Title: HOA blues....

Question:
The financial management company for my HOA sent me an email cease and desist letter in regards to remarks made on social media (facebook). All remarks were made on our neighborhood's private FB page. The letter alleges I have defamed (libel) the companie's owner as well as the HOA president. I have not posted anything untrue, but I have speculated if funds were stolen and if someone is lying due to inconsistency in who to contact with questions and lack of communication. I've been rather persistent for answers on an HOA matter and admittedly salty. I did say "someone is lying" HOA says to go to the management company and management company supposed to go to the HOA. Should I hire a lawyer? What is the likelihood this would get thrown out? Just a scare tactic? Thanks guys!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Have you made any written requests for information or any written formal complaints to the Board of Directors?

Have you attended the meetings where  HOA business is decided?

If you are a member you have the right inspect certain documents but if you hadn’t mad a request, you haven’t made a request.


Title: [CA] Son of divorced parents, home alone at dad's, no custody order, mom forcing me to go to hers.

Question:
Hi there, I am 15 years old, the son of recently divorced parents who have not made/filed official custody order. My dad left for a business trip this morning, and will return in three days. (I was staying with him last, obviously.)

My mom is pushing me to go to her place tonight, telling me that asking to stay here for three days is like asking for a yard when she gave me an inch. She says that I because I'm not 18, I have to follow her instructions.

Since there's no custody case, and my dad is out of town, what can I do? I have enough money to get meals for these next three days, and I want to stay at my dad's. He is okay with it, so long as I keep the house clean. If it helps at all, my mom is a pretty horrible mom, just look at my post history and you'll see. She said she's going to pick me up in an hour, so I need advice quick please!

NOTE: Dad just informed me that a treaty was made, and will be signed when he gets back, no details on the treaty and it is not being filed with any courts, it's an "informal" agreement.

Edit: 15, not 14.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: If you are 14, your mother has the right to bring you home if you are staying alone.Answer #2: Listen to your mother. Answer #3: Without any custody order, she can come and get you. You are a minor, you go with her.


Title: My girlfriend is being defrauded by a Planet Beach spray tan

Question:
They claim she signed up for a $99 per month membership that the only way to get out of it is a $500 cancelation fee. My girlfriend ask for proof of such agreement. The response was “We  took detailed notes”.  So she told them I’m not paying you anything with out a contract and  cancelled her credit card they had on file.  Seemed like the end of it until today.

They some how found her new card number and charged her for months and months of the “membership” she used once. No invoice. No contact sent over. Nothing. Just an unauthorized payment for almost $1000.

She’s coming to me for advice and I honestly don’t know what to tell her. She’s in between jobs and can’t afford a hit like this.

Report the charge as fraudulent to the credit card company and get another new card?  They’d just find the new card again. (Still not sure how they did that)

Hire a lawyer? Seems expensive

Any advice we be great.

Answer: Did she sign any paperwork when she enrolled in their membership?Answer #2: For your convenience, some credit cards will continue charging your old card if it is for a recurring bill in order to prevent any stop in services. My credit card recently did this to me. In other words, it is unlikely they found her new card and charged it, but charged the old number and the CC company charged it to the new number. If this is the case, a simple call to the CC company will solve this, assuming that what you say is true and there isn't any sort of signed agreement.


Title: Had an altercation with a guy in bar. Mostly it was verbal, only I spat on his face. Nothing else. I head he has filed police report. What's gonna happen? Am I in serious trouble?

Question:
[Jersey city, NJ]

I didn't hit him, nor did he. There were very loud arguments and at end of it I flipped the bird and spat on his face and left the venue.

Answer: Spitting is simple assault in NJ, maybe aggravated if you were really bad (N.J.S.A. § 2C:12-1). Get a lawyer if the police question you. There is possible jail time, but, if convicted, realistically a lawyer can knock that down to just a fine.


Title: (AL) 14 years ago i was sexually abused at the age of 11. is there anything i can do now?

Question: i was groomed and raped over the course of a few months by an older brother of a friend when i was 11, and he was 18 or 19. (i know i was not the only victim, another girl my age was also abused shortly before me.) so, i don't think he has just stopped abusing children. i see his normal happy life through mutual acquaintances via social media, and i am always sickened by the thought that this predator continues to live happily without consequence. i wont begin to describe the psychological toll this has taken on me throughout my life. i just want to know, is it too late to do something?

Answer:
 There is no statute of limitations in Alabama on sex abuse when the victim was under 16 years of age.

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/alcode/15/3/15-3-5

Report it to the police.


Title: My friends plans to marry for papers (and money). What's the worst that can happen? [USA-FL]

Question:
A male friend of mine plans to marry a female friend of ours for her papers only.  She is paying him.  She has outstayed her student visa by at least a year.  She wants to go to school in another state, and not live with him at all.  I am urging him against this because I am worried that he will face penalties or even jail time.  (I know nothing about this subject except that it is illegal.)  From my perspective, he is taking all of the risk.  They both tell me that this happens all of the time and they have plenty of anecdotal evidence to support their claim.

What I'd like to know is: What's the worst that can happen, and how likely is the worst to happen?

Also, if he goes through with it, what's the best way to make sure the worst doesn't happen?

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 > What's the worst that can happen?

They get arrested by INS for [Marriage Fraud](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/fiance-marriage-visa-book/chapter1-6.html).


Title: Parents divorcing and gonna take my money

Question:
Hi i am 15 i live in Michigan. My parents are getting a divorce and want to take the money in my bank account. It is a savings account and it is under my moms name. ( My name is also on the account) and they said they are gonna split it through the divorce. can they do this? if they can what can i do about it.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: I was just came back from the bank. I was able to withdraw all the money and close the account. Now i have the money. will this not make it my parents money anymore? I also figured out i can open a private savings account at the age of 16


Title: Care.com Cancelled/Terminated my Paid-for Subscription b/c I Didn't Pass Their Background Check...

Question: [deleted]

Answer: This isn't bullshit. Care.com doesn't want to be responsible for sending teenage girls to a felon's house, for reasons that should be obvious. Answer #2: Yes it is discrimination, but it is legal.  And most places in the US you can be fired for being a felon


Title: I signed a contract for work with the promise of a raise. Two weeks later I received a call saying there was a mistake, and I would not be getting a raise.

Question: [CT] I was told by my manager that I would finally be getting a raise. A few days later I received my contract and signed it. Roughly two weeks later I received a call from my manager and HR, saying that there was a mistake, and I would not be receiving my raise after all. They have yet to send me a new contract (it has been a week).  I don't know whether to fight this and be viewed as an "problem" employee, or just take the hit. In the two weeks it took for them to realize the mistake, I signed a lease for an apartment that I would not have signed at my current salary. I appreciate any and all advice. Thanks.

Answer:
 It’s going to all be dependant on the language of the contract that you signed.

Now just to be clear, was this an honest to goodness employment contract that you signed, or something more like an offer letter?Answer #2: I mean, most ways that you slice this you're not in a good place.  In most cases, any employer can cut any employee's pay at any time, or fire them.  Cutting pay may count as constructive dismissal, even.  So even if it was a raise, they can change it later, and your option is to quit or stay.

Now, if the letter said pay takes effect immediately, they owe you the increased pay for those two weeks.  They can't retroactively change your pay.  However, pursuing that may cause diplomatic issues at work, and it may be best to find a new job before pursuing this.

Lastly - so in the span of 2 weeks you got a raise, started looking for and signed signed for a new apartment that was just barely affordable at your new higher pay, and then lost your higher pay?  That sounds like a really tight timeline.  The apartment is not relevant to whether or not they can lower your pay or anything else here, it just shows that you're budgeting too tightly.


Title: Proxy Marriage Questions

Question:
Hello, I'm a military member stationed in South Korea, and my bride to be lives in Arizona.  In order to get her on my orders for my follow on to Italy we need to get legally married before our actual marriage ceremony.  From my reasearch so far I know that Montana does double proxy marriages, but I was wondering who I had to talk to or what services I had to employ to make sure we are legit legally married.

I appreicate anybody who gives this the time of day, and I thank you in advance.

Answer:
 My daughter was married to a soldier by proxy a couple of years ago. It went smoothly and they have had no issues with the legality of their union.Answer #2: There are numerous services for a double proxy marriage in Montana. Read reviews carefully.
You can have a single proxy (your wife to be + proxy) in Texas or Colorado (I’m guessing these are her closest states). But you’d be fine with a double proxy and it would be legal for all of your intended purposes. Double proxy doesn’t count without consummation for immigration matters, but I’m assuming you are both citizens and it won’t be an issue.


Title: [WA] Work asking me to cut my hair

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There was a post about this same thing recently. As long as the dress code does not put a burden on one gender then it is not discrimination.

>Courts have found that dress codes can be different for men and women, but cannot be less favorable to one gender.  As long as the dress code is consistent with social norms and customs, does not differ significantly for men and women, and does not place a greater burden on one sex, then a dress code will usually be found not to be discriminatory.

^[source](http://www.hum.wa.gov/Documents/Guidance/dress%20code%20guidance.doc)


Title: 2 weeks out from wedding, hotel is breaking room block contract

Question:
So I am getting married in two weeks in Northern Illinois, US. I just received a phone call from the hotel that we have a room block with saying that there was a glitch in their booking system and they way overbooked for the weekend. Our block was for around 60 rooms, priced at  $109 per room. There is a sporting event in town this weekend as well. So they tell me that they need to move my guests and I to a hotel across the street. The original hotel is a Holiday Inn. The hotel they want to move us to is a red roof inn. I signed a contract for the rooms back in July 2016, 9 months in advance of the wedding. Do I have any legal action? The contract states nothing about potentially moving us to a new hotel. We have already had an issue with the hotel when the sales person who set up the block set it up incorrectly so when guests were reserving,  our block wouldn't show up. We also had blocked off the Jacuzzi suite for Friday and Saturday but due to the error, it was never blocked and we lost the room for Saturday night.

