Title: Neighbors interfering with legal operating business by telling lies to government officials, other neighbors, and postings online. Can we sue for deformation/slander? (virginia)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No matter what you do you're going to need a local lawyer. Find one you like and start with a cease and desist letter? Just be aware that this will likely be a long difficult legal shenanigan because they'll claim you're trying to infringe on their First Amendment rights and courts are reluctant to put a prior restraint on speech to keep them from continuing to lie.

Meanwhile, you'll have to be able to prove damages to recover for slander or libel (same thing different mediums [btw](https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=libel%20vs%20slander&oq=libel%20cs&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0.3847j0j7). Slander is spoken. Libel is written.)


Title: Would someone who has, say, witnessed a car crash get in trouble if they refused to speak to police without a lawyer/no comment?

Question: Just wondering what would happen if you treated every police encounter as if they weren't "just trying to help".

Answer:
 Contrary to some opinions, you do not need to treat every interaction with police officers as hostile. If you witnessed something, it is generally safe to help the police by telling them what you saw.

To answer your question, no, you would not be in trouble to refuse to speak to police.


Title: Is this Blackmail?

Question:
First a little backstory: A few months ago I started renting a room with someone I found on craigslist. I'm on probation currently.

I'm not very fond of the guy at this point as he is overly talkative and seems to desire constant attention. For the most part he was nice and he offered a good price so I took him up on the offer. I'm quite socially anxious and have some minor mental problems. I desire a lot of privacy and he doesn't seem to understand boundaries so it was a bit stressful. At first I just tried to deal with it since he just seemed lonely or something. Unfortunately I don't have much of a choice since my financial situation is really bad right now and this was pretty much my only option. Before I found it I had been sleeping in my car for about a week. We have a month to month agreement, I pay a flat rate that includes utilities.

As time went on he started to constantly hint that he might not renew the lease and I should start looking for somewhere else. Then later he would change his mind and say it was fine I could stay for the foreseeable future. He kept going back and forth on this, and then it got more direct and he started coming up with essentially random things to nitpick (or simply fabricate) as reasons to kick me out. Still, he would apologize again later and say I could stay. It was really stressing me out since I was always worried about what he was going to say or do next. I think he might have went through stuff in my room a couple times as well.

One day I decided to look it up and when he threatened me with kicking me out again I told him that (based on what I read) in Wisconsin you need to give 28 days notice in a month to month agreement if you decide you don't want the tenant to renew. I don't even want to stay here that much but at the moment I don't have another option and I just want to be ready and able to plan ahead especially if I end up in my car again. He got pretty upset when I told him this and said I "attacked" him and put him on the defensive. Later that day he sent me an email in which he threatened to call my police and tell them I had been drinking in the house, which violates the terms of my probation, if I were to invoke the 28 days thing when he decided to leave. He also said that the email was a written notification which as far as I can tell was an attempt to lock it up so to speak so that he could refer back to it and claim that he gave me notice way ahead of time so that he could still threaten to kick me out whenever he wanted. For a few weeks now it had not come up again and he didn't mention anything to me about it so I was hoping maybe he was going to stop with the threats until I was ready to move, but today he told me again that he was thinking I need to leave.

I don't have enough money for my own place and no friends to stay with but if I have to leave and I have a case here I think I might pursue legal action against him. Does threatening to call the cops on me so I have to leave count as blackmail? What should I do in this situation? I don't want to do anything until I have another place to stay because I'm worried he will try to retaliate.

Thanks.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 His threat to call the police on you for violating your probation if you try to enforce your right to proper notice is blackmail and him putting it in writing for you is fantastic in the event that he tries to have you violated, assuming that you haven't been drinking. There are no legal actions for you to pursue outside of reporting his threat to the police.

The blackmail doesn't invalidate the notice that he gave you in the email and he could still use it to start eviction proceedings if you aren't out by 28 days after the email. You might be able to prove to a judge during proceedings that he verbally revoked the notice, but why bother trying to rely on that? You're on a month-to-month lease so this is going to be a constant issue.

The rest of this just sounds like your roommate is just a shitheel who likes fucking with you. You need to find a new place to live ASAP. Anything else is just asking to see how a shitty, volatile situation can escalate at any time to something even shittier.


Title: Cousin [F14-15] was unvaccinated her whole life. She was born and raised in Florida, but is coming to Pennsylvania to visit. What are the legalities of saving her immune system?

Question:
Was recommended to post here. She claims she isn’t vaccinated, and I wanna change that. I currently do not have a license to drive her anywhere, but I live close to Philadelphia, so taking her to Jefferson hospital would be a breeze. I just don’t know if it’s possible for us to even vaccinate her at all. If possible, what does she need? Her mom can’t find out- If she did, she’d be livid.
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 As a minor, her medical care providers - hospitals, doctors, and the like - aren't going to take direction from someone who is neither the patient's parent or legal guardian, nor able to show that they have permission from the patient's parent/legal guardian. Pennsylvania does follow the mature minor doctrine, but a 15-year-old likely isn't old enough to convince a doctor that they're able to make their own decisions. (There's no formal age, but 16 is a good guideline.)

Your cousin's immune system will be fine, however. Vaccines do prime it to better fight specific illnesses, but she'll be able to vaccinate herself when she's an adult (or at least closer to adulthood) without too much trouble.


Title: (California) Got signed up for Commerce Energy without our consent and they want us to pay a $375 cancellation fee! What do we do?

Question:
Commerce Energy is an energy supplier that has been going door-to-door to sign people up for new contracts. They came to our house and acted like they were from PG&E and asked my wife to show them her recent energy bill. They wrote down our account number and phone number and then told her they were from Commerce. She declined service and they left.

A month or so later, we got a letter saying we are now members of Commerce and will see a change on our next power bill. I called PG&E to complain and they said they can't do anything on their end; I have to talk to Commerce after I get the first bill.

We got our bill today and found a $60 surcharge called "Commerce Energy Natural Gas Procurement Fee." This doubled our bill. I call Commerce to see what's going on. I tell them I did not consent to becoming a customer and they say they will start an investigation into the matter. I ask to cancel my account and I'm told it will take 1-2 billing cycles and that I will be charged a $375 cancellation fee. "375?!" I say. "Yes, $75 for each year you've been a customer."  We've been living at this house for less than two years.

This evidently has happened to other people, too.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/06/20/consumerwatch-new-bay-area-energy-firm-draws-complaints/

What is our recourse?

Answer: Well, first off, obviously, don't pay them. This is basically the energy company version of slamming. You are not obligated to pay them jack shit, especially if you didn't actually sign up for anything. Answer #2: (IANAL) would this be covered in identity theft law.... they would have to have sent PG&E a transfer of service request stating they have authorization from the end user to end a contracted service. More over is this Tortious Interference by a 3rd party in a contract?Answer #3: It sounds like the AT&T/MCI phone slamming in the late 1980s. Happened to us. I know that was a different situation but we were changed to MCI without authorization. We contacted AT &T, out company of choice who switched us back and said they would deal w/MCI re: any fees. It ended up on a big multi phone company lawsuit but we didn't pay anything.


Title: (cross-post from r/relationships) My (28F) neighbor (25F) is verbally and physically harassing my guests over a parking spot.

Question:
Hi Reddit, I have a condo parking situation at hand and need some advice.

Context: I live in a condo complex with about 16 other units. Each unit is assigned carport spaces in addition to uncovered "open guest" spaces which are not assigned. We are to have our guests park in the open spaces closest to our assigned carport spaces. (This is all outlined in the condo documents I received when I purchased the place a couple months ago).

Frankly, I couldn't care less who parks where. But the behavior exhibited by one of my neighbors in regards to one of the parking spots is very bothersome and I believe dangerous.

Story:

A number of weeks ago, one of my friends came to visit me for a couple of hours and parked in one of the open spots next to the carport that I am assigned to. It is my understanding, based on the documents I was given when I acquired this condo, that the spots next to the carports are open for all guests. This neighbor, we'll call her Mandy, apparently very rudely told my friend that that spot was "hers" and my friend could not park there. I didn't think anything of it at the time and my friend moved her car.

Earlier this week, my sister and one of her friends came over to visit. When they left, my sister's friend found a note put INSIDE of her car that said "Not a parking spot!". Now, after hearing where the friend had parked, I do agree that she was not in an actual spot. However, this still means Mandy reached inside of her car to put a note there, and this lack of respect for someone's private property is fairly unsettling.

This leads me to the incident the other evening. My sister came to visit me after dinner at our folks' house and parked in the same "open" spot that my friend tried to park in a few weeks ago. When my sister reached my door, she said she had just gotten yelled at by one of my neighbors about the spot she was in. My sister told the young woman (Mandy) that she was going to check with me about the spot and then move her car if there was a problem.

Since this has now been a recurring problem, I went through all of the documents I had received upon purchasing my unit, as well as the current documents listed under the Homeowner Portal of the property management company, and that spot is clearly labelled an open spot for all guests and family members, without exclusion.

We went over to the Mandy's unit. I wanted to double check with her to find out if she had any documentation other than what I had that stated the spot was "hers". I didn't get one whole sentence out before this woman started screaming at us about having lived there for 10 years, and how her mother was "sick and tired of this shit and people parking in her spot" and all kinds of other colorful language. Also that she had a "more recent version of the lease documents" that stated that spot belongs to them.

