loss on how to proceed. I guess I wait for her to call...

Answer: That is way too long. If your dog bite someone report it to your insurance and let them handle it


Title: Canada Revenue Agency ISSUE.(cra wants me to send my rental cheques to them instead of my landlord).need some adivice.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Go look up CRA's number, _call them_, and verify this. Never pay at the direction of a cold call.

If this is legitimate, you must pay CRA. CRA will provide receipts and documentation for your landlord. Your landlord cannot evict for nonpayment if you pay at the direction of CRA. However, a cold call may be a scam.


Title: Friend found a gift card in a parking lot, called the number but it wasn't activated but had $240 on it, she And her boyfriend spent $180 of it. Two weeks later and she has to go in for questioning. (NC, US)

Question:
Apparently the owner of the card wants to press charges. She said the cop said it's a felony and she is looking at jail time if the owner does press charges. After she had spent the money on the card she started to feel guilty about it so she called the number on the card and reported that she had found the card. The owner of the card is from out of state. There was no name on the card, just "Card Holder"

What should she do? Or would it be best to wait until after the questioning today?

Edit: she was seen on camera in one of the stores using the card

Update: She has gone to talk to the officer, I told her before she does that she needs to talk to a lawyer or at the very least not answer ant questions until she talks to one, but I'm not sure if She took that advice.

Update2: She didn't get a lawyer, She gave the officer a statement, the boyfriend is doing the same apparently, the officer said he's taking it to the DA to see if there are any charges, but the card holder wants to press them.

Update3: I told my friend about what y'all suggested and even showed her the post she still went without a lawyer and she's acting like it will all be ok and that she's ready to face it. I appreciate y'all helping me try to help her though.

Answer: If she can't be bothered to get herself a lawyer, she obviously doesn't care whether she goes to jail. She didn't dig her grave when she spent the money on the card, she dug her grave when she repeatedly turned down good advice. Talk about learning a lesson the hard way, unnecessarily at that.


Title: Threatened custody battle because my ex heard my children calling my husband, "Dad"

Question:
My ex decided to confront me at my kids first sports game in front of my kids and all the other parents...little back story-  My ex is my ex for a reason, it was a relationship that was somewhat forced after a teen pregnancy and 2 kids later, didn't work out. He, for the most part, is not apart of their lives... he has them every other weekend (4 days a month), by our own decision at a custody mediation. We split when my kids were 4 and 2 for many reasons. I have been with my now husband since my kids were 5 and 3 and they instantly bonded. They at first called him by his first name, as would be expected, and as our relationship became more serious a "dad" would slip in every so often and once we got married, he was "dad/daddy" by their own choice and we are completely fine with it, it's natural. My husband is their dad, I could bore you with all the details (ask if you want to know and I'll gladly tell you what an awesome father he is ), but I'll move on... my kids are now 9 and 7 and for the past couple of years my ex has heard my kids call my husband dad and he freaks out on them, yelling at them that, that's not ok and they should call him by a nickname like, "Buddy, Bub, or Mister" and they didn't like that. He eventually called CPS on me and claimed we forced our kids to call my husband, "dad"...insert my kids being pulled from class at school to be interviewed and a knock on the door from the same social worker for me. Unsubstantiated. She agreed that the call was ridiculous, but it must be investigated, said my kids loved each other and our whole family and they were very happy kids, I had nothing to worry about and if he made another report for the same thing he could get into some trouble for false reports. So, I signed my kids up for a sport (paid for everything) and all games and practices are in my custody. I decided to be nice and give him the schedule, he shows up. My husband is an assistant coach and my kids didn't see their bio dad there and were going about their business and one of them was talking to my husband and called him "dad" (like always, natural), and he out of nowhere to them said really loudly, "YOU MEAN, JOHN DOE (insert his real name obviously)!" And they just looked stunned...went down to the field and on their way with my husband. My ex walks away looking furious and comes back a bit later while I'm with my two small children (with my husband) and says all this stuff about how he thought I agreed to end the kids calling my husband "dad" (no such conversation was had).I said the kids are allowed to call him whatever they want and then he said he would be "calling the courts" and getting custody of the kids because I am not allowed to let them call my husband "dad"- said he confirmed this with a lawyer and they assured him he would win custody. He is also a year behind on child support, owes medical bills that are 5 years old, and has a dangerous by choice job/hobby and spends zero time with the kids when he does have them (per what they say). He did this in front of everyone, my kids asked me if I could ask him to leave and they were upset about it during the game. He then went on to pace around the fields and back to his vehicle on the phone and smoking almost the entire time-didn't even watch the kids play...he came close to the field the last couple of minutes when a "friend"/big guy showed up, he walked right by me then turned around and went to another spot...my kids did not know this man who was meant to intimidate me or my husband so it was incredibly odd. my kids cried that I shouldn't have told him where their games were and I went on to spend the rest of my night comorfting my oldest, who was in tears both sad and angry that he said he was going to take them away from me. I'm in Arizona (United States ) and guess my question is, can my ex get custody of my children who do not want to live with him because they are calling my husband dad?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Oh a court would have a good giggle at that kind of claim.

