Title: Company based in Maryland refusing to pay Indian worker, treating her like a slave

Question:
TL;DR Gf based out of India works for American non-profit. President of non-profit keeps calling gf in the middle of the night. When she tells president it's not appropriate and to stop harassing her, president threatens to not pay salary for April, which is already overdue by a couple of weeks. President (a female) also calls up GF's mother and other family member listed as emergency contacts, to ask why GF isn't picking up.!!!! (this too at around 3AM).

Other colleague of my gf who quit confirmed that her husband/ mother in law had been contacted at odd hours when she switched of her phone. When confronted, Jane asks gf to complete tasks not strictly part of the job description **to receive last month's pay!!**

Non profit, President are American, gf is indian. Not sure what recourse we have!

**Full story:**

Writing on behalf of my gf. My girlfriend started working in Jan for a non-profit based out of Maryland which focuses on suicide-prevention in India.

My gf (a psychologist/counsellor) and I are Indian, and she is paid a monthy salary to conduct a fixed number of anti-suicide workshops in India every month. The contract specifies her title as "Project Manager" and specifies conducting these workships as her main job, and assisting in creating things like newsletters etc as stuff on the side but part of the job. She's paid in rupees and the salary for the previous month usually arrives by the 2nd/3rd of each month.

Let' call her boss (who is also the president of the org.) Jane. This is a remote job (the org. is in MD and all the employees like my gf are in India).

Upon joining, my gf was on good terms with the president who had been chasing her since around 9-10 months prior to get her to join this org (I can personally attest to this, Jane personally took GF out on lunch or some such thing whenever she was in India). My GF had worked with a common collegue of Jane in another non-profit and had great references.

My GF didn't want to join full time, so agreed to work part time in a limited capacity to help out with managing stuff for the company in India (at a greatly reduced salary which she was fine with, for the time she had agreed to put in with Jane). They agreed to updates twice a week over mail a call every weekend to see how things were progressing here. (Since the ~12 hr time difference made things difficult to communicate).

The really screwed up side of Jane turned up, only after she finally joined.

Almost immediately she started calling my gf everyday, then after a week, 2-3 times a day (very often in the middle of the night around 3-4 am!). My gf thought Jane was a bit old and might not be used to the time difference, so informed her politely that she should pick a different time to call.

Most of the times she called it turned out Jane was simply feeling lonely and would talk for more than an hour about stuff like American politics, Trump, her childhood on the pretext of having something urgent about work.
After a couple of weeks, my gf (who I informed was being too nice by picking up these calls even once) started ignoring her, and reminded Jane of her aggreement where they had chosen to communicate biweekly.

Turns out Jane didn't give a fuck and started calling her 5-6 times a day. (I was with her at night multiple times when this happened, and had to endure this too). When my gf switched of her phone, she started calling up her mom! (that too at 3-4am at night). She had listed her mom as her emergency contact in the contract :|.

My gf got in touch with one other employee, also based out of the same city in India, and she too confirmed that Jane had been calling her husband at odd hours, when she too had switched of her phone after being harrased. Couple of weeks later, turns out Jane called up Gf's colleague's mother in law, (also listed as emergency contact) 14 times (!) in a row at around 2 am till she picked up. Gf's colleague snapped and quit (upon which she was told she was not dedicated enough for the job for not picking up Jane's calls). Jane was not right in the head clearly.

I urged my gf to quit, but she said she could handle it and, and was desperate for the money which she insisted was decent for supposed part time work (I disagree).

The situation quickly became worse and Jane accused my gf of doing other stuff on the company's time (hilarious since this was a part time gig). Not picking up each of her calls was some sort of deriliction of duty.

Gf has completed all deliverables, plus done extra stuff like interviewing interns etc which is not part of her job description. After my gf brought up that it was ridiculous that 'not speaking to me enough' was the quoted reason for witholding salary, Jane changed her tune, and said some newsletter that my gf had not mailed out by the end of April is the reason why she won't see a penny.

(The truth is my gf had sent the newsletter for approval to Jane in time, and she never got the go ahead. Now she's sent a long list of errata and has said it has to be redone before it's considered to be 'complete'). Original job description mentions only set number of workshops as the main job (which gf has completed ahead of time each month).

Contract says Jane can pay gf upto 30 days after end of month for which salary is due. Jane keeps bringing this up, while saying complete the newsletter first then maybe I'll pay you.

Tonight Jane googled my GF and her blog, and asked "you seem to have a lot of time to vacation and side projects" (which she can, since this is not a full time job). "Very interesting", said Jane. I was creeped out when I found out.

Gf of course doesn't want to work any more (finally came to her senses) but wants her salary for April for which other than time, she also spent her own gas, internet etc for conducting workshops for which she is not paid seperately)

Answer:
 It sounds like her conflict and mistreatment is coming from employees of the organization. She should contact the board of directors to let them know this sort of thing is going on. They are responsible for the fiscal health of the organization, and for the ethical questions being asked here.

All that being said, she should write a very concise letter or email to them, essentially much clearer than the post here.Answer #2: Maryland and the US have no jurisdiction since she's a non-resident alien working outside of the country. Indian labour law will control. From what I know of the Indian court system, she can file a case now and expect it to be heard sometime in the 2080s.Answer #3: If she was in the US it would be a different story, but from India, it's going to be very hard to act on this.

She can try the relevant MD Division of Labor and Industry, but I'd be surprised if they can help.  She doesn't really sound like an employee as much as a contractor.


Title: Used wrong name when booking a flight

Question:
So I booked flights for myself and a friend. He's Korean and goes by his Western nickname in the UK. I absent-mindedly (and regrettably) typed in his Western nickname when purchasing the tickets, but his passport ofc has his Korean name.

I booked the tickets on Monday, and have been trying to fix the name yesterday (Tuesday) and today (Wednesday). I called, emailed and went through the online customer support systems of each of the airlines. Everyone wants to charge fees higher than the price of the tickets themselves. Does anyone know any way out of this?

The only proof I have is his student union card which he made with his nickname (and the card has his photo on it too). I have tried sending pictures of this along with his passport so that they can see that this is clearly the same person.

I've planned a multi-city holiday and used several airlines to keep the cost as low as possible. These are the airlines in question: Monarch, Vueling and Ryanair. Monarch wants to charge £100, Vueling £44 and Ryanair £110. I'm flying from the UK to Croatia and Italy. The flights are in 2 weeks time.

Basically what I'm really wondering is whether I've overlooked some way of getting this sorted without having to rebook tickets or pay these fees.

Answer: Those aren't unfair fees. You made a mistake and there is a cost to fix them. You're asking the airline to provide an additional service which costs them money and that costs you money. It's not as simple as changing the name on a pizza takeout order especially with international flights.


Title: New housemates throw out my food, berate/harass me for my diet. [FL]

Question:
I live in Florida.

This is a throwaway account; I have a main one but I'd rather not use it here because I don't want to associate it with this. I've gotten great advice from r/relationships before and I was hoping you could help me with this situation. I'm NOT looking to get into arguments or discussions about my lifestyle choices.

I'm twenty and I live in an apartment while attending college. It has four rooms in it, and three (save mine) have been empty for the past few months (two were being renovated).

An older couple moved into our apartment (the ages are estimated, but they are at least into their mid-thirties). They are very extroverted and abrasive people and I tend to be chill about stuff, so there's a bit of a wall. We still didn't have any real issues until the last two weeks. They are very open and proud of their southern-styled culture, which I'd ordinarily have no real problem with, but they are making it my problem.

I'm a vegan, have been one for several years. The first time we met, the guy invited me to a BBQ he was hosting with a friend at a park (of which he has very often) and I politely declined, knowing that it'd be an issue. Just said that I was busy. He had no issue but seemed annoyed when I rejected two more over the next two weeks. Around this time I started to notice that they were rearranging my food in the fridge in weird and unnecessary ways in such a way that suggested that they were examining everything I was eating. (Like all of my stuff taking up around a 1/5th of the fridge and being in one specific back corner but suddenly being spread out all over.)

A little after this, I came home one day to find the guy and the girl watching TV in the living area. As I passed by them the guy casually asked me if I was a vegetarian, and without elaborating I said I was a vegan. They both audibly snorted and the guy asked if that was why I hadn't come to his BBQ. I said no (a lie) and told them (in a nice way) that I was actually busy to turn in stuff and couldn't talk.

The next morning the majority of my groceries had been thrown away, and there was specifically a note in its place that said "I'll make up for it, trust me, [his name]." I was really pissed and went to him that evening when he was home, and he told me he was going to take me out to a nice steak dinner to change my mind in exchange for throwing all my groceries out. The guy was acting very smiley and faux-fatherly (patting me on the shoulder, "we'll make a man out of you yet haha" and it pissed me off. I'd dealt with snide comments/etc but never really anything even remotely like this and I got really upset. I told him he needed to pay me back for the food and after repeating it enough he tried begrudgingly handing me a 20, which wasn't enough.

I'm a weirdo who keeps receipts of EVERYTHING and I specifically had the receipt of all the stuff he threw out, which was almost two weeks worth of good food and totaled to over sixty-five bucks. Even after showing him he ignored it and slammed the door on me. A few days ago he threw away another fifty dollars worth of groceries and left a carton of empty almond milk resting in front of my door. I'm in college so that's a LOT of money for me.

Whenever they see me since then they are openly hostile to the point that I feel semi-uncomfortable being at the apartment, giving me the evil eye and trying to start arguments. The guy waits until I leave to go into my room and then they openly start calling me the f-word loud enough for me to hear it.

