Title: Leaving a job being asked to pay back a bonus

Question:
Hi,

Thanks for the help and advice in advance. I live in Ontario, Canada. This will change this obviously. I will be calling law offices tomorrow morning for further consolations.

In April, I got asked to go on a project for the company. I jumped at it and took it. I needed to get a car to go there was there was some distance to travel. The company knew that. So they decided to give me a bonus for taking the role. It was not a change in title, just a change in job responsibilities. Project went great, management changed, project canned despite showing results. I was told to go back to my old role. I felt robbed of a great opportunity, it was great for the company but the company did not want to expend upfront for long term gains.

I went back, disliked my job, saw no prospect, decided to leave. Found a job, now company wants to give me back the bonus. In the original document, the bonus was titled "project completion bonus" with a clause that said if I left before June 26, 2016, I would have to return the money in full. The project was canned a few months ago.

I would have stayed as long as the project went. I know I didn't play my cards right at all. I see all the mistakes. That doesn't matter now. Company wants me to pay the money in over 4 months with post dated cheques. Do I have a leg to stand on? Can I see a lawyer with this? Will he/she be able to do anything for me?

Thanks again!

E: grammer

Answer:
 In my eyes, you left before June 26, 2016, so are not entitled to keep the bonus.  People usually don't earn bonuses for failed projects.

Your local lawyers might inform you differently, and the wording on the contract matters immensely.


Title: [Texas] My ex is trying to move to California with my son

Question:
As it says in the title, My ex wants to move to California with her husband, their kids, and my son.
Apparently her husband got a job offer in California making around double what he’s making now.
They have told me that they will fly my son back here one weekend every month since her husband is in the national guard and will have to come back anyways for that.
And I will also get him for one month in the summer and our holidays will stay the same, which is just swapping every year.
In our current custody agreement she’s required to get a Judges approval to move more than 100 miles away.

I really don’t want this to happen. I already feel like I don’t get enough time with him and I have the 1st 3rd and 5th weekend of every month with him.
I also have a problem with the husband, he’s has bad mouthed me to my son on several occasions that I know about. He also treats my sons mom very poorly: he’s cheated on her dozens of times, he gives her a bed time, she’s not allowed to be on her phone after he goes to sleep. (These are all things that my ex or my son has told me) I’m scared my son might pick up these habits and think that it’s acceptable.

So I guess my question is, do I have a chance at stopping this?
I’m worried that because of it being for a better job, and the fact that they’ll fly him back every month, the judge will side with them.
Money is pretty tight right now, is it worth it to try and fight this or should I just agree to her deal?

Answer: We cant tell you what will happen in court. If she didnt get a judge's approval, and she is essentially taking away your court ordered visitation, that is not something the court will take lightly.Answer #2: The question is, are you willing to take custody if she moves?  Because you can fight HIM moving, but at the end of the day she can go wherever she wants.


Title: I was fired today because I said coonass at a Christmas party off premises last December

Question: At a Christmas party last December I was talking  to a coworker about living in Houston  for  years ( he did his residency there ) and we got off on Cajuns and Cajun cooking and I told him my old coonass friend made the best gumbo you had ever eaten ,sitting down the table  was the black CFO she immediately got offended and we both tried to explain to her that coonass is not a racial  slur but a term used by Cajuns to describe them selves  and a moniker they wear with pride . The week after the party I was officially written up with a warning by HR , last week the CFO ( lady I offended  was back at our location and I was terminated ( with out cause ) wed after she saw me still working . I immediate manager said he tried  to stop this but that she was adamant about my termination and he could nothing about it and apologized profusely . Do I have any grounds for a wrongful termination suit. I never uttered the word at work again and was commended on my work and all parties directly connected to my work were very pleased with my performance Location TX

Answer:
 > sitting down the table was the black CFO she immediately got offended and we both tried to explain to her that coonass is not a racial slur but a term used by Cajuns to describe them selves and a moniker they wear with pride

You don't get to define whether or not your audience takes offense to a racial slur.  Especially one as common as "coon".

> Do I have any grounds for a wrongful termination suit

Almost certainly not.  Being fired for using a racial slur is perfectly legal.  As is being fired because the CFO doesn't like youAnswer #2: Learn the difference between endonyms and exonyms. When a Cajun uses "coon-ass" to refer to themselves or their Cajun compatriots, it carries entirely different connotations than when a white person uses "coon-ass" to refer to Cajuns. You were absolutely using a racial slur, whether you thought you were or not.

You can use the time while you search for a new job to do this, as unless you are subject to a union agreement, working in the public sector in a regulated job, or your employment contract controls termination, this is not wrongful.


Title: (Ontario) I am fighting a tide of bed bugs/cockroaches coming from next door. Owner refuse to allow exterminators to do their unit. Property management/condo board keeps telling me they cannot kick her door down and exterminate her unit. What can i do?

Question:
I am living in Toronto in a fairly new apartment building, i moved in around 3 months ago.

Not long after i moved in i noticed a cockroach just chilling in my bathroom. The property manager  came into my unit and sealed every single crack with expanding foam and called an exterminator. Exterminator came and sprayed for roaches, but also unearthed a few bed bugs in my bedroom. Which were also taken care of.

All of the units on my floor were apparently nuked by exterminators, and bedbugs were also found in the unit next to my neighbor. Unfortunately my next door neighbor apparently has some issues, and she refused to allow exterminators into her unit. The last time they did fire alarm testing, the property manager required the aid of the fire marshal to verify her smoke alarm. Walking by her unit you can smell something is rotting/disgusting.

Within a month, i found another bed bug and exterminators were called again, however he bluntly told me that unless  the unit next to mine is done, it won't fix anything. So currently i use about 50% of my unit, with the other half covered in no mans land of dimascus earth/trap tape.

Apparently my neighbor is fighting against our condo board over this, but i don't have any other information other than a vague idea that they are taking action against her. Our board/property management has told me they can't discuss what enforcement actions they are taking against the owner.

During the last condo board meeting my neighbor went on a huge rant about how she felt she was being harassed (apparently people on my floor have left notes under her door telling her that her unit smells like shit from the hallway). Along with how we are lying about bedbugs, i don't know the point of her rant, but it pissed me off.

Tonight i found a pair of cockroaches just hanging out in my bathroom, and i am just pissed off with this shit. I paid a lot of money for this condo, and frankly i am at the point of considering buying a box of house centipedes and giving them free reign.

Is there anything i can do?

Answer: This is the building managements responsibility, and you need to continue being on them for this. The more of your neighbours that you can join in with you, the better.  There should be a statement in the lease that requires the tenants to keep their apartments sanitized at the very least, and if she's continues being uncooperative they have reason to evict her. The more pressure they get from the other tenants, the more pressure they'll put on her to either allow her unit to be sprayed or face eviction.Answer #2: INAL but could you contact the local Health Department or a similar agency they might have the authority to check in further.


Title: Gave security deposit before signing anything, decided not to move there, says they can only give back 50% [Michigan]

Question:
Is this legal? They did not tell me about their policy before giving them the deposit. It was not a holding deposit, it was a security deposit. I gave it to them last week, and over the weekend looked at my finances and decided not to go with a place that expensive. They sent me the lease to sign on Tuesday and I called yesterday saying it's in my best financial interest not to move. They said it's their company policy to only refund 50% of the deposit.. but they never said this before giving the deposit and I didn't sign anything.

 Am I entitled to the full amount? Even 75% I'd be happy with. Or should I just take the 50% and be happy I'm getting anything back at all? Thanks.

Answer:
 > It was not a holding deposit, it was a security deposit.

Hmm...I'm not convinced that is correct. But if it is, let's see where that leads...

"Security deposit" is defined in [MCL 554.601](http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-554-601) as a payment by a **tenant** to a **landlord** for certain purposes...which, in your case, would mean that you have an obligation to pay rent...which means that [if you didn't pay rent, then the landlord could deduct the amount you didn't pay from the security deposit](http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-554-607)...

You might be better off if the payment was a "holding deposit".


Title: Could a bartender face charges for switching a tainted drink out?

Question: In Maryland, if a bartender sees someone on a date slip something into a beverage meant for their date, could the bartender be arrested/charged with something if they switched the customers drinks around so that the person tainting the drink ended up with the tainted beverage?

Answer: The bartender would be guilty of drugging the drugger, likely prosecutable under some assault statute or other if there isn't one specifically to address date rape drugs.  Confiscate the drink and call the police - "bartender" isn't French for "Batman."


Title: Husband's grieving friend wants punched in the face, what legal ramifications could this cause? PA

Question:
I'll try to keep this as simple as possible. My husband's friend recently committed suicide, leaving behind his long time girlfriend and kids. She is having a terrible time coping, and has been posting on her Facebook wall begging for a man to punch her in the face, saying "it's a challenge, it's something I want to prove to myself."

My husband privately messaged her: "Hey if you really need someone to punch you, I'll do it. I won't be happy about it but who am I to judge. If its what you need it's what you need, but I hope we can talk after. "

She thanked him, and said that's the most anyone has done for her, and wants to come over tonight to get punched in the face. I'm just clueless.

I've never heard of a grief process like this, we're concerned about her, and concerned about how this could turn into a big mess. He does have screenshots of all the messages and her Facebook posts.

tl;dr What happens to my husband if he punches this girl in the face?

Answer:
 IANAL.

>What happens to my husband if he punches this girl in the face?