Your ex has issues.  You don't.Answer #2: I would ignore his behavior. How he's reacting isn't right, I'm not saying he is, but you should realize *why* he's acting the way he is. If your children called his girlfriend, woman, step-mother, whoever it may be, "mom", you'd feel it. Anyone who says "Oh, that wouldn't bother me" is lying. Again, he's not right. He definitely shouldn't be doing this in front of your kids. Let him try to go to court if that's what he wants, but he's emotional about it.Answer #3: First of all, don't worry.  He's not getting full custody over this, and no lawyer told him that.  People who are a year behind on support seldom get what they want in court.

My advice would be to start a journal.  The first entry should be about how he confronted you at your kids' event and their reaction to it.  Keep track whenever he does stuff like this, noting who was there and what happened.  That should carry more weight in court than what your kids call your husband.


Title: Someone managed to get into and overdraw my bank account this past winter. They made two separate transactions and bank only refunded one, and now it’s in collections.

Question:
So like the title says, this past winter my bank account was “hacked” or whatever the proper terminology is. Someone was able to take $400 out of my account. It showed up as 2 separate transactions for $200 at a well known east coast gas station, and I live in the west. This came right after my bank took $1,700 out of my account without notice because I was late on my student loan from the same bank (my fault, and it was my entire tax refund which I had just gotten the day before and was going to use to get back on my feet and catch up on my payments. They took it all). This combined with the fraudulent charges put me at zero.

I reported it right away and they accepted my claim and said I should have the money back in 8-10 days. I told the gentleman on the phone that I wanted my bank account frozen, and once the issue was resolved I wanted my bank account closed. I’d been meaning to switch banks anyway since it’s a popular bank in the northeast but I don’t live there anymore. He said “no problem”.

Well, the next afternoon I notice my account is at -$600. Same deal with multiple $200 transactions at the same gas station, now in a different state. I call them back immediately and say that they clearly didn’t freeze my account, and to question why they were able to overdraw my account when I have security measures in place to keep myself from doing the same thing. A month prior I had forgotten a bill had come out that day, and my card was declined for insufficient funds when I tried to make a purchase, which is what it’s supposed to do. I am usually very aware of how much money I have, so that was the only time I had ever “tested” that security measure, and remember thinking OK cool, it works.

The man on the phone said he was very sorry for the mixup, the charges are clearly fraudulent and the same thing, they’d be refunded in 8-10 days, then they’d close my account. I think he gave me a reference # for my “case” or “claim” but I stupidly never wrote it down.

Fast forward to 12 days later and I see they refunded me the first charges of $400, so my account was still negative. I call back and they say they’re taking care of it. This time I didn’t get a reference #. I went through this about once a week, even using their online form to file a complaint, and never got a response from the online forms. Then, I get a letter from a collections agency saying that my negative balance has been transferred to them. I’m pissed and call the bank but they say since it’s already been passed off to collections, they can’t do anything (this doesn’t seem right to me).

My phone is ringing non-stop with collectors, I’m getting letters once a week, but that’s not even the worst part.

Since this has happened, I haven’t been able to open another bank account, because every bank sees I overdrew a previous account and have yet to pay off the debt . I’ve been living off of exclusively cash which is nerve wracking to say the least, and inconvenient. I purchase prepaid gift cards to use for online stuff, and use money orders for bills, which is a PITA since the post office is only open when I work. The collections agency won’t help me either and I can’t afford a lawyer.

I need to move at the end of the week so I need a new apartment, and I’m trying to buy a car currently since mine broke down (when it rains it pours). All of this is near impossible without a bank account and my already poor credit isn’t getting any better with this going on. Do I have any options without getting a lawyer, or did I screw myself by not being more diligent with my bank before they sent it to collections?