I don't have any family I can turn to and I've never really dealt with this type of problem with grown adults who weren't my parents. My landlord is somewhat of a slumlord and when I called him he basically told me to deal with it myself. I've tried asking for my money back like three times and they just basically completely ignore what I say and try to start an argument. Guy roommate calls me a brat to my face and has offhand brought up his gun collection and it's scary as hell. I'm a tall dude but this guy is 6'5 and like 300 pounds so it's intimidating.

I have no idea how to reply, it's just nuts to me. I have no clue what to do. I'm not planning on continuing my lease anyway but it doesn't end until December. Do I have any recourse?

Answer:
 If a roommate is playing to firearm card, time to be sure the police know about it also.

Time for the room mate to understand that veiled threats are not acceptable. If he is such a Southerner, that should make him reconsider his actions.Answer #2: Get a fridge for your room in the meantime.  Continue to document what they do. They’re cray and it will eventually bother other folks. But to avoid confrontation and make your life easier, take the path of least resistance.  Your own fridge, micro, hot plate and disposable dinnerware. You aren’t gonna be able to change them. Avoid them. Play out your time there until you can leave. It’s going to be difficult to get the landlord on your side or other roomies until they bother them.  Just be cautious and look out for yourself. Answer #3: I can’t give you legal advice but I will say this. I’ve been through a similar situation.

1. Leave as soon as possible. Quality of life issues like this are terrible. Not being able to do anything will eat away at you. This guy will only get worse because he knows he can get away with it.
2. Once you get out you’ll feel better. This is a small part of your life.
3. Unless you’re willing to confront/fight this guy then there’s nothing you can do.
4. Your landlord will try to keep all/most of your deposit.


Title: (IL) Under 21 facing license suspension over speeding tickets

Question: Back in January, I was cited for driving about 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. I went to my court date and the judge placed me on court supervision. In June, I was cited for driving exactly 10 miles per hour over the speed limit in a different county while on a road trip. I payed the fine by mail. After that ticket, I received a letter of the Secretary of State's Office saying that this was my first ticket and due to Illinois law for drivers under 21 if I receive another one in 24 months my license will be suspended. I guess because I was placed on court supervision for my first ticket it didn't count towards this law. Well, a few weeks ago I was cited for doing exactly 11 over in a different but close county. I still have a court date coming up. Is there anything I can do to keep my license or am I just SOL? Thanks.

Answer:
 You can hire a lawyer or speak with the state's attorney yourself about your options.

You fucked up your court supervision, though. Although some counties don't actually pay attention, most do and they will probably notice eventually and put the ticket through, and Jesse White is gonna take your license over the second ticket, never mind the third.

You need to stop driving so fast. ~~You clearly aren't very good at speeding if you've been caught three times in eight months.~~ Sorry we don't encourage breaking of laws here. Seriously, slow down.

On the bright side, you apparently only break one law at the time. We see a lot of people through here who were speeding, while driving without insurance and carrying illegal drugs.  So good job on that I guess.

I'm not a lawyer, but I've lived in Illinois almost 47 years.


Title: Content being posted to Pornhub without my knowledge or consent [Quebec]

Question:
Hi. I’m in Quebec right now, but am an American citizen. I would appreciate any advice you can give on a situation involving videos being uploaded to Pornhub without my knowledge or consent. For context, I’m an independent sex worker.

Last year I moved in with a couple after my boyfriend passed. They reached out and offered me to stay in their home “rent-free” after they read a post I wrote in a private forum about the death and needing a place to stay.  [Here is that conversation](http://i.imgur.com/v8pbC2Z.png?2). They said we could “work together” while I saved up money, and as someone who is self-employed, I took that as meaning we could collaborate on videos to sell.

I did move out there with them. I did stay rent-free.  I did shoot some videos. We agreed that some would go on our separate websites, and that some would go on Pornhub. We discussed where they went before posting them.

Fast forward to after I moved out (there’s stuff that happened in between, but it’s not relevant), I see one of the videos we agreed would be on a paid website pop up their Pornhub channel. This was not discussed beforehand.

This was [their](http://imgur.com/a/yGW4T) explanation for why they didn’t have to tell me. She’s green, I’m white.

The name blurred out was the woman in charge of payments at Pornhub. Our Pornhub accounts were not linked. [This is the conversation](http://imgur.com/a/VIFVR) I had with the payments lady (sorry it’s so confusing, there’s a lot block out) at Pornhub. I told her I do not want our accounts linked in anyway. [This](http://i.imgur.com/BFdhGTE.jpg) is where their names would appear if our accounts were linked/shared. I never signed any paperwork with this couple. No model release forms. I never gave them my identification cards. They don’t even know my full name.

# Also, when you upload things to pornhub, you have to agree that all parties have knowledge that it’s being posted to Pornhub and that all parties consent to it being posted on Pornhub.
[Here is that disclaimer](http://i.imgur.com/MtxC0P2.png).

I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know my rights at the time, so I was soft in handling this and dropped it.

Fast forward to a few leeks later, they inform me that they’re pulling another website video and putting it on Pornhub. This one was significant for me because it was the only video I’m physically involved in. I told them I did not want that video put on Pornhub and they’re saying it doesn’t matter.

[This is how that conversation went.](http://imgur.com/a/CcVeH) I’m purple, they’re white.

Even if they are right and they “own the content” (the filming equipment was theres), am I wrong in believing they still need to inform me before posting anything with me in it, and that I would still need to consent to it being posted on Pornhub?

I’d like to know if there’s action I can take against the video that’s up currently. I also want to know if there’s any action I can take  if she does end up releasing the video that I’m not consenting to being posted. I’m currently still waiting to hear back from Pornhub, so far they’ve been silent. I’ve filled out three content removal requests forms. ~~To be fair, I know she’s really big on Pornhub and I’m pretty insignificant there, so I’m not surprised it’s taking this long.~~

I know this is a little long, but thanks for reading. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much.

**Edit: Video has been removed**

Answer:
 Paging u/katie_pornhub.Answer #2: You now realize pornhub has more active community support than most mega organizations.

Also regretting clicking u/katie_pornhub 's post history with my wife sitting next to me. Not sure why I expected posts about pornhub/youporns community guidelines and not....well porn but I guess we live and learn.


Title: Co-worker (M) filmed another co-worker (F) and zoomed into her private parts at work without her knowing & boss is shrugging it off... what should be happening??

Question:
TLDR at the bottom.

Today at work, one of my co-workers was saying that yesterday he watched as another co-worker (we'll just call him "creep") was filming a female co-worker. The female co-worker (who is very attractive btw) was sitting at her computer, then started closed her eyes as she started to lean back in her computer chair. At this point, "creep" pointed his phone at her and began filming her as she was leaning back, and then zoomed in to her private parts. We all work at a homeless shelter, so these three workers are sitting behind a window, behind three computers, and in very close quarters to check clients into the shelter (seated maybe 12 inches apart--it is that confined). At the first computer was the female co-worker, the middle computer was "creep," and the third computer was the other male co-worker who saw the whole thing.

The male co-worker who reported this did not say anything until today because he thought that the female coworker maybe gave consent or knew about the fact that "creep" was filming her simply because he was doing it so blatantly.

Today when I found out, I had the other male co-worker fill out an incident report of what he saw, then I called my boss to let him know, so that he could take corrective action; maybe just inform "creep" about sexual harassment policies, the fact that there are cameras everywhere, you know--a conversation with him.

When I called my boss he said that the male witness should have said something yesterday, and that it is too late to do anything--for all we know, the video could be deleted by now. My boss also said that he can't believe that "creep" even did this because he happens to go to the same church as another co-worker, blah blah blah. My boss said more than likely we can't do anything, not even a write-up because we can't search his phone, and if we wrote him up based on hearsay, it wouldn't be fair to "creep" if he didn't do it....

My boss has done these things in the past as well.... We used to have a male co-worker who was groped & grinded-on by an intoxicated client--the intoxicated client whispered in his ear "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, let me see your dick".

When my co-worker informed our boss of this, he told my co-worker to approach the client and tell him that he did not appreciate that behavior.............. I'M SORRY but if the situation was switched, and anyone groped & grinded on me, then I was told to tell my harasser "Hey you... ahem... that wasn't very cash money of you......." there would be a lawsuit up in this piece.

We live in Nevada. I know that filming another co-worker isn't exactly illegal, but what are some guidelines to follow when it comes to alleged sexual harassment? Now I'm starting to understand why there are so many cases of sexual harassment that go unreported.

&#x200B;

TLDR; male coworker provocatively films female coworker without her knowing but is caught by another coworker. Once boss is informed, he says that there is nothing that we can do because he cannot believe the male coworker would do such a thing.

Answer:
 file a police report and report it to the HR department, assuming the company has one. If not, report up to the next highest boss.

Edit: I don’t think I’m going to bother posting anymore. It’s clear that other contributors have different opinions and that’s fine, but I don’t think continued debate is going to help OP. S/he can choose to take the advice or not, and hopefully the situation gets resolved in an appropriate way.Answer #2: Is the female coworker aware of this behavior? She is the one who needs to report to boss any behavior that she finds sexually harassing to her. The boss will then be required to make the behavior stop. While we can appreciate that you and your other coworker want to protect her and defend her and that's admirable, you do not have a specific claim against one coworker filming another.


