Title: Buying a car as a tourist, or driving with 'othermans' car through states using a vehicle permission letter?

Question:
I'll try to keep this as short as possible..

Two things first;

* I have an uncle living in the USA (SF), he is a US citizen and owns a few restaurants.

* I and my cousin (both non-EU) are planning an all-states USA roadtrip that will take 5 months.

I am not worried about the visum. I am a (married) company-owner and have enough funds to stay a few years if needed. The thing is that we first were planning to rent a car, then we saw how cheap cars in the USA are and how expensive it would be to rent a nice comforable car for 6 months. Renting would cost us around $12.000 for (example) [a 2017 Ford Expedition](https://i.imgur.com/wATHPbh.jpg) while for around $8500 I can buy [a 2013 Ford Explorer PI](https://i.imgur.com/C1aX8Od.png) and ship home it after the road trip (another $1000).

Now there are two options for us, what is the legal one?

* As a tourist, I buy + insure the car, drive around and take it with me (car shipping container).
* My (SF) uncle buys + insures the car, and I drive it using a vehicle permission letter. (he later ships it to me)
What do you think is possible/doable without getting in trouble with the law?****

Answer:
 Are you going to be here on a tourist visa or something longer term? A tourist visa is only 3 months.

If you make sure you are here legally, buying a car will not be a problem, especially if you buy a used car for cash off Craigslist or at a cheap used-car dealership. You will need insurance, and if your uncle is willing, he should be able to add your car to his current insurance plan while you are in the states.

If you choose option 2, where your uncle buys the car and insures it, you should have no problems. There are no borders between the states here, so you won't be regularly checked by police for your papers. If you do get pulled over, all you need is a current international driving license, proof of an up-to-date car registration, and proof of insurance (in most states; in some states insurance is not required per law.) If you want your uncle to write you a letter to keep in the glove box for peace of mind, that is fine but not required. If there are questions over ownership of the car, a phone call to your uncle should also suffice. As long as no one reports the car stolen (and you don't steal a car) you will be just fine.

Before you begin your road trip, study the US driving laws and make sure you are familiar with the imperial system for miles, which we use instead of kilometers. Otherwise, things are likely very similar to your home country. Follow the rules and you won't be pulled over. Good luck.


Title: [17F, NYC] I've opened a Child Protective Services Case on my parents. What do I need? What can happen from there?

Question:
For a long time I've endured emotional abuse and some physical, and finally I opened a case against my parents. I'm 17, diagnosed and mental ill and my dad is a alcoholic, weed-smoking, man with anger issues. Hes been known to hit me and my mother on several occasions. Now that I've opened my case: Will I need any evidence? I only have minors as witnesses of physical, and adults as witness of emotional abuse. This is the second case we have against us and the first time (neglect from school abscence) I got in trouble even if I didn't call it in.

I have a adult aunt, in Atlanta who is willing to take me in. Originally I was suppose to move down there after my birthday in secret. But with the abuse and my suicidal tendencies, I've decided to start a case, as I doubt I can make it to my 18th birthday in this environment. If my case is confirmed valid, which I'm not sure it will be, what will happen to me? Will I be placed in my aunts care, or into a foster/halfway home or group home? And what do I need to confirm the case and be removed?
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: If you are removed you will be placed in foster care.  Because your aunt is out of state, it will take time to coordinate agencies and get her home approved.  You may age out before that happens.Answer #2: If you are the victim of a crime, you can also tell the police.  In some places CPS talks to cops, in some places they don't.  Don't assume that cops know what CPS knows.


Title: Man keeps harrassing my girlfriend at work. Has been told repeatedly to leave her alone by staff and me and will not.

Question: This 54 year old coworker of my girlfriend will not leave my 26 year old girlfriend alone at her work. His children have shown up to harass her at work because his delusional fantasy that she likes him has destroyed his sham of a marriage. Also his aparent mistress of 3 years showed up at my workplace and hers to stalk us both even though neither of us had any idea this person even existed. This stalker then claimed she got herpes through this old man because of my girlfriend ( a horrendous lie). Also because I am reasonably upset at this individual, his family posted an actual complaint with hr that I woupd show up to his work with a gun and kill him. This could not be more untrue as have never even fired a gun much less own one.I made it very clear this man that his behavior needs to stop and his workplace has effectively done everything they can to keep him around even though he is clearly a piece of human garbage. He is supposed to transfer but his manager is fighting hard to keep him there. What should i do guys? Would going to the media in this day and age of the #me too movement by worthwhile. Should i contact his employer? Should I contact my lawyer? Please help me find a healthy solution before I take matters into my own hands.

Answer:
 YOU probably need to step away from this. There's been allegations made against you that you threatened this guy with physical harm. You continuing to push the matter may end up getting your girlfriend fired because of those allegations because you've got no business contacting her work in the first place. You should let your girlfriend handle this. Your girlfriend can continue to report it to HR. She can report his behavior to the police. She can try to get a restraining order. Answer #2: What is your girlfriend doing about this problem?
She is presumably an adult human and has agency and choice.

You have said what you are doing, you have said what other people are doing - you have not said anything about what she is doing...

SHE needs to talk to HR, and if necessary the police.

Answer #3: A 26 year old should be able to figure out how to handle this.

You on the other hand are just begging to get your girlfriend fired by getting involved. #metoo? Lol that's not going to solve anything. Answer #4: You should not randomly show up at your gf's work. You need to let her handle it.


Title: I hired a pool company to inspect a pool located at a house I was looking to buy in Georgia. I explained that I had 10 days to perform due diligence, and needed the inspection within that time. The pool company didn’t send the report when they said they would, but they did send a bill for $225.

Question:
We submitted an offer on a house with a pool, and a few days later we hired a pool company to perform an inspection of the pool. I explained that I was going to use the report as leverage with the sellers during our negotiation, and also I wanted to know if there were any significant issues with the pool. I explained to them that I had a small time window to use this information before the due diligence period was over.

The inspection was completed on October 23, and the inspector said it typically takes 1-2 days to get the report emailed. On October 25, I called their office and inquired on the report. I was told it would be sent tomorrow. On October 26, I called again, and was again told I would have it tomorrow. I explained that they already told me I would have it by the 25th, and that I needed to have time to use that information in negotiating with the sellers; they again apologized and said they are working on it. When I didn’t hear from the the next day, I said screw it and moved on.

Then, on November 1st, 10 days after the inspection, and 8 days after they said I would have the report, they sent me a invoice for $225- This was for the inspection report that I never received, and for which I was unaware of a charge I owed; it was never communicated to me that there was a charge for the inspection, and I never signed any documents at all. I called the office again. I explained that I received a bill for the inspection but that I never received the report. The office claimed they were unaware that I never received the report- they thought I had it on October 27th. 30 minutes after that phone call, I got the emailed inspection report.

I called back explained that I didn’t receive the report anywhere near the time it was promised to me, and that it’s too late for me to even use the report as intended, and it’s outside the due diligence window. They basically said to go pound sand.

I’m trying to decide what the consequences could be if I refuse to pay the pool company. I never signed any form, never discussed with anyone if there was a payment, or for how much, and didn’t get the report anywhere near the time they promised I would get it. Thanks!

Answer:
 >they sent me a invoice for $225- This was for the inspection report that I never received, and for which I was unaware of a charge I owed; it was never communicated to me that there was a charge for the inspection,

I'm confused by this. Am I understanding correctly that you thought the company was going to go out, inspect the pool, write a report for you, send it to you and it was free?  Sorry if I'm misunderstanding something in the sentence.


Title: Unwanted new roommate Austin,TX

Question: So I posted an add on Craigslist for a room in my apartment for rent. I clearly posted the cost for rent and said text only no calls. This man who ignored my request and kept calling me. This morning I agreed to let him check the place out. The man shows up an automatic starts bringing his stuff into the room before paying me any money. I'm a shy 19 year old girl so I as like "ok that's one way to get the room" and after he finished moving everything. He asked how much the rent is and when I told him it's $650 a month for a couple and $100 deposit he started to say I told him it's $450. When in the post I clearly said it's $550 for a single and $100 for a couple. And I also told him on the phone. He kept trying to bargain the price, says the apartment is small and he can find something better just being plain rude. So I told him if he doesn't like to that he can leave cause I have other people who want the place and he started saying "yea I want it". The guy gives me a miserly $25 and said he'll bring more later. When he left I texted him to also bring me the deposit and he hasn't texted back. I've had problems with people not paying and not wanting to leave cause they have squatter rights. I thought about it and decided I don't trust this man I've been through it before and will not be putting myself at risk again. This man just came, dropped off his stuff and paid only $25 today. Would it be legal for me to just take his stuff outside and tell him I don't want him as a roommate and give him back the $25? I don't want to get into any legal trouble.

Answer:
 Even if he handed you a thousand dollars you do NOT want this dude living with you. Call the police and get him out of there. Answer #2: Moreover, you need to think of your safety here.

This is a strange man.  Call
The police immediately.Answer #3: Definitely call the cops. If you gave him a key, rekey the locks immediately.

Next time you have someone come to see the place, please have a friend or two with you to prevent this from happening again.Answer #4: Nope nope nope. This guy is not good. Call the police right now. Answer #5: Call your landlord, too, to warn them he tried to force his way into your apartment. Call the police. Don't toss his stuff, don't let him back in either. Answer #6: He hasn't signed anything, he hasn't established residency, so you can lock him out. He doesn't have the keys, right?