Best case scenario, nothing. Worst case scenario, she dies and your husband is charged with manslaughter.Answer #2: Something here is fishy. Just tell her to sign up at a MMA class\group. They will be happy to do it and also husband will be off hook for possible issues. Very hard for husband to explain to a new job/etc why he has a record of woman abuse if charged with it.


Title: I didn't know where else to go. If my neighbours dogs (five to be exact) bark all night can I file a noise complaint with the RCMP seeing as the dogs are their responsibility?

Answer: You can file a noise complaint and/or call animal control


Title: (CA) Ex boyfriend’s family claiming to own everything in apartment *except the couch* after we broke up, I kept the apartment, he moved out.

Question:
Him & I shared a lease with his mother as co-signer, broke up, and managed to get my dad on the lease to take their names off.

TLDR below.

His parents are VERY well off, I moved from Chicago with him to live in his parents house for two years before moving into our *own* place, big mistake.
I work 40+ hrs a week and he worked half of that, and was just an adult baby person that needed a mom to take care of him and make his lunches and clean up after him, you get the idea.

I tried shopping with him for our new apartment, which just led to arguing because “My mom has an extra one of those we can just take theirs”. Because his parents knew I didn’t make much after paying my own bills, they told me to save my money for rent, *don’t tell my husband* and bought majority of what I have. (Kitchen appliances, dish ware, etc)

I scored us the free green couch from a friend, I paid half for the high-top dinner table, I paid half for the record player and various records. I also spent my own money on plenty of other little things, he spent nothing. All of it was his parents money.

His mom co-signed my car, paid my registration one year (I didn’t ask her to, she literally surprised me) and as a Christmas gift paid for my portion of my ticket home to Chicago to see my family with X one year.

I agreed that I would return some of the furniture back to them at the end of my lease, and they made a list of just specific furniture pieces, my dad *bought them out* so I can keep the security deposit.

The mom recently reached out to my dad letting him know that their son was moving into his own apartment soon (who just got out of rehab again and I can assure you does not have a job), and made a comment wanting everything back and that all I owned was the couch. So I’m wondering, legally, because their name is no longer on the lease, can they take “everything but the couch”?

TLDR: Ex boyfriend’s parents want to take back everything they gifted us for our first apartment after we’ve broken up because he’s getting his own place now.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 It’s good to want things.

Gifts are gifts. Your ex might have some claim to the possessions. His parents have zero claim.


Title: Work accident.

Question: Is it possible to file a lawsuit against a restaurant that doesn't have burn ointment in the first aid kit, and  does not provide insurance for job related accidents. Its a I live in Texas. It's a face burn as well.

Answer: Burn ointment is [not recommended for burns.]( http://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-burns/basics/art-20056649).


Title: Medical doctor using his power to get his ex fired at another hospital - any legal means to stop him?

Question:
tl;dr medical doctor got pissed my friend stood up to him and he is now trying to get her fired at her hospital.

My friend was dating a medical doctor up until 2 years ago.  A few months ago my friend gave the doc an ultimatum about their mutual pet: "either you keep or I keep our pet but im not going to continue paying for it" via email. This doc then sent a nasty reply back, which my friend told the doc to fuck off and go to hell. These were personal email accounts but my friend replied during work hours.

The doctor works at a different hospital, but called my friends HR department and made a professional complaint. The doc sent my friend an email stating that he would get her fired. He also told the hospital he would no longer make referrals to that hospital because of my friend. HR had a conference call with my friend and the Doc: basically the docs professional complaint was that my friend didnt return a phone call to the doc a year ago. Otherwise he agreed that it was a personal matter. Im not making this shit up, seriously.

My friend was demoted for 2 months from her leadership position with the possibility to appeal at the end. Just recently the doctor wanted to tour some department at that hospital and HR immediately escorted my friend out of the hospital and offered her the rest of the day off with pay. My friend was flabbergasted and tried to fight having to leave but then HR threatened to suspend her without pay if she didnt leave.

The doctors current girlfriend sent nude pics of them together to my friend via snapchat. My friend didnt know that she can screen shot them, but does now. The doctor also threatened to take my friend to court for a cell phone bill, or some shit like that.

This doc is obviously arrogant and entitled, but the continued behaviors towards my friend are not just unethical professionally, but are they harassment? Can we make a complaint to the doctors licensing board for unethical actions? Get a no contact order? The hospital my friend works for seems take the doctors concerns seriously, though they are not legit.

This is in Indiana. It seems like she has no power to protect herself against this power hungry doc and the hospital is taking his side. All she did was send an email about her dog and since he has tried everything to complain and get her fired.

Answer:
 This is more about the doctor acting unethically then an employment law question. I'm on mobile, so I can't add a link, but she needs to file a disciplinary complaint with the Indiana medical licensing board. With in the past year a lawyer in Indiana was suspended for trying to harm the employment opportunities of a woman with whom he had been involved and who was no longer interested. I would assume that this kind of unprofessional retaliation is also prohibited by medical rules of professional responsibility.

So I think that is the first step she should take.


Title: Can my school take my phone for a whole week at a time?

Question:
Hi Reddit first time poster here.
My school as a rule where if you get caught using your phone without permission they will take it away until the end of the day. Second time they will take it away for 3 days and the third time they will take it away for the whole week (including the weekend) so i'm wondering if this is legal or if there is anything I can do to get my phone back sooner.

I live in British Columbia (Canada) and I go to school district 72 if that helps.
Thanks

Answer:
 Maaaaaaybe you could not do whatever it is that is causing you to have your phone taken away at school?

Just the teacher in me taking, but maybe take responsibility for your own actions before trying to circumvent the rules.Answer #2: It is legal. The most you can do is have your parent's contact the school and try to retrieve it. As a student you must adhere to the school rules. If you do not want the phone taken stop using it when school's in session.


Title: Do I have any legal options against my ex boyfriend?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 First, you need to cease all contact and ignore him. Why do you keep going back and forth with him? Hoping that the result will be different?

Go to the police, file a report. You can also file for a protection order in court.Answer #2: you have no case if you keep answering the phone.


Title: Can Not Access My Car Because My Building's Parking Matrix Is Broken. Can I Deduct My Uber Expenses From My Rent Or Otherwise Charge Those Expenses To My Landlord (OR)

Question: This is in Portland. The parking matrix is broken right now, and I can not get to work as a result.

Answer:
 Do not deduct things from your rent.

Provide a receipt to your landlord and discuss reimbursement. He might only be willing to give you the equivalent of bus fare. But start the conversation in a friendly manner.Answer #2: Had to google parking matrix.

I'd bet that somewhere in the paperwork for your parking privileges is a clause that says they are not responsible for damages you incur due to mechanical difficulties with the system. That is just a guess though.


Title: Is it true you can return a pair of trainers, within 6 months if there is anything wrong with them?

Answer: No legal issue here. Check return policy.


Title: [NY-NJ] Got called to jury duty in NJ but I've since moved to NYC. Haven't yet needed to declare as a resident of NY, so if I tell the court I no longer reside in NJ, will that residency info get to the tax bureau(s) such that I would then need to pay taxes as a resident of NYC?

Question:
I moved to NYC in the past few months.  I haven't yet declared as an NYC resident as I haven't needed an NY driver's license or plates (not really going to drive much in the city).  My parents still own a permanent home in NJ that I lived in and commuted from for a while.  Basically,

1. if I let the court know I no longer live in NJ, will they tell the tax bureau(s) of NJ/NY that I don't live in Jersey anymore and thus require me to pay taxes as a resident of NYC?
2. And will the NY grand court be notified that I live in NYC, and thus call me to jury duty in the city as a replacement for the NJ jury duty?  Wouldn't actually mind that, as it'd be much easier to get to the court from my home.

Thanks!

Answer: If you live in NYC you need to pay taxes as an NYC resident or you are committing tax fraud.


Title: Medical Malpractice: Child Birth Indiana USA

Question:
Long story, will try to sum up best I can.

Wife was pregnant with fourth child and appeared everything was going well.   Had final ultrasound and tech said everything appeared fine even though she spent a lot of time looking at the umbilical cord.   Wife was induced on 12/12/14 and gave birth at 11:48pm.   Baby fell asleep during birth and came out very blue/black.   Nurses and doctor said child was bruised coming down birth canal which is "common" they said.   Child never cried during or following child birth.   Child was checked out by the doctor, he noted a small heart murmur, on call from our doctors office and we were discharged two days later.   Child was still blue and barely eating (less than one ounce a feeding).   After feedings she would sleep for 4-6 hours.   Baby was yellow and still sleeping so called in for lab work.   Lab work suggested she needed belly rubion treatment so we went back to hospital.   While there a ultrasound on child found that she had a truncus heart and was immediately taking to Riley for surgery that occurred on 12/28/2014.   While at Riley our doctors office called and noted two things:
1)  The doctor that discharged her was working for the hospital and not their office at the time of discharge
2)  They were dropping us as patients for failure to pay timely (despite me paying 387 to them the previous day after the called to say the payment plan I had arranged was not acceptable).

While at Riley the primary care doctor asked us why the child was born vaginally (we didn't know of any issues) and why the OBGYN didn't notice the defects in the heart form the ultrasound (don't know) nor did the OBGYN note only two veins in the umbilicale cord (don't know).   Since the birth, my wife has not been seen by the OBGYN, only her nurse practitioner.

Child is now healthy thanks to Riley, but she does require extra care so my wife had to quit her job to be a stay at home mom.

