Title: [Hypotethical, US] Police and the use of "suppressing fire"

Question:
Need advice for my writing.

I've got a scenario where a country sheriff who is following a group of bank robbers opens fire with a hunting rifle to "suppress" them, drive them into cover and keep them pinned until the pursuing policemen can reach them. At times his shots fly within inches from them (expert marksman etc).

In a situation like that, where a sheriff opens fire without any real threat to his life (He's about 200-300 meters from them), could that lead to legal or disciplinary consequences for him? And more generally, what are the rules for police officers in these types of situation?

Answer:
 Suppressive fire is for preventing people from taking good shots at you.

If you're shooting at a shooter in an attempt to prevent him from firing on an entry team, that's supressive fire, and provided you know your backdrop and are being reasonable about it, it's fine.

Shooting at someone who is not presenting any threat at all to "drive them into cover" is NOT supressive fire, and is likely to be seen in a very negative light.


Title: [AL] 17, want to travel to Europe with a friend, can't get permission

Question:
Hi!

I'm in a tough situation and was wondering if anyone could help. This summer my friend (18) wants me to go with him to Europe and stay there in various places for a few weeks. He's well off and has all expenses covered for me. The issue is, my mother isn't allowing me to go. Every part of me wants to just walk out the door, get picked up and come back in a few weeks. I'm practically an adult and I feel like I should be making decisions for myself. However, the age of majority in Alabama is 19, and the minimum age to become emancipated is 18. I don't want to get in any legal trouble for being a "runaway" or anything like that. I feel like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I really don't want to miss out on it.

I'd really appreciate any help you guys can provide.

Answer: You could get in trouble and your friend could get in trouble for doing this as well if you do this. Your best bet is to try and talk your mother into letting you go, but if she says no then you have to listen to her.Answer #2: There isn't any legal advice to give. Unless you can convince your mother, you're going to miss out.


Title: Walmart damaged my car.

Question:
I will try to keep this short but have included a TL/DR below.

I took my car (2016 Chrysler 200 I bought new) to Walmart a couple weeks ago to have two new front tires put on it. In the process of lifting my car they damaged the panels that run along the bottom/side of my drivers side, below the front and back doors.  There are now two 6”x8” spots where the paint has totally flaked off of my car due to this damage.

The day the work was done I called the Walmart service department and asked where their lift goes under the car the next day and they told me “in front of the rear tires and behind the front tires”. This is exactly where the damage is. I explained the damage and they told me to come in a file a claim.  A few days later I finally had time on my lunch break to take my car in to file my claim and they took pictures of the damage.

Two days later I get a call from Walmart claims department someplace in Arkansas and am asked to repeat my whole claim over the phone, I did, and referenced the pictures that were taken and the guy didn’t even have them yet, the rep had a clear attitude over the phone and was essentially accusing me of lying with his tonality and skepticism.  Another 3-4 days pass and then I get a call back from the same rep. He tells me “I watched the video and I can assure you that no wrongdoing occurred and we will not be taking responsibility for the damage to our car”.  I responded asking for a copy of this video and was told that it is the property of Walmart and would not be shared.  I then told him that I bought my car with zero miles and have baby’d it it’s whole life and it has never had a scratch, how then does two sections of paint flake off a day after you had my vehicle for 4 hours?

He responded, verbatim: “I would suggest taking it to your dealer, you might have bad paint.”  —— HE TOLD ME THAT MY CAR MIGHT HAVE BAD PAINT!!

I had a few choice words without cursing at him for some reason and that was that, claim denied, no paperwork sent to me, no email confirming this conversation, just one man’s opinion that I have “bad paint”.

Is there anything that I can do short of hiring an attorney?  I’m sure Walmart has lawyers on retainer who would be happy to talk about this for the next 3 years before I get a dime. Should I just cut my losses and let the little man lose to the corporation?

TL/DR: Walmart 100% damaged my car and denied my claim based on a video they won’t let me view.

Answer: File a claim with your insurance company and let them slug it out with Walmart.


Title: HOA refusing to look at cameras to find stolen packages

Question:
I live in an apartment building in California with a secured front lobby that all delivery drivers have access to in order to safely leave packages. Our mailroom is down the hall and is even more secure (past another door). Both are under 24/7 camera monitoring.

Recently I had a USPS package say it was delivered but I never got it. I confirmed with them that the carrier delivered it, and have asked my property manager (we are the only unit that rents) to ask the HOA president to review camera footage to see what happened to the package. My property manager also instructed me to leave posters around the mailroom, so I did.

HOA president promptly removed all 3 of my posters and replaced them with one with tiny font that doesn’t mention at all how he hasn’t looked at the cameras like my poster did. I’m in the process of writing up another poster basically calling him out and asking what gives.

I’m not the only one who has had packages go missing with no answer from HOA. My downstairs neighbors (who are homeowners) have had SIX packages that say delivered disappear, and the HOA president did not help them either with reviewing the footage. He’s the only one who has access.

Recently, a fire alarm was pulled in the middle of the night and he was able to figure out from the camera footage who did it. He did so quickly and with no trouble. However, every time we ask him to review the footage regarding the packages, he has some excuse and refuses.

Stealing mail is a federal crime and I feel I have the right to know where my package went. I pay an exorbitant amount of rent, partly because I chose this apartment due to how secure and safe it was.

What do I do? I feel like suing him but I don’t know for what. I’m so frustrated and upset.

Answer:
 > I’m in the process of writing up another poster basically calling him out and asking what gives.

Quit doing petty call-outs.  It's not going to help you and will only hurt you.

The HOA doesn't owe you footage or to look at the footage, unless somehow your lease specifically allows for this.  If you want to report this to the police, do so.  If the police choose to, they can subpoena the footage.


Title: I work in a fast food restaurant in Wisconsin. Whenever customers are in the lobby when we close, we've always asked them to leave. Today, a customer tells me that it's illegal in WI to kick customers out at close. True or not?

Question: Quick google searches haven't found anything relevant but I'm hoping someone here might know for sure.

Answer:
 Of course you can kick customers out at close. Or any other time you wanted, really, because a business is private property and customers don't actually have any inherent rights to be on the property. Though most places will only kick out excessively bad customers... or at closing time.

It's also totally legal to close earlier than the time posted on the door. Might be against company policy, though.Answer #2: So the customer is saying that he has a legal right to be on private propperty and that the owner (or his representatives) cannot tell him to leave?

Ehm that guy seems to not understand the difference between public and private property because as far as I'm aware this common practice to ask people to leave is completely legal. (Not a lawyer though)Answer #3: It's legal to tell people to leave the store.Answer #4: Wisconsins consumer protection act doesn't cover anything of the sort and I can't find any other relevant information.Answer #5: What fast food "lobby" are we talking about? Are these people who are sitting down eating or waiting in line to order?

Either way you can kick everyone out whenever you want. I'm just curious what the customer's argument is.Answer #6: You are operating as an extension of your boss who is in turn operating as an extension of the owner. It is perfectly legal for you to tell customers to leave. Answer #7: You can kick him out.


Title: Is it illegal to use drugs or just possess/sell them?

Question: I read somewhere that if you OD you should tell EMS what you took because not only are they not the police but it’s not a crime to use/have used drugs, just to possess or sell them. Is that true? I can’t find any information one way or the other.

Answer:
 This will vary widely depending on jurisdiction. Regarding your health and drugs, if you are interacting with EMS and are on drugs, you should PROBABLY tell your healthcare providers what you took so they can treat you accordingly.

That being said, if you are on drugs and are interacting with law enforcement AND medical providers, well...

Also, in some jurisdictions it will be illegal to be high or to have taken drugs. In my state, in addition to public intoxication and underage drinking, a minor can also get a “minor in possession” charge for alcohol they’ve already consumed, for alcohol they are possessing inside of them.Answer #2: The other poster is correct. This varies wildly. I will speak for EMS, as I was in it for awhile. You *absolutely* need to tell us what you took. If you’re with friends and you OD on opiates, they need to specifically ask 911 for an ambulance with Narcan BEFORE you start doing drugs! If you’re unconscious, they won’t know. Almost all buses carry Narcan now, but it’s always good to state the obvious. When we show up, tell us everything. We couldn’t care less that you were breaking the law by partying. That’s not our jobs.

As for LE, they will show up if you’ve been reported for anything public safety related 100% of the time. There have been plenty of possible ODs we have gone to where they never did.

Point is, don’t worry about LE. Tell 911 everything because when we start to roll out, information starts trickling in route. The more we know when we get on scene, the quicker we can react.


Title: Trying to think of a good theme for my mock opening statement regarding burglary

Question:
All I have now is the theme of the Defendant should be responsible. But I don't feel it is convincing enough. Any help?

North Carolina if that matters

Answer:
 My client *lawfully* entered a home in the middle of the night and looked around. He heard a soft voice say, "Jesus is watching you". Thinking it was just his imagination, he continued his looking around.

Again the voice said "Jesus is watching you". He turned his flashlight around and saw a parrot in a cage. He asked the parrot if he was the one talking and the parrot said, "yes." He asked the parrot what his name was and the parrot said, "Moses." My client asked, "what kind of people would name a parrot Moses?" The parrot said, "the same kind of people who would name their pit bull Jesus".