Title: [CA] What does this clause about Moral Rights mean in my job contract? Does this mean I’m duty bound to sacrifice my morals?

Answer:
 [Moral Rights](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_rights?wprov=sfti1)

That should give you what you need.Answer #2: In the US moral rights basically comes down to the right to be attributed. But you can waive that right, so a service could reproduce your comments without attributing them to you


Title: [Landlord/Tenant] New downstairs neighbors have made my home unsafe/my children and I no longer feel comfortable in our own home.

Question:
This is in **Indiana**

I live in the upstairs of a 2 apartment duplex.  I have been a tenant of this property for 3 years and have had no issues with rent or my neighbors in the area.  Up until he passed away, the downstairs unit was occupied by an older gentleman and his wife.  New tenants moved into the property at 2 a.m. on a Thursday several weeks ago, and their racket kept me up all night long.

After they moved in, the traffic in and out of their apartment has been constant.  I struggle to find a parking place on the street because at any given time there are 3 or more visitors that rarely stay longer than 20-30 minutes.  There have been times when I see people walking around looking into windows in the property after dark.

I am a small female living alone with 2 young children.  I ran a quick public records search on the new tenants and found that he has an impressive record of 16 misdemeanors and 5 felonies that include battery and illegal weapons charges.

On more than one occasion I have smelled illegal substances that have effectively stunk up my apartment and I've had to leave and let it air out, so my children don't breathe it or get it on their clothes.

I am often home after dark and its not uncommon to be greeted on our shared porch by groups of men who do not live in the house but appear to be 'visiting' or just 'hanging out'.

Last night our household was awoken at 3 am by my dog and we listened to the people downstairs have a long drawn out argument as well as cars honking and several individuals coming and going.

I had a brief discussion with my landlord about the situation and he is well aware as my neighbors have been calling to complain about the new tenants.  I also found out that he has been requesting his handyman "keep an eye" on the house after dark for my own personal safety.

What I need to know is if I have any kind of case for constructive eviction.  This lease is currently month to month, however I am very tight cash flow-wise and up and moving isn't exactly an easy undertaking.  I am exhausted and my children are scared to be in their own home.

**Edit:  From what I now understand, my home is uncomfortable, not uninhabitable.  We are moving as soon as possible.**
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Call the police each and every time. Call your landlord each and every time. It sounds like someone is dealing drugs out of their apartment.Answer #2: The flood of short-term visitors is a big flashing neon sign that says "drug house."

In addition to talking to your landlord (who should be desperate to get rid of them before they cause a problem) you should talk to the police.

You probably can't evict them, only your landlord can do that. Or the police can arrest them. Or you could go ahead and move. I suggest that if the first two don't pan out, you bite the bullet and GTFO. If you or your kids were harmed in any way, you'd definitely wish you'd made whatever sacrifice was necessary to skedaddle.


Title: Odd (and immoral/NSFW) situation involving a coworker - is this extortion? [FL]

Question:
Hello all,

Let me begin by saying that this whole thing seems a bit dubious and like the plot to a porno, but I have some knowledge of the parties involved and believe it to be credible. I am just a bystander in all of this but I have some concerns. Let me also warn that I am describing the main party as "coworker" instead of friend because I believe that either way he's pretty scummy for this:

My coworker just pseudo-bragged to me about a situation that has unfolded between he and his previous roommates, a young couple. Allegedly they all moved into an apartment together last year and split the security deposit of $1200 in half (the couple paid $600, coworker paid $600). Coworker states that over the course of the year they lived together he and the other male had various disagreements and ultimately decided not to renew their lease for the next year. Both parties vacated the apartment and found new living arrangements. Allegedly at this point the male of the couple told my coworker that the apartment complex had given him a laundry list of repairs that need to be made and told him that they would not be getting their security deposit back. Coworker was suspicious of this and requested proof, which the other male assured him he would obtain.

As you probably guessed, after a month of dodgy responses, my coworker contacted the apartment complex and was told that the full $1200 was refunded by check to the other male. Coworker was understandably furious, and confronted his previous roommates with this information. The other male immediately admitted the theft, apologized profusely, and said that he did not currently have the money because they had used the whole check towards their new security deposit. Coworker was understandably furious, and gave a five day deadline by which to be reimbursed or he would contact the police and/or initiate a lawsuit in small claims court.

Here's where things get dark: Allegedly the first 2-3 days were mostly apologies and begging for more time from the male roommate. Coworker did not budge on his terms and demanded the full $600 by the deadline he had established. On the 4th day, he received a text from the girlfriend (female half of ex-roommate couple) doing some begging of her own and asking for some sort of payment plan or leniency. Coworker responded (near-verbatim, I have seen the conversation) "Unless you're offering to suck my dick then I will be contacting the police tomorrow if I don't get the money back". He claims he was just trying to blow her off rudely and make it clear he was serious, BUT, she responded about an hour later asking if he was offering to waive the whole debt in exchange for a blowjob from her. Obviously he was surprised by this, and apparently also excited, because he responded back something like "If you're serious then yes, I will drop the whole thing if you blow me to completion". She agreed, and they are apparently negotiating a time/place and further terms.

My coworker is utterly STOKED about this turn of events, but I cautioned him that I believe he may be guilty of extortion. His argument is that he was simply negotiating a deal for the money he was owed and that worst case they are both guilty of prostitution. I couldn't help but warn him that if this does meet the definition of extortion then he has set himself up to be in far worse trouble than they would have been for the initial theft, but he is adamant that he has done nothing wrong and wasn't seriously suggesting the deal until she expressed genuine interest in resolving it that way.

Who is correct? Is he guilty of extortion, or is this just a questionably-legal-but-not-extorted deal?

Answer:
 Less extortion, more prostitution and soliciting, but it's unlikely the police will care. The underlying dispute was civil, not criminal, and a one-off sexual encounter between former roommates in return for dismissing a debt - that is, no money is actually changing hands - would be hard to prosecute unless they're willing to admit to it on record.

Keep your nose out of it. This doesn't involve you, in any way, and you would be well served by keeping it that way.


Title: I was listening to that Left, Right, and Center show on NPR and the woman who was supposed to be the "Right"..

Question: said she agreed the the Texas abortion law was terrible and a dangerous way to impose laws but that Democrats had already set prescedant by allowing gun manufacturers to be sued for mass shootings and she felt the same way about it then. NAL just always likeld political science, history, and law. Was hoping to get more discourse on this statement, thank you.

Answer:
 Are you attempting to discuss the legality of the Texas laws or whatever the "gun manufacturers can be sued for mass shootings" is, or are you wanting to discuss why a "right"-leaning person would have these viewpoints?

I only ask because of how you called out the political viewpoint in the title.  If you're looking for political discussions, this probably isn't the best sub for it.


Title: AL: Can my ex sue for wrongful termination?

Question:
My ex boyfriend was an intern for my dad's firm this past Spring. It is a large firm, but my dad is one of the owners/partners. At the end of his internship, he was offered a full time position to begin this Fall. Shortly after, he and I had a big fight, which led to him breaking up (for the 15th time, huge pattern of this) which eventually led to a very heated discussion with my parents. He ended up verbally attacking me in front of my parents and talking down to my dad (his boss).

The firm ended up rescinding his job offer because they didn't want someone who behaved like that at the office. My ex ended up interviewing at another firm he had previously recruited with, was offered an internship position on the spot, but the start date is this January, instead of September when he was supposed to start with my dad's firm. He did not look for any other options.

My question here is does he have a case? He had threatened a suit for a month now saying they have countless claims and that I will be shocked when I learn "the truth." I'm just wondering if there's actually a shot at a suit or if he's just trying to scare me. He didn't sign an employment contract, only a job offer which stated his compensation, start date, and when he would qualify for benefits.

Answer:
 Being fired for pissing off the boss is pretty normal. Unless he has a written contract that says he cannot be fired for that.

Anyone can sue for anything thoughAnswer #2: > I will be shocked when I learn "the truth."

Was he terminated (or not hired) for his race or religion, his national origin, his gender, or his age (if he's 40 or older)? If your dad fired him because "we don't want no Catholics working here" then he might have a case. If he was fired because he has a temper, that's both reasonable and legal. In any case, he can certainly file a suit, but unless the company did something illegal, he'll lose his suit.


Title: Woman who has not been heard from for years by her family is suddenly showing up and asking for power of attorney now that her dad is dying.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >So, what could be done to help Maria and ger her some of Thomas's estate or atleast for none of it to go to Jessica.

There needs to be a will drafted to reflect these wishes.  If no will is created, Jessica and John's kids will split the estate and Maria will get nothing.

Frankly, Maria ought to roll out of this situation right now.  Unless a will is established right now, she ought to drop Thomas like a hot bag.  States do matter here.  Without the information of what state they're in, it's impossible to say who gets what (past saying Maria gets little to nothing).


Title: [TX] Help. I was renting a house and it burned down last night.

Question:
According to the fire marshal the fire started in the dryer. Maybe some lint that caught on fire or a short circuit. The owner of the house has insurance. Does their insurance cover any of my property?. The house did not have smoke detectors.