She slammed the door on us before I could ask any further questions about said documents. I legitimately just wanted this to be a simple situation but it seemed that was not to be the case. Unfortunately, my sister announced that we did not appreciate Mandy's attitude, and she came flying out of her patio door and shoved my sister, ripping out her earring in the process, screaming the entire time about how our "little friends and family can just stay the fuck over there" and leave her "shit the fuck alone". My sister did not touch Mandy.

We called the police and had an officer come out to assess the situation. Because we were all unsure as to the actual ownership of the parking spot at this time, he said he could go over and talk to her if I wanted, but that he really couldn't do anything about it at that time. Additionally, he said that both Mandy and my sister would receive Disorderly Conduct Citations if I chose to press charges. It was basically all or nothing, so I did not move forward with any charges.

I have been in contact with my property manager who states that all the uncovered spots are for guest parking on a first-come first-served basis, and that there are absolutely no other reserved spots other than the carport spots. I have asked him to please send a letter to all the unit owners dictating this exactly. I feel like at least if I follow the rules to this point, I can fall back on that if another incident occurs. Quite frankly I don't care at all about the spot! I just want to know that when my friends and family come to visit, I don't have to worry about them accidentally parking in the "wrong" spot and getting screamed at by Mandy.

I've also found out that Mandy has a restraining order against her from the end of last year. I'm not sure what it's in regards to, just that it's because of "harassment".

Reddit, do you guys have any advice on what I can do further? None of these units are rented, so it's not like I can try to get her evicted or something. I'm also afraid that she's going to do something to my home while I'm either in it or away at work. I literally could not sleep last night because I thought every noise I heard was her creeping into my house. That may be over-dramatic and paranoid, but it's how I felt nonetheless.

TL;DR: Psycho neighbor is a parking lunatic. Help!

Edit: I am located in Wisconsin, Waukesha County

Answer:
 Boy it's really xpost from /r/relationships day here....

I think if you're worried that she might vandalize your vehicle or break into your unit while you're out, and you really can't sleep at night, you might consider investing in some motion-activated cameras or something like that.  So that if it does happen at least you'll be able to prove it.

If she continues to harass you or your guests about parking, ask about getting a restraining order.


Title: [BC, Canada] Can my landlord prohibit teaching piano from my home?

Question: I teach piano and when I moved into my current place 2 years ago I had verbally agreed to not teach in my home. I had no plans to do so until my situation changed recently and now I would like to teach from home. My rental agreement stats “The tenant and his guests must use the rental unit for private residential purposes only and not for any illegal, unlawful, commercial or business purposes.” Burnaby, where I live, allows for teaching lessons in the home. What are my options.

Answer: If you needed to teach in your home, you should have had that portion of the contract modified. Is there anywhere else you can teach the lessons? You can't do it at home.


Title: (NJ) Other party's lawyer typed up agreement and wants me to pay.

Question:
My trademark registration application got rejected because there's a company who has a similar trademark. The company who owns it, no longer does business. My lawyer reached out to their lawyer and said we would file for a cancelation of their mark (since it's not being used) or, they could file a joint use agreement.

Their lawyer, typed up the agreement and one part of the agreement says that I need to pay for her services ($1,500).

I'm disappointed because the lawyer never quoted us prior to writing up the agreement. My lawyers services are much cheaper, and I would've gladly had him type up the agreement.

What are my options?

Answer:
 > What are my options?

Say "no".

It's a settlement, neither one of you has to sign it.  You can negotiate.


Title: (Massachusetts) Are there any legal consequences for a bar serving a patron of legal age, but who does not have an ID on them?

Question:
I was having this debate last night with a bartender friend of mine. Basically we both know a guy who regularly comes into the bar (and both know he is over the age of 21), but she doesn't want to serve him because he doesn't regularly carry his ID on him. She's under the impression that the bar can actually get in legal trouble for serving someone without an ID, even if she knows the person is of age to purchase alcohol (since she can't "prove" she knows the person is over 21 if they don't have an ID on them). My argument is that, as long as the person is 21 or over, the bar is not at risk of fines and/or suspension or revocation of their liquor license.

Now, obviously she has the right to refuse to serve anyone she wishes, so that's not what I'm asking here. I think her confusion stems from the fact that the police have the right to walk into a drinking establishment and request to see IDs, but, as far as I know, the bar itself isn't at any risk of punishment unless they are found to have actually served someone underage. I've tried to look this up online, but I can't find anything that indicates there is some legal requirement for the bar to make sure everyone has their IDs on them at all times. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Illegal, no. Risk of possible fines to the establishment? That's another story. This is why bars/liquor stores ID everybody who looks under a certain age (one liquor store nears me ID's EVERYONE).

TL;TR: The real question is would the possible hidden inspector know/believe the guy was over 21.


Title: Chinese friend got robbed at knife point just outside his apartment; now he just wants to get out of his lease early

Question: I know similar questions have been posted here, and the answer will likely be the same as ever (he has to pay or face the consequences) but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least attempt to ask you guys if you had any advice on the subject.  He's not totally fluent in English yet and I know very little on the subject so I thought I'd just ask since I've seen how cool you guys have been about helping people in the past

Answer: you are correct. he owes rent. getting robbed has nothing to do with his landlord/lease. He can ask, he can look for someone to sublet... but he's otherwise stuck.


Title: Wife is withholding a camera from her sister she borrowed to prove a point. Sister says she is getting the police involved. What could happen?

Question:
EDIT:  Located in Chicago, IL. Sorry!

Here's the long and short of it:

A few months back, my wife and I were taking a trip overseas.  Her sister offered to let us borrow her camera for the trip, which is a pretty good Nikon camera, and my wife accepted.  We went on the trip, and during the trip my wife's birthday happened.

My wife is not talking much to her family due to how they sometimes treat her, and yet the family got her some gifts for her birthday, although my wife refused to see them  to celebrate at any point.  My wife's sister was entrusted with the gifts.  When my wife's sister wanted to give her the gifts (I think she asked my wife to pick them up if that matters), my wife said that she didn't want them, so my wife's sister gave them away.

This apparently greatly upset my wife, since she thinks that the gifts should have been given back to the people who gave them in the first place instead.  To prove this point, my wife has refused to give her sister back the camera that she lent us.  The sister has been getting more and more upset about this, and is now saying that she is filing a police report against both of us.

I do not like this situation at all, and I personally feel that my wife is committing a form of theft.  Although if I go against my wife in this matter and give the camera back, I'll never hear the end of it from her.

So I guess this turned into two questions:

-What is the legality of my wife's sister giving away the gifts?  My wife did say she didn't want them, so I'm not sure if the sister was in the wrong for giving them away instead of returning them.

-Is what my wife doing a form of theft, and as potentially an accomplice since we live together, can I be punished for this in any way?  I personally think this has gotten way out of hand.  My wife says she'll give it back when my sister makes up for what she did, but I don't have any indication of what that means.

Thank you for your time and help everyone.

EDIT: Clarity

Answer:
 > I do not like this situation at all, and I personally feel that my wife is committing a form of theft. Although if I go against my wife in this matter and give the camera back, I'll never hear the end of it from her.

Please save your family the trouble and acquire a backbone. Answer #2: >I do not like this situation at all, and I personally feel that my wife is committing a form of theft. Although if I go against my wife in this matter and give the camera back, I'll never hear the end of it from her.

OP your post history is absolutely heartbreaking.  This woman is physically and mentally abusing you.  Normal people don't act like this.  When you say you she will be mad at you over this camera thing are you afraid for your safety?  There are some tremendously knowledgeable people in this sub who work in social services and I hope someone will come along and give you some information on that front and that you will consider getting in touch with a counselor for victims of domestic abuse.
Answer #3: She needs to give the camera back.

The gifts have nothing to do with this, and that's Irrational thinking


Title: Company offer letter changed and I signed it without looking

Question:
I received an offer letter from a really well-known company that everyone knows (don't know if this will affect the situation). I received the offer in September 2018 with a set salary and signing bonus. I signed it and was set to start the job in June 2019. However, during February 2019, I received an email saying "I sent over an updated offer letter. Everything remained the same but I had to fix the vesting schedule. Please sign at your earliest convenience". That is word for word what the email said. Me being the idiot I am didn't bother to read over the document and signed it again anyway. Fast forward to today (first day on the job), some co-workers and I were talking about the signing bonus and I remember reading the new offer letter and realized that they omitted the original signing bonus completely. I haven't contacted HR about this yet. My co-worker stated she received the bonus after about a month so but I barely just started. I'm not sure if it's just an honest mistake or shady business. I have both copies of the offer letters, both signed and dated. This is also at-will employment. Is there anything to do about the situation? What should I do about the situation? What if the company doesn't decide to give the bonus? Any help appreciated. First post on this sub, sorry if it doesn't follow rules.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: You signed something without reading it. This is on you and no one else.


Title: [Theoretical] How much legal trouble would Harry Potter get into due to his actions in the Deathly Hallows? [United States, Canada, UK]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 /r/legaladvice is primarily focused on American and occasionally Canadian legal issues. For a better chance at location-appropriate advice, we'd recommend you post over at /r/LegalAdviceUK.

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/legaladvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Title: Sister terminated while on FMLA (USA, DE)

Question: My sister just had a situation happen and it seems odd to me and wanted to get input on it.  She's worked for a company for a few years and back around October of last year started having some medical issues and her primary care physician pulled her out of work. She was receiving short term disability and being covered under FMLA. She got a call about a week ago from HR and they asked her for an exact return to work date. Her doctor hasn't provided her with any kind of information other than that she would be out until the health problem was rectified, basically an open ended doctor's note which she had previously communicated to and given to her employer. She was unable to provide them with a date. She just recieved a letter of termination citing that she didn't provide a date to them and a bill for them covering her health insurance while she was out of work (1.5k). I told her to call a labor lawyer or someone with the state but since it's the weekend and that'll probably have to wait until the beginning of the week, I figured I would ask whether this is futile and she should just move on or it it's worth further pursuit.

