Title: Neighbor's son lied about my (blind) daughter crashing my car into theirs

Question: We have new neighbors who I have met only once and have otherwise seen in passing a few times. My daughter has never met them although I they likely have seen her coming and going from our house. They have a college aged son who doesn't live with them but is home for the summer. This morning the police came knocking on my door at 5:00 in the morning. The officer said my neighbors called the police after their son told them my daughter drove my car into the front of his parents car which was parked on the street while she was trying to pull into the driveway. He also said the windows were down and he could see her using her cell phone. They wanted to speak with her and I obliged, since my daughter is blind and has been since birth. The police figured out right away it was a lie but they asked him a second time and he pointed and confirmed it was her and had also signed a statement to this effect. My car also had no damage to it. Later on the police connected the dots where there had been a parked car hit about a mile away this morning where a woman was getting things out of her trunk and was injured. I think the little shit hit a parked car, figured that no one saw (didn't see the woman by the trunk) and then parked the car at his house and blamed my daughter so his parents wouldn't be mad and he wouldn't be in trouble. The police apologized for troubling me and my daughter but I am curious as to what if any charges he would be facing for this. I don't feel bad at all for hoping he gets the book thrown at him. We live in Texas.

Answer:
 It's totally up to the police and the DA if they want to pursue the kid for making a false statement.  You can contact the police and/or the DA and encourage them follow through.  But that's probably it.Answer #2: Potentially they could go after him for both making a false statement and for a hit-and-run. But ultimately the state has discretion whether they want to press charges.

> I think the little shit hit a parked car, figured that no one saw (didn't see the woman by the trunk) and then parked the car at his house and blamed my daughter so his parents wouldn't be mad and he wouldn't be in trouble.

I'm guessing the cops think this also.Answer #3: Without knowing injuries/damage on the hit and run thing, here's what you wanted to know about filing a false police report in Texas:

Sec. 37.08.  FALSE REPORT TO PEACE OFFICER, FEDERAL SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR, OR LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEE.  (a)  A person commits an offense if, with intent to deceive, he knowingly makes a false statement that is material to a criminal investigation and makes the statement to:
(1)  a peace officer or federal special investigator conducting the investigation; or
(2)  any employee of a law enforcement agency that is authorized by the agency to conduct the investigation and that the actor knows is conducting the investigation.
(b)  In this section, "law enforcement agency" has the meaning assigned by Article 59.01, Code of Criminal Procedure.
(c)  An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.

Sec. 12.22.  CLASS B MISDEMEANOR.  An individual adjudged guilty of a Class B misdemeanor shall be punished by:
(1)  a fine not to exceed $2,000;
(2)  confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days;  or
(3)  both such fine and confinement.


Title: What can we do to protect our vehicles at our apartment complex?

Question:
My husband and I live in an apartment complex in Florida and have had nothing but trouble the last 12 months.

This complex has been riddled with crime particularly pertaining to vehicles. Lots of vehicle break ins and theft.

Our first incident was about a year and a half ago. My husband left his truck unlocked one night by mistake. His truck was went through, however nothing was stolen. Things were just tossed around.

Our second incident was 5 months ago when said truck was stolen. It was locked. No spare keys. It was hot wired. Police report was filed, and we still have not heard anything other than the sheriffs department calling periodically to let us know it still hasn’t been found.

When this occurred, we immediately went to our apartments management building (which our building is right in front of, not even 30 yards away) and asked to review their security cameras. They informed us that they do not have any cameras around the complex. That was mind blowing to us AND the officer that was handling our case.

I had a lengthy discussion with the manager about how upset we were that this happened. She stated that her hands are basically tied and there is nothing they can do. She stated she has requested cameras to be put up to corporate, but corporate hasn’t done anything about it.

Then, finally our third incident this morning. My husband and I walk outside to get into our cars to go to work and BOTH of our cars have the passenger right front windows busted out. Nothing was stolen.

The police came, we filed yet another report, and they said they apprehended a 14 yr old that they believe was responsible. But they don’t think he was working alone because 6 other cars were broken into as well.

We feel so defeated and infuriated. I don’t know what else we could be doing to protect our vehicles. We don’t even keep any valuables in our cars because we know better. And we keep them locked at all times.

Again, I go to talk to our apartment manager and she gives me the same speech about her hands being tied.

It is costing us a lot of money in deductibles and repairs to fix/replace our vehicles. What can we do? They have to be able to do something, right?

The police told us that this was grounds to break our lease but our lease is up in April anyways and we’re moving out of state. So we aren’t really looking to move out any sooner than April, but something HAS to change. We’re missing days of work and it’s costing hundreds of dollars to fix these windows. What can we do here? Any and all advice appreciated.

Answer:
 >The police told us that this was grounds to break our lease but our lease is up in April anyways and we’re moving out of state.

The police are incorrect. Unless it's your property management that's breaking into your cars, this is not a valid reason to break your lease without penalty.


Title: I got maced last night by a security guard (IA)

Question: So last night I was at the bars with friends and got maced by a security guard when I was on the city sidewalk, and I was not confrontational at all. There is a patio with railing surrounding it that is right by the sidewalk. So I was standing next to the railing and a girl hopped the fence and she was about to fall on me so I helped her over. It’s a bar with a cover. The security guard saw this and kicked me out, and not the girl. My friends were still at a table at the patio so I went around to another entrance and went in and went to go grab my friends, security guard saw me, told me to leave or he was going to mace me. I saw ok, hopped the fence, and right as I did, he maced me anyways. Even though I was not confrontational or arguing and I had no time to start walking away. He got it directly in my eyes and it was one of the most painful things and I could not even open my eyes so I was sitting behind the bar for quite a few hours until I could see, and had to get an uber at 4 am which was $100. I could barely breathe, could not open my eyes at all, and somehow got it in my genital area which was very very painful. Do I have any recourse here?

Answer:
 I'm willing to bet the security guards version would be different.

You may file a police report and they will decide what action to take, if any.

You can try and sue him for the $100 Uber ride in civil court due to his actions, but your case is weak at best.Answer #2: It got to your genitals because you showered at home.

You can file a police report but that may result in charges being filed against you. Most will say to let it go.


Title: I parked at a gas station for less than 30 minutes and left the complex, when I cam back my car was towed.

Question:
-This occurred in Collin County in Dallas Texas. The time was 1 AM.

-I parked at the gas station, left for about 30 minutes to help a friend in a nearby apartment complex, and my car was gone when I came back.

-The sign was not facing and conspicuously visible when I entered the gas station as I did not see it until after my car was towed.

-When I went to pick up my car I tried signing the forms under duress, but they said they would not release the car to me under duress. I have them on video.

-The tow truck driver told me he was fueling up at the gas station, watched me park and leave, and proceeded to tow my car right after I left. I can get video of this from the gas station if it will help my case. This seems extremely predatory and malicious to be legal for tow companies to do.

Here is the link to what I believe is the Towing laws in Texas? I tried researching and just needed someone else's opinion before I acted.[Link](https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/towing/towinglaw.htm#2308.301)

So my question is, do I have any legal basis or chance to dispute this in Justice of the Peace Court?

Answer: What do you mean you tried to sign for the car "under duress"? The question is whether you did or did not heed the warning that if you parked in a gas station and left, you would be towed. You didn't, and you got caught. That's unfortunate. There's nothing predatory or malicious unless you can show tow truck was following you all night to tow your car or you were unfairly targeted in some way. It's up to you whether you want to fight this in court, but you've already admitted you parked and left and a sign is there that tells you the consequences of doing so.


Title: Im a 16 year old boy from Florida and I just learned my girlfriend who said she was 17 is actually 14. Can I get in trouble for this? What should I do?

Question: I just started my junior year in highschool in Florida, and I started dating a girl from Arizona online that I had known for a year beforehand. Today I found out she was 13 turning 14 in September. I saw the Romeo and Juliet laws in the respective states said as long as the Birthdays are 24 months apart it should be ok, is this true? Can I get in any trouble for this, and is it ok if the relationship continues? I've ceased contact until I know otherwise.

Answer:
 Have you had sex? Have either of you sent naked photos? If not, you’re fine. I don’t recommend continuing the relationship. Lying about your age is a terrible way to start a relationship.

Also, Romeo and Juliet laws would be within 24 months, not at least 24 months apart. They’re intended to be exceptions for those similar in age. If you *did* have sex, it would be illegal in Arizona— the victim would have to be 15, 16, or 17. Under the age of fifteen, the age difference doesn’t matter.


Title: Hypothetically speaking, had the Trolley problem happened irl, and the trolley was set to run over and kill 3 people, and you been at the lever to switch the tracks, would you be charged for murder of the one person on the other side of the tracks? How would this play out?

Answer:
 Legally speaking, pulling the switch is murder, and not pulling it is not a crime.   However it's up to the state if they want to prosecute you or not, so "would" is unknowable.

Edit: Assuming US, or other common law descended systems.  I'm not qualified to speak about other legal traditions.


Title: Need advice. Not your typical drunk tattoo story

Question:
I live in a beach town in South Florida and it was a holiday weekend. There were thousands of people all having fun drinking and partying on the beach, including my friends and I. It was probably around midnight and I had been drinking all day. As my friends and I were walking to another bar, I noticed a new tattoo shop that just opened up. According to the friends I was with I went in to "check it out" and never returned.

You should know that this was not my first tattoo, not even my tenth tattoo. Probably 25 percent of my entire body is tattooed. But I don't believe that should make a difference in the legality of what I am about to explain.