What can I do?

Answer:
 Do you have renters insurance?Answer #2: You should be covered by renters insurance. If you don't have it you're probably out of luck.Answer #3: >The house did not have smoke detectors.

 Did the fire marshal comment on this?Answer #4: After reading this and [the thread earlier this week](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/55f4bc/a_driver_drove_a_truck_through_my_home_and_fled/) about the guy who had a truck go through the house we was renting, I feel like "GET RENTERS INSURANCE" should be stickied on this sub or something.


Title: Family member abuse (new york, united states)

Question: I’m a 14 year old female and my stepdad has been abusing me since I was 9. My mom knows and unfortunately has done nothing to help me. I went to a school counselor (but didnt tell her a lot of details, just that i needed help) and she contacted cps. All they did was interview me in front of my parents, so I couldnt say anything. It was recommended that I come to this sub and see if anyone has advice or resources for me.

Answer: Tell your school counselor again. Tell the counselor that CPS interviewed you with your parents in the room. Also tell your counselor that you didn’t feel comfortable saying anything in front of your parents. You can also call CPS yourself and talk with them.


Title: Non-Offending Parental Rights (OR,USA)

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Background Checks and Expungements

Answer:
 Yes, you should have no problem getting sole custody.  Potentially supervised visitation for him, but certainly nothing more given his record.  You might want to find an advocacy organization to help you.

I don't get how "sealed record" and "registered sex offender" go together.  Being on the registry is public data, you can search it here:  http://sexoffenders.oregon.gov

So IF he is a registered sex offender, the suggestion that it couldn't be disclosed to you is flat out bullshit.  The number & identity of the victims can and should be protected, of course.


Title: Worrying about skipping jury service, with some caveats

Question:
I refuse jury service for many reasons, the two biggest being that I do not consider myself an American citizen and because they sent it addressed to a name that isn't mine, when my name has been legally changed for over a year, and I have no intentions of going to court to be called by a male name (not sure I can even prove that I am the person summoned, as I have no longer have identity documents in that name). It is my understanding that many people never have an issue with it, or are simply charged a fine, either scenario of which I am fine with.

What I'm worried about is getting hit by a bench warrant at an airport. In a few months, I'll be permanently leaving the US to go to another country in which I have citizenship by blood. There's pretty much a 0% chance I'll be stopped by cops in day-to-day life, as I work from home in an internet-based job and only leave to walk up to a nearby grocery store. So my only concern is, is there any chance they'd check for a potential bench warrant on a flight out of the country?

There's a fair amount of stuff on the internet one can find while searching, and the general consensus seems to be to serve duty "just in case" to prevent anything from happening. But my situation is fairly unique in both that I am extremely against serving the summons and plan to leave the country forever, and the only concern is getting arrested at an airport and missing my flight. Plus, the summons being addressed in a different name. Would they even be able to arrest me on a bench warrant for that name?

Edit for location rule: FL

Answer:
 You were summoned.  Even if in the wrong name, you are legally required to show up and give them your new name.  You can prove you are the person summoned by bringing a copy of your name-change court order.

Whether you consider yourself a citizen is irrelevant -- you are one.

You can explain why you don't want to serve if you make it onto a panel.  Answer #2: Why don't you consider yourself a citizen, since you are a citizen of another country by blood? I take it you at one point applied for and received US citizenship?Answer #3: I understand why you don't want to answer the summons but the justice system doesn't care. You've been summoned - and you know you've been summoned - and there's no way to know *for sure* what will happen if you don't show up. It's up to the court. You might be fined, you might be charged with contempt of court, you might have a warrant issued for your arrest. The last one is unlikely but it's possible. My advice is to answer the summons and make a point - explain why you don't want to serve to the court. This is your opportunity to be heard.


Title: The plugs in my car tires were ripped out in a store parking lot by an employee to force my car to be towed. He is in charge of the cameras and I dont think I have any way to prove it was him.

Question: Let me start by saying I am not innocent in this.  I have a drug problem and I was caught stealing from a major retail store last week. I was not cooperative with the loss prevention manager. He wanted my license and car keys and I told him I'm not doing anything until the police showed up. He was furious.  When the police came and got me I asked if they were going to tow my car, they said they would not. This made the LP even more mad.  I figured the store would tow my car while I was in jail for about a week.  I found out that the reason he was so angry was because that store does not own their own parking lot and are not allowed to have vehicles towed.  So, six days later I came to pickup my car to take my broke pathetic self to rehab and all 4 tires are flat. Not slashed or the air let out, but the valves were ripped clean out. Now I'm forced to have it towed and all tires repaired which I cannot afford right now. This man is in charge of the cameras in the parking lot and while I have no way to prove it was him, it's pretty obvious. He was so mad he couldn't have it towed and now it's damaged and has to be.  Is it even worth filing a police report or am I just going to have to take the loss on this one?

Answer: The amount of resources needed to prove this is not worth the amount of energy needed to do so. Just take the L. I hope you get better in rehab, I understand the struggle. Be strong!


Title: U.S. Citizenship application asks if I've ever been in a mental institution. I have. Lawyer recommended a doctor's note. I'm not sure what it should say. Any help is appreciated.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If neither your doctor nor you lawyer can understand what needs to be in the note, then you are probably using the wrong doctor or the wrong lawyer for this.  This is important enough to get advice from an expert in the area of immigration and citizenship.


Title: [NY] How much can you be sued for?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can be sued for literally any amount.

You can be liable for whatever you owe.


Title: [OK] City tore down neighborhood fence and entrances to widen street, wont help replace?

Question:
I live in Oklahoma and my neighborhood has been in a discussion with our city after they tore down the neighborhood's privacy fence, piled it up out of the way, and widened the street in front of us. They then placed the same fence back up, but after sitting in a pile for weeks the thing is torn to bits and barely stands up.

We've been trying to get help financially to replace it, and are looking at a $20,000 bill that the neighborhood can't afford at the moment. As insult to injury, the city has also started sending us angry letters saying it's an eyesore and we need to replace it.

I truly have no idea, but is a city allowed to tear up private property and not reimburse for damages they've caused? Many homeowners are just going with it, but I just don't know if we should suck it up or try to stand up for ourselves a bit. We've managed to replace our entrances but the fence is so much more expensive we're tapped out at the moment.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 * When you say 'neighborhood' are you referring to an HOA, or just a group of homeowners that leave near each other?

* Whose land was the fence on?

* Who originally built the fence?


Title: [PA] Reckless Driving Charge after Accident

Question: I was involved in a collision, where I on my motorcycle ran into the back of a car that was stopped in the middle of a one way road without hazards or brake lights on from my memory.  I pulled out from a parking spot on the road, gave it a bit too much gas and panicked and over-braked because of it. I ended up going up on my front wheel and unable to stop before colliding with the car. The whole incident was less than 15 seconds of time. There was no officer on the scene until i was in the ambulance and he really didn't ask me much. I told him i lost control when I went up on my front wheel trying to stop and then he got out.  I received a ticket in the mail for Reckless Driving 200$ fine and another for Following too close 25$. Any help?

Answer:
 They are both valid as you did both. You ran into a stationary object.

You can hire an attorney for the best outcome


Title: [NYC] should I bother gently reminding an employer that they may be discriminating or just keep quiet and take action?

Question:
I have strong evidence that I am being discriminated against and may lose a job offer because of it. The employer does not seem to really know that they are discriminating. Is it worth telling them? Or better to keep my mouth shut and take my evidence to a lawyer?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 How can they be discriminating if they don't know they are doing it? Answer #2: What are they discriminating against? Is it a protected class? Answer #3: Give us more info you are being extremely
Vague Answer #4: Not all discrimination is illegal, so step one would be to make sure what you think may be illegal is actually illegal.

If it is, then yes, a consult with an employment attorney and/or the EEOC might be a good way to approach the situation.


Title: Senior prank gone bad

Question:
I am in Pennsylvania.

Throwaway for obvious reasons.

Last night myself and a fellow HS senior went to the school at 9:30 and spread birdseed over the administration parking lot. We thought that it would be a harmless prank as school was winding to an end.

Shortly after we had began, a police officer arrived. He explained that he was supposed to watch the school for pranks so that no one damaged school property. He said that people were not allowed on school property, but we could stay so long as we were gone by ten. He remained to supervise until we were done and had left.

This morning we were called to the office and were grilled by the principal about trespassing. He did not indicate what would happen to us and sent us to class saying he would call us back.

I am valedictorian and have behaved exceptionally all year. I am worried for what will happen and looking for advise as to how I should conduct myself moving forward.

Thanks for the help.

Answer: I must be missing something, how is spreading bird seed a prank?  What was that supposed to do?


Title: Car insurance company is putting us in an impossible situation and refusing to help us otherwise

Question:
My husband and me really need some help here. We are being put in an impossible situation by our insurance company and we have no idea what to do here. The issue involves his daughter (my stepdaughter) and we can barely afford a lawyer for her, much less for us. I'm hoping someone here can offer advice as to what we can do here. We live in Florida.

My husband and me own a car jointly. My stepdaughter (who is 15) took the car out for a ride one night WITHOUT our knowledge or permission. We were out with friends at the time. We have no idea if she had ever done it before (she says no but at this point I find it hard to believe anything she says). At any rate we would never allow her to drive without a license and proper supervision.

