Title: I was scammed. Need help

Question:
Yesterday when we were going to my brothers soccer game there was a guy out front the Parking lot near a sign that said "parking here". He wore a fluorescent vest and said "Morning chief, you got three dollars?" After I paid him he handed me a parking slip. Well after talking to some of my friends who coach for the club that hosted the event I found out they weren't even charging for parking. The little shit out front was just taking people's money for no reason. Anyways, I wanted to know if there's anything I can do about this legally. Say I see him pulling this gambit at another tournament or I figure out who he is, can I press charges? Or sue him for fraud? Or anything really? I know it's not much but he stole from hundreds, probably even thousands of people and that just doesn't sit right
with me.

EDIT: This took place in Manteca, California

Answer:
 Call the police.

Civilly your damages are limited to $3.


Title: [Update] Electrical guy came in and did unauthorized work inside our house. Now we're blowing breakers left and right. (MN)

Question:
Sorry for the delay. I wanted to wait until after I spoke to the electrical guy himself to update.

I talked to sewer guy after I asked for advice. He said while his son wasn't licensed he had gone to vocational school for electrical engineering and worked under a master electrician for 10 years and had wired up many of his sewers and put in new breaker boxes. I was a bit more relieved. The conversation went from him being on the defensive to being understanding of our concerns. They admitted that the breaker box was overloaded and the proper way to have done it was put in a whole new breaker box, but that requires permits and a buttload of expenses and they didn't want to do that without talking to us. I tried to explain that I was rather upset about them entering the house and doing work without us here or without our permission and sewer guy apologized saying that was the only day his son had for the next several days and he couldn't get a hold of us.

Sewer guy and his son came out yesterday and we talked about the proper way to do the wiring and what was causing the breakers to blow. He explained that the two breakers that were currently off were to the septic system. He showed me the two, that kept blowing, that he had to move wires to. He found the wire that was drawing the most juice (so much it was dimming the lights) and switched it to another breaker that had more "space" for now. Nothing on our breaker box is labeled so we didn't know what it went to. He bid on the job of putting in a new breaker box, because if that's what we need, that's what we need. I know I may get some shit from people for not immediately calling a licensed electrician but I'm getting quotes because, well, money is a bit tight with fixing up a 100+ year old house.

Electric guy quoted us $750 for just labor, saying it would be a full days work. To me that seems a little high, almost $100/h, for an unlicensed guy. I'm having a few other guys come in and give quotes.

Thanks for the help and advice. Hopefully you're satisfied with getting an update, even if it's a rather lame one where it all works out with out having to go to court.

Answer:
 First, do not hire an un licensed electrician. Hire only an electrician with a license and insurance(an electrical contractor.)

Second, it sounds like mr plumber electric guy is violating code by adding multiple loads coming off one breaker. Each breaker should be for its own circuit. Ie, one wire coming out of the breaker. This is a fire hazard among other things.

Source: I'm a real electrical engineer working in power distribution.


Title: My fiancée is a nurse. She didn't realize her ring ripped her glove. The exposed ring cut a patient internally and she later got an infection and needed more treatment. My fiancée got blamed for the cut, and infection since her ring wasn't "sterile". How can she fight her dismissal? (CA)

Answer:
 She's lucky to still have a license.Answer #2: Is this the same fiancee who ignored an abused child's call for help?

 https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/53qyhp/my_fiancee_is_a_nurse_and_she_didnt_report_abuse/

She can't fight this dismissal unless she's a character on a TV show. She'll be lucky to keep her license. Answer #3: Fight the dismissal? Jesus christ...


Title: (Indiana) Reported in a hit and run that I didn't know happened

Question:
[This is the picture of the damage to my car](https://imgur.com/fr2RGo1)
My boyfriend was driving my car, which I have full coverage on, and he was pulling out of a parking lot when he hit a truck. The truck was parked really close to my car so I knew that we got close to the truck but did not realize the vehicles made contact. It must have happened when he switched from reverse to drive and so I'm assuming any impact was lost in the momentum of the gear shift. About 30 minutes after leaving that store I got a call from my mom that the cops had just been at my house looking for me because of the incident. They left a phone number and case number for me to call tomorrow when the report goes through. They said that if I called today they wouldn't know what I was talking about.

I'm confused on what to do because I've never been in trouble with the law before and had I known that any damage was caused I would have stopped and tried to resolve it there. Is it possible to get the fleeing the scene part of the charge dropped and just let my insurance deal with any damage costs?

Answer: Don’t talk to the cops without a lawyer. Don’t assume the cops will just let you pay for damages. You are under no obligation to call the cops back, although they may come looking for you again.


Title: Boss deducts 800.00 per paycheck...

Question:
My husband works as a maintenance man for a large apartment building. Building was sold. New owners kept him on because he's amazing. He paints, repairs appliances, troubleshoots, plumbing, electrical, keeps the whole building (inside and out) looking clean and tidy.

He was very happy with the new situation and began working for them last October. The rate of pay remained the same as before. The new owners own many buildings in the area and have two other maintenance guys, both of whom instantly fell in love with working with my husband because he is competent and dependable.

Three months in, the owner calls him in for a promotional review. This meeting is, as he understands it, a possible promotion and to discuss how everyting is going so far. That's not what happens. The owner tells him she's paying him as the "wrong rate" and it was a "clerical mistake."
BAM.
Four hundred gone from each bi-monthly paycheck.

I saw him go from a happy worker to an ass-dragger after one paycheck. He hates a job he's loved for years. Does he have any legal recourse here?

Edit: a word

Answer:
 Your title says boss deducts 800 per paycheck but the text of your post says 400 from each mont's paycheck.

Are you saying she is deducting from his pay in order to reclaim an overpayment to him, or are you saying she is simply reducing/adjusting his pay going forward? Answer #2: Absent a contract, an employer cannot retroactively decrease an employee's paybrate. He should file a complaint with the labor board.Answer #3: So many needed details are missing to be of help.

What was his rate of pay before the new owners took over? What was his rate of pay after the new owners took over? If those two are different, was he notified of a rate change going forward? If so, when? What do his paychecks show as his rate of pay both before and after the new owners took over? Answer #4: Does he have a contract?
If he has a contract, the contract says his salary. Period.

If not, he should quit. If she's trying to recover money for the "overpayment," he should quit and refuse to pay anything back.Answer #5: Did his payment go down or did it go down ++++ they are also taking money back?


Title: Law is doing nothing to save a baby from endangerment

Question:
(Iowa, USA)

The father currently has custody of his custody of his 10 month old son. His mother has supervised visitation. The reason she doesn't currently have custody is because she beat on the father who had an out of place shoulder, then slit her wrist 26 times. The ambulance picked her up and took her to the hospital. She was arrested there since the father had marks from her hitting him.

There have been several DHS cases open on them by at least three people. The baby practically lives (and pretty much always has) with a "babysitter." She deserves full custody. She does literally everything for this baby. With absolutely no help from the parents, she cares for him, buys him everything he needs, and even pays for another babysitter to care for him while she goes to work. DHS closed their cases because "the baby is usually with the babysitter so he's in good hands." The father can take that baby whenever he wants though, because he has custody, and that baby could never see his Nana again.

The father admits to being a meth addict and smoking pot. Several people have said they're scared that he is going to kill the baby. He spent several years in prison for attempting to murder a kid by curb stomping him, and while in prison he beat a guard. He has threatened to hang and to drown the baby. The baby has had bruises on him (we sent photos to DHS as proof), and while the parents were split up the first time, the father broke into the house they shared together (the mom was staying with us at the time), threw the baby's toys/clothes/etc all over the house, and sprayed PB Blaster everywhere in the bathroom. (It's basically WD40 for those who don't know.) On top of this, he is a drug dealer and was just picked up by cops on October 25th for drug paraphernalia... while he had the baby.

As for the mother, she is literally obsessed with the father. She stalks him, and has even done so when she had a restraining order against the father and when he had one against her. She doesn't get up when the baby cries, she just pretends to be asleep. As soon as she wakes up, she leaves him with someone else so they can do the work while she drives around, looking for the father. She doesn't change diapers or feed him. She also once said she was "glad for the freedom" of not having the baby.

They are both violent. The mother once threatened to beat my head in when I expressed my concern for the baby and let it be known that he would be better off with the babysitter. She and the father got into a physical fight on the library lawn, hitting each other, and the father shoved her to the ground twice until she wouldn't get up.

The mother is also a drug addict. She admitted to smoking pot, taking someone else's Xanax, and she used to smoke meth with the boyfriend. She always said if her baby was ever taken away from her she'd go back to drugs. Obviously the baby was finally removed from her custody, and she told the babysitter she was going to get high. My mom saw shortly after that, the same night, at a known drug house, and it's not the first drug house she's been at. She also accidentally texted the babysitter asking if she wanted to buy weed from her. Because the babysitter and a drug addict friend of their have similar spelled names, and we saw her that night coming from the direction of that drug addicts house, we assume they managed to make the sale. She also drives drunk.

The mother began taking the baby to his grandmother's house (the father's mom.) She allowed her children to be sexually abused and beat them herself. She is also a meth addict who chocked the mother while she was pregnant. The babysitter had to pick the baby up from the grandmother's house one day and the grandma came out covered in scabby sores and claimed she had poison oak. A couple days later she was hospitalized for, according the doctors, smoking her weight in meth. A couple days after that she was arrested for having meth. While she was in jail and after she got out, the parents continued to take the baby to see her. The mother and grandmother also once got into a physical fight outside a store while the baby was in the car.