Title: Illinois - Wife/SO charged for Child Battery - Insight please

Question:
Good Evening,

I'm in need of some advice of what to expect and/or what to do in this situation:

**Issue:** Wife was angry with one of the children (my stepson) and spanked him hard enough to leave light bruising on his upper right thigh and leg.
**Action:** Ex-husband (has a record of violence with a wrap(sp?) sheet of charges against him, has also had battery charges against him petitioned by my wife) found the bruising and filed a police report. My wife was detained while at work and is now being processed at the local jail, no bond information is available
**Charge:** 720 ILCS 5.0/12-3.05-B-1 AGG BTRY/CHILD <13/PERM DISABL - I've looked as much of this up as possible and come up with, please correct me if I'm wrong, aggravated battery of a child under the age of 13?
**Pre-emptive actions:** I have contacted our family lawyer that has dealt with the child custody cases that pertains to this matter and its very late so I'm waiting for a call back in the morning with any luck.

What can I do or expect, if any, at this point. I'm waiting to determine if bail will be set so I can attempt to get her out tonight. I'm still waiting for them to process the information and I'm sitting beside myself wondering how bad this is going to get and how I can prepare myself and our daughter about the potential shitstorm headed inbound fast.

The ex-husband has cases against him for an order of protection, has previously hospitalized her when they were together. We is severely prone to violence. We also found a bruise on the stepsons face at one time, stepson said his dad hit him. His dad held to a story that it was an accident involving his truck door. We didn't pursue. I dont know if that will even remotely be helpful for this case.

My wife is a good person and wouldn't in any right frame of mine cause harm to the children. Just looking for some words of wisdom for people having experienced similar issues such as this. Anything would be helpful...thanks.

Answer:
 The Ex's criminal history has literally zero to do with this. Your wife broke the law. Spanking because she is angry is inappropriate and abusive. She left an injury in a child. That is illegal.

So an attorney is needed here. And plan for consequences for her actionsAnswer #2: > I have contacted our family lawyer

Good.  Sit tight until you hear back.


Title: Wife attacked/ assaulted. Then charged with harrassment

Question:
Just happened last night. Witnesses we're all the attackers friends. Statements we're written by all parties except my wife who was charged with harrassment. My wife is bruised all over and had to get stitches ifrom a cut. She believes the girl had cut her with something in her hand. City cops are notoriously lazy in this town and often will not file reports in the correct manner or at all. My wife was involved in an accident about 5 years ago and they never filed a report and we had an insurance battle for months because of it. Thanks.

Location: Pennsylvania, US

Answer:
 Your wife needs a criminal defense attorney.

I'm not sure what else to say because your post asks no questions at all.


Title: [NV]/[TX] How liable am I if a child predator commits suicide because of being caught?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Call the police and turn over your evidence to them. Stop communicating with this guy. You're not batman.


Title: Neighbor keeps moving our stuff off porch, claiming it obstructs their window, implied that it's for safety/egress purposes.

Question:
We live in Massachusetts, same place for 6 years. We share a porch with another tenant who recently moved out. This tenant always left stuff on the porch, lots of stuff. Since they have moved out we've kept the porch very clean.

We recently added some chairs to the porch. Our neighbor, who we do NOT share the porch with has a window from her unit on the porch and has begun removing our chairs from the porch and placing them randomly on the property. There was a note left stating that items, obstructions, furniture, trash etc should not be placed in front of her window.

The previous tenant (who we were friendly with) that we shared the porch with was not on good terms with the lady, they told us so, and it is our presumption that she wouldn't try this shit with their stuff.

Does she have any standing that "obstructions" do not be placed in front of her window?

So far my plan is to leave a note that says she does not have permission to remove items from the porch. But I am wondering if i'm in the wrong here.

PS She previous removed a mattress from the porch that our neighbors were storing. It was damaged slightly from her dragging it across the ground. I was thinking of adding that to my note, like "you do not have permission to remove items from this porch, including the mattress you damaged by trying to move to the basement"

Thank you.

Diagram: http://imgur.com/a/384z5
Photo: https://m.imgur.com/a/TPQAf

Answer:
 I was with you until you said someone was storing a mattress on a porch and treated that as a normal thing. Answer #2: No. The time for "notes" is past. Just unambiguously tell her to stop moving your stuff.  If she doesn't then escalate to the landlord. Unless you legitimately are blocking a window in which case it might be a fire code violation. Before you talk to the landlord get pictures of where the stuff is relative to the window so her complaints about blocking egress are obviously stupid. Answer #3: I'm picturing two apartments side by side with two doors and a porch that runs the entire front.  If you are putting chairs under her window (past her front door) then yeah you shouldn't put anything there.  I wouldn't want people sitting in front of a window that looks into my apartment, even if I have blinds/curtains etc in that window.   Why can't you put the chairs somewhere else on the porch?  Under your own window?  Just trying to get a picture of what's going on.Answer #4: So I'm thinking it might be something like this: http://i.imgur.com/p5fS0UP.jpg

So the (W)indow in N1's apartment overlooks OP's patio.

If it's a bedroom and that's the only egress then the neighbor MAY have some valid concerns that the window itslef not be blocked by anything they couldn't reasonably be expected to move or get past in a hurry (a mattress leaned against the window) ... patio furniture, a bike, or other obstacles would probably be ok... it might be a hazard, but it doesn't make the window impassable...

OP, please tell me I channeled the MS-Paint gods well (p.s. do not inspect exif data)


Title: [ON, Canada, 23] Got in an argument with my dad, he pushed me, I pushed back and my mom tried to stop us and got knocked over.

Question:
So a small bit of explaining, I'm currently off work suffering from crippling social anxiety and depression, to the point where I haven't left the house in about 6 months minus a few times to see family and my one close friend. I'm seeing a therapist and waiting on a psychiatrist.

Anyways as it stands I'm in the avoiding kind of phase of depression, I don't know how to deal with my issues and I just do everything I can to avoid getting more depressed. My parents have been kind enough to support me through this but my dad never quite gets it, anyways he was trying to force me to do something that I know only makes my issues worse and I tried to explain why I was unable to do these things. It ended up getting heated, and I just want to have him understand, he finally yelled at me to stop talking and when I wouldn't he came over to me and I put my arms up to defend myself.

 He then started pushing me backwards and I'm a big guy so I started resisting. I ended up backed up against a door and I decided to fight back and not let him literally push me around, I got my footing and started pushing back. In the whole heat of it my mom started crying and yelling to stop, she then ended up standing behind him and when I was pushing back she accidentally got knocked down. Obviously all the pushing stopped and my dad tried to help her up and so did I. He then just yelled at me to go away and I just said I wanted to make sure she was ok.

Her shoulder is sore and my back is quite sore. I'm mainly curious as to if this is all my fault. He is constantly criticizing me about how I don't do enough and I always try to explain substitution, even to the point where he has come to the therapist but he doesn't get it.

How badly did I mess this up? And is this in any way abuse, I feel like I'm constantly being criticized by my father but I don't know if I'm just being a sissy.

Tldr; got in an argument with dad, I would stop talking so he started pushing me, I pushed back and mom got knocked down due to that. I feel horrible and am curious as to how badly I messed up

Answer:
 >How badly did I mess this up?

Adults should never get physical with other adults.  You messed up.  Your dad messed up.

>And is this in any way abuse, I feel like I'm constantly being criticized by my father but I don't know if I'm just being a sissy.

Abuse?  A better word is dispute for this situation.

But here's the thing:  there's no such thing as a free lunch.  You are living with your parents, they are paying your bills, and it's rather understandable that they are frustrated and upset that they have to do this.  You really have no right to demand that they support you in a particular way or let you do whatever you want.  If you need a particular living environment, then you go to inpatient.  Your parents are under NO obligation to treat your mental illness or alter their behavior in your own home.  They are FULLY within their rights to set terms of your residency with them, and if you cannot abide by those terms for WHATEVER reason, you need to find a new place to live.

It sounds like an unhealthy situation.  The BEST option is you moving out.  The second best option is everyone going to family counseling where you can set boundaries that EVERYONE (including you) must abide by.


Title: [Maine] Neighbor's dog keeps getting out and getting in my yard

Question:
In Maine. I have three small children that like to play outside in our yard. The issue is the neighbor behind me doesn't always put their dog on a line while outside and runs around the neighborhood and in our yard. It's a big dog that seems fairly friendly but we don't know this family or this dog and I'm afraid of my kids getting bit.

Today was the fourth time in a couple months that I know of it happening. I'm concerned and when I yelled to them today they didn't seem to think it was a big deal. Is there anything I can do in this situation? Are they breaking the law?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Call animal control


Title: Was I wrongfully fired?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 She can legally fire you for any of the following reasons:

* Using your phone to post to Instagram from work.

* Posting about how boring things are at your job.

* Blocking the owners from your Instagram account.

* Driving a blue car

* Liking the Vikings

* Not listening to country music.

And them looking at what you publicly post on the internet is hardly "checking up on you."

If you don't want people to see it, **don't put it on the internet.**Answer #2: "Was she right to fire me? Did I really do anything wrong?"

Yes and yes. You say it was never verbally communicated that you couldn't get your phone out or post to Instagram at work. They probably also never verbally communicated that you can't be rude to customers or pick your nose or use the bathroom with the door open. If you did any of those things, you'd be fired for being untrustworthy in the store.

Same applies with using the phone and Instagram. Broadcasting to the world, "business at this store is slow" is not a good look for the owners. It's bad marketing. The fact that I need to explain that shows you *are* untrustworthy, because you don't have enough common sense to know that intuitively.

Also, on the 50% chance you're trolling, kudos. You got me.


Title: [South Korea] Desperate for legal assistance (cross-post from /r/korea)

Question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/3i2vop/desperate_for_legal_assistance/

Edited to add original text here as well.  Didn't realize I had left it off:

Reddit, I'm in desperate need of some help and advice.