She ran a red light and hit a pedestrian. She didn't remain at scene but a witness followed her while on the phone with 911 until the cops caught up with them. She was found with an ounce of marijuana in her pocket and was found to be under the influence of marijuana. The pedestrian she hit was pregnant and lost the baby, she has many broken bones and will be in the hospital for a while. My stepdaughter is now in jail. She hasn't gone to court or anything yet so I don't know if we can even afford to bail her out. We are trying to find a lawyer that we can afford for her. Although knowing what charges and penalties she is in for would be helpful (the cops say they want to try her as an adult) that’s only part of my question.

Our insurance company is refusing to cover the costs for this, because my stepdaughter was too young to drive! No matter who we talk to they say they will only cover us if we say the car was stolen. Meaning they will protect my husband and me if we are sued because the car was taken without permission. But they won’t protect my stepdaughter at all and if we don’t say the car is stolen they won’t cover my husband and me for anything either! This basically puts us in an impossible position because we can protect ourselves if we make things worse for my stepdaughter by getting her charged with car theft, or we can say we gave her permission and put ourselves at risk for a lawsuit along with her (because apparently she can be sued even though she is a minor). My husband and me have no idea what to do. She isn’t my biological daughter but I have been around for most of her life and I love her like she is mine. My husband and me didn’t know she would take the car or that she smoked marijuana and we certainly don’t condone what she did but we still want to help her. We want to know: how do we get the insurance company to cover this without hanging my stepdaughter out to dry?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 I get that this is a really terrible set of circumstances, but logically can you think of a reason your insurance company should protect your stepdaughter? If I went out, stole a car and ran over someone under the influence, my insurance policy wouldn't be too thrilled with me either.

Answer #2: She's probably facing vehicular manslaughter charges. Don't throw your financial well-being into the garbage to avoid her getting another lesser charge of theft being tossed on.Answer #3: Report the car as stolen or the injured lady will sue you and your husband for everything you own and more.


Title: Stolen cards were used at my store, what can I do to get the money back.

Question: So I was working at my dad's perfume store yesterday so he can take a day off. And I don't have that much experience, I occasionally fill in whenever he needs to take a day off for something. So yesterday I thought it was my lucky day cause I had two groups of people come in and buy nearly 500$ worth of items each but with credit cards. Now once again I don't have that much experience with this type of work. I just sold them the stuff but the procedure was the same as with any other group of people buying multiple items. Show them multiple stuff, bargain, and eventually they buy the stuff. I entered the price on the machine, they put in the card, they put in the pin, they signed the receipt and it was the end of that. Turns out both groups used stolen cards. So I get a call from my brother today saying both cards were stolen and we might not get the money for the stuff. But I pretty much followed the procedure I was told to, its just I don't know why we wouldn't get the money back.

Answer: Did you verify the signature on the back of the card?  Was this a credit or debit transaction?  WHO told your brother the cards were stolen? Has he actually called his credit card processor? This could be a scam.


Title: I got kind of screwed over by a study abroad company. I'm trying to figure out if I have justification to believe I deserve a refund.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 BBB is about as scary as a wet paper bag.

Did you get a receipt?

Answer #2: So were you enrolled or not? Did you end up going to classes at that school?


Title: Being Charged With Filing A False Report Based Off The Detective Thinking I'm Crying Rape

Question:
I just came back from the police department and the detective said "The rape is not real. Stop it. Either admit you're lying or you're being charged with filing aFalse Report."

So yeah, I'm being charged with filing a false report cause the dickhead detective doesn't believe I was raped by an older boyfriend. He thinks I'm making it up and lying and at this point I'm just gonna take the charge just to get it over with. He wins. I can't deal anymore. I'm tired of being forced to repeat my story over and over just so a detective can say "LIAR. FUCKING LIAR! YOURE CRYING RAPE CAUSE YOU GOT HERPES!" Any legal advice? I know I'm eventually gonna fight this but as of now I just wanna be free of all this mess

(CT,USA)

Answer: With all your posts lately, it's obviously time you hire a lawyer (or have your parents hire one for you). All this drama is a bit outside the scope of this sub. Answer #2: Get in touch with any local rape crisis center. They'll be able to help.


Title: Being made redundant at my work, I drew a picture for them that they're using for the cover [AUS]

Question:
Hi LegalAdvice, my current situation is that I've worked for my current employer as a receptionist for nearly 3 years and about a month ago I drew them a picture to be used as the cover and another picture to be used in a feature for one of our magazines(we're a publishing company). I've been told they plan on using the drawings for at least 2 more issues. My dilemma is should I ask them to pay me to use it if I'm no longer employed? It's definitely not a spite issue, I would just ask them if it's something they'd consider because if I can't find work, further down the track a little extra money could really help me out.

I spoke to my dad and mentioned this because I wanted some advice on how to approach this carefully and respectfully and he blew up at me saying that it was a stupid idea and that I'd be burning bridges if I even tried and how dare I.

They gave me a job because one of the bosses is a family friend but the reason I've kept the job is because I'm damn good at customer service if I may say so myself.

I just want to know what I should do. Do they legally have to pay me if they continue to use my drawing when I'm no longer employed? One of the drawings I half finished while and did the rest at home and the other I completed at home. All in all it was around about 10 hours work.

I jumped on ghetty images to get a price for what I've done and they quoted $640 for one image. Obviously I wouldn't ask for that much but it gives an idea on how much they'd have to pay if it belonged to someone else.

TL;DR should my employer pay to use my drawings on the cover of a magazine if I'm no longer employed? Will I be burning bridges?

Answer: You created the image as part of employment. Your soon to be former employer almost certainly owns all rights to it. You will not be seeing money. Your father is correct on this.


Title: (KY) ATT burying line in my back yard.

Question: ATT recently told my wife that we can't mow our yard because they have a new line they are running through in our yard.  They also mentioned they would be back in 2 weeks to bury the line and would put orange flags up.  It's been a few days, they haven't put up flags, also, how can they just come in and dig up our yard??

Answer: They probably have an easement. Answer #2: IANAL but usually they have a utility easement to allow this. You can research it at the registry of deeds.


Title: Car wash workers mistakenly disconnected my hybrid battery (Prius)

Question:
*UPDATE.
Just talked to the car wash owner. They were apologetic and happy that I shared that information with them as the city has a fleet of Priuses that use their services as well. They reimbursed me fully in the form of credit. I am happy with the resolution. Thank you r/legaladvice !

&nbsp;

Hello,
I took my car in to get washed & detailed yesterday. When I went back to pick it up it wouldn't start. We had to get it towed to my mechanic. The mechanic called me and said nothing is wrong with the car. The connectors of the hybrid battery located under the cargo compartment in the trunk got disconnected some time while they were detailing the car. Tow truck $95; labor $120.
Am I able to recoup any of this from the car wash? Located in Texas. Thanks for any advice.

Answer:
 Yeah, you should be.  I'd start by informing the car wash of the issue and providing copies of the receipts asking to reimbursed.  If that doesn't work, your recourse would be to send a demands letter followed by suing in small claims court.

The better course of action would have been to walk into thencar wash office/call their number right away alerting them to the issue.  That shouldn't be too big of a hurdle though.Answer #2: Side question: why are they charging you $120 labor if it was just disconnected?


Title: (Canada) Fired for trash talking about a coworker over WhatsApp

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can try a grievance.

You should be fired. It's no different than if you were in a lunchroom trashing Jane to two others, and one went to management.


Title: Just broke up with my GF and am concerned about what I need to do to retain my rights as a parent.

Question:
I have two children with my now ex.

We are set to move out of our apartment and for the first month we wrote down a plan as far as who has the kids on what days.

I am worried about what rights I have to set up visitations, what say I have in where she takes the kids,(her mom is a hoarder and hardcore alcoholic so I don't want them living with her.) and what rights she has to child support.

Right now everything is very civil but I am worried about what would happen if she changes her mind and decides she wants full custody and child support.

I'm lost because most of the articles I have google end up pertaining to HE is a deadbeat dad and SHE doesn't want him around.

Answer:
 > I am worried about what rights I have to set up visitations, what say I have in where she takes the kids,(her mom is a hoarder and hardcore alcoholic so I don't want them living with her.) and what rights she has to child support.

I'm not sure what you mean by "set up visitations".

As for what she does with the kids, you have effectively no say.  Neither one of you can unilaterally declare what the other can do when they're parenting.  You can certainly agree on it, which would be better.

The overall answer to your questions is that either one of you can file to have the court decide custody and child support.  No agreement you make will change that.  But, by making an agreement, you ensure more control over the matter.


Title: [NY] my family's old estate lawyer has been disbarred and thrown in jail in for theft from clients. Is there any way to tell if he stole from my family?

Question:
This is not recent. My mother died in 2001. Her estate was not completed until a couple years later. This particular attorney was recommended to us by a friend who interned under him in manhattan. There were only three surviving children and all young  and in college at the time, so we did not know better and took the friends recommendation to heart. He did an awful job and kept on prolonging the competition of the estate. This took over 4 years to complete and he kept on waving us away when we went to look for answers. We were also told it wasn't wise to switch lawyers so far into the estate process and we were also told it was extremely difficult to sue an attorney for malpractice. The estate was so badly bungled my siblings and I were later audited by the IRS as he botched the taxes.