Answer: Dispute the debt with the debt collection agency. You can do this by sending them a letter via certified mail, this letter is known as a "debt dispute/debt validation letter" and is best sent within 30 days of a debt collector's initial communication with you.


Title: Hotel took my wife’s dead mom’s old curling iron.

Question:
Okay... I need help. I don’t know the law. So can some people enlighten me?

Me and my wife and our daughter stayed at a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, FLA 3 weeks ago. We left a curling iron (stupid I know, with a 2 year old we are scatter brained.) anyways, we realize once we get home that we left it at the hotel. So we call the hotel they locate it and say they can ship it back, if I pay for it. So I call fedex and they say they will call me and let me know when it is delivered and I paid for the shipping label.

Fast forward 2 weeks, I haven’t heard anything, so I call fedex and they hadn’t received the curling iron yet. So I called the hotel. And I get put on hold after I ask if they had shipped it and after 10 minutes they get back on and say exactly this.

“We told you that we found the curling iron broken, and we specifically remember you saying that you wanted us to throw it away—so we did.” Are you kidding me?!?! That conversation never happened. I paid to ship the curling iron. Why would I pay for it to be shipped if I “told them to throw it away.” I fought for 15 minutes asking to be reimbursed for the shipping fee and to know how the curling iron was broken and if I could hear the conversation since they said they had it recorded where I said to throw it away. They said that I couldn’t hear the conversation because it is confidential and it’s breaking the law.

Basically, I feel like the curling iron was stolen. They never called me and told me it was broken or they weren’t going to ship it. I paid for the shipping. This curling iron is extremely important to my wife. What can I do?

Answer: What's with the reference to "dead mom"!?Answer #2: Realistically? Not much. You could sue over the damages but you'd have a real problem with even small claims filing fees, recovery of damages, or even proving that they did anything wrong. You could file a police report but I wouldn't expect the police to do much / anything in this situation.


Title: Roommate went mental 5 days into lease. What are my rights?

Question:
My bf (S) and I were planning to move states and a long term friend (T) signed on as our room mate. S has lived with him before and has known him for 6+ years and he has never acted the way he is now. T started acting very weird 3 days after signing the lease and then went MIA for 2 days and that's part of why S and I hadn't left our state yet. Now T is saying we are manipulating him, peer pressuring, trying to live off of him, ect. and he doesn't want to rent with us anymore.  We've already signed the lease and he moved in on the 25th. S and I aren't even in the state so we havent moved in. This is all in spite of the fact that up to now I have paid 100% of the move in costs, including T's pet and risk fee because his car broke right before signing the lease so his money had to go to that. He has said he would pay me back but I am not holding my breath. T even went so far as to call the land lord, reverse the situation and say I've gone mental, and tried to get off the lease without telling me. S is not on the lease yet and was due to be added when we arrived so all fees are up to T and I.

What are my rights in regards to being removed from the lease, as well as being reimbursed from T for his costs?

Answer: You have no right to be removed from the lease


Title: [NJ] I got a ticket for statue 39:4-135 because a bitter old neighbor called the police. Anything I can do?

Question: I was parked facing the wrong way and this callous, bitter, old neighbor called the police because she has nothing else to do. She has done this multiple times to people. Is there anything I can do to get out of it? 54$ is a lot of money for me and I did not know this was illegal.

Answer:
 Ignorance of the law is not a defense, so that won't help you.

You'll probaboy wind up paying it unless you have a good defense to the charge.  For a parking ticket, that defense usually has to be "I wasn't parked illegally."

Since you were, you will probably have to pay it.


Title: Sexual assault as self defense?

Question:
Hello. I am wondering if it is hypothetically possible to legally commit an act of sexual assault if it were used as a form of self defense. For example, could someone run nude toward an active shooter and proceed to teabag the said shooter if it put the shooter in shock and stopped the shooter from hurting others?

I am very curious. Thanks.

Answer:
 I can't believe I'm answering seriously to this, but here we go.

To invoke your right to self-defense as a justification, it needs to be proportional and reasonably appear necessary to foil an immediate threat.

Tackling an armed shooter is totally reasonable. Doing it in the nude would depend on the circumstances, if you undressed specifically in order to tackle the shooter, then I don't see how that could be justified.

However, let's say you were nude in the privacy of your home, heard screams, ran out and tackled the shooter. You could probably be excused for not having had the time to put pants on. Still, I'm not sure that part would be self-defense because self-defense trumps charges of committing a violent crime. Running naked in the street is not a violent crime, so I don't know.