I am a US citizen living and working in South Korea. I have an infant son who is also a US citizen and his mother is a Mongolian citizen, living here in Korea as well. We are not married.

We've had a difficult relationship, and a few months ago she obtained a mongolian passport for him under a new name and fled to Mongolia without my consent. During that turmoil I reached out to local korean attorneys and the US embassy. They all told me that there is nothing I can do, that under korean law, what she did was not illegal.

I kept communications open and managed to have her bring him back; we made efforts to work on our relationship. They've been back home with me a couple months now, but however my relationship with her has never been 100%.

Things came to a head again today and she got upset about past events again. I was worried that she would repeat what she did before and try to take him from me. I managed to get home before she did, and when she arrived sure enough she went straight for his passports; she couldn't find them because i had taken them as a precaution. I tried to remain calm and let them leave; she said they were just going out in town for some shopping. Bad call.

She came back a couple hours later by herself and just started packing baby stuff up. I confronted her and asked her where my son was. She refused to tell me and after going back and forth about it I called the police. She became violent, threw a glass at me, came at me with a knife and also threatened to hurt herself.

I managed to get this on video and have a family member as a witness.

Cops came, took a statement. Long story short, they told me there is nothing I can do. She won't tell me where my son is, the cops said I can press charges regarding the assault but that I can't link it to my son being gone because she is his mother and has more rights than me. Police basically told me that I am straight up out of luck.

I declined to press charges (so as to not set her off more than she already is), however they said I can do it later. I have his passports (his US and Mongolian one) as well as her passport. It's very easy for her to just obtain some new ones and leave the country.

At this point she is gone, I have no idea where she or my son is. I'm certain her plan is to get new passports and leave the country again.
Last time this happened, the US embassy basically told me to go pound sand. I spoke to a couple Korean lawyers and half of them wouldn't return my calls, the others weren't very helpful.

Reddit I am completely lost. I'm desperate for help and i don't know where to turn.

Answer:
 OK, so basically, read up on this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_child_abduction

And then read up on the Hague Convention cited in that article as well.

The basic idea here is that it is illegal to abduct a child to another country.  The devil is in the details.  Basically under the convention the question is which laws apply.  What you absolutely want to do is make sure that you are applying South Korean law since that is where you are domiciled.

What you don't want to do is let her go back to Mongolia because Mongolia is not even a signor to the hague convention.


Title: An idiot I know IRL does fake giveaways on twitter. Is there a way that I can get him in trouble for this?

Question:
I have legit Skype conversations that I have recorded (with his knowledge, so not wiretapping) where he displays this.

Fake giveaways in the sense he never gives away anything, and everything is pulled from google images. He just does it for traffic on his YouTube videos.

Does this fall under fraud, or counterfeit, or anything?

I live in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai. So does he.

Topic:
Removed - PII

Answer: if he earns money from the youtube channel you could inform youtube about it, but i think that's allAnswer #2: Looks like he's running a sweepstake affiliate offer to me.


Title: My mother wants me to open an account under my name for her social security.

Question: My mother seems to believe it's better for me to get her social security checks directly so when she dies, I'll just have the money. I think that sounds really fishy and is potentially some kind of fraud. I would think social security needs to go into an account with her name to begin with. Are there any specific laws on this so I can at least prove that this could potentially get me in trouble?

Answer:
 Unless she is up to something shady, you can just be named as a beneficiary on an account in her name if she is worried about you getting her money after she dies. Answer #2: She can set up an account in her name, with you as the payable-on-death beneficiary, and accomplish the same thing with less risk to both of you.

For example, if you are sued and lose, then as far as the law is concerned, the money in an account in your name can be seized to pay your creditors, without regard to the fact that it might be necessary to pay her bills. If you predecease her, then her money is in an account to which she won't have access until your estate is settled. Meanwhile, if she is the one being sued and it looks like you are conspiring with her to hide money, you could find yourself in legal trouble. If she needs Medicaid or other services later on, it's going to be a tad strange to pull out your bank statements, and it could appear that you are taking advantage of her, triggering a financial abuse investigation; will she still be competent to testify that you are following her instructions?Answer #3: Is there an ulterior motive, like trying to qualify for Medicaid? Because Medicaid will see that she's getting SS checks and will want to know where those went and what the balance on the account is. The Medicaid people will look at all financial records going back five years from the time an application is made.


Title: Large corporation inquiring about the name of my LLC

Question:
I've received a letter twice now via certified mail from a large corporation (I'd rather not say which one) regarding the name of my LLC, which is two words and just so happens to include the name of that large corporation. The letter is not accusatory of infringement in nature, but rather "interested in learning about the services my business provides" to ensure that infringement isn't happening.

Basically, the name of my LLC is two words, both of which are "generic", can be and have been widely used for various purposes, but one of the words is also the name of a NASDAQ-listed technology company. As an example, this is a case where my LLC name is "Freddy's Apple", and Apple Inc. sent me a letter in hopes to confirm that the name of my business isn't infringing on their trademark.

To continue the example, while my business is indirectly involved in the technology sector, it definitely doesn't sell phones. So I should be in the clear on using that otherwise-generic name that also happens to be the name of the corporation, correct? How should I respond to these letters? Should I ignore them? Or should I respond and reassure this representative that I don't sell "phones"?

TL;DR The name of my LLC includes a generic word that is the name of a large corporation. They want to know about my business deals to know if I'm infringing. My business dealings have nothing to do with said company. Should I ignore? Should I contact?

Answer:
 >The letter is not accusatory of infringement in nature, but rather "interested in learning about the services my business provides" to ensure that infringement isn't happening.

The letter is trying to build up a case to sue you. Do not reply to it without consulting a lawyer.

They may sue you anyway, but any response you give them is unlikely to lessen that chance.

I would have a chat with a lawyer to see what your best course of action should be.Answer #2: Get a lawyer. As u/DPMx9 stated, they are trying to build a case to sue you. Under Armour does this A LOT against companies who use armour in their brand names and even if it makes no sense, they win due to their resources. See this article: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2015/08/19/under-armour-is-suing-pretty-much-every-company-using-the-name-armor/?noredirect=on&utm\_term=.bce86170e971](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2015/08/19/under-armour-is-suing-pretty-much-every-company-using-the-name-armor/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.bce86170e971)


Title: Mother without custody gets minor son tattooed in spit of his father.

Question:
For a long story short, my biological mother has been abusing her children for years. To the point I was adopted as a teenager. In the past two years, I wrote testimony and provided evidence of her abuse in order to get my brother from her custody. Sole custody was awarded to my brother's father, with visitation allowed on his father's terms.

&nbsp;

Yesterday, my brother(17) sent me a photo of his right forearm entirely covered in a tattoo. In his words, our mother "took me (him) to get the tattoo because she knew it would piss my (his) dad off."

His father is intending to report this to DHS, but we are unsure if we should do so in Oregon (where the custody order is) or Alabama (where he is visiting currently). Also, should we go to the courts with the evidence I've gathered?

&nbsp;

This is one of few times my biological mother has left physical evidence of her crimes. I want this properly handled so that my younger siblings will have an easier time receiving help in the future. Thank you for reading!
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 If your brother is 17 and wanted the tattoo, it's not clear that she did anything objectively "wrong" or abusive. Under Alabama law, a 17-year-old can't get a tattoo without the written consent of a parent, but the law doesn't actually say custodial parent, and pissing off dad isn't a crime. If the custody order explicitly gives dad the right to control whether your brother gets a tattoo, that's a different matter, but usually custody orders aren't that detailed. Dad can file a motion with the court overseeing custody in Oregon, but frankly the court probably won't do anything, because a 17-year-old is presumed to have a degree of bodily autonomy.

Now if your brother didn't want the tattoo, forcing him to get one is assault, and a police report should be filed in the jurisdiction where it happened (Alabama).


Title: [CA] I purchased a truck with a salvage title, the truck malfunctioned while I was driving it and damaged two cars. Does the seller have any liability?

Question:
I am in a pickle. I had never bought a car before, but last fall I bought a truck from someone with a salvage title. (I know.) Ten days after the sale, I brought the truck home, and a couple days after that, I went to the DMV to apply for a driver’s license and to register the vehicle. The DMV didn’t accept walk-ins, so they sent me back home to make an online appointment. I made the appointment and printed out the confirmation. It was a shitty situation because I had no license, no registration, and no insurance, but I needed to be able to drive for work, and I took that risk.

About a week later, I was driving the truck, and the pitman arm broke. I lost all my steering power, and the power steering fluid gushed out onto the street. I hydroplaned and then hit two cars.
The cop who arrived told me that if I hadn’t had a printout of the appointment confirmation, that he would have had to impound the vehicle and send me to jail. Instead, upon learning that the seller of the vehicle was still the legal title owner, he told me not to move forward with transferring the title, and he said that the person who sold me the vehicle is liable. Additionally, the officer did not report the accident but instead just ticketed me for, not surprisingly, driving without insurance and without a license.
Everyone was fine, but I now owe $2,000 for one car and $11,000 for the other. I have been counseled to file for bankruptcy since I am nowhere near able to pay those damages. I am writing to ask if 1) people agree that filing for bankruptcy is my only way out and 2) if it’s possible that the seller of the vehicle might be liable for some of these damages. On the bill of sale, it was sold “as is.” Does this mean he definitely has no liability? Does it matter that the title wasn't yet transferred?

Edit: Thank you all for your replies.