Answer:
 > back around October of last year started having some medical issues and her primary care physician pulled her out of work.

When specifically did she stop working? Because October 29th, 2018 (last Monday in October) to January 21, 2019 is exactly 12 weeks. She very well may have run out of protected leave


Title: [FL] What can I do about this absurd medical bill?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 > I can’t justify paying almost a grand for a pill and some ginger ale.

You are leaving out being see by multiple, trained medical professionals in a space that is open 24 hours/7 days a week. Is the physician bill in that? If not, expect to see a bill for the physician’s evaluation.


Title: Builders built 8 ft ceilings vs 9 ft in home.

Question:
I'm posting this on behalf of a friend.  He recently stopped by his house that he is having built to discover that they finished half the house with ceilings 1 foot shorter than they originally were supposed to be.  All the bedrooms in the home, hallways, and bonus room are now 8 ft tall instead of 9.  He only has an earnest deposit on the house, and the builder has offered him a mere $1500 for the mistake.  The part of the house that is constructed with the wrong ceiling height already has the roof partially built.  What are his options?  Can he demand that the builders take down the roof and correct the issue or is it too far done to make them do the extra work and he needs to settle for monetary compensation?  The house has 5 bedrooms and all of them are a foot shorter.  What are your thoughts?

This is in southeast GA

Answer:
 Take it to a lawyer.  I would literally walk away from an 8' versus 9' ceiling house when buying.  Sounds like a builder and in which case they can take this home into inventory and build him a new one, this isn't horribly uncommon.

There is no way I would sacrifice those 9's, it is a major difference in the resale market, let alone the feel of the home.

$1,500 compensation is insanely low.  I would lose my deposit before I took possession of that.

Call a lawyer.  One or two letters will likely resolve it (which may include a large delay to build a new home, but it would be worth it).

EDIT: This is not something like upgrading to granite counters or stainless appliances or new flooring.  You don't easily raise the roof (no pun intended, but recognized) like it's no big deal.  This is a major flaw to be corrected.


Title: [California] I got into an accident with a semi truck and his insurance is going to send me a denial letter because there was no witnesses at the crime. What can I do?

Question:
A semi truck hit me on the highway and it’s very obvious what happened. I was too traumatized at that time to make a police report (didn’t even know I had to do it). I let the driver go after taking photos and I contacted my insurance. They told me that since I only have liability, they can’t help me. I contacted his insurance which turns out to be an invalid one. I’ve been tracking down the driver and owner, but they kept ignoring me. People gave me the advice on contacting California highway patrol and do a report. I did and she told me his Mexico’s drivers license is invalid in the US and his insurance expired as well.

Anyway, I contacted the owner saying his employee hit my car and I will file a small court claim against them if they keep ignoring me. This went on for 1 1/2month and they finally gave in. They wanted to see the police report so I send it to them and they said their agent will contact mine. His valid insurance company called me to ask about what happened. He kept asking me if there were cameras or witnesses and I said no. A week later, I called and asked about the status of the claim and he said it’s inconclusive because the other driver insisted that I changed lanes in front of him and he hit me. Theoretically, if we were going 60 on the highway and my camry changed in front of him and he hit me, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Only the driver side of my car was damaged and bent in. Their valid reason is “there were no witnesses and you didn’t do a police report at that time, so we’re gonna have to send you a denial letter” despite the fact that I have photos and evidence that they’ve been avoiding me.

What can I do here? I’ve been told to update my police report and ask them for advice. My insurance isn’t helping me either because I only have liability.

tl;dr: semi truck driver hit me on highway. I didn’t file a police report at that time (stupid me). They started ignoring/avoiding my calls, so I went ahead and filed a police report. They finally gave in and told me their agent will contact mine. They came to a conclusion that because there were no cameras or witnesses, they can’t do anything about it despite the fact that I had photos of the accident and everything. The other driver insisted that I changed lanes and he hit me, which is dumb because if that happened, I would’ve died. What are my choices here?

Answer: You can sue the other driver and/or his company.  That's all you have.


Title: [NM] Joint Custody Issue with Grandparents

Question:
So, I'm not sure where else to turn. So here I am.

I have a one year old daughter with my ex wife. We have joint legal custody, which is automatically granted in NM.

On Thanksgiving, my mother was watching our daughter. It's my holiday, but I had to work. My ex had no problem with my mom watching the baby.

As my mom went to drop the baby off at my ex-wife's, my mom was confronted by my ex-wife's new boyfriend. He did nothing illegal, but made her very uncomfortable. She left the house quickly, as she began to have an anxiety attack due to the incident.

Fast-forward to yesterday: My ex is now stating that because of the incident on Thanksgiving, she is no longer comfortable with my mother watching our daughter. She accused my mom of being "rude" and "volatile".

My mom has been picking up our daughter from day care without incident until this, and my mom is understandably devastated by the fact she can't see her granddaughter unless she's with me.

Is this a violation of status quo? And what, if any, legal recourse do we have?

Thanks, guys.

Answer:
 Absent a clause for first right of refusal, the mom cannot dictate what happens during your custody time. She can go to court and try to convince a judge that grandma can only have supervised contact. She also can refuse to allow grandma to pick the child up from mom's care (refuse to give the child to grandma).

You likely should do all the drop off and pick up yourself from now on


Title: Work is having a mandatory Christmas program at a church, is this legal?

Question:
I work for a daycare, every year they have a Christmas program at a local church which is fine, but it is mandatory.  If you do not go you lose your bonus (every 2 weeks you're not late or sick you get a $1/hr bonus), you get written up and as of this year a co-worker said she cannot make it and they told her that if she doesn't show up they will ask her for her 2 week notice.

We live in Minnesota.  Is it legal to have a mandatory event at a religious institution?  And is it legal to make someone quit over not going to a mandatory after work hour event?  We close at 6:30, the event runs from 7-8ish.

Answer:
 >as of this year a co-worker said she cannot make it and they told her that if she doesn't show up they will ask her for her 2 week notice.

Nobody should do this unless they care about their resume more than unemployment.  Quitting makes you ineligible.

> Is it legal to have a mandatory event at a religious institution?

Are they paying you for your time?

Is the nature of the event prayer, or is it Santa and snowmen?  If it is prayer, are they requiring you to participate?


Title: I met a guy online, who sent me $20 in cash app and paid for my Uber to get to him...

Question: Claiming to be a "sugar daddy" we had agreed on no amount, and I got texts from Western Union with tracking codes, I verified them online but didn't think to make sure they were sent to my name. Of course they werent. He is still texting me promising to bring me cash tomorrow. We hooked up. If I call the cops will I be charged with prostitution?

Answer:
 /u/Explicitlydumb.

Stop playing silly games and prostituting yourself.Answer #2: If you call the cops because he didn’t pay you the agreed upon amount for sex then yes they could charge you with prostitution.


Title: [IN] Last Year to Seek Civil Suit Against Pedophile

Question:
I will turn 25 in December. That’s the end of the statue of limitations for cases of child sexual abuse in Indiana.

Almost two decades ago, my cousin (D) was caught raping my then ten-year-old cousin (Ab). D was 16 or 17 at the time I think. His mother – my aunt (S) – and A’s mother (N) decided the best thing to do was cover it up. A few months later, D sexually abused me. I was 4 at the time and could tell you every detail, but I won’t.

Ab took all the little girls in my vast family aside and explained what rape and abuse was. She realized the adults would do nothing, so she would tell us to avoid D and to tell her if he tried to hurt us.

I told her about the abuse.

She called my mother. Something almost _did_ happen. My mom wanted to go to the police. My aunt S fired her from the bar S owned and my aunt N had her committed to a mental institution. (Supposedly, my mother was so distraught that one incident had happened while she was in the other room, she said she wanted to die. N used this to get her committed against her will.)

There are records my mom talked to her doctors after the incident.

Otherwise, I was told to never talk about it again. I wish I was exaggerating, but I still have nightmares of almost being drown in a pool as revenge for talking about it and threatened with actually being drown if I told anyone again. Remember I was 4.

My dad went along with it because he hoped I would forget. He and my mom wished I could forget because I was so young. When they took me to a therapist, I thought it was a test and was so scared I pretended like nothing bad had ever happened in my life. It wasn’t until high school after trying to kill myself that a therapist got me to tell her and started to teach me the word “incest survivor”.

My aunt N decided I needed to be nicer to my cousin D and made my cousin Ab convey this to me. She asked me instead just to not talk to him if I saw him because N would call and rant for hours about how good her rapist was.

Yeah.

My aunt N now tries to have him show up to places I’m at if I’m in my hometown. I leave, pissed.

All these years, I thought they had denied me justice and there was nothing I could do. Most especially, I worry about his nieces and nephews as well as his young daughter. My cousin Ab and I were not the only little girls he had access to and the others may have been too scared after I was nearly drown. Today, I learned my statue of limitations had not expired.

Is a civil case viable? What do I do if my aunts N and S lie about what happened? I know the evidence now is scarce but... Are the documents from my mother’s therapist immediately after the incident admissible in court? Would a decade of treatment for trauma related to childhood sexual abuse from my therapists be worth considering?