The kicker, they want to give us the same rate for the hotel rooms. The red roof inn' s normal rate is around  $60 per night, but they are jacking prices up because of the sporting tournament being in town.

Sorry if this is all over. This is just an unnecessary stress for something that should have easy.

Edit: location

Answer:
 Although I've never worked in hotel sales, I've worked in Hotels for 8+ years and I think I know what's going on.

That salesperson is a fuck up who isn't doing their job correctly and is probably going to get fired in the near future.  That person should have known about that big sporting event because the sales staff discusses big upcoming events that are going to be in the city and then they talk about how to capture revenue for it.  Either the salesperson knew that they were going to burn you or they didn't make sure with another salesperson about the room blocks.

What I suggest is that you first try and contact the General Manager of the hotel and tell him/her about the situation and how unhappy you are and don't forget to throw in how this is one of the most important day in your life.

If the GM isn't helpful, tell him/her that you're going to contact corporate and you're going to tell them all the bullshit you've been through.

If nothing is still resolved, then go ahead with the wedding and go on your honeymoon.

When you get back, go sue them in small claims court.  You can represent yourself and I forgot what the monetary limit is but I believe it's at least $5000 bucks and you have a good chance of winning.


Title: Mother tripped in government-run store, now has a concussion and is unable to work.

Question:
Hi there,

Last Friday, May 18th my mother was checking-out at the LCBO (Provincial, Government run liquor store) and tripped on a mat on the ground walking to the cash register (the area almost directly in front of the register). She ended up falling backwards, hitting her head on the hard floor. From there, an incident report was filed by the manager, which noted that the area where she fell had been "cluttered". There was a witness who can speak to the exact cause, but we don’t have his information and I’m not sure if the store recorded that. They also have yet to provide us with a copy of the incident report.
As an aside, she does not drink.

For a few days afterward she complained of a headache that wouldn’t go away, but associated it with barometric pressure changes. A friend of her’s suggested she go to the doctor as she didn’t “sound like herself”, and given her recent fall she should make sure everything was ok. She went to her GP this past Wednesday, May 23rd for assessment and was told she had a concussion. The physician also noted concerned with the size and colour of her bruising. At this point she was told that she could not return to work until at least the following Monday after a follow-up. She went back to the manager at the store and informed her of the concussion so the incident could be escalated accordingly.

To describe some of what she has been experiencing:

- Nearly falling over in the middle of a clear grocery aisle because she lost her balance. The balance issues are still present but come in waves.

- Occasional memory loss; she has no recollection of my phone call with her from earlier in the week

- She got confused and went to a personal training appointment on the wrong day/time

- Occasional slurred speech

- Difficulty finding the words for what she wants to say (aphasia)

- Significantly more emotional

- Inability to keep up with what people are saying, especially if talking fast

- Difficulties sleeping

She is a high-level manager, avid gardener, and outdoor enthusiast. She is unable to perform the duties of her job, nor enjoy what makes her happiest.

She received a call yesterday from a senior adjudicator (?) from the LCBO requesting to meet with her in person and discuss what happened. When she said she could just talk about it over the phone, he insisted it be in person. They will be meeting early next week.

What I’m hoping to know is basically what do we do, or what can we do from here? Should we prepare anything for the meeting next week? I have zero idea what the process is but I feel she may be entitled to compensation. I’m actually not even quite sure what to ask, so any advice you can provide to help me navigate through this would be appreciated.

Answer: She should not meet with them without a lawyer present, especially if she's having some confusion. She should also get a doctor's report ASAP.


Title: Executor of the will is keeping the money. Is there anything we can do?

Question:
So this is my SOs family. Not mine. We are all located in New Jersey.

Recently my boyfriends father passed away and left a small amount of money to his 4 adult children. In his will be specifically stated that the money be divided 4 ways and distributed evenly. He named his oldest daughter as the executor of the will.

When he passed, it came to light that the daughter transferred all of his money into her bank account and has explicitly stated that she will be keeping it and not distributing it. Obviously this doesn't sound legal, but the loophole is that it seems that she transferred the money when he was still alive, so she claimed the money before it was technically an inheritance.

Another point is that his wife is still alive, and they are technically still married but they have been separated for decades. I don't know if that would have any legal bearing on who gets a "say" in what to do with an inheritance.

Is there anything that his family can do to fight it or are they just SOL because she claimed the money before his death?

I'll be happy to answer any questions or clarify anything I might have left out.

Answer:
 They need a lawyer right now.Answer #2: The other children should a) get a lawyer b) never speak to the thief again.

EDIT: Just to be clear, because this comes up all the time: just because someone is added to a bank account to give them authority to manage the money as directed by the owner does NOT mean that they acquire sole uncontested legal ownership over that money and can take it all for themselves.  Similarly, if I give a neighbor a key to my house (perhaps to bring in my mail while I'm on vacation) that is not the same as giving the neighbor ownership of all my stuff.  Access <> ownership.


Title: (IOWA)Gf is a server and they are forced to pay for transactions when the receipt is lost after being placed in the register drawer...

Question:
(IOWA) My gf came to me tonight saying something was fishy about the way her employer is doing business and frankly, this doesn't sound right to me either. Employees of the restaurant she works at get a comp on their meals. Kitchen staff get 100% and wait staff get 50% (this carries over to their days off as well.) When the order is placed and the comp goes through for the respected amount, the receipt is placed in the register drawer as required. At the end of the night, if any receipt is missing, they are tallied up, and the server responsible has the money deducted directly from their check. Example: If a bill is $10 and the comp is 100% and the receipt is missing, $10 is deducted from the employee's check. If the comp is only for 50%, then $5 is deducted.
From a booking standpoint, this doesn't make any sense... They use a Point of Sales system like the ones I have worked with and I know they can go back and re-print. They print the proof of the receipt in the envelope when they pay their employees... Also, if receipts are misplaced and the accused employees are forced to pay for the comp, then the restaurant is never at a loss... It's labeled as a "walk out" on their Quickbooks. After asking some questions, it appears this is a rule set by the general manager and not the owner.

Hopefully I included all the needed details... My gf is in college much like a lot of the other servers and this is becoming a problem

EDIT: Thank you all so much for your comments so far. I'm off to bed and I'll check back in the morning. Keep em coming!
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: Yes they are violating the law.


Title: Debt collectors call while I'm on vacation [ND]

Question:
I'm going to try to make this as short and to-the-point as possible. I'm currently a college student, and last school year I was living with two roommates. We set up our electricity bill under my name, and we would each make payments on that specific account. And, as dumb as this may be, I normally asked one of my roommates if she could pay my portion with her card and I would give her cash (I'm a server at a restaurant, so I usually get paid in cash and don't always have time to go to the bank.)

Since I had never gotten any calls or anything about late/missing payments, I assumed nothing was wrong.
We eventually cancel the account because we all moved to different places.

So at the beginning of summer, I go on vacation, and get emails about how there is an overdue balance on my electricity bill's account. I'm nowhere near a computer at the time and their mobile website is impossible to navigate. I figure this is a mistake and ignore it. I didn't really have another choice but to ignore it as I wasn't even going to be in the country for a little while and wouldn't have cell service.

So I get back to the states and a few days later I get a call from a debt collection agency.
I finally manage to get near a computer and see that my roommate never paid mine or her portion for ~5 months. So now I'm on the hook for this bill.

My current problem now is that I am home for the summer (in a different state) and I'm not able to work until I get back to where I go to school. I can deal with my old roommate later, I just want to get the debt collectors off of my back. I'm willing to pay them, but is there a way I can ask to delay a first payment or something? I wouldn't be back/able to pay them for about a month and a half. Would they accept this?

I know this is probably a really really dumb circumstance, but I've never really dealt with bills and roommates before, and my parents really weren't much help when it came to this.

Answer:
 >I'm willing to pay them, but is there a way I can ask to delay a first payment or something?

You've delayed payments for 5 months now. I doubt they're going to willingly give you more time. But if you can't pay it until then, you just can't do it and they'll either have to accept that or proceed further with legal action.


Title: Pgh, Pa, USA-Neighbor in my duplex is breaking the rules of our contracts. What should my fitst steps be.

Question:
My neighbor lives below me. Our leases state all units are nonsmoking units. We knew she smoked tobacco and marijuana, but it didnt affect us when the weather was warmer because of air conditioning or open windows. Now that it's cold, the smoke from both habits come straight up into our apt, causing me sore throat and frequent headaches, waking my husband and I up at night. We want her to stop but aren't sure how to proceed.

We're on fine terms with the neighbor but are not confident in her reaction, so we've hesitated thus far. We could contact the landlord, but the neighbor will know it's us who complained, and I don't want to risk retaliation. Our landlord can be super flaky and Im not sure she'll even deal with appropriately.

What do you recommend our first steps be?

Edit: given that the smoke literally induces a cough and burni.g eyes and throat, Im also concerned if I drug test at work in the upcoming months while we live here, that Ill fail and put myjob at risk.

Answer:
 > What do you recommend our first steps be?

1) Knock on neighbor's door.

2) Speak to neighbor and ask her to stop smoking inside, or at least open a window, explaining how the smoke is coming into your apartment.

3) If 2 fails, call the landlord.