Answer: Sold "as is" means just that.  As for who's the owner at the time of the accident, if he signed the title over to you and dated it, then I think you could be out of luck as ownership transfers at that date. Registering is just the state being notified that you are the owner.


Title: Is it legal to open mail addressed to someone else in the trash of an apartment mailroom? I found a $400 check and want to return it.

Question: I  needed to print something and ran out of paper and was desperate enough to look through the mailroom trash in search of junk mail with a blank back. Instead, I found someone's security deposit return check. That tenant no longer lives here, in which case the mailman will stick mail in a random mailbox, and the receiver often just throws it away. I want this person to receive the check. Is it safe to approach my landlord and explain what happened or could I face repercussions?

Answer: I highly doubt anyone is going to persecute you for doing the right thing. Just say you found the check in the trash and don't mention opening the envelope.


Title: Just found out there's a warrant in Florida from when I was on vacation at 13 years old...what do I do?

Question: Back in August of 2000 I went to Clearwater, Florida for vacation with my family. I was "allowed" to pull the car up from the parking lot to the front door, and in the process of backing out I accidentally scratched the car next to me rear bumper. Someone saw the incident and notified the police. I was unaware anyone saw the incident, but I immediately informed my uncle who I was down there with. We went about our day and when we returned police were waiting for me. Now it was August 28th and I started my first day of high school 2 days later in Connecticut so there was no way for me to take care of this especially being 13. I was also not responsible for leaving the scene since I had no control of the situation. Now at 28 I was just pulled over informed there's a warrant for failure to appear in Florida. I've been pulled over a few times over the years after, and it has never came up until today. Ironically I was on my way home from a big job interview that is going to do a background check and I'm extremely nervous that this new found information will ruin my possible offer. My uncle was the one who drove us away from the scene and he also paid the rental company for the damage. I believe initial charge to me was a hit and run except I wasn't responsible for running.

Answer: You need to hire a lawyer in Florida to handle this for you. Or you can live the rest of your life with an outstanding warrant. Or you can go down to Clearwater, FL to turn yourself in.


Title: I was denied 'residency' at my public university, and I have an appeal later this week. What should I say?

Question:
The facts:

* I came to Indiana in 2015 with my SO to go back to school, while he made a career change
* We immediately registered our vehicles, moved our mailing addresses, registered to vote, etc. Everything you need to do to move to a new state permanently.
* I paid out-of-state tuition fees this entire time, this decision would only affect the last semester of my program (Fall 2017)

They stated in the rejection letter that their decision was based on the fact that I moved here purely to go to school.

What should I say to this committee when I have the chance to talk to them?

Answer:
 Normally the time period you're attending an out-of-state university doesn't count towards gaining residency.

If you wanted to gain residency, most states require that you live and work in that state for a specific time period (usually a year) while not attending school.Answer #2: Nothing you say is likely to do anything.  You do not qualify under residency laws for the state or your university.  Your time in school does not count.


Title: Should I seek divorce or annulment?

Question:
I definitely married the wrong man, and I am wondering if I should seek divorce or annulment.  I live in Tennessee, but I just moved here on January 2nd.  I had been living in Georgia since January of 2013.  I know that I can get a divorce in the county where the spouse lives.  Can I receive an annulment there, too?

The reason that I believe I have grounds for annulment is that he married me under fraud.  My husband is foreign, and I am 100% sure that he married me for a green card.  I got a call from a woman about a month ago, and she informed me that my husband has a wife and baby in his home country.  She knew who I was.  She knew who my husband was, and where he was from.  She also knew where he was staying now.  After looking at his cousin's Facebook, I found the name of his 'wife', and I went to her page.  She had recently had a baby.  I stalked her page for awhile, but I saw nothing that connected her and my husband, aside from a cousin and last name.  His last name is common, though, so I thought it could be circumstance.  That was until she tagged him in a photo of the baby under a Facebook that I am blocked on under my regular account.  I have a separate gaming account, and I wasn't blocked under that.  I also saw that his sister and their family friend who lives in Georgia has had activity on the Facebook of his wife, and they had blocked me on Facebook within the past year.

Now, I know that might not be reason enough to authorize an annulment for the judge.  Along with the fraud, though, my husband has not consummated our marriage.  Almost a year ago, under a throwaway account, I posted about our complete lack of a physical relationship on r/deadbedrooms, before I even knew that he was scamming me.  I wonder, would that be admissible in court?  Do I have a case for annulment, or should I just get a divorce?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Yea...go talk to a lawyer.Answer #2: If your husband is already *legally* married, annulment may be required, not only possible. Bigamy is illegal, and any second or later simultaneous marriage is not valid.

Can you check his home country's records to see if he's actually married there?


Title: How should I go about legally protecting myself if my neighbor wants to farm my land? [IL]

Question:
There's a small bit of land on my property that right now is pretty much just an overgrown grass field. My neighbor down the way says he's interested in clearing the land and farming it next planting season.

How would I go about finding out fair price per acre to rent the land to him, and how to legally make the deal official and protect myself from mishaps that occur on the rented land?

Answer:
 This is a pretty standard lease!  Any local real estate attorney can help you write up an agreement that addresses the appropriate liabilities, and they'll probably have a good guess what it's worth.   You can also call other farmers in the area and ask them for an opinion on fair price.

Whatever you do - have something in writing before you allow him to start working your land, just to protect yourself from crazy adverse possession claims years down the road.


Title: What should I do? Brother buying synthetic marijuana with money from stealing from my parents. [MD]

Question:
This has happened before, 4 years ago. It is happening again.

My brother got heavily addicted to synthetic marijuana. He usually smoked pot before, which pissed us off but wasn't quite as serious because we know what pot does. But the way he acts on synthetic pot is crazy, paranoid, and stupid and he gets crazy addicted to this stuff.
He wont get help. He refuses to stop. He refuses to get a job. He is a 26 year old man and he is living with his parents doing nothing but getting high all day.

Upon discovering the 8 empty bags of synthetic pot, I did some snooping. I know for a fact he doesn't have $150. I know he isn't doing any kind of small job that is paying him that much.

I went snooping on his facebook that he left logged on and saw that he sent a message to someone "I'm thinking about pawning my camera"

He doesn't own a camera, but my parents have a photography hobby and he has pawned their photography equipment in the past. I confront my parents, asking them if they are missing a camera. Turns out we are missing an entire camera case which likely contained lenses, the camera, and some flashes likely $1,000 worth of camera equipment.

We confront him about it, he pretends to look for it and then flees the house. Turns out he is hiding under the house like a dumbass right now.

I'm 27, home for the summer [i'm in college]. My mom wants me to go to the pawnshops in the area to ask about the camera and she wants me to file a police report and get some kind of restraining order until we can get an eviction notice.

Is this something I can do, or is it something that my parents have to do since it was technically their property, it is their house, and it's their son.
I understand why they need me to do it, they work 5 days a week my dad leaving at 6am and not coming home until 4pm and my mother works anywhere from 6am to 3pm to 11am to 11pm. They are busy, I'm not doing anything so I can do it for them but the question isn't "should I?", it is "can I?"

 What are the steps I should be taking on tracking where this camera is, what report I file, or if there is some grounds for me to get a restraining order?

Answer:
 No harm will come from calling the police yourself and asking if they will take a report from you.  The worst thing they can do is tell you no and you're in the same position as you are now.Answer #2: you have to go to the pawn shops yourself probably.

80% of property crime goes unsolved.

if you ask your brother where he sold it, that will probably be easier. just say you dont care about him selling it you just want it back for your parents to use or whatever. offer him $100 cash in your hand too, and pay the poor guy when he tells you what he did with it.Answer #3: I've seen Spice Addictions first hand with one of my Best Friends. He would throw up blood everyday and he would just sleep the entire day. What I eventually did was go to all the shops I know in the Area that sell it with a picture of him and asked them to stop selling it to him


Title: Federal Laws Against Hiring Coyotes? [TX]

Question:
So a friend of mine hired a coyote to bring someone (not sure their relation) up from Mexico... my understanding of the agreement is that he fronted the money on this girl's behalf to the coyote, and that she would pay him back at a later date as she earned some cash. Does anyone know if this has been a violation of federal law? I just wasn't sure if hiring a coyote was strictly illegal... and, if it was illegal, if he could be held responsible or if it was just the girl and the coyote. He and this girl are in some otherwise unrelated legal trouble now, but he offered this up to the police as an explanation for how he knew the girl.

Did he confess to a crime unnecessarily? What kind of trouble could this get him into? Is it even a violation of federal law?

Answer:
 > Does anyone know if this has been a violation of federal law?

Yes.  It is illegal to pay someone to commit a criminal act.


Title: Accidentally shoplifted on camera

Question:
I just went to a supermarket in Australia, got my groceries as usual, and went through the self-checkout. I paid, or at least thought I did, by card (PayWave, where you just tap the card to the card reader and it processes the payment). Since I didn't want a receipt, I just picked up my bags and left, because I assumed the payment went through. Also I really had to use the bathroom :/ . Later I realised that I probably wouldn't have had enough money in that account to pay for the groceries, and after checking my bank account I saw that no payment had been given.

Now the self-checkout area has quite a few cameras, and they probably would have noticed all the groceries on the checkout without having been paid for. Is this likely to be investigated? I think I should just avoid that shop for the time being. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Call the store, ask to speak with the manager, and say "Hey, I went through the self-checkout earlier and it doesn't seem to have charged my card, what do I do?"

Theft requires intent. If they recorded you leaving with your groceries, they likely also recorded you waving your card at the reader, which is a strong indicator that you did _not_ intend to leave without paying. Offering to make it right pre-emptively is also a strong indicator that your intent was not to take without permission.