Is there any way to pursue this without bringing up my cousin Ab’s rape since her statue of limitations has passed and it’s so painful for her (I haven’t talked to her about it in a few years but I asked her once when I was in college and she said, “I try to forget.”)?

Answer: Go to the police and report the abuse. Stop this sick cycle of abuse, shame, and secrecy. Answer #2: Theres really no reason not to go to police. Especially If rapist has access to younger kids and you still suspect he is raping. Sorry your this happened to you, OP. Who knows what will come from turning him in. Maybe try to keep it anonymous?Answer #3: 'I worry about his nieces and nephews as well as his young daughter.' NAL, but should OP possibly contact  state CPS to report, who can investigate to make sure (especially his child) is safe?


Title: Could a victim of an injury caused by false information sue the platform that housed said false information?

Question:
My question comes from [the latest Ann Reardon/How To Cook That video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YfQO_aQo9VU&feature=share). For the uninitiated, Ann does a series on debunking viral life hack videos (mostly food hacks), like those seen on Troom Troom or 5 Minute Crafts.

At 16:15 she talks about a woman who was severely burned from attempting to poach an egg in the microwave, a “hack” that gained popularity recently. Ann mentions that she escalated the issue of dangerous hacks to her contacts at YouTube, who told her to report the video and “if it violates YouTube policies it will be taken down”. However, there is no policy against dangerous/fake hacks, only dangerous challenges and pranks ([link to YouTube’s “Harmful or Dangerous Content Policies”](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2801964?hl=en&ref_topic=9282436)).

So, to Ann’s question (which I myself am now curious about), would a victim of one of these dangerous viral food hacks have a case if they attempted to sue YouTube, both for damages and in an attempt to ban this kind of content?

Answer:
 No. This is actually what the much maligned (incorrectly in my opinion) Section 230 establishes. Only publishers, not the platforms where those publications are hosted, are liable for defamatory publications.

>[No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230)


Title: [KS] Question about a minor posting nudes

Question:
On another sub there'd been a question about "[Parents of Reddit who have snooped on their kids: what's the craziest thing you've found?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/36u3dh/nsfw_parents_of_reddit_who_have_snooped_on_their/)" I posted the below incident from one of my kids. I'm curious as to what could have happened if the police had gotten involved, for any reason, both to my son and to any of the guys that he'd been talking to and exchanging pics with. (Worst case scenario)

This was in 2004. I used to check the teenager's computers periodically. (Had 2 teenage boys). I once found that the then 15 yo had been setting up profiles on gay dating sites. He'd stated that he was 19 in his profiles and posted some pics of himself including nudes. There were several men, all in their early 20's, that he was in contact with. This included exchanging nude pictures and messages of an extremely sexual nature. We shut down the profiles and moved his computer to the living room where it stayed until he was 18. (His mom was fucking livid) I contacted the websites to inform them that he was a minor and asked them to delete the profiles and ensure that the pictures that he'd posted were actually deleted. The ex-wife contacted the men he'd been talking to and advised them as to what our idiot son had done.

Answer:
 Production, possession, and distribution of child porn. Your kid, the men, everyone. It would have been *bad*.

The law doesn't distinguish between adults taking sexually suggestive photos of children and children taking sexually suggestive photos of children. The men were unknowingly in possession of child porn, and it would be indisputably child porn once the police got in contact with your son. They would all be sex offenders for the rest of their lives.

In short, his mom was right to be livid. It would have been a complete nightmare.


Title: AVB Unusable amount of marijuana?

Question: So last night I was driving with a tail light out and was pulled over, when I said my license was in the back seat of my car the officer shined his light in and saw a pill bottle with probably .3 grams of ALREADY VAPORIZED BUD (cooked weed that is basically trash). Can I have it be labeled an unusable amount with a public defender? I don't smoke and I wouldn't try to vaporize it again because it was all cashed; I can only imagine there is very little THC left. Will I need a real lawyer? how much would that cost? Also its my first ever offense. (this post is for a friend)*

Answer: If it was trash, why did you have it with you?


Title: I don't know if I was molested or if this was incestuous and I would like clarification, I apologize for the length

Question:
Hi, sorry if this is a weird thing, to post or if it shouldn't be to this subreddit in particular. Basically I'm just looking for clarity, I'm not looking to press any charges; I'm just looking for the legal standpoint of this situation. This is a throw away account and I just am curious.

Basically, growing up I believe my sibling may have groomed me into sexual desires with him, so far irl I've told 3 people, 1 of my other siblings included and they've all concluded it was molestation. I think this might be a way of me getting it off my back as I'm trembling trying to express it in the most unbiased way possible. The sibling is a few years older than me, but still considered in my 'age range' and they had been sort of pressing into it since I was roughly 10, I don't know if thats where it started as I've repressed a lot of my younger years due to separate family issues.

I can't remember how it started but I do remember when I was somewhere around 6-8 they showed me their genitals and I told my mom. She promptly told my dad and the sibling got practically shunned from the family and underwent psychiatric treatment (not to my knowledge until recently), later at around 10 or 11 they began to grope me under the covers when we were alone and that continued every time we visited one another (as we have never lived together and it has just been on occasions where I've visited them. )

At around 12 or 13, they started asking me to provide oral, which never came into fruition as I avoided practically all possibilities of being alone with them. When I returned to where I was staying, they asked for nudes sometimes and I honestly can't even remember if I obliged. Keep in mind, throughout my life no one knew and I quite honestly think I put pressure on them to grope me at around this time as it was the only positive attention I was receiving from the opposite sex. I started sending nudes and developing sexually at a young age so in my eyes, this was good as no one from the opposite sex really ever stayed around after having received sexual pleasure from me.

When I was 15, I had recently gone through a break up and I insisted on them giving a massage to me, as I had heard they did this to another one of the siblings. Midway, the groping began and it eventually led to them fingering me. Then they asked me for oral, which I obliged to. After a few minutes I stopped as another one of the siblings was sleeping in the bed with us, and of course I didn't want to wake them.

Later on after I had gone home, they were texting me one night and insisted because they were high, they might end up sending me nudes, one image promptly was sent to me and I told them I didn't want things to go further.

Since then, nothing has happened, though I've only visited them again once and it has been quite awkward. They once even said I was the one who prompted the gropings. I know nothing will most probably ever happen again and I don't wish to press charges or anything, because at the end of the day I know they're my sibling and I don't have the heart to tear my family apart any more than it already has been. I simply want to know, from another perspective whether I was molested or if I brought it unto myself and it was incest as I never clearly opposed.

Location- Louisiana, USA

Answer:
 >later at around 10 or 11 they began to grope me under the covers

Yes, you were molested. Full stop.


Title: (BRIGHTON UK) I own a small tearoom with a garden and my neighbour can't stand it

Question:
Hello all, I am a young women and I have owned for a little more than a year a tearoom in Brighton, on a road nearby the main road. I have houses all around me and there is only another restaurant in the same road as me (the other ones are offices and retail)

My shop is open every day except Mondays from 12 to 6pm.

Ever since I've been in this shop, from the negotiations with the past owners up until today, she has always made it clear that she doesn't like the business, and she doesn't want people in the gardens.

Her first words to me were "You don't have permissions to do this and that on your lease" without even say *hello*

I do have the right permissions to open the garden until 5pm all days except Sundays and to avoid annoyance, I've always respected it. She instead, never respected my boundaries and seems unaware that I run a business and not a campaign to disrupt her life. I had to call the police once because she poked her head over the garden wall started screaming at a girl reading alone in the garden because I wasn't quick enough to collect her stuff. It was maybe 2 minuted after 5 and I was actively cleaning the lady's table and she screamed her head off. Neither of us was even talking. And that wasn't even the first or last time that she poked her head into my garden to complain or discuss *with clients.*

Today she sent me two council workers to take pictures of my garden to file a complaint with the planning permissions.

I am tired and I don't even know her name as she never even introduced herself. She is and always have been hostile in my regards. I would really want to use the garden especially since Brighton it's a seaside city and Summer is coming along, but I can't conduct any peaceful business like this.

This has always been a shop, a barber in the 90s and since 6/7 years ago a tearoom, so it's not a new business. I also want to extend my garden hours and business hours to 7pm but I'm afraid she'll prevent this and I will waste 190£ (needed to ask for the permits) which I can not afford to.

Any advice is well welcomed, thank you very much!

Answer:
 Apply for a music licence too...Answer #2: /r/LegalAdviceUKAnswer #3: perhaps put up some security cameras so you can dispute any future false claims by herAnswer #4: In the UK can you go after her for loss of business/harassment? I'd see if a local solicitor would be willing to at least have a meeting with you.Answer #5: You mention that the establishment has been a tearoom for 6/7 years and that you have owned it for one. Is there any legal track record between the neighbor and the prior tea room business owners? That may help you. Can you ask the people you bought the business from how they handled her?

Finally, knowing how loudly most people sip their tea and read their books, how do you disrupt her life? Is it just that she knows people are there, and that sets her off? She seems to have an obsession, and a wellness check by the correct authorities may be in order. I sincerely mean this as a concern for her well-being. It is rather sad to see someone slip into nuttiness all alone.

Of course, you could invite her over for tea...Answer #6: Put a fence up.Answer #7: https://old.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/

Legal advice UK may have better knowledge of local bylaws.


Title: Dwi. No idea where to go from here. Can't afford a lawyer.

Question:
Friday night I went to a local pub after work in Louisiana. Had 4 beers over the course of about 2.5 hours. Got pulled over driving home. I was very cooperative with everything. He gave me the standard sobriety tests (pacing, finger, lifting foot). I thought I nailed them but after he made me watch his finger for the third time he handcuffed me. He brought me to the station where I agreed to take a breathalyzer test. Blew a .11. They put me in the holding cell for the night and took my license.