The parents don't give the baby his medicine, they don't let him sleep, and because they started smoking around him he had what could be almost described as a cold, with some sort of skin condition going on around his nose. He had to be given even more medicine for it.

The mother left the baby alone with her brother and his wife while she went out to drive around. They are trying to get their own kids back. They were taken away because they tried using their young daughter's urine to pass a drug test, but it came back positive for methamphetamines.

The parents have stolen medication from Walmart, among other things. The mother also stole a music player from Walmart, and tried to get me to cover for her if the cops showed up because someone called the cops on her. Shortly after she was pulled over for stealing from Dollar General.

The father is a diagnosed schizophrenic. He was court ordered to get injections to treat it because he refused to take the pills prescribed. He claims the court told him the medication was no loner needed and hasn't taken anything for it since, even though he has admitted to hearing voices. After asking a psychiatrist I was told that schizophrenia does not go away and sufferers usually have to be medicated for life.

Both parents have screamed out their car windows at my mom and I as they drove by (several times a night), screaming things like "bitch" and "cunt." One of the nights the word "cunt" was screamed, the baby was not with the babysitter, so it is unknown if they had him with them or if he was with someone else.

All of this has been reported to DHS. There are multiple witnesses, texts, messages, and photos as evidence for everything, yet still nothing has been done.

DHS and local police are obviously of no help. Who else can we go to for help getting the baby away from his parents and out of their custody? Obviously it's urgent.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 TL;DR:  Babysitter is taking care of kid while father has nominal custody, but father is a drug dealer/addict, and the mother is nuts.  Can "babysitter" take custody from father?

Answer:  location dependent.  Also dependent on who the "babysitter" is with respect to the child (grandparent/aunt/godparent/unrelated random.)


Title: Am I being scammed?

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons.

I was approached by a woman online that was looking for a sugar baby arrangement. After talking for a bit she seems totally legit and wants to pay me for my companionship.

She’s asking me to open a new bank account (for my own discretion) so she can send money regularly.  Is there any way I could be scammed by HER just sending ME money?  I would never send her anything nor forward any cash to anyone else

Answer: It is a scam. Google sugar baby scam to get an idea of how they work.


Title: Client refuses to acknowledge a purchase because of no signature on invoice

Question:
I am probably from a different country than you (Lithuania), so our legal systems might be different. Hopefully it doesn't change the essence of this case. I would like to hear your opinion whether we should bother to try to claim what's ours or just leave it be.

So, a little context.

My parents own a small business. Several months ago we had this client (a construction company) that purchased ~1000 Eur worth of timber for a house they were building. We delivered the timber and they used it in an exterior wall.

They didn't pay us for a while (we had dealt with them before, hence no advance payment). After several weeks of trying to contact them we received about a third of the amount on our bank account.

Now they are not willing to pay the rest. In fact, they refuse to acknowledge there has been a purchase at all, their main argument being that there is no recipient's signature on the invoice (this is common practice where I live) - hence, no evidence of the purchase.

There will be a hearing in court. Turns out, we have surprisingly little evidence supporting our claims. However, they did transfer us a part of the specified amount. Here's what we have on them:

- money transferred to our back account with some prior nagging on our part (emails);

- several witnesses who saw the delivery taking place. one of them the truck driver who made the delivery;

- there is also this wall that was built of our timber. it cannot be traced back to our company with absolute certainty, but if they didn't buy it from us, where did they get it?

So, my question is: could the available evidence be sufficient in court?

Answer:
 It sounds like you have a pretty solid case... **BUT** Most folks here are only familiar with US laws. Laws in foriegn countries can differ greatly and any advice you're likely to get here needs to be tempered with that knowledge.

In a case like yours, your best option is always to find a local experienced litigator familiar with the area of law you are having an issue with and follow their guidance.Answer #2: Considering the partial payment, they may try to argue that you sold them less than E1000 worth of wood. Do you have any proof of the amount?


Title: I received a work related injury, but now I'm afraid it could cost me my job or more.

Question:
Hi guys...I really could use some advice.

I was trying to hold off on posting here, but several people have pushed me to do so.

To start off, I accidentally cut my hand open and and had to receive 8 stitches at the ER. At the time my work had not offered me insurance, and since it was a work related injury, charged me double the usual rate. My employer offered to pay for everything and shamed me quite a bit for making such a stupid mistake.

On my part, I could have been more careful. However, I work in a warehouse environment and honestly, worse could have happened. I had been trying to open a box that had come in and didn't realize it was a pull tab Fed ex box. I'd never seen one before, and was just going about opening it the same way I did with the others, with a box cutter. The box cutter slipped and I knew immediately I needed to be taken for stitches.

After this, I've been patiently waiting for the bill to give to my employer. The bill end up being $3400 dollars (it's actually two separate bills 2k, 1.4k) and she was incredibly unhappy with me. She doesn't want to push it through a workers comp and has asked me to have it reduced.

I called and tried but was redirected to taking g the steps to apply for assistance. I was then asked to lie and say I didn't get it at work that way the price would get reduced. I was further shamed for not handling this situation better. She kept reassuring me that she would pay for everything, but it made sure to make me know how much I was costing her for such a dumb mistake.

As I was leaving, I called again and tried to say I received it on break and therefore cannot get workers comp. After I did that, I received a text from my employer telling me not to say anything yet and she would think on the situation. But at this point...I've already fucked myself over.

I don't really know what to do at this point. I'm hoping she sticks to her word and helps me if I'm able to reduce the bill. But, I still fear that if I don't, I will lose my job in the near future if they are given a small enough reason. She's been good to me so far, but she did state, "I can't legally fire you for this, but if I had been given the option I don't know what I would have done with you." When I first handed her the bill she told me, "Frankly, I don't feel like I should have to pay for this at all considering how irresponsible you were." Those statements have been stewing in my head and have me worried.

I'm just really freaking out and need some advice on this.

Answer: Your employer is doing everything wrong. She is not entitled to refuse to report the claim. You need to stop trying to satisfy her and focus on your rights and getting the bill paid. Given her conduct I suggest you consult with a workers’ compensation lawyer. They don’t charge for a consult.


Title: [Ohio] My landlord is no longer accepting checks as means of payment for rent

Question:
I've lived in my current apartment for ~2.5 years now and my landlord has recently said they will no longer accept any physical form of payment.  Their allowed payment options are either bank account withdrawals or credit card, both of which have an additional "convenience" fee (which I believe is the fee some third party service is charging as a processing fee).

Can the landlord do this legally?  I've looked through [Ohio Chapter 5321](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5321), but I haven't seen anything related to this yet.  I appreciate any help.

Answer:
 Does your lease have any language about payment method?Answer #2: some states have laws that the landlord has to offer at least one form of payment without any extra fees. I don't know if ohio is one of them

edit: /u/shidarin beat me to itAnswer #3: If you are on good terms with your LL, you can ask if they will accept an electronic payment through your bank (if your bank offers the ability to send money to other people for no fee).


Title: [MI, USA] Property Legal Advice-Public Beach Access

Question:
First, some background. I live in a small community on the Western Shore of Lake Michigan. Holland, Michigan to be exact. For a town that claims to be a "beach town" there is a significant lack of access points to the beaches because of private property. About 5 minutes from my home is a private development of beach cottages. The development has a gate and a gatehouse that is staffed by college kids during the summer to keep us locals out. After Labor Day it is unstaffed again and we can walk right in and use the beach (though we are still technically trespassing I assume). I surf on Lake Michigan (yes it's possible) and this beach is one of the better surf spots on the coast and I want access to it whenever a swell hits.

So I started doing some research and found Ottawa County's GIS system that outlines property lines and public right of ways. Here are a couple pictures from the [GIS Maps](http://imgur.com/a/TcOwi)

A couple questions I have:

1) The streets are marked as right of ways (blue in color), does this mean they are PUBLIC right of ways even though they continue after the gate house?

2) Is that uncharted area of beach in the second picture actually public beach? If I can get there can I stay and not be kicked out?

3) Is there any law that states I can pass from the right of way across their strand of beach to make it to the public beach?

I know this is a "first world problem" but these people are jerks. This property is owned by the Van Andel family (co-founders of the company Amway) and they built a huge house here and started blocking access to the beach after that. A couple years ago some residents protested but they got nothing more than a snarky response from the property manager. I'd love to see a small victory for the little guys like me.

Thanks,

Concerned beach goer

Answer:
 > Is there any law that states I can pass from the right of way across their strand of beach to make it to the public beach?

With the Great Lakes*, Michigan uses what I call the "wet feet" rule. It means that the public can walk "on land lakeward of the ordinary high water mark", even if the beach is privately owned. See [*Glass v Goeckel*](http://caselaw.findlaw.com/mi-supreme-court/1108384.html).

*Different rules apply for inland lakes.Answer #2: 1) No, they are private streets, owned and constructed by the Macatawa Park Cottager's Association. Yes, you are technically trespassing even though you can get past the gate house after labor day.

2) As gratty said, you can only own beach property up to the high water mark.  As long as you are not stationary on the sand, you can be in the water or walking along the shore line anywhere.

3) There is no law, or else everywhere would be public access. You need to find the closest public access point and then walk along the shoreline to where you want to be.

I know the public beaches can get crowded, but it is public land that is funded by people paying to be in the parks. You want to go through roads and beach that private owners paying to maintain on their own. If the specific location is that great, you just need to be prepared to walk along the shore line from a public access point.


Title: Should my family sue this hospital? (USA - Texas)

Question:
My mom had an MS attack and was sent to the hospital.

My sister and BIL had to go get food for my aunt and her daughter and grandkids after they dropped her off.