Title: Can law enforcement subpoena Amazon for my Alexa recordings and use it against me in court?

Question:
Purely hypothetical.

Suppose I’m suspected of a crime, and perhaps the police reasonably suspect I may have planned this crime in my own home.

I have several Amazon Echo/Alexa devices that might have captured me saying something incriminating. Would law enforcement be able to subpoena Amazon and obtain these recordings and use them against me?

I would imagine I have a reasonable expectation of privacy in my own home, but I’m not sure that applies here.

Answer:
 [It has happened in the past ](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/12/18089090/amazon-echo-alexa-smart-speaker-privacy-data)Answer #2: Alexa doesn't save those recordings but, yes, the police could subpoena Amazon.

> I would imagine I have a reasonable expectation of privacy in my own home, but I’m not sure that applies here.

Privacy that changes when you purchase Alexa, set her up voluntarily, and say her name voluntarily.Answer #3: You have a device with a microphone turned on and listening all the time.  Maybe it isn't uploading everything it hears *right now*, but they could trivially post an update that does and you have no way of knowing as the devices have locked down firmware that's difficult to extract.  You have no expectation of privacy with these always-on devices.


Title: What constitutes as "customer parking" for the one seeking parking?

Question:
Kind of curious after today's events for myself.

Was taking my dad to a doctor's appointment at the hospital and this hospital doesn't have a lot of parking. There's no public areas nearby to park either, as far as I can tell. I dropped my dad off at the front of the hospital, parked in the back of a Target parking lot, went inside, bought 2 water bottles, walked out of Target and across the street to my dad, helped him get situated, then went back to my vehicle and began searching for a legal spot to park since I was worried about being towed.

While leaving, I noticed signs that said "customer parking only: 2 hours maximum".

This Target also shares a parking lot with a few other businesses in the same lot. This is in a suburb of Los Angeles, California.

So going off all of this information, what exactly constitutes "customer parking"? Was I legally a customer due to the purchase of water bottles (they were about $4 for both after taxes, if that matters) and does that allow me to park for the 2 hours allowed even if I'm not visiting the Target or any of the other businesses?

Say my vehicle was towed, would a receipt of my purchase have done anything about the tow whether getting my vehicle back or having the tow truck not tow it if I got there when they were towing since I was within 2 hours of the purchase?

Answer: A receipt is not a parking pass. As soon as you’re done with your business at Target and you leave the property, your car goes with you.


Title: My boss demoted me to the same position as I was when I first worked at the company, but she didn’t give me a paper stating I would get paid the same salary when I first started. What should I do?

Question:
It’s my 3rd day since I was demoted from being a licensed Real Estate Agent. When I first began I was making a 40k salary as an Inbound Sales Representative. She told me that she wants to give me another chance so in the meantime I would be working the same position from when I first started. I need a document stating everything and I don’t want to be left in the dark about this. My boss and I are not on good terms since I reported to her on an incident where another manager was raising his voice at me. I emphasized that I want a face to face apology from this manager since it was humiliating process to have someone disrespect you in front of other coworkers. But that’s not why I was demoted, I was demoted because I was underperforming in sales. I wasn’t properly trained nor did I received proper training t be successful as a real estate agent. Now that it’s my third day and I didn’t receive documentation stating the changes. What should I do to prevent a host of problems arising?
tl;dr
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Assuming you're somewhere in the USA under an at-will employment arrangement, your boss can adjust your job and/or pay at any time going forward.

No documentation is required for a change in your job like this.  Your boss just needs to basically say, "Your new job is X, and your new pay is Y," and that's it.


Title: Federal case/work/life advice

Question: I am, at the moment, part of a federal investigation which first began in July, 2014. After three meetings with the department of homeland security, I assumed the investigation was over. I moved, got a new job, and started my life. About a month ago, I was pulled out of my classroom, and placed on administrative leave. the investigation is still alive, and now I am not sure how to go forward professionally. I have a lawyer, who is waiting to hear back from the proper authorities. what do I do in the mean time work wise? Do I get a different job? Do I go back to school? I know it's not clear what specific help I am seeking, but I am a little lost myself. ANY advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 > I have a lawyer,

Your lawyer can give you better advice than strangers on the internet.


Title: Craiglist punk gives counterfeit bills anything I can do?

Question: This happened to my roommate.  We live in Texas.   He posted his Xbox One, a few games, controllers etc on Craigslist for the price of $450.  Someone called and said they would do $500 if he brought it to him about 25 mins away, and he agreed.  They met at the guys apartment, in front of the leasing office.  It was a young man, around 18, wearing a hoodie.  They introduce each other, the kid pulls out a bank envelope, flashes him $500 in large bills, puts it back in the envelope where my friend excitedly grabs the money, pulls the bundle out of his car and they go there separate ways.  He never actually checked the money until he got home.  When he did discover the money was counterfeit he immediately called the kid - who did not answer.  When he texted the kid his response was "😂😂😂".  The bills were good looking fakes - but not the right material, no watermark, and lacked the paper smell..... also the security strip looked like highlighter.... He called the police and they came over and took the bills from our house and got my roommates statement.  He had since called Microsoft and got its serial number and gave that to the police as well.  Anything else he can do??

Answer: No, for now. Let the police due their job. He could eventually sue the guy in small claims court if he does not get the Xbox back, assuming the thief can be located.


Title: (USA, NJ and PA)Wage Garnishment - Person's place of employment refuses to put court-ordered wage garnishment into place.

Question:
Hey Reddit, very very very long time lurker here. Well here's my situation.....

Let’s call this person Bob.

Bob rented a place from me around 18 months ago and didn’t pay the rent for several months. I took Bob to court in NJ, but he never showed up to any hearings, but I did get him removed from my property. I got a judgement in NJ took it to PA because that is where Bob works now and also lives I suppose. So I got a wage garnishment against Bob, the sheriff served his work, the person (receptionist) who the sheriff served at his work took it upon themselves to open the papers and give them to Bob. The person who was suppose to be served was his employer. Nowhere on the package said Bob'ss name, but only the companies name so Bob wasn’t suppose to see this I suppose. 80 days went by and I received nothing so I decided to call where Bob works and asked for the person who does the wage garnishments at the Bob’s job. Everyone I called at the Bob’s place of employment gave me no information and they keep stalling around with the wage garnishment, I talked to the HR department and financial advisor at Bob’s place of employment and they knew nothing about the wage garnishment because Bob never gave the papers to them or told them about it. No one from Bob’s place of employment will call me back or give me any information. Everyone there keeps saying that they never seen the paper, though the sheriff gave me proof that it was served and even the receptionist told me it was served. I keep calling the place of employment several times a week and I keep getting tossed around, put on hold, or hung up on. What should I do, get a lawyer and sue? This person works at a Township if that helps.

TL;DR - Got a court-ordered wage garnishment for someone who didn’t pay months of rent to one of my properties. Got the wage garnishment papers and judgement served to person’s place of employment. Papers were to go to the employer not the defendant themself. Receptionist opened papers and gave them to Bob, not the employer. I keep calling because it has been 80 days and they won’t call back or give me any information. Should I sue, can I sue?

P.s. Sorry I don't really know much about legal things.

Answer:
 Two possibilities:

1.  Prepare another order for wage garnishment against your debtor, but this time direct it to the company's HR person and have the Sheriff or process server serve it to them directly.  Note on the form, if possible, that this is a second request.

2.  If that doesn't work, contact a lawyer.  Instead of a full lawsuit, you can (at least in DC and VA, where I practice) ask the court for a show-cause hearing, for the employer to appear in court and explain why they are not garnishing the debtor's wages according to the order (and a possible award of attorney's fees if they don't have a good reason.)


Title: How to respond when being questioned in a workplace investigation/interrogation??

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You're likely going to get fired, which is entirely legal. It's likely prudent to not admit to breaking the law at any point in time. You fucked up in a number of ways and your ex put the nail in your coffin, so this is more of a personal issue than a legal one.


Title: (GA) voiced security concern and now I am being written up for other issues.

Question:
The past two years I've brought up to management the lack of security in the building.  There is an officer there but he mostly sleeps, hangs out of site, chats in the back with staff.  This leaves the whole building vulnerable.
Last week my immediate supervisor, union rep and head of security went into a meeting. Hopefully to resolve this.
Every point I made was glossed over. I've physically seen him sleeping. He is nowhere to be found for more than 4 hours at a time. I don't feel safe. There have been car break ins.

Fast forward to this week - every few weeks I am audited by my supervisor and she chose the night this all happened to audit me. My audit was poor.  I had no doubt. I was on the verge of tears.  My voice was cracking. How do you do your best when you've just been told security is my issue, my communication skills lack and I need to improve my vocabulary.

is this their way of firing me? Nit pick me till I walk out the door.

Not even 45 days ago I had my annual review and it was excellent!  Why wouldn't a company want to know where they are lacking? This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Answer: If you had a bad audit that is on you. If you are union, talk to your rep. If you don't like the security, find a new job.


Title: I live in California and I am in love with an undocumented person from El Salvador. Will a marriage license from his home country be recognized in the U.S.?

Question: Basically I am trying to get around a few obstacles. Firstly, if we married in the U.S. then he would be subject to a ban from the country for crossing illegally for up to ten years. I believe a caveat is that if I can prove undue hardship they could wave the ban but I have no children or disabilities. Additionally, I am scared for him to go back to El Salvador and me apply for a Fiance visa and that visa being denied. Plus, we live in an expensive city where I am studying and with the high rent and lawyers fees we need him to be gone for as little time as possible. So, if we went to El Salvador and got married there would that make the process easier for him to come over. I forgot to say that I am a US citizen born here. Thank you.