Basically I'm asking for any and all advice I can get. I have a court date in July. I don't believe there is any way I can afford a lawyer. The gave me paperwork saying I get a temporary license but I don't know how I get that. Do I go to the dmv or is it going to be mailed. I really need it badly. I've been driving to work with no license. I'm a 25 year old male. This is really my first run in with the law with the exception of a speeding ticket a few years ago. I was super compliant with everything they threw at me including a drug screen at the jail (passed).

Answer:
 Everyone thinks they do well on the tests. With a .11 I'm sure you had a number of clues present on all tests.

You're going to have to get an attorney. If you work full time, as long as you make above minimum wage and have no kids, you probably will not qualify financially for a public defender. If you want to try, ask for one when you go to court.  Otherwise, retain a criminal defense/DUI attorney.


Title: Roommates “trusted” friend stole our MacBook

Question:
My GF and I live together along with one roommate who is our close friend. Over the weekend, my GF and I went on a trip with our roommate and her BF. Our roommate has a dog, and to save a bit of money on doggie boarding fees, she enlisted her BF’s best friend (let’s call him Tom) to come house/dog sit for them for two nights before dropping the pup off at the boarding facility. They did not directly ask us about having him stay while we were gone, but we trusted their judgement. When we left for our trip (in the middle of the night) they left a key under the mat for him.

We returned from our trip yesterday to find that my GF’s MacBook Pro is missing from our room. We’ve basically destroyed the house looking for it, and we are 100%  certain it was in a specific place when we left. So, we know it was taken and isn’t just misplaced in our room somewhere. We checked find my iPhone, and the computer is offline.

There are no signs of forced entry and everything was locked as far as we can tell. Our townhome is very secluded around a bend at the top of a hill, and we live in a very safe area with no history of break-ins that I am aware of. While we do have neighbors on either side of us, one of them is our landlord, and the others have given us no indication that they would be willing or capable of a break in. We never told any of our neighbors we were going to be gone for the weekend. While people did know that we were going on a trip for the week, anyone who knew and also knows our address was on the trip with us or are very closely trust family/friends. We did not tell anyone at any time that a key would be left under the mat for someone. All this is a lengthy way to say there is absolutely no reason for us to believe anyone besides Tom was in the house at any time while we were gone.

So, we spoke to our roommate and her BF. We asked about Tom and if he would have any reason to steal the laptop. Her BF got a bit defensive during the exchange, saying his friend wouldn’t do that, that he is trustworthy and that they have known each other for a very long time. The big phrase he kept saying was “why would he steal the laptop when we know he was the only one in the house? That would be stupid for him to do”. We asked for Tom’s contact info and reached out to him. He was fully responsive and not overly defensive though adamant he didn’t steal anything (he had the same reasoning for innocence as the phrase above). He was also adamant that no one else come into the house with him and he gave us a full rundown of the things he did while there (mostly just sleeping, tv and playing with the dog). When he arrived and left, he says he made sure to look around and see that no one was around to see him get the key from under the mat. The key was under the mat and the door was locked when we came home after the trip.

We called the police, and they spoke to Tom on the phone. They came over and filed a report, but they basically did not help at all. Because Tom is a marine and the cops assigned to us we’re both veterans, they seemed to give him a big benefit of the doubt. Again for the 100th time the idea that he would be dumb to steal something when he was known to be the only one in the house came up. They finished up getting our info and left.

So, people of reddit, how should we proceed? Can we pursue charges or a civil case against Tom? Did Tom just commit the perfect crime where he is so obviously the suspect that no one suspects him? Any help is much appreciated.

Answer:
 There is no harm in filing a police report, but without much to go on, they may struggle. Keep checking find my iPhone to see if it ever comes back online.

See if anyone else has cameras they'd be willing to share with you. Since your place is very secluded, you may be able to cars or people who aren't there normally.

Also, keep in mind that under the mat is such a common place for a key. If anyone had noticed that your apartment was unoccupied, looking under a mat is the first place to check.


Title: My family law attorney is leaving my case.

Question:
I've been divorced for several years and it has been extremely contentious the whole time. I was self-represented until about a year ago when things got really bad.

I just received an email from the lead attorney at his practice letting me know that my attorney was leaving the firm. I was informed that a new guy would be getting familiar with my case. I looked up this new guy, and he is indeed very new to family law.

This is a terrible time to be switching horses. I have a hearing coming up in a month and there are years of history with my case. I'm afraid if I go to a different law firm, I'm going to burn through thousands of dollars just for the person to become familiar with my case.

I'm debating just going without an attorney. I'm just not sure what to do.

Answer: Ask your attorney who is leaving if he or she can continue to represent you at his or her new firm.


Title: [Florida] Verify the Statute of Limitations on FL 817.565

Question:
Like the title says, I am assuming the Statute of Limitations on [FL 817.565](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0800-0899/0817/Sections/0817.565.html), a misdemeanor of the 1st degree, is 2 years from the date of commission.

Hence, if I was involved in a scheme to defraud NCAA drug testing from late 2003 through May 20th of 2006, and moved out of FL permanently on July 15th 2008, I can no longer be prosecuted correct?  And I would assume the FL "Son of Sam" laws would have expired as well, right?

I have a monetary offer from a Journalist to give my story and accompanying proof/documentation for the years that I helped NCAA athletes defraud NCAA drug tests by providing them with the knowledge of drug testing procedures, and which chemicals could be put in their urine to defeat the testing procedures/machines.

Answer: You should find a lawyer in Florida and speak to him/her to make sure you are correct and that nothing could have possibly tolled the statute of limitations.


Title: Vermont Violin rental company - need advice

Question: We are a small violin shop with roughly 1200 rental clients. Out of these clients we have roughly 15 or so who won't pay their bills, answer calls, or return the very valuable instruments they've taken. What legal rights do we have to get these instruments back to us? We are based in Vermont but have customers in eastern NY and northern NH

Answer:
 You could hire a repo company to try and get them back. Assuming your lease contract says you can take it back if they don't pay. Your other recourse is to sue them in small claims court for the unpaid bills and/or value of the instrument. Limit is $5000 for VT small claims.Answer #2: You will need to sue them for the value of the property not returned. What information do you collect on these people? Answer #3: You should really have an attorney for your business that you can consult with on issues like this. Who drafted your rental contracts? Perhaps you could reach out to them.Answer #4: Theres that much demand for a rented violin??

Yea depending on your contract you can potentially report it as stolen to police, repo or just sue for value/return.


Title: Song Performance Rights

Question:
Location: Indiana, US

Hello, everybody!
I am the president of my University's acappella group. This semester, we had a member arrange a couple of song covers for us to perform. "Gravity" by John Mayer and "That Girl" by Justin Timberlake. While he was in the group, he taught us these songs and we performed them a couple of times as well.
As of today, this guy decided to leave the group. He also told us that he would charge us $50 for the performance of each arrangement at our holiday concert in December.
This is part of the email that he sent telling me that he would leave the group and charge us for the music:

***

"There is the issue of my musical arrangements that I have entrusted to the group. As I am no longer a member, there are two options that we have. They are as follows:

1. As the arranger of this music, I possess the sole right of intellectual property, meaning that I possess the economic right to derive financial reward for the use of my work, as well as the right to authorize or prevent certain uses of my work, such as: reproduction, adaptation, and most importantly public performance. Through international copyright law, as well as cited in the Berne Convention, copyright protection is granted and obtained automatically and without need for formal registration. This is something I take very seriously as a professional musician, and I do not want to prevent you guys from using my music, which I happily arranged for you. However, that ship has sailed, and if hardball is necessary, copyright law will absolutely be enforced.

2. As arranger of this music, and someone outside of the group, I require financial compensation for the time and labor I spent making these arrangements. As I do wish to leave and return amicably, I offer you the discounted price of Fifty U.S. Dollars per arrangement to use my work. This is more than fair, but if payment is not received one week prior to the performance on December 11, 2016, I will be forced to enact the first option cited above."

***

My question is: is he allowed to do this even though he had let us perform the songs before for free? Is he allowed to charge us $50/song even though it was previously agreed that we would not have to pay him?

Thank you so much for your help.

Answer:
 Did he obtain the appropriate formal permissions from the copyright holders of the two songs in question to create arrangements of their works? Because they're the primary rights holders here, and his intellectual property interest (though real, musical arrangements are indeed copyrightable) is secondary to theirs.

I would tell him to pound sand, because his rights in his derivative work are predicated on him respecting the rights of the primary IP holders, which I would bet the farm he hasn't done anything about.

But second techiesgoboom that talking to someone at the university (I would start with your group's faculty/staff advisor, or if you don't have one, then someone in Student Life who is responsible for managing extracurriculars) is the way to go.Answer #2: I'm leaning towards "if he didn't say anything before he taught you these songs he doesn't have a leg to stand on"  It's very likely that your university has an office of legal aid for the students which would be a great resource.  And assuming you are a student group through the university they probably won't like what this guy is trying to pull either.


Title: [MT] Being forced to choose between going to the doctor or being demoted because of three nosebleeds

Question:
I am a chef and I work in the kitchen. I also get nosebleeds when in extremely hot environments. I usually work the breakfast line where it does not get too hot and I never run into this problem. They put me on nights for a little while and I got three nosebleeds over the course of a few weeks because of the heat from the grill. I know when my nose is going to bleed and contained the issue extremely quickly. They put me back onto breakfast and I have had no problems since.
Today I get called into the office with an ultimative, go to the doctors and get the problem fixed (I don't have coverage and I don't understand what a doctor would do to help my nosebleeds) or choose to do a lower paying job outside of the kitchen.
Is this wrongful demotion?