Apparently my mom fell out of her wheelchair while trying to get to the couch. She fell onto the waiting room floor and the doctors and nurses refused to help her and claimed she was faking it and how she threw herself on the floor. They left her on the floor for 2 hours straight.

My mom begged for them to help her but they would not listen. Even the non-employees (civilians) walked around her and didn't even help her.

The house supervisor of all the nurses even told my mom she had to get herself off the floor.

Is this incredibly illegal what they did and should we sue them?

Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 I have a hard time believing any hospital would do something like this. In this day and age where hospitals put so much emphasis on customer service scores, I can't see a hospital allowing a patinet to lay on the floor for 2 hours after an alledged fall. Ignoring the customer service angle, I can't see an entire hospital refusing to help someone up. I'm going to venture to guess there is more to this story.

That said,  you are more than able to go and speak with a local attorney. What damages did your mother incur?


Title: [NY State] I got a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. Fine is $50 with a surcharge of $98 for a total payment of $148. How is this legal?

Question:
This may not be the right sub for this question.

I was pulled over and given a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. I filled out the ticket pleading guilty out of court and mailed it back to the town about a week or two ago. Yesterday I got my fine in the mail for a total charge of $148 broken up into a $50 fine and $98 surcharge. Nearly triple the maximum allowable fine by the state of NY for not wearing a seatbelt as an 18+ adult.

Answer: The surcharge is essentially the court processing fees. They are present in every criminal disposition or fine.


Title: (NY) We suspect my father has done illegal things and we want to make sure my mother is protected financially. They are separated, but not legally.

Question:
Throwaway account.

I feel like I am dealing with children, but here goes.

My parents separated 10 years ago.  There was no legal separation document.  My father moved in with his elderly mother.  Both of my parents are 66 years old. My mother has no access to any of the financials or bills, but my father pays for their house and utilities and my mother is living there.

A few years ago, my mother went into kidney failure and is now on dialysis 3 times a week. She has sight impairment. She also has diabetes.  She was a stay-at-home mother, and the last time she worked was 35 years ago. She cannot drive. My father takes her to doctor’s appointments and to dialysis. He is not doing this out of the goodness of his heart. He absolutely loathes her. He does not want to divorce her because he doesn’t want to her to get half of anything. He is self-employed, but has a sizable pension (probably close to $750,000), property out of state worth about $150k, life insurance policies on both of them worth about $500k.

While he was living with his mother, she was slowly going senile.  He got power of attorney and got her a reverse mortgage on her house. He was taking money from the mortgage to supposedly take care of my grandmother.   At one point the bank called, apparently tipped off to a large amount of money that was withdrawn and wanted to speak to my grandmother. Again, she had dementia and my father would not put her on the phone with the bank, so they cut the money off.  So he then proceeded to go to court to get guardianship so he could have access to the money.  He took $50k out for himself and gave $50k to his brother, and was also making payments to both himself and his brother.

He also got himself a girlfriend at least five years ago, unbeknownst to any of us, and let her and her son move into the house with him and my grandmother.  We just found this out from my uncle. We were told she was an aide helping my grandmother, only to find out she has no aide qualifications and her real job in no way qualifies her to be a caregiver. My grandmother slipped further into dementia and fell multiple times and wound up in the hospital/rehab.  Her doctor recommended she be put into a nursing home at least two years ago, but my father refused, saying he was asking her and she wanted to be home. It got to the point where she needed two people to lift her out of bed. Obviously, the real reason was that she was the money train and he didn’t want it to end.  Earlier this year he told me he had to go to court over guardianship because he couldn’t account for the expenses.  He says he wrote a letter and basically told the court being a good son trumps guardianship. I believe this is still ongoing and would think this is elder abuse/fraud, but I am just taking a guess? I don’t know what the consequences will be on this and can’t seem to find any information on that. The court contacted my uncle and asking him if he would like to assume guardianship and he refused because he knew my father was pulling stuff.  He told them he didn’t know anything about what had been done to date and was not comfortable taking it on.  We don’t know what the outcome will be for this. Fines? Jail? Nothing?

A couple of months ago, my father applied for Medicaid for my grandmother because he said there was no money left in the house. The Medicaid aide came to the house about a month and a half ago and saw my grandmother had awfully infected bed sores and recommended she go to the hospital.  They were apparently really bad. She got pneumonia in the hospital and died two weeks ago.

My uncle, who was supposed to be left half of the house, went over there to find the locks changed. He banged on the door, seeing a car there, so he knew someone was there, but the woman wouldn’t answer. My father shows up and tells him he can’t just show up at the house. When asked, he said someone stole the house key and he had the locks changed.  My uncle wants to clean up the house and sell it, and my father says all of the money’s gone from the house, he’s not going anywhere and he’s not telling the bank anything.

At the very least, though probably now unprovable, there was elder abuse in regard to my grandmother. He left my grandmother with dementia alone in the house often. Sometimes there were aides, but if there weren’t, he went on his merry way.  We’ve heard he and his girlfriend gave her sleeping pills to keep her out of their way at night.  Again, not provable.  But the condition she was in in the hospital this last time is documented. Nevermind he basically robbed her blind and kept her out of a nursing home to keep taking the money.

We don’t know if the bank is going to investigate this. We don’t know what’s going on with the courts.  I can’t find anywhere on the court website to look it up and I don’t know if they list guardianship hearings, conferences. If they do, it’s not easy to find.

My father is a shady character. I know for a fact he’s forged my mother’s name on life insurance policies with her name on them, and property sale documents. He is self-employed and though he makes decent money, he manages to get his income and taxes down to nothing with write-offs. He is extremely arrogant and an animal.  Aside from the fact that he is living with another woman while still married to my mother, he has a, ‘what he says goes and screw you,” attitude. His attitude toward my mother is that she is a leach, and “This was MY money. I worked for it. I’ll tell you what you can have and can’t have.”

My mother is also not the most stable person.  She has never had to work and doesn’t know the value of money. She has run up $13k on credit cards, and relies on rent money from an apartment upstairs in the house and a small social security check she gets as a spouse based on my father’s.  My father pays the mortgage and utilities and her health insurance. She has no savings, is not financially-savvy and is basically helpless. My sister and I are concerned that my father has been doing illegal things with the reverse mortgage, the guardianship, etc.  Our concern is that if my father gets caught, they will freeze all of his assets and my mother will be left destitute.  As I said, she has significant health issues and an add-on policy in addition to Medicare.  Neither of us can afford to assume the cost of her care and I worry about putting her on Medicaid as to the care she will get.

If my mother tries to file for divorce, he will do all he can to hide money and any of his assets. He’ll hire a good lawyer.  My sister and I can’t even afford to pay for a retainer for my mother to get a lawyer. We’re not even sure if she should get divorced at this point, or if a legal separation would be the better avenue. He is paying her bills right now. We’re just worried about his possibly criminal activities catching up with him and affecting her.  We have no idea where to turn or where to begin.

Answer: While I don't condone what your father has done, from the way you describe it and what you could prove, every thing he has done is perfectly legal.


Title: [WA] Are there any legal implications if/when putting up a “beware of dog/German Shepherd” sign on my property?

Answer:
 [Yes](http://www.wainjurylaw.com/practice_areas/dog-bites5.cfm?no_redirect=true)

>In Washington State, there are some pretty strict liability laws established regarding dog bites and attacks. Choosing to post a “Beware of Dog” sign could actually prove to be an admission of knowledge concerning a dog’s aggressive nature. To eliminate liability, dog owners must prove that the attack victim was illegally trespassing on the property. The signs may serve as a warning to visitors not to provoke a vicious dog, but don’t remove owner responsibility in the event of an attack


Title: Currently -$600 on paypal, don't plan on paying since paypal made me pay almost double what i originally ordered

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can get sent to collections, have bad credit, and maybe get sued.

As to whether or not you should or if paypal acted not in accordance with the terms of service, more information is needed.


Title: Friend was sold overpriced fake jewelry

Question: [deleted]

Answer: So your friend paid too much for an item that was clearly described as fake. What would your friend sue for then?


Title: Have a friend who's struggling to escape a lease

Question:
Hey guys! Posting for a friend. She has a roommate who’s gone quite off the deep end and is not really living in the apartment anymore, but is of course still on the lease. My friend is trying to get out of it because she cannot afford it on her own and the roommate is no longer paying all of her portion, and is neglecting responsibilities such as her dog, leaving my friend to take care of them as well. However, the roommate is saying she will not sign the release unless my friend pays her three months rent or something like that. I’ll have to clarify with my friend certain details, and I have others so people are free to ask questions, that’s just the most relevant information I can think of. Is that not extortion?

Thanks!
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: It’s not extortion. The roommate has no obligation to sign the release, and is free to make whatever offer she likes to your friend.


Title: Tenants Rights: Is my landlady breaking the law or just a scumbag? (San Diego, CA)

Question:
Here are the facts:

 * We recently moved out of our apartment at the end of our lease.
 * The lease stated that the tenant is responsible to return the property in the same state as the original conditions it was rented in.
 * Landlady charged us for over 20 hours of house and carpet cleaning, and a broken door hinge (that we didnt break) totaling over $650. (The place was spotless when we moved in and she made it very clear that we would pay for every speck of dust that was left behind when we moved out.)
 * We tried to kindly request reimbursement for the door hinge but decided to just close the 7 paragraph response about why she charged us and forget about it  since we'd be rid of the most psychotic human we've ever encountered.

