Title: Neighbor's tree company took out a bunch of small native trees on our property. Insurance company wants to settle but it's not a high enough amount to warrant a lawyer. What's the best way to do this? [NJ]

Question:
I'm just going summarize what happened because the employees already admitted to the wrongdoing and it was acknowledged by the boss/owner.  Our neighbors had tree work done on a tree that was hanging over our property (that was their tree and they had the right to cut it out).  However, they needed access to our property and instead of asking us, they just came over the fence quoting that they thought there was a "public common area" in between properties (there isn't).

These are 6 scrawny native trees with much more of a privacy value than anything else.  They knocked them down and then cut and took the damaged trees away.  They damaged some Maples we planted too but not enough to kill them.

So we tried to work it out with the company who boasted that they've been claim free since their inception and insisted on making things right directly which we were appreciative of.  At first they were all apologetic, admitting guilt and offering to replace the trees.  But 3 months went by without hearing from them after our agreement and they ignored our calls so we called their insurance company.

Sent them the photos and now they want to settle for $300.  I called an arborist when it initially happened who kindly explained that his fees for reports and testifying in court would be more than we would win.  But now that the insurance company is involved, might it been a good idea to call him back?  To say maybe we could get another $500-1,000 out of it by paying him $125 for a simple report?

Or could we tackle this ourselves and list the cost of replacement foliage plus labor (even if it's our own?) to plant and upkeep as a counter to the insurance company?

Answer:
 Remember that the tree companies insurance company does not work for you, and they do not have your best interest in mind.

300 will not even buy 1 replacement tree of any significant size, no less a bunch.

Call the arborist, get a replacement value report.Answer #2: I would first try calling your own homeowners insurance carrier. They  might be able to go after the tree company's insurance and negotiate a better settlement.


Title: My father died and now my sister is making decisions and not telling me all information

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Sounds like your sister is doing a good job ensuring that none of you get in trouble with the IRS for taking money that belongs to the estate of your father.


Title: About to be sued because someone incurred a $100K+ medical bill in my [almost] name, in another state. How do I resolve this?

Question:
Although the name is not an exact match (I have a nine letter first name, these notices are addressed to the first six letters) I have been getting mail from the Civil Recoveries Bureau of the New York Attorney General about a $117,600 patient bill owed to a NY hospital, for a stay dating 5/22 thru 6/6/2014. Considering I live in Georgia and haven't been to New York since a wedding in 2006, I am a bit nonplussed.

Although I didn't have a job during that time, I have a fairly decent 'alibi', in that I was serving grand jury duty during those months (in Georgia). I was an alternate so I wasn't in attendance every day, but looking through my emails, I was serving 5/29-30. So I'm sure I can easily prove I wasn't the person staying in the hospital with assistance from the courthouse staff, if need be. But to save myself the most legwork possible, I'm wondering what steps I should take and how best to resolve this. I have responded to any of the letters yet.

Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Well ignoring it clearly hasn't worked so let's not keep doing that. You can send them a letter explaining you aren't the right person and whatever evidence you can provide. You have nothing to lose. Answer #2: You can (and should) send them a letter indicating they have the wrong person, that you haven't been in NY state, and so on.

It is extremely likely that they just searched some databases for people named XXX YYY and decided you were the best match.

If you don't send that letter and they end up suing you in a New York court, it will probably be annoying to you to respond to the lawsuit.
Answer #3: Decent alibi or not, failing to address this could potentially result in you actually owing the $117,600. Send them a certified letter or call and tell them they have the wrong person.

If they actually file against you and for whatever reason you don't respond within 30 days, they may receive a default judgment for the full amount. You really want to head this whole thing off before it goes to court.


Title: Does the TSA allow marijuana on planes?

Question:
I've been told that the TSA does not care if they find marijuana in your bag because it's not their job to do anything about it.  This is obviously if it's a small amount, but is there any truth to this?

And this is not for me.  I quit in college, but this stems from a recent discussion with some friends.

Edit: I promise this is not about me, and it was mostly pertaining to travel within the United States.  I appreciate all the responses.