In 2012,  the same attorney was sentenced after pleading guilty to second-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud. He stole $140,000 combined from three clients from 2007-2008. My family by then was not surprised  to hear the news. He currently is serving roughly four to six years in prison.

So my question is there any type of "legal forensics" to investigate if he did the same to my family long ago? Or should we just let this go? The estate was so badly mishandled and we just want closure much more than any potential compensation.

Answer:
 If the attorney was disbarred for financial impropriety, it is likely that in the disbarment process the Supreme Court is also investigating his financial accounts.  You might inquire as to whether there is any such ongoing investigation and let them know of your interest.

Alternatively, you might hire an attorney who could seek access to those records and a forensic accountant to review them.  Obviously this would be a relatively expensive path that you might not want to take unless you had a) reason to believe he took money from your family and b) a reason to think there was a path to recovery either though the state or through the attorney himself.  Answer #2: I would contact an attorney specializing in handling cases involving fraud and malfeasance by other attorneys.  The reason to do this is two fold, first your attorney may have seen this before or has heard or it and will know how to get the ball rolling.  Second it is likely the original attorney carried legal insurance and can be sued for what he didn't do, so there may be some money involved.


Title: My boss keeps threatening to punish me for discussing wages with my coworkers

Question: [US/Michigan] I've heard time and time again its illegal for a company to tell its employees that they can't discuss how much they make. What do I do if I like, end up fired because of this?

Answer:
 Where are you, are you in a position that's managerial or involves dealing with others' pay?Answer #2: You can be (extremely illegally, read NLRA) fired for this. If they do fire you for this and are dumb enough to provide anything verifiable like written documentation of that termination reason, get thee to an employment lawyer ASAP.Answer #3: https://www.govdocs.com/can-employees-discuss-pay-salaries/

The OP's should talk to an employment attorney if they get retaliated against over discussing pay rates with other employees.

This is specifically protected by the NLRA, so the employer should know better that to threaten retaliation for discussing pay rates.

https://www.dol.gov/wb/media/pay_secrecy.pdf

The only people that can be prohibited from discussing other employee's pay rates are managers, payroll workers, etc. - the OP is not in that group.

Shout out to /u/mathergj for teaching me this yesterday :)


Title: Vaccinations Exemptions & Private Day Care Centers (WI)

Question:
My mother runs a private day-care center in Wisconsin and would like to make a policy regarding vaccinations. She has several students who have immunodeficiency disorders and must rely on herd immunity. Is it illegal to not accept children who are not vaccinated on the basis of religious/philosophical reasons?

The WI immunization exemption reads as follows:

W.S.A. § 252.04(3) The immunization requirement is waived if the student, if an adult, or the students parent, guardian or legal custodian submits a written statement to the school, day care center or nursery school objecting to the immunization for reasons of health, religion or personal conviction. At the time any school, day care center or nursery school notifies a student, parent, guardian or legal custodian of the immunization requirements, it shall inform the person in writing of the person's right to a waiver under this subsection.

Answer:
 I happen to be an attorney in Wisconsin, who has rather strong feelings about immunizations.

Yes, your mother can exclude children who are not vaccinated, even if they submit a waiver under 252.05(3).    The statutes you're looking at require parents to either immunize their kids, or submit a waiver. They do NOT require private day-care centers to accept the kids.

Your mother, however, cannot discriminate on the basis of religion, of course. But she would only get in trouble if she excludes someone who claims a religious exemption, but allows someone with a "personal exemption". Answer #2: IANAL and have no real advice to give, but please tell your mother thank you from a random Missouri guy. Answer #3: This is a question that your mother needs to ask her attorney about. There may be a narrow exception to public accommodation and/or ADA / state disability regulations because of the presence of immunocompromised students. Answer #4: she runs a private business, and not being vaccinated is not a protected class.  She can do what she like.  Obviously, if the day care is profitable enough to get a lawyer, consult.Answer #5: An attorney is the best bet.  As a backup (and free) plan, she could also call the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Day Care licensing department, 608-266-9314 and ask them if they know.


Title: (Georgia) Being held accountable for vet bill for stray dog. Vet sent bill to collections.

Question:
We have two German shepherds. Our neighbor found a German shepherd that was hit by a car in our neighborhood, and thought it was one of ours. They took it to an animal hospital and couldn't get in touch with us, so they gave the animal hospital all our information.

When our neighbors got in touch with us, we figured out that our two dogs were safe and sound at home, and this dog was a stray or abandoned. The vet said the dog looked like it had been on its own for maybe a week or two tops.

Ultimately after a few weeks at the shelter the dog was put up for adoption and was adopted, so there is a happy ending for it.

However, we have been billed for the dog's care. We explained to them that this is not our dog, but they apparently also didn't make a note that someone brought it in and *gave them our info thinking it was our dog* - they have it in their records like we brought the dog in assuming responsibility for it.

Every time they called we explained that this is not our dog, etc. Eventually the calls stopped. It has been about 4 months now, and we see that they put a collections record on my husband's credit.

We then filled out a form at Equifax to dispute it. Ultimately they came back saying that the vet sent records that show this being a valid charge, so our dispute failed.

What are our options at this point? I thought about small claims court but I figure that is to get money from someone not to keep someone from getting money from you. Is there something more appropriate?

Answer: Send a demand letter and debt validation letters certified US mail to the creditor and the collection agency stating it is not your debt. If they refuse to remove it contact a consumer lawyer to file a lawsuit under the FDCPA. There is a $1k penalty per incident plus attorney costs for violating the FDCPA or FCRA.  Answer #2: What I'd suggest is calling Equifax and say specifically that you want to challenge it as a case of fraud. that should get the ball rolling for them to actually consider the details of you case. otherwise, all they do is ask the company reporting it if they have an invoice and your personal information checks out.Answer #3: Arrange a time to go with your neighbor who made the mistake to the vet and settle this dispute in person. No phone calls, no certified letters, just a face to face rational conversation stating the error. Have the office manager and vet sign a receipt absolving you of any responsibility and settle the credit issue from there. Answer #4: The vet should have known when the dog was adopted that they usually get their costs back through that.


Title: FL - My friend was pulled over and drugs/paraphernalia were found in pants in the car that don't belong to him.

Question:
A bit of background -

My friend recently let someone stay at his place. This person was down on their luck and he opened up his house to him. This person happened to leave some clothing in my friend's car.

My friend was traveling in Levy county with his girlfriend and was pulled over for making a illegal u-turn or making an abrupt turn, something involving a turn, I can't recall. Anyway, his girlfriend admits to having a small amount of marijuana on her. Because of this, the officer now does a car search with my friends permission. Officer finds a pair of pants that don't belong to my friend, but in the pants are a baggy with cocaine residue and a bit of tin foil with  a substance in it, as well as a scale. The pants also contained the pants owners car registration.

My friend is currently in Levy county jail being charged with:

893.13-6a Possession of Cocaine

893.13-6a Cntrl Sub W/O Prescription

893.147-1 And Or Use

So what are the chances my friend will be able to get out of this mess without a conviction and a record? If the investigators were to check the prints on the items in the pants, they'd find that they don't match him, they can drug test my friend and see that he's clean, and the pants probably don't fit him. I'm hoping that car registration belonging to the idiot who left the pants in the car helps...

His ex-girlfriend is working on getting him a lawyer. The person who the pants belong to at one point agreed to step up and take responsibility, but is no longer willing to. He discussed it on Facebook, so there's a record of it, but I doubt that could be used in court.

I just want my friends life to not get ruined for helping out an idiot...

Answer:
 > So what are the chances my friend will be able to get out of this mess without a conviction and a record?

Extremely slim, considering "those aren't my pants bro" is the oldest and lamest excuse in the book.


Title: I received a DMCA notice for torrenting a movie (that i've never heard of) with bittorrent(a program I don't have) And they want me to pay $325. What do I do?

Question:
edit: Location: USA, Oregon

I got an email the other day through Charter, my ISP saying they got a DMCA notice from my IP address. The claim is saying I torrented a movie called Triple Dog with bittorrent.

1.) I've never fucking heard of this movie. I had to google it and I am honestly offended they think I would torrent this thing. It looks dumb.
2.) I don't have bittorrent on my pc. Which is what they are claiming was used to download the movie.

They are offering me a "settlement opportunity" by paying $325 fucking dollars.

I'm not paying $325 for a movie I didn't watch.

What the heck do I do?

Update edit. I called Charter security team and they said to just change my wifi password and pretty much don't worry about it, like most of you folks said.

Answer: Seems weird that this is all through email.  Isn't that kind of notice done through the mail.  I would be cautious that it's a scam and not actuallu from Charter, but an email made to look like it's from themAnswer #2: This is a common scam.Answer #3: Looked it up awhile back for a friend whose sibling had the bright idea to torrent a few movies without a VPN. From what I understand, it's generally best to ignore copyright notices for common torrents should one pop up on your IP.  It's incredibly difficult to actually prove anything if you don't respond whatsoever and ignore any links in emails you receive. These companies will generally let you go unmolested as a result so long as your IP doesn't show up that often.Answer #4: Scammmmmers!