Title: My dad gifted me a handgun 9 years ago, it was a gun he'd had since I was a kid. No one has ever been able to tell me how to properly put it in my name

Question:
This is prompted by another post, I figured I'd go ahead and find a way to do this before it ever becomes a problem. He gave it to me for my birthday, there was no sale. At the time, I had searched the internet and found no info. I even called the city courthouse and was transfered from department to department until I ended up back at the original person I talked to because no one there could answer my question. Since getting it, the police have seen it 3 times without issue. I never carry it in the car anymore but I didn't have a permanent residence before so I kept it in the car then which is legal in my state (Georgia). I would tell the cop that was pulling me over that it was in the car, I'd always been advised to do this, they'd check it out, I'd tell them it was still in my dad's name, and they'd just give it back no problem. Once a cop asked me why I thought it was ok to have someone else's gun in my possession, I told her about the shit with the courthouse, and she couldn't tell me what I needed to do about it either. She really had it out for me, had other cops question me, and wanted to search my car, she wanted to get me on something, but she just gave the gun back no problem as well.

I'd like to get this gun registered into my name so I never have to worry about this being an issue.

Answer:
 Was it given to you in Georgia? If so, there's no "in your name" it became legally and properly yours at that time. So long as you are not a prohibited person, there's nothing else for you to do.

In some places you need a card/permit to own, but individual firearms are not registered to any permanent list as that's federally illegal.


Title: Using a door swipe timestamp as a time clock "punch"

Question:
Even though we are hourly employees at my workplace, we do not have a time clock system for punching in and out. We self-report our hours into a web-based system.

Recently my boss figured out he could pull timestamps from badge swipes needed to access the building. He has since implemented a rule that we have to have a badge swipe as proof we're on time. Even if someone else holds the door for us, for example, we have to go swipe our badge.

I don't have a problem with timekeeping, but this seems like a poor way to do it, we have no way to see the time stamp, and there's no accountability on their end.

Do I have grounds to complain? Is this reasonable?

Answer:
 Complain away! But it isn't illegal. Answer #2: >Do I have grounds to complain?

No

> I this reasonable?

Yes, and fairly common as well


Title: (AB) (Canada) Just got laid off, seeing my job posted again.

Question:
I recently got laid off. They gave me reasons such as budgetary and financial. Just today I find my job posted on their website only the job title is worded differently. I operated under the title of "Health, Safety and Environmental Specialist" and this posting is for "Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator".

The descriptions for both are essentially the same.

For clarity, I was laid off on a Wednesday and I'm finding this on Saturday of the same week.

I'm not sure what I can do about this, if anything but I was wondering if anyone has been through something like this before and if I can take any action. The stress of being laid off, especially in this economy, is not fun.

Answer:
 Given the crappy job market in Alberta, they probably plan to hire someone at 75% of your former salary.

Welcome to the new economy.

They're entitled to fire you.  Presumably they gave you the proper termination notice.


Title: Employer requiring me to use my personal computer for job duties? [Baltimore]

Question:
First I just want to say that I like my job and have no intention of messing that up for myself, I'm just curious about this.

I work for a non profit in Baltimore.  When I interviewed for and accepted the position, there was no mention of me needing to provide my own computer to complete work duties.  I made my first mistake by even mentioning that I had a computer.  My supervisor told me I would need to bring in my computer and that they would see about getting me a work computer but that it was unlikely.  I agreed and have been using my personal laptop ever since.  At first I was okay with it, but when I really began to understand what the job entails, I realized that it was kind of ridiculous for them to ask me to use my personal laptop to do the things I have to do.  I spend 90% of my day on the computer--it is a very computer intensive job.  This means I download between 20-100 documents onto my computer daily.  Not only that, but I have a Mac and everyone else (who have work computers!) do not have Macs which makes compatibility an issue and I spend a good portion of my day troubleshooting compatibility problems.  Also, I don't have Lync and other applications that everyone else has which affects my ability to do certain job functions.  And also, it's obviously a privacy concern for me.  I'm an intensely private person and I don't like constantly having to show people my screen or having them see my documents when I search for something.

I'm just wondering about this practice of requiring me to use my own computer.  What if I didn't have a computer?  They made no mention of this necessity when I applied for the job.  I also have to use my cell phone and car for work requirements (same thing--no mention of this before I accepted the job).  For the first time in my life I am doing hourly, part time work (I used to be a teacher which meant salary+union) but from reading so many threads on here I know this means that they can fire me for any reason essentially, I guess including not having a computer.  But what if I download a work document and it has a virus and it renders my computer unusable?  Can I hold them liable?  What if my computer breaks or gets stolen?  I just kind of feel like I'm being taken advantage of and I really don't like clogging up my personal computer with work things.  I'm going to meet with my boss to talk more about it but I was just really curious about the legality of an employer requiring you to use your own property to fulfill basic tasks of the job.

Does anyone have any advice for me?  I heard that I can get a tax credit for my computer if I use it for work, so I guess that's a plus.

Answer:
 It's not illegal for job requirements to change. Yours happens to now include supplying a personal computer. Is it bad business practice and inefficient? Sure. But it's not illegal.

As for your privacy - just set up a different user account for work that wouldn't have access to your personal documents so they won't show up in searches.

The only legal issue would be if they weren't giving you a work laptop out of illegal discrimination - IE, they think that black people will break all their laptops and you're black. That would be a legal issue. This is just management being cheap.


Title: NJ,USA Being forced to sign a contract that I am not comfortable with signing.

Question:
Hello R/Legaladvice I'm 25 and I work for a small company which is a franchise company of a fortune 500 making hourly and commission selling things. I recently transferred markets from what is called the PA Market to the NY market within said company doing the exact same job.

We have a new district manager and he's forcing all of the employees of the NY Markets to sign a document that states that if we do not do our jobs 100% he can fire us. One of the tasks that we have to do is capture customers emails. From the language of the email stated, if 1,000 people come into the store and I only capture 999 he has the right to fire me, If I install 999 of this company's app and I'm supposed to install 1,000 I can be fired and so on and so forth.

 I am a good employee, I hit my comission regularly, was written up once in my old market for being late to a meeting and it was only a warning before transferring. This contract was just recently instated after I transferred markets if I had known about this I wouldn't have transferred.

I have screen shots of the email if you would like to take a look at them.

I don't want to sign because I don't feel comfortable with the contract and I'm supposed to sign it today. Please help me with your wise advice and council.

Thank you.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Nobody is forcing you to sign anything.  If you don't like it, quit.  They can fire you for not doing 100% of your job regardless of whether you sign or not.Answer #2: This manager is just trying to scare you. Scare you into being a nice, perfect cog for the company. Someone who does their best out of fear, not out of service or liking of the company and job itself.

If this boss is wanting you to do this - I wonder what OTHER scare tactics he has up his sleeve for when you are actually there? Worth it to be scared to lose your job every day?


Title: Potential Discrimination?

Question: Long story short, my wife was recently asking for a raise at her employer and explaining to him that the work she does is underpaid when compared to other firms. Her boss responded with phrases such as "well I have an idea of how much your husband makes, and it seems like you guys do OK" and "well when I had my first job out of college I was only making $x". Is this some sort of wage discrimination based on familial status or is the guy just a bad boss?

Answer: It's an invitation to try her luck on the market or accept her current salary.


Title: Is there a way I can get a local news station to remove an article online that they made about me 3 years ago?

Question:
So I made a mistake 3 years ago, said something stupid, was in a bad plave in life, didn't think anyone would notice, but people noticed.

Now, if you google my first and last name, that news article comes up. Basicslly describes what happen along with some exaggerations just for media attention. This is ruining me. When I apply to a job, they see this and turn me down. When I go on a date with a woman I get along great with, even before the date, she googles my name and sees that and ghosts or turns me down. Even friends online found out and proceeded to turn against me.

I can't live the rest of my life like this. It's ruining a lot for me. Is there any kind of action I can take just so that they remove that article from their website?

If anyone needs details, like my name or the article or what exactly happened, DM me. I won't say it out in the open.

Also, sorry if I chose the wrong flair.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: No. You can hire an SEO expert to bury it though.


Title: [MA] College is refusing to release transcript

Question:
I took a couple classes last year at a college in MA. But some financial difficulties came up and I was unable to pay the tuition/fees by the end of the semester. I **did** pay my balance in full (as shown on the school’s billing webpage) a couple months later, when I was able to.

However when I next looked at my account a new $250 charge had been added. This charge wasn’t there when I had paid my balance, but it appeared to be a late fee. So I figured fair enough, and paid it.

Now, several months later, I’m looking to obtain my transcript from the school but I have a hold on my account. This had been put on my account when I had a balance due, but my balance is shown as $0 on my account as of my last payment.

I called the school to request that the hold be removed so I could get my transcript. What I was told is that there is a $50 balance due on my account that would need to be paid before the hold is removed. I asked for clarification since this balance is not shown on my account. The clarification that I got is that my account had been sent to collections and this new $50 charge is a fee on the $250 charge that I had paid prior (or maybe the guy meant my original tuition balance had been sent to collection?). But the school can’t accept payment for the $50 and I was given the contact information for the collection agency to pay this fee.

Now I would be *ok* with accepting this new fee as another stupid/procrastination/poor “tax”, but there are two things holding me back from paying and moving on:

1. I triple checked my credit history with the three credit bureaus and I have no open collections. There is no mention of it anywhere. I don’t want to contact the collection agency to pay up if paying means it gets reported.

2. I take a bit of issue with the school withholding my transcript because I supposedly owe money to a third party. I did a bit of digging for information on the legality of this, but could only find information that said the school could withhold a transcript if money is due to **them**.