Answer:
 > I've been told that the TSA does not care if they find marijuana in your bag because it's not their job to do anything about it.

That's wildly inaccurate.  The TSA certainly does care, and certainly does arrest for it.


Title: Someone from reddit is threatening me using an encrypted email

Question:
Hello,

I'm 26/F from TX and I have a throwaway reddit account. It was my NSFW reddit account. Someone somehow found my personal email & my academic email. I'm not sure how but they found a coworker of mine on LinkedIn and EMAILED me a screen shot of his linkedin profile and wrote me, "I'm sending him everything tomorrow if I don't hear back from your promptly. I mean everything." Everything means my sexy pictures, I didn't have face shown but just my body. I'm pretty scared. I didn't think anyone would care enough to dig up my life like that. What should I do? Should I ask my coworker to tighten his linkedin? He's VERY big on using it and he gets so many views and comments. He's ALWAYS on it. Idk what to do. I'm so so so scared.

Answer:
 So you should either ignore it or call the police. In this case I would tend towards calling the police.

Under no circumstances should you respond to this person. This has the makings of a blackmail scheme of some sorts and if you respond you will make yourself this person’s bitch for life. Silence can not be purchased, only rented, so if you contact this person they will likely demand that you do something like send them full body pics with your face in order to not have the current pictures sent to your co-worker. They will then keep using whatever you give them to demand more. This could very well end up resulting in demands for in person meetings which could cost you your life.  When you are being blackmailed complying only ensures further blackmail.Answer #2: Police. Now.


Title: Is my lawyer doing their job?

Question: I have a dui case in NC. I hired a lawyer and the final court date is coming soon. There has been little contact between myself and the lawyer. I have not been told what was in the deposition nor what to expect on the court day. Friends of mine have said there should be a mock trial and what I can expect to happen as well as possible outcomes. The last time I spoke to my lawyer, I was told not to call back that they would call me. Should I worry that my lawyer is not fully representing me or is this normal? I think it is too late to fire and hire a new lawyer.

Answer:
 You should not be concerned.

DUI cases are fairly simple. Having a mock trial for a DUI? That's absurd.


Title: Can my classmates and I sue our college for (possible) financial aid discrimination?

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice

**Background info:** I'm using a throwaway for this post for privacy reasons. I'm in incoming freshman at a private non-profit university in Washington D.C. I am from New Jersey. This university has a policy that is clearly stated on their website: *Applying Early Decision (binding) as opposed to applying Regular Decision (non-binding) has no impact on your financial aid/scholarship award.*

As of now, nearly everyone, if not everyone, who applied has heard back from the school. Based on chats with hundreds of students (the class size is ~1750) it would appear that those who applied regular decision got substantially better/more financial aid and scholarship packages. Sure, they could've been better students - but the disparity between the ED and RD students appears to be extremely large. Of course, chats on facebook aren't enough to warrant any type of legal action.

So, I guess I'm here to ask; What can my classmates and I do? Is there any way to subpoena their statistics for financial aid?

Thanks /r/legaladvice
A Poor College Student

Edit: For those of you who don't understand why the college would discriminate: Students who apply ED are obligated to pay for the college, regardless of aid given. RD students have multiple colleges to choose from, so the college may give them more to incentivise them to go there; the same does not apply to ED students. *The college's website, however, clearly states that they do not discriminate based on whether you are ED or RD.*

Edit: Is there anything at all we can do?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 It is legal to discriminate against students solely on the basis of their application date. Sorry.
Answer #2: As another poor college student, sorry to say this but you are not a protected class. The law discriminates against providing unfair advantage to classes such as race or religion, but being one sort of college student vs. another doesn't mean it is illegal to discriminate you on that basis alone. Even if you could prove such a correlation existed, no court would ever accept your case.


Title: Suing a gym for wrongful death

Question:
Hello,
Lawyers said one cannot sue for more than what a gym's insurance policy is for. This is disappointing because this person was worth much more than the million dollar policy the gym has. How does a simple insurance policy enable a cap in Indiana?