Are there any legal actions we can take?  My child is find, but there were a lot of errors that put my family through a lot of unexpected stress

Answer:
 Well, the elements of a medical malpractice suit require that

1) The standard of medical care has not been met.  It's not clear whether it has or not here.  Typically fetal ultrasounds are interpreted by radiologists, not OB/GYNs, so if the radiologist did not report a problem with the heart or the 2-vessel cord the OB/GYN might not have known to do things differently.  Or the OB/GYN might not have followed up on abnormalities noted in the scan.  Reddit can't answer this question.  (Edited to clarify: I'm talking about the formal 20-week anatomy scan, not a quick bedside ultrasound done by the OB).

2) There has to have been harm related to the lapse in care.  Your child would have had a heart defect and required surgery either way; the question is whether the delay in diagnosis caused any additional harm.  Again, this isn't a question that Reddit can answer.

Most med mal attorneys will review your case for free since it's such complex work.  I would ask around a bit and get a referral from the bar association to have someone review your records and see if there is a case to be made.


Title: [az] small fire ruins item, item is disposed of, owner threatens to report theft of item

Answer:
 I'm going to assume you aren't trolling, and are in fact just that dumb.

You took someone else's stuff without permission. You owe them the value of the stuff. Yes you could be charged with theft, yes you could be sued.


Title: Landlord let police in, took weed and left note

Question:
I live in Iowa. I came home from class yesterday to find a note on my desk. It was a business card from a cop and on the back it said "if you want your items back call me, officer x". I found I was missing 2 grams of wax and a few capsules of kratom that I had left out, but there was other weed that was out in the open that they didn't take. The landlord was doing showings of appartment and opened mine up and smelled weed. They had sent me an email saying they were going to do showings but I didn't see it as it was sent to an email I rarely check. I have not yet talked to the police but I believe they called me this morning. I was not able to find the officers name on the Ames police department website. I am currently waiting to meet with a lawyer and would like any other advice that you guys could give me. The part I can't understand is why they didn't take the rest of the weed sitting out in the open.
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer:
 Don't talk to the cop before speaking to your lawyer.  His search of your apartment may be dubious/potentially challengeable.  If you confess, the search doesn't matter.Answer #2: Do not call the police officer. Talk to a lawyer. The lawyer will tell you not to call. Cross your fingers and hope they forget about you.Answer #3: > The part I can't understand is why they didn't take the rest of the weed sitting out in the open.

You didn't state your location, but in some states (and provinces), it's perfectly legal to have marijuana if you have the right medical documentation.

Wait to hear what your lawyer has to say. Do not contact the police. Answer #4: Sounds to me like you have just decided you don't want those items back.  No need to contact Officer X.

Kidding, of course.  Do what your attorney says. Answer #5: I use to go to Iowa State and they use to have a lawyer, who had an office in the Memorial Union, who’s job it was to help students with legal problems. As long as you were a student it was free. You may want to check and see if they still have him available as a resource. Answer #6: >The part I can't understand is why they didn't take the rest of the weed sitting out in the open.

Simply missed it or they are coming back with a warrant.


Title: Need help ok so my mom and her ex boyfriend broke up 3 years ago and he had possessions in the garage but never came to collect them all came 1 time and never returned to get them now he wants to know what happened are we in legal trouble

Question:
As the title said moms ex boyfriend had stuff in our garage came 1 time to get some stuff and never returned to get the rest also to note our garage door was busted so cats would get in and poop, spray and occasionally die in there so we had to clean it out and mostly everything was ruined and we threw everything out now he wants to know what happened to his stuff are we in any legal trouble or could he take us to court for throwing out his stuff need help was told to get his stuff multiple times but never got it

We live in Pennsylvania

Answer:
 Three years ago he left his crap there? Yeah that's so far beyond abandoned, especially since you told him to get his stuff and he had the opportunity to do it. Make sure you've got proof of that, and back up that proof in at least one place. He could try to sue you in small claims but waiting three years isn't going to result in his favor, especially if everything had no value after being destroyed by cats over that long a time.

He might try and report it stolen to the police but, then you show them you told him multiple times over 3 years to get his stuff and they'll tell him it's a civil matter.

Tell him he had plenty of time over the last three years to get his stuff and it was ruined by cats. Then ignore him unless you're actually served with small claims papers.


Title: [International?] Right of shelter? Just out of curiosity

Question:
We all have a right to adequate housing(shelter)right?, so when people are not able to supply shelter for themselves doesn't the government have to supply that shelter? Considering the significant numbers of homeless people(Internationally) Wouldn't that mean that governments with homelessness that does not decrease measurably are committing a human rights violation?

This thought occurred to me, and seemed quite an notable thing

Answer:
 >We all have a right to adequate housing(shelter)right?,

Wrong

>so when people are not able to supply shelter for themselves doesn't the government have to supply that shelter?

No

>Considering the significant numbers of homeless people(Internationally) Wouldn't that mean that governments with homelessness that does not decrease measurably are committing a human rights violation?

No

>This thought occurred to me, and seemed quite an notable thing

Your premise is wrong.


Title: [US, Florida] Discrimination over disability?

Question:
Important bits - Diabetic, Type 1 for over five years. State: Florida.

I was hired part-time at a store. I told the hiring person I had type 1. I said I needed to take small breaks for my shots. There was no issue. I noticed however when I requested one certain time due to my schedule, I was not given kind words. They reported me to HR and I had talked with Corporate/HR about this and HR told me that I wasn't requesting anything bad and they could accommodate me.

Fast forward, I had a small accident and they sent me home. The accident wasn't on my part, I got injured by a bit of store property that someone had knocked over. I wasn't planning to sue or anything, just wanted to get some ice so they sent me home. No big deal.

My mother goes in to get something at the store the next day and asked for something I had left in there in their rush to send me home and he informs her that I was never hit and I had never disclosed that I had diabetes during the hiring process. He told me he wanted to call corporate to see if he could let me go.

Here's the thing, the thing that broke and hit me in the face was super tiny and basically just hit me in a weird spot. I wasn't injured and I already said I wasn't planning to sue- I just wanted a cool compress for my eye so it would stop being blurry. However, maybe I had let on that I knew too much about liability/worker's comp and he was afraid of it?

Also, he was never in the room when I was hired. I didn't even know this guy existed in the store until about 6 days into my job. He was never around - I had thought another guy was the main store manager. (Note the hiring person is now no longer with them, and not in good terms so they can't help me.) He wasn't in the room, nor was he listening through the phone, nor was I being recorded from what I could tell. This place is super old and I don't think they had the tech to do any of that.

He's saying he wants to let me go because if I need my breaks and "I didn't ask for them or disclose" then I need to find a new job. The thing is everyone in the store knows I'm diabetic. This kind of became a gossip thing and HR said I was okay. Is this guy who's trying to get me fired, is he in the wrong?

Answer: That's a little confusing. Have you actually been fired?


Title: I know this would be fraud, but would it be my fraud?

Question:
We all know the scam where you get sent an overly large check under some pretext, and they ask you to wire back the overage.  If, instead of taking that check and depositing it in my bank account like they want, or shredding it like I ought to do, I go to a check cashing place and exchange the endorsed check for an envelope full of cash, am I committing fraud?  Whether or not it is fraud, am I liable for the damages incurred by the check cashing business when the check turns out to be worthless?

Even if it would be fraud for me because I believe the check to be false, if my dear, sweet, gullible, grandmother did the same thing because it was easier to get the check cashed and go next door to wire back the amount they wanted than to drive all the way across town to her bank, would it be fraud for her?  And would she be liable for the damages to the check cashing business?

Answer: Whether or not it would be fraud, you would still owe the amount civilly.  You will owe the money for the bad check that you passed even if you are not criminally charged.


Title: [Georgia] Company refuses to talk to me after learning of my disability.

Question:
Hi,

I recently applied for a job and got an almost immediate response. I have all of the qualifications they seek, and more. However, upon learning I had a hearing impairment, and asking if we could talk on Skype using text, the HR lady hung up the phone.

When I contacted her by email, she said her company won't let her use Skype, but she's asking them if she can. Finally, it was allowed. She then insisted on using voice and video chat, which I can't hear. Finally, she told me that I can't use Skype because of my hearing impairment. Every request to have a text-based chat, or show up in person, has been denied.

She then said she was passing my resume to another department for further action, but it's been  weeks. This seems to happen quite often with different companies when applying for a job. Am I being discriminated against?

Answer:
 Most likely, yes. But it's incredibly hard to prove it in a way that would cause anything to change.Answer #2: I've found that HR departments have become so risk adverse nowadays that anything deviating from their strict protocols and procedures has to go through an insane amount of internal red tape before they can decide how to fairly interview disabled candidates.

Based on that its very hard to judge if you're being discriminated against and almost impossible to prove it.

Have you discussed the difficulty in getting a job with a job placement coordinator or others peers in your field?


Title: [VA] Car that hasn't moved in over a week reported in a rear-end crash 140 miles away.

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice ,

The state troopers visited my house last week asking for my father and informed me that he'd been in a crash in a county 140 miles away from where we live. I was able to get into contact with the investigating trooper and was informed that:

1. My father's vehicle rear-ended another car.
2. Drivers of both vehicles got out, exchanged information, and drove off.
3. The other party had our tag number, and the correct year, make, model, and color of the reported vehicle.