**BUT!!!** We just freaking saw the apartment on craigslist and she completely remodeled the place!

 * New hardwood floors and carpets - So WHY did we pay for carpet cleaning?
 * Renovated bathroom and kitchen - So WHY did we pay for 20 hours of maids scrubbing the place with tooth brushes back to its sparkling conditions?

I understand that this is what she was owed at the time of move out so this is what we paid but I just feel screwed :(

Do my boyfriend and I have any legal grounds to uphold in this situation?

Answer:
 IANAL, but am a CA LL.  The LL is required, within 21 days, to provide an itemized list of charges *with receipts*.  That means she needs to send you receipts for the carpet cleaning & maid service.

If she didn't include these with your security deposit accounting, sue her in small claims court for the amount she deducted.  Actually, file to get all your security deposit deductions back; it will be up to the judge whether he believes you on the door hinge, but you should get back the carpet cleaning and maid deductions.


Title: Greyhound wont let me reschedule non-refundable tickets

Question:
So I bought $100 greyhound tickets for a campus tour/interview. Two days before the interview the Director/interviewer passed. His department wanted me to reschedule. Greyhound offers a 20% fee for ticket changes but I have only been able to even get a live person on their national phone once. They said to call my local station, but my local station never picks up the phone and I dont drive/its very far away. For the past 2 days I haven't been able to contact them and now the bus date has passed. What are my options? It also seem like greyhound is known for overbooking and not giving refunds. As well as no refunds due to weather. How is that even remotely legal? I want to do a charge back but my bank said it would take 10 days and will be a thorough investigation.

My station is in Toledo, OH and if you look at the reviews they're known for literally not picking up the phone.
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer: What part of 'no refunds' do you have a difficult time understanding?


Title: Former employer overpaid and is saying I have to pay gross wages instead of net because I didn't pay in time of year-end but they sent the letters to the wrong address

Question:
My former employer (in Michigan) overpaid my last paycheck because the department didn't notify payroll about my resignation in time. When I resigned, they asked for an address I would be moving to. I told them I was moving to San Francisco, but did not have an address there yet so I told them to send any and all mail to my permanent address in Michigan (my parents'). They still wanted a SF address so I gave them my sister's, but reminded them again to send to the Michigan one.
Apparently they sent two letters to the SF address informing me of the over-payment (the address which my sister moved from a few weeks after I resigned), so I never received them. Then someone finally caught it and fixed the address in the system and sent the final notification letter to my parent's home in Michigan. The final letter was dated December 12th and reached my parent's on the 14th, saying that if payment is not received by the 12th, I have to pay gross wages because they are closing out the books.
I received ~$2500 Net for the entire month of October when I should have only been paid until the 4th of October. But now they are asking me to pay back $3282.34 to include taxes. I called the payroll dept and they said that I will get those taxes back when I file 2018 taxes (so in 2019).

Do I pay them back for more then I actually received and just wait until 2019 to get the taxes back? Will I actually receive ~$800 extra back in taxes in 2019?

Answer: Same year overpayments you repay net. Prior year overpayments you repay gross and then get the taxes back. Can you pay it all back right now?


Title: Did they have the right to search me?

Question: I live in essex vermont. I am 15 years old. At 6am i walked into a store where someone had just been arrested for stealing alcohol. The cops immediately started questioning me upon entering the store. After being in the store for almost an hour I told them it was time for me to go to school, I took a step and a cop tackled me, ripped out my earring, slammed my head against the ground twice and cuffed me. The cuffs were so tight that both my wrists were bleeding they then searched me and found marijuana paraphernalia. They brought me back to my house bleeding from my head ear and wrists. They also took a vaporizer, which they are required to return to my guardian. They went to say that they never saw the Vape. I was also never read my Miranda rights. Did they have the right to search me? or even touch me? If not what can I do? It was an e-cig.

Answer: We are not getting the whole story


Title: My coworker has pink eye and is being forced to work.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: How the hell are we supposed to know when you didn't include a location despite the multiple prompts telling you to do so?


Title: Taking possession of a home jointly with my partner on Oct 1st. I’m worried he is planning to leave me once the move is done - what are my rights?

Question:
I’m in Canada BTW. So needless to say this is a pretty messed up situation. We purchased our home with a closing date four months away, in which time our relationship pretty much fell apart and is now hanging on by a thread. My partner has been open that if we break up he will “go for blood” financially, so I’m feeling worried. Our mortgage for the new place is in both our names, although he is covering 100% of the costs of the new home from a settlement he received, and our current home is in my name and belonged to me before I met him.  We arranged it this way because we figured it would “even us out” asset-wise, and that we could keep my current home as a rental. We only lived together 2.5 years in my home and never filed our taxes together so are not technically common-law (I hope!) so my home is not 50% his. I’m really just wondering if there’s some sort of legal nightmare I’m about to face if we break up, and if there’s some strategy behind him keeping me on the mortgage for the new place if he is, in fact, planning to end things? He can more than afford the new place on his own btw. Will he be able to sue me for 50% of what he invested in the down payment etc on the new place? I really wish him and I could go to counselling and work this out, I’m just planning for the worst right now and looking for advice!
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 I cannot stress this enough: whatever the financial consequences of backing out of the sale contract are, they are almost certainly less severe than the financial consequences of jointly owning a home with a hostile co-owner. Speak to an attorney now, of your own, and do not take any input from your ex-partner. Do not close without doing this.

Expect to write off most of your good-faith money and potentially pay some token damages, and that your attorney will advise you not to close. Your attorney can also handle communications with the seller and with your ex. If your ex wants to continue the sale without you, he's welcome to it; your attorney can help you negotiate to get as much of your down-payment back as possible. Similarly, if you want to go ahead without your ex, that may or may not be an option; speak to your attorney about it.

The big risk is that your partner truly is hostile, in which case there's a lot they can do to make your life difficult. Severing the joint ownership may be quite expensive: if they refuse to cooperate, you'll have to sue for partition, which costs time and money, and the end result will generally be an immediate sale (even if the property is underwater at the time).

If you have already closed, then _definitely_ speak to an attorney. Common-law rules vary by province, and if your partner's name is on the title, then they are likely owed half the equity anyways. If not, you may or may not be able to evict your ex easily, and you may want to consider paying them to settle and leave without a dispute.


Title: Hit & Run we believe it was the garbage truck. Tomorrow is garbage day and I want to ask the driver some questions.

Question:
Last Thursday the 28th I heard the garbage truck and what I believe to be the impact. At the time I didn't think it was an impact and more likely something in a garbage can that happened to be really loud so I didn't think anything of it. I went out with my gf to eat breakfast (we didn't see side of the car when we left) and on the way back we saw her parked car had been hit on the driver side. The side mirror was dangling and a long tall and wide scrape and dent along the front wheel well and the driver side door.

We got out and started filming and taking photos and looking for evidence. We found small pieces of red plastic (tail light?). We spoke with neighbors and one side of the street didn't have their trash picked up and they suggested it might be the garbage truck and that they heard an impact too. They said it had happened to them in the past as well. We called the police and they came out and gave us a police report.  We opened the driver side door and a piece of plastic/fiberglass came out of the door between the wheel well and it was from whatever hit the car. It made us think it reversed into the car the way the piece was lodged in.

This was on the 28th and many offices were closed so we didn't get many responses. I researched what sort of action to take and I found out that garbage trucks have a drivecam program so I made a request for that footage through an open records request. I also started a claim with the city about this.

We were able to get in contact with Waste Management the next day and they sent someone out. The Waste Management people came out to look at it. They wanted to keep the piece that was lodged in the car but we kept it and let them take photos of it instead. Fast forward to yesterday and they called and said the video from the truck showed that the car was already damaged when it went by and that the neighbors didn't have their trash out and that is why it didn't go down their street (Which I don't believe to be true).

The trash is going to be collected tomorrow and I want to setup a gopro to film the truck pass our vehicle and see if anything lines up with that damage.

**TL/DR**  Our car was hit by what we think was a garbage truck and we want to get the driver footage and figure out what to do if it was the garbage truck.

Any suggestions for what I should do both legally and when the truck comes by tomorrow? Anything helps. My girlfriend doesn't have collision insurance so we will have to pay out of pocket. We live in Texas if that helps.

Thank you all in advance!
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 ~~Contact her car insurance company and let them deal with it.~~ Waste Management is under no obligation to help you figure out who hit your car, so they probably won't cooperate. If anything, they'll tell their employees not to talk to you.

EDIT: Whoops, saw you don't have collision. Your insurance company might still help, but it's doubtful. Depending on the amount you may have to sue Waste Management -- but you'll need to prove to a court that it's more likely than not that WM hit your car.


Title: What charges can someone face for fighting a bear with a short sword in British Colombia?

Question:
I work with a complete dumbass who told me that he wants to fight a bear with a short sword and small shield. I know it sounds like this guy is talking shit but he is actually crazy enough to do it. He is crazy six ways until Sunday, owns a lot of guns, and is known for acting when he says he will. Guy told me was going to go fishing with a shotgun before and came to work with pictures and video. He will act.

He even bought the sword and shield already and was planning on going out Sunday to try and find a grizzly bear to fight. He even has his girlfriend coming along with a rifle to "save him if it looks like he will lose". He is 100% convinced that it is not illegal to do this and refused to listen to me when I tried to convince him not to to do it.

He is planning on luring the bears to him by taking dead fish with him so I don't think the police will have too hard of a time putting two and two together.

I already notified the RCMP about this but I'm wondering what charges he will face if he actually is caught out there with a short sword and shield, draped in dead fish and hunting bears. Would they search his phone/computer/house too if they caught him? What are the chances they will take away his weapons if he is caught? What prison sentence, if any, would he face?