Teabagging in hope to put the shooter in a state of shock is completely moronic, that's not what a reasonable person would do in such a situation. Self-defense can only be used to justify REASONABLE actions taken considering the situation. That would definitely not count.


Title: If I had the capability to go to space, capture Voyager 2, and bring it back to Earth, could I legally do so? Would it not be considered abandoned property? Or do property laws apply to deep space?

Question: Would I be legally able to keep it? Does the fact that I was outside the solar system when I took possession of the probe mean no one has jurisdiction?

Answer: To paraphrase apocryphal Andrew Jackson: “They have made their ruling; now let them enforce it.” I imagine anyone who can jet off to catch up with Voyager 2 AND bring it back to Earth within her lifetime will have a status that would make governments wary of interference.


Title: How do I report a landlord and apartment complex for drug activity?

Question:
I live in Illinois... and my landlord is exchanging drugs for rent money, and harassing the other "good" tenants. How and where can I report this? I do not want to go to the local police because my landlord is in good with them. Who should I call?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Call the police. I dont know who else you think deals with criminal activity.


Title: How long will it take for my parent to evict me once I turn 18?[CA]

Question:
I've heard figures like "a month" or "six weeks" for tenants, but I don't know if the rules are different for a dependent. Do I get more or less, or even no time to find somewhere else?

Just to be clear, I'm asking how long the process will take, not the decision. They've made up their mind.

Answer:
 They would have to serve you with a sixty day notice to vacate.  If you're still there on day 61, they file an unlawful detainer suit against you.  From that point, it takes about 35 days.

However, I don't know of anything in the law preventing them from serving the initial notice sixty days before your birthday.

BUT: Get your shit together and be gone when the 60 days are up.  Evictions are bad business, and will make it difficult to find places to live for the rest of your life.

Landlords check your court records, and most won't rent to someone who has been evicted.  They won't care why, and you won't get a chance to explain.


Title: Can I report my car stolen or will I be screwed forever like the chump that I am? (Iowa)

Question:
I listed a car for sale on Facebook Marketplace and someone asked me if they could make payments. He told me he was tired of riding the bus to work and was trying to better himself but past mistakes prevented him from getting a car he could afford in a conventional way.

We had a few mutual friends and he seemed sincere, so I agreed to take payments. The total sale price was $2000, and he gave me $300 down and promised $150 every paycheck until it was paid off.  As I’m sure where you can see this is going, he has only given me $165 over the past 8 months since, and recently he has stopped responding to my messages.

Details:
We have a contract we both signed regarding payment terms, but it’s not notarized

I have the title and a spare key he doesn’t know about

What’s my best course of action? Can I report it stolen since I still have the title? Can I hire a PI to steal it back for me? I’m afraid if I had to go to small claims court it wouldn’t be worth it because of the relatively low value of the car.

TLDR: I decided to be kind to a stranger and they decided to steal a car from me in return

Answer: Your car is not stolen, so don't report it stolen. Take this person to court for the amount of money he still owes you.


Title: [NJ] Gun Laws/Safety around Child

Question:
Posting on behalf of a friend.

My friend is divorced from her husband and they have a 3 y/o child together. Child stays with my friend most of the time but dad gets her some weeknights and weekends.

Dad is a cop which means he has a gun. When friend and cop were married he never used to lock up his gun despite friend buying him a safe cause they have a toddler in the house. That was always an issue but it's become even more so now because cop has been letting his child play with BB guns and it seems he is encouraging child to take an affinity towards guns. He posts on social media pics of child shooting BB gun, quotes from child that are disturbing ("I want to shoot you in the face" oh haha isn't she too cute!), and political stances using his child to make statements on gun politics.

Mom has confronted him on this, gone to his department to complain, and is staying on top of it every day. She knows he doesn't lock his gun up despite having a safe (he just leaves it in the holster I think) and she is very worried that her child will not be able to tell the difference between toy and real. Department hasn't done anything yet though they said they would look into it (weeks ago).

Any advice?

Answer:
 Shooting BB guns, or even real guns, at a young age is not an issue, providing that proper safety precautions are followed.  There's also no issue with a child "taking affinity towards guns".

Improper securing of his weapon may be an issue, if truly improper.  Safes are your best bet, but there are other reasonable ways to secure a weapon.  If your friend has evidence that the weapon is improperly secured **while the child is around**(that part's important) then she can bring that up with her divorce attorney.