4) If 3 fails **THEN** come here and ask for legal advice.

Seriously, not every problem is a legal problem.


Title: Who is "at fault" in this accident?

Question:
http://i.imgur.com/UHrvLKe.gifv

Just saw this posted over at

https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/31zyrk/biker_rushes_into_blocked_intersection/

And I was curious who would be most likely to be "at fault" in this case.  I'm sure it could be argued in multiple ways, so give me your specific take on it.

Answer: The biker. Having the right of way is not permission to crash into things.Answer #2: Motorcycle more at fault IMO. The car is obviously in the middle of the intersection when the motorcycle starts up, and a reasonably cautious motorcyclist should expect that car to move (because it's trying to get out of the intersection). Answer #3: There is a last clear chance rule. As in who has the last clear chance to avoid the accident?  Obviously the motorcycle.  However, the light was green and the car shouldn't have been in the intersection.  It also depends if it is a contributory or comparative negligence state. A claim representative might try to put 10% to 25% negligence on the car without the video but  in this case I would say 100% on the motorcycle.


Title: Drastic legal options for sanctuary cities.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 This belongs in in /r/legaladviceofftopic.

It is not legal to refuse to pay your taxes.


Title: Attorney vs. a 22-year-old.

Question:
Hello everyone, I've never done this before but I need all the help I can get at this point. During winter break my dog was killed by my neighbor's dogs (4 labs) and we recently had our court hearing, where I found out that he was an attorney. I wasn't too familiar with the law before so I thought that pictures of my dead dog, pictures where the neighbor's dogs broke through the fence, and a witness of the dogs in my yard would be enough to win the lawsuit. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

The neighbor insists that my claim (his dogs killing mine) held no evidence since he wasn't there to witness the act (even though his wife was home at the time and she was notified that her dogs were in our yard. She refused to take her dogs because she couldn't control them and she had to wait for her husband to get home). He defended himself with the use of previous court cases that have taken place here in Texas.

His main points:
1) There is no actual proof that his dogs killed my own.
2) He had no previous knowledge that his dogs were aggressive.

I had lost all hope because he knew what he was talking about and I had very little evidence at the time. Then, the Judge decided to give us another trial because she had to revise the information she had been given. (maybe she felt bad that this man clearly was taking advantage of his position) This gives me time to gather enough evidence and knowledge to fight this man in court.

What I have:
Pictures of my dog where he was bitten to death.
Pictures of where his dogs broke through the fence.
Witnesses (two relatives that were in my home) that saw the dogs attacking my little bulldog.

Other information:
The neighbor previously had 11 dogs and eventually kept 4 after about a year.
We constantly need to fumigate his side of the fence because it is infested with fleas (the man that fumigates can testify to this)
The family often leaves for weeks. Only leaving a bucket of food and water.
His dogs have escaped previously. Once towards the street and once in our backyard. (both times we returned the dogs to them, unfortunately, we didn't file a report in an attempt to be good neighbors).
His dogs have also tried breaking in several times and the wooden panels have been replaced by the owner.

This is about all I have. I really hope someone can help me. I truly loved my dog. He was my best friend and really helped me through a tough time in my life. Even if you can't help, I thank you for your time.

Answer:
 Sorry about your dog.

> Witnesses (two relatives that were in my home) that saw the dogs attacking my little bulldog.

This is how you win.  You have witnesses who saw his dog attack your dog.  They will need to come to court and tell the judge what they saw, so make sure they are available on your court date - **you cannot speak for them**, they will need to be there in person themselves.

Other than that, you just need to be honest and direct.  Bring your photos, bring the dates the dogs had earlier escaped, bring pictures and dates of the fence and when it was repaired, etc.  All of that is evidence that your neighbor knew the dogs could get out of his yard.


Title: How does FMLA apply when changing employment? (Michigan)

Question:
My wife is looking into new employment opportunities (educational administration) and we may be relocating to another area within the state we live if she is offered a job. We are planning on having another child soon, but wonder how FMLA would apply given that she likely would not be at the new job for a year when the baby would be born. Could the school district terminate her during maternity leave? What rights do we have if this were to play out as I've mentioned? Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer: She wouldn't be eligible for fmla protected leave if she hadn't worked for that employer for twelve months so yes she could be legally terminated for missing work.


Title: Owner of store I work in doesn’t let us take home cash tips and makes up deposit them instead. Is this legal?

Question: Every night when we cash out the register, we have to count up money from the tip jar and then deposit it into the safe. The tips are supposed to go into our paycheck that we get the next week. A couple of different people have told me that we should be getting the cash tips daily, or the next day at the latest, but I’ve looked up the law and it’s kind of confusing. I live in Massachusetts. There’s been some sketchy distribution of the tips before, so I just want to make sure I’m getting the right amount of money I’ve earned, especially as a broke college student.

Answer: As long as you receive them this is generally legal


Title: [TX] Traffic lawyer failed to appear - warrant issued

Question:
I had my first traffic incident in ~10 years back in October, and was issued a moving violation. Due to some upcoming travel and what I generally thought was best practice, I decided to let a lawyer handle it. I hadn't needed such a lawyer in a long time, and none of my friends knew of anyone to refer me to, so I just google searched and picked someone that seemed reputable from reviews. I paid the lawyer, sent them the information that they requested, and waited for the results. All of this done online/via email.

At some point I thought it was weird that I had not heard anything from them, so I emailed them asking for an update and the response was simply, "we are handling it." The municipality has an online search tool, so I was able to at least verify that they had contacted the court and things were moving in the usual, albeit slow, manner.

Last week, I thought again to myself that it was weird that I had not heard anything in a while, but instead of emailing, I looked up the case online again, and found that I had a warrant for my arrest issued about a week prior because of failure to appear. So if I'm reading that correctly, my lawyer got a court date scheduled on the docket and then forgot about the case.

I emailed them a screenshot and they replied saying, "We'll get this taken care of once the courts are open again." This going down during the holidays is complicating things. I replied saying that I want to be looped in on everything as they are doing it moving forward. The lawyer's assistant said she'd be in touch.

Since then, I can see through the web search that there was an email correspondence entry added to my case and nothing else. I have received no further emails from the lawyer. As far as I know, I do still have a warrant out for my arrest.

Questions:
1) It seems like this is a really big deal to me and isn't a big deal to my lawyer at all. Which one of us is right?
2) I started receiving a huge increase in spam/unknown number/private number calls around the time that the warrant was issued. Is it likely that there is a correlation here?
3) I'm terrified of leaving the house this weekend. With the New Year's things going on, I know that there is an increased police presence on the roads. Not that I would drink and drive, but this does increase the likelihood of being pulled over, which in this case would result in my arrest. Is this a reasonable concern?
4) I'm overdue for updating the address on my driver's license. I've had HORRIBLE luck doing this online previously, so I've been going into the TxDoT location nearby whenever I need an update done. That would obviously be a bad idea for me to do now, right?
5) What recourse do I have with my lawyer? I know that the whole idea of traffic law is you can do them quick and easy and thus, in volume, but completely whiffing on my case seems excessive. The lack of communication I could understand if things were going completely normal. But when combined with ruining my weekend, making me terrified of the sight of police, and possibly ending up in jail if I get pulled over for anything, I'm more than just a little pissed at the silent treatment, holidays or no. But it isn't like I can threaten to not pay him or anything like that. I'm already out the money I paid him, so I'd prefer to NOT have to hire another lawyer to fix his mistakes.... Uhg, I'm just angry and confused and not knowledgeable and it's infuriating.

So, help?

tl;dr: Traffic lawyer failed to appear. Warrant out for my arrest. What do I do now?

Answer:
 You can sue them for malpractice. Did you receive anything in the mail telling you about your court date?

In any case you can sort out the failure to appear warrant yourself, especially if you had retained council and they dropped the ball. It is a "bench warrant" which means it's not criminal in nature, so once taken care of won't show up on regular criminal background checks.Answer #2: I'd get in touch with the court directly when they open, ask if they had a record of you retaining a lawyer, and explain the situation. Then tell your lawyer this is unacceptable and you expect it to be resolved immediately or you'll file a bar complaint for failing to appear. I'd feel entitled to some kind of refund, although I don't know that legally you are at all.

Once this is resolved, I'd file a bar complaint. Not showing up is unacceptable. Full stop. IANAL.Answer #3: What was the initial charge?

Your best bet is to retain a new lawyer to represent you who can show up to traffic court on your behalf (you will likely want to physically be in court as well) who can explain the situation to a judge, who will hopefully be willing to cancel/drop the warrant and schedule a new court date. Doing this is up to the judge's discretion, however if the initial charge was minor and you don't have any kind of serious criminal record, I think there is a good chance the judge would allow your case to be rescheduled. Answer #4: Contact a bondsman and ask for a Non-Arrest bond. That will clear the warrant and then you will be given a new court date


Title: Got caught in a moving scam, what steps do I take? (NJ)

Question:
I called and got an estimate from a mover. My written estimate for the move was $440, for two men. The day before the move, at 4pm, I'm verbally told that my estimate was misquoted, and it was going to be closer to $800. I work out to move a much shorter distance, verbally told the move will be $560. This is on a recorded phone call. Movers come, he gets everything on the truck, tells me it's $780, and if I want to call the office/argue, he'll leave my stuff on the curb. Says that whenever I ask what paperwork I am signing. No idea what I signed, he had "no copies of anything," and if I didn't like it, he'll leave my stuff. Demands cash. I would like to recoup my balance owed. Or demand, if I paid the price to move it at the longer distance quote, they move it where I originally said. Help?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You should send a letter outlining the problem and what you want done then sue in small claims if they decline


Title: Company asking to pay H1b transfer costs after I decided not to start employment. Offer letter mentions no such clause.