The confusion lies in the fact that the vehicle my father was allegedly driving hasn't moved from the parking lot in front of my house in over a week. My father was working in a completely different city in a different vehicle. He also does not speak much English. Perhaps enough to get by, but definitely not enough to do something like typing up this post. Our family also has not traveled outside of our county, nor have we loaned out our vehicles to anyone.

Apparently the other party has not been responding to the investigating trooper's phone calls. He informed me that if they do not respond, nothing would come of the investigation. However, if they do respond and it becomes an insurance issue, what steps should we take in order to protect ourselves from something that seems so bizarre?

Answer:
 When was this accident supposed to have happened? Assuming there's no damage to your father's car, I would have the trooper come over to verify that it is still parked, undamaged, and shows no signs of recent repair.

Also, you say the other driver claims an exchange of information, but have they produced the actual name/drivers license of the alleged driver? Answer #2: Check with your county treasurer. I lived in Wyoming and kept getting red light tickets from a truck in Texas (I drove a Ford escape).  Turns out my county would issue identical plates for cars and trucks, the only difference being a small "truck" designation at the top of the plate. In this case it was covered up by the license plate frame.  I was able to prove that to the issuing county and it was all cleared up. Answer #3: Tell your insurance what's going on. You have no obligation to speak with the other person's insurance if you don't want to. But you can show them proof it didn't happen, dad's time card proving he was at work, pics of your car showing no damage, etc. With all the info you have to show the car/driver wasn't only not involved, but nowhere near the accident, if they try to file a claim with your insurance or sub against them, it's nearly 100% certain your company will deny that claim. That's IF it even gets that far.


Title: Guaranteed Delivery not delivered by guaranteed date

Question: What are our rights as consumers (if any)when we purchase something with guaranteed delivery and it is not delivered by that guaranteed date? I’ve been burned too many times (as I’m sure many others have) purchasing something from a vendor based on that guaranteed date that I otherwise would not have purchased. I’ve followed up with companies and gotten a couple bucks back but most often I get the answer of tough luck. It seems like this practice of guaranteeing delivery to get people to purchase and not following through is becoming common practice.

Answer:
 > What are our rights as consumers (if any)when we purchase something with  guaranteed delivery and it is not delivered by that guaranteed date?

Probably no more than a refund for some or all of the shipping charges, if that.

This would likely depend on the company's policies surrounding what you're entitled to when you choose their "guaranteed delivery" service/option.


Title: Is "stealthing" illegal in Illinois?

Question:
I consented specifically to protected sex with a guy I met on OKCupid, and in the middle of it I noticed the condom was hanging out by my elbow, right by where the guy's right hand was.

Is that a reportable offense?

Answer:
 [Illinois does not currently have a law on the books about stealthing. ](http://wecare.illinois.edu/policies/definitions/#penetration)

However, this may fall under “withdrawing consent” although you might have an uphill battle since there isn’t a legal precedent against stealthing in IL. Answer #2: Something strange about this post.

I don't understand why you're presenting a story wherein you noticed a condom lying around as an indicator that the sex was unprotected.

Did you not notice any ejaculate or discharge on or around either of your nether regions after sex?

Did you witness him putting it on? If not is it possible the guy just fucked up putting on the first condom and threw it to the side and grabbed another?Answer #3: You kept going from what it sounds like after you learned it was off?


Title: (NC) Is violating a sexual harassment policy the same as sexual harassment?

Question:
I realize that's a strange sounding question, I'll do my best to clear it up.

Back in July, I was terminated from my job after sharing a newspaper article about sexual harassment with a supervisor. I shared it because the victim was a friend of mine, and it was occupying my thoughts all day. Although it was not stated plainly, I assume my termination was because that article violated the sexual harassment policy. There's some ambiguity there, but that's not really the important part here.

Months later, a former friend who was a higher supervisor there told someone point blank that I was "fired for sexual harassment". I feel that even if my termination was a direct result of that article violating a rule set forth in the company's sexual harassment policy, it's still not the same thing as sexual harassment.

I really hope that made sense. Thanks!

Answer:
 Unless you were a union member or covered by a contract controlling termination, it doesn't matter: fired is fired, and their stated reasons only matter in so far as they may or may not try to object if you file for unemployment.

Sharing a newspaper article, privately, with your boss likely doesn't amount to sexual harassment, and you should be eligible for unemployment. If you're refused, appeal: an initial rejection is common, but often doesn't hold up under appeal.


Title: U.S. Customs seized my laptop and phone today, what did they do?

Question:
I am a US Citizen coming back from a trip abroad and I get pulled aside for a random search. They tell me I have to unlock my phone and give them my laptop password or else they will keep both for 2 weeks while they unlock it on their own anyways. So I complied, they took the laptop and phone into a back room for about 30 minutes and then gave it back to me.
Has anyone else had this experience? Does anyone know what they might have done with my laptop and computer to search it? Do they copy the whole hard drive or simply run a program on them? Should I contact an attorney?

Edit- This is in California
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 US Customs can search your laptop and cell phone upon entry into the country. As long as you didn't have any child porn you should have nothing to worry about. Answer #2: Regardless of the content on them, you should consider those devices compromised and never trust them with private data/passwords/etc or even sensitive conversations in their presence. As far as I know, they aren't harassing everyone in this way yet, which means you are on some sort of watch list. They very well may have planted software or hardware back doors on your machine.

Next time you are going to leave the country, develop a plan for encrypting your laptop, only taking data that you don't mind being copied by governments, upload any newly generated data using strong encryption, and wiping the hard drive before the return trip. This still leaves a detained unit vulnerable to hardware back doors (you can probably reuse your existing compromised laptop if you don't need to access sensitive data), but at least your data is safe.

Answer #3: Were you coming back from Thailand?


Title: Is it true that in Mississippi if you call the police on a domestic violence incident both parties get arrested and get charges?

Question:
Yesterday I had to call the cops on my ex/roommate.

First I come inside from working on setting up my pool to find him tossing my cosmetics around. I started crying and he left the house entirely and went to get himself donuts.

About a half hour later I was sitting on my couch in our living minding my own business watching a documentary about Jon Benet Ramsay on our tv.  He comes out of his room and turns on the play station in the middle of the documentary and starts playing a game.  So I turn the TV off and take the batteries out of the remote.  He comes over to the couch where I'm still sitting down cross legged ands standing over me and is slamming the heel of his palm into my mouth (split my lip), spitting on me and screaming that I'm and fat bitch and crazy and to get the fuck out of his house and move out.   He bends my fingers back to the point of breaking two until I let go of the remote then he starts hitting the top/sides of my head with it (where my hair covers so there's very few visible marks except where he got too close to my hairline and Drew blood visibly).  He finally stopped and walked over by the tv to put the remote down so I tried to get up then and go onto my room and when I tried to pass him to get to my room he started slapping me, grabbong my arms and twisting them, and pushing me down.

At no point did I put my hands on him or even attempt to get him off me.  It's been about 2 years and 2 months now since he began hitting me and from the first time I've always just let him do it. Which I know is stupid, but I can't seem to force myself to hit him back or even get him off me.

When I got into my room I called the police and when they got here he wouldn't answer the door.

When he finally did they talked to both of us and asked if I wanted to press charges and I ended up saying no (dot lecture me, I know I'm a big fool, I don't know what got in to me.).

But they ended up saying that we would BOTH be arrested and charged with domestic violence if they get called again.   That he would get DV assault and I would get "DV disturbing the peace" for provolking it.

Is that really how this works?  All this sounds like is "you get charged if he beats you"?

Around August of last year they had to be called because he beat me pretty bad and they threatened to charge me then too. It seems pretty messed up that the one being beaten gets charged

Answer: In Mississippi, the police are required to make an arrest when the officer has probable cause that domestic violence has occurred.  Did the officers see your broken fingers, bloody scalp, split lip or any other evidence of physical injuries?  What did you tell them happened?


Title: I should have gone to a lawyer ages ago. What am I owed by my parents? (Canada)

Question:
Just to clarify, I live in New Brunswick, and my parents live in Nova Scotia. I recognize that this issue might be affected by being in different provinces.

I am 20. My parents are narcissistic and manipulative, and simply awful to endure, and I have been NC (no contact) with them for just a few months now. I assumed speaking to a lawyer would be quite expensive, but the sidebar tells me that they can be free, so I'll see what is available to me soon. I kind of need free as I am currently unemployed.

Anyway, back to the point at hand. My parents have had major expenses due to their divorce battle over the past few years, and because both parties are subject to lying and deceit, they carried this out to be much longer than needed. They refuse to speak to each other and have only ever communicated through lawyers or through pressing me for information. If every action I make doesn't fit the will of my mom, and she e, she'll act passive aggressive toward me for days. My dad is just a plain bully, lives to take advantage of people and is neglectful of the needs of his loved ones.

Through the past four years sine they've been separated, I've come to understand a few things. Firstly, that pursuing my parents for money or anything would be fruitless and end up back in my face. They cause way too many problems and are hateful beyond the point of being able to imagine themselves in anyone else's shoes and are only looking to wrong others. Though my mother has claimed child support of me, she has said before that she has thought about withholding money from me based on whether or not I deserved it. (And what she was eluding to at the time was that I was avoiding her) And, she's done similar things before, such as withholding love when my marks weren't stellar in school. Lastly, I understand that is it quite possible that I won't be getting another cent from them since I dropped out of school earlier this year.