I lost my wallet that day so therefore had no ID and no money or credit cards. I was blacked out drunk, do not remember getting the tattoo, and according to the shop owner I was drinking a bottle of fireball during the session. Because I had no money the shop owner suggested I log into my bank account app and transfer him the money. I was so drunk that I could not figure out how to do it and just handed him my phone and let him figure it out. A few days later he texts me and says he never got the money. So I check my account and it says that a bill payment has been made to his shop in an absurd amount of money that apparently I agreed to for this tattoo. I have tattoos 3 times the size, done by more reputable artists, for half the price. So, I call my bank to figure out what is going on. The customer service rep tells me that the bill payment that he submitted on my phone is an actual check that is delivered within 5-7 business days. So I tell the owner and he tells me that is bullshit and if it is true to cancel it and bring him the money. So I call the bank to cancel the check and they tell me that I have to wait 10 business days to cancel the check. The shop owner does not like this at all and begins to text me every day multiple times about how he is going to call the cops, sue me, an so on.

I want to know my options. He is trying to receive 550 dollars for a 200 dollar tattoo that he tattooed on me while I was blacked out drunk without identification. I do not believe I signed any forms either. I believe he tattooed me illegally? What do I do?

Edit: Thanks everyone for your opinions. It has been very helpful. I've had a long day and will be responding to some of you over the next day or two for some more opinions. I'm not that worried about the whole thing. Just wanted to see what my options were. Thank you reddit for coming through for the win!

Answer:
 The price is not an issue. You live in a free market and people can charge whatever they want for services. You got the tattoo you will most likely need to pay.

You can report him to the state licensing board or health department but I am not sure that tattooing a drunk person is illegal, even if it is incredibly irresponsible. Answer #2: >500 for a $200 tattoo

That's not up to you to decide his prices.

Report them to the health department if you feel they're operating questionably. But you probably owe him the money.


Title: Mailing very small amounts of drugs

Question: [deleted]

Answer: This is something you should consult an actual attorney for


Title: Can I sue my lawyer if he is wasting my time

Question:
Every time we talk, whether after court hearings or in his office, he gives me bullshit advice. Such as, this would be the most helpful, even though we both know something like that wouldn't happen. He then asks me what my interests are rather than talk about the case. This lawyer is also a little dumb, can't do simple math in his head. What can I do? I can't afford a new lawyer.
Ma/USA

Answer:
 LOL, no, you can't sue your lawyer for making chitchat.

You also can't sue him for explaining the best option, even if it's not likely.


Title: how can i create an offshore company to manage my investments while i run it from the US?

Question:
bit of background: i live in the US, just got out of college and will be making some money. I did the calculations and it seems like I'm losing a ton of money to taxes by paying every year (short term capital gains), or have to give up my ability to leverage (in a roth ira), particularly because i'll be in california paying a combined marginal rate of 49%.

i was thinking a better way would be to start a company in singapore (max corporate tax rate is ~17% and much lower for less than 1M in income which would be my case for a long time). the goal will be to allow the investments to grow with minimal tax drain, and then pay the tax at my personal rate when i repatriate the money to the US.

only issue is I don't know the legal ramifications of operating a company in singapore from the US. I think i can figure out the necessary forms, etc. for actually incorporating over there, but just want to make sure this whole thing is legal.

technical details:
- the company would retain all earnings and pay out nothing to anyone
- i would be the 100% shareholder of a c-corp like structure (in singapore)
- the goal would be to repatriate around the 5 and 10 year marks
- my investment plans involve using leverage (borrowed money) so iras are a nonstarter.

Or, if anyone has better ideas on how to avoid taxes on year to year investment returns, i'm happy to hear them. also, not really even sure what kind of lawyer to go to for a consultation or how much one would cost (initial capital isn't all that much so i want to keep it low cost).

Answer: So you want all the benefits of living in the US but don't want to pay for them?Answer #2: You just got out of college, there's no reason at all for you to be considering starting a company in Singapore to avoid taxes. Talk to an accountant, financial advisor, or a tax lawyer to help you with tax issues.


Title: A cop called me and said someone else gave my name, birthday, and address when arrested, and I've been charged with misdemeanor larceny. He knows it's a mistake and is working on fixing it. Do I need to take steps? (NC)

Question:
I got a call from a cop today, asking if I knew a certain person. I didn't. He said the person got pulled shoplifting in Wal-Mart, and spit out all my information on the spot. We have enough of a resemblance that the officer charged me with misdemeanor larceny, and, because I have a somewhat decent record, sent him on his way. A bondsman later informed the officer that he had the wrong dude (according to the officer).

NC court dates are public record, so I can look it up on my computer and see that I was charged with misdemeanor larcey, statue 14-72(A), and have a court date in about a month and a half. This officer is obviously agreeing that he fucked up, so I'm thinking I can just periodically check on this and if the court date hasn't disappeared by the time it comes up, attend and (hopefully) get it thrown out. I'm kinda broke lol, I'd prefer not to retain a lawyer if possible.

So how should I play this?

Answer:
 You should take it very seriously. Legal aid will provide guidance at an affordable rate. I would be checking my credit report though, see if anything else has been associated with your name.Answer #2: You also need to file a report for identity theft and speak with a detective about getting your name on NCIC as a victim of identity theft.

When that happens you will set up a password/pass code that needs to be provided when your name is run by the police.

That way if this joker tries to lie and say he is you again, the police will know to ask for a password and then get him when he is unable to provide it.Answer #3: If you truly can't afford an attorney, you may be able to contact the public defender's office, since you're being (mistakenly) charged with a crime. Regardless, DO NOT skip the court date, even though it's not technically you. The last thing that you want is a warrant for your arrest.


Title: Libelled in revenge by those affected by my advocacy work.

Question:
States are CA & CO.

I work as a parent  and child advocate for disabled and sick children. During the course of my advocacy, I have repeatedly - called out snake oil salesmen, fake "professionals", quacks looking to rip off desperate parents / guardians / caregivers and even parents who were not acting in the best interests of their child / ward. I have documentation of all of these.

Recently, I learned that I am being smeared and character assassinated by those who have been impacted by my exposure of their fraud / scam / quackery.

Among other things, I am being called "negligent", "crazy", "conspiracy theorist" and phone calls were made to families I am known to work with that all parents and guardians should avoid me because I am "off the rails" and "dangerous".  I was also accused by one "parent" - who I suspect is schizophrenic - of threatening to kidnap her son. I had previously raised concerns that this woman suffers from Mauchausen Syndrome by Proxy as she has subjected her disabled son to several (unnecessary, in my opinion) treatments by "alternate providers".

I do not charge for my advocacy work but these libellous accusations are affecting me deeply, esp as I have been accused of threatening to kidnap a disabled child.

The slanderers are located in CA and CO.

What are my options ? TIA.

Answer:
 They sound like opinions, which are legal, kind of like you saying one parent is schizophrenicAnswer #2: For the legal advice side of things I agree with /u/--MyRedditUsername--

But, if I may offer a bit of life advice from somebody who works in mental health advocacy.

1. Calling out these snake oil salesmen publicly achieves nothing but putting you in the middle of internet drama you don't need and will attract the sort of negative attention you seem to be attracting. If you feel strongly about the issue you are better off trying to find and attach yourself to a group working on a government level for better regulation and controls over these industries and keeping your opinion to yourself unless you have established a good enough rapport with somebody that they have invited your opinion on the issue.

2. You're going to need a thicker skin if you want to survive in disability advocacy. The industry itself is full of people who are vulnerable and vulnerable people often act irrationally. You need to learn to focus your energy on where you can make a positive impact and just ignore all the bullshit in the background. Answer #3: Wait, are you a medical professional?  Licensed in any capacity?

You should be careful saying things like "who I suspect is schizophrenic" if you have not the authority, training or legal power to diagnose serious mental or physical health conditions.


Question:
[US, CA] Shady owner of private college is suing me 4.5 years later for equipment that was supposed to be included on my federal school loan; attempted legal intimidation in order to sell me a private loan!

**Overview/TL;DR:**

* Technical School in California, owned by a lawyer, "MF," has since shut down due to mismanagement/losing federal loan approval.
* While I was a student, I added an equipment package to my school loan, as was encouraged by admin and faculty.
* "MF" is now suing me on behalf of his company TechSchool for 4x the original equipment cost, plus lawyer fees, since he's representing his own company.
* This equipment was explicitly supposed to be included in Ford Federal Direct school loan, and I have email communications with administration that say I was "all set" in regards to payment.
* I only received *one single voicemail* about this, 4.5 years after receiving equipment. Voicemail says "it's time to pay the piper," and I was given 24 hours to pay up before legal action was taken. I had no possible way of knowing that I owed this money.
* I was creepily offered a private loan from "MF" in order to pay this debt, whilst being threatened with legal action in 24hrs.

I need help figuring out possible affirmative defenses in Answer to a 3.740 Collections Summons, and possibly help determining whether I can get this dismissed due to statute of limitations (4 years written agreement in California).

=========================================

**The Plaintiff:**

* "MF" is a notorious huckster and shady business man; many students felt defrauded, payments disappeared, faculty went unpaid, Army vet friend was encouraged to take out double loans while the school cashed both simultaneously (to the tune of $22k), etc. The school admin was a total shitshow, and faculty always pointed fingers at the owner, "MF."
* I believe his staff possibly forgot to charge my loan for this equipment, and then nobody ever noticed or bothered to contact me about it for 4.5 years, until instant lawsuit (a year or two after the school went out of business).
* To clarify: The owner of the school, the school's hired lawyer, and the person who left a threatening voicemail are the same person. He created a new company after the school shut down so that he could represent himself and charge fees for it. I know countless stories about what a horrible person this guy is. A real douchebag; cream of the crop.