So what should I do? It looks like I can submit a complaint to the State’s Department of Education, but I really don’t know if I have a leg to stand on doing that. Can the school act as a agent of a collection agency to get me to pay up to them? I don’t really question the legitimacy of the late charges, but it is getting tiring having them not show up until I make a payment to clear my balance. Seems like I should be informed of any fees *before* I make a payment, not have them added after.

Or should I just call the collection agency and pay them?

Answer: AFAIK if you are turned over to collections that would appear on your credit report. I'd call the school back, tell them your name is Karen, and that you need to speak with someone who is not a student employee.


Title: Received summons for previous tenant

Question: Received a family court summons in the mail for someone who has not lived at my address for many years. I have no forwarding information. Should I call the court clerk? Return to sender?

Answer: Yes, return it to sender marked "no longer at this address".  Not your problem


Title: Can I charge my doctor with a $25 late cancellation fee?

Question: Most of my local doctor's offices charge you a fee of $25 if you cancel your appointment within 24hrs of the scheduled time. I have noticed my doctors cancel my appointments probably 2 or 3 times a year. They always call the night before(within 24 hrs of the appointment) and state that the dr. cannot make the appointment due to scheduling conflicts. They charge me $25 for canceling my appointment so why can't I charge them? I have a life and I set things aside to make my appointments so why should I be held accountable but not them?

Answer:
 Sure!  Notify them of the fee.

Be prepared to look for a new doctor.Answer #2: > They charge me $25 for canceling my appointment so why can't I charge them?

Because that isn't something that was agreed to between you and the doctor at the time you made your appointment.

>I have a life and I set things aside to make my appointments so why should I be held accountable but not them?

Because when you made your appointment, you agreed to pay a $25 fee if you canceled within 24 hours of the appointment. There was no agreement the other way.Answer #3: No.  You can tell them that's your policy and they will tell you to find another doctor.  Just like they can tell you it's their policy and you can either go there or go somewhere else.


Title: What is an advance earned income credit, and why is my employer taking money from my check for this?

Question:
No source online really seems to explain it well,  so I don't know where else to turn. My employer is taking about 15% of my check for this AEIC. I talked to my cpa who said not only do I make too much money to qualify for an AEIC, but also that would be an advance on a tax return, which my employer would be paying to me. I'm going to ask my employer about it today, but I was curious if anyone had any insight. I live in New Jersey if it helps with any of the law information.

EDIT: I think this is resolved. I don't know why it is mislabeled as AEIC but it looks like it is my federal withholding.  I will still talk to my employer about it,  but I think it's resolved. Thank you /r/legaladvice for your help!

Answer:
 See the note on the bottom. I would definitely talk to your employers.

"Advance Earned Income Credit (AEIC)
The IRS allows low-income employees to claim an earned income credit (EIC) against their federal taxes on their federal tax returns.

Using Form W-5, employees who qualify can request advance payments of their expected EIC in the form of reduced withholding from their paychecks during the year.

Employers report these advances when they file their quarterly or annual tax returns.

Note: Effective January 1, 2011, the option for advance EIC payments has been eliminated. Individuals eligible for the EIC may still claim it on their personal income tax returns, but employers may no longer advance a portion of the credit with each paycheck."

On mobile so I don't know how to shorten the link, but here:

http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/pages/inproducthelp/Core/QB2K12/ContentPackage/Glossary/glossary_aeic.html


Title: Was found at fault in an accident over a year ago, driver is now claiming $75,000 in medical bills.

Question:
Back in August of 2018 I rear-ended a driver going onto the on ramp of the interstate in South Carolina.  We were both at a complete stop yielding to oncoming traffic.  The driver in front of me began to proceed onto the ramp after traffic was cleared.  Once the driver began to proceed onto the ramp, looked left to check for more oncoming traffic so that I can also proceed onto the ramp.  While looking left, the driver ended up not proceeding onto the ramp, and I didn’t not check before accelerating.  I bumped the driver in front of me going less than 5 MPH.  There was virtually no damage to either car.  The highway patrol responded to the scene, I received a ticket for an at-fault accident, and we both left the scene in our vehicles.

Fast forward to last week, and I get a call from my insurance company informing me that he is claiming that he has $75,000 in medical bills related to the accident.  I only have $50,000 in bodily injury coverage, and my adjuster told me that may be liable for the remaining $25,000.  How screwed am I?  I’m having trouble believing that he has $75,000 of medical bills related to a fender bender with practically no damage to either vehicle.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 You're not screwed. You're fine. These things get blown out of proportion all the time.

For them to actually get $75k, they need to prove those damages.

Your insurance company pays for lawyers to defend you.

A very high percentage of claims are settled within the policy limits.


Title: Advice on getting rid of a domestic violence charge against my partner that shouldn't be on him. Please, help me.

Question:
Hello, I am coming to you in desperate measures. In Albuquerque, my partner and I (males) had a run in with the law. I was intoxicated, had just recently fallen down the apartment stairs and was freaking out and yelling. The neighbors were gonna call the police on us, so my partner started to panic and tried to get me in his car where I started to fling my arms, freak out, and was mad about the cops being called, and unluckily my ear caught his tooth when I tried to lean into him and made it bleed, but we were unaware of this due to it being dark and both of us in a panic. So he finally calmed me down enough so he could take me to go grab something to eat and let this all settle down. Well not long after we got pulled over, and he had a couple drinks but he thought he was fine. The officers said it looked like we were fighting in the car, but really I was still freaking out and he tried to put his arm around me to calm me down. They took him out of the car, gave him the sobriety test, which he barley didn't pass sadly (That's another topic later) So I remember them asking me questions, but I don't remember what I told them, my partner has never laid a hand on me, or anyone, so I doubt I told the police that he did. But the people who called the police on us said it looked like he was beating me up in the car when we were still sitting at the apartment.

I'm sorry Reddit, I know this is rambling, but I really need some help. He does not deserve this on his record, he's too good of a person.

(Kinda) TL;DR My partner now has a domestic violence charge on him, because the neighbors called the cops and said he was beating me up. He took me to go get something to eat, police pulled us over, I was bloody from falling down the stair, and from when my ear knicked his tooth, and his hands had some blood on them. But the people who reported us said he beat me up (not true). Even if we have to go to court, what's the best thing I can do to make sure he isn't found guilty of this. I don't want to press any charges, and I want them all dropped. Please, help me and my love.

Answer: You do not have a choice regarding the charges. Your partner needs to hire an attorney. You need to be ready to tell the truth on the stand. That is about all you can do. You may try calling the DA's office and see if anyone will listen to your side of the story.


Title: where can I find a pro bono private investigator ?

Answer:
 Why do you think that someone will do their job for free?

Do you have a super-compelling case for them? Something that will give them all kinds of free, awesome publicity? Make them sleep better at night because of the services they've performed for you for free?


Title: How do I get out of custody of an emotionally abusive mother?

Question:
I get along with my dad very well, and I see him every other weekend as well as for a couple hours every other weekday, but my default home is my mother's house. I am 16(17 next month) and my friends keep telling me that I'm old enough choose who has custody, but I don't know what a reliable online source of information on the topic is, so I've arrived here. Any advice you can give would be amazing, thank you in advance :)
(I live in Massachusetts btw, in case that matters)
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Your dad needs to contact his attorney to petition the court for a change to the custody agreement. If your dad pays child support your mom will probably fight it.Answer #2: No. You dont get to choose until you are an adult. You have a right to have a say in court. The judge can decide how much weight to put on your input.

Your father can file for full custody of you


Title: Is it legal for my employer to require me to use PTO for federal holidays? Alabama.

Question:
Forgot I was on a throwaway. It's probably for the best anyway.

I am an employee who works for a branch of the Alabama state university system. I started my job back in March. Today is Memorial Day and I was required to work despite the holiday. This morning I get an email from the department secretary stating:

"July 4th is a mandatory holiday for the _______ department and all _____ offices will be closed. It is each staff member's responsibility to have 8 hours of PTO time reserved for this holiday."

This is the first time I have heard of this policy. Is it legal for the university to force me to use PTO for a holiday? I was told I would receive 21 days, and using these days for federal holidays means I will only receive 17 days of PTO total.

Answer:
 I get why you feel cheated here but I'm always a bit mystified that people think the legal system might help them out in a situation like this.

You should talk to your supervisor or HR department about this kind of thing, because it's actually in their interest to keep you happy and productive, not just do the bare minimum required by law.


Title: (OH) Hypothetical about Fabricated Evidence.

Question: Assume a suspect is in questioning, and the detectives on the case found a hat. They do not plan to use this hat in a trial, but they put said suspect's DNA on the hat to convince him they have strong evidence on him. Is there any law or code against this?

Answer: They would not actually put DNA on the hat, they would just claim they had found it there. Police lie and misrepresent facts all the time and it is not (generally speaking) illegal for them to do so.


Title: [United Kingdom] Does Queen Victoria have authority to stop Brexit

Question: I know the Queen and if there was one King are granted certain legal authority and are able to remove the Prime Ministers. Does she have authority to veto Brexit?

Answer:
 Considering that Queen Victoria died in 1901, I doubt she has any authority to veto Brexit or anything.

r/legaladviceuk is the better bet. But no monarch/king has the power nowadays to veto these things anymore as they’re essentially figureheads.