In addition the local gym is basically self insured by its parent company and founder. The lawsuit is technically against the local gym, the corporation and the corporation's "insurance company" (3 entities listed on the case) so couldn't one sue for the insurance policies of the parent corp and ins company?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Answer:
 I have to wonder how a gym would be legally responsible for a death. Was the equipment faulty or did the person use it inappropriately? There are usually a ton of liability waivers in their contracts.Answer #2: IANAL.

>Hello, Lawyers said one cannot sue for more than what a gym's insurance policy is for.

I suspect this is not what you were told. I suspect that what you were told is either than you do not actually have a good claim for more than that amount, or that the gym has few assets and there simply isn't much to take beyond what the insurance company will pay out.

>The lawsuit is technically against the local gym, the corporation and the corporation's "insurance company" (3 entities listed on the case) so couldn't one sue for the insurance policies of the parent corp and ins company?

Is there a reason you didn't ask this of the lawyer you consulted? Nobody here is in a position to give you better advice than an Indiana personal injury lawyer who is already familiar with the facts of your case.

Unless, of course, the lawyer you are referring to represents the gym, in which case you obviously should not take advice from them.


Title: If I have a motorcycle license in the US and go to the uk do I have to work my way up to my license or do I automatically go to my type of license?

Question: Heard in the uh there’s different types of motorcycle license. You start off with the weakest and work your way up for example to a 1000cc

Answer:
 "You can drive in Great Britain on your full, valid driving licence for 12 months from when you became resident
After 12 months you’ll need to apply for a provisional licence and pass the theory and practical driving tests to drive in Great Britain."

Source: gov.ukAnswer #2: If I’m taking a vacation to Britain, not moving there, does the 12 month unrestricted period still apply? Toying with the idea of buying a bike in Britain and riding around Europe for a few months.


Title: Is it legal to build your own automatic gun? Trying to win an argument here.

Question: Is it legal to make your own fully automatic gun? I'm finding kits, but can't find the actual laws, and this guy wants me to "ask the law". Can someone please help me back up my argument with facts? Thanks!

Answer:
 The answer, unsurprisingly, is "it's complicated, but mostly no."

The National Firearms Act, as currently amended, effectively makes it illegal for a private citizen to own a fully-automatic gun - a gun that can fire multiple bullets with a single action of the trigger - if that gun was manufactured after 1986. Full-auto guns manufactured earlier require ATF registration and background checks, and can only be sold by a class 3 FFL. Making a new machine gun with continuous fire would be illegal without the appropriate permits.

However, there are systems that can cause a gun to fire rapidly with one trigger pull per bullet, and some of those are _presently_ legal. Whether they will remain so is an open question at this point, in light of recent events in Nevada.


Title: Father got a DWI, blew a .00 but failed on feet stability test, was totally sober but disabled, still public defender wants to "make a deal"

Question:
New York state, small town court

My father got pulled over (9pm ish) for crossing white edge-of-road line once by a sheriff's deputy who's known for being the "king of DUI's" by lawyers.  Instead of seeing that my father was clearly sober and giving him a minor traffic infraction, he asked him to step out and perform some tests.

He then blew a 00 three times but failed (didn't fall over) the walk the line test.  My father is disabled, warped discs in his upper spine along with many other old man ailments (he's 59).  He takes low strength hydrocodone and a few other meds, but it never states on any of the meds or the NY Opioid contract "don't drive".  The whole incident was managed politely, he and the dog got a ride together to the police station for the booking, then to get blood work done (came back totally sober, who would have guessed?), then he was brought back home.

First day in court, the first public defender says "this is the easiest DWI I've ever defended" nothing much else occurred to my knowledge.  Then yesterday on the second (maybe third) court date it's a different public defender, and he's sold on making a deal.  They drop the whole thing down to a traffic infraction with a restricted license.  My dad was rather mad, and initially rejects the deal because he still (and I agree) views that as a total loss and "letting the bad cops get away with bullshit".  If you want further justification to say no to this deal it's that my dad is all alone in this house with the dog, and he lives for getting out of the house and taking that dog for walks everywhere.  It's really his only escape from the mundane lifestyle of being old and alone when I'm at college.  He couldn't really do anything that makes him happy, legally, with a restricted license that allows for the bare minimums of groceries and doctors appointments.