==========================================

**Timeline of Events:**

* **2011 OCT:**
Start technical school program.

* **2012 FEB:**
School heavily encourages students to add equipment packages to loans.

* **2012 FEB:**
I send required "I want this shit" paperwork to the school, including Ford Federal Direct Loan promissory note. I also verify whether there is anything else needed from me, and reply says "You're all set!"  Equipment package is $2500.

* **2012 APR:**
I receive equipment package.

* **2012 DEC:**
Graduate from technical school program.

* **2013 - 2016:**
No communication. All school loans continuously paid.

* **2016 DEC:**
4 years after graduation, and 4.5 years after receiving equipment, I receive ONE voicemail from "MF" threatening legal action. Saying "it's time to pay the piper," offers me a private loan (!!!) in order to pay off debt. Admits "we haven't been in contact with you about this," and tells me that I have 24 hours to reply or legal action will be taken.
This voicemail is the FIRST TIME I've heard anything about this from "MF" or the school. I never received an invoice, a collections notice, a receipt, a letter, an email, nothing. The school has had my proper contact information this entire time, and ONE voicemail offering me a sleazy sounding loan to pay off debt that was supposed to be on my loan is all I received.  For all I know, I'm being scammed.
I did not hear this voicemail until several days after it was left, because it was received during the last 24hrs of my girlfriend's father's life; I spent much of the time in the hospital while he was on life support and helped make funeral/memorial preparations.

* **2017 JAN:**
While I am not at home, my girlfriend is served a Court Summons for Rule 3.740 Collections. Lawsuit is for $9500, plus lawyer fees, even though TechSchool is owned by the lawyer himself, "MF."
There is zero information about itemized damages. There is no invoice for the equipment package. There is no evidence or information here saying that this equipment is not included on the loan that I've been paying off for the last four years, like it was supposed to be.

==================================================

**My Defense:**

* I have email communications of me giving my loan authorization paperwork to the school at the same time as requesting equipment package.
* I have email communications telling me "You're all set!" in regards to my equipment package when I asked "is there anything else needed?" after delivering payment paperwork.
* I can prove that the plaintiff has had my contact information this entire time.
* I have the voicemail recording from the plaintiff admitting that he hasn't ever contacted me, and threatening legal action if I don't pay, or take a private loan from him within 24hrs.
* I have former faculty willing to attest to the school's equipment package loan add-on racket.
* I have school brochures showing optional equipment packages being included along with tuition costs.

============================================================

**What kind of affirmative defenses do I have here?**

Answer:
 You received the equipment in April and graduated in December of 2012? He's shit out of luck, as the statute of limitations for debt is only four years in California.

IANAL, so I'll let one of them weigh in here, but I can't see a world in which he wins. You may want to pay a local lawyer to sit down with you for an hour or two and review the facts of the case before you go to court.

Answer #2: You may want to give the CA AG a heads up - CA and MA AG's in particular LOVE to go after shady schools.  And if this guy was on their radar before - which he likely was  - they may be more than happy to get involved.


Title: My Father Passed and I'm stuck 1000 Miles Away with no Way to Pay for the Aftermath

Question:
Thank you for reading. I'm 25 years-old and my father lived in Los Angeles.

My father passed away on June 29th. I received a phone call from an investigator after he was found unresponsive in his apartment. According to the law, I am listed as Next of Kin. There are no other living relatives. He has friends but no one is willing/able to take on the responsibility of what happens next so it's completely on my shoulders. I just don't know what to do.

I currently live in Japan with my wife and we do not have the funds to pay for two last-minute tickets, let alone to plan for a funeral/burial/cremation.

My father had lots of debt (I don't know how much) and no assets and had been homeless for most of the past decade. He had just recently received housing and food subsidies through the government after living in homeless shelters and on the streets.

The investigator I spoke to said that he would "be ready" come Tuesday or Wednesday and I have no idea what to do. This is not something that I have any experience with. My wife and I have done research but we're both very confused.

I am torn between leaving him an indigent of the state or somehow paying for a cremation. I don't think we have any other options given our finances. We have no ties to any religious organizations or institutions to help with this so we feel very lost.

My question is two-fold:
Should I be contacting a lawyer or attorney even though my father had no assets/will/anything?

and

Are there any options for helping finance a cremation for those who can't afford it?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 If you are comfortable with it, you could donate his body to a medical school. There is usually an option to get the cremains back or they can dispose of them if you wish.

I'm sorry for your loss. Answer #2: NAL, not legal advice, but many (most?) airlines offer bereavement fare that is far, far below market. If traveling to LA to take care of things is something that you would like to do, you can call your airline of choice and ask specifically about bereavement fares.

I am very sorry for your loss. Answer #3: >There are no funds for burial, what can I do?

>If the deceased or the legal next of kin do not have sufficient funds for burial, the alternative may be County disposition. In these circumstances, proof of indigence is required. The legal next of kin should contact the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Identification and Notification unit at (323) 343-0755, and additional information will be provided. If County disposition is authorized, there may be substantial delays in receiving a death certificate and as a consequence, certain benefits.

Source: http://mec.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/mec/ourservices/forfamilies

[This non-profit](http://www.fcasocal.org/index.html) may also help.


Title: Defending an App Idea From Competition

Question:
Please go easy on me as I have quite literally no clue what i’m talking about. Looking for advice within Canada.

Say for example I have an idea for an app (app A) where users can rent out their bicycles to other users for an hourly rate. Users pay on the app with visa and the company takes 10% while the bike’s owner pockets 90%. Now, what if theres a competing app (app B; already functioning in the market) that has the exact same premise, less the option to use in app payments & relies *entirely* on in person cash transactions between owners and renters.

would i be able to file a patent for my idea (optimization of the payment system) in a way where i’m protected against app B just implementing it once it catches their attention?

could app B have a patent for bike rental apps in general that disqualifies me from making app A?

If none of the above patents are even possibilities, what would company A’s best bet be for the protection of their idea against competitors?

All insights greatly appreciated.

Edit: Location

Edit 2: I plan on speaking to a lawyer but before i spend money on billed hours I want to grasp an at least general understanding on how far one can go with this.
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 > would i be able to file a patent for my idea

You can't patent an idea.

You can patent an implementation.  But you can't prevent anyone from re-implementing that same idea.  "renting bikes person to person where you pay in the app" isn't a protectable idea.  You can protect your specific app, and your intellectual property surrounding that, but you can't stop someone else from implementing a new version of the same idea.


Title: I have a question regarding the witness oath, "to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Question:
I'm in Colorado. Just exactly how is the phrase, "the whole truth", legally defined? Suppose I take that oath, and I honestly feel that the person cross examining me is using manipulative techniques to spin my testimony to suit his agenda, and that I have not been allowed, or able to tell the whole truth?

Am I allowed to demand my right to uphold my oath which was to tell the *whole* truth? Am I allowed to ask the judge to please let me do what I promised to do, or should I not be concerned about the truth left unspoken and unheard?

Answer:
 You answer their questions truthfully, they have the right to ask you or not ask you anything it would be the other sides lawyer that would then likely ask you questions that would bring to light anything that they want to make part of their case.Answer #2: Sometimes the point that the lawyers are trying to work towards are not the points you are thinking about. A case can turn on a legal consideration you do not have in mind. This means what you might think is relevant may not be (and vice versa).

Trust that the other attorney has the best interests of your "truth" in mind, and that they will ask you whatever questions they believe will unearth whatever "unheard" truths are relevant.


Title: Off-Topic Legal Research Challenge

Question:
There is a published decision handed down by an American appeals court where the Judge discusses the spelling of a particular word and in so doing references the text of a rap song, in a footnote, to suggest that the court-reporter chose the incorrect homophone when transcribing. Homophones are words that have the same sound but different meanings - for example 'to, too, and two'.

The first person to cite to the correct case wins a no-expenses paid trip to Ken Hamm's Ark Encounter in beautiful Williamstown, Kentucky courtesy of /u/bug-hunter. If you post it in proper blue book citation format and include links to both the decision and the rap song you get a bonus no-expenses paid tour of the Maker's Mark Distillery courtesy of the same source.

Clue: The rapper is Ludacris

Answer:
 [United States v. Murphy, 406 F.3d 857, 859 (7th Cir. 2005).](https://www.leagle.com/decision/20051263406f3d85711177)

[Ludacris Ho](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIVODIQKB44)Answer #2: Actually, I budgeted [Ÿ](https://imgur.com/a/QGtjM)5000 for this trip.

Unfortunately, my dog buried it in the back yard. /u/drafterman and /u/lianson are welcome to help find it, but I cannot guarantee your safety due to the mountain lion next door.Answer #3: United States v Murphy?

Edit:

This is citing it I guess.

United States v. Murphy, 406 F.3d 857, 859 (7th Cir. 2005)

https://www.leagle.com/decision/20051263406f3d85711177


Question:
Question: How do I remove mylife.com profile when mylife.com refuses?

They posted my full birthday in plain view and refuse to take it down. Not just year, but full birthday by name and current address.

They gave me a boiler plate response that said: “This is public information, **** you.” (Paraphrasing ofc) Signed by some generic single-named person. I don’t know if this is even a person or an automation. Their phone system appears to be automated as when you call it tells you that you are 12 in line, makes like there are other people waiting, hangs up when it gets to you. You call back, guess what? Exactly 12th in line again.

They want you to pay more than $100 a year to “claim your profile” which means you can make it “private” but I think what that means is that it is “private” to anybody but someone that pays $1 for a trial membership. Even if it made it private to everyone, the information would still be there unless you paid $100 as “protection money” basically to lock your detailed private information.