Answer #2: Has she asked her divorce attorney about this?

You can't force the department to do anything, even though most departments have rules about properly securing a weapon when you're not carrying it.

I think her concern is very valid, though. Children's *(edit: unsupervised)* access to guns is a significant cause of accidents.

Edit: http://smartgunlaws.org/child-access-prevention-in-new-jersey/

She could contact the local department where he lives, if it's different than the one he works for.


Title: HOA clause wording question for house we want to purchase in North Florida

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Not a lawyer. The Residential Dwelling Unit is located on the Lot. The Lot cannot have more than 2 pets. You can't have more than two pets as per the HOA as I read it.

Practically speaking: if you have indoor cats, and don't plan on having tons of neighbors over, you can decide if the risk of the HOA finding out is worth it. It's not like dogs where anyone can see how many you have.

If they do find out you'll have to give away one of the cats or they can fine you.


Title: Got a call from a robot saying I need to call back or i'll be facing charges for tax fraud.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It's almost assuredly a scam.  The IRS doesn't robo-call, and if you're doing tax fraud they don't call ahead to let you know they're looking at you.


Title: Girlfriends last employer has been withholding her W2 for almost a year

Question: This is a restaurant where she worked and did not get along with one of the people in upper management. Every time she has tried to go in and collect her W2 they say they’re too busy and she needs to come back another time. This has happened about 5 times even with calling ahead of time to let them prepare. I’m sure this is super illegal we just don’t know where to start or who to go to.

Answer:
 If the W2 is not received by the appropriate due date, you are to contact the IRS by phone. If the W2 is still not received by the 1040 filing deadline, you *must* use Form 4852 based on your estimate of what the W2 will say. If that turns out to be different, you must file a 1040X to amend the return once you get the real W2.Answer #2: The IRS would probably like to know about this. 800-829-1040.

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc154


Title: [CA] Can I compel a party to use an interpreter at trial if they demanded an interpreter at their own deposition?

Answer:
 You have no right to force someone to use an interpreter.  If their testimony is difficult to understand, it's something that gets raised with the judge at sidebar.

PS: You shouldn't be going to trial without an attorney.
Answer #2: What did your lawyer say?


Title: "Rental agency" charged me $199 deposit to view property, never showed the property, and is now withholding my deposit after I asked for it back.

Question:
I'm not sure who I need to contact to get on their case - the better business bureau? I'm not familiar with housing regulatory agencies. What I do know is i was assured by their representatives that I'd get my money refunded in full if requested within 24 hours, and I made my request both over the phone and via e-mail approximately 18-19 hours later. From the moment I left their office, all my calls are being sent straight to voicemail.

What should my next steps be?

Edit: this is in southern California, if that makes a difference

Answer:
 You paid a deposit to view a property?  Why?

You can always file suit against the company in small claims court to get your money back.  Before you take that step you should probably send them a written demand for your money back by certified mail.  Many places recognize that as a sign that the time for delay has passed.

Don't mention the BBB in /r/legaladvice.  It seems to agitate people.  In reality, the BBB is likely only marginally useful and that only if the landlord is a member or appears to take his rating there seriously.Answer #2: How did you pay?  If you paid recently, and with a check, call your bank to see if a stop payment can be put on it.

If you paid with a credit card, call their fraud department.

If you paid with cash or a cashier's check.....this may be a life lesson, unless you go to small claims.


Title: Wife was hit by 14yr old kid on bicycle (Texas)

Question:
The other day my wife was coming down our street when a 14yr old kid shot across from the other side of the street, out from behind a parked car and hit our car on the left fender. She almost drove into another car on the right side trying to get out of his way which didnt work out. Luckily nobody was injured or hurt. We called the police and they took all the statements. The kid admitted to not paying attention and playing with his phone while wearing headphones. We just received the police report which also states he was at fault. So my deductible is 500$. I dont see why I should have to pay when the kid is at fault. I talked to the kids father and he was being a huge A-Hole, saying he was not going to pay for anything. Our adjuster said all they would have to do is clame it with their insurance and it would be all taken care of, but the kids father does not want to do so.

So at this point what can I do? Should I go to small claims court? Whats next?

Thanks in advance

Answer: You let your insurance handle it.  You should get your deductible back once it's settled.Answer #2: If they won't pay for the damage they caused, you can sue them in small claims court.  It's unlikely that they have any insurance that will cover the kid on the bike.