Question:
I accepted offer from a Startup company and they started the h1b transfer process which got approved subsequently.
However in the meantime, I got a better offer from another company in terms of work quality and company stability and decided to join the other company.
I emailed the startup that I would be unable to start. They are asking me to pay $6200 for costs associated with the h1b transfer. There was no clause in the offer letter about paying up h1b costs to the company in such an even where i don't join them.

Am I still liable to pay? I am in California. They are telling me that if I don't pay they will ask their attorney to reach out to me.

The only clause about Arbitration from the offer letter is verbatim below

"Arbitration"
You and the Company shall submit to mandatory and exclusive
binding arbitration of any controversy or claim arising out of, or relating to, this Agreement or
any breach hereof, provided, however, that the parties retain their right to, and shall not be
prohibited, limited or in any other way restricted from, seeking or obtaining equitable relief from
a court having jurisdiction over the parties. Such arbitration shall be governed by the Federal
Arbitration Act and conducted through the American Arbitration Association in the State of
California, San Francisco County, before a single neutral arbitrator, in accordance with the
National Rules for the Resolution of Employment Disputes of the American Arbitration
Association in effect at that time. The parties may conduct only essential discovery prior to the
hearing, as defined by the AAA arbitrator. The arbitrator shall issue a written decision that
contains the essential findings and conclusions on which the decision is based. You shall bear
only those costs of arbitration you would otherwise bear had you brought a claim covered by this
Agreement in court. Judgment upon the determination or award rendered by the arbitrator may
be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.

Answer:
 You should ask on /r/immigration. I was under the impression that it is not allowed for the employer to forward immigration related costs to the employer. But I don't know for certain.

People in that sub would be more likely to tell you


Title: Father sold my golf clubs

Question:
20 year old in Texas here. About 8 months  ago my father and I had some problems which led to me moving out of his house. Unfortunately I left my set of golf clubs in his garage. These clubs were given to me by my grandfather in his will and hold a lot of sentimental value to me. Last week I texted my father asking if I could come get them, and gave him a few calls. Later that night I finally got a response basically saying "I sold them, that's what you get for leaving them here". My uncle, mother, and I have all tried to convince him to let us get in touch with whoever bought them so that we can try to buy them back but he is refusing. My question is, is there anyway I can go about getting these back and/or collect the money which he received for them? He says he contacted me several times asking if I had gotten everything from his house that I wanted but that is not true. I have every text from him since I moved out on my phone and he has never asked me this. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

EDIT: my grandfather passed away 5 years ago, the clubs are maybe 6-7 years old. They are pretty nice clubs. Full set of ping irons, callaway driver, Nike driver, odyssey putter, etc..  so they aren't super old clubs. Worth a decent amount of money, even used. Also this is grandpa on my mothers side, not my dads father.

Answer:
 > My question is, is there anyway I can go about getting these back and/or collect the money which he received for them?

You can sue him. Depending on the value of the clubs you can probably sue in small claims.


Title: [BC Canada] coworker docked $750 on his paycheque for customer pulling off Visa fraud against him.

Question:
Me and my coworker are in cellphone sales, in British Columbia, Canada. Two months ago my coworker sold two phones outright, and it later turned out to be Visa fraud. Coworker received his paycheque a few days ago and was left short $750, and wasn't informed what it was for. After two days of contacting people in the company, he was finally told it was a charge back for Visa fraud.

My concerns- is he actually liable for the dollar amount of that loss? Company claims it's policy to dock what's nearly an entire months worth of commission for that one loss. Nowhere is this written, it's a verbal policy I presume they created in the moment they got hit back for this from the credit card companies.

Answer:
 [Here's the fact sheet](https://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/facshts/commissioned_sales.htm) from the B.C. Ministry of Labour.  In the section "Costs of doing business", it says the business can't deduct cost of business items from the commission.

I would think losses for theft would be a cost of business, since it should be recoverable from insurance, and that the only deduction they could make would be the commission paid.  Your coworker should contact the Ministry and ask directly.


Title: Roommate has been letting people stay in my room.

Answer: damages for what's damaged, replacement of the bed, etc. lawsuit or diplomatic agreement to recover. Answer #2: Sounds like a small claims court issue. Document everything that was damaged or stolen and file a claim. Answer #3: You don't have any claim against the landlord.  Tell your roommate to reimburse you for any lost or damaged possessions.


Title: There’s no way he can take his kid back from me.. right??

Question:
I am a maternal-side family member with the custody of a ten year old; the court order was temporary and ordered that bio parents may have supervised visits in our home. I have had the kid for 7 years now and the bio dad pays child support and his visits have only been consistent for a year now. I have let him take the kid on vacation once this year and spend time at his house.

Recently my husband was arrested because we got into a fight and he pulled a gun on me. Kid called 911 and he was promptly arrested because everything happened in front of the kid. He is also a felon so he will likely be charged with having a firearm. I filed a restraining order and when everything calms down I will be filing for divorce.

Now kid’s dad is suddenly concerned and doesn’t want my husband around kid. He says that he isn’t trying to rip kid from me, but I think he’s fishing for information about the situation so he CAN try to take kid back. Kid was asked if they want to visit with my husband and kid said YES. I was told my husband can have supervises visits with kid, and I told kid’s dad that he just has to get over it.

Is there a good chance that he can get him back? I definitely don’t want kid ripped from me as I have been doing this for seven years now.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > the court order was temporary

> Is there a good chance that he can get him back?

If the custody order for you to have the kid was only temporary, there's certainly a greater than 0% chance the father can get custody of their child back if they wanted to. Assuming the're doing better and can provide a stable home/environment for them.


Title: Got laid off from job for being friendly

Question:
My supervisor told me l got too involved with the workers and this could result in getting in to fights or it'll be harder for me to give them jobs in the future(Im a mech. eng.) and thats why they are firing me. Is this make sense?

 Im waiting for my release form atm.

Answer: It's highly unlikely anybody here is that familiar with Turkish law, sorry about that.


Title: [USA, HI] Sold a vehicle on Craigslist, buyer wants a refund.

Question:
[USA. HI]

I just sold a vehicle on Craigslist. It had some issues which I listed on the ad, I didn't hide anything. Specifically it was leaking coolant and definitely needed to be fixed. I sold the vehicle for 600 dollars (1000 under value, simply because I wanted it gone)

The buyer did not perform a test drive, simply gave it a once over and bought it. The buyer signed the title transfer form and all that. I did not write up a bill of sale.

The driver took the vehicle that same day, complained it had overheated. I knew that the coolant was leaking, I didn't expect it to leak that quickly. Now just received a text saying that he's bringing the vehicle back for a refund tomorrow.

What are my options here? I've already used some of the money to pay a bill, and I'd rather not deal with the vehicle anymore.

EDIT: I should add that I haven't processed the title transfer yet, this literally happened a few hours ago. Should I push forward in presenting the title transfer stub to the DMV? I no longer have possession of the title or anything.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Tell him not to bother coming over. He purchased the car. It now belongs to him. Used cars are sold "as is" and if he didn't get it inspected beforehand, he has no one else to blame but himself.

Even if he sues you in small claims court (he won't), no judge will believe that a car sold for $600 is anything but a *beater*. He would likely lose.


Title: 17 yr old charged with felony 3.

Question:
My son was arrested 2 weeks ago for stealing cash at work. He was charged with property theft and possession less than 2 oz.  We left him in there for a 3 nights then bailed him out. Bond was $2500.
  Last week he and some friends left campus for lunch. He had an 18 year old go into a local shop and buy knuckles. They then were caught smoking in the parking lot and were searched. They found the knuckles in his pocket and he was arrested for prohibited weapon(Felony 3)Bond set at $10000.  This happened before we could meet with a lawyer for the first set of charges.

A little background on my son. Up until the last few months he has been pretty well behaved. He got in one fight in junior high and he has not been in major trouble until these incident.  He is now a junior in highschool and on the wrestling team. He got a job over the summer and a social life. Up until this year he was pretty much a home body.  He is a typical boy that has always collected pocket knives, chinese stars, stuff from the kung fu shop. It has not been a problem he has never taken anything to school etc.  He had previously asked if he could buy the knuckles on amazon and we told him no because of his arrest. So he went around us with the 18 year old.

He was appointed a lawyer and I had requested a lawyer thru mylegalshield that i paid for thru work. I have not talked to the appointed lawyer that my son requested yet.  I had a short conversation with the one lawyer thru legalshield and he quoted me $5000 for the felony and $1200 for the other two misdemeanors. Is this a reasonable amount?  Would the appointed lawyer paid by the state be just as good? We will have to make payments. We dont have the money just sitting around. I have no major debt but not a lot of emergency savings either.  We are a family of 5 with single income.  Im overall worried about my sons future if he becomes a convicted felon.  I want to make the best decision for us financially and his future to make sure he is not paying for his dumb mistakes 20 years from now.

He is in county jail as a trustee at this point. The plan was to get him out this friday. My wife went to visit him today and apparently he went in front of a judge this morning. Judge doubled his previous bond for the first 2 charges at $5000 even though we already bailed him on on those charges. so now we are looking at $15,000 worth of bonds.

 Location Ft.Worth, Tx

Update:
We have a school meeting on Friday to discuss his expulsion and alternative school options.