Answer: Immigration attorney.


Title: Terminated for no reason

Question:
So I will make this as short yet informative as possible.

I was recently hired at a Fred Meyer store in my area. Waited for the process to get in to orientation and continued through it.

But to my surprise, on the day of my first shift, I am stopped at the time clock and asked to go and have a meeting with our human Resources Representative. She also asked one of the freight-crew members to come over as a stand-in for the meeting.

She just flat out told me that I was terminated before I clocked on for my first real shift. Even after asking her why she just avoided eye-contact and shook her head while askinng me to leave.

I was just curious if this is legal and if there is anything I can do about it.

Answer: Since you ignored every indication asking for a location, we can only guess. But most of the stores you claim to work for, exist in the United States. This is legal.


Title: My sister just quit her job and they want her uniform back- that she paid for.

Question:
So my sister quit her job this morning after four sudden write-ups (I've seen it before during an ill-advised stint working at Walmart) presumably meant to establish grounds for firing.

Reemployment elsewhere isn't an issue, she isn't searching for unemployment, any of the major issues.

She just wants to keep the shirts she paid for and they're demanding them back.

Is this typical?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 If she legit paid for them, she owns them. Tell ~~Walmart~~ them to pound sand.Answer #2: They're welcome to pay for them back. Otherwise, they're her property. Answer #3: IANAL, but to me if she purchased them, they're her property.  I can't imagine the former employer having any legitimate claim to them, no matter what logos may or may not be on them.Answer #4: Is she sure she bought it rather than paid a deposit? Maybe the company thinks there is an agreement to give the uniform back so the money can be returned to herAnswer #5: Tell her to keep it or let them know it will be X fee.Answer #6: Can she prove she paid for them?Answer #7: As others have stated, if she paid for them, then they are hers.

That said, it is possible they are demanding the uniform back due to being unaware that she paid for it — this could be due to carelessness, or that they assume that she's already been reimbursed for it (laws can vary depending on municipality but generally if the cost of the uniform takes you under min wage for that pay period then they need to reimburse you).

So I would recommend she calmly point out to them that she paid for these via a payroll deduction; if in person show them the paystub (bring a copy just in case as well), if over the phone tell them it's on the stub for payperiod <date>.

If they insist that she give it back she should try to speak with someone higher up ensure no petty bullshit occurs due to this.


Title: If you fully own your house, land, and gun in a city or suburb is it illegal to fire blanks in the air?

Question: Might be relevant but this is a question from /r/unethicallifeprotips about firing a gun once a month to help lower property taxes and something else.

Answer: Going to depend on the location, but many locations prohibit discharge of a firearm in such locations and rarely, if ever, would the law distinguish between live rounds and blanks.


Title: Hit a parked car, left two notes, never got back to me (Arkansas)

Question:
So pretty much what it says. I was backing out of a parking spot when another car sped into the parking lot, I don't know what was going on but they did not stop and were headed to the side of the car my girlfriend was on so I panicked and backed into what what I thought was an empty spot. It turns out the sport I was trying to back into was a compact spot so I swiped the bumper of the car in the adjacent spot. The car that was driving barely missed  us but then quickly flipped a u-turn and got out of there. I got out and inspected the damage, there is negligible damage on mine but at their left bumper by the wheel-well there is some scrapes and smudges about 6" in diameter. I felt the bumper and there was no structural damage. I left two notes in case one got blown away explaining what happened leaving my name and number and apologizing saying that I would give him my insurance when he called. When I left in the morning to go to work (this was in out apartment lot) the notes were still there, when I got back that night the car was gone. It has come back since, but it has been now four days and I have not been called. Should I try to leave another note in case those two got lost?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 I would say yes, leave the notes, or better yet see if you can catch him in the lot. If he does care, then it's obvious the first notes were lost, and you can proceed with insurance or whatever cash is needed to make things right. (Obviously with written agreements/pictures/etc.)

If he doesn't care, he'll let you know and you'll sleep better knowing your car isn't parked in the same lot with telltale signs of being the one that hit his.


Title: Do I have to wait for all the cows to get off the road in Wyoming?

Question:
I was driving down a road in Wyoming today when I encountered a bunch of cows being driven down the road by people on horseback/4-wheelers.  The guy had parked a large truck and trailer in the middle of the road.  Several cars were trying to go up the road and the guy refused to move his trailer saying that "a cattle drive has the right of way".

They finally moved the truck and I started to go on my way, by carefully threading my way through the herd (done it a million times).  The guy starts screaming at me how he has the right of way.  Well, good enough, but that doesn't mean he gets to close the whole road to traffic does it?  He kept screaming and another guy was behind me was yelling at the first dude and it was turning into an irrational mess, so I just went on my way....at 5 mph...waiting for the cattle to move out of my way.  Like I said, I've done it a million times and never have I seen a road blocked for a cattle drive.

So...can a livestock owner totally block traffic on a stock trail (which is also a road) for his cattle or can traffic go through?  All I found were laws saying that if I hit a cow, I pay, but I already knew that.

Thanks.

Answer:
 I'm sorry I don't have any meaningful legal insight to offer here, but I just wanted to say that I find it fascinating that in 2014 there are still areas in the country where it's considered perfectly normal to have to weave your way through a herd of livestock.

I've got to get out of the city more often......


Title: Mentally ill son being sued by ex

Question: (USA) Using a throwaway since his ex has family who use reddit. Back story, my son 27 M and his ex 25 F were together for 5 years. She broke up with him which caused his depression. He has Bipolar. He made a mistake during the relationship where he beat her. Due to his mental illness which his girlfriend was aware about. My son is an American and his ex  is from South Africa. He made a mistake and destroyed her passport which prevented her from going to visit her family last December. That angered her so She broke up with him. She also got a restraining order against my son, and her lawyer is asking for 600K in damages, half of that for Medical Bills. I went into  my savings and gave her all the money I had 45k is savings to save my son legal issues. But her lawyer is taking us to court for more. My family is devastated and stuck. Dont know if I can afford a lawyer. What can I do?

Answer:
 You and your son should really figure out a way to get a lawyer. You should also consider that your son did more than "made a mistake."Answer #2: There's really not much that can be said here other than 'without a lawyer, your son is gonna be at a catastrophic disadvantage.'

Additionally, get therapy for both of you, because that level of abuse cannot be brushed off as a 'mistake' that you can minimize  because she 'knew about' his mental illness. Answer #3: ###ATTENTION

This person is a troll. Ignore them, and their other story about stealing 850k from their dead brother's partner. They are manipulating you successfully here. Answer #4: >But her lawyer is taking us to court for more.

Why is the lawyer taking ***you*** to court?  Your son is an adult.  Adults are generally responsible for their own tortious actions, not their parents.  Unless you have some sort of custodial responsibility which you haven't mentioned.Answer #5: He can hire an attorney or go to court by himself. We don't recommend going to court without an attorney


Title: Being charge with domestic assault when the person I was defending against was trying to kidnap my daughter.

Question:
March 25th, 2015
Alaska

Note: This is about one of my friends.

Ex-Friend 1 - Male
Ex-Friend 2 - Female

My friend is being charge with Domestic Assault w/ a weapon (A toddler Chair) against a person (Ex-Friend 1) who was forcing their way into her apartment against her will and trying to take ( Kidnap )her daughter from her because Ex-Friend 1 and 2 where high on drugs.

This all start when she invited Ex-Friend 2 - female over.
Ex-Friend 2 came over and was hanging out with her. Ex-Friend 2 requested some coffee in which my friend went to the store and left Ex-Friend 2 at the apartment to watch her daughter while she ran across the street to get some coffee.

At that time, she was at the store and was delayed as she ran into an old friend and was talking with her old friend.
30 minutes had gone by and she received a phone call from Ex-Friend 1 - male.

Ex-Friend 1 said on the phone:

"How dare you leave you daughter alone ... if you don't come back in the next 10 minutes and get your daughter, Ex-Friend 1 would report my friend to OCS and have her taken away.
At this point my friend didn't even know how this Ex-Friend 1 knew her daughter was at home.
That being said, Ex-Friend 2 was already there watching her.
It comes to find out that Ex-Friend 1 and Ex-Friend 2 knew each other and Ex-Friend 2 invite Ex-Friend 1 (Uninvited by my friend) over and they where stealing all kinds of things from her apartment.
NOTE: Ex-Friend 1 though my friend stole some pills from her and was plotting to take what she though it was worth from her apartment.

Ex-Friend 1 and 2 were under the influence of Methamphetamine and other opiates at the time.
My friend knew both of them separately (Didn't know they knew each other) as they partook in doing drugs together.