Answer: You have a condition that could lead to blood contaminating food and working surfaces.  Expecting you to see a doctor to at least try to get it treated is not unreasonable.


Title: Concerned about welfare of infants (Sorry if wrong place to post this) [Portland, OR]

Question:
I have some neighbors who I've never really liked, and have always been pretty ghetto and aggressive with me, but I have never really cared enough to take action until now.

Their house was built at the same time and by the same person as mine, so both houses originally had the same floor plan. Before converting the attic of my house into living space, there were only 2 bedrooms on the main floor.

In the house across the street there is the mother, the father, their three children, 2 young men who are boyfriends of the daughters, and 2 infants (the daughters were both pregnant at the roughly the same time, and each had a baby). That makes a total of 7 adults and 2 infants living in a house that originally had 2 bedrooms, although they may have at some point converted the attic as I have, and they could also be using the garage as a bedroom.

None of them have an actual full time job, they mostly collect and sell scrap metal. My mom (an ex-crack addict) has become absolutely convince they are selling crack out of their house (people come and go frequently and never stay long, and my mom has seen several people she used to hang out and do drugs with)

They all smoke cigarettes inside the house, and I have seen them in their vehicles with windows rolled up smoking cigarettes with the infants in the vehicles with them.

The drug selling is of course speculation and I can't prove it, but their behavior is really suspicious. Would the cigarette smoking in the car alone be enough to warrant a call to the DHS?

Answer:
 you can report anyone to cps, and you don't have to have "proof".   while smoking in the car may not be reason enough for them to remove the children, in their investigation they may uncover more viable reasons to remove.  or they may consider that alone a good enough one; who knows.  the point is, you aren't pleading a case with CPS; you're just reporting - anonymously - that you believe there are children in an unsafe environment, and you give the reasons why you believe that.  that's all.  it's up to them to decide whether or not to investigate and, subsequently, what action to take from there.

i'm not a huge fan of "just call cps!" (for various reasons not relevant here), but if they are selling drugs out of the home (and it certainly sounds suspicious to me), this is one of those rare times i'd recommend it.

merely not having jobs and selling scrap metal doesn't make them bad or negligent parents, nor does having a lot of people in the house.  potentially dealing drugs out of said home *does*.

don't be surprised, however, if nothing comes of your call.  it's still probably worth making, though.


Title: Misdemeanor battery - let's win one for the little guy

Question:
Hello all this is my first ever post so apologies in advance if I don't adhere to some of the customs:

Taken place in Santa Rosa, California

Backstory:
So this past weekend I was at a brewery for a friends birthday, alcohol was involved and leads to typically poor judgement. So the story from my other intoxicated friends is that while playing a drinking game we/I spilt some beer onto a girls purse. This led to her pointing me out without first confronting me and I was then removed from the premise of the brewery. I do not remember the exact events between where they told me to leave and I was standing outside in the front of the place of business. I believe that I was verbally harassing the two bouncers in the form of name calling, cussing, etc.

At this point I am standing in front with the bouncers pleading my case, unaware they escalated the situation by calling the cops.

Cop shows up I comply with his requests with no resistance. He asks if I would like to perform a sobriety test and I respond that I would prefer not to. Yet I still perform the test in which I am to follow his finger with my eyes; in which I passed. He asks me if I had anything to drink in which I respond I'd rather not say.

Next thing I know, I am being placed I handcuffs.
Now here is where I'm hoping the knowledgeable Reddit community may be able to lend their expertise.
I am certain I was not read my Miranda rights and was only briefly told that I had been charged with battery. Which was a complete surprise to me as I was unaware of its exact meaning and to me sounded as if it were on the level of assault.

Next I'm taken to the holding tank where I use a bail bond to post bail. Another note that may hurt my case:
Although while being arrested and being asked various questions I was completely compliant, while in the cell I was banging on the cell Windows, yelling at officers, head butting the window, and was in a complete state of fury as I felt I had been wrongly arrested. During this time I also pleaded, "what am I being charged with?" Continuously without any response.

Thank you for reading the entirety of my story, now what are my best options plead not guilty and provide evidence? Where there should be no physical evidence of battery, no proof of intoxication, and my Miranda rights were not read?

Is my best option to plead no contest and pay a fine? I would prefer not to because I feel I am not guilty. Also is the only way to get this expunged to hire an attorney? Can I represent myself or use a public defender?

Thank you for reading and thank you for any help. I know I'm kind of an idiot but as I have no record at all and am an anarchist at heart I want to fight for the due process I feel I was robbed of.

Answer:
 You were drunk. Your recollection of the events that happened don't mean much. Either way, you don't have to be read your Miranda rights if they have enough to arrest you. If they aren't trying to use your statements against you, it doesn't matter. I'd probably hire an attorney to deal with it. Answer #2: >At this point I am standing in front with the bouncers pleading my case, unaware they escalated the situation by calling the cops.

My guess is that you were the one who actually did the escalating... and given how you're telling the story, not sure how credible your claim of not being mirandized will be.  But in any event, even if they didn't read you your rights the only consequence is that they then would not be able to use what you said against you at trial as evidence.  Based on what you described, doubt they would need to in any event.

Not sure why you think there isn't evidence -- even if they don't have any video of your in that condition (which they probably do), imagine there is no shortage of witness testimony.  You need a lawyer, these are likely meaningful charges and I really don't think 1) you are capable of representing yourself, particularly given the disconnect you seem to have about your level of responsibility for what happened and 2) belief/tone that this may not be a big deal or that you can get off on a technicality.

On the non-legal advice front, the whole way you tell your story makes me think you will be in for more trouble down the road.  If you're open to advice from an internet stranger, you need to make changes in your life.


Title: Doctor posted details of my injury in response to my negative google review. Is this legal?

Question: [deleted]


Title: [MN] Doctor harrassed mother, called police, made a story about assault and drug-addict, would not prescribe medication.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: Respectfully, your mother is either mentally ill or not telling you the truth.


Title: [CT] Want to find a new job, but unsure whether I need to repay the fee my company paid to my recruiter

Question:
I'm a complete pedestrian in all matters legal, so please let me know if there's any pertinent detail I'm missing.

I began working for my company just more than a year ago (September 2015) and have begun considering seeking new employment.  Unfortunately, one of the provisions my company wanted related to my going through a recruiter, as they had to pay the recruiter a fee when I was hired.  Over the phone the agreement was "you have to pay back the fee if you leave within two years" and the employment offer emailed to me stated it as:

>Repayment of finder’s fee paid to search firm if you leave (not terminated by [Company]) within 3 years.

In a separate email afterward, I was given a standard employment application, which I completed, signed and returned to them.  The application asked for details such as my expected salary, which I took from the employment offer, but the application made no mention of the offer.

The employment application that I completed and signed included this:

> I understand that all conditions of employment, including but not limited to, hours, benefits, and salary are subject to change by [Company] at any time without prior notice to employees, subject to its obligations under any Employment Agreement.

That is the only mention of an "Employment Agreement" in the application.

I don't actually know the exact amount that was paid, but know it was likely between $10,000 and $20,000.  Also, I've learned recently my employer was taken to court over the fee, as the company didn't want to pay the amount they initially asked for and my understanding is it was settled for a smaller amount.  I would likely be able to work with the recruiting agency to get more information about it if needed.

Considering it would be a fair amount of money that I'd like to avoid paying, I'm wondering at this point how legally bound am I to that provision?  The employment offer wasn't something I signed and the employment application made absolutely no mention of the recruiter fee.

Answer:
 So this was a headhunter?

Generally speaking the way these work is the employer pays the headhunter a flat fee (say 5k) and then some percentage of the first year of your employment (say 10% of 100k so they owe the headhunting service 15k total) if you quit or get fired within that time frame the headhunting service is obligated to find them a new applicant.

I've never heard of requiring the employee to pay the fee


Title: Why is my mailbox filled with lawyer advertisements after I got a speeding ticket (VA).

Question: I got a reckless driving charge in VA for going 82 in a 70. I am just wondering how my information has ended up on so many fucking lawyer's mailing lists. Is it sold or what? Its honestly pissing me off.

Answer: Well you might not want to take these lawyers up on their offers, but you probably do need a lawyer for reckless in VA.


Title: Weird and unprofessional interaction at doctor’s office? What can be done?

Question: I am 22 year old male and I went for my first check up in about 3-4 years with the same ol doctor (woman much older than me).  She always spent a lot of time feeling my balls which I thought was standard, whatever.  But this time she told me to take my pants off and asked if I wanted privacy while unsheathing.  And then when i told her i was ready, a few nurses jokingly(?) tried to break into the room when my doctor tried to come back in.  This made me uncomfortable and angry, wondering if this is grounds for any type of punishment aside from switching doctor.

Answer:
 It would be hard to prove this, I would write a letter to the doctor with your concerns. From what you said it seems like the problem was with the nurses more than the doctor.  But you should write a letter to the doctor and maybe she will reprimand the nurses or take note of how they’re behaving.

Are you sure they were “trying to get in?” If so, their immaturity is surprising.

Regardless, find a new doctor. Answer #2: If the doctor is part of a group, you could complain to her bosses.Answer #3: There's nothing illegal about bad bedside manner. Your recourses are either to write a letter to the doctor relating your story so they know how you prefer to be treated, or change practices.