What this compant is doing is unethical and immoral. I don’t know what to do bc they have flat out refused via e-mail and their phone number is automated to hang up. They refuse to remove it, so even if I got google to remove the page from their search results it would still be there.

Answer:
 Unfortunately, while it may be unethical and immoral, it is not illegal.  Your birthday is public information.  They have a business in making it easier to access.  You can either pay the $100 or let it go. Answer #2: Your birthday is not legally considered private information in the USA. Neither is a lot of other directory information and information held by public agencies including your mailing address (and past mailing addresses), your phone number (and past ones), your car’s make and model, your parents’ names, their parents’ names (thus your mother’s maiden name, often used as a bank security question, is technically public information), past legal names, your voting record (that is, whether you voted, not what your vote was), even your party affiliation is not completely private info.

So you have no legal right by which you can have them take the info down. If it means this much to you, pay them the hush money, and make sure you read the fine print on the contract you sign when you do so, so you understand the exceptions.


Title: TX - buying beer on a Sunday in Costco

Question: This happened a couple years ago but I’m curious of the implication here. Basically I went into the Costco main building on a Sunday and tried to buy beer, they refused to sell beer to me because I wasn’t a member. Costcos in Texas do sell beer to people that aren’t members, but normally it is in the separate liquor store from the main area where you are not required to have a membership. However, by Texas law it is not legal to sell liquor on Sundays, so the liquor store that is on the side was closed. Was it legal for Costco to refuse to sell me beer in the main store?

Answer: It’s legal for a business to refuse any sale to any customer as long as they’re not violating an anti-discrimination law, so: yes. The fact that selling to you would have been legal does not make refusing to sell to you illegal.


Title: (KY) Can a employer threaten to fire their employees if they do not come in to work on their day off? Is it legal for a employer to not give days off or make employees work more than 10 consecutive days without a day off?

Question: I am asking for my sister's boyfriend, so I am sorry if the question is vague. Also posting on mobile. I can give more details later depending on the responses I get. I just want a kick in the right general direction of where to go. My plan is to contact the Kentucky Labor Cabinet in the morning.

Answer: Is the employee being paid for their time and any overtime incurred?


Title: (Indiana) Is it legal for a police officer to sit in my driveway to try and catch speeders?

Question:
I assume that's what he's doing. He's been sitting literally in my driveway beside my car for the past week. When I leave he just nods to me. He's got his radar gun out and the first time it happened that's what he said he was doing. So it's not like he's keeping tabs on me personally or something.

It's keeping the roads safe near me but it makes me uncomfortable. I don't want to ask him to move because if it's legal then I'm causing a problem for myself for no reason.

Answer: OP for everyone telling you you’re weird for having a problem with this, I would too. It’s fine to feel weird about it. It’s also fine to deal with it however you see fit in legal means.


Title: My university rescheduled my final exam to a time that does not comply with the university exam policy and then refused my request to take the exam as originally scheduled.

Question:
My degree is part of a distance education program, meaning all my classes take place on-site at one university but all lectures (and my degree) for my major are actually provided through another university.  Sometimes this causes conflicts because students in my program take classes from two separate universities (all gen ed classes are local but major classes are distance) and class and exam schedules don't line up between the two.

Basically, my final exam was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon. Too many people had conflicts with local finals so about 4 weeks ago they decided to move the exam to Friday evening. I work Friday evenings and I'm in college so I'm poor and I immediately requested my local site to take an individual exam at the original time (this is written into my local uni's exam policy) so that I could still work. That was denied due to "integrity of the exam".

After going back and forth for weeks, I then quoted both my school's exam policies, particularly my distance uni since this is a distance course. Rescheduling the exam was in very clear, direct violation of 3 clauses. I was then given three options: don't take the exam at all and my grade drops from a B+ to a C ish, take the exam at the distance site four hours away, or don't take the exam yet and take an incomplete grade for the course. They would then draft a second version of the exam to which I would take over the summer or fall whenever they get around to it, and I wouldn't graduate until after the new exam has been completed. I'm starting my dream job a week after graduation, pending that I actually graduate, and this felt like petty warfare.

 So I proposed my case to the Dean and Vice Chancellor at my distance university, intending to file an official grievance. First thing next morning my local site called to tell me they would let me take the exam early. They also added that this informal mediation step had to happen before the grievance was officially pushed through, and they requested that I hold off on filing "regardless of anything I've already sent." So I know someone down the line read my concern.

That last paragraph all took place yesterday. At this point, I'm happy with the compromise and I want this to be over so I'm pretty ready to drop the whole case, graduate, and go. But my question is what would have happened had I gone through with the grievance and won? Or if they had continued to deny my request and I would have had to skip work to take the exam? I can't find anything online that states any consequence for a school not following its policy. But I find it odd how quickly they changed course once the grievance was in place.

I am in North Carolina. Thanks!

Answer:
 This isn't exactly legal advice on my part, but you should consider taking the exam at the time that conflicts with your work and asking for leave from your boss.

While you might win legally and get the exam moved to a different location/time for your convenience you might make enemies with the professor or the school. It is also very common for make up exams to be much more difficult than the original exam. The reasoning is that you are given much more time to prepare for it, but sometimes the real reason is as punishment for your unwillingness to go along with the school's decisions. So tread lightly because you are not guaranteed to have your problem solved through legal channels.Answer #2: So any answers we give would be guesses without more information.  That said, it sounds like your complaints to the 'remote' school provoked an immediate response and capitulation from the local school.

There has to be an agreement between the two schools to allow this system to exist at all.  If your local school were to violate this agreement, the remote school might be less than happy with them.  The remote school's legal options are probably limited to things like, oh, increasing the rates they charge the local school, or canceling the entire program if they think it's not working.

We can't *know* what would happen, but I suspect the hammer that would get dropped on your local school is... an unpleasant one.


Title: [California] Cops found me sleeping off my drinking in the car, got arrested for a DUI. What can I do?

Question:
This week I made a really big mistake and I decided to sleep in the car after having too much to drink. I must've left the keys in the ignition and been really knocked out as the cops had to break the window to get into the car. The cops at first were going to let my husband pick me up but he was sleeping and didn't pick up the phone. After a few minutes of trying to get someone to pick me up the cops changed their mind and decided to arrest me. I wasn't aware of the legal ramifications but I resisted the breathalyzer and the blood test, I am told this was a big mistake? I've been told a multitude of things that this can result in jail time, $15,000 in fees, a year long drivers license suspension and much more. I need my car to drive to work and drop off my kid to school. Is there any chance I can get a license to do this? Is it true that denying the blood test is admitting guilt? Or because I wasn't actually driving and they have no record of my blood alcohol level this can soften the consequences? I'm just really stressed out and looking for all the information I can get.

Edit: is it true in California a chemical refusal is equivalent to a third dui offense?

Answer:
 Get

A

Lawyer

TomorrowAnswer #2: You can't be inside the driver's seat of a motor vehicle while intoxicated while the keys are in the ignition. That's basically intent to DUI.

http://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/1837156Answer #3: There are two different tracts here. Criminal and administrative. On the  criminal side, you need an attorney who can argue you were not in control of the vehicle and had not been driving. The success of that will hinge on how control of a vehicle is defined in CA.

On the administrative side, it's a 1 year suspension if you refused the roadside test. You can't get a restricted license at all if you refused. So when you say you "resisted" do you mean you eventually complied or you completely refused?Answer #4: Not a lawyer here but.... If your were sleeping behind the wheel that is showing intention. I believe keys in the ignition is also intention of driving. As for not blowing and denying blood work, that is bad. Some states will give you a provisional license to go and from work and most likely a breath machine hooked up to the car. First things first is get a DUI lawyer.


Title: Sold an item in which they believe is counterfeit.. Legal?

Question:
Location: US Military Overseas

My wife and I had sold an item on our local facebook garage sale page. I posted pictures of the item as well as a description. A couple said that they would buy the item. We met in a public area to exchange the item for money. Upon meeting, she grabbed the item, handed me the money, then proceeded to get in her vehicle and drive away.

2.5 hours later she messages me stating that she does not want the item because she believes it is a "counterfeit". Then she states that it is torn and states "Had I known it was torn, I would not have bought it". She then states that she wants her money back and if not she is going to our local legal office.

1. The item was used and sold on a local garage sale page on facebook with honest description of item, not stating it as new.

2. She never checked the item out before handing me the money and walking away.

3. She states that its a counterfeit, torn (which we hid from the pictures she states) and, wants her money back.

4. Threatens to go to local legal office.

5. I told her that the item was real and we did not know of the tears.

6. She continuously messages and I stopped replying after she said she would go to local legal office.

7. She shows up to my door step (she knows the address because we were going to originally meet at my house) banging on the the doors and yelling that she wants her money back.

8. We call the police. When they arrive we tell them the situation and he states that they can not deal with this civil problem that she would have to go to legal. That we can file a report for harassment and that if they do come back they would be charged for harassment and abuse of emergency services.

My question is, could there be any legal repercussions on my wife and I for selling something, from an online facebook garage sale, that they "believe" is counterfeit?

*EDIT*
Item was an Ergo baby carrier and sold for $70.

Answer:
 Item was sold "as is" and it was her duty to inspect if for purchase. Unless you made a warranty that it was authentic or it was specifically the item then tell her to pound sand. Answer #2: Just block her on Facebook and on your phone. If she calls the police don't do anything until they contact you then go to your base legal for help. Keep a screenshot of your post and conversations. Answer #3: Any outcome beyond just reversing the sale would require evidence that you knew it was fake and deliberately misrepresented it.Answer #4: IANAL but I'm going to go ahead and disagree with everyone because your description is kind of cagey and leaves out important details.  It feels a little too much like "begging the question" so I'm going to take a stab at guessing what happened.