Title: My boss is a bully and is trying to fabricate a paper trail of incompetence against me, and it's driving me insane but we have no HR department -- I'm getting no help, legally is there anything I can do?

Question:
California --

I have worked for my company for over six years total, with nearly five years in California. About 18 months ago my department hired an outside person to be the manager so that my previous manager could oversee regional duties and have less to do locally at the branch level. From the get-go, the new manager has seemed to hate me personally, and honestly I feel that he's been making it so difficult for me to want to go to work that he hopes that I quit because A) It's really hard to convince the Legal department to fire someone and B) He won't have to deal with the paper work or my unemployment benefits if I just quit. However, once I made it known to my supervisor (Not him, he's the manager) that I felt he was doing this, I made it clear I would never quit. That he could do what he wanted to do, but quitting is not an option. And since then it seems like instead he's going to try and make it look like I am not able to do my job by continuing to send e-mails saying that I didn't do what I was asked to do, even though they are mostly false claims.

I realize how this could look like I'm just an employee who doesn't like his boss or has a problem with authority, but in over six years I don't have a single negative review, I don't have a single write-up, I have earned two raises, including one just after he was hired. I have kept documentation, emails, stating that I have done a good job, including ones from him prior to his piling on of negative correspondences lately. I am normally an anxious person, but it got so bad to the point that I couldn't go my day without worrying about what would happen, angry about the situation and my lack of support, and eventually leading to being a bit depressed and just not wanting to face the day. I recently started going to therapy to try and work through the issues.

I might contact the HR department, but for a global company with over 20,000 employees, we have none! Instead we have an "open door policy" that states you can contact anyone for support if you're having a problem. I have gone to his manager (my former manager) 3 or 4 times and he always states that my new manager can now run the department however he likes. He may sympathize with my plight, but it's out of his hands mostly. He says "I'll talk to him" but the behavior has not changed at all. I don't have anywhere else to turn because both my supervisor and regional manager have told me they can do NOTHING about my manager. And I've even just asked to be managed more by my supervisor (seems logical) but I hear from my supervisor perhaps 1/10th as often as I hear from the abusive manager. He doesn't use my supervisor for anything it seems.

The Legal dept will flat out deny a manager or supervisor the right to fire someone unless they have a rock solid reason. Without any bad marks on my record, I see it as a situation now where he's trying to make up reasons or put so much work on my plate that he'll know eventually I won't be able to do it all. I have flat out caught him in a lie in email with my supervisor standing right behind me, and that is the strongest case as of right now that I have against him. I have kept all the emails from the past month in my personal email. I have documented the times I've reached out for help and gotten NONE. I have asked him in email with the regional and supervisor in copy asking him if we can please work this out because I don't feel i have deserved this kind of treatment, and I'll continue to do whatever he asks if we can just have respect between one another and he has ignored those requests. Literally, he won't respond to THOSE emails.

I don't want to work for him anymore but if I just quit, I relinquish my rights to unemployment benefits I need to get by while looking for another job. (Yes, I have been looking for other jobs but the longer it takes, the more depressed I become every day.) I feel like I'm coming off as a whiny, disgruntled employee that should just quit, but I don't feel like I should have to quit the job that I have earned, the good job that I am doing, just because I have been given an abusive manager with a personal vendetta against me, and absolutely NO support system around me in my company. This isn't right.

He has also called me once after a very minor matter (what turned out to be a misunderstanding between him and SOMEONE ELSE) and just said "You don't know how to do your job. Tell me you don't know how to do your job." then after I said that I did know how to do my job in a calm voice (because I'm not really confrontational, I just wanted it to be over) "I've got what I need."

He constantly makes implications that he's going to fire me, either by ignoring me at the office when I say "Hello" to him before a one-on-one meeting, or making a note to a manager that someone else will take over a matter if I'm not around anymore, to telling me that he needs a certain key back because of "legal matters" and then not explaining to me what that means or why.

It's a very uncomfortable, hostile work environment.

Do I have a leg to stand on here? Can I present my case of what's transpired and if I were fired, prove wrongful termination? (I don't really know what constitutes "wrongful termination" technically.) I do suspect some possible discrimination but it's entirely subjective and I have no proof that it's about that, other than I'm the only type of person in my department and I'm the one he's coming after for 18 months.

TL;DR -- My boss has hated me since the day he was hired but I've got a CLEAN record at work, yet on a daily basis he's sending me emails, phone calls (some berating), and IMs claiming I'm not doing my job even though that's not true, but I don't have an HR department to go to and the "open door policy" is a joke. Do I have any legal discourse against him or the company?

Answer:
 > It's a very uncomfortable, hostile work environment.

That's not a hostile work environment.

> Can I present my case of what's transpired and if I were fired, prove wrongful termination?

Unless you're terminated for being a member of a protected class, it's not wrongful termination. You can be fired for any non-discriminatory reason, or no reason at all. Or, hell, for being a 49ers fan.

> Do I have any legal discourse against him or the company?

There are no laws against being an asshole.
Answer #2: Jesus you've exhausted me and I've just been reading your narrative. There is nothing illegal here. If you are not happy in your job look elsewhere. The law does not require that you be treated in a fair positive manner.


Title: I need to access my own sexual assault case records, but I’m still a minor. I am now living with my father, and I want to know who I accused.

Question:
I’ve been (told by a relative) that when I was 6, there was a court case over my sexual assault, which I had talked to our housekeeper about. Knowing my family, it was a private affair.
I know the assault happened, but it’s blurry, and I don’t know the ruling.
There are no photos of me with my father from that point forward, until 3ish years later
Age 9 pictures consist mainly of a father-son group.

I would like to know the truth, without anyone immediately connected to me knowing that I do. I’m an American citizen, and the records in a different state. I’m not sure my father ever stopped being my guardian.
Topic:
Update

Answer: If you don’t get a good response here, I think this would be fine in the main sub, r/legaladvice. Include the state where the incident took place in your post.


Title: Employer refusing to pay for training period

Question: Details - We live in Florida, and a friend was recently employed by a company called RMG toys, who is now refusing to pay them claiming that the period they were working was a training period, and that they don't have to compensate them for this time.  They worked inside the store, performed standard duties/obligations, alongside the other employees.  Apparently, this is something they've been doing with all of their new hires, and if they dislike them, they have been letting them go without compensation/wages.  Is there anything my friend can do?  Is this practice illegal?  How do we resolve it if it is?

Answer: Yes it's illegal.  Florida does not have a state DoL so you will submit a request through the federal Department of Labor for those hours.  Your friend should not expect to continue working there after they file though.


Title: Neighbors loud music with bass

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 As long as he's not in violation of the city noise ordinances, and not in violation of the lease, you don't really have a recourse.

Have you tried asking your landlord if there's another similar unit in your complex that you could switch to?


Title: Did I accidentally restart the statute of limitations on my private student loans? If so, what can I do?

Question:
In 2007/2008 I took out two private student loans from My Rich Uncle. The company went bankrupt and my debt was sold off, but I could never find contact info for the company who bought it. Flashfoward 6.5 years and I get notifications from Younomics about my student loan debt. It is shown as being 6.5 years past due. I immediately put it into forbearance while I figured out what to do so I didn't keep accruing missed payments. Only after the fact did I find out that the statute of limitations on debt collection is 4 years in California which is my current state of residence, and 5 years in Florida, my state of residence when I obtained the loans. Did I unintentionally screw myself over by taking the forbearance (and electronically signing on the website) and restart the statute of limitations? If I did, what can I do? I don't want the financial stress to impact my family. I thought I was doing right by quickly forbearing the loans when I got the notice, and I didn't consult my husband first. First mistake (not consulting him first). Then I found out I probably restarted the SOL by forbearing it. Second mistake. I have contacted the legal office on base (my husband is active duty and they provide free legal advice on certain issues), but they are not sure if they will be able to help or not. The soonest appointment with them is Nov 16th, so I made the appointment. In the meantime, I was hoping to get some advice here. I am having anxiety attacks over this, and I really need advice on how to tackle this. Thank you in advance.

Also: I have Federal student loan debt, as well. But those are all in good standing, and they have worked with me. I'm not sure if this is relevant but just in case.

Edit: grammar, spelling, clarity.

Answer:
 Here's the thing: *If* you re-started the SOL with the forbearance, there's likely nothing you can do about it now. What's done is done. You can't unring a bell.

So I urge you *not* to do anything else until after you've consulted with that legal office. Very often a person who perceives that they are in legal trouble will panic and take action to try to fix the problem, but ends up making the problem worse (or creating a problem that didn't actually exist).

Don't be one of those people. You don't have a court officer or process server knocking on your door, so there's no imperative for you to act quickly. Take a breath, act normally, and meet with the legal office as scheduled.
Answer #2: **I immediately put it into forbearance while I figured out what to do so I didn't keep accruing missed payments.**

You acknowledged it was your debt by taking action.  If it wasn't your debt, or you knew it wasn't valid you would have requested proof of debt.  Instead you acted on it.  You will have a very hard time getting out of paying it.  The lawyers can give you the best information.


Title: Roommate issues - am I legally okay?

Question:
TL;DR: Massachusetts Roommate says my boyfriend is staying over too much and making her uncomfortable. Valid claim, however I've given her four different compromising options. She is now claiming legal action against me. Help!