I have retained a lawyer.  We are also going to leave him in there to have time served. I'm guessing we will leave him in there 1 to 2 weeks depending on how things are going for him. We will bail him out quickly if he was to be attacked or things started going down hill for him in there.  Thanks for everyone's input.

Answer:
 Personally, let him sit in jail. You do him no favors by bailing him out. He knowingly and willingly broke the law multiple times. Save your money for the attorney.Answer #2: For a non legal issue associated with this, He's 17 and having erratic behavior changes.

Now it could be drugs like some people stated (especially something to make weight), but it's also the age a lot of mental issues manifest, especially bipolar disorder (which his behavior is inline with). I'd strongly suggest having him tested for drugs as well has mental disorders. Answer #3: Leave him in.  Use his built up time as leverage in case the cases are not defensible so that he could get time serve.


Title: [North Carolina, US] Friend is being followed by employer through phone.

Question:
Hey everyone I've been a lurker for a bit yet I hope I've formatted this correctly.

Friend of mine recently got a job as a contractor for a delivery service that uses an app to send people to and from restaurants and deliveries. Then my friend started noticing some weird secret shopper like requests and followed as the orders as was instructed when he noticed the same car following behind him whilst driving between deliveries.

 Makes sense - ensuring no one is sending a wack-job to customers homes.

 Well it seemed to continue even while my friend was at his apartment they followed him back with two cars he'd recognized all night while working and had parked in his parking lot. Takes the dog out for a walk at around midnight to find a taxi on his secluded street with a girl walking around confused on where she is. She then proceeds to encounter my friend demanding for him to help her in anyway and that she seemed to be without a place to stay for the night. The cab driver looks over at my friend and shrugs as he declines to assist the girl a place to stay continues walking the dog. Goes around a bend to the dogs usual spot and out of sight of the 3 cars with the confused girl for about 10 minutes comes back to both familiar cars, cab and girl all gone.

The next morning he gets to his car to find the resume he had turned in to the delivery business sitting on his passenger seat (his car remains unlocked for the most part because of previous issues of being locked out).

TLDR: This whole thing seems excessive even for ensuring their contractors aren't bad people. Following him around while on a day off - entering his vehicle while he was sleeping and placing documents - Setting up weird encounters late at night after his shift.

So I guess the question is what kind of legality does an employer have over contractors that they hire?

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Thank everyone for the thoughts on this. It may be mental health issues as everyone has pointed out so next steps is making sure that he's speaking to the right people.

Answer: Tell him to check his carbon monoxide detectors and stop taking amphetamines if he is - this sounds 100% like paranoid delusions and it's not the first time someone having an imaginary stalker has come to this sub.


Title: Sink flooded overnight in rental. Who is responsible?

Question:
Minnesota.

I rent a townhouse with my SO. We woke up to find that our upstairs bathroom sink was running and overflowed causing damage to the floor and ceiling over our living room below the bathroom. We popped the water bubbles from the lower level ceiling into buckets. Neither one of us turned on the faucet (unless one of us had an unknown sleepwalking disorder). We're both side eyeing each other thinking the other one did it.

We each have separate renter's insurance policies. I'm wondering between our landlord and us who is legally responsible for what.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have.

Answer: You. The landlord didn't do anything and The damage want due to a defect in the propertyAnswer #2: You. The landlord didn't do anything and The damage want due to a defect in the property


Title: [MA] Apartment neighbors trying to force us to pay for snow plow service or not park in our shared driveway

Question: [deleted]

Answer: So you expect to be able to park in the driveway but don't want to lift a finger or open your wallet to remove the snow?  This is pretty much what it boils down to.


Title: Money hidden under my name in midst of bankruptcy

Question:
USA (Missouri)

I just found out a family member opened an HSA account in my name and put thousands in it. They did not tell me about this, I have no other affiliation with the bank in question, I had no knowledge of this account.

They did this with other family members who do bank at that bank and saw the new accounts on their statements. They tipped me off and I checked and found the account.

There is a multimillion dollar judgement against this family member. I suspect the purpose of this account is to hide funds from creditors. I don’t want to be a party to fraud or hiding funds. I’m not excited about confronting this family member.

What am I potentially liable for?  What is the most prudent course of action?

Answer: Probably not much. It would be really stupid to try to hide money in a HSA, because there's a crazy tax penalty associated with using that money for anything other than health related costs.  Answer #2: So what I’m hearing is that *some unknown person* has opened a bank account using your information at a bank you don’t normally use?  How distressing. You should immediately go to the bank and report this case of mysterious identity fraud and then make a police report. And then freeze your credit.


Title: Apartment complex changing lease after it was signed. [South Carolina]

Question:
So around the time I first signed my lease, new management was being made at the place I was going to live at.

My lease stated the Start and End time of the lease which is December 19th 2016 to November 31st 2017. (which is apparently odd since 95% of the people living there starts and stops on July 31st)

Recently I was notified that a new lease was going to roll out which was going to change a lot for the next year, which I was required to sign by April 7th. Which I found weird since I have only been here for about five months. I wasn't planning on signing a lease until closer to my end date.

Since it was stated mandatory, I went to the office to talk to a manager to get the full details. I read the lease and talked to the manager and a lot is changing. The new lease is stating that starting August 1st Utilities will no longer be apart of the rent (Rent is staying the same, and this is one of the main reasons why I wanted to come here in the first place), but fortunately for me since I signed at a weird time, if I sign it now I will be given Utilities for one more year before it affects me.

Already having some "iffy" feelings about this place I decided not to sign which would give me plenty of time to find a new place since my lease ends Nov. They told me if that is the case I have to leave July 31st. (Which is apparently the end date of the 95% of people I mentioned earlier). After stating my issue with that stating that my lease ends Nov. she told me that the lease is changing and on July 31st all previous leases will be Voided.

I stated that sounds like a breach of contract and she told me that since the lease is changing and by South Carolina state law they do not have to have a reason to kick me out. I even pointed to a section in the lease stating that nothing could be changed to the lease until the end time of the lease. She said that they put that in there as "Good faith" but they do not have to follow that since SC allows them to pretty much do what they want. I don't remember what she said it was under but she was getting kinda irritated and was trying what I felt as strong arming me with "Smart words" she said "If I would read under SC propteries/renters something something that they can kick me out when ever as long as its 30 days notice)

At this point I still have 4 months to find a new place if I wanted (or I can sign for one more year and nothing would effect me and I just not sign the following year after that) But this place has more cons then pros at this point and this kinda tipped the scale.

So I guess my question is, are they allowed to kick me out like this if I don't sign the new lease? Are they allowed to not Honor my previous lease? This place really isnt worth fighting for but it just seemed wrong/ Unlawful.

Thanks

TL:DR - If I don't sign new lease by April 7th I will be kicked out 4 months before my original lease ends.

Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 That is absolutely wrong. You have a term lease and the LL cannot force you to change your lease. They also cannot evict except under terms spelled out in your lease.

> SECTION 27-40-660. Tenant's remedies for landlord's unlawful ouster or exclusion.

> If a landlord unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant from the premises, or wilfully diminishes services to tenant by interrupting or causing interruption of essential services, the tenant may recover possession or terminate the rental agreement and, in either case, recover an amount equal to three months' periodic rent or twice the actual damages sustained by him, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorney's fees. If the rental agreement is terminated the landlord shall return security recoverable under Section 27-40-410.

S.C. Code ANN

Tell her you will not sign the new lease; that if she tries to evict you before your lease ends, you will take necessary legal action.

EDIT:  and OP, make a copy of your lease to show the LL in case she thinks your lease is up in July, but keep your copy somewhere other than your apartment. Scan it and load it into the cloud.


Title: Colorado Springs, Landlord charging a non-refundable pet fee mid leasing term.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Yep.  They can not change the lease unilaterally.  Tell them to pound sand.Answer #2: They can't just add fees in the middle of your lease unless the lease says they can. Respond in writing that the fee isn't in your lease and you won't pay it. They can certainly make you pay when you renew of course.


Title: My gf is deaf and her mom is taking her identity and money. What can she do?

Question: So my 25 year old girlfriend is deaf and we recently found out that her mom is taking most of her Social Security money and has also opened up multiple credit cards in her name. She poses as my go and gets whatever she wants in my gf name. My gf has a little one and he is also deaf. Just also found out that her mom has been claiming both of them on her mom's taxes since she has been Born. My gf doesnt even live at the same residence. She lives with her grandparents because of how she is treated by her mother. How do I help this situation? Her mother opened up a joint account when she was young and that is how she is able to get her social security money in her account. I found power of attorney papers printed up in her Moms house. Is it possible her mom can scam POA over my gf in order to be able to take everything she owns and will own. the only reason why I think this is that my gf's grandparents have a lot of money and already made it a point that the gf is going to get it all. What are some things I can look into to get this figured out?

Answer:
 This is one for the police. Call the police district that the mother is in.  Look on their website for a non emergency or out of area number. Answer #2: First, is your GF willing to send her mom to jail? Because what she did is identity theft.

/r/personalfinance has a wonderful wiki section to all kinds of financial matters, including this. [Read through this](https://np.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/identity_theft) it will help get her started.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] Recently moved out of a rental house - roommate is still demanding my part of the rent, even though I signed no lease and gave 2 months notice.

Question:
I put in my notice at the end of July, and was told by the person I was taking the room from that if I ever had to leave, give 2 months notice to our landlord (to which I never received a reply when I sent the email). I never signed anything, or was shown a lease - and now my ex-roommate is demanding my share of the October rent. They still have my last months rent from when I moved in - and he is insisting I had to give 3 months notice (despite what I was told by the guy I took over the room from). I had also previously told him I had given 2 months notice, and he never said anything about 3 months until now.