Title: 10 year old Car Loan Debt in Minnesota/Garnishment summons from Messerli and Kramer

Question: I have an old car loan that was sold from Baxter credit union to Messerli and Kramer. I submit a exemption every 6 months to not be garnished due to being on MA assistance for my family. Today they took over 2000 from my account with no formal warning or documentation to inform me this was going to occur. The last notice they sent on Sept 19th 2016 was to renew or update that my family was still on assistance. They garnished before I could respond to their notification that had no due date on it. My wife and I will no longer be eligible for MA next year due to me earning "Too Much" money according to government standards w/4 kids. My original debt was 10k and has now been spiked up to 30+k with fees. The debt was acquired in 2009 by M and K lawfirm. What options do I have if any? Please help me. As a father of 4 I definitely cannot afford to be garnished or even pay 30k worth of debt.  Thank you for your advice

Answer: If that payment has been taken, you already have a default judgement against you. It sounds like you have been missing some mail from them.


Title: Concerning the recent astroworld Travis Scott festival… questions about safety

Question:
I wasn’t there however from all the videos I saw it looked very packed and aggressive. I wanted to know, would it be legal to carry a taser or something and tase people who are being super aggressive at concerts like this to the point where you think you will be injured or your life will be in danger? We should be able to protect ourselves. I feel like I should be able to give someone a light poke to back off, especially if I’m feeling suffocated. Is this legal？
Topic:
BestOf

Answer:
 Imagine being the guy in the crowd who uses a taser, and then having all the lawyers from the venue and Travis Scott and all the insurance companies colluding to argue that the whole crowd crush was caused by your taser causing people to panic and that the whole thing- death, damage, etc- is your legal and civil liability.

Practically speaking a taser won't help you in a crowd crush. There's no room to make people back off and everyone's already panicking.Answer #2: > would it be legal to carry a taser or something and tase people who are being super aggressive at concerts

In a few jurisdictions, it'd be against the law to carry a taser regardless of whether you use it or not, or how you use it if you do.

In others, using a weapon against someone for merely being in your personal space would be disproportionate, beyond what is justifiable in self-defence.

Separately: how, exactly, do you expect a taser to help in a crush? The problem in a crush situation is that the people next to you _can't_ move away, any more than you can move away from them. Once a crush is developed, the people in it are trapped against one another by the weight of each other's bodies, all the way out to the edges. Shocking them will hurt, and might make them panic and do something to make the situation worse, but it won't buy you the personal space you need to get to safety.


Title: What are the potential legal ramifications of this situation?

Question: First-I reside in Ohio. A close friend of mine currently has a suspended license due to unpaid tickets. They're in the middle of saving enough money to pay the tickets but it may be a few weeks. If I were to put a car in my name while they drove it, what if anything, could happen to me if they were pulled over? Also, would car insurance need to be in my name?

Answer: Why would you even consider doing this? Your friend has proven himself to be irresponsible when it comes to driving. So you somehow think it's a great idea to let him loose with a few grand worth of vehicle and can't imagine anything going wrong?


Title: [Iowa traveling by car to Illinois] Was recently prescribed Adzenys (a schedule II ADHD drug), and it came with a travel case that is not part of the original packaging. What's the legality of using it to store a week's supply while traveling interstate?

Question:
Recently, I was prescribed Adzenys, which is a new-ish competitor to Adderall. It's been working out great for me, and I'm supposed to take them once a day in the morning - however, the pills themselves are quite fragile, and as such the manufacturer includes a hard-plastic travel case that is separate from the drug's original packaging that can hold a 6-day supply. The case is designed to carry each of the pills inside of their original blister packaging, with each blister being clearly labeled. (We can discuss the merits of a drug manufacturer including what is basically a cigarette case for their orange-flavored amphetamines, but I digress).

I'm going to be in Chicago for a week soon, and I would like to take my legally-prescribed medication with me. However, the original box itself is bulky and doesn't protect the pills well, and since I can only take one bag and will be in a situation where I don't feel comfortable leaving them where I am staying, I would like to keep the medication on my person at all times. However, I know many states have laws about carrying drugs outside of their original packaging, especially if they're otherwise illegal to possess without a prescription.

So, my question is, from a legal perspective, what's the safest way to travel with these pills while keeping them safe from being destroyed or from being stolen? Does the original box have any legal standing that the travel case that was also provided does not? I peeled off the semi-attached prescription label and attached it to the inside of the clear case - will that be enough to protect me if I am stopped or searched? Is it important that I carry the full prescription sheet given to me by the pharmacy as well?

Answer:
 As "back up" you could ask your prescribing dr for a letter stating that he prescribed them to you and for what condition ect... I'm currently going through the preparation for travel over seas to the UK and am sorting out what customs needs for my narcotics prescriptions. Having the pharmacy label along with the letter from your Dr I would think would be enough since you're not leaving the country like I am. Any law enforcement really should just want to be able to call the pharmacy /dr and confirm that you were the one prescribed the medications in question.

Edit: ONLY CARRY WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE DURATION OF THE TRIP, just in case there is a theft or confiscation. It can be harder than you think to replace controlled medications.


Title: My [26f] ex boyfriend [31m] has never paid child support for our 4 year old son. Today I received a letter stating he's taking me to court over it?(!) (Michigan, USA)

Question:
I am a single mother with a 4 year-old son. His father and I split up around four years ago when I found out he was cheating on me with multiple women. He has never paid any child support. I could have taken him to court for it when we separated, but he convinced me not to as he was unemployed at the time. (Around then he had also won an insurance lawsuit in the ballpark of $10,000 and promised he would send money for our son 'whenever he could'. Three years later I've learned that this means 'never'.)

Over the last three years I've worked my hands to the bone doing several different part-time jobs, just so that I can afford to pay my rent and raise my son alone. Meanwhile, my 'former drug-addict' ex stayed unemployed and absent from my son's life, eventually going on a 'spiritual cross-country hitchhiking road trip to help inspire his song writing process'. (Seriously)

This actually really got on my nerves; his 'deep and spiritual' song lyrics were things like "I'm on the road, missing my son at home..." Ugh.

Eventually, he ended up in a homeless shelter somewhere in California where he had an 'ethereal revelation' that he needed to come back to Michigan, get a job, and finally be a better father to our son. Unfortunately, this was all talk and nothing changed. This revelation was 2 years ago, yet I still haven't received any kind of child support from him, monetary or otherwise. I didn't mind, as honestly my life is a lot happier when I don't have to deal with his bullshit.

Since then my ex seems to have gotten his act together, found a new girlfriend (who is also a single mother), a new job and has started his own business on the side. A little irritating that he can afford to bring his new girlfriend out for expensive dinners and buy new toys or clothes for HER son, but still has spent no money on ours. I don't mind this as long as he leaves me alone though, as once again I need to state I am happier without him and his idiocy in my life.

Last November, he actually took ME to court because he felt he deserved visitation rights. I said this was fine, providing that he finally starts paying support for his son. (I tend to be a little timid when it comes to things like this, I've got no idea what my rights are and I'm a little scared to speak up in these situations) That day in court, I more or less let him make a fool out of himself in front of the hearing and it made me smile a little seeing how much of an idiot he proved himself to be.

I now realize that I was ultimately the loser that day, as now I am legally obliged to let this guy see my son twice a week indefinitely. What's worse, is that I STILL haven't received a cent in child support over three months later. It is slowly driving me into insanity having to deal with this asshole twice a week, and I am sure my son feels the same animosity towards him. (For daycare he had to draw a picture of his family, and it was just me and him. When my ex asked him "Wuddabout me?" my son told him he wasn't a part of his family :) )

The other week, he left me a message telling me to call the child support off and to "stop this nonsense" as if this is a personal vendetta between him and me. How can he be this stupid!? I work paycheck to paycheck just so I can afford our food and rent! I have no savings whatsoever for MY future let alone our sons! I can't even afford his daycare, my S.O. has paid over $8000 from his own pocket just so my son could interact with children his own age and get a basic education while I'm at work. I love my S.O. but it fills me with immense guilt because my son should not be his problem!

Today, I received a letter in the mail saying that he has been to the court and filled in some paperwork stating he can only afford "$50-$100 biweekly" (Which I know is an outright lie) and that he thinks he shouldn't have to pay regular child support because he "didn't get a choice in selecting our son's daycare". (!?)

Is there any legal action I can take to either force him to pay child support or get him out of my life completely? Legally he owes me $3400 from just this last 3 months, let alone the last 4 years of my life spent raising our son alone. I can't believe he is doing this to me again, it feels like he gets to do whatever he wants with no guilt or consequence and it make me feel so helpless and stupid.

TL;DR - Ex boyfriend brought me to court because he wanted visitation rights, despite having been mostly absent from our 4 year-old son's life both physically and financially. It was agreed he could visit twice a week, provided he starts paying child support. 3 months of visitation later, I still haven't received a drop of child support and have just received a court summons from my ex stating he can only wants to pay '$50-$100 biweekly', even though I know he can absolutely afford the full amount. How do I either get him out of my life entirely, or force him to pay the full amount?

EDIT: The amount ordered by the court is a little over $800 per month. He is also supposed to put my son on his health insurance plan through his work, but he has not done that yet either.

Answer:
 > Today, I received a letter in the mail saying that he has been to the court and filled in some paperwork stating he can only afford "$50-$100 biweekly" (Which I know is an outright lie) and that he thinks he shouldn't have to pay regular child support because he "didn't get a choice in selecting our son's daycare". (!?)

This was a letter from him? Or from the court? Did he tell you that he's filed for a modification to support?

If he's not paying his court-ordered support, contact [Michigan Child Support Enforcement](http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-164-18155_34799---,00.html).Answer #2: It's unclear from your narrative above---is there actually a court-ordered child support amount?Answer #3: So sorry you have to deal with such a moron.  I'm assuming you have a child support order and hes filed for a modification seeking to reduce it?  It doesn't seem like anything has changed in three months so the reduction should be denied.  If he fails to pay file for contempt and ask the judge for jail time.  If he doesn't like being in contempt then maybe he would be willing to terminate his rights. Answer #4: He is not going to pay any child support unless you get a court order requiring him to.  Stop trying to negotiate with him and waiting for him to start paying voluntarily.  It's just not going to work.