I feel like that last one might not be 100% true though, because the story as I know it was likely twisted, because if you know anything about narcissistic parents, and the act of gas-lighting, true information about what is going on in court that could help me would likely be withheld. Of course, up until now, I haven't attempted to pursue whether or not I am right in my suspicion. (Still with me, here? I'm sorry for the length. *deep breath*)

The point that I'm trying to make is, basically I've been told up until this point is that the only way I can get money is if I stay in school, and stay dependent of one of my parents. I don't have any money and I'm just trying to pay my rent month to month and find a job. I plan on returning to school this coming year, but things could change. I want to be more comfortable in my life before I start school again, and I know that I can get a student loan to help cover my expenses, so I see that as an alternative as well.

Also, where my parents are so negligent and it would be so difficult to pursue them, is there any way to get financial assistance from the government or something?

Also, I'm currently in possession of a letter concerning maintenance enforcement to have my dad pay my mom money toward me as though I was living with her. There is a questionnaire for my mom to fill out, but I feel as though she passed the responsibility onto me which is interesting because I've told her before that this whole scenario has been so stressful that I would rather just drop it, but she would dismiss me any time that I said anything like that. All she could think of was seeing my dad pay her. So, I'd rather just drop it and possibly pursue it on my own, but I should probably send SOMETHING back to maintenance enforcement, but I'm not sure what my responsibilities are.

So... any help would be appreciated. I feel grateful that this reddit exists, or that reddit exists in general. Thanks for your time, redditers.

Answer:
 Good lord is there a lot of whining in your post. You are 20 years old and your parents don't have to give you an allowance. Get a job and grow up. Answer #2: > And, she's done similar things before, such as withholding love when my marks weren't stellar in school.

Jesus Christ, you've got to be shitting me. Your parents sound like reasonable, well-adjusted people. You're not a pretty little snowflake who can do no wrong. If you do well, people like you. If you don't, don't expect to be treated like a queen.

You are owed **nothing.** You will likely get **nothing.** You're 20 years old, act like an adult.


Title: [MN] Debtor files bankruptcy, but my judgement is because of a willful and malicious theft

Question:
Well my bff of 15 years stole tons of my stuff after illegally kicking me out. I sued him in court for $3,000 and won. Of course now that I pursued garnishment they immediately filed bankruptcy. I will go to the creditors meeting and let them know this charge should be exempt since it was a willful act of malice.

Am I going to have to re-present my case and evidence against him? Will his lawyers try to drill me or intimidate me? Does anyone have information to add on what that meeting may look like? Is it ok to bring my partner and associate? I expect to be the only one asking for an exemption since the rest of his creditors are consumer companies.
***if you find reason to down vote, please share.. don't be shy 😒
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 Because it was a criminal act, you have a chance at non-dischargeability.  However, you have a civil judgment, so it's dicey at best.  You can ask, but might not get it.

If you get it, good luck collecting.Answer #2: The creditors' meeting is to ask the debtor questions not the creditors. The trustee will try to figure out if any of that is un-dischargable. You as a creditor will be give a chance to question the debtor, or provide proof that the debt shouldn't be discharged.

Make sure to file your paperwork on time.


Title: [MD] Server DDOSED but DDOSER wasn't behind proxy, could I pursue any legal recourse?

Question: A server I run was ddosed from another vps and was not behind an ip. It knocked my server offline for a day. The vps is paid for so the company would have the users information and logs of who was connected to the vps at that time. Is there anyway I can pursue this in small claims? Even though the damages would be minuscule it would probably make the person doing it stop.

Answer:
 If it's from one source, it's not a DDOS.  It's a DOS.

You can try a suit, sure.  Most small claims courts don't have subpoena power, so you don't have a way to compel the server company to cough up the identity of the user.


Title: [FL] Bought a car from a dealership outright. Dealership told the bank I was financing and there is a loan for the exact amount I paid. Dealership said they don’t make money when people don’t finance so every month they will make a loan payment out of what I paid them. Are they right, is this legal?

Answer:
 Loans take a lot of paperwork. Did you fill out all the forms and agree to the loan?
Answer #2: Please please report this to the Florida Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection. The process is easy, the office does good work, and they can look into whether this has happened to other people.Answer #3: If they took out the loan in your name, that would be illegal.  Check your credit report at annualcreditreport.com and see if there are any loans that you didn't authorize.  If there are, report them to the credit reporting agencies as fraudulent. Answer #4: Contact the institution writing the load immediately.

The only possible reason I can think of for this is that the dealership is doing this with ALL their sales.  The dealership is planning to go chapter 11, or just disappear, and the payments made in the buyer's names (that they didn't even know they had to make) will just stop.

The bank or credit agency will start contacting the car owners for missing payments, repossess cars, or get judgements against them.

Multiply this by 30, 40, or even more cars.  This has the makings of getting really ugly.


Title: WI, Neighbors keep releasing my dog from my backyard.

Question:
This is the third time he's let my dog off the leash, and I am tired of driving across the city because of this asshole to get my dog back. How is it okay for him to go onto my property and let my dog off the leash that's keeping him in our yard? Is there anything we can do to stop this from happening, legally?

If we cannot settle this dispute peacefully is there a good hard-to-notice/stealthy plant killer for his beautiful flowers? (joking)
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 CCTV to catch him in the act. Call cops if he does it again. Maybe ask him to stop.

> If we cannot settle this dispute peacefully is there a good hard-to-notice/stealthy plant killer for his beautiful flowers?

Are you for real?


Title: STOLEN DOG UPDATE. PLEASE HELP.

Question:
Hey Reddit, I posted about two weeks ago about how my dog was stolen. I was frantic as hell and left out many details but took in all advice that was intitally posted so thank you all for that, but a lot has since developed and it's been very very tough so I'd figure I'd come back for more advice because this has been the most helpful and I'm not ready to give up.
I live in El Paso Texas with my mom whom os disabled from two rounds of satge 4 cancer (in remission now thank god) and brother who just graduated high school.
My father was with us right before my brother graduated. He issued my mom divorce papers, it also mentioned in the papers that the marriage had been separated since the date of my brothers birthday (18 years ago) in the time he would flee to the woman he has been having an affair with for years now, slowly removing items from the house.
 He did this for months and slowly became more hostile and aggressive because my mother didnt easily sign the divorce papers he demanded her to. All this led up to him sneaking into the house when my mom was home alone with the pets. He waited until my mom opened the door to let the dog to pee, when my father unlatched the gate, grabbing my dog, and fleeing quickly as my mother chased after him. It was a nightmare for her and has been since then. On top of stealing the dog he completely walked out in paying the house which may leave us homeless in the next few months if I don't get something going fast. I even have proof of my father taunting us and saying my mother fakes her disability.
Now this is what happened as far as police reports:
I immediately reported him to the EPPD, the detective issued to me insistenly told me it is a civil matter and to let the judge handle things,  even IF MY MOTHER HAS ALL THE PAPERWORK proving he has been my mother's dog completely.
Everyone I have reported him to have told me the same thing.
He even went into the microchip registration info and had all the info set entirely to him and the PO BOX in new Mexico he's using to lay low, thus not allowing him to properly be turned over.
We have tried talking to our lawyer and he told us he has ZERO interest in getting our dog back and says only rich people.can afford to fight for their pets.

Reddit I'm stuck and scared as hell. My mom and I are pretty broke and are running out of energy. What can I do to get my dog back and just get all this finalized. Our lives are living hell. Should we set up a Gofundme for financial assitance? What should I do reddit. Please help me get my dog back. At this point it's all my mother and brother want.

Please help.

Answer:
 Ok, 95% of your post is emotional grief which is useless. According to the law, your dog is property and they generally aren't worth much in the eyes of the law. Sorry, but that's the way it is. You are free to sue your father in small claims court for the value of the dog and any additional training/costs that were incurred during ownership. You do not need a lawyer for this.

Now, who initially paid for the dog? Who provided the money to raise the dog? Who paid for vet appointments? If that was your father, you have no case. If it was you, bring any receipts that you have to small claims.


Title: [CA] Landlord removed kitchen sink and stove from rental unit

Question:
My parents have been renting half of a duplex for 25 years. The landlord hadn't registered the house as multiple-occupancy and when the city did an inspection he had to remove the kitchen sink and stove from my parent's half of the duplex. The landlord has also started renovating the rest of the house but has told my parents that the city will not allow him to reinstall the sink and stove. My parents have a low income and moving out would cause financial hardship. Do my parents have any legal protection from this?

EDIT: This is in the city of Corona in Riverside county

Answer:
 Your parents should seek out a consultation with a local tenant's rights group. If you live in a major city there is likely one that serves your community.Answer #2: Municipality is going to make a difference on this one, Landlord/Tenant issues and building codes are almost always handled at that level.

However, on very broad terms, the city may force your parents to leave if they are living in a space that does not meet habitability standards, regardless of if they have a contractual or moral right to stay there. If that happens, they may have cause of action for a lawsuit against the landlord, but they probably couldn't go to court and demand a return to status quo.Answer #3: This is quite likely to either be a rental contract voided for habitability (a working kitchen of some kind) or a constructive eviction (where repairs or renovation make a place unsuitable for living). Parents deffo need an attorney but the **most** likely and preferable outcome is a relocation with some (small) assistance by LL for breaching lease.


Title: [USA, MI] 'Secret' microphones in desk, refused pay if needing to stay over, and generally unprofessional handling of workplace disputes due to the new manager

Question:
Using an alt account that was used for a one-off joke for this for obvious reasons, I don't want to get fired.

Basically what the title says.  I've been working at my place of work for some time now, but suddenly corporate has decided to remove the current general manager and put a new one in his place, creating a slew of problems.