That was two days ago, and his next date in court in the 31st.  He's convinced this public defender is not working in his best interest and said he'll get thrown in jail if requests a new one.  **What are we missing about this whole case (and laws regarding DWIs and such) that makes this defender want to end it in a plea?  From the information i've provided is it still worth it to try to pursue further?**  Either with a new public defender (how do you do that?) or a real DUI lawyer.

Now the hard question of "is a real DUI lawyer worth our money" in this case.  My dad is flat broke after having our dog die sadly.  I have a college fund that I shouldn't but absolutely touch, but will in this case.  If I had to set a budget it would be 5k (I only have 25k total to get me through the rest of school).  But i'm ready to go take that out in cash if you all think it would be worth pursuing more.  But i understand that DUI consultations by a real lawyer are going to cost about 500 upfront.  My dad does a bit of carpentry for family and friends as a small source on income he could possibly contribute (~500 a month max usually).

Answer:
 > He takes low strength hydrocodone and a few other meds,

If he drove under their influence, he could very well be guilty of DUI.

> but it never states on any of the meds or the NY Opioid contract "don't drive".

No way. All meds (especially opioids) come with warnings to not operate heavy machinery after use, otherwise the pharmacies and drug companies would be sued like crazy.

Your dad has a lawyer. Nothing anyone could offer here would be more substantive. If he doesn't trust his attorney, he needs to get another one.


Title: My birth certificate has my name as "John Jacob Smith". However, all my other legal documents until now have my name as "Jacob John Smith". What's the best way I can go about using the name on my birth certificate?

Question:
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA

For obvious reasons, I'm using a fake name. My birth certificate shows my actual name, the one I would rather be using.

When enrolling into school as a child, my parents always set it up so my name was "Jacob John Smith" rather than using what my birth certificate had. (I only found out my actual name was "John Jacob Smith" several years ago while moving out to living on my own and taking my birth certificate with me.)

So now, I'm in my late twenties and all my legal documents are in the name that I would prefer not to use. How can I go about changing this?

The reason why I want to change my name to whatever my birth certificate says is because my middle name, the one I have as my first, sounds racist if spoken phonetically in the English language. It's difficult to explain, since I don't want to give away my IRL name.

Answer:
 You would possibly need to petition the courts.

Is your SSN card matching your birth certificate or is it flipped? If it matches, the problem would be just contacting each issuing agency for new I'd based upon your birth certificate.

If it doesn't match your birth certificate, double check with the courts to see if your name was changed as a minor through the courts. The county clerk of courts is the best place to start after confirming which is legal name. Vital statistics might have records but since you have the birth Cert one way and other documents another, it's highly likely a new birth Cert was never obtained.


Title: I am being threatened to be taken to court for not paying the remainder of my rent as a subtenant. I did not sign any lease or agreement. Advice?

Question:
I received a text today from the lady who "subleased" her room to me in NYC for about a year. She's threatening to take me to court for not paying to remainder of my rent. (3 months = 4,200)

We did not sign anything whatsoever, we only agreed on terms over text (Rent amount, 12 months, etc).

I moved to Texas a couple months ago for a new job and couldn't afford to pay rent (with moving costs coming up) especially since we didn't pay a security deposit or what not.

Does she have a case in court against me? All advice appreciated!

Answer:
 Verbal agreements are enforceable. You can be sued for breaking your sublease. Your landlord can likely submit text messages as evidence to support the theory that you had a verbal lease.

Service of process may be a slight pain in the ass, but yes, you can be sued for this, and your former landlord would likely win. It's probably worth negotiating.


Title: Why won’t my apartment complex evict a roommate who has violated the lease multiple times despite me and my other roommate reporting it repeatedly? Can I terminate my lease without penalty?