If you want child support, get a lawyer and sue him for it.  If you want him out of your life, get a lawyer and ask for visitation to be terminated.  You can most likely only pick one of these options, not both, so pick wisely.Answer #5: > Legally he owes me $3400 from just this last 3 months,

According to who? Is there a support order in place?


Title: Landlord and Roommate trying to evict me- SF

Question:
Two years ago I signed a two year lease with a college acquaintance (Co-tenant situation... equal rights). The unit is rent controlled in SF! (I was happy to discover this recently). As our lease expired she has been aggressively trying to threaten and force me out. Needless to say we are not friends, nor do we pretend to be. I know I can remain on a Month to Month, and ignore her rants. I tell her to fuck off, and have the Landlord evict me because a roommate has no authority to do so.

The night after this... someone slashes my tires. Coincidence or not?

 She and the Landlord have this bond and have managed to execute a new lease. I found out after the fact... about three days into her new lease I am  now out of the loop? Shady! Additionally, the landlord failed to mention any of this, until the doc was allegedly signed. I have demanded to see the new lease and both parties refuse to show me. The landlord is in the works of drafting a "move-out" notice. They are both in some illegal territory by trying to evict me. The landlord has given my rent deposit to the other tenant, and she has no authority to receive money that was exchanged directly between myself and the landlord.

What should my next steps be?

-notgunabackdown

Answer: If you believe that you're being evicted in a way that violates the city rent control ordinance, you can [file a complaint with the Rent Board](http://www.sfrb.org/index.aspx?page=1). Do not mention your belief that this is happening because of an "ethnic bond"; racism won't help your case.


Title: Landlord is threatening eviction, verbal lease, rent is paid (TX)

Question:
My mother in law, who is also my landlord, has decided to inform me that in 3 days, if my employment situation hasn't changed she will be evicting me. I'm currently unemployed, but trying my hardest to find a new job, applications online and in-person.

I live in this house with my wife and my 5-yo daughter. My question is, can she evict me for being unemployed (w/out a written lease)?

With that being said, rent is paid up, we aren't delinquent(sp), my wife works.

any help would be appreciative. Thanks

Answer: No. She can give you proper notice (likely thirty days) to end your tenancy. But she cannot give you a the day notice if you are paid up on your rent.


Title: I was arrested last night for disorderly conduct after someone started a fight with me.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Lawyer. Answer #2: >What do I do ?

Hire an attorney.


Title: [CA] How can I control what is done in case of my death?

Question:
If I happen to die before my parents I want to be able to have a say in what happens with my body and the proceedings. I am not interested in my possessions since I don't really have anything of value. I want to be able to state that I want to be cremated and want no visitations or whatever it is called, I don't want any official religious ceremony taking place or any of that. Is there a way I can control this?
I am only asking because a family member died recently and they had a very typical Catholic funeral/visitation/etc and I realized I want nothing to do with that.

Answer:
 Consider donating your body to science. They harvest useful tissues, then cremate whatever is left. You can probably make some stipulations about the details, but that's going to vary.

The best part is that there's really nothing anyone can do about it because the schools have a fair amount of experience in fighting this sort of thing off, and have a vested interest in securing your cadaver.Answer #2: You can't stop people from holding a funeral or any type of gathering. People can gather for any reason they want to. They may not be able to get your remains but you can't stop them from having a service however they want to have one. Answer #3: If you're dead, you probably won't careAnswer #4: It's very common to include last wishes on a will, including disposition of remains and type of service, but the issue is enforcement. If you don't think your family would honor those wishes, you should appoint a durable power of attorney to act on your behalf, which would trump the usual deference to next if kin as the person who gets to make those decisions.


Title: Florida, Jacksonville: Brother[34] moved back in with parents "temporarily" 2-3 years ago or something like that. Is an eviction notice required?

Question: My mother is disabled[broken back but mobile, epileptic] and him living here has been stressing her out[can cause her to have a seizure]. She's told my father that she wants him out, but he pussy foots around the issue for some unknown reason. I was talking to her a little bit ago and she says she is scared to confront him about it because apparently he is a mean person[he's killed animals in his adult life, ferret for biting him, broke his dogs leg once because it wouldn't obey him in the shower apparently, all word of mouth I think, but needless to say confronting him scares her]. I told her she should just call the police and she said something about needing a 30 day eviction notice, is this true? To my knowledge he hasn't ever paid any sort of rent, has his own home and there's no lease.

Answer:
 Yes, you need to go through the eviction process.

HOWEVER, if she has documentation of the animal abuse OR he becomes violent towards her, she may be eligible for a restraining order (called a " injunction for protection against domestic violence " in Florida). If that were granted, he'd functionally be kicked out of the house until the eviction process was completed.

Edit: whoever responded to me..you're shadowbanned.


Title: 11 year old marginally autistic boy abused by biological father

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 What is your relation to the situation?

In any event, you can notify CPS whenever you believe abuse has occurred. They will not notify the father who reported him.

Edit: also, we need your location.


Title: I found several Tumblr blogs promoting child porn and rape. What do I do?

Question:
Hello. Throwaway because I'm freaked out.

I found a tumblr post warning about a rise in blogs on Tumblr posting about raping children, posting photos of young children posing suggestively (always with clothes on but... still incredibly suggestive), blatantly saying things like "I'm going to rape my underage stepdaughter" etc. It's fucking frightening. I clicked on two of the blogs, not really thinking it through, but then saw it was really legit and I immediately clicked out of the blogs.

I reported those two blogs in a cyber tip to the National Center for Exploited & Missing Children. But two questions:

1. What more can I do? Report to the FBI?
2. Am I going to get in trouble for having clicked on these two blogs?

Any advice. Please.

Answer:
 My first tip would be to report it to the FBI ( https://www.fbi.gov/tips ). You wouldn't get in trouble with the US for clicking on a link and then reporting it. As for abroad, I cant say their rules, but odds are you're fine.Answer #2: It's almost certainly a violation of the Tumblr TOS.  You can report them to Tumblr to get the blog taken down.Answer #3: 1) Report it to Tumblr. Expect them not to do anything because the site is a headless zombie stumbling towards oblivion. Which is good because it means these blogs aren't going to be around for much longer.

2) Realize that these are almost certainly bots rather than actual people.

3) Report it to the FBI and let them decide if they want to do anything.

4) No, you will not get in trouble. Nobody is watching you.

5) Honestly? Once the reports are made, just move on with your life. The internet is a wild place.


Title: My electronics were taken away when leaving LAX and DHS doesn't answer my calls

Question:
California

&nbsp;

Hi, I'll try to keep this short.

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I've been living in the states for 7 years. I finished my bachelors and masters in engineering from one of the best engineering schools in the US. Clean record. So I was leaving the country for good from LAX and I got stopped by DHS right before getting on the plane and was interrogated for more than an hour. They took away two phones (current and old), a laptop, a PC tower, and 4 hard drives.

&nbsp;

They never gave me a reason but the paperwork said "ongoing investigation". They wouldn't give me any contact info but I kept pressing and they gave me a phone number. They said it'll take 30 days max before they send them to me. that was on Feb 6th

&nbsp;

I've been calling nonstop every day for the past 7 weeks and they only answered me 3 times to say they're still working on it. the last time they answered me was more than three weeks ago and the guy said he'll check on my stuff and call me back but he never did. I have three different people I call and no one ever answers. The front desk lady picks up the phone every few days and literally hangs up on me, I can hear her fumbling with the phone.

&nbsp;

So now I'm desperate and everyone is telling me to forget about my stuff. But everything I had from the past 7 years was taken away. all my photos in the hard drives. my PC. my phone. I'm an electrical engineer with a CS minor, 4 hard drives shouldn't be surprising as I was living there 7 years.

&nbsp;

I'm starting to think I should hire a lawyer because idk what else to do.
Any help from you guys would be amazing, just pointing me to the right direction of who to contact would be a lot of help.

&nbsp;

edit: I'm from Saudi Arabia.

Answer:
 Contact your former school, the Senators for the state the school was in and the House Members for the district.  They all can light a fire under DHS for you.

If there is a legitimate investigation/issue, you'll need a lawyer and they won't accomplish anything.

If this is just racial harassment, a lawyer will take forever and the above options may take days.Answer #2: I found this form to complain to CBP. https://help.cbp.gov/app/forms/complaint/kw/travel

I don't know if they will ignore it as well, but it's worth trying.

If that fails, then you will need a lawyer.


Title: Undercover strip club sting

Question:
A friend of mine believes law enforcement tried to set him up in a bizarre sting at a strip club.

He was sitting at the bar next to some guys who he described as acting strange. On two different occasions one of the guys got up and walked past my friend and gave him a dollar and said “someone dropped a dollar” and placed it right next to him.

He left it there. My questions is, is it illegal to up a dollar off the floor at a strip club? Would it have been illegal to accept it? Could this have been a strange LE sting? Any input appreciated.

Answer: Your friend is paranoid.


Title: DUI question. I'm really scared.

Question: Hi everyone I appreciate the time for you reading and responding.  I'm a 23-year-old female who got her first DUI back in May in Santa Ana, California. I am a UCLA student and did not do my 10 days of community service because of school nor have i been able to pay my fine because I'm a broke student. I am, however, enrolled in my 9 month DUI program and have been attending my AA meetings. Where do I even begin?