I've been dating my boyfriend for almost three months now. My roommate (in a 2bed /2bath apartment with shared kitchen and living room only) is only here on weekends because her job requires her to travel. The building we live in has a shared water bill. My boyfriend does not use the electricity or gas in the apartment. He does not have a key, and is only at the apartment when I am present. She has met him all of 5 times since we started dating. His days off of work are thursday and friday, not saturday and sunday, and comes over at the most three times a week for either dinner and a sleep over, or night out and a sleep over. I am in the master bedroom with the bathroom connected, so once we're in the room, she cannot see or hear us (i've asked about that part too).

At first, she claimed he was increasing utilities (she went as far as to say his body heat is causing it to be warmer during the summer, so we turn the AC to a cooler temp to offset this); she then said the leasing office would consider him a tenant and we would get in trouble (not the case, as the management/leasing office emailed me with their guest guidelines and he is not even within an earshot of being on the 'naughty list' with them).

She offered to move out, if my boyfriend would move in since our lease is up March 2016. I didn't want her to move. He does not want to move into the apartment as it is too expensive for him. So his solution was we find a different apartment and she either stay there or move and we split the termination fee. After mentioning this to her, things went sour. She became super defensive and legal talk started to ensue. I finally gave her four proposals that I think are fair, however she keeps mentioning that "If you ignore my concerns and/or make unilateral decisions regarding our living arrangement, I will have to take steps to protect my legal interests."

The proposals and my verbiage are as follows:

BF will continue to spend as much time in the apartment as I want him to, over the week days while you're gone. Guests, no matter who they are, are allowed over - female or male.

I will make a major point to not be in the apartment on weekends with him. There will be exceptions, for example, if he ends up going to work training for months straight and our last few nights together are on a weekend, or travel where we leave for a long period of time with a early wake up. That's it.

If you cannot agree to this, then the proposals are below. This is completely your decision, as this is truly not a big deal to me in any way shape or form. I am not asking you to move out. I'm not requesting you to move out. These are just proposals.

1) You accept the proposal above and we go on happy and merry
2) We both move out, you and I split the fee or find a sublet for the rest of the lease
3) I find a replacement for my room and you release me from the lease and add the new person. Again, this person will be someone you approve of.
4) You find a replacement for your room and I release you from the lease and add the new person. Again, this person will be someone I approve of.

Please let me know if she has any legal right? We're in Massachusetts if that helps. I really don't think so, but I'm not a lawyer. We did not create a roommate agreement, the leasing office does not have an issue with this, and her only concern from the beginning was living with three people. Since he doesn't live here, and is only really around when she is not present, I do not see the issue.

Thanks, Reddit!

Answer:
 Not legal advice. Here's an outline of what it looks like from an outsider:

Your roommate only comes home on weekends. Wants to relax when home and not have a guest over in her home. Also says he is making her uncomfortable. Well if he is there more often then she is, it makes someone feel like they are a guest in their own home. She agreed to rent with you, not your boyfriend.

When she brings up her concerns, your guys' first proposal is to move out or her move out, which involves a penalty, and leaves her at risk of having the entire rent for all of you on her bill. For no fault of her own. So of course she is going to be defensive, this is going to cost her money, when she is not the one having a boyfriend over. She needs to protect herself.

Your first response should have been to agree he will not come over when she is home. You can go to his place. It  is her home as much as yours.

Then you could agree on 2 days a week when he can visit. That sounds more reasonable. She doesn't need to feel uncomfortable in her own home due to your guest.

Again, not legal advice.


Title: Protection from Ex Wife (Washington State)

Question:
I have multiple questions and tried speaking with an attorney however cannot afford a $300 consultation fee (that is the lowest I have found in the area). My soon to be ex wife has filed a divorce petition and in it she has requested a restraining order. There has never been any violence, threats of violence or intimidation towards her. I feel she is trying to be vindictive. I foresee her showing up at places that I am at to force me to leave if she gets a restraining order. Can I get a restraining order against her as well? Like a mutual restraining order?

Also she runs a podcast with her friend, that she speaks out about our relationship and states my name without prior written or verbal consent to be in her podcast. She states things in her podcast that myself and others (friends and family) consider defamation of character. Do I have grounds for a lawsuit for defamation, specifically slander?

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Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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P.s. Not trying to be vindictive just trying to protect myself and livelihood. Also this is a throw away account so she cannot use anything against me.

Answer:
 >She states things in her podcast that myself and others (friends and family) consider defamation of character.

Are any of those things factually untrue?


Title: [Illinois, USA] Family member threw out one of my prescriptions

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Talk to your doctor about getting another script, as well as insurance. If insurance won't cover it, sue the person who threw away the medication for the cost of the replacement.


Title: (Wisconsin) threat of rent increase over leaving windows open during winter

Question: We're in an upper apartment. I'm not wanting to have the windows open 24/7. I don't pay for heat. I have experienced my apartment being close to 80 degrees in winter with my heat turned off. Downstairs neighbors must have had theirs cranked up? I just want to be able to keep a reasonable lower 70s temperature in my apartment. Notices were placed by everyone's mailboxes that rent will increase for anyone who has their windows open during the winter. There is nothing resembling this in my lease. Could this be an empty threat or actually possibly legal?

Answer:
 Talk to the landlord first. The neighbor might be running the heat super high and causing the landlord a huge bill. So the landlord might think the bill is due to people keeping their windows open causing the heat to run more.
Letting the landlord know the neighbors are keeping the heat blaring might solve a lot of issues.


Title: Landlord Problem

Question: I live in Brooklyn. My apartment lease is up at the end of August, 3 of my roommates are moving out but I want to stay and renew. Problem is I had a rather strange phone call with the landlord yesterday in which he told me he was going to hire a realtor to list the empty apartment rooms and that I may not be able to stay because it would be inconvenient for the realtor as they would get a smaller commission if one room was already filled. So basically he wants me to leave at the end of the month so the realty company can make more money. Is this legal? I’ve always paid rent on time and have never had any problems before. I know tenant laws in NYC are strong, I just don’t know what my options are specifically. Any advice?

Answer: Tenants are not entitled to renew their leases, and so long as the landlord has given the tenant proper, advance notice to vacate at the end of the lease, this is legal.Answer #2: Yep. Cause your lease is up......


Title: Doctor won't prescribe me my medication anymore (Oklahoma)

Question: I've been taking ADHD medication for over 15 years. My current doctor of 2 years told me during a routine check up she wasn't going to refill my prescription. I asked if it was because of the side effects or something of that nature, in which she replied no. She said that I need to grow up and not depend on the medicine to focus. I was very confused because that's exactly what the medication is for. So is any of this legal?

Answer: Doctors aren’t required by law to prescribe medications. Just find another doctor. Answer #2: Doctors generally are not required to continue re-upping prescriptions for their patients. That said, you are equally free to drop your doctor for one who is more in line with the treatment plan you feel is appropriate (i.e. they will prescribe your medication.)Answer #3: Yes, it's 100% legal. No one is going to force your doctor to prescribe medications. Your recourse here is to find another doctor. Answer #4: Doctors are free to deny filling a prescription. With that being said, you should never stop taking ADHD medications cold turkey, specially if you have been on them a long time like 15 years. It can cause seizures and heart failure. I definitely recommend seeing if your doctor will let you taper down your dose or find another one that will.


Title: My husband up and left me and our (then 16 month old). He finally emailed me 4 months later to ask to see him. Do I have to legally reply? (Ontario, Canada).

Question:
I’m with a lawyer right now and we have a custody agreement being setup through the courts. He should be getting served this week. It’s been 4 months since he left and just yesterday emailed me to ask how my son is doing and if he could see him. He not once has asked do I need money for diapers rent daycare etc. I’m furious and SHOCKED that 1. he left out of the blue and 2. That he’s asking to see him now 4 months later. He’s in the US I’m in Canada.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > I’m with a lawyer right now

Let them answer. Legally, you probably don't need to, but strategically maybe.


Title: I created a brand that I care deeply about protecting. No one appears to have this name trademarked so I'm about to register for one. Is the process the same for an App? Just moved from NJ to CA. Does the fact I've been working on it for years and have that documented protect me at all?

Question: As the title says I love branding and put a huge emphasis on creating this brand over the last few years while I worked on developing the prototype and fitness program.  Recently I have been having nightmares about loosing the name.  Being young and poor I've put it off and can't afford a trademark attorney so I am filing through legalzoom today. Because it isn't a brick and mortar, what state do I register this trademark?  Is there anything that I should keep in mind going into this?   Thank you so much for your help, definitely stressed about this whole process and any advice would be so helpful.

Answer:
 Based on your information, it looks like you are attempting to apply for a state trademark registration. Keep in mind that this means you would only have trademark protection in the state in which you register. If you want nationwide protection, you would need to file an application with the USPTO. You can get an idea of costs and how to file here:

https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/filing-online

You can trademark the name for an app, but depending on what you originally file the application for, you may have to pay for an extra class (i.e. one to cover the app).

Documentation may help, particularly if the trademark is opposed, and you can at least assert that earlier use on your application.

Keep in mind that if you file with the USPTO, Examining Attorneys have up to six months to respond to your application/arguments, so this will not be an overnight process. You also need to keep in mind that down the line, if your mark is registered, there will be maintenance fees to take care of.