EDIT: British Colombia, as I said in the Title.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 This is usually punishable by death to be administered by the bear. Answer #2: look, I don't care about the legality of this, I just want ticketsAnswer #3:
**Note: Only read title.**

Dude, charges or not you're screwed.  Bears are dangerous enough when they have only claws and teeth.  If the bear ALSO has a short sword, you basically have no chance of surviving the fight anyway.Answer #4: Your coworker didn't mention what sort of armor he'll be wearing during this encounter, did he? Or what level/class he happens to be? Because if he's not a well-equipped fighter or ranger of a decent level instead of the 12th level dumbass he appears to be, he's not going to prison. He'll be the pile of bones and equipment found by the next party who encounters the bear.Answer #5: Hunting without a license, unlawful possession of dead wildlife and possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public peace all come to mind. Answer #6: The bear is totes going to kill him. Or the girlfriend will miss and shoot him in the tangle.

This dude has no clue how strong a bear is, I would not want to tangle with a bear even if I did have a gun, because you can give the bear a fatal gunshot wound and it will still have plenty of time to crush your skull or rip open your torso before it dies.

Answer #7: >EDIT: British Colombia, as I said in the Title.

It's spelled "British Columbia."Answer #8: You will have one less coworker when this bear kills him. Legally, he could be facing a host of charges from hunting without a permit to possession of a deadly weapon. I'm curious what the RCMP will do about this one.


Title: Friend received a certified letter about a foreclosure that lists them as the spouse of the homeowner. My friend was never married to this person.

Question:
*In the US NY metropolitan area
*Throwaway account
My friend received this certified letter that asks if she would like to show an interest in the leftover money from a sheriff's sale foreclosed home. The home was borrowed against and then foreclosed on when the mortgage went into default. The house was sold and apparently there is a large sum of money that the homeowner is trying to collect that was leftover after paying off the mortgage. The letter lists my friend as the spouse of the homeowner yet they were never married (they did have a child together). Also, my friend never signed for any loan for this person. They were definitely broken up by then and there should be a paper trail from the state's child welfare office that shows that they were no longer together since child support payment were in effect.
My friend lost her house to foreclosure (my friend was the sole owner), filed for bankruptcy and moved on as best they could. Now they are going to speak with a few lawyers tomorrow since this seems like it might be a case of stolen identity. My friend and I are sitting here completely shocked. What should we now expect from this situation. How can a mortgage company or bank not confirm the validity of a marriage? My friend never even lived at that address of the now-foreclosed home mentioned in this letter. When my friend was going through the bankruptcy process, they remember the name of the lender being mentioned and apparently the lender did not fight the bankruptcy (they can object to it I guess). But my friend said they never knew what that name was and what the debt was from at that time. The bankruptcy and foreclosure was over 7 years ago and now my friend has a new foreclosure on their name. Can someone give us advice or an idea of what to expect? Will the homeowner go to jail for fraud? The loan company/bank will press charges for fraud, right? There so many parts and our heads are spinning. My friend does not want to subject their daughter to seeing one her parents jailed but this needs to be straightened out. My friend does not want to try to collect on any of the money either.

Answer:
 This doesn’t make any sense to me. If a home is foreclosed on, there isn’t any money owed to a mortgage company or anyone.
If a home is foreclosed on, it goes to a sheriff or county courthouse and Is auctioned off to the highest bidder. The opening bid is the amount of the mortgage that went into default. If the bank who foreclosed on the home is the highest bidder, they retain the property and then list is for sale. If a person buys it, they pay cash at the auction and are responsible for any additional liens on the property.
If your friend was never a co signer on the mortgage that defaulted, that person has zero liability.
I think a lawyer should review this paper and confirm its legitimate.
Nothing you’ve said so far makes any sense in my experience; Previously represented banks &  sold bank owned properties.


Title: Tomorrow my daughter will be born and I've just learned someone I hate will be there.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You don't get a restraining order because you don't like someone.

Your wife will be the patient so she can choose who is in the room.


Title: Can I be sued by roommates for breaking the lease on my apartment?

Question: Basically my friend is leaving her apartment in California and her roommates are threatening to sue if she breaks the lease. Is that even possible? She told them well in advance - she's not leaving until late November. Any advice id appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
 If it is a joint lease then she cannot 'break' it. She owes until the lease is over or they sign her off it.

If they are separate leases then they have nothing to do with it


Title: Victim of a Staged Car Accident

Question:
I was recently involved in a "collision" where two lanes traveling in the same direction merge into one in Massachusetts. Approaching the bottleneck, I noticed a car traveling mirror to mirror with my car. Going no more than 10mph in heavy traffic, the other car then slowly pulled into my lane and gently sideswiped my car. Because at that point his lane had ended, he was then forced to pull behind my car and proceeded to follow me in heavy traffic. I then chose to delay pulling over because of the following reasons:

1. It seemed useless and frightening to try reasoning with some stranger who justified unsafely pulling into my lane just because his was ending.
2. There were no well-lit, safe, public places to pull over into, and I did not feel safe pulling to the side of an unfamilar road in an unfamiliar location.
3. The contact made between our cars was so insignificant that $1000 in damage couldn't have been accumulated and there was no immediate need to stop in regards to either cars safety.
4. The other driver made no attempt to signal me to immediately pull over, so I assumed he didn't need to immediately pull over.

It turns out he called the police and after about two miles they pulled us both over, and gave me a criminal citation for leaving the scene of property damage. Furthermore, the police report ended up stating that it was my fault because I didn't follow the unwritten zipper convention, whereas the written law is that if your lane is ending you must wait for a safe time to change lanes. At the time, I tried explaining to the officers what happened but they didn't seem to care and just kept asking me if I was intoxicated. There are some more details to this story, and there is footage from his dashboard camera that I can add to this post if requested, but to keep this post as short as possible, these are the main points.

I am a highly motivated honors college third-year undergraduate studying computer science that just received a job offer for the summer that will help provide me with the experience I need to put on my grad school application. I am just beginning my life and cannot afford to lose my license over something that I strongly believe was not my fault. Was I wrong? Please help.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 I personally wouldn't call that a "staged" accident. That would be something where a car or pedestrian deliberately put themselves in harms way in order extract the maximum amount of money from the victim

Now I wouldn't necessarily say you were at fault (although really, when you are confronted with an aggressive driver in future, just let him in). Having said that, you didn't pull over as soon as you safely could, even though you say you felt the other driver was at fault. I think you might have difficulty getting someone to believe that, since those that have been wronged are normally the people who make the effort to follow through.


Title: Can my mother pursue retroactive child support from my father? (Alberta, Canada)

Question:
My mother had me at 22, and was engaged to my father, who committed heinous acts of sexual violence against my mother while she was pregnant with me - leaving her with injuries that required surgery to fix, resulting in her leaving him while four months pregnant.

He stalked her for a minimum of 10 years after that, naming his daughter after my grandmother, moving his relatives two doors down from us when my mother finally purchased her first home, using his children on Halloween as decoy trick or treaters to announce that he was a few meters from her doorstep, would park down the street from my grandparents house for years to keep tabs on her.

Understandably, she lived in fear of him, and raised me by herself with significant financial difficulty. She did not get a restraining order out of fear and did not take him to court out of fear. She has also justified that he is a deadbeat with at least two other kids (I’m the eldest) and that he would have no money to give.

I have been asking her since I was 10 or younger to pursue it, with no luck. I spoke to a family lawyer when I was 22 and in university and was told that in the eye of the justice system, regardless of the relationship between the parents, it is the custodial parent’s duty to pursue child support, as it is for the child’s well-being. I was also told that here in Alberta, you are eligible the entire time the adult child is in university.

I only completed university in August of 2017 (I am 26) and I have a permanent disability. I also very much went without as a child and teenager - getting regular frostbite because I went through -30 winters in the only pair of shoes I had - a pair of flats, or would have my winter coat stolen and it was not replaced, so I made do with a friend’s light windbreaker in -40. Multiple winters as a child without mittens. I heard no all the time when it came to sports because there was no money. My friends fed me at school and by high school I was spending my work money on groceries for myself because my mother would refuse to buy groceries until she got paid.

I was very ill with my disability in grade 9 and my mother contacted my father’s brother to see if they would help out as my medical equipment and food were very costly. I don’t know why she didn’t try to sue then, but she didn’t.

Is there any way for her to go after him now, particularly given the context of why she didn’t take him to court before? He will be approaching Canada pension age soon, so I’m hoping that could be garnished in some way?

Answer: No, she would have needed to take him to court while you were a minor to get a support order established.


Title: Need legal advice regarding prenatal paternity testing.

Question:
So a woman I have been sleeping with has told me I am the father of her unborn child. The timeline adds up and it makes sense that I would be the suspected father. Long story short I had to report her to social service for using meth and drinking while 4 months pregnant. She has yet to see a doctor and refuses to do so since she is still using. She has been currently dodging social services and has now told me I am not the father. I have asked her to take a non-invasive prenatal paternity test and agreed to pay for it but she has refused. There is no risk to the baby as it is just a blood draw from her arm. Do I have any legal standing to get social services to make her take this test to confirm if I am actually the father? Its very important I know as soon as possible, considering if it is my child I have plans to enlist in the military to be able to support the child. Any advice is appreciated.

In Colorado.

Answer: No. There is no legal way to force a paternity test before the child is born.


Title: Autoglass repair shop destroyed my car. Where do I stand legally?