Answer:
 Check with court to see if a warrant for your arrest has been issued.
Start doing 16 hours a day community service tomorrow.
Sell everything but your school books and put it towards your fine.
Ask court for forgiveness and/or jail time be served on school breaks.


Title: [IL] My fiancé's employer is refusing to make "reasonable accommodations" for her history of back injuries. Just wondering if she has a case.

Question:
Hey! So my fiancé works as an EMT and underwent extensive back surgery last summer due to degenerative disk disease.

Anyway, today my fiancé's boss told her she had to work on a bariatric ambulance, which is used to transport patients weighing over 300 lbs. Her employer was well aware of her back condition when she started working there in December of 2014 and she has never had a problem lifting and moving normal sized patients. Her boss said she had to work the bariatric ambulance or she would be fired.

Could this be considered a failure of her employer to provide reasonable accommodations for her pre-existing back condition?

Answer: Does the bari truck have a winch or a load system? Its actually easier to work on a dedicated bariatric truck in my experience. There's always extra help and more devices to assist.Answer #2: There's a couple of factors here:  Is the issue ongoing (in that it currently causes her some kind of disability on a day to day basis)?  Is her employer aware of that fact and what she can and cannot do?  Is she able to work in that ambulance without aggravating that issue?  And given that this happened today, did she tell her boss "My doctor says I cannot lift over X amount of weight" or some similar restriction?


Title: Landlord in New Jersey claims we destroyed apartment but did not, and kept our deposit?

Question:
I moved in to my old apartment in September 2015 with my husband. Things went smoothly for the whole year we were there, and we got along with our landlord (will call him "Ed"). When we first moved in, we noticed a DirecTV dish on the building, and we asked if we could use it for our own service. He approved. So we got the dish service installed without having to alter the property.

On the day we were supposed to move out (9/29), Ed comes to us, very pissed off. He claims that we installed the dish without his permission and he wanted us to haul it off. We told him that it had always been there, but he didn't believe us. We called DirectV to see if they can come take it, and they said they could not (they claim they prefer the dishes stay up so it can be "free advertising" for their company). Ed actually grabbed the phone from me and started screaming at the representative. I'd never seen the man so angry before. After the heated conversation, he threw my phone down, and it wasn't damaged. He grabbed a ladder, and told my husband to get it down. I feared for my husband's safety as he's never done anything like that before so I just requested that Ed take the cost of taking the dish down out of our deposit and to include it in a notarized letter with all the deductions from the deposit. Ed never answered my request but we left, both of us shaken.

For two weeks, we had not heard from Ed so I called him. I asked him if he sent the letter. He asked what letter. I then asked if he was going to send what was left of the deposit to us. Ed hung up.
After that, we heard nothing from him until yesterday, 11/14. I got a letter from Ed with $5 in the envelope. In the letter, he claimed that we had damaged the apartment, that there was peeled paint, a horrible smell, toilet was damaged, floor was scratched up, the satellite dish was obstructing something on his roof etc. He says he had to use $995 of our $1000 and that "we should be lucky" he was generous to not make us pay more after "what we did".

The apartment was in stellar condition after we left. Nothing was busted or anything that he claimed in the letter. We took a few pics of the empty apartment on our phone before we left as that's always recommended online. I feel he has unjustly scammed us out of our deposit. We have no idea how to proceed from here. Can we take Ed to small claims court? What are our odds of winning? Is it worth it? Do we need a lawyer? Neither of us have ever been in legal trouble before so I am unfamiliar with how any of this works.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 In NJ, the LL has 30 days after you move out to give you an itemized accounting of any deductions from your deposit and the remainder of the deposit.

So, he missed that deadline, which is going to be a problem for him when you sue.

Also, NJ allows you to sue him for double the amount he wrongfully withheld plus interest, court costs, and reasonable attorney's fees.


Title: (USA)We are getting close to striking at work (under a union) and our manager is now barring overtime in a healthcare setting.

Question:
(California)I work in a hospital. We joined a union due to our benefits/retirements being cut, wages not being raised in over 5 years and general bullying from administration.
We have been in negotiations for almost two years now and our meeting for wage proposals is tomorrow. We have made it clear that if we do not like the counteroffer, we will strike, since our original proposal was very modest, and we weren't asking for a lot. (we are asking for the wages of the 4th lowest paid hospital in the region, we are the 5th lowest paid)

As of tonight though, all overtime has been banned. I am working out of scope with the amount of patients I am watching, and my coworker was willing to come in and help.

my coworker called the House Supervisor (which is sort of the hospital wide boss, they control staffing) and they said that there was a note for them to call the manager if anyone tried to add on to help.
So my coworker called the manager, and they told them that they were plenty of staffed. (everywhere except for my position) and told them they couldn't come in.

I called back the night house supervisor later to ask again, because I'm really busy and it sucks. I told them vaguely what happened, and they decided to call the manager at 9pm themselves. They called me back and said that our manager was barring any additional overtime, and that my coworker was not allowed to work with me because "they had their reasons"

Currently, I am violating hospital policy for the amount of patients I am with, yet my manager has no problem openly violating these policies because of "their reasons"

The only thing I can think of why my manager is doing this is because they want to hurt us if we strike. If you know anything about healthcare you'll probably realize that we work tons of overtime. We could work overtime everyday if we wanted to. But all of this has come to a stop. By not being able to work overtime and pick up shifts, we will lose out on our normal wages by striking. Which will prove troublesome to a lot of people.

I think this is a scare tactic and a pout of aggression by administration, but after almost two years of negotiations, we have been left with no choice but to strike it seems. Now they are just making this all that much harder for us.

I really don't know what is going to happen next. But is there anything that can be done?
I signed an "Objection Despite Assignment" to cover my butt if something were to happen, but this is not acceptable in my books.

I know hospital policy and state laws differ, but what they are doing seems very aggressive and wanton in nature

Small update: union rep called. They seemed pissed. They are going to start a formal inquiry today on this. Will see what happens. Any advice is still welcome, though

Update 2: I sat down for breakfast in the cafeteria with the night shift house sups. They made documentation to it too because this event is very suspicious. Apparently they talked to the manager and apparently the manager said no because they had plans to fix the issue. But what raised eyebrows is she did not give a way to fix the issue, and her solution is only making the problem worse.

They themselves emailed the higher ups asking the same thing whether the manager had the power to do this and if they could over ride their authority to provide safe staffing.

Also the staffing administrator met with me afterwards, and they told me they did not like this at all, and they would look into this as well.

So it seems like I have support from all sides, even some administration , and I guess I will find out today hopefully what the heck happens next. My guess, it's not gonna be pretty.

Answer:
 Jesus Christ doesn't anyone here know anything? First, is this a public or private sector union? Second the issue is whether the employer is committing an unfair labor practice by a blanket ban on overtime. You talk about strike, they respond with this. It's almost a classic unfair labor practice since there is no other explanation for the action. The union organizers need to take this to their attorneys to decide if a complaint is appropriate or not. They probably will since it will put pressure on the negotiations. That's what you do. Disregard the rest of the crap you got here.Answer #2: >By not being able to work overtime and pick up shifts, we will lose out on our normal wages by striking. Which will prove troublesome to a lot of people.

I'm confused.  Are you expecting to pick up each others' shifts while striking to get paid?  That's what striking is, you refuse to work at your own loss to make a point to the employer.  Or, am I misunderstanding the whole thing?

As far as I know, you're correct in that as long as they don't violate any laws, they can violate their own policies all they want.


Title: (NC,US) is it illegal to have someone's nude photos after a breakup if they don't want you having them?

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons, but can she do anything if I still have nude photos she sent with consent during our relationship if she no longer wants me having them?

Edit: is it possible for anyone to even find out that I still have them?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Was she over 18 at the time the photos were taken?


Title: Illinois I-Pass Bill

Question: I recently visited Illinois and went through their tollway.  I figured they were going to send me a bill for what I owed from using the tollway.  However, that bill never came.  Now, two months later, I have received notice of what I owe($13.60) along with a heavy fine for missing a payment($133.60 in total).  I am seeing that many other people have been ripped off by I-Pass/EZ-Pass.  I am willing to pay what I owe for using the toll.  However, it's outrageous to be expected to pay a fine of almost 900% for a bill that I am one month late on that I never received.  After searching around, it doesn't seem like many people have been successful disputing these fines.  What is my best option for fighting this?

Answer:
 Did you call them? Every single time this has happened to me or family/friends. They just call and reduce the bill to like, $1.90 or something tiny like that.

Also, the lanes are pretty clearly marked to not go through I-PASS and go through cash lanes. Why didn't you use the cash lanes? The markings for them start like 2 miles out.


Title: German Hospital charge - Help!!!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Did you inform them of your UK insurance status? I'm pretty sure that within the European Economic Area health insurance is almost interchangeable.

> I've been very foolish and naïve to go without travel insurance, but surely this is a massive overcharge! What is my best course of action here to get this reduced?

Talk to be hospital or the entity operating the hospital.

> a €100 charge for "education" ??!!!

If you provide the German word I may be able to translate it more properly. I think that you're miss-translating the word here.

Also if you are allergic to peanuts why did you not have the appropriate medication with you?


Title: [CA] Accidentally missed jury duty, what are my next steps?

Question:
I checked the Santa Clara, CA, jury duty website last Sunday, and it said my group number did not need to report. I thought this applied to the whole jury process, and didn't report when I was supposed to on Monday (I was supposed to check again on Monday. I found out that I missed when I just happened to randomly check again today, Wednesday.)