Reasons for this are as follows, listing the 'legal' things that I can think of first:

* During the first meeting with my female (this will set a trend) assistant general manager, she departed the meeting , packed her things, and stated that she would be leaving without much explenation.
* New manager (NM) has set a policy of simply not paying anyone who has to stay after-hours to fulfill their duties.
* NM has openly talked about having me (male) take over my current 'section's' management position (currently held by a woman), with the door open so that the current employee outside of the office could hear, and after repeatedly insulting the work and character of the current manager to me as a reason why I should take her place.
* NM has repeatedly stated that a majority of the women working alongside me are "troublemakers"
* NM has installed, or otherwise re-implimented an otherwise unused microphone that is hidden in a drawer of my place of work.  I do have pictures of this but am unsure if they could be used to identify the place where I work.  Should be noted that this is basically in the reception area of our workplace, but is unknown to the employees at large.

Other issues that aren't necessarily legal in nature:

* NM has openly approached other employees from other 'sections', asking them if they would be willing to 'fill in for any vacancies in [another section]', and trying to get them to agree for lesser wages than what I or my coworkers currently make
* NM has raised prices upwards of 30% without changing the product / service, and openly requires us to 'upsell' the product/service to any 'walk-in' clients.  These clients routinely check their phones for the prices online, and then routinely demand discounts - thus putting us at an overall loss while also upsetting the customer
* NM has messed with our operating system so much that random error messages pop up onto our screen when inputting a customer's information.  In addition, all of our prices for all of our goods / services have been set to "0" because of his tampering.
* NM has removed all employee / local business discounts from the place of work.
* NM literally deleted the software that records payroll when we clock-in, resulting in 2-3 days of lost pay in almost every employee.  He has since promised to add this in on backpay, but I will not know until the 1st at the earliest if this is done.
* NM routinely uses the goods/services of our business, at over 50% discount (less than previous employee discounts), and does the same for his close friends, resulting in increased workload for employees and decreased availability for our standard customers.
* NM routinely makes decisions and assumptions on people based on their horoscope, often asking what their sign or their birth date is as the first things he discusses.
* NM, in offering me the 'promotion' I referred to earlier in taking my fellow coworker's job, instead spun it as a 'learning experience' where I could be a 'team player' and 'learn the ropes, gain knowledge to use in the workplace to my benefit'.  Without a title and without a pay increase.  In addition, this new 'learning experience' came with it a list of things I would be doing that would rob not only my current 'section' manager of her position, but also another 'section' manager of theirs as well, combining the two.
* NM has routinely added more tasks to certain sections which require those sections to leave their given place of work, but at the same time demands that those employees not leave their places of work because he worries that a customer might come while those section employees are away.

In addition, I sincerely believe that NM is a coke user.

NM has excessively long pinky nails.  If you hold your hand out in front of you like a diva, the nails on both hands reach to the tip of his ring finger.  In addition, especially on Saturdays / Sundays, when he *does* come into work, he routinely is sweating profusely, his eyes are bloodshot, and he has a continuous cough / sniffle.

Other important things:

To my knowledge, I have not consented to being recorded.  The place of work is semi-independently owned, with at least three partial owners who may own other businesses as well running the location; I know one of the owners is sympathetic to what some of my fellow employees have reported to him, but is either ignored by or doesn't actually talk to the other owners, or otherwise doesn't have much pull in this matter.  We do not have a method of contacting the other two owners. We are not a 'chain' of anything.  The majority of us work minimum or near minimum (within 3 dollars) wage.

Things I'd like to have answered:

* Is there any way that I or my fellow employees can move to solidify our position within my workplace in the event that he decides to start 'clearing house of the troublemakers'?
* Is there any way that the new manager can be removed from his position from a legal standpoint, or face repercussions that would make his current position 'not worth his time'?
* Would it be adviseable to unionize in this situation?
* Is there a way to have a drug test at my place of work without my manager's knowledge?
* Is it possible to have the microphone removed from my workplace?
* Is it possible to do any of these things anonymously?

Or any other potential avenues that you would suggest.  Thank you for reading, sorry for it being so long.
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 > New manager (NM) has set a policy of simply not paying anyone who has to stay after-hours to fulfill their duties, or assist in informing the next shift of the events / notes / requirements being passed over.

Send a letter via certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner that you have contact information for. Cut your post here down significantly to bullet points so it's more likely to be read. Emphasize the part where employees are working unpaid overtime. State that you want to resolve the situation amicably but you cannot continue to work while not being paid.

If they don't address it immediately (either by requiring employees to stop working at the end of their scheduled shift, or by requiring overtime to be paid since it's, you know, the law), contact your state's Department of Labor to report unpaid work.Answer #2: >New manager (NM) has set a policy of simply not paying anyone who has to stay after-hours to fulfill their duties.

This is a labor law violation and you can file for unpaid wages with the DoL, or suggest it to other people (can still be fired.)

>NM has installed, or otherwise re-implimented an otherwise unused microphone that is hidden in a drawer of my place of work. I do have pictures of this but am unsure if they could be used to identify the place where I work. Should be noted that this is basically in the reception area of our workplace, but is unknown to the employees at large.

Not familiar with wiretapping laws in NM but this might be illegal.

All in all I'd complain to HR, whoevers above his head, DoL/OSHA, and actively look for a new source of employment because your current place of work appears to be imploding.


Title: [Los Angeles, California] Received a speeding ticket but car has a limiter on it.

Question:
So I got a ticket a month ago and I have no idea how to go about it. I received a ticket because the officer clocked me at 93mph but my car has a limiter on it that it's unable to pass 80mph.

I have called Ford an asked if they is a way I can prove that the limited key was used at the time or activated.  Their responses over the phone was "get your lawyer to talk to use and sue us for the information". No response so far.
I would like to fight the ticket. But I am worried that I can't gather proof to show that the limited key was being used. The system used is called "Mykey".

The key records every mile it has gone on. And it can't be deactivated without help from a dealership. I have been told I would need a new set of keys (online forms say something along those lines).

How do I fight this ticket?

edit- Going downhill hill WILL not allow the car to go faster. The system kicks in.

I have been trying to use the gps recording, but the data looks like garage. If you have Google maps your data is store at location map history. Sign in and it gives you all of your history.

Answer:
 that's interesting, you want to plead not guilty, request a trial date extension to complete your answer, then sunpoena that data from ford and use it in your answer. obviously, hiring an attorney will be the best way to ensure this is all done properly. Answer #2: How fast were you going?Answer #3: There are a few things possible;

1; you dont have stock tires, and could be going considerably faster than what the limiter or speedometer read, in which case you are still responsible

2; the limiter doesnt work correctly and you were actually speeding- in which case you are still responsible.

3; the cop or radar gun are totally wrong.

If #3 is the case, you may still have to prove that #1 and 2 are not the case unless you can proove #3 is the case. The radar gun was likely calibrated and will be accepted as admissable evidence.


Title: [US,NY] My mom received a arrest warrant, what to do?

Question: My mom got a call earlier saying she had a arrest warrant, it was from Mouth of Wilson, VA. Idk what is it for, she doesn't either. What do we do? Is it a scam? If not, how do we move forward?

Answer:
 We don't call people to tell them they have a warrant.

Scam.


Title: Signed Affidavit Of Parentage at birth. Not married. Can I take my daughter places? Michigan

Question:
When my daughter was born, one of the secretary came in and brought a piece of paper in. We both signed it, it was the affidavit of parentage. We aren't married, nor are we together. I was wondering, am I allowed to take my baby daughter out? The mother only gives me visitations on my day off from work. She demands $400 a month because she watches her. The friends of the court kicked in, I have mediation in about a month.
I offeres her diapers, formula, clothes.. She said Ok, but still demands I give her money. She doesn't work either. She did for 7 month of her pregnancy, paid rent until August as well.

My father is here to visit anf hasn't seen my baby yet and I asked her to visit me, drive to the city which is 30min away, but she keeps saying 'No, come to my house' does she have all these rights not allowing me to have my daughter? Even for a single day?
Thanks.

Answer:
 It sounds like you don't have any kind of custodial agreement/visitation in place, so yes, she can do that. File for custody/visitation.

> I offeres her diapers, formula, clothes.. She said Ok, but still demands I give her money.

Well, yeah. You need to support your child with money.


Title: A teacher confiscated my phone for over 2 weeks due to alleged cheating [GA]

Question:
I'm a 13 year old high-school student in Atlanta,Georgia who is currently attending a private school. I was alleged by a teacher to have been cheating on an exam without any evidence provided to prove it.

As a result, the teacher has confiscated phone and has stated that she will not give it back to me for the next two weeks as punishment for cheating on the test. I feel that this is a violation of my rights to property, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

It's ruining my life as I can't talk to my friends outside of school and have nothing to do except be on the internet or read books which is super boring. I've tried talking to my parents to get them to give it back to me but they have refused to take action claiming it's punishment for an unproven allegation of cheating

What are my legal options for arguing against this violation of my rights?

Answer:
 "I feel that this is a violation of my rights to property, liberty and pursuit of happiness."

LOLAnswer #2: First of all, a private school isn't the government, and neither are your parents, so their actions cannot violate the Constitution.

Second, you don't have a right to the "pursuit of happiness". That's in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution.

Third, if you want to enforce your property rights over your phone, you can either contact the police (but don't be surprised if they don't care) or you can sue your teacher (but you'll need an adult to help you and it would take a lot longer than two weeks, at which point your claim would be moot).