You had a counterfeit designer handbag (coach, or LV, or one of the others).  You sold it as a designer handbag with designer price and thought to yourself "they can't prove I *knew* it was counterfeit."

If true, I really really hope it has a "Cooch" label or something similar inside and they take you to small claims for it.

It's not always buyer beware when there is a clear intent to deceive.  Take for instance, those people who try to sell "PS4 for $700 ^box ^only " or "Beets by Dray - $200"  when they end up in court, they lose.


Title: Sold a broken down car for $300 in September. Now my insurance says there is an injury claim against our policy from it and now it looks like they have a law firm trying to send us a certified letter.

Question:
Back in September I sold a car that was breaking down and not really running well for $300 on craigslist as a mechanics special. I did not get a bill of sale but I did get a photo of the buyers drivers license and that next day I submitted a Vehicle Transfer Notification form with the Texas DMV. We also forgot to take it off our insurance policy because we hadn't really been driving it since it didn't run and kind of forgot it was on there.

The insurance company called us to inform us there was a claim and they were trying to figure out who was driving our car. I told them it had been sold months ago, and then provided the transfer form and drivers license of the buyer. Now they have just asked us to come in ASAP to remove it from our policy since it is not our car.

Now I see that there is a certified letter that we have not been home to receive the last couple of days that is coming from a local car injury lawyer. I am just wondering if there is anyway that we could actually be held liable for these charges and if we should try to seek out an attorney or if it should be fairly easy to fight. The transfer form states "if this form was submitted within 30 days...you are protected from liability for criminal or civil acts involving the vehicle and purchaser." So I am hoping that is all we need but just not sure.

Answer: Contact that lawyer and let them know you sold it on X date to X and here is that info. Now please cease and desist contacting me on this matter as I am not the owner of the vehicle. Thank you and have a great day.


Title: [US] I received information that I was primarily discriminated against (Title VII) for a promotion. Do I have any legal grounds for a case, or should I just let it go?

Question:
Hello,

This is in the US, but I don't really feel comfortable providing a state since it would likely be easy to identify me.

This all happened about a year and a half ago. I would like to remain as vague as possible while providing the most details, since the person that got the promotion over me is still a friend of mine.

I applied for a supervisor position at my job about a year and a half ago. I had aIl the qualifications and more, and I was fairly confident that I was going to get it based off of my time at the job (~2 years), experience, and general good standing with a lot of my coworkers. I completely nailed the interview and I thought it went very well. Still, I got a call from my supervisor the next day and he told me that they chose someone else. Shocked, I asked him if there was anything I could have improved on and he just replied with "We thought you were an excellent candidate, but we chose someone else." I couldn't get any other feedback out of him.

They decided to go with someone who had barely been working here for 7 months with much less qualifications than me that just happened to be a female minority.

I have since gotten that position anyway (another position which was the same role opened up relatively quickly after that), but I have been bothered by it ever since it happened.

Recently, one of the supervisors in the same role as me got a new job and pulled me aside on one of his last days to spill the beans. This guy had actually sat in on my interview, and apparently was just as bothered by the decision as I was. He told me that when deciding who to pick, and it was between me and her, that it boiled down to her being a minority female. There was a conversation about there being "too much testosterone in this position already," and about "how many checkmarks they could tick off if they hired her instead of him." Her interview also apparently didn't go nearly as well as mine was.

So, the golden questions. Based off of this information, would I have any legal standing for a case? Would his information even be considered in a testimony? What would the repercussions of taking this any further? Or should I just go the easy route, and forget this ever happened and just be pissed about it?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Yes, it appears you were discriminated against. Whether or not it was illegal is up in the air. You can file a complaint with the EEOC. While technically your work cannot retaliate against you for doing so, it may have an impact on your career. If you plan on staying with your current company I'd think long and hard before filing a complaint. You can always explore your options with an attorney.


Title: [BC/CO] can my little sister get in trouble for defamation?

Question: me and my sister live in bc, canada. last year when she was 15 this guy who was 20 from Colorado tried to get nudes and meet up with her for sex and she screenshotted everything and posted them on social media and she had a post up warning people of this guy with his legal name and some of his social media accs, and now hes threatening to take legal action against her, does he have any kind of legal standing and is there anything we can do? thanks

Answer: No. She’s a minor, he’d end up in more legal trouble than her. Also, she’s warning the public about a truth and not making up lies to ruin his reputation.


Title: [NV] Public Defender Recommended I Do Not Hire An Attorney

Question:
I got cited for a misdemeanor in Reno, NV a few months ago. I am 23, about to graduate college, and have no criminal record.

Long story short, I was at a hotel/casino when I pranked my friends by taking a fire extinguisher and spraying our room in the middle of the night. The cops came and I got cited for a misdemeanor:

NRS 475.090: Every person who willfully and maliciously removes, damages or destroys any engine, hose, hose cart, truck, ladder, extinguisher or other apparatus used by any fire company or fire department is guilty of a misdemeanor.

I plead not guilty at my arraignment. Now I have my bench trial in 3 weeks. I called a public defender and asked for some advice in regards to hiring an attorney.

He told me a few things:

1. ~50% of petty cases like this get dismissed because the cops do not show up.

2. There is no point of hiring an attorney because there is evidence against you from the cameras in the hotel.

3. If the cops do show up, there will be some pretrial protocol (I forgot the exact name) where people who are defending themselves can arrange some sort of plea bargain.

I had some concerns with his advice. Particularly with #2 and #3.

2: How do I even know the hotel turned over the evidence to the police? And what if the police officers were just being nice and cited me for a petty misdemeanor instead of taking me to jail or charging me with more things like vandalism? Lastly, if they do have the evidence and review it, can't the prosecutor just open up a whole new pandora's box of charges against me? I was thinking of pleading guilty at my arraignment to avoid this possibility.

3: I felt kind of unclear with how the public defender explained the pretrial process. I asked if it would be a smarter idea to have a lawyer by my side to express my remorse for me and be able to strike the best deal for me. I was concerned... for example, what if I plead guilty to the charges and they give me a 5000 dollar fine and 500 hours of community service as part of the deal?..... He responded, "that won't happen, these people who make the deal with you try their best to help people out since they are defending themselves".

Lastly, I am also concerned if my act meets the misdemeanor I was cited for. What if they charge me with something even worse come the date of my bench trial? Wouldn't I want a lawyer then?

If anyone could give me some insight/advice to this situation I would really appreciate it :).

Answer:
 I have a hard time believing a PD told you explicitly NOT to hire an attorney, but if they did they're a shitty attorney.  You clearly don't have a good understanding of how the system works, and if you can afford one, you should seriously consider hiring one.  Nobody can predict exactly what the difference in outcome will be, but do you want to risk winding up with a jail sentence you could have avoided?  In answer to your other questions

2) You'll find out during trial, but it's always wise to assume that the other side has access to all of the evidence.  And yes, they could charge you with additional crimes at a later date if the evidence supports it.  Another great reason to hire someone

3) If you don't understand the process, pay someone who does.


Title: [NH] who owns an engagement ring after calling off the engagement?

Question:
My friend called off an engagement after finding out his fiancee was cheating on him. If she says no to giving the ring back, do we have legal recourse to demand it back? Does it belong to him? If yes, what if she claims she "lost it"? I've searched for answers online but IANAL and wanted to ask you guys.

Thank you!

Answer:
 New Hampshire laws only explicitly state that the guy gets the ring back if she is the one to call off the wedding, so most likely not.

ETA:  actually after reading it again, it allows the man to recover the ring as the non bride can't benefit from the "fruits of a broken promise".

If he has evidence that she cheated, he may very well be able to make the case that she was the one to break their contract by her cheating.


Title: Husband left, stay at home mom

Question: I'm in NC. My husband and I have been married over 11 years. We have one child together who is 8. I've been a stay at home mom since he was born. I have zero income. I don't even know how or where or anything about getting a job that will pay the bills. I didn't have a real career before I became a stay at home mom. We have a lot of debt, around $50k not including our house payment. We had a snowball payment plan we were working on to be debt free in a few years. We were making ends meet. I honestly thought we were happy. He insists that there is no one else but this all came out of nowhere for me. It all just happened Friday night/Saturday morning. He just says we aren't on the same page and he isn't happy. He said our child and I can stay in the house and he'll leave and continue to pay bills as usual until I'm on my feet, or summer time, whichever comes first. I'm devastated and trying to be strong for our child but I'm utterly lost on what to do financially, legally, etc. I don't even know if I can afford a lawyer. Thank you in advance for help.

Answer:
 You can and should hire a lawyer. He or she can ask the court for a temporary order requiring your husband to keep paying theBill's, etc for the duration of the case. Also child support.

 Call around. Many lawyers accept payment plans. NC seems to allow attorneys to take divorces on contingency (kind of), which means they take the case in exchange for a chunk of what you get in the divorce. Answer #2: Most divorce lawyers offer free or low cost consultations. You need to go talk to a couple of them.


Title: Can you hire only marginalized groups?

Question:
I’m a part of a group on Facebook. Someone recently posted an ad in the group for hiring new members of a different group, specifying that they wanted to add four marginalized members. Their categories are black POC, non black POC, disabled sewist, and LGBTQIA. Someone in the comments said it’s illegal to specify only specific groups can apply and I’m curious how true that is.