I feel terrible, because they/I still haven't found anyone to replace me, and I couldn't pay the rent anyway, even if I wanted to. But I no longer live there, and they technically still have my last month's rent. Am I legally obligated to pay?

Answer: You weren't on the lease, which makes you a month to month tenant. You already gave twice as much notice than you were required. It's their responsibility to find a replacement tenant, not yours. Tell them to pound sand and be on your way.


Title: (FL) Can I be fired for not going to work during a hurricane/state of emergency?

Question:
Hermine is head pretty much straight for my town. We're under a hurricane warning and a state of emergency, everything's ok for now but it'll be bad by this evening. Tomorrow the storm will be directly over us.

My boss has threatened to fire anyone that doesn't come into work tomorrow. He said he doesn't care if the roads are closed or if there's a driving ban if we're not there we're fired(of course he's working from home).

Is that legal?

Answer:
 I did some research.  Yes, your boss could fire you.  You could file an OSHA complaint.  You may or may not win, you could also sue boss.  You may or may not win.

"An employee that reasonably believes he/she has been put in imminent danger because of being forced to go to work during a hurricane may file a complaint with OSHA against the employer and then ask for whistleblower protection."


Title: Craigslist buyer wants to take me to court for selling a "unsafe vehicle"

Question:
     So to start off, I'm an 18 year old guy that lives in Texas, I still live with my parents happily and am in Highschool. It started a couple months ago when I bought a 1999 jacked up Jeep Wrangler on Craigslist and happily drove it for 4 months with very few problems, the worst being I had to replace the starter once.
So about 3 weeks ago I decided I spent too much of my money on this car, and that I would sell it on Craigslist. Well a couple days goes by and I end up making a deal with a guy to trade my jeep for another car plus some cash which I was happy with. We met on a Thursday night and I let them have 3 test drives, and they asked questions and were looking at it for about an hour and a half. They decided they would take it and gave me the cash and the car keys, and I signed over the title and they did the same for their car, and I was on my happy way (though I did love the wrangler so it was a little bitter sweet).
So a couple days go by and he texts me saying he had to fix a few things like the power steering pump (which never worked including when he test drove it). I just didn't reply to that text. About 2 weeks went by and he texts me again going on about how he can't believe that I would sell him a vehicle in this condition and how bad I should feel, to which I responded with this

http://i.imgur.com/R3ozkir.png

Which I think was pretty fair, and I was really hoping was the end of it. Well today he texts me with this...

http://i.imgur.com/97rT3DM.png

As you can imagine, this has me pretty shaken up. I just turned 18 and this guy is about 60 and threatening to sue me... I have very little experience with this type of stuff so I feel a little scared and really nervous. I mean the only thing I signed with him was a bill of sale and the title so they could transfer the title. It's not like I signed some warranty for them or anything. As far as I know Craigslist is a buy as-is website, and that once cash is handed over, that's it. It could break that second and they wouldn't be liable in any way.
I know probably the majority of the time when someone says they are "talking to their attorney" they are just blowing smoke and using it as a negotiation tactic, but this just has me so nervous and scared for some reason. Like I truly wasn't trying to scam them or anything, I know almost literally nothing about cars. I just was 17 and bought a cool looking jeep, drove it for 4 months with extremely minimal problems, sold it, and now someone threatening me.
Like I said in the text they inspected it for an hour and a half, and if there was something wrong with the car (that I didn't know about) they should have found it then. I haven't responded to the text or anything. So, any suggestions guys? Is this guy just blowing smoke and I should just block his number? Does he have a case and I should do what he says? Should I negotiate and try to give him back a small amount of cash and call it even? Thank you so much for reading this and any suggestions are hugely appreciated!

Answer:
 Stop talking to him. Stop all contact. Block him. If you are actually sued talk to an attorney.Answer #2: he's blowing smoke. cease all communication.

a 16 year old vehicle is always sold as-is unless there's a written warranty. all vehicles that old have problems; everybody knows it, including somebody who's 60 years old.

if he sues you, deal with it then. if not, don't sweat it.Answer #3: He is blowing smoke up your ass, he has no case at all and I doubt he has an attorney.  I personally believe he is trying to bully you because of your age.  Your parents are responsible for you up to your 18th birthday, then you are an adult no attorney would state otherwise.

Block him and he can pound sand about getting a bad deal off craigslist, he can sue you but he has no case to recover anything.  Do not negotiate any kind of refund, not even a single dollar. Answer #4: IANAL, but this guy had an opportunity to have the Jeep inspected prior to sell and it sounds like he did not. Not your problem. Answer #5: Do what everyone is telling you to do.... plus keep all the texts he had already sent you in case he does take you to small claims court.


Title: Can parents blackmail me with the threat not paying for my college? [VA]

Question:
Hi everyone!

Recently my parents have been threatening to stop paying for my college if I say, cut my hair a different way, get my ears pierced, or hang out with people of a different race. I wanted to know if what they were doing was legal, and if I should be worried if one day they actually do stop paying for it. I am a student in Virginia, United States, but won’t state university due to privacy reasons.

Thanks!
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: Yes, your parents can set conditions on paying for things for you.


Title: [Florida] Contract Law fine print question: Can I get the materials in lieu of paying money?

Question:
I had a falling out with a fence contractor (namely, he never showed up to do the job), and now that I'm requesting a refund, he is pointing out the following section of our contract:

"If the buyer refuses to allow the seller to begin work or complete work already begun, or to accept materials contracted for, Buyer agrees to pay Seller liquidated damages of a sum equal to 33 1/3% of entire contract price, plus cost of materials and labor already furnished or in progress."

The part that catches my eye is "or to accept materials contracted for."

Am I legally entitled to accept the materials rather than pay his fine? I am 100% sure he never bought the materials to begin with (seeing as he still to this day has never applied for a building permit with the county) so this might be a way to trump him. Would he be legally obligated to supply the materials if I asked for them?

Answer:
 There are a few problems with that clause.  If you cancel for non-performance, the contractor is in breach and the contract doesn't even exist any more.

Second, that reads like a punitive liquidated damages clause, designed to scare buyers away from cancelling.

Standard damages where no work has begun should start with the cost on materials purchased *that cannot reasonably be used on another job*.  Adding 1/3 of the final price on top of that doesn't relate to any reasonable estimate of actual damages.

You might be on the hook to buy materials already at the job site.  If he comes after the 33%, talk to a lawyer.Answer #2: What that means is that if you refuse to accept materials that you already signed off on when you signed the contract.  Not that you can accept the materials instead of paying the "liquidated damages".

In other words, if you tell the fence contractor that you no longer want him to start work, complete work already begun, or tell him that the materials he is using are unsatisfactory, you have to pay him 33 1/3% of the total cost of the fence contract.  There is no wording in there that could be construed as "take the fence materials off the contractor's hands to avoid paying the damages".


Title: At fault for car accident, unfortunately did not have insurance.

Question:
Some background:

A little over two years ago, I was involved in a car accident that I was found to be at 100% fault for in the state of Wisconsin. At the time, I was uninsured. The other driver's car insurance company has had me making monthly payments to cover the cost of the vehicle damages. I have been paying these reliably, never missing a month or being late. Until recently, this has been the whole story.

The other driver's insurance also included uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist, and medical payments coverage. Now, two years later, I get a court summons informing me that the other driver is suing her insurance company and myself for medical bills, including lost wages and pain and suffering. Though it doesn't state the exact amount she is looking for, it does say "Claim in excess of $5,000".

From what I gather, the other driver is suing her insurance company for more money to pay for medical bills, and I'm along for the ride since I was at fault and uninsured. I have a low income and have no way to pay for this lawsuit. I now have to make a response to this summons. I'm struggling to find good resources for what my options are and how to make a reasonable response with the circumstances.

&#x200B;

Are there any resources or general advice that can be helpful in this situation? Thank you for any responses.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 I'm so sorry for your loss.

F

Really though, you're just gonna have to suck it up and pay it, or go bankrupt trying. This is precisely why car insurance is a legal requirement.


Title: Just got towed. Can I revive my vehicle and request that the towing company sends me a bill?

Question: It’s currently 3am here and I just walked out of my girlfriends apartment to see that I had been towed. I live in Utah and I know that some states have a law that states if you show your ID to the towing company and request that they send you a bill that they have to give you your vehicle back, but FOR THE LIFE of me I can’t find any relevant information in the Utah laws. Can somebody help me out? I am planning on going early in the morning to get my vehicle back. Thank you for reading!

Answer:
 While I don't know UT law specifically, it's my opinion that a rule like that would make the towing business unprofitable.  The reason you pay is because you are accruing fees on a daily basis and have to stop the bleeding -- or surrender your vehicle and hope they can sell it for more than you owe (though some states don't allow deficiency claims - tow company suing you when the car did not sell for enough to cover).

People almost universally see towing and particularly towing fees as inherently unfair.  A significant portion of affected people would get their car back and think to themselves "hah.  let 'em sue me.  Like I gaf."

It's similar to the reason attorneys want to be paid in advance -- you can lose a case, but still have to pay the lawyer.  Billing in arrears would give everyone a chance to say "He didn't get me the money I wanted, so I'm not paying."

I think you're having trouble finding it because it doesn't exist.  It *sounds* like the kind of urban myth that crops up and people cling to  because believing it feels better.  Like "police can't lie to you or it's entrapment, so if you ask a cop if he's a cop, he has to say yes".