Title: Girlfriend was hit by a car as a pedestrian. Police report is not in her favor. Please help!

Question:
You might remember me from [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/55u4vb/girlfriend_was_hit_by_a_car_as_a_pedestrian_and/) post.

Anyway, I'm beyond pissed right now.  The two of us were crossing an intersection one night and a car drove right into us.  I was able to keep myself out of the way but she was hit by the passenger-side headlight of the vehicle.  She might have a fracture now because of it.

She just received the police report and it says some unsettling things.  Basically, the driver lied about what happened.  Said she didn't see my girlfriend, said she doesn't remember hitting my girlfriend, and then the cop states in the report that because no dust was moved on the front of the vehicle, it doesn't seem like she hit the car.  Furthermore, because I was on the side of the vehicle when it came into the intersection, the cop states the car should have hit me, not my girlfriend.  Sorry to not have perfect f***ing reflexes when a car is about to run you over.

This seems totally outrageous to me!  My girlfriend was hit by a freaking car, is in constant pain and is potentially dealing with a fractured bone and the police report basically states that it never happened!

Please please please tell me we have a way to correct this?

**Edit** Some more details:

This happened in Pennsylvania.

She did go to the hospital, they said it was just bruised an no break. She then brought her x-ray to another doctor for a second opinion and he said it might be fractured. She's meeting with an Orthopedic tomorrow to find out more and then eventually go for a CAT scan or an MRI depending on what the doctor says.

She did give a statement to the officer, as well as me.

She was taken from the scene by an ambulance.

We have the other persons information via the police report.

She's spoken to both insurance companies. Her's is covering her medical bills as is typical in PA, however, with a potential MRI and surgery to correct the fracture, she will potentially go over the coverage limit of $10,000 in which case the person that hit her should be liable for the rest.

Answer:
 You don't get to change a police report. They investigate and write what they believed happened. Neither a court nor insurance company has to agree with the report.

And if she might have a fracture she needs to go to the hospitalAnswer #2: Why hasn't she gone to the hospital to rectify her ailment yet? That should've been her first priority.

Did she give a statement to the officer? Was she taken in an ambulance from the scene? (Sounds like she wasn't). How did you get the other drivers information? Has she spoken to her auto-insurance yet? Her insurance will cover her medical bills even if her car wasn't involved.


Title: IL what happens if i register for the selective service system late?

Question: So I may have forgotten to register for the selective service system. And just realized it today, about 10 months after my birthday. So I wrote down all the info required and sent it out. Will I get in trouble for filing it so late? Or will they brush it off?

Answer: You have until your 26th birthday to file late


Title: [Mi] Who gets the final say in a baby's legal name?

Question:
For background, I live in Michigan and I'm 22 weeks pregnant. It was definitely unplanned and the father and I are not in a relationship, but we are generally on friendly and good terms with each other, save this one issue: our son's name.

He was extremely adamant about naming our boy something very specific for first and middle names, and I was fine with that. However, he is absolutely insisting our son be given his last name and I am not okay with that. Perhaps I'm being unreasonable, but we aren't married and sharing my last name with our son is incredibly important to me. So who gets the final say about the birth certificate and his name? Can the father just choose to put his own on it without me for our boy? I'm sure this sounds ridiculous but I'm 23 and this is my first child and I'm still trying to figure things out as I go along.

Answer:
 > So who gets the final say about the birth certificate and his name?

You do.


Title: Neighbors threatening to sue over lost house sale because of dogs

Question:
I have been living with my fiancée in his parent's home since March - his parents live in another state. I normally live on my own (personal preference until we're married), but my job was affected by COVID-19, and I have been unable to secure another apartment without income, so my future in-laws let me stay at their home.

I have two small dogs, and occasionally I would let them out in the screened-in pool area (lanai for those of you familiar with Florida homes) when we ran short errands. I did not know that my dogs barked while I was gone - I came back one day to find a strong, green, acidic substance all over the hallway where my dogs stayed. Looking at the spray marks, it looks like it was sprayed from the neighbors. I asked them the following day about it where they complained that the dogs were constantly barking but denied spraying or doing anything to the dogs. No harm no foul - I no longer let my dogs out, only for when I took them to the bathroom.

Fast forward to 2 months time now. My fiancee's father receives an email from the neighbor who admitted that he had shot two firecrackers at my dogs in an attempt to get them to stop barking - thankfully he missed. He also said that he planned on multiple occasions to shoot them with his BB gun or rifle, stating that he would if they tried to challenge them. I let my dogs roam the lawn without a leash and there is not a fence between the lawns, so occasionally they will wander to their plants, but they have never strayed more than 5 feet from our property as we were always supervising them.

The neighbors were in the middle of doing a private house sale but the buyer changed their mind because of my barking dogs. They are now threatening to sue over lost compensation and realtor fees. They are leaders in the HOA and have given us an ultimatum: either we get rid of the dogs, or they will sue and also draw up fines for when the garbage bin was left out too long (bins are supposed to taken in immediately after trash day, but my fiancée sometimes forgets and has left them out for 2 days. They also complained the property was basically a "slum house" - the grass was brown for a bit, and we had trouble getting the pesticide business and water sprinkler business to come out.

I was finally offered a job so I will be moving out by the end of month, but I am scared what legal recourse they could take and what protection we have. They even filed a police report for the time my dogs strayed onto their lawn. I'm also wondering if I have any power since they admitted to shooting firecrackers at them. I don't have photos of the residue they left unfortunately. I feel that they are being extremely unreasonable and I wish they would have talked with us first if they felt this strongly, and we took steps to resolve the barking when they addressed it with us. They even complained they could still hear the dogs barking when we left them in the house, though that would mean they would hear the barking from 2 sets of walls and 50 feet between the homes. We are taking the dogs out on leashes to the bathroom now. Any advice would be appreciated!!!

Answer: What have you done about them admitting in writing to animal cruelty and discharging explosives and guns at your home and pets?Answer #2: NAL, but you should get a copy of that email (including the address) from your future father-in-law - and have him retain it in his inbox. Also, retain a lawyer - the neighbor flat-out admitted to shooting a firecracker at your dogs (which I’m pretty sure is illegal).


Title: I own a gas station in Washington State. One of my customers was filling up gas and the hose leaked, leaking all over his clothes. Am I responsible?

Question: I told him I would compensate him but he is requesting $3000 which I think is an absurd amount. What would happen if he decides to sue?

Answer: Call your insurance carrier. Answer #2: Tell him you were going to pay for dry cleaning or replacements, but since he's trying to rip you off he can pound sand. If he sues, it will be small claims court, most likely. Judges understand this stuff and will award him $40 for a shirt and $40 for pants or something in the real-world range.


Title: My boss thinks he can get a persons details of who littered rubbish in company boxes. Is he bluffing?

Question: Victoria - Australia. Our company received a fine from the council for littering. The company were fined as the rubbish that was  dumped was in company boxes. The General Manager has told us that the council will give the rego and initials of the people who did it (was not me). This sounds really stupid because not even the police investigate more serious crimes this much. He has announced that you will get a slap on the wrist if you confess by COB tomorrow otherwise he will investigate and fire the person. Yes he is a wanker who has this massive power rush

Answer:
 So the council have the rego and details of the person illegally dumping, and instead decide to fine the company who owned the boxes?

LOL.

Answer #2: This reminds me of the professor who got mad about almost all of us scoring As.

He said that we should all confess in 2 days (deadline 4 pm), so we would just re-do the assessment. If we didn't, we would face consequences (implied being expelled).

Eventually, one guy confessed and got an F in the unit. Those who didn't? Nothing.

Also reminds me of the time some dude ratted me out for defacing a poster at school. I went in, stayed for 30 mins till the head master brought me in. During that time, the head of our wing took me to a corner & said "Tell me what really happened; those involved with you, and I will make this go away." Needless to say, I kept insisting that I didn't. He walked away with a disappointed look on his face.

Nothing happened. I told them the guy had it in for me since *event* and went back to class.

Father always told me: If you've done anything wrong, never tell anyone, especially authorities.

TL;DR
If he had/was going to get any evidence, he wouldn't be bargaining with you. Flip your boss while you're far away & no one is looking.


Title: Guy going to police for me "blackmailing" him, I can pay the money back but he is now threatening me and sending a private investor after me, what can I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I told him I won't if he sends me cash he sent me a small sum then said he would send me a later a sum, he originally offered the first sum then said he would send me more later.

This isn't "blackmail."

This is **Blackmail.**

Not in quotes.  Not "if a malicious prosecutor really stretches the law and squints it could be blackmail," but "This is literally the textbook definition of blackmail."

Legal advice: get legal counsel from an actual, in person lawyer before you do anything else.  Don't pay money.  Don't speak to him again.

You've already committed one felony, and other actions you take could be seen as further evidence of your crime or even new crimes like tampering with a witness or victim.

And also stop committing felonies.Answer #2: No, with all due respect you've made several bad choices here.

1) You blackmailed the guy

2) When you could have solved it, you insisted on getting the police involved.

You need to try and work it out with him and give him his money back if that is still possible. You want to avoid the police getting involved. Keep in mind that even after you give the money back he can still go to the police.


Title: Employeer retroactively cut pay

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 No, they cannot retroactively cut your pay. You can file a wage claim with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. http://www.doli.virginia.gov/laborlaw/laborlaw_forms_p1.html

Any hours worked after you were notified can be paid at the new rate.