Title: Getting kicked out of a crash pad

Question:
I am a flight attendant, and I did not sign any contract on the crash pad besides, swiping my card for the monthly rent. and he just gave me a week to vacate because I had someone stay over for a night that I did not KNOW at all that it wasn't allowed. There was never any rules that were given to me. What do I do? Please help.

The crash pad is in Seattle, Washington, near the airport. It is an apartment complex, in a very sketchy neighborhood.

Answer:
 Former flight attendant here, it's pretty well known among flight crew that you don't bring overnight guests to a crash pad. Or guests at all really. It's actually a pretty rude thing to do.

Given the (il)legalities of crashpads he can most likely end your use of the crash pad at the end of your rental period. My advice? Find another crashpad. And don't bring guests over.Answer #2: You need to include some actual information if you want any help


Title: [TX] Employer deducted money from paycheck without notice, can we do something?

Question:
     Currently, we are 1099 employees in Texas. We have been having multiple issues with the company as far as compensation goes(late/bounced checks, time sheets Etc.)

     On this check, everyone in our office received a memo that read *PERIOD 5/1/17-5/15/17 LESS (diff. amount of  $$) OVERPAY 5/10*
It seems that payroll messed up and overpaid us our last check. However, we were never notified of this incident or given a heads up that they were going to take out the money.

   Upon looking at each of our time sheets and making calculations , they have deducted MORE than they claim to have overpaid us for.

  My question is: can they do this? I'm not sure if we really have any rights, as contractors.  And what can we do to try and fix this ? Thank you all.

[EDIT] per comments, I now know that the term  employees are contractors are not interchangeable. We are independent contractors.

Answer:
 To be clear, you don't have an employer and you don't receive a paycheck. You are an IC. Maybe you're not properly classified, but let's assume you are. (If not, Google "form SS-8" and fill that out if applicable.)

Instead, you are self-employed. Your boss is you. You receive payment from a client. You pay your quarterly taxes, you pay your social security taxes, you pay self-employment taxes.

Your recourse here (if you are properly classified) is to sue.Answer #2: > Currently, we are 1099 employees in Texas

As contractors your recourse is limited to a civil lawsuit and (possibly) mechanics leans on the client property.


Title: Can u be fired for having IBS?

Question: I live in the USA. Is it legal for my employer to fire me for taking too long in the bathroom because I have IBS (irritable bowl syndrome)?

Answer: Your employer can't fire you because of a disability. If you're taking too long in the bathroom, you need to file for a reasonable accommodation under ADA.


Title: What should America do about prostitution laws in this country? Should they stay the same? Should it be legal to buy sex and sell sex (the Dutch model)? Should it be legal to sell sex, but illegal to buy sex (the Nordic model)?

Question:
In America, buying and selling sex is illegal, except for a few rural counties in Nevada. There is much debate on whether it should be legal or not.

Many people argue prostitution is a victim-less crime, when voluntarily done by someone at or above the age of consent, and that any sorts of dangers can be eliminated through regulation; these people point out that sex workers are often afraid to go to the police if they are raped or beaten because they could potentially go to jail, and that regulation would make it safer for them. In the Netherlands, selling and buying sex are legal and regulated; however, many people say that regulation won't make things safer, and some studies found that human sex trafficking is more common in countries where buying and selling sex is legal; some say that making buying and selling sex legal makes it more easy to hide human sex trafficking.

On the the other hand, there is the Nordic model, which began in Sweden, and has spread throughout the Nordic countries and to other places like Canada and Northern Ireland. It is legal to sell sex but it is illegal to buy it. The rationale is that prostitution is a crime against women; that most women sell sex because they are forced into it by other people or negative circumstances; that involving money with sexual activities makes the idea of consent questionable, if not impossible because if a woman needs money desperately she might not be able to choose not to do certain sex acts she is not comfortable with. However, there are people who are against the Nordic mode, many of who are sex workers; they claim that the Nordic model makes it more difficult to earn money; makes sex work more dangerous because it pushes it underground; puts sex workers in danger because men who choose to buy sex anyway are less likely to be well-adjusted and non-violent.

Answer:
 In Australia (though state laws vary slightly) prostitution and solicitation is not illegal, but it is regulated. What is illegal is living on the earnings of a prostitute (unless they are a legal brothel owner), or causing or inducing prostitution.

[Here](https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/what-are-the-laws-governing-prostitution-in-sydney/) is a basic overview of laws in NSW. Prostitutes ,or sex workers as the prefer to be called, are not criminals, nor are their clients. But pimps are, and brothels are regulated like any other business subject to OHS, tax law, employment law etc.

Quite frankly I think this is a sane approach.


Title: (VA) Father's dog got hit by a car, they got out to check on dog, dog bit her. Now they are claiming my parents owe $$

Question:
About a week ago my parents were leaving their house, and their dog got out and followed them to a pretty busy street (She's a min-pin & loves to run). When they got to the street the dog got side swiped by a car. When the person who hit her got out she said she got 'bit' and had to go to urgent care to get checked out. Come to find out they know the person and the family (they are not very nice people). They got a call a couple days later from another person in the family asking for shot records & saying they were responsible for any doctors visits/shots that would be required.

I've known this dog since she was a puppy and while she does play around I've never known her to bite anyone hard. My 2 year old daughter bugs the crap out of her and she will only nip when my daughter is being a jerk (pulling ears hard, trying to ride her, etc.)

Does this lady have any ground to stand on or is she just full of crap?

Answer:
 Sorry, not legal advice but you didn't tell us one very important thing: HOW IS THE DOG? ;)Answer #2: Honestly, that's a pretty shitty situation, but the dog was unleashed and it bit someone. The fact that it got hit by a car is somewhat secondary. Maybe your parents could just offer to pay for the medical bills to try and avoid a lawsuit? I know it's probably really hard for your parents seeing their dog got hit AND having to pay for some woman's medical bills, but I've heard cases where someone hit a dog that damaged their car, and successfully sued the dog's owner to pay for the car's damage. Leash laws exist for a reason. It sucks but...that's what happens when you don't keep your dog under control.

If the dog is nippy when a little kid pulls it's tail I can imagine it would bite when it is in extreme pain after being hit by a car. Are you thinking this lady is lying about the bite? Did you see where she got bit? I wouldn't pay anything before seeing the medical bills though.


Title: [IL]Wife just accepted nursing job and we just found out she is pregnant. There is a pre-employment medical. Is there a risk they could refuse employment due to pregnancy?

Question:
A)Last week my wife just accepted a nursing job at a hospital in Illinois with a starting date of March 15.

B) We just found out my wife is pregnant (yay!).

C)Wife has a blood test and medical scheduled at the end of February.

I am canadian so I dont really know the US employment laws very well at all.

1)Is the hospital allowed to refuse to hire if the medical reveals her pregnancy?

2)Does my wife have any sort of responsibility to disclose the pregancy?

3)Some other pregnancy related issue I am not thinking of?

Answer:
 They are not entitled to refuse to hire her, or to terminate her for being pregnant.

https://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-preg.html


Title: Getting rear ended.

Question: So I started to drive a manual car, and I was at a red light and stalled the car because I let off the clutch to quickly when I was in first gear because my leg jerked. (Like a muscle spasm). I moved maybe an inch and the. Pressed on the break to let the person behind me know I was stopped, but the rear ended me and now are saying I at fault  because they hit me saying they thought I was going. What should I do? Am I at fault for stalling the car or is he at fault for not paying attention to the car in front of him. I believe he was on his phone at the time to and wasn’t paying attention, but I can’t prove that.

Answer: 99.9% of the time if someone hits you from behind, it's their fault (for not leaving enough room to brake).


Title: Leafblowers at apartment complex M-F almost non-stop from as early as 7am-4pm

Question:
State: Nevada

My apartment complex seems to have people on their staff whose sole job it is to walk around the property with leaf blowers during the work week. I hardly ever see them actually picking up the leaves that they're blowing around (seriously, I've seen them do this maybe twice in the entire two years I've lived here) and so the leaves just blow back the next day but never fear because they're out there again to battle the leaves the following day!

I work freelance so I work irregular hours, hence why I'm frequently at home listening to this. I get that they're doing this during the "normal" workday while most people are out, but five days a week seems a bit excessive. Every other complex I've lived at, in this state and elsewhere, always limited their landscaping to one day a week.

I can't seem to find anything in the noise ordinance for my city, and since it's happening during normal workday hours, I've been hesitant to bring it up with my office management because they can technically do what they want with their property during these hours.

Is there anything legally I can do? At least my lease is up in a few months and I'll be moving out. I'm currently pregnant and the thought of living here with a newborn sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Answer:
 >I've been hesitant to bring it up with my office management because they can technically do what they want with their property during these hours.

Well that's your first step. You should try talking to them about the problem -- maybe they'll me amenable since there's bound to be more people working from home right now.


Title: [BC, Canada] My friend and I found underage pornography on our best friends younger brothers (16) computer

Question:
We don't know where to start and we don't know what to do.

we are both 22

Last night we noticed that our computers were connected to the WIFI signal and were able to see each others computers folders. Long story short, my friend and I saw that our mutual best friends younger brother had Child porn on his computer and at least 100 more videos. We never opened the video, but the title had stuff like "12 year old girl, gangbang" and "11 year old girl". while most of them were untitled, they were all in the same folder. I know we should not have been snooping and that it was wrong to do so, but now that we found this we can't just let it go... We have no idea what to do and who to tell and if we should.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

TL;DR Noticed our friends younger brother had child porn on his computer and we have no idea what to do and who to talk to...