Title: Hit head on 2 1/2 years ago in Tennessee

Question: In March of 2014, a man crossed the double solid yellow lines and hit us head on. We got an attorney and were told something about how settlements had to be done within the first year. However, every time we provide answers and information and get close to talking numbers, the other insurance company reassigns our case to a new adjuster, or attorney. So then we have to give the new guy time to review the case and ask whatever questions he has. We wait, we answer, we start over with a new guy. This has gone on for 2 and a half years, and we just started over again a month ago. Our attorney says we can't do anything about it and we just have to play along. Is this really how it works?

Answer:
 I believe the statute of limitations on a personal injury claim in Tennessee is 1 year. However, that limit is probably tolled if your insurance company is "trying" to negotiate with you and you don't feel like there's been a breakdown in communication to the point that you think a cause of action that you could sue over has occurred.

There seems to be a lot of gaps in your narrative. Try to explain what has gone on since the accident to now. It sounds like you retained an attorney, correct? That attorney filed a suit, right?

If that's the case, the best advice that I can give you is that auto accident cases just take time. The other side is going to drag their feet. They typically never want to pay out. The only time they pay out quickly is with a particularly egregious case where they absolutely know their insured was the cause of the accident.

If your lawyer has covered all of the bases, there is a suit and there's going to be a date where that suit could be heard. In a general run of the mill case, the insurance company is going to want to settle before they have to pay an attorney to defend them at trial.

When that happens? It's totally up to the court and when the attorneys are available.


Title: Who pays for counselling after a child is molested?

Question:
Hey off topic question. If a child was molested. Lets say the court finds the molester guilty. From what I understand, criminal cases are between the state and the defendant.

Are there free services like counselling and therapy for children who are victims of such crimes?

Not sure if this is the right place to ask.

My question pertains to Canadian law

Answer:
 Usually the state (CPS). if there wasnt a fund for this, a therapist could do some pro bono workAnswer #2: Some, but not all, municipalities have victims funds established for this purpose.
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network can help victims and survivors find resources in their area also.[RAINN](https://www.rainn.org/)


Title: Ex accused me of perjury

Question: I recently filed for custody and child support. That really pissed me ex off. We have not come to any agreement because he is constantly fighting me over money and how much he thinks he should send and using it as a control mechanism along with the vehicle he is allowing me to use. He stopped sending money on the 7th and I filed 10 days later. I stated he failed to support medical and school expenses on my filing, he sent $100 yesterday that I could obviously really use. He’s threatening to take my daughter and accused me of perjury. The fact is he will only send money or be communicating when he feels like it and I really don’t think that’s right.. I need advice on how to handle this and if I should withdraw my custody and support documents. Again, ex is accusing me of lying and will only communicate when he feels is necessary. Sent money until January 7th then stopped for 2 weeks, sent $100 yesterday. In text he says let me know if she needs anything but over phone refuses and hangs up/ blocks me. Documentation wise he is leaving a paper trail of saying he’s helping but via phone is not

Answer:
 Ignore him.

You have a right to file for child support and custody. Period. Full stop.

Once you get into the court room you can argue about what has and hasn't been paid. Him saying you're lying won't make them do anything except ask for proof. From him. That he paid for those things.

Don't discuss this any further with him. He is manipulating you.

He is right that everything should be handled by text so there is a paper trail of what both of you have communicated. Get together documentation about how much he has paid and when.

It matters exactly 0% what you spent the support on. They will use a calculator to find out how much is owed going forward. Answer #2: He didn’t invalidate your claims by sending $100 after you filed for support.


Title: What’s the chances of my ex getting full custody by claiming that I’m an unfit mother?

Question: I’m in Florida and I’m on disability for a mental illness, my ex claims he will use this against me and claim that I’m an unfit mother. I live with two RNs(family) who can attest that I’m capable of caring for my child and I’m also in ongoing treatment for my mental illness and I never miss an appointment however his claim makes me very nervous and scared. He does not want to pay child support and he plans on saying I’m an unfit mother in an attempt to get my child placed with him/his family and to make me pay HIM child support. He does not even want the child and I would be heartbroken beyond repair if they took my child away from me. I have a few months before I give birth and I’m terrified of him trying to take my baby. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 No chances of him getting "full" custody. If he seeks, he likely will get some custody. The one truism of lay peoples knowledge of child custody is that the mom has a higher likelihood of being granted domicile of a child during the "tender" years so I doubt thats an issue. That said, you can seek legal help now. I'd find and contact your local LSC now and see if you can get an attorney to help you plan your next course of action. Answer #2: He's in for a rude awakening if he thinks he's going to get child support from someone on disability. SS disability payments can't be garnished to collect judgments so they are usually not considered as income that can be collected for child support.

The legal presumption is that you're a fit mother. He has to prove otherwise. Your mental health will be an issue the court will consider but they won't just take your child away because you have a mental illness. There has to be *some* reason as to why you're unfit, not just you *may* be unfit.


Title: [North Dakota] Victim of identity fraud and now evicted after lawyer said he was "handling it"

Question:
This is a situation my sister has found herself in and I am looking for options.

My sister, Jane, had her identity stolen a few months ago and found out when she received a letter stating she owed a large amount on a fraudulent credit card. She and her husband hired a lawyer who informed them that her identity had been used for this credit card and another personal loan, but that he would take care of it. They paid the lawyer about $10,000 and he said it was handled.

They then began receiving collections letters in the mail and when they informed the lawyer he told them to ignore the letters, that the situation had been handled. Well while she was out they came into the house, locked all the doors, and she and her family have now been evicted. The company that issued the personal loan seems to have the title of the house even though they are still paying their current mortgage through the true title holder. They have been admitted to enter the house twice in the last two months. The lawyer said that his paralegals messed something up but that he would fix it, yet it still isn't fixed and I am appalled that not only is it taking this long but at no point was my sister advised to freeze her credit or really do anything at all but pay and wait. The lawyer has been able to place an injunction to stop the resale of the house but other than that he has continued to cancel meetings, has only offered vague timelines and continues to say the other company is dragging its feet, and has now asked for additional payment.

What can we do?

Answer: You are at a point where your sister needs to reach out to a new lawyer. I don't know if the current lawyer is doing anything wrong, but asking for more money after he fucked up and got them locked out raises some red flags.


Title: Forum has my full name and location displayed after I was banned from the forum.

Question: A forum I was banned from Has my full name and location displayed on a "banned members" thread. I believe they acquired this info about me through Facebook by looking at my photos. Is this legal?

Answer: It's legal in most jurisdictions to look at your Facebook photos and report truthful information determined from them.


Title: Was just told i cant be hired for a job position because i was a male. Is this legal?

Question: Was just told in an interview i cant be hired for a position i was qualified for (bartender) because i am a male, and they only want female bartenders and servers. This doesnt sound legal, and honestly it feels awful to be denied a job based on whats between my legs. Can anyone offer me legal advice for this?

Answer: Yes that is illegal. You can file a compliant for protected class discrimination with your state's licensing board. Answer #2: Pottersquash is correct here. It might be illegal. It might not be (if somehow this bar only has 3 employees, or it's a Hooters or something). Is it a Hooters type place?


Title: I got into a small car accident for the first time, and I made the mistake of admitting fault, what will happen now?

Question:
Edit: Thanks for the replies guys, and so quickly too! I really appreciate it, I feel a lot less stressed about the situation now.

I am in Pennsylvania.

I was in bumper-to-bumper traffic and the traffic was moving and stopping suddenly. I glanced away from the road for maybe a second to look at my cars clock because I was running late for work. Next thing I knew the traffic in front of me had come to a full halt, it completely caught me off guard, and I rear-ended the car in front of me.

We both pulled over and I got out of the car to ask the woman if everyone was okay. I also apologized and, here's where I messed up, I said something along the lines of, "I am so sorry, it was my fault, I got caught off guard by the sudden stop in traffic." Like I said, this was my first accident ever so I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to admit fault, I just felt really bad and felt stupid. The woman was angry at first but calmed down and was actually pretty understanding after realizing I was apologetic and a young driver, we exchanged information and she called the police, when they arrived they took our statements. She told them I was tailgating her and she stopped and I rear-ended her, I respectfully told her I was not trying to tailgait her, we were in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This is the same thing I told the officer, and essentially just told him what I told her, that I was caught off-guard by the sudden stop and hit her.

The accident was very mild. There was very little damage and both cars were absolutely drivable afterward. No one was hurt, airbags didn't come out, after all, I was going barely 10 mph if that.

I am waiting to hear back from my claim representative. But am I completely screwed now? What happens next? The woman did not tell the police I said it was my fault in her statement, but I'm not sure yet if she told my insurance.

Answer:
 You rear-ended her in stop and go traffic.  It doesn't exactly take a super sleuth to realize that this was your fault.  That will be the assumption in this case unless there is some evidence to suggest otherwise (read video evidence of her brake checking you or something).  Admitting it to her will not be likely to affect anything in this case.

>What happens next?

The police will either issue you a ticket or not, and the insurance companies will work things out between themselves.  You and she will get your cars fixed, and life will go on normally.  Your insurance premiums may go up.

Don't sweat it.