Title: What would happen if documentation came to light that a naturalized US citizen worked in the country 20 years ago, before receiving an H1B visa?

Question: Asking for a friend who lives in NYC...

Answer: Depends. If she's sleeping with the President, he'll likely pardon her if it looks like ICE wants to pursue anything. That said, a lot of details would also be needed. If she paid taxes, if she applied for a H1B and was denied, etc.


Title: I just signed a 2 year lease with my boyfriend and now I've found out he's cheating. How do I get out?

Question:
Alberta, Canada

As the title says literally a few weeks after everything was finalized I found out that he has been cheating. We both co-signed the lease. He doesn't know that I know yet, I just want to completely cut ties and get out. Is there any way for me to do this without financially wrecking myself? Please help.

Answer: Find a subletter or break the lease.


Title: Still have to pay for room of dead friend.

Question: So I had a friend pass away shortly after signing for a place we were going to live in next year. My landlord has shown an atypical lack of remorse for my situation and has agreed to take out his part of the security deposit I would be responsible for but claims I still am liable for paying his rent each month. Please tell me there is something I can do. The apartment is in Champaign, Illinois.

Answer: Sadly, you're not paying "his part" of the rent. You have to pay the full amount, whether there are two of you splitting it, or just one of you paying. It's not like the landlord can rent out the other half, and the place is worth the full amount.


Title: Can an officer do this?

Question:
A few weeks ago, I was about 40 minutes outside of Atlanta for work. Around 10:30 at night, I was getting back to where I was staying. It was a private farm, and I was staying in a tent on their property out in the middle of nowhere. As I'm approaching, I was trying to listen to my GPS, but it froze, so since there was no one nearby I looked down at ut quickly. I looked up and realized there was a stop sign, so I slowed down for it, but it's entirely obvious nobody else is coming either way, so I drifted through. There's an officer waiting on the corner and he pulled me over.

He then came over to the passenger side of my car and asked what I was doing in this area (he saw my license plate said Pennsylvania) So I exained that I'm not from here (to which he responded "Don't they have stop signs in Pennsylvania?") and that I was here for work. He looked me up and down and asked me to get out of my car. Being in the back woods area of Georgia, I didn't want to oblige, but there was nobody else around and I didn't want to become another story on the news for "resisting arrest." So I got out and held my hands up while he looked me up and down.

This is the part I'm unsure of. He then told me to come sit in his passenger seat while he runs my plates. I've never heard of an officer doing that. I think it was because he had a drug dog in the back and he could have it smell if there's anything on me without releasing him. I could be entirely wrong, but after thinking about it that's the only thing that makes sense. He asked me some questions in the car, I answeres honestly, then he asked if I play guitar because he saw one in my car. Eventually he let me go when I told him I don't have any narcotics on me or in the car.

So in all of this, I am mostly wondering was he allowed to tell me to get in his car? If so, was I allowed to decline? Or would that be considered resisting?

Answer:
 Being told to exit your car is a lawful order.

Asking you to sit somewhere else is a lawful order (and somewhat common to have you sit in his car instead of your car so you don't drive off)


Title: Marrying for fun in vegas

Question: Is there a legally "safe" way to actually marry a person in Vegas, where it won't affect insurance, taxes, assets, debt etc, especially when you're under 26 years old (but over 18) and still under someone else's insurance? Also, is there an easy way to annul the marriage? Don't worry, I wouldn't actually do it, but the thought crossed my mind after hearing about some people my age marrying for fun and now I NEED to know lol.

Answer: You have a fake wedding and don't sign an actual marriage license.


Title: School said its going to take prom away from those who walkout

Question: School is in Raleigh NC, its attendance policy has nothing about taking away later events if you miss a day, and they've said they're going to prevent anyone who walks out from going to Prom. This is a state funded public school.

Answer: Sounds like a good opportunity for you to demonstrate the strength of your convictions.Answer #2: Walks out from what? Class? Your school can punish you if you leave class without permission.


Title: Legality of Non-LEO Confiscating Drugs

Question:
At my private university in Connecticut, campus safety officers routinely confiscate controlled substances from students, which are presumably delivered promptly to the police. I have no problem with this, but why is this not considered illegal possession of a controlled substance?

Every year, on 4/20, students gather at a certain spot and smoke weed. Campus safety used to ignore this gathering, but over the past few years have increased their attention to it, confiscating paraphernalia, etc. What would happen if someone called the police on campus safety when they were in possession of paraphernalia?

Edit: To reiterate, these are **not** law enforcement officers. They do not arrest people, just send people to internal disciplinary hearings.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 > What would happen if someone called the police on campus safety when they were in possession of paraphernalia?

The police may or may not take action.  The campus security officers might be deputized law enforcement officers - many are.  They may also be expressly authorized to seize these drugs by the police.  The police may also just plain not give a shit, and may appreciate the help.


Title: Someone asked for replacement check, cashed both. Is this fraud?

Question: I have paid this person for a couple of years, never had an issue. But recently, we had a falling out. A month before that I sent them a check that I legitimately owed, but they claimed that they never received it. So I sent the money via Paypal. A few days ago, they cashed that check back from August, despite claiming they'd never received it. Do I have any recourse here? I think they believe it's money I owe, and while that's up in the air, I definitely had not intended that check for that.

Answer: You should have placed a stop payment on the lost check.


Title: If I help company with "business development", can I steal their rejected ideas for later jobs or my own company in the future?

Question:
I'm doing an internship for a small and loosely-organized company in Southeast Asia (me being the only intern, in Burma, and partners being in Cambodia and Laos). This question is kinda moot because the legal systems in all these countries are broken, but I still want to know the legal principles.

Being a small company offering a niche service, we always talk about expanding to new things. Most of the potential schemes don't fit with our expertise or resources so they sit in the "maybe" pile.

I'm expecting to be doing full-time work in a related industry in a year or two, or at least continuing to live in the same city for the foreseeable future.

Can I pretty much do whatever I want? Or could my current company have some claim by saying I used their contacts/know-how to do my own business (in a related industry) in like 5 years?
I don't have any written employment contract or restrictive covenants or anything.

Thanks for your insights!

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, but I think I remember that is not possible to copyright an idea, only the implementation of the idea, so as long as they didn't actually produce any of those rejected ideas, you're free to create them.

Contacts I remember is a trickier one, and usually will be written explicitly in your contract.Answer #2: Did you sign any kind of NDA or non compete when you were accepted to the internship? If not I’d say there is no obligation as far as intellectual property. Obviously don’t steal ideas for products already in development.


Title: Asked discriminatory questions during interview

Question:
I was recently suggested to call a compliance/ethics hotline to complain about questions that were asked to me and comments made in an interview I had.

I would like to know if I have any legal rights after calling the hotline number. Would I be able to sue the interviewer or the company? Do I have a case at all just for the discriminatory questions alone?

Answer:
 No, you have no "case" based on the questions alone.  You only have a lawsuit if you can prove you weren't hired based on your answers to the questions.

That the questions were asked may create an inference of unlawful discrimination, but alone, it's probably not enough.

It's also very hard to calculate damages on a job that's at-will employment.  There's no guarantee how long you would have been at the job.Answer #2: What were the questions and comments (generally, or just what were they about)?


Title: [Kansas] Friend is getting divorced and he feels he's getting a raw deal.

Question:
I suggested he ask about it here and he asked me to post because he doesn't reddit. Created this account just for it. Anyway on to the story.

My friends wife asked for a divorce out of left field and up and left the house and pulled all of her money out of the pool they use to pay bills.  He makes less than 40k a year while she makes roughly 115k a year.

Everything has been filed and she is asking 10k to buy out of the house. She's offered to take 50 percent of the debt for a temporary amount of time and then leave him with all of it.

It sounds like she is completely leaving him with everything and asking him to pay her for the buyout of the house even though she makes roughly triple what he does a year. We both have always thought the party that makes more couldn't just screw the person who made less. Anyone got any advice?

Answer:
 > We both have always thought the party that makes more couldn't just screw the person who made less.

Asking him to buy her out of the property is not "screwing with the person who made less". This is standard. They own property together. He can buy her out, she can buy him out, or they can sell the property and split the proceeds. She is entitled to be compensated for her share.

Relative income counts for things like alimony and child support, not property division.


Title: Employer is forcing me to become a notary?

Question:
This may not be the correct subreddit - but my employer is requesting me to become a notary and I'm really really not comfortable to move forward with the application.

1 -   I don't want to have that responsibility.    If there is an error,  I can be in a lot of trouble.

2 - my state (MA) is requiring me to get 4 references.    I don't have a lot of friends in Massachusetts and I don't know who to go to for references.

3 -  I'm afraid I'll be denied.    I had an out of state misdemeanor 10-11 years ago (dui)  but I have to disclose it obviously.     I will feel really embarrassed to tell my employer I was denied.

This is causing me a lot of stress and making me look insubordinate at work.     I'm considering job hunting just to avoid this,  which seems silly.      Is it reasonable to decline becoming a notary?    Am I likely to be denied?

Answer:
 You can decline. That is your choice. They can also fire you for declining. Answer #2: Well, you can ask your employer if becoming a notary is a requirement of your job. If it is, then declining is the same as quitting, basically.

Personally, I doubt a single DUI charge in another state is going to seriously hamper your ability to become a notary. Forgery, fraud, or perjury charges may raise some issues, but a DUI doesn't really mean you're not fit to be a notary.