Title: I got a demand letter alleging that I violated photo copyright

Question:
I have a website that includes samples of my writing and photography. Everything on there is 100 percent my creation. This morning, I received a letter from Higbee & Associates "A National Law Firm." It says that I am using images copyrighted by their client. It demands that I take the images down and pay them $1,000. The letter came with shitty photocopied pages from my website. Is this a scam? Did this asshole copyright my images to then extort money from me? What should I do?
I am in NY and the letter came from California.

Answer:
 You should consider talking to an attorney about this matter.  Are they claiming a copyright over your image, or something in your image?  You obviously can't take a picture of a copyrighted thing to avoid the copyright.

In general principle, assuming they are in fact your images, that your image is not of a copyrighted thing, and that you haven't sold someone else the exclusive rights to those images, you can let them know that you haven't violated their client's copyright and you are rejecting their demand.   It would then be up to them to sue you if they wish to proceed.

If you were able to demonstrate the images were yours (say with an original image file with EXIF data that matches your camera) it would seem your case is very strong.  Even without that information, it would still be up to the plaintiff to prove their case in some way.

Someone can't just copyright images you have taken.  If they did so, you likely need an attorney, but you would also likely prevail.
Answer #2: The company has a bot that scours the internet looking for photographs that *might maybe* be in violation of copyright.  Yours is similar enough to one of theirs that it triggered a response.  Tell them in no uncertain terms that the image yours and they can go suck a tailpipe.  I suggest paying a lawyer to write up a sternly worded letter and then send it via certified mail, return receipt.Answer #3: Prior discussion about these guys: https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3lxw2o/copyright_image_100000_payable_to_firm/


Title: I’m undergoing a name change. I’m also flying internationally in a few weeks. If I change my name with the social security administration before I leave, will I have difficulty getting back into the United States because of that change?

Answer: If your ticket and your passport match each other, you'll be fine.


Title: FBI showed up at my door to ask questions about a friend (Illinois)

Question:
Can I tell my friend the FBI is investigating him and his businesses? I asked the FBI agent and they said legally there’s nothing they can do if I do or not. They mentioned it will mess up the whole investigation if I do though. Just want to make sure I’m okay if I do. For the record, I do not know anything about his business other then a few names here and there.

They then asked me, if it comes down to it, they would like to listen in on me and my friends phone conversation if I do tell him. Maybe wear a wire next time I hang out with him.

Just wandering what my legal responsibilities are here if I don’t really know anything. Will the FBI look into all my shit if I do mess up their investigation? There’s nothing illegal on my end but really don’t want people digging through stuff.

Should I ignore them going forward?

I did ask about a cash prize for helping them out and they mentioned there not there yet but it’s not 100% out of the question.

Answer:
 The FBI is questioning you in regards to your associates and asked you to wear a wire.

Maybe talk to an attorney and not Reddit. Answer #2: > Will the FBI look into all my shit if I do mess up their investigation?

Maybe, but since my crystal ball is out of service neither I nor anyone else here has any way of knowing


Title: How much of a choice do you have choosing a public defender?

Question: So my current income is below the poverty line and I qualify for a public defender. I just wanted to know how soon I can find out who the public defender is and if there would be an option to choose or if I could assign myself an attorney who is working at the pubic defender's office myself.

Answer: No option to choose who is assigned to you and no you don't assign it yourself.  You can call the PD office and ask about getting one assigned to you and when that would happen


Title: My car was “stolen” but ended up being mistakingly taken from an auto sales company

Question:
I came back from a week long vacation to my car gone from my apartments parking lot. After running through the protocol of checking all the towing companies etc., I filed a police report for a stolen vehicle and started the insurance claim process. This was on Monday. At this point, I had no idea how long the car was gone for.

Today, I received a phone call from an auto repair and sales company about 30 minutes away from where I live. Turned out, they had my car. They had keys to a different vehicle of the same make and model (different years, different color). When they got to the apartment to pick up the car (they were purchasing it from another tenant who I do not know), those keys worked on mine. They were able to unlock and drive my car away using the keys to someone else’s car. They didn’t realize this until today when they finally noticed the VIN number was wrong and found my info in the glove box. I don’t know why they didn’t check that when they took the car or at least check for a license plate.

They admitted to driving my car around all weekend to test things and also had started the process of cleaning it out to sell. In this process they lost my emergency auto kit (jumper cables and tools), parking pass ($150 a month) and took off my magnets/stickers and threw all those away. They drove the car back to my apartment, putting additional miles on it and using more of my gas.

The police weren’t very helpful with this other than just wanting to finish the report they had to show that the car was recovered.

This incident caused extreme anxiety and emotional distress to me, took away from my ability to do my job as I was constantly on the phone with police officers and the insurance company the past three days, and my car was used without my permission. Along with my items going missing that were in/on the car while it was with this company. Although there was no criminal intent and this was a crazy mistake since the keys worked for both cars, do I have any kind of fight here? Wanted to check with the community to get opinions before looking for a lawyer. I don’t know much about how to handle this so I greatly appreciate any advice!

Tldr; my car was “stolen” but actually just mistakingly taken from a company that thought they were picking up a car they bought. They drove my car and lost things from it while they had it. Do I have a worthy legal fight against them?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Have you asked them to compensate you? That, or take them to small claims. It might not be worth hiring a lawyer. Ask them first; they might agree to it without a fight.Answer #2: If they don't offer to reimburse you for value of the disposed items, mileage, and gas, you can take them to small claims courtAnswer #3: Do not sign anything from this auto sales company!

Your car was taken from you with out your consent.

AKA stolen.

You have a case of lazy cop.

Go to the local precinct ask to speak to a detective or supervisor to file a report.

Inform your insurance of the update.Answer #4: Do you have insurance?  Talk to them - you pay them to represent you in things like this


Title: Ive been contacted by the New Jersey Palisades Parkway police. I live in North Carolina.

Question:
UPDATE: The friend I have who i sold it to still has the plate that he put on it (He got his own plates)

I hope someone can help me understand this situation a little better.

Last week, at 4am, I was called several times by the "Palisades Parkway Police" (201-768-6001). I finally answered not really looking at the caller ID. The person on the other line accused me of being involved in an incident involving a motorcycle on their highway in New Jersey.

I live in Concord North Carolina and to my knowledge have never traveled on this "Parkway".

I was half asleep when I talked to them so I talked to them to a point where they asked my address to send a police officer to verify that I was at my home address. No officer ever showed up (Either that Or I didnt hear them knocking).

They called me again later that day to ask for more information about this motorcycle (Which apparently is a motorcycle I sold in 2013 in Pennsylvania, I transferred registration but the motorcycle kept the plates)?

I decided that I was no longer comfortable talking with them without a lawyer and they basically hung up on me.

Fast forward to today. I have received at least 8 letters from law firms in New jersey as advertisements to combat my "Charge" of:

    39:4-52 Racing on Highway(Subsequent Offense)

With a ticket number of

     0288 E16 010100

 under the municipality jursidiction of "Palisades Interstate Court"

I am unable to look this ticket up because it requires a license plate to do it. Because I sold the bike years ago I know longer have that information.

Now I know I made some stupid mistakes in regards to telling them my information and such but everything about this seems like a scam. I have not yet received any official documentation that actually accuses me of the charge. Its only been a week though

Even if it was truly the motorcycle I sold years ago was involved in this "Incident" could they charge me with this officially?

If I do receive official documentation what are my next steps?

Answer: Your current step is to get a lawyer(in New Jersey) to fight the charge.  If you're getting mail, you're on the docket.


Title: [OR, USA] Brother-In-Law was told to sign a new contract while at work today, and was suspended for 3 days when he refused to sign without having it reviewed by his lawyer. Is there anything he can do?

Question:
This is a complicated situation, and I'm not even sure if any of this or none of this is legal. My BIL is a freight broker for a fairly large private firm in the state, and he works for them on a contractual basis, with his contract being renewed annually based on performance. He is currently under a new contract for the year, that began at the start of January. However just after the new year he found out that he had not signed, and had never signed, an exclusivity agreement or a non-compete agreement that would prevent him from retaining his current clients if he chose to leave. He shortly after made a comment about it to his boss, thinking it was funny. Today when he went into work he, and all of his coworkers, were brought into a meeting where they were told to sign a new contract renegotiating their terms of employment, and to do so immediately. My BIL refused to sign, he says politely, until he could have it reviewed by his lawyer. He was told at the end of the meeting that he would be one a 3-day suspension for refusing to sign immediately, and sent home for the remainder of the work day. When he got home he checked his work email, and found 3 emails from his coworkers and manager sharing images of nude "unattractive" women and joking. The emails were from before the meeting about the contract, however he also received an email from his boss asking that he delete the emails, and not say anything to HR. He responded letting him know he would be informing HR, and would also be filing a complaint with the Bureau of Labor and Industries, as he had asked the multiple times this had happened before to not be included on those emails. His boss responded telling him that he would be terminated if did file a report and that if he had already filed one he will need to immediately call them and tell them it was a lie.

This whole situation is complex beyond belief, and I know nothing on this subject. I'm posting this on his behalf as he's not familiar with reddit, but is looking for advice. What, if anything, can he do?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Not a lawyer but wouldn't firing him for making a complaint retaliatory firing?

If I were your BIL I would save in multiple electronic and physical locations those emails between him and his boss. If his boss tries to bring up anything to do with it just tell him "I am not discussing this with you at this time" also he should find out if he is in a one or two party consent tape for audio recording of conversations and carry a device for recording conversations on himself at all times if he is one party.

And also probably start looking at other jobs cause his boss sounds like a prick.Answer #2: It sounds like he could've signed it right there and it wouldn't have been valid. In Oregon he must sign it prior to employment or prior to a promotion. The non-compete is not valid if he signs it any other time.