Question:
About a year ago I had to have my windshield replaced in my 2013 vehicle. Due to improper installation the windshield has been leaking water into the firewall and electrical system unbeknownst to my partner and I. We started having electrical issues and immediately brought the car to the dealership (we are still covered under warranty). They found significant damages due to corrosion on many electrical components as well as black mould growing under the carpets of my vehicle. I am 9 months pregnant and have been exposed to the mould in the car for the entire dueration of my pregnancy which is very scary.
The car dealership has given us a courtesy car for almost a month now which is not their responsibility but much appreciated.
The auto glass repair shop has been notified and have verbally taken responsibility for the damages however they are doing an " investigation" into the incident. It seems strange to me that they did not immediately contact their insurance company to send an adjuster to look at the car. I know that when an insurance company writes off a vehicle it has to cost 70% of the face value of the vehicle in damages. My car is worth $19,000 (Kelley blue book) and the damages are close to $17,000.
It seems unfair that I have paid three years (still owing close to $18,000) and will have the rest of my loan paid by the insurance company if everything goes right. What happens to the money that I have paid for my car? The three years mean nothing? I have nothing to show for the $20,000 I have paid already.
Where do I stand in taking legal action against this company? Is there anything I can do to recover at least some of my lost investment?
A few things that may help :
I live in Canada.
I have the receipt for the work done last year.
I have the claim number from my insurance company when I had the windshield replaced.
I have pictures and support from the dealership as well as a copy of the estimate of damages.

Please help,
I'm one week away from having my first baby and this is so stressful!

Answer:
 So...  It's a wall of text..  Let me try to break this down...

The auto glass place has accepted responsibility.  You are expecting them to pay blue book value of about $18-$19K and declare the car a total loss..

You have also already made $20K in payments over the past 3 years on a vehicle that is now worth about $19K.

The $19K will get you into a comparable vehicle..  You'll get something pretty similar to what you're in now.

>The three years mean nothing? I have nothing to show for the $20,000 I have paid already.

You have 3 years of use.

> Where do I stand in taking legal action against this company? Is there anything I can do to recover at least some of my lost investment?

You're free to consult attorneys in your area.   But this was not an investment.  It was a car that depreciates in value.  The combined total you paid in interest and principle was about $20K over the last 3 years.   I'll bet that much of $20K was interest on a loan.  That's not really on them.  They will make you whole with what it's worth today.  What it was worth a few years ago is irrelevant.  What you have paid in interest and what the car has devalued since you bought it is irrelevant.

Edit:  Some wording..


Title: Woke up to no power in my apartment, had to toss all the food in the fridge, can I ask my landlord to pay for the groceries we had to throw out?

Question:
[MA].
Woke up this morning to find we had no power in out apartment, called maintenance and they couldn't fix it so they have to call an electrician, who I'm still waiting on.

I'm not sure exactly when we lost power, and it's just my apartment, but food in the freezer is starting to defrost so it's been a while. And we just bought a ton of new groceries last night.

My roommate left before I even woke up this morning, at least two hours before, but she's yet to get back to me if there was power when she was up this morning.

But I'm looking through my lease to see if there's anything that would say if the landlord has to pay for the food but I'm not sure what to look for. All the lawyer legal lingo doesn't really make sense to me
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Why'd you throw everything out? Modern fridges do a good job of retaining cold, especially since no one was opening it over night.

Assuming power is restored today; mentally  take a couple of days off the use by date and throw out any leftovers and seafood and you should otherwise be ok


Title: Filial Support Law for the Estranged

Question:
Location:  US jurisdiction (California); overseas physical presence (Florida "residence" for tax reasons)

Ok... I've got a shit-ton of baggage here, so I'll try to keep to the facts and end with a question

- I've lived outside of the USA continously for approximately 20 years, but have earned and reported income within the US tax jurisdiction and maintain savings in US bank account

- during that time, I have been officially estranged by an adoptive father and birth mother

- they have made it clear that they have no intention of including me in their will (technically, I am the adoptive father's only "son" and the mother has two other children from another father) and I suspect that they are planning to saddle me with their medical bills through strategic disbursement to the mother's other children and charitable contributions.

- I am perfectly happy to let her half-siblings be responsible for them in their old age in return for receiving the totality of whatever is left in the will (probably in excess of several million by the time they kick the bucket).

Short of dropping my citizenship and changing my name in an attempt to legally disappear, what recourse do I have should a filial judgment be made against my savings/retirement funds?  Keep in mind that I have no desire to ever set foot in the USA again.

Answer:
 If they have such a large estate, it would be very difficult for them to leave their assets to the other children without the estate having to settle any outstanding medical/nursing home bills. California has not enforced a filial support order since 1973.

Your parents would have to exhaust their assets before any obligation would kick in and that would have to be shared with other defendants. Are your former parents willing to endure a subpar facility in their final days? With assets it is doubtful that they would ever rack up a bill, if you can pay a private facility, you are transferred (eventually) to a state one after public assistance kicks in.

I would make sure that you don't disappear and risk a default judgement for lack of notice. It wouldn't hurt to contact an elder law attorney in California now.

I also believe that retirement funds, held in Florida, are judgement proof from private creditors.


Title: We are being forced to take a class that is NOT required to graduate [High-school]

Question: This upcoming year will be the first year this will be implemented.  All students except for SOME seniors will have to take either an extra reading or math class.  They've extended the class day so there's room for this class.  I will be taking college level English and math courses so why should I take an extra class in these subjects? We get to choose our other classes aside from those required to graduate, except for these,  which are NOT required to graduate. Is there anything I can do to avoid taking this course?

Answer:
 It would seem to me that these courses are now required for graduation.  The state typically sets the minimum credit requirements but schools can exceed these amounts.

Who are these students with exemptions to the new policy?

My hunch is that this is an educational policy change which either was explained poorly or is being categorically rejected by the OP because (s)he is upset by the new requirement.Answer #2: > which are NOT required to graduate

They are now.Answer #3: What happens if you don't take them?


Title: Any legal repercussions for a co-signed loan on which the primary is not paying?

Question:
I (stupidly) co-signed on a loan with a now ex of mine. As of last month, he stopped paying it and now the bank is (rightfully) calling me demanding payment.

If I pay it, do I have any legal recourse in small claims? Loan is less than $3K. Payment is about $125, which I can handle no problem. It’s just the principle.

FWIW, I have reached out to ex repeatedly and he is 100% ignoring me. I’m just angry at this point. Like, legit, I have messages to him asking him to please let me know what’s going on. I co-signed this loan knowing I might end up paying it; I just asked him to let me know ahead of time so I could adjust my budget a little.

Word to the wise: don’t co-sign shit.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Yes you could sue him. In the meantime you need to be making the payments to protect your credit and not get sued.


Title: [MO] Cop said I hit someone in a minor accident on X-mas eve. Calls last night wanting to look at my car.I said ok it's outside call me if you need me.There is minor damage.She called wanting to talk but was going to bed.Getting a call soon.I may have been sleep driving. Do i take call and tell her?

Answer:
 You are two hairs away from being arrested for hit and run.  You need to get a lawyer asap.  Do not talk to the police AT ALL.  Do not consent to any type of search.  Make sure there's a lock on your phone.  Write this down:  "I am not answering any questions without an attorney.  I do not consent to any searches."  You should NOT call back any police and you should NOT talk to them.

They can lie to you, and will do so to get you to talk.  They will threaten you.  They can pull you over when you go out to drive, detain you, make you late to work, etc.

Call a few criminal defense attorneys and ask them what are their rates.  Some have payment plans.  Keep a few numbers on hand, perhaps.
Answer #2: You stated that you have a history of sleep driving. Time to turn in your license and sell your wheels. Better that you stop driving than that you or others get hurt. If you don't want to give up your wheels, find a time lock safe that can't be opened for any reason or a trusted friend who will safekeep your keys.
In case I get down votes: there's a reason people who have had a seizure while driving lose their license Answer #3: You are at risk for getting charged not only with a hit and run but also a DWI. If you tell the police, well I took my Ambien (or whatever) and I don’t think I drove ...
And they have proof that your car was in the accident that starts sounding like driving while so impaired with by medication that you weren’t even aware that you got in an accident.


Title: California. Mandated Reporters at school. Child speaks up about child abuse.

Question:
An abusive father comes to see his child at school, today. Child relates instances of abuse to teacher and to principal. They tell the child that he needs to check with his father to see if what he was saying is true or not. Not that THEY need to check with him... they asked an 8 year old to allow the father a chance explain his abuse.

It seems to me like they screwed up, royally. Am I wrong?

Update #1: Last night, child's social worker stopped by the house and was shocked to hear the story. Recommended we see the principal. Principal denied everything. Principal did not report.

Later today, I pick up child to bring him to his counselor, through the DA Victim Witness Program, and I was thinking about putting them together again, to see what happens. While the principal denied hearing about any allegations of abuse, the principal also stated that the incidents were old and that she didn't feel she needed to report them. It made her lie seem super clear.

Update #2: After going over the recording of the conversation with the principal I learned a couple of things. One, is that she is aware that the landlord is a grower and that she thinks he is justified in sending death threats and stealing a gun. I think she must also be a grower, and they, perhaps, have some sort of symbiotic relationship... maybe just the same middle man, or something. Either way, she made it clear that she felt mother had reported landlord and she was not happy about it. Principal made a stance on neutrality between the parents but then later today happened.

Father gets to court with a letter given to him by principal, yesterday, that mother was not supporting Kelen's educational needs. Principal, clearly, was not neutral. Keep in mind, we got the child from Kindergarten level to above average third grade level in one school year and a summer. We;ve been working at it constantly with the work books and nightly recordings of his out loud reading sessions. We are on Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, right now.