My friend went back to her apartment to find them walking out of the front door with my friend's child.
My friend ran up to Ex-Friend 1 who had my friends daughters by the hand and grab her daughter for her safety and ran inside.
She locked her door and barricaded her door with a chair.
She at this point called the police.
Ex-Friend 1 used a credit card to open the locked door knob and was able to open it up to the chain lock.
He was able to reach inside and unchain the door (Apartment installed the chain incorrectly)
At the time of the breaking and in entering, my friend was not high at the time  and not under the affect of any drugs (but tested drugs in her system).
At this time, Ex-Friend 1 had made his way into the entrance of the apartment.
My friend went to the door and was yelling at him to leave now.
At this time, he shoved her down and she tripped over a chain (Not the one she hit him with)
When she fell, she hit the wall and sustained a concussion and torn her shoulder muscle.
While she was down, Ex-Friend 1 force his way passed her and attempted to take her daughter who was trying to run away and hide.
Ex-Friend 1 was not able to get her daughter fast enough as my friend got up and shoved him away from her tearing his shirt.
At this time, he went into her kitchen in which she was yelling and asking what he was doing in her house.
At this point, he forced her into a choke hold almost knocking her out.
She walked backwards and was able to shove him against the wall loosening his grip and was able to get free.
After she got loose, he left outside.
She ran to the door and locked in once more.
She at this point was in the living room with her daughter (At this time, he was no longer in the apartment)
He moments later came back and force his way once more into her apartment.
At this point he went into her kitchen looking for his keys.
He once again put her into a choke hold when she confronted him.
She was once again able to get out.
My friend at this point grabbed the toddler chair and struck him multiple times.
At this point, he threatened to call the cops and left her apartment.
She informed that at this point, the cops had arrived as he was leaving. (A good 15 minutes after she called them).

At this point Ex-Friend 1 walked up to officer 1 and 2 and told them his story.
10 minutes later (Her watching through her window) Officer 3 and 4 and an OCS case worker drive up and walk upstairs to talk to my friend.
Office 3 and 4 and the OCS worker was invited in by my friend to further investigate what was going on.
The OCS worker came in and and took her daughter without introducing herself, or giving any cause on why.
Officer 4 and the OCS worker where speaking in private with her daughter with them. (Un sure if they where interrogating the child)
At this point officer 3 was speaking with my friend.
She spoke with Officer 3 for ~5 minutes and explained that they broke in and was stealing items and attempting to kidnap her daughter.
At this point, they continued to handcuff her and bring her to jail.
 - NOTE: She does not remember ever being read her Miranda rights, or being given a reason in which she was being arrested for.
My sister asked the OCS worker for her name and requested to call a family member to pick up her daughter.
She was told outright by the OCS worker that she did not have to disclose that information or give her a call.
The OCS worker took her daughter and the other officers arrested Ex-Friend 1 and 2.
At this time, the did not shield her daughter from seeing her getting arrested.
Not only that, they took her daughter past her while she was handcuffed in the back of the police card.
At this point, her daughter has been with OCS for nearly 2 months and she is doing everything to get her back, but doesn't know what to do at this point past waiting for the court date on June 29th.

With all of this detailed information, is there anything from what you've read that she can use to get immediate action on this?
What do you suggest?
I think she should get a lawyer yesterday, but she is scared and not sure where to go with this.

Please help us on this.

Thanks.

Answer:
 Yes, get a lawyer.

Your friend *said* she wasn't high on drugs, but she tested positive and had known methheads babysitting her kid. Meanwhile, CPS has had custody of the kid for 2+ months...I think there's a lot more to this story than you're telling us.


Title: Poshmark claims item is counterfeit and charging for its return.

Question:
I sold a jacket through Poshmark, and since it costed a high amount they had me ship it directly to them so they could authenticate it and package it themselves.

A week and a half goes by and they cancel my order and claim that my item was counterfeit, except that my item was indeed authentic. My biggest issue is that they’re now charging me $20 for its return or else they destroy it (no deadline given.)

I have the means to prove my item is authentic, I have my original invoice of when I purchased the item, and I’ve also reached out to the original owner for a copy of the receipt. I know that I can also reach out to other individuals and 3rd party companies that can validate its authenticity.

I have already emailed them, attaching a screenshot of my original purchase and making my claim that the item is indeed authentic and that I refuse to pay $20 for incompetent service. (On top of making me lose a large sale.)

So now I am looking for legal advice on how to approach this in the scenario that they refuse to return my item or destroy it. It was a $500 sale so I’m not sure if that’s relevant information in how this would be handled.

[Email Screenshot from Poshmark](https://imgur.com/gallery/SlwCc)

Answer:
 you want your $500 jacket back? send them $20 and sell it locally for $520....I could see standing on principal for the whole enchilada, but a $500 dollar object would be worth the $20, I'd be angry too, but, you had to agree to their vetting policy before entering into this contract with them, you have to abide by the rules or they will be within their rights to destroy the jacket, then, you will have nothing, send them $20.Answer #2: You agreed to this authentication process in their terms of service when you listed the item for sale.  And it would appear from the screenshot that they're not alleging that the item is counterfeit but that they cannot verify the authenticity.  That may well be factually true, even if the article is genuine.  Not that the truth or untruth of the statement is particularly relevant.  You agreed to allow them to make a determination and they have.

You likely have no recourse here but to pay to have your item returned or to see it destroyed as described in the terms of service.


Title: Landlord illegally charged more than rent control for my year of tenancy (DC)

Question:
In December, I left a DC apartment where I was living with two other flatmates from January to December 2014. We each paid individual rent to the landlady, but I recently discovered -- from tenants who still live there -- that she was charging (when our collective rents per apartment were combined) thousands more than the DC-capped rent for the unit. I calculate damages that could be in the range of $4,000. She also did not return my security deposit with interest, per DC law. Current tenants -- who stayed -- are now paying dramatically lower rent. The landlady -- who also lived in the building where she managed a number of units -- has been evicted from the building (I think it is a former apartment building turned condo) and is being sued by the building management. Do you think that I have a case for asking for several thousand dollars back? Would it be better to try and contact the landlady first and ask for a direct refund and agree not to contact the building? Or should I contact the building first since she was an agent 'respondeat superior' (in my opinion) of the building, which centrally advertises for rental units. Also, would I potentially be putting myself in any legal trouble by sending her a long email -- with legal-ish writing (suggested by a lawyer friend) -- and asking to settle the matter? (And should I provide the apartment building management with a copy of this letter?) I figure I would be doing her a favor by trying to informally settle the matter without taking her to court or, alternatively, suing the building, which would then (most likely) attempt to recoup the full amount (plus legal fees and interest) from the landlady. Any advice would be appreciated. (Reposted to be more concise.)
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You posted this already. This is a very specialized question and I don't think any of the regulars are knowledgeable about this particular area of DC landlord/tenant law.  Generally speaking there is no danger in *asking* somebody for money if you feel they owe you. It's something else altogether to go to court and get a judgement. For the amount of money you believe you are owed it would be worth it to meet with a DC attorney.Answer #2: Go see one of the hundreds of lawyers that practice landlord-tenant law in DC (out of the hundreds of thousands of lawyers in DC).

Also, DC has rent control? I find that so hard to believe, I am going to google it.

EDIT: Wow, DC does have rent control regulations which do *not* apply to, among other things, properties that are built after 1975 and rental units owned by individual who own four or less rental units in DC. Does your former landlady fit any of these exceptions, OP?


Title: I need a lawyer to help me get my license back. What type of lawyer do I contact?

Question: Denver, CO

Answer:
 TOO MANY DETAILS!!!

What license are you talking about? Driving? Liquor? Medical?

Why did you lose it? Did you forget to pay a ticket? Did you murder someone?


Title: [Ontario, Canada] Employer is forcing all of us to volunteer time next weekend. Unpaid.

Question:
Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit.

Next weekend is a huge, popular event for our little town. We're expected to have up to 20x our population visiting over the weekend. So, our convenience store is obviously going to be very, very busy.

Our manager - who is new to the country, the area, and his job - requested we all volunteer 3 to 5 hours next weekend helping out around the store. After literally all of us told him no, he responded that it's mandatory.

I like the job, and I even like the manager, but this is obviously illegal, yes? I can just tell him "No, I'm not coming in unpaid, that is illegal" and if he threatens punishment or worse I can go to the labour board, right?

Just kinda seeking some advice on the whole situation

Answer:
 Volunteer: a person who freely offers to take part. Mandatory is not freely offering. That said, assuming labor laws in Canada are the same as in the US, your employer can not force you to work without pay. Your manager can schedule you to work extra hours for pay though.Answer #2: If you are "required" to volunteer, you aren't a volunteer. If you are *required* by your manager to show up, you must be paid for the time you are there.

If your manager refuses to pay you or retaliates against you for not attending, you should report it to the labor board.Answer #3: Are you certain the boss is using volunteer in the form of unpaid work vs. you volunteer to come in at a time you normally wouldn't for your normal hourly pay?Answer #4: Was he asking you to voluntarily take an extra shift and still be paid?

Lots of businesses in my experience ask for volunteers for holiday shifts before requiring mandatory work.


Title: Apparently I am the star off a local ad campaign. No one told me and I don't even work there any more.

Question:
Let me start from the beginning. I worked for a small but expanding local carwash chain in my area. I worked there for five years and hated every stupid second of it.  However, last spring I finally quit to become a substitute teacher.

Fast forward to yesterday. I get a Facebook message from several of my old co-workers saying that the carwash has an advertisement playing daily at the local movie theater and I am the star of it.  No one from the carwash ever informed me that this was going to happen. I am not getting paid for being in the advertisement (though if it was up to me, I would forego payment just to get them to stop playing the stupid thing).

Though I have yet to see the advertisement myself, I assume the video footage of me was taken last year when people from the carwash's marketing department took video of me and other workers in action. It was mostly candid shots, but there were a few times the marketeers would give me directions like, "Hold the gift card so the camera can see it."  Even at this point no one said what the video was being used for and honestly I did not ask. I was more worried with keeping my job at the time then to question any people from Headquarters.  However, I know what they did with that footage. They made little commercials for the carwash's website that linked to YouTube.  Even then I did not say anything because I thought that would be the end of it.