FL for location bot
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: It depends. Is this company big enough to be covered by the EEOC?


Title: Roommate disappeared, stealing various things on his way out

Question:
I'm posting this on behalf of a friend, who's too overwhelmed by the situation right now to post herself, so some requests for clarification might take me a bit to get back on. The location for this is San Jose, California, US.

Her roommate just left with no notice, taking various things with him. She owns the place, and was letting him stay with her under the agreement that he pays the electric bill and for groceries until he gets his life in order. They had a verbal agreement for this, but nothing written.

Some of things the roommate took were bought together (a Playstation 4, for instance), while others were unambiguously hers alone (e.g., a game I gave her as a gift).

She doesn't know where he's gone to, and he isn't responding to any other attempts to contact him. Given that he took some things that he had zero claim to, she's planning to file a police report and see if her insurance will cover any of this. As for the other items, and the fact that he's skipping out on paying this month's electricity bill, are there any options she can pursue?

Answer: Report the crime to the police. You would need to sue in small claims court for whatever can not be recovered as well as the electric bill.


Title: Is it illegal to force a worker to work during a statutory holiday?

Question: My manager demanded a few minutes ago that I work a full day shift tomorrow, which is Canada day. When I asked if there would be time and a half pay, he informed me that there would not be. I'm in Ontario, Canada. Is this legal?

Answer:
 http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/publicholidays.php

>Generally, employees qualify for the public holiday entitlement unless they:

>fail without reasonable cause to work all of their last regularly scheduled day of work before the public holiday or all of their first regularly scheduled day of work after the public holiday (this is called the "Last and First Rule");

>or

>fail without reasonable cause to work their entire shift on the public holiday if they agreed to or were required to work that day.

>Note: Most employees who fail to qualify for the public holiday entitlement are still entitled to be paid premium pay for every hour they work on the holiday.

Answer #2: What is your job? It makes a difference.


Title: restarting conversation with lawyer

Question: Hello, I am someone with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The first time I talked to the lawyer I was scared and did not feel I was competent. I was not taking my medication for a while. Is it possible for me to restart the conversation with the lawyer fresh. Or have I spoilt the relationship already. May I ask for our conversation from the first time to be expunged by the new conversation when I am mentally stabilized. Thank you

Answer: Why not talk to a therapist, get yourself stable and then talk to a lawyer? It doesn't sound like there is any urgency. No conversation with someone who is mentally unstable is usually very productive.


Title: Wife charged with Battery DV in Volusia county, Fl. There was absolutely no violence and no charges were pressed.

Question:
TL;DR Wife and I get in loud argument, I've told her to shut me up by covering my mouth due to prior yells she and she accidentally scratches me but doesn't show. I slip and fall and scratch myself vertically no where near where her hand was and she gets charged with Battery DV.

My wife and I were playing games while drinking and I always tend to get a little angry and yell at the screen (WTF, Fuck etc.) Well during this my wife yelled at me for yelling at the screen to calm me down since it was late. This started a yelling match for about three minutes about other things. My wife tried to stop me from yelling by covering my mouth, which I have given here consent to if I ever drink because I cannot control my voice and get extremely loud. During the mouth covering I backed away to yell some more and her hand accidentally slipped, and scratched my face a little but left no mark. She did not know this because she was in the process of walking out of the apt to let things calm down like we usually do. While she was gone the police showed up to question me about the situation. She came back fifteen minutes later to find them in the house and then getting questioned herself.

They told me I had a scratch on my face which I didn't know or feel since it just recently happened and the scratch was no where near where her hand was. It runs vertically from my eyebrow to the corner of my mouth. It's patchy and light so it's nothing bad. They told my wife I had a scratch on my face and asked if she did it. She admitted to covering my mouth and that she accidentally scratched my face which she technically did but it didn't leave a mark. She thought the scratch was in a different spot as well because of where her hand had been and she didn't realize I may have gotten it from slipping since she was walking by me out the front door. They didn't show her my face or let me see her at all. Or describe the location at all, just "you scratched his face." They arrested her and said the charges were stupid and would get dropped more than likely. Well today she was charged with Battery DV.

During the time I was being questioned the cop comes into our home noticing our groceries on the floor thinking there was a big scuffle of some sort(We leave non- perishable groceries out on the table and the floor near the table to see them and not forget them and she had our tax return paperwork scattered about from doing them earlier.) I explained to him that my wife and I were yelling over something stupid, I mentioned everything that happened about how I got the scratch on my face and how I gave it to myself from falling. I then have to write the statement which was about 30 words max since it wasn't a long altercation. He reads it and says "I will take from your verbal statement and fill anything if necessary." I told them I do not wish to press charges and they said since it was a domestic dispute she would have to go to jail for the night and would be released the following morning with no charges since she has ABSOLUTELY no criminal record. Well as I stated above that was not true and we were wondering if we could get any advice to fix this it just seems a lot was embellished during their processing and statements. Any help would be great :)!!

*edit: Added TL;DR
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 First and foremost, you need to take responsibility for your own actions. If you can't drink and play games without acting like an out of control douchebag, maybe you should go to A.A. or something. Newsflash: You *can* control yourself, you just choose not to.

As far as the DV issue, the state is the one who 'presses' charges, not you. The cops believe there to be sufficient evidence that battery occurred. DV battery is a serious charge. If you and your wife want any chance of beating this, or at least lessening the legal blow, she needs a lawyer immediately.


Title: Neighbors said they saw someone ''working'' on my car in the middle of the night

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Well, you can take your car to get fixed, for one.  You can certainly report this to the police, but your evidence that the prior owner had anything to do with this is weak, at best.  For one, what's the benefit here?  None of the stuff you mention is worth stripping off a car. Answer #2: "Seller has texted me about ''following up'' with the vehicle, and I sent him my work schedule, while telling him that I would be using my other car for work."

What? Following up? Why?  So.. you buy a car, then, days later, provide the seller all the hours you will not be home and let him know where the car will be, unattended... and you didn't get the spare key...    I'm trying to figure out how you're in on this. Also, why did he give you a check? And how can a business logo be vague?  So what that his cell number is his business number? I don't get this post. Seems best bet would be to appeal to this guy and ask him how he can make this right... if it's a legit business, he should want to at least meet you in the middle.. if he doesn't.. well, post about it. Picket his business?Answer #3: A timing belt takes 3-5 hours to change depending on the car and how good the mechanics are. That's not something someone did on the quick. It makes no sense for them to replace a good hose with an older hose. They're like $20.

Honestly, it sounds like your crankseal leaked and it's fucked up the timing belt.


Title: Raped while abroad - where to report it?[France/Spain]

Question: I was raped about 2 years ago while living in Spain and have recently started considering reporting it in order to help me move on. However, I am unsure about the procedure and the legitimacy of it all: should I report it at my place of residence (France) or in Spain (where my attacker is from)? Also, are there some EU laws when it comes to sexual assault?

Answer: I don't have any particular knowledge about the EU justice system but if you want to report a crime you should do so in the jurisdiction where the crime occurred.


Title: If a cashier/bouncer/whoever thought my ID was fake and tried to keep it or damage it, would I be in the right to call the police and report it as theft?

Question:
I live in NY state, but this is a hypothetical. I’m just asking for future knowledge in case I run into this issue because I keep having fears that I will.

I have an out of state ID. Sometimes I worry about trying to buy age-restricted products such as tobacco and alcohol. If I happened to have a cashier who didn’t want to go through the trouble of knowing how to identify it as a legitimate ID, would or should I then be okay to call the police and report them for their theft? Would the police even bother to respond?

State-issued IDs are the property of the state that issued them, right? So would I even have any ability to report that theft and have action taken to get it returned to me, or would I have to report it to the issuing state and let *them* pursue the person for theft?

Answer:
 They're allowed to refuse service even if it's a valid ID, but if they try to keep it, then yes, call the cops.  Call the non-emergency number, not 911.

If they ask you to leave, wait outside until the police show up.Answer #2: If they believe an ID is fake they will confiscate it, when  And if that happens call the police. They will then return it to you if it is an actual ID. (Nobody is gonna call the cops if a fake ID is taken)Answer #3: Happened to my friend in NYC when we were 23 at a restaurant in Chelsea— or at least they told her it was fake and threatened to take it. She raised holy hell and threatened to call the cops, they returned it but were very nasty and forced us to leave.  She went back the next day with her passport and her ID, spoke to a manager about how pissed she was... and got a free meal out of it :)Answer #4: Happened to my brother.  Call the cops and they’ll get it back for you, they asked my brother if he wanted to press charges and he passed but whether they’ll do that or not is cop by cop


Title: The weed I bought had PCP on it and it lead to me getting arrested for public intoxication and assault

Question:
I was sold weed that was tainted with PCP. I bought from a friend who bought from a dealer, so you see why I can't say that I bought from this friend because I don't want him to get shit for this.

I smoked it and since there was PCP, I was high and not expecting it. Before the onset, I went to the store. I wasn't planning to lift, but I was high once I got to the store (it was Target) and tried to steal a carton of strawberries (when I eat while high, I like fruit). The LP people saw me and followed me to the exit, and I'm sure you see where this is going. One guy told me to stop, I ignored him but didn't run, so he tackles me. While on the ground, I get my hands around his neck and try to choke him but then another LP guy runs out pushes me off. This is the last part I remember clearly. Everything from here on is blurry.

I wake up later in police custody and there's my blood and their blood. I get charged with public intoxication and assault.

My question is that since I didn't know that I was consuming PCP, does this change things?