Father gets out of court and charges me. This gets caught on video. I jump into traffic to avoid him, as I have no idea if he has a knife or anything. I'm willing to take a punch, but he almost always has some type of blade on him.

Answer:
 If the teacher who heard the allegations did not report this to cps they could be in legal trouble.

What else they did may be stupid but not illegal. As long as they reported no matter what else happened.

(All of this depends 100% on what actual allegations the child made. If they were not really abuse (dad spanked me) then the teacher can all more questions and may not have to report)


Title: [FL] Manipulative mother took money for a car but registered it in her name

Question:
About two years ago my mother came up with the idea of her paying for a third of a car for me, with my dad paying another third, and myself paying the rest. She told us both that this would be my car, not hers, and that I could keep it to go to college.

After all of the money was collected, I asked to go buy the car with her then register it but she said that I had school and that she would do it for me. When the car eventually got to me, I realized that she had it registered in her name and not mine.

I was wondering if there was any way to legally get the registration changed to my name, if she was not 100% for it. I believe that she had this done so I wouldn't have any way to leave her household, and I saw this last night when I was packing my bags and she said that I couldn't leave and she would call the cops. (That's another story for the night). I'm 18 and have been dealing with this manipulative crap all my life and was just hoping I would have a car that I put money towards in case I have nowhere else to go.

TL;DR: 3 of us paid for one car to be registered in my name, manipulator registered it in hers so I couldn't leave.

Answer:
 I absolutely agree that what she did wasn't right, unfortunately that doesn't always mean that a remedy exists.

Legally speaking, I can think of no way for you to get the title changed over into your name. I don't even think that you have a leg to stand on for a lawsuit to remove her from the title.

Practically speaking, you and your father could come together and offer to buy the vehicle from her, offering to pay the third that she paid for it, but you can't force her to sell the car.


Title: Maryland, landlord evicted me early and is keeping rent

Question: So due to some personal disagreements, my landlord gave me my 30-day notice at the end of May (so I had to leave at the end of June.) But last night at 8 PM, she came to me and demanded I leave and take my stuff with me that very same night. I pay my (month-to-month) rent as a transfer directly into her account and had paid for June. However, she claimed she'd declined the transfer so I technically hadn't paid her, so I needed to leave now. I left. However, I called my bank after and they told me that she had accepted the transfer and that the money was gone from my account and transferred to hers. I let her know that I need the money back and she's ignoring me. Is this legal? What do I do?

Answer:
 If she doesn't refund, you can sue her.

She will likely claim that you left of your own accord, and thus she gets to keep the rent - which would be true, if you left of your own accord.  Based on that, suing might be difficult.


Title: Delaware County, PA. Am I a bad person for reporting a sexual assault case?

Question: My daughter was 5 years 2 months old when she was assaulted. The offender was 10 years old 7 months. It happened more than a year ago. I reported the case to the police. And it goes to the court. I met the assistant District Attorney that is assigned for the case several times. I attended one of the pre-trials. The ADA always talks like I am a bad person for reporting a ten years old. Also during the pre-trials the defendant lawyer and the probation officer treated the offender as if he was a victim. I understand he is 10 years old. ( Has it become normal that a 10 years old assaulted a 5 years old? ) Yes he is 10 years old but my daughter is 5 years old. The juvenile court will not punish him but my daughter gets her “sentence” for the rest of her life.Am I a bad person that I reported the case to the police? The ADA wants me to accept the plea deal in which the offender will get a lesser charge which is misdemeanor. But the actual crime was a felony. Am I a bad person for refusing to accept the plea deal and for wanting a trial? That’s the way the ADA talks to me, as if the offender is the victim. I am a parent. I understand that he is a kid, but my daughter is much younger, she should not go through what she went though. I read an article that sexual abuse victims have hard times to be successful later in life even though they have had therapies. I want to let him charges with misdemeanor but each time I see my daughter I feel like I can’t do that. Why do they ignore my daughter at the court and focus of the well being of the offender? Thanks for reading

Answer:
 We can't help you feel better about your course of action, but I would have done the same thing in your shoes depending on the offender's situation.

Personally, I suggest you seek out counseling for both you and your daughter if you haven't already.  This isn't an easy thing to go through as a victim, let alone as the parent of a victim.


Title: [CA, USA] Ex-Girlfriend threatening to release incriminating information about me if I don't do certain things

Question:
Quick backstory.

I dated this girl for about 6 years. I'll refer to her as V. She had Borderline Personality Disorder, so the whole relationship was quite rocky. We eventually broke up and I started dating someone new. Some time passes and she asks me to come over and get some of my things that I left over at her house. Since V has Borderline Personality Disorder, she doesn't process emotions the same way you or I would. Unfortunately, I should have told her to just throw away my stuff because I knew very well how manipulative she can be. Long story short, I found myself in a bad situation. One thing led to another and I fell back into doing physical things with her. I know it was a shitty thing to do my current girlfriend, and i'm seeing a therapist now to prevent things like that from happening again.

So because I did that, V will often threaten to tell my new girlfriend that I cheated on her if I don't do certain things like visit her or take her out to dinner or watch movies with her. Its as if she's using coercion to have me act like a boyfriend to her.

Does this classify as some sort of extortion?

**TL;DR:**
Was unfaithful to my current girlfriend with my ex (I promise, I'm getting professional help).
Now ex is threatening to reveal my secret via social media and/or girlfriend directly unless I visit her on a regular basis and "Play the part" of her boyfriend.

Answer:
 Tell your current girlfriend. If you have integrity, you would do that anyway.

Then cease contact with the ex and tell her not to contact you again in the future. After that, be more careful about who you date. If you continue decide to date people like her you are going to end up keep having problems like this. So, learn that lesson.


Title: 20yo who has never been pulled over/in an accident...

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Can i potenially ask that it not go on my record because of my 5 year clean driving history?

You can ask.  It almost assuredly won't work.  "I don't want this ticket" doesn't generally work well.  Answer #2: As others have commented, you likely will not get it taken off your record. The chances of that happening are slim to none. However, I would recommend getting a speedometer calibration to bring to court, if your lawyer (given you have one) hasnt already recommended that. It will at the very least, reduce it to speeding versus reckless driving. This would reduce the fine exponentially

edit: Not sure if 20 over is still considered RD in Washington, but either way there are different levels of severity as far as speeding goes. IE, someone going 6-8 mph over wouldnt be fined as much as someone going 12-15 over. A speedometer calibration definitely will help lessen the severity of your ticket.


Title: (IN) College student. Came across some of my work on a “course help” site

Question: I’m a third year college student. Today I had someone thank me for the help they found on a site called coursehero. I looked into it and right there under my name were my entire labs for two different classes. Not paraphrases or anything like that. The entire PDFs. I definitely have never made an account on this site and am honestly a little freaked out and mad. Is there anything I can do? It looks like you might need to pay for a premium account for full access to somethings on this site and I’m a little worried someone along the line at school made money off of my work.

Answer: NAL: you can submit a [Takedown Request](https://www.coursehero.com/copyright-infringement/), hopefully they'll remove your stuff.


Title: Our entire Master's program just got notified that they were under-charged $3000 for tuition this semester.

Question: We are preparing a letter to the Director of Finance once we have more information, but is there anything we should know from a legal standpoint on this matter?

Answer:
 That if you signed an agreement saying you owe $X but were charged $X-3000, then you will owe them the $3000.  Bank Error in your favor only happens in monopoly.  In real life, you still owe the money.  Answer #2: You're going to need to provide waaaay more detail? Was the price advertised somewhere? Was the undercharge less than the advertised price? Did the students pay the bill yet? Why did they say there was an undercharge? Are you already taking these classes? Answer #3: can you prove that you had reason to believe the $3000 lower amount was the correct one? What did the program website say? what about the invoice you were sent?

You'd need to show that the you, at no point, had reason to believe that you had been undercharged. If you can't prove that, then the university is within it's rights to get the $3000 from you unless the limitations period has run out (likely not)

edit: if you are well into the term, you could argue that you believed the university had agreed to be paid less than the requested amount, but that would be a thin argument if you're just into the semester and/or if the T&C of the invoice has some sort of period where the university can come after you for short payments


Title: Roommate has bulimia and has made our entire apartment into a biohazard!

Question:
[Here is our lease](http://housing.ua.edu/pdfs/2012-2013_Housing_Contract-Final.pdf)

Basically, I moved into a new university three bedroom apartment four weeks ago to live with a friend already in the apartment by herself in Alabama. On the day I moved in, I found out another random was going to be living there. This random, Kass, has bulimia and throws up all over the walls, floors, etc. It's disgusting. It's creating a
biohazard. I have asked her repeatedly to clean up. I've gotten the RA involved. The RA hasn't done shit besides give her time extensions. She says she'll clean, and then she doesn't. She leaves vomit for days in our shower, in our kitchen, and all over BOTH bathrooms.

Do I have a leg to stand on to have her thrown out of the apartment? Is her illness a protected status?

Answer:
 She seriously just pukes everywhere and leaves it? That is highly unlikely IMO.

But you can call the landlord since they are individual leases. Let them know that this person is destroying the propertyAnswer #2: Have you tried to go above the RAs head? Is there a[n] RD who's in charge of the RAs? Try escalating and document all the times you've contact the roommate and the RA. Answer #3: Call the landlord, call the RA-AND then call whomever supervises the RA.  Also, call the Dean of Students-and if you still don't get anywhere have your parents call.Answer #4: Call the local health department.  Local code enforcement?  Answer #5: Rub her nose in it, say "NO!" very loudly, then smack her with a rolled up newspaper.