Since then I have been wracking my brain to remember if I had ever signed anything that would have given away my likeness rights. The only thing I can think of is signing a document 4 years ago that asked if they could use my picture for an older version of their website. In the end they did not even use my picture at that time.

As of right now, I am just confused and feeling humiliated that my image is being used for a business that I hate. And now it is being shown to everyone I know in town.

Someone please tell me what I should do? Do I have any options?

Thank you.

Edit: spelling

**--**

**Edit: Okkaaayy. Thank you for the responses, I guess? I am just a private person who doesn't believe in making any more money for a company I don't work for or even like.**

**I was just looking for some Legal Advice. I guess I picked the wrong subreddit.**

Answer:
 The release you signed regarding the website picture usage was probably enough to allow them to use the footage.

Also - get over yourself. It's a video ad of a small independent owned car wash company. If you think this has will affect your life in any way, you vastly overestimate your importance in the world.


Title: Boyfriend accidentally hit man with his car, man asked for cash in exchange for not filing a police report. BF has audio of the person saying that once he has the cash, everything will be all good. What to do?

Question:
This just happened in California. My BF was driving home from work down an dimly-lit road (around 9:30pm). He stopped at a stop sign and as he was about to move one, he felt a slight tap and a man got up from the road and slightly limped off. My BF rushed out to ask if he was okay and the man said he was fine but he wanted cash in exchange for not calling the cops, said he needed the money to buy drugs. He took a pic of BF's license plate to make sure he'll get the money.

My BF had no cash on him and told him that, the man kept saying, "I don't want to have to do this but I guess I'll have to file a report." So BF takes him to a nearby liquor store and his card gets declined twice. He tells the man that and the man just keeps repeating that he'll have to file a report. BF  goes on his phone pretending like he has to make sure he even has enough money in the bank and records the guy saying that once he gets the cash, everything will be good. So they go to a 7-11 and BF finally gives him the cash. Man says he'll delete the pic of the license plate and then the two part ways.

BF is a broke college student, so thank goodness the man wasn't asking for much money.

I know BF should have called the cops but it was over and done with when I found out. It sounded like a scam when I heard, but what do you guys think? What can we do now? Does this count as a settlement, especially since there's proof that the man agreed to it? If the man didn't delete the pic, can he still come after BF? If it was a scam/extortion what should we do now?

Edit: It definitely sounded scammy to me but bf was not 100% sure that he did not actually hit the guy. Thanks for all the replies =) I'm gonna head over to r/scams now

Answer:
 Yea, definitely a scam. Your boyfriend should have let the guy file a police report, but he won't. He just wanted drugs. Answer #2: People actually fall for this thing still?

>  What can we do now?

Nothing.  Any possible info your naive BF got from this guy is false.


Title: [CA] Neighbor harassing my family over religious and political views, and threatening to call animal control on my dog for "barking a lot at night," which is untrue. What can I do to protect my family?

Question:
My next door neighbor has always been meddlesome and has made comments about us "needing god", but she's lately been badgering my family and it's getting out of hand. Earlier this week, she approached my father and claimed my dog barks at her when she is in her backyard and says she feels she can't be out there. I had a suspicion she's been trying to rile him up, and I have seen her peeking over our wall and calling him, which does upset him. I installed a camera overlooking our shared wall in the backyard and haven't seen that he goes over to bark.

Yesterday, things escalated when she came over to talk to my father about a bumper sticker on my car. She said "Let me educate you about politics," and went on a rant about socialism and communism. My father was uncomfortable, so my sister approached them and asked if there was an issue. My neighbor flipped out and yelled at my sister, repeatedly trying to get close to her face and screamed "You democrats are always removing god from everything. You're not patriotic! Why are you attacking me? Why are you getting in my face?". My father stepped between them and told her my sister was not attacking her and was trying to speak to her.

 She also said "You should find new neighbors. If we're going to be neighbors, maybe this the wrong house you bought!"

Things ended with her making veiled threats about calling animal control on my dog because he's "out in the yard past 1am barking," which is not true. He sleeps indoors in a crate or in my room. He is a rescue and has anxiety, for which he has medication, but there are moments where he can get overwhelmed and does bark. This mainly happens in the daytime, and we have worked with a trainer to find ways to help him, along with the medicine.

I have parts of the incident caught on camera, namely the part where she said we need to find new neighbors. I went to the sheriff's department to ask for guidance on the situation, and they told me to call anytime any incident occurs. No report was taken.

I'm worried that she'll call animal control about my dog. I do my best to make sure he's taken care of and to manage his anxiety. I'm also worried that she'll make other unsubstantiated claims about my family ad continue to harass us.

What can I do to protect my family in case this further escalates? I have started documenting all the times she's approached us and backed up the videos I have where she's yelling at my sister.

Answer: Please make sure to check your yard thoroughly for new hazards before letting out your dog.Answer #2: If she has a crazy tirade in front of your house you can always record it on your phone and show the police/internet.Answer #3: Security Cameras with sound and an attorney.


Title: I’m 15 years old and my friend exposed himself to other people

Question:
I’m not sure if this suits this sub but I was going around cycling with 2 of my friends and we pull into our usual spot we were hangout and talk.

Once we get there we see 3 boys from our year in school. One of them was leaving as we were coming in so we just said hey. Once we got in we saw a boy called “mike” . Mike is a child in our year that needs constant SNA and has some form of autism or really bad learning disability.

The other boy let’s call him “James” was gone for a piss or something idk. And Michael told us that James showed him his penis and asshole multiple times as-well as showing it to the boy who we saw leaving. He seemed to think it was funny but i asked him if he ever asked to see it and he said no and that James did it randomly “as a joke”

James then came and I asked him if he did what Michael was saying he was doing and he denied it until I told him what Michael told me. James then said ya he did it but it was “just a joke” and if that’s a joke then this is the punchline. It was at a fucking graveyard when he did it.

TL:DR is it breaking the law if a minor exposed his penis and asshole to other boys without consent.

(Or even what the adult sentence would be if they exposed themselves to another adult)

Answer: You should speak to a trusted teacher or counselor at school, this is disturbing behavior and needs to be addressed ASAP.


Title: Office is filled with pests and employer is not fixing the problem. What can I do?

Question:
[Posting for a friend with permission]

I work in an office in Texas. I don't want to get too specific on the industry type, but it's not food or restaurant related.  The office constantly has large flies, mice, rats, spiders, roaches and even snakes in it.  The women's bathroom had a nest of maggots in the ceiling, which have hatched into flies.  There is an active nest of mice in one of my coworker's desks that she has reported, but they have not fixed the problem.  The best we can do is just not open the desk drawer.  We found a snake in one of the rooms last week and people's lunches get eaten even if they're in a desk drawer.

We've reported this to the office manager and they have said they'd hire an exterminator.  Since the problem is getting worse, I feel like they're not really doing their due diligence here.  Yes, I know that finding another job is a priority, but in the meantime, who can I report this to? The health department? OSHA? Is there any place that deals with pests and other health related issues like this if it's not a food safety issue?  Is it possible to file an anonymous complaint so I don't get fired?

Thank you in advance for your help.  Just trying to figure out the best place to start.

Answer:
 Assuming it has enough people there to qualify, OSHA.

[Look at section 1910.141(a)(5)](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9790).


Title: Me [29 M] and my girlfriend [26 F] want to move in together and would like legal advice please.

Question:
My girlfriend and I are planning on moving in together (Colorado) in 6 months. We have been discussing this for some time now but we are both concerned with being able to trust one another enough to sign an apartment lease together.

To clarify what I mean by this, her and I have been discussing visiting a lawyer to advise us on a legal agreement that would ensure financial security for the both of us through out the duration of the lease. In other words, we both want to do this without the fear of getting stuck with an enormous rent payment (should the other have a change of heart).

Although, we both trust each other-we've agreed that it would put us both at ease to take this as a kind of mutual precaution. We both have outstanding credit history when it comes to renting and taking care of other financial obligations which is why we want to make sure nothing will go wrong.

We have not made the visit to a lawyer yet, however we would just like advice on legal measures that we can take in making this move. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You don't **need** a lawyer.  Just write out an agreement including terms that you both agree to, such as each person being responsible for half of their rent.

The landlord can still hold either of you liable for the whole rent payment, but at least you would be able to sue the other person for their half.


Title: Debt collection scam? I am having trouble figuring this out...(California)

Question:
So, got this letter in the mail and I am not sure if it is scam or not.

https://imgur.com/a/KlwZLHr

I received a debt collection notice from "The Law Center" and they advised me that my account has been assigned to "The Debt Masters".  The creditor is listed as "T-Moblie".  First off, I have never had a T-Mobile account but its possible they were a carrier for some other phone service I used.  The letter also has T-Mobile misspelled.

The Law Center website that is provided (thelawcenterus.com) and their payment site (thelawcenterpayments.com) appear very empty and too simplistic.  They are out of California but the address they provided doesn't come back to a actual office...

Lastly, when I tried to contact the provided phone numbers, it redirects me to "The Debt Masters".  No one answers and it goes to voicemail after a few rings.

What do you guys think?  Is this a scam or actually legit?  What should I do?

Answer:
 Don't do anything unless you're served papers.

If it looks like a scam, and sounds like a scam, it's probably a scam.Answer #2: I would check your credit report and see if this account is registered as a delinquent account. It's possible that this is a real debt and has been assigned/sold even if it's not actually your debt to pay.

I would also send a certified letter asking for a validation of the original debt. Once you've received that and you're sure the debt isn't yours - then send another letter disputing the debt. You can find form letters all over the internet.