Answer:
 So you did illegal drugs, got intoxicated, broke the law, and feel that you should not be charged with any of your crimes because...Answer #2: My advice to you:  Stop discussing this with anyone other than your attorney.  That includes the Internet.  If you don't have an attorney, get one.  A criminal defense attorney.  He or she can opine on your PCP theory.
Answer #3: You'll be hard pressed to prove that a) there was PCP in the weed that you smoked and b) that you did not know there was PCP in the weed.Answer #4: No - your intoxication was voluntary.

Get an attorney who routinely handles minor criminal matters.Answer #5: What makes you think it had PCP on it?Answer #6: It doesn't change a thing.  Being fucked up doesn't change the fact that you still attempted to steal strawberries and choke someone out.  That's like saying I was too drunk to get a DUI, I didn't know what I was doing.


Title: (VA) Can I buy stuff from a thrift store and re-sell that stuff online?

Answer: Of course. Why would you think you couldn't do that?


Title: My mom wants to evict my brother (27)

Question:
My brother is 27 years old and has been living with my mom rent free since January of this year. He relapsed on drugs in December and lost his job and moved back in with her and since then gotten clean, got a job, and overall is doing better. She asked him to start paying rent ($300) and he refused and said you'll have to kick me out. How would she begin the process of eviction? He also claimed he has "squatting rights" and that she couldn't evict him. Is there any accuracy to this statement? Is there any reason she couldn't evict him even if she went about the process correctly? (United States)
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 He doesn't have "squatting rights" but he is a tenant. She needs to go through the process appropriate to her state for evicting a tenant, which likely requires written notice of 30 days before eviction proceedings can happen. It may take a few months.Answer #2: Landlord/Tenant law is highly localized. You'll need to provide your state for accurate information. Your brother has a tenancy, likely month-to-month, which can generally be terminated with written notice of one full rental period (or, since he doesn't pay rent, probably 30 days). Again, this is all state dependent. On the facts you have provided, it sounds like there wouldn't be any reason your mother couldn't evict him if she followed the required process in your state. It would be faster to simply process a no-fault eviction of a month-to-month tenant than to try and force him to pay rent and then evict for nonpayment.

 "Squatter's Rights" do not apply to a situation where an individual is residing in a property with the permission of the owner. It's just a poor name for the legal concept of adverse possession. And I believe the shortest period of possession needed in any state is 5 continuous years. So, on the facts provided, he's boned if he tries to raise that as a defense to an eviction.

Edit, see also: [this guy](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2018/05/24/parents-who-went-to-court-to-evict-their-unemployed-30-year-old-son-did-the-right-thing/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1a11898acda3).


Title: Are my landlords doing something illegal that I can fight?

Question: My landlord for my complex apparently had an increase in rent by 4&#37;. When I received my renewal, rather than increase my rent, they reduced my 5&#37;student discount to 1.1&#37;. On their website, they advertise a 5&#37;student discount for 12 months leases, it doesn't say anything about changes during renewal or changes at all, as long as you are a student, you are supposed to get a 5&#37; discount. Is this false advertisement or illegal in anyway?

Answer: If my math is correct, a 1.1% discount on original rent is the same as 4% increase of rent with a 5% discount.


Title: (TX) Backed into a truck, waiting on cops. How long do I wait until I can leave?

Question:
I just had my first accident. I'm a truck driver and while backing into a spot at a truck stop I rubbed against the front of another guys truck. I got out immediately, apologized, we exchanged information, informed both of our companies and I parked off to the side. He called the cops immediately. No one was hurt, it's just a really small scrape across his front bumper.

About 30 minutes after calling and them not showing, he called them a second time to which they responded "we'll get there when we get there." I still have time on my clock I can drive, but my 14 hour day is starting to eat into my drive time and the longer I sit here the less I'll be able to drive.

I'm considering just shutting down here for the night but I have to get my trailer looked at, I'm carrying a load at a certain temperature and my trailer isn't keeping a steady temp and giving error messages. The place I need to be is about half a mile from here. I dont want the food to go bad but at this point I'm not sure what to do.

I tried calling my company again but it's late and I've been on hold forever.

If I drive off, is it considered leaving the scene of an accident? I dont even know if the police are even going to show up, but they did say they would. It's been 2 1/2 hours.

Answer:
 Howdy! Texas cop here. There's actually no requirement for a crash to be investigated by a peace officer unless there's an injury, death, or complete immobilization of a vehicle. As long as you exchange your name, address, registration of the vehicle(s) (all the plates if you're running a combination vehicle), insurance information, and DL info, you're good and don't need to wait. HOWEVER, if there's over $1000 in damage, you have to fill out a CR-2 crash report form and send it to the state (https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/traffic/law-enforcement/crash-records.html scroll to the bottom).

The reality of it is that non-injury crashes usually fall to the bottom of the queue.

All information regarding your responsibilities is in Texas Transportation Code 550.

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.550.htm


Title: Someone lost their engagement ring and now everyone is getting questioned by cops. NC

Question: I work for a managed IT service provider, and at a point on this day went to troubleshoot a web connection. I was there for just 1 hour and 20 minutes. At some point during that day this stupid individual misplaced their engagement ring. The next day the police were contacted and I was notified by my superiors that the police would be contacting me regarding the missing ring. I never saw any type of ring, I showed up, fixed the computer, then left. Is there anything I should know prior to being questioned? Should I answer them at all? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 You don't have to speak to them. If you start, you can stop at any time.

Be aware that a refusal to offer any statement means you remain on the suspect list.Answer #2: I went through the exact same scenario with a previous employer

I'd been "let go" because I had an interview (temp position, they called you on the evening to let you know there was work available the next day, I told them I had an interview so they assumed I quit)

A week or two later 4 detectives knock on my door and ask me if I worked at xyz address "Uh I guess so, we did a job in that area" lady was missing jewelry, did I see it/take it? "no I never saw anything they owned except furniture, everything was in boxes" "if I check with pawnshops/cash 4 gold will they have your info" "nope, never even been in one of those places" "blah blah here's my card"

I should have told him after the fact that it was probably one of the girls, they clean the shit and could have helped themselves, but I had already thrown his card away

At any rate, you have no reason to not cooperate, it'll take all of 5 minutes of your time


Title: I live in las vegas Clark County and I just found a jury summons from May that my wife forgot about. What should we do? It's 6 months past date.

Question: Thanks for advice!

Answer: Call the court clerk, explain the situation, and ask to be rescheduled.


Title: Ex-gf kicked me out of the apartment, stole 500 dollars from my wallet, and refuses to let me inside to get any of my stuff or see my cat. What options do i have? I'm desperate :(

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Call the police non emergency line and say you've been illegally evicted and to please dispatch an officer so you can get your things. Then you can sue her balls to the wall.Answer #2: Actually isn't this good that you aren't on the lease? Being joint tenants would complicate things since the landlord wasn't involved in you being kicked out - but you not being on the lease means that technically your ex-gf is your landlord (you're subleasing.) So yes, you were outright illegally evicted and you can pursue the landlord (the ex) directly for damages


Title: [Colorado, US] Someone is blackmailing me over pictures I took of a 15 year old...

Question:
When we were both teenagers in highschool.

I store all my pics on Google Drive. I guess those were among them. Someone saw this and intends on "turning me in" unless I wire them $7000. I have absolutely no intent to pay but am concerned. Can Google back me up here w/ access times for those files? Because I haven't even looked in my "highschool" folder since graduating.

I'm 28 now. I don't want this to fuck me over for life. They are technically underage porn I guess (literally just naked top of her) because we were stupid teenagers. I want to delete them but now fear it would screw evidence or something.

Help.

Answer:
 Topless pictures alone are not child porn under US federal law.

Which is not to say they don't possibly violate some OTHER law.  Google may be able to provide access times for the files.  And that may **or may not** help you in any legal sense.

Safest option would be to delete them- if you're not even ever looking at them, then I can't think of any reason you'd want to keep pictures of a topless 15 year old.


Title: Do I have to pay my doctor or is there recourse?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: You had the appt, you used his services. You are required to pay for that appt.


Title: Threatened to have my own car towed off my property

Question:
I've been renting a house in the city that doesn't have garage for about two years now. There is street parking but we also have a small parking spot behind our house that's our property and we park back there. Our landlord has give us the dimension of exactly what land is our and has even graveled the section so we know for sure. People constantly park on our property and we've left notes on cars saying "don't park here, this is our property" and sometimes threatened to tow.
For the past few months our neighbor has been gutting their house out after a fire and placed a giant dumpster on on their yard and ours without our permission. We didn't know how to tow one of those things so we just bit our tongue. They finally moved it a week ago and we can park in our spot again.
This morning I woke up to a note on my car saying I was parking on private property and if I did it again, I'd be towed. Obviously I was parking on my own land.
I want to keep parking there but the threat of being towed scares me.

If I do get towed, do I still need to pay the fee to get it out even though it was towed off my own property?

We don't know who left us the note, but we're assuming it's the guy who's house is being gutted. He doesn't live there and rarely ever comes by so I don't know how to contact him and I really don't want to wake up to a big surprise tomorrow.

Answer:
 If your car is towed unjustly, you can sue for compensation. Most reasonable tow companies won't tow vehicles off of private property without proof of ownership, but if the lot lines are as vague as you say, it may be enough cover for them.

I would contact your landlord today and ask them to intervene. The actions of this neighbor are effectively devaluing their property (in theory, at least), and they will have more leverage as the owner than you would as the tenant.


Title: (NH) When does a parents financial liability end?