Answer:
 This is an extremely sticky situation. Is there any chance anyone else in his family had access to that computer and used it to view child porn?

The bottom line is that the videos and images are _incredibly_, life-alteringly illegal to possess. The 16-year-old may well be prosecuted through the province's youth justice system for possessing them. If his parents knew or should have know they were there (or, god help me, put them there in the first place), then they may also face adult charges.

I would _hope_ that the police would be more interested in where those files came from than in punishing the family unless there's evidence to support that the family is complicit, but that's ultimately down to the discretion of the police and the crown. Reporting this to the police will begin a long and difficult process for the family.

I'd advise your best friend to speak to a criminal defence attorney through the Law Society of BC before approaching the cops.


Title: [US] Can I (or should I) "gift" small amounts of property to neighbors to avoid future problems for them?

Question:
I own a small house on a fairly large (2 city lots) piece of property in a small Texas town.  The houses in this area are old, and mine is one of the oldest.  I bought my house from the great-grandchildren of the man who built it (around 1935) and owned a large portion of the land around it.  Through the years he sold off parcels of his land and other houses were built on them.

My yard is not fenced currently.  At some point before I bought the house, my neighbors to the left had a chain link fence put around their property.  According to the property appraisal when I bought the house, that fence is about 8” inside my property line.  I don’t care.

The second problem is the property behind me.  A stone wall was built there at one point, and it is 3” inside my property line, but it is not mine.  (It is obviously attached to the other house.)  Again, I don’t care.

What worries me is that the house on the left is owned by a lovely older couple who will most likely live there until they can’t anymore, and they intend to leave it to their son.  The other house is currently for sale and empty, but I know the current owners (they moved out before they sold it).

My problem is that I’d like to sell, or even “gift” these tiny bits of my property to the owners of the properties they lie within.  My concern is that, as much as I love this house and am settled in it now, it may not be my final home.  My other concern is that property in this area is currently rising in value due to being a satellite town for a major city where toll roads have recently been installed.  There is a lot of development happening here, and a lot of refurbishing of these historic old homes (mine included), and the toll roads and some other developments are making this an attractive area to move in to.

I am thinking ahead, and want to avoid any problems my neighbors may have in the future if I sell (not planning to right now).  I keep fretting about someone who would come in and demand the chain link fence be moved (due to property value), or the beautiful stone wall being demolished.  Am I worrying too much?  Is there a legal way to do this that isn’t overly costly?

I have not spoken to my neighbors about this yet, but I did mention it to the neighbors in back (with the stone wall) who were always under the impression their property line was about a foot outside their wall, in my property.  They parked an empty flatbed trailer there for years, and I didn’t say anything because I don’t do much on that side of the property.  I told them the truth when I found out they were selling.  They were okay with it.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

Answer:
 Yes, it can be done. I know this not because I'm a lawyer (am not) but because my mom had to buy about five feet of property where her landscaper had gone a bit wide onto a then vacant lot (which was actually owned by the general contractor who built her house.)

Just find a local real estate lawyer. They'll know exactly what has to be done in your county to make all the governmental units happy.


Title: Rideshare suspended my account

Question:
This happened in Illinois. my account as a driver was suspended yesterday because a rider reported me driving under the influence. I dont drink or smoke so I would like to think it must have been a spiteful passenger.
Anyways what legal steps can I take since I am basically out of a job( and have to pay for tuition , with this situation basically ruining my plans for graduation).

Answer: You can look for a new job.


Title: [ON, CA] Can I type up a "contract" and make it legal just by having somebody sign?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Could it hold up? Maybe. Would it? Doubtful, especially if neither party has received independent legal advice. If you're going to the trouble of making a prenup, you should spend the money and do it properly.


Title: KS - Cableone/sparklight company stole my modem, billed me for it and wont return it.

Question:
I will try to make this clear.

1) On April 25 a tech came to our new house to install cable internet. My partner met him there with a modem he already owned. Tech took that modem to his vehicle and instead used a cableone owned modem to install the internet. Tech left with our modem in his posession.

2) My boyfriend called cableone about the missing modem and was told that the "local office" would have to investigate to find it and return it. In the mean time, we took cableone's modem off of our network and installed one we'd been using at our other home. We still have cableone's modem because we don't know what to do with it.

3) On the billing notice I received last week, there was an extra $100 charge for "unreturned equipment". When I called to ask what that's about, they said it was for their modem. I informed them that they were welcome to come get it, we have one we're using and by the way, you'all still have the one you took off with .

4) I was informed that the local office would have to investigate the issue and that they would call me back and let me know what's up. Thursday and Friday and all weekend go by with no call.

5) Today I get a notice that they with drew the amount due from my account, including the extra $100. I once again call, once again get told the call center can't do anything for me but send an email to the local office. Fine, where's the local office. They don't know, there are two in my area, both in separate towns. They don't know which one would have installed in my town. They'll send another email, that's all they can do.

At this point I am down a perfectly good modem, have a modem sitting on a desk I don't want, didn't ask for, and frankly it frigging sucks, and am using the modem I DO want on my network. I have been billed for $100 for the privilege of having a modem I like stolen from me and babysitting a modem I don't.

My legal question: How do I charge cableone/Sparklight for theft and fraud?

Answer:
 Pick one of the offices to go to (doesn't matter which). If they are both the same company, then they can handle issues regarding your account in both locations. Take their modem with you to turn in. Demand a receipt showing you returned the modem. Scan that receipt. Photograph it. Store those multiple places in case they come back down the road and claim you still haven't returned it (likely to happen). You'll have the receipt to prove you did.

Secondly, as far as your modem goes, do you still have the original box it came in? Have the Serial Number? That will help a great deal. If so, give them those numbers (but don't give them the box). Let them know in no-uncertain terms that their company has committed theft by taking your modem and you want it back. Be ready to sue them in small claims court for the cost of the modem. Its entirely likely that they recycled the modem as their own - they gave it to another customer and are charging them the monthly fee to use. That's why they aren't in a hurry to "return it". Or, equally possible, that tech just took it home and kept it himself as a bonus.

In either case, I'd go and return their modem & get a receipt showing you did so. Then fight them regarding your own. Small claims court may be your best option there, but I'd let them know as you were returning their modem (after you get the receipt) that if you do not have your modem back (or are paid for its loss), you'll be filing within 30 days. Be prepared to do so too.


Title: [GA] Can i be sued twice for the same debt?

Question:
I offered to settle with a debt collection agency 5 years ago and they declined. they sued me and we entered a consent judgement. i eventually defaulted. it appears the debt has been sold again and a new debt collector threatening to sue me again. is this possible with the first order still valid?

update: got back in contact with the people that have the judgement against me and it wasn't them. i looked back at my call log and google now has the number listed as spam/suspicious. i have no other creditors that have a legitimate claim against me. anything else is well beyond the statute to file a lawsuit.

**I know that if i get served i have to respond.**

Answer:
 Seriously guys - OP is looking for the actual answer to his question for once, not the answer to the question you think he's asking, or the question you think he should be asking.

He got sued over debt A. He lost. Judgement entered. OP defaulted on the judgement, etc. Company B now owns the debt. Company B would like to sue OP for debt A again. Can company B sue OP for debt A again, even though he's already been sued for it and lost?Answer #2: No you cannot be sued twice. When the debt is sold, the rights to collection go to another creditor - including the judgment. If they're threatening to sue you they may not know you already a judgment against you through the prior creditor. I would advise against telling them.

Source: former debt collector


Title: Volunteer Roadside Assistance Legality

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice I wanted to get your thoughts about a volunteering opportunity I wanted to start. I am located in Ohio if that makes a difference. It started about a week ago I saw a vehicle pulled over with their hazards on. For some reason I thought it looked like they needed help so I decided to pull over. I get out and initiate contact with the other driver. It was a mom with 2 kids in the car. She had just run out of gas about a mile away from the next exit. She couldn't walk it because it would be too dangerous with her kids and her husband was a good hour away from being able to bring her gas. So I offered to drive down to the next exit and bring back a gallon of gas so she could get to a gas station. To make a long story short I got her the gas and she was very thankful. Tried to compensate me but I denied. It felt really awesome being able to help someone out.

Anyway this all got me thinking. This kind of volunteer work is something I would love to do in my spare time. Simple roadside assistance to stranded motorists. But before I go full hog into driving the interstate near me and helping random people I had some questions.

What kind of legal issues could you see arise from this?

Would I need to get special insurance to cover doing this type of work?

Would I need to have a waiver they would sign declaring me free of fault?

Is there anything legally preventing me from doing this without permits or special licensing?

Any help or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Even volunteering to do this, you'll want to check with an attorney. Though I think just driving around and being helpful without compensation should be fine. In my city we have a couple vans from AAA that just drive around and do this.Answer #2: We had a similar post a month ago or so.  You would want to get insurance for this, yes, because if someone gets hurt or their car gets damaged then you could be sued, and you'd be sad to have to pay several thousand dollars because you were helping people.

If insurance companies don't get it, because homeowners and renters insurance policies may not cover this kind of activity, then they'll probably get it if you set it up as a business first.  You could even go through the hoops of setting it up as a nonprofit so you could take contributions that are tax-deductible.  Insurers write policies for businesses, including nonprofits, all the time.

Alternatively, you could find and contact a nonprofit that's in this field and just volunteer to work for them, doing this, as long as you'd be covered by their insurance.