Source: http://www.oregon.gov/boli/TA/Pages/ta_faq_noncompete.aspx Answer #3: >  He shortly after made a comment about it to his boss, thinking it was funny.

> He responded letting him know he would be informing HR...

Just a tip: yor BIL needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut. Most of his predicament was caused by his errant tongue. Answer #4: Back up the emails before they delete his account. Have your BIL ask his lawyer.


Title: I suspect that my in-laws are lying about their bankruptcy and may be putting my husband's credit at risk.

Question:
He is really a soon-to-be-ex husband, but for convenience sake, I'm just going to refer to him as Husband. We were fairly young when we married and I was too naive to question a few things that I'm questioning now.

As the story goes, he and his family were pretty well off when he was young. His father owned a quarry and ran his own business. I don't know a lot of details about this quarry or business. Everything came crashing down when it was found out that their bookkeeper didn't pay the taxes for the business and embezzled the money instead. The woman got some jail time but the business was destroyed and they declared bankruptcy. When Husband turned 18, they had him open various lines of credit and started operating their new, not very profitable at all business using these lines of credit. They've lived in abject poverty as long as I've known them, always surviving but living in tiny rental properties that they don't take care of.

I don't know much at all about taxes or embezzlement, but the whole thing seems suspect to me. Isn't there some form of protection for businesses that have suffered embezzlement? I poked around a little and apparently there is an IRS form for reporting embezzled money. Obviously you do this AFTER you find out about it, and damage is already done, but it seems to me like if this exists, the IRS might give some leniency to businesses who owe taxes because of a crime committed against them and it would be difficult to go bankrupt because of tax money embezzlement alone. But like I said, I'm asking because I don't know.  The in-laws are full of stories of how they were victimized in some way, and I'm thinking that there is more to this story that they are omitting.  Husband might not let them use his identity for their finances if they've been known to mismanage money before.  He continues to let them do this because "nothing was their fault and I trust them."

My husband and I are being pretty civil about this split, but he has gone back to live with his parents and I'm kind of afraid that they've groomed him to be abused financially.  Despite divorcing, I'd still help him live somewhere else if that could be the case.  I don't trust their story.  We are in Virginia.
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer:
 > I don't know much at all about taxes or embezzlement, but the whole thing seems suspect to me

Very much so. I doubt a bankruptcy would force them to sell the quarry when its income generating. And IRS would have worked with them if they could prove illegal activity of the bookkeeper which seems to have happened when they got jail time. How they lose ownership of a quarry is strange to say the least.

I would want to know why they don't still own the quarry.


Title: Kid Threatens School Involvement in Online Chat over what can only be considered mildly annoying messages...

Question:
**Title misleading... No hurtful messages posted to or about him. Instead, image of him (pleasant, easily available by internet image) is spammed within the discord chat**

Alright so my friends and I all frequent a discord server which is owned by one of my close friends. Two weeks ago this kid  (We will refer to him as HB) joins the server. Now, this kid is one who is known to be exceedingly annoying and arrogant, as well as hypersensitive. At school for example, he might crack his knuckles in this very loud way despite being asked to stop, even during final exams at one point, as well as during smaller tests and quizzes.

Now, that's something very small, but he is also incredibly arrogant. HB came into school on day one talking about how he makes 3D powerpoints for future investors of something something incorporated. A few questions later we took that down to " I made a prezi for my dad once". He is no doubt talented in computer development but hes very young and calls himself a "dev hotshot".

So now here's the thing. On the server we're on, we all take jabs at eachother and mess around. There are often few direct insults but rather just the occasional mockery, something we all handle. One of my close friends is very proficient in paint.net and tends to make memes out of all sorts of situations, many of which are of myself.

So meme machine friend here, discover's HB's picture (by simply searching his name) and it's immediately found on the internet as the first picture. HB asks to stop politely but his very reaction to the fact that the first picture on google he looks up is now being posted on our server (no meme just raw image) is entertaining in itself. He quickly becomes annoyed and the friends explain to him that his picture is not only a nice one (him just smiling) but is also not mocking in any way. He has not been directly insulted and it certainly doesn't infringe his privacy, does it? He threatened to involve the school in a very threatening way to take action. I doubt the school can do this as in all honesty he has not been cyberbullied, and in fact what little annoyance this image has caused is likely comparable to the annoyance he has physically caused. Furthermore the discord server is owned by us and he came in and is now complaining. We have not mocked him outside of the server and therefore he can just leave and things will go back to how they were 2 weeks ago. Ironically I had a server made just for him and me to avoid being toxic to each other or even a bit annoying but I changed his name to his real one and that's when he left because he said he's a hotshot in the dev world and can't have his real name online (just first name lol).

So TLDR; could somebody please give me a sitrep into cyberbullying laws, whats considered bullying and what is not, school jurisdiction, and whether or not we are responsible considering he joined our server, not vice versa, and the annoyance has been localized to the server.

Thank you so much guys!

My apologies guys, first time poster here, evidently I need location so I live in Florida...

IMPORTANT:

Alright some key details here you gentlemen don't seem to trust.
The image in question is one of his face, smiling. To clarify, it is the picture of his face used on a youtube channel he owned a while back.
It is not by any means mockery as it is a pleasant picture. He agrees to this, but his concern here is "privacy" despite it being the first image made available by google upon searching his name.

Other thing: Why is it that he can join our server, complain about our behavior, and then escalate the situation in a place where the behavior is standard of the server and somewhat universal? Why can he just not leave. There is no expectation of the server to be a safe space... I had a server a while back for this exact reason but HE LEFT IT and joined these other trashy servers owned by my friends, only because (some context here, in order to remove the issues of anonymity i forced all to have real names) he didn't want his real name because " I'm a bit of a hotshot in the dev world right now)... This is the typical "my dad works for nintendo" kid and now he's trying to upset the peace within our server because he alone doesn't like it...

Other key:
The image in question is already available on the internet. No further content of him has been posted by any member of the server to the internet. No "harassment" (if you can even call it that) has moved out of the server. It has all been localized to the server. We post random pics of everyone all over the place in there from school, but nothing gets out of the server. Admittedly that would be obvious harassment there (especially if the pics were embarrassing).

**ISSUE RESOLVED, HOWEVER I'd LIKE TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION FOR FUTURE USE, AS THIS IS VERY RELEVANT TO A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS**
To be clear, the pics of him (the nice, normal, smiling profile pic from youtube that shows up first on google) were taken down by me and the co-admin (both of us are arguably the least toxic)....
However, it still feels wrong that he could pressure us into changing our server when it's ours and it does not slander him in any way outside of the server...

Thanks for all the replies (including the ones that jumped to some conclusions here, they helped me clarify my post so I appreciate it....)

Answer:
 1) This isn't a legal issue, it's a school discipline issue.  Schools have wide lattitude to discipline students, including for actions which take place outside of school hours or off school property, if they have a direct impact on the learning environment.  There's no law you can cite to which will change that.

2) You're not fooling anyone with "We all thought it was a nice photo of you".  Nobody passes around pictures of someone else behind their back to be nice.  You were mocking him.  We aren't morons, and neither are your teachers and school administrators.  I'd suggest not lying to their faces and treating them like idiots if you do get called in about this.

3) If you can't have a polite interaction with this person, you have two choices that don't make you an asshole:  The first is learning from the experience and finding a way to communicate that doesn't include constant mocking.  The second is leaving him alone entirely.


Title: [Illinois] Company moving my office location more than 25 miles. Several coworkers have no car

Question:
Office is currently located in downtown Chicago, fully accessible by city public transportation. They are giving us 6 weeks notice that the new office location is over 25 miles away and giving us no extra monetary compensation. Commute will triple in cost and go from 45 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes via city public transport to regional commuter trains in which the station is still one mile from the office.

A separate group of workers were laid off and given a severance. Do we have any legal footing for us to demand a severance negotiation if we are not allowed to work from home and no realistic transportation accommodation or compensation is made?

Answer:
 You've got no legal footing to stand on here. It is not written in any of your contracts that you are entitled to a convenient commute. If you cannot find a way to get to your new office, it's best that your coworkers start looking for a new job. Answer #2: Nope.  Severance is purely a courtesy during layoffs, and your employer has no obligation to maintain an office convenient for it's employees or allow them to work from home or pay for transportation.

If enough of you are actually willing to quit over this, that might give you practical negotiating leverage, but there's no legal requirements you can lean on.


Title: Legal considerations for being an egg donor in the US

Question: First time poster here! I am in the early stages of donating my eggs to a reputable egg donation agency in the US. I wanted to know if anyone on this sub has expertise/knowledge in this area and if they have any pointers of what I should be aware of. I know that I don’t want the potential child conceived from my donated eggs to be able to contact me and I know that I want my remaining eggs not to be donated to another family (don’t want too many of those out there on the off chance my progeny meet one another and hit things off), are there other aspects I should take into consideration legally? Also, not sure if this is the right sub to ask but what are the tax ramifications for donation compensation? I will be compensated the going rate ($8k) for my time and effort. Any advice, tips, considerations would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 >I know that I don’t want the potential child conceived from my donated eggs to be able to contact me

The donor agency can (and likely will) refuse to give out your identifying information which would make it more difficult for the potential child to find you, but not impossible. Just so you're aware, there isn't a way to 100% ensure a potential child won't try to contact you in the future.

Non-legal advice - do your researxh before you commit to this. There are a lot of women who've been seriously harmed by the egg donation process.