Question:
I have a young co-worker (22) who has fallen on financial hardship. I suggested she contact her town's welfare office to see if she could receive emergency aid. She lives independently with her boyfriend and young child.
The welfare officer told her that they would need not only her and her boyfriends financials but a notarized letter from her parents stating they could not afford to help her. The officer went on to warn her that they would investigate her parents financials and if they deemed them able to help the town would go after them for the money given as aid.
Is this really a thing? Legally she has been an adult for 4 years and living on her own for almost the same amount of time. Isn't her parents legal obligation to her care over?

Answer: Is it possible that she said/they assumed her parents are claiming her as a dependent?


Title: Gift Card marked "Not For Resale" - Is this enforceable?

Question:
Just the US in general

Hello!  I'm wondering if this is enforceable by the retail store that gave out the gift cards.

If I were to sell a gift card that I got from a retail store, could they *legally* cancel out the card because I broke the Terms and Conditions?

I looked online at the First Sale Doctrine, and it appears to not be legal if they were to cancel the balance on the card but I'm not sure if I'm missing something.

Thanks!

Answer:
 What state are you in?

If you don't say, everyone will assume you live in the Principality of Sealand.


Title: How long can police hold you?

Question: A friend of mine was arrested back in December in NY for suspected robbery. Since then there has been one court date where nothing was decided. Fast forward 6 months, he's still there and hasnt been charged for anything and a court date has not been set. He's at a justice center by the way, not a prison.  Is this legal?  What are his options?

Answer:
 >  He's at a justice center

What's a justice center?  Is he a juvenile?  Does he have an attorney?

It's highly unlikely that he's been held for six months with no charges.  I suspect you're misunderstanding the situation.  Answer #2: If you know his charges, he has been charged...which means he isn't being held without charges.  He probably has a bail amount too, but cannot afford it.  Which means he gets to hurry up and wait until his trial.


Title: My school is publicly posting slander about me [Massachusetts]

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Does the email say that you are *suspected* or that you have *committed* crimes? If it says you are suspected, then it is true. Truth is a defense to defamation.


Title: Mom took out college loans in my name electronically signed for them

Question: My mom took out college loans both subsidized and unsubsidized in my name for undergrad without my knowledge or permission. Just got a letter from a lender saying I have loans defaulted in my name for a ridiculous amount of money. So I checked on them, and they exist but I didn’t sign for them. My mom signed my name electronically and put her friends as references who I also don’t talk to or know. And she put my name on them but her email, her address everything. My mother is estranged/haven’t talk to her for 10 years. I’m in my early 20s btw. Anyways my credit has plummeted and idk what to do. PLEASE help ):

Answer:
 You need to contact the police and report the fraudulent loans. They will ask you if you know who did it and you can tell them what you know. They'll investigate. They should also give you a file number.

Next, call the loan providers and inform them that the loans were not taken out by you and give them the police file number. The two agencies will work together to figure out who took out the loans (spoilers: your mother).

This will take some time to sort itself out, so it's best that you start taking care of this now.

Needless to say, reporting this is going to get your mother into a lot of trouble; I hope you know that.


Title: TX - Sexual harassment at school, what are my options?

Question:
I’m a 15 year old freshman in high school. In September 2017, a boy in my French class asked me out, and I said no. Ever since then, he’s been harassing me

- I have him blocked on all social media, but he has made 14 new throwaway Instagram accounts to send me DMs asking me out

- He somehow found my house on google street view, sent me screenshots and asked me if that was where I lived

- He found my older sister phone number somehow (she doesn’t even live in the us/has a french number) and called her and asked to talk to me

- He has been touching me without my consent. I’ve told him to stop sooo many times, but he just... doesn’t. It’s disgusting and it makes me want to cry and scream but I can’t make a scene in the middle of class, he’ll just come up and grab me and I hate it. And yesterday he started kicking me, idk what he was even trying to do but he was kicking the backs of my knees hard and it hurt, I yelled at him to stop multiple times. He’s a football player and I’m like 115 lbs and I can’t punch him or anything

- Yesterday, he rode MY bus home even though he doesn’t live near me and has no friends on my bus. He got off at my stop and I called my sister to pick me up, but I think he was planning to follow me home

Honestly idk if this is even a legal issue but what can I do? How do I get a restraining order? I’ve tried to talk to my school about it and they’ve done NOTHING. I’m transferring schools but I’m afraid he’ll find ways to keep harassing me
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Its a legal issue. Have you spoken to your parents? Who did you talk at school

> he rode MY bus home

This is allowed??? When I was in school, many moons ago, this was highly highly against the rules. Next time alert the driver. Answer #2: Call the police. If he contacts you in a harassing manner. If he touches/hits you (it's assault). If he's following you and you feel unsafe.

Escalate this with the school. Particularly because he is assaulting you repeatedly. Your parents should be climbing up the district's ass over this.

Forget worrying about making a scene. If he touches you in class scream. Loud. For him to stop touching you.


Title: Illegal and Unethical School Administration Decisions (xpost from /r/teachers)

Question:
Writing anonymously on behalf of another person...

As a teacher working in a charter school in California (99% african-american students), several things are concerning regarding some recent administration decisions, and I would like to know my rights and ask for legal advice.

The main issue I have is that due to many students having poor behavior and performance, the administration has decided to create a new and reorganized student class distribution. The change is that all of the worst and most under performing students are lumped into one class, almost all students with IEPs, BSPs, and mostly males.

As a teacher, I believe this to be highly unethical, unjust and illegal. I would like to know your opinions and what the best course of action is for this situation. I don't have a union (charter school) and I don't know if I can strike, but I don't feel right about the direction, and don't want to be a part of something that may be illegal.

I am afraid that if I take any action against the school that I can be sued for breach of contract (damage mitigation). I am not afraid of being fired, and am much more concerned about the students than receiving a paycheck.

Thank you for reading and responding.

Answer:
 > I believe this to be highly unethical, unjust and illegal.

Why?!?! It's been quite a few years since I've been in school, but this used to be common in every school. What makes you think this is illegal or unethical?


Title: (Ontario) Girlfriend left mid month to month lease. Roomates refuse to give landlords number without being paid

Question:
Hey there r/legaladvice, I'm currently in a bind, my Girlfriend left her townhouse 2 days ago, she hasn't been able to contact the landlord to discuss removal or reassignment of her part of the lease,  as we can't get any information yet. The roommates she left are trying to force her to pay $210 for toiletries she used and part of the hydro bill. My girlfriend is refusing this as you do, because she's heard from her mother who is a landlord to other tenants that the roommates should owe her money. I'm stuck in the middle as they've mentioned escalating this issue to small claims court and I'm fully aware that any damages that have occurred will be pinned on my girlfriend (they've only been there a little over a month and she had to leave because of the psychological abuse the other girls were putting her through) nothing has been signed and nothing is in my girlfriends name other then part of the lease she has paid rent for this month, which she was being overcharged on. As there are 5 people paying $500 each for $1200 monthly rent (all to the main head of the house that is causing all the issues), we tried getting them to use the money she paid at the beginning of the month to pay for the extra being asked, they refused stating that the money has already been spent on other expenses. I'm sorry for the long poorly written paragraph but we haven't been able to locate the name of number of the landlord and as stated above the roommates refuse to give it up without being directly paid. I wanna keep this out of court if possible but is there anything we can do and if they bring it to the court are we completely doomed. If anyways can help and overstressed overworked teenager it will be greatly appreciated thank you for reading.

edit- we already have someone who is already technically living there (and paying rent) that wants on the lease and it's pretty much a race to see which side can contact the landlord first to get him on. So re-assigning the lease is very possible.

Answer:
 Look up property records in your area and see if you can locate the listed owner.Answer #2: If she's on a lease she's not month to month. What exactly did she sign, and with whom?

In any case she can't just skip out halfway through a month, ask for rental reimbursement for the days she is no longer living there, and for that reimbursement to be applied to her portion of the toiletries and utilities she used. She has to pay that.Answer #3: She needs to pay what she agreed to pay.


Title: [NJ] Misdemeanor drug charges, first offense, advice?

Question:
I've never gotten so much as a speeding ticket in my 20 years on earth.  Couple days ago a cop caught me sitting in my parked car, engine off, smoking a bowl.  They brought me to the station and everything and gave me 3 tickets; possession of under 50 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and drug possession by motor vehicle operator.  I have a court date in a month and I have no idea what to do or what's going to happen.

The cop never read me my miranda rights if that means anything.  I don't understand how I can get charged with the last one when I wasn't *operating* the vehicle.  I'm a little overwhelmed and I could use even basic advice, any help?

Answer:
 >The cop never read me my miranda rights if that means anything.

Unless you were questioned in custody it means nothing.

>I don't understand how I can get charged with the last one when I wasn't operating the vehicle

Because you were sitting in the driver's seat and in possession of keys. I would have to look at the codes but that is likely enough to qualify.

>any help?

Hire attorney. Stop breaking the law, specifically right in public view where all can see. Also, you will be drug tested so stop using illegal drugs.


Title: Friend rear-ended someone, how can he win

Question:
Friend was driving on the highway in CA and the vehicle in front of him braked suddenly. He hit his brakes but still hit the vehicle in front. They had very minor scratches but his front bumper popped out on the sides.

How can he win this claim at all costs? He does not want to admit fault and wants to demonstrate the other driver should be liable even if only partially.

P.s. Please lets keep this thread free of ethical or moral discussion.

Answer:
 California cop here: he is at fault. Following too closely and unsafe speed.Answer #2: > How can he win this claim at all costs?

He can go back in time and remind himself to follow at a safe distance.

The rule of thumb is one car length for every 10 MPH of speed.

And that's literally the only way I see it happening.