I tried calling the courthouse but they closed at 3 PM Pacific, and I emailed the courthouse but they take 3-5 business days to respond. What should my next steps be?

Below is the email I sent. Should I send them a follow up and let them know I am able to attend any future jury duties? I am freaking out a little about this honest mistake:

    Hello,

    I was in Group x, and checked online on Sunday to see if I would have to report. The Santa Clara County
    website said I did not have to report (see screenshot). I visited the website today, and it said Group x was
    already used this week.

    Does that mean that I accidentally missed attending? If so, what are my next steps? My badge number is x.

    Thanks,
    johnchenbusiness

Answer: Just call in the morning. They're not out to get people who make honest mistakes and try to rectify them.


Title: Signing bonus payback options (Employment)

Question:
Summary:

My start date with my current employer was 12/6/2016 and I agreed to a signing bonus. I'm frankly not happy at my current job for a number of reasons and as a result, another company has made me an offer to leave that strategically, would really improve my career. Unfortunately I'm a few months short of my 2-year anniversary. What are my options? Here is what I'm seeing but before seeking legal advice locally I wanted to see what you all thought. This is in the United States, Missouri specifically.

&#x200B;

Actual clause that was agreed to:

"Additionally, you will receive a **$10,000 signing bonus** that is contingent on whether you voluntarily leave within TWO years of your start date; if you do leave voluntarily, you will be responsible for reimbursing Coolfire for the entire $10,000 signing bonus."

&#x200B;

Options that I'm seeing:

1) put in 2 weeks like normal. Once I leave pay back the full amount

2) work with HR after leaving, see if I can get them to agree to a prorated amount with the explanation that I do not have the funds to pay it back fully. My thought process here is they'd probably rather get something quickly than it take a significant amount of time (and effort) to get the full amount.

3) Strategically get fired. I would not be voluntarily leaving if I was let go? This might actually take some effort, as this workplace is very relaxed and I don't want to do anything that would have any legal ramifications. That being said, this company is the type where your bridges are burned when you leave with the management, regardless of the cause, terms, or reason.

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It may be a stretch but I can probably afford to pay them back in full, I just feel like they mis-represented the role / culture / benefits of the company. In retrospect I realize this agreement was probably unwise but hey, hindsight is 20/20.

&#x200B;

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Answer: Ask your new company to pay you a signing bonus equal to or greater than what you owe to your previous employer.


Title: Help! Our Company is running out of money and I'm going start working without a salary (California)

Question:
Our company is running out of money.  We will be unable to make payroll in about 4 weeks.  We are going to have to let the remaining 7 employees go at that time. As I am one of the senior executives I've been selected by the board of directors to keep things going without drawing a salary.  I can do so for a couple of months.... and hopefully by that time we will have monies coming in again.

What do I need to do now to make certain that once we have money again, I can collect pay for my work performed during that period?

Answer:
 Why are you so sure that they will have money eventually? If they go bankrupt, you'll get nothing. The employer/employee relationship is very clear. You work, and they pay you. If they can't pay you, typically, you don't work.

I'd recommend spending the next four weeks looking for a new job.


Title: Sharing Internet between family with more than one household. (Vermont, usa)

Question:
Hello, This is regarding Xfinity terms and Internet sharing.

My parents own a business and bought wireless antennas. I live in an apartment on another property owned by my parents and the family wants to share internet between 4 buildings. My brother, parents and myself each have a house to ourselves and the business is the 4th building.  The antennas would let me and my brother and parents use the internet.

Is this legal? I’m a bit confused because xfintiy terms mentions you can’t share the internet but we are family and we aren’t sharing it with neighbors or people we don’t know. I'm just trying to figure out how to do this without getting my parents service terminated.
I also checked with the Attorney General office and I was told this shouldn't be illegal but may void the agreement as it's per house hold.

 I checked with Xinifty already and they don't have an internet only option that fits my budget. I don't want TV either or phone. I just want internet and the only way and affordable for me is through sharing.

the homes and business me and my family own are 4 different physical addresses but all one driveway.

not giving out my actual address but example is "40 41 and 43 smiths lane" Each person in the family gets the same mail all at one address. The billing account for the internet is for that same one mailing address. All paid by the parents who own the internet.

We tried getting a business class internet service but was told we can't do that because my parents have two offices in two different buildings and we want TV in one building and internet in the other.

What's even more confusing is that the terms say the internet is for one family only and we are a family but then below that it mentions you can't tamper with the service or add to it or share it out of the household. That is what's not adding up for me or my family.

Answer: If Xfinity finds this out they can shut it down no problem.


Title: Expungement

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You need to consult with a lawyer. You're a multiple felon. This isn't the same as expunging a single minor in possession conviction.Answer #2: You are most likely not going to get those expunged, and you will certainly fail most background screenings. One GTA, maybe the DWI,  but combined, not likely. Also, I have not ever heard of an assault on LEO getting expunged, and if it does happen, it is extremely rare.Answer #3: I am going to be blunt - that is going to be a hard one to expunge having be multi occurrences. Once yes most likely getting it expunged would be easy and even if it wasn't if you were upfront in the paperwork for background checks depending on how far back it is they might let it go. I work in the industry and most of my candidates have squeaky clean records and nothing that can haunt them. The top 3 things that keep from clearance. Financial, criminal and drug use. People get clearances revoke for one DWI.

I have had to completely fix my financial with a mentor because of a divorce...it went through but I had stacks of paperwork documenting everything I was doing.

Find out process and see what can be done and Stay out of trouble Answer #4: Can you even get all of that expunged?


Title: [Oregon] My mom got carbon monoxide poisoning (Doctor verified) in her apartment. Landlords said they fixed the problem but actually didn't, and didn't supply tenant with working CO alarm batteries upon move-in.

Question:
I'm sorry if this isn't in order, I'm just really worried about my mom and I''m trying to figure out what the next step is. If you have any questions, please ask, and I would be happy to answer.

So my mom lives in Oregon, and about a month ago she would sometimes wake up to find black soot all over her apartment. The furnace was putting the carbon monoxide into the apartment, but the alarm never went off. She has been living in this apartment for 3 months now, so the CO alarm should still be in working condition, right? Well turns out there were no working batteries in it. I looked it up and read that landlords are required to supply their tenants at move-in time with working batteries for the CO alarms, and tenants are only required to test them every six months. The landlords made two apartments out of their garage, one of which my mom lives in. Apparently when building it they combined the flue from the furnaces of each apartment to simplify things. I'm not sure if that is okay by code or not, but when someone finally came to check out the furnace they made a comment about how it shouldn't be that way. Also, for the multiple times that my mom asked the landlords to fix the problem with the furnace, they tried fixing it themselves and didn't call the above mentioned guy to check it out until after my mom got carbon monoxide poisoning. My mom told me that when it was opened up after the landlord tried to fix it, apparently he basically just wrapped some bags around the pipes. Her doctor told me that she has permanent loss of brain function because her CO levels were so high. She said that she had never seen someone with CO levels that high, and that most people die when this happens. The problem had been happening for at least a month before she even knew about the CO leak. Her lease isn't over yet, but she already put in her move-out notice and has been staying with friends to avoid any more carbon monoxide.

I apologize again if it's hard to understand, but please feel free to ask questions. Who should I call next? The fire department? Do I have them inspect it to see if it's safe to live in and meets code? Do you think I should contact a lawyer? Could she file for a personal injury lawsuit or something like that? Thank you very much for any and all help.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 >Her doctor told me that she has permanent loss of brain function because her CO levels were so high.

This makes this case more extreme than 99% of the questions you see on this subreddit. Damages could be extreme.

For once, I suggest you contact a lawyer. Irreversible brain damage is a serious deal.Answer #2: Contact a lawyer first thing tomorrow. Do not delay. If they believe you have a case, it is almost guaranteed they will take it on contingency because the damages from this could potentially be very high.Answer #3: 1) Call a lawyer. If your mom is cognitively impaired and that can be tied to the CO poisoning she has significant grounds for a lawsuit and damages.

You want to call a personal injury lawyer who has had experience with cognitive impairment cases.  Call your local attorney organization and asks for firms that practice personal injury law. Then go to their websites-they will list their recent cases -and read the description of the types of cases they have won.  You don't want a 'slip and fall' or car crash attorney-you want someone with products liability or med mal experience.

Call the fire department and the building inspector so that she is not allowed to rent to anyone else unless she changes the HVAC system


Title: My girlfriends mom keeps asking us for money to bail her son out of jail. Two times caught in a different state with Meth.

Question:
So, story goes that my girlfriend has a real piece of shit brother who makes and sells meth in the shitty County next to us. Around a month ago, he was on his way to Georgia and gets cuaght with I don't know how much meth but he had a duffel bag full of it, guns, pills, and whatever the hell he does extra. I was excited because I thought for sure he was going to jail for a long time, but they somehow miraculously came up with the money to post his bail. A couple of weeks after that incident, he's back in KY again and makes his way back to GA, only to get caught again. The mom came back to us to ask us for $300 to get him out of jail for the second time, which my girlfriend just up and gave her. I'm skeptical that the money was used to get him out of jail because of the prior charges he had when he was arrested two weeks before for the same thing.

Basically, my question is if someone gets caught on trafficking, gun charges, whatever he was charged with at first, if they get caught a second time before their court date, is there bond really going to be so low that $300 is going to help? I was under the impression that you'll literally just go right to jail if you're caught with stuff in another state, especially the second time in a month.

Answer: Shot in the dark answer is the money might be for a lawyer..