Title: I need to quit my job, but will they sue me?

Question:
I'm in Utah (an at-will state) and am currently employed at a small company as a software developer. Fourteen months ago they promoted me and included a 20% pay raise. On the salary adjustment agreement signed by me and my boss there is one note that states (in it's entirety): "(cranium152) will be leading our transition and has agreed to stay a minimum of 3 years to ensure the project goes smoothly." However, in the fourteen months since that agreement conditions at work have changed such I'm no longer comfortable working here.

If I was to quit can they come after me in any way? I'm a W2 employee and I'm feeling trapped... which doesn't seem right.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Answer:
 What does the contract say will happen if you quit beforehand?Answer #2: It's hard to say.

>  On the salary adjustment agreement signed by me and my boss there is one note that states (in it's entirety): "(cranium152) will be leading our transition and has agreed to stay a minimum of 3 years to ensure the project goes smoothly."

This may be language to justify the raise internally, or they may have meant it "in exchange for the salary increase . . ."

Generally speaking, on a contract where one party drafts it and the other has no opportunity to amend, ambiguities are construed against the person drafting the document, as they had every chance to make it clear and did not.  Answer #3: They can sue you for breach of contract, and you would be liable for any damages flowing from your leaving the company.  However, they cannot force you to stay, otherwise contracts could be used as a form of indentured servitude.


Title: 16 years old. Father passed away 5 months ago and now my mom and I can't get access to his bank accounts.

Question:
Throwaway for personal security and for comfort.

So, it gets quite complicated and I'm not sure whether or not this is the right place to post this as this involves 2 countries primarily and maybe 3. I really want help on this but it doesn't have to be concrete. I just want a basic understanding of what I should do and so applying US laws can also be beneficial to me. I'll post a similar post on /r/personal finance later today.

After 5 months of grieving I felt it was right and a duty to start facing a lot more of the legal problems. Most of them are done and most of that is thanks to my mother but this one problem is about my dad's personal bank accounts. My mom can't speak much English so that's why I'm the one seeking help on this.

My father passed away 5 months ago in Bangkok, Thailand due to his work situation. I was living in Japan (my families 100% Japanese) alone in a dorm while my mother was in another side of Japan taking care of my grandparents (she lives there as well). My dad has 3 bank accounts based in Singapore but we only want access to one of them since the others we know have no substantial amount of money in them.

So my dad passed away in Bangkok while the account we want access to is based in Singapore (we lived there before) and now my mom and I are living in Japan and travelling to Singapore is quite a big sacrifice for us (especially with no income). I actually went to Singapore over the summer to meet my friends (my mom granted me this because she thought this was needed after such a moment in my life) and I asked his bank what I should do. All I could get out of them was to get a grant of probate, letter of administration or a letter of probate (Singapore law). So now I'm back in Japan not being able to afford a lawyer because it could very much cost more than what is in the account.

So the question is how we can find out how much money is in that account without investing too much in a lawyer?

(Sorry for the long post)

TL;DR - Father passed away in Thailand. His bank account is based in Singapore and my mom and I are living in Japan. We need to know how much money is in that account.

Answer:
 [Here's some info about bank accounts, under the heading 'Bank Accounts'](http://thesingaporelawyer.blogspot.com.au/p/faq-for-probate-and-letters-of.html). I would try the bank again through their website if they have one. Larger banks may have deceased estates departments you can contact directly.

Did your father have a will? Where was his main place of residence?

Probate is used if there is a will; letters of administration is used if there is no will.

Probate should be obtained in the [deceased's domicile](http://www.law.com.sg/probate/singapore-probate-faq/procedures/131-what-is-a-deceaseds-domicile).

Singapore's Supreme Court can then reseal the Grant in Singapore, although I've read some stuff saying the probate must have been done in a Commonwealth country. Not sure on that one.

I'd engage a lawyer in your father's domicile to look into it and apply for probate if necessary.


Title: ER visit for Panic attack costs $12,000?

Question:
I went in for a panic attack/dizziness, at the time I hadn't ever had one before so I wasn't aware of why I felt like I was about to pass out/panicking. I explained to them my symptoms, which they somehow couldn't determine it was an obvious panic attack. Instead they started off by giving me a 1mg of lorazepam(anxiety medicine) and then they put me through the ringer; They ran unnecessary tests on me only to determine I was OK to go home. I was charged $3000 for a drug screen after I told them I hadn't taken anything, yet they insisted I still pee in a cup without telling me I would later be charged 3k for it. I was charged $322 for a 1000ML bag of Sodium Chloride .09%,  HOW?!!? I dare ANYONE to look up how much a 1000ML bag costs! Then I was charged $1400 for an EKG which resulted in nothing. I never said I was having any problems relating to the need of an EKG, nor was I told that the use of their EKG resulted in me being bumped up to a Level 4 out of 5 ER visit. But here's the kicker I was charged $6200 for that Level 4 ER visit... I WALKED IN AND OUT without assistance mind you.
In total I was charged $12,000 for my visit and after insurance I was left to pay $1800... Thats more than my mortgage. I'm not exaggerating about the costs of this shit either. What can I do, if anything to get out of this and/or warn others about this shiesty facility?

Answer:
 You don't 'get out of it.'

You went to an ER, and you got charged ER prices.

The tests you say were "unnecessary" eliminated a bunch of possible causes of your symptoms that allowed them to properly diagnose you.

If they'd just looked at you and said "meh, probably a panic attack" when you had something else serious going on, they'd be in a position to be sued for malpractice.


Title: Arrived at the airport to find our airline has gone bankrupt

Question: I already filed a dispute with my bank to get back the fare. The airline didn’t notify us the flight was cancelled so the last minute tickets were much more expensive than they would have been if we had any sort of notice. Are we only due a refund or is it possible to get some of the unnecessary additional travel expenses we paid because they failed to inform us of the cancellation?

Answer:
 Did you purchase travel insurance?

Did you use a credit card to purchase the tickets?  Does the credit card offer travel benefits?


Title: Need legal help quickly

Question:
So something happened a few days ago and me and my friend were screwing around and we ended up texting someone's cousin and eventually someone had the great idea of sending a picture of squidward with a dick for a nose which I reluctantly agreed to send. Fast forward a few days and I receive a text after math so I read it and this is what it says ;
"(My name)
My name is (his name I'm not including names since it seems unnecessary) I am a retired New York City detective currently a licensed private investigator in the state of New York lic#{removed} (no idea what this means) I am contacting you on behalf of the parents of a 10 year old boy you sent pictures of elephant with a human penis as a trunk. I strongly suggest you have one of your parents contact me ASAP I do not want to contact the authorities in (my city) or the faculty at (my school) at this point in the investigation my client merely wants a notification to your parents at this time if I don't hear back from them we will proceed in any way to make contact with your guardians. "

Obviously I was scared and didn't know what to do so I replied what would you like to tell my parents
Which he quickly responded please I need to speak with them the last thing I want to do is go to the police because I'm sure your phone is not in your name and in one of your parents that would put them in a very bad situation as they would be sending pornography to a minor "
And that scared me badly I didn't know if he was seriously thinking of charging my parents of it he was using that as a way to get at me anyway I continued to explain I was just joking with friends and that I didn't mean any harm and he said it's fine and he will explain that to my parents but his client was scared by what I sent  him anyway I told him I'd tell my mom when she gets home so now I have a few hours to think before I decide on what to do but I don't want to tell my mom incase it's just someone trying to get at me and can't or won't actually press charges also what confused me is he knew my school and name it's easy to find out where I live but to find out that information shows that he can and might actually do something about it and I'm wondering what should I do since if I tell the truth I'm going to look bad in from of everyone and his cousin which gave me the number would be in trouble and it's not really his fault and he's already mad I just want to deny it and ignore him but I don't know what to do I live in Montreal Canada and he lives in the USA thank you

Answer: Your friend is screwing with you. This is what happens when you screw around and send random pictures of penises to people.


Title: Received a Notice to Show Cause.. not clear what to do.

Question:
Hello, I received in this (linked, redacted personal/case info) in the mail today. It looks like a "Notice to Show Cause". After googling to see what it is, it sounds like these notices should also come with a "date by" to appear in court, but I do not see it. I'm also not entirely sure what this is for either. Any advice on how I should proceed or what to do next, before consulting a lawyer?

[https://i.imgur.com/LAtKV3N.png](https://i.imgur.com/LAtKV3N.png)

Colorado

Thanks!

Answer:
 You need an attorney now.  First thing Monday morning.  Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

You might also check the court case look up on your area - Google your state and the phrase "court case lookup" and you should be able to check to see if there is anything filed against you.  An order to show  cause is the court telling you to explain why an action shouldn't be taken.  There should be other paperwork involved in this particular case.

You need to get an attorney ASAP.


Title: Friend took blame for felony drug charge, now denies that it's his

Question:
So I live in Minnesota and me and my friend were driving around. A cop pulled my friend over for "driving too close" to the car in front of him. Cop ends up searching the car and friend takes blame for all the drugs in the car (wax and xanax).

Friend is charged with a felony for the xanax, but it wasn't his, and he's trying to get them to drop the charges. Am I in trouble if the charges are dropped against him?

Answer: You need an attorney right now and you shouldn’t talk to anyone about this other than that attorney.  If asked about this by the cops your one and only sentence is “I decline to answer any questions without my attorney present.”  Of course you can be charged, you can be charged even if your friend is convicted.