Question:
State: North Carolina

I (23) am in a “student housing” off campus facility. The reason I say “student housing” is because they lease primarily to students but because of the poor reputation and distance to the university they rent to non-students as well (my roommates and I are all non-students).  All of these rooms have individual leases.

In early October M (35+?) as I’m going to call her, moved in with her 5 year old and her boyfriend. Which, even the boyfriend living there is not legal as his name is not on the lease. She has also started smoking in the apartment which is strictly prohibited in the lease. Also Because our apartment complex is still considered student housing children over the age of 2 are strictly prohibited from living there.

Immediately after moving in we started having issues with her.
Everytime a lease violation has happened it has been reported by me and my roommate, B (23), via email for documentation purposes:

-Back in early November M had CPS called on her because she left her child alone in the apartment for 48 hours locked in the bedroom. They showed up everyday for half a month before calling the police who showed up to do a welfare check mid November because she was purposely dodging CPS’s attempts to contact her about the child’s wellbeing.

-The smoking only recently started but it was reported by B and myself that M was smoking cigarettes in the apartment.
-The leasing office left a letter referencing the no smoking policy on the door, threatening fees if it happens again as it is a direct lease violation. Even though the warning was given, she still smoked in the apartment after the fact. We reported it again.
-B moved the letter to the stairs so M would see it. M wrote “fuck you” on the letter and left it posted on the stairs. We took pictures and sent it to the leasing office as well.

Everything M has done is a direct lease violation. I mean, it’s literally spelled out in the lease that these things are prohibited.

The leasing office is saying they are willing to move me and the other roommates out at no charge. However, I feel that is a huge inconvenience as were already settled in, on top of the additional moving fees such as renting a moving truck, that’s time off work that needs to be taken to move everything, and setting everything back up. So I told the manager in an email that I will not move unless they accommodate us by moving everything for us, setting it back up, pay for the moving trucks, and can guarantee we get parking spots in front of our apartment as we do now. Not to mention I am in the only side of the apartment complex that doesn’t have parties often or drug dealers next door.

The leasing office refuses to move M or evict her even though 3 people have been reporting these things multiple times and the police have shown up at our door more than once. They say that they are reaching out to attorneys but they’ve been saying that for 3 months now. So today included in the email I sent stating that I would not move unless those accommodations were met, I stated that I do not believe they are actually doing anything about the issues or reaching out to legal like they have been saying. Their excuse is that “it will take months to work through the ______ county court system”. And they keep saying they would be evicting without cause or proof.

Fed up, I asked if I could have my lease terminated which I was denied but offered to be moved again without the accommodations I requested. I want my lease terminated or that roommate out. I don’t know what to do now. Should I start trying to get pictures of the violations? Call the police anytime something small happens? I mean, I just want to get out of here but i feel stuck and I feel duped because this is not what I signed up for.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > The leasing office is saying they are willing to move me and the other roommates out at no charge.

I would take that deal. You can't force a landlord to enforce another person's lease. And evictions are expensive and can take months. If they are this bad now, imagine how bad they might be living there during the eviction process.

You can ask for moving fees. Is the complex in violation of *your* lease?


Title: I am a car salesmen and I am being docked $500 for a getting a survey below the region score.

Question: There is something called CSI, or customer service index. The region has an average score. If my individual score falls below the region. My dealership charges me $500 for having a bad survey, or having CSI below the region. In my case I have a 90 CSI and the region has a 96. It can happen every month. I am commission based, so if I make 400 on a deal and I get a bad survey than I lost 100 on that deal. Is this legal?

Answer:
 That means that every month half of the salesmen are paying a $500 fine.

Sounds like a scam for the business to pay less salaries.Answer #2: Car sales the only work place that you work 80+ hours a week and you owe them money.Answer #3: Yep, it's legal.  Happens in many dealerships, and is part of your written payplan.Answer #4: Yeah it has happened to me before I get these things called spins from selling a car and someone gave me an 8/10 and I lost 600$ on my spins for 3 months.


Title: (Tx) The secretary at my kids school keeps calling CPS on us claiming that we're starving them/not letting them wear sunscreen.

Question:
At my step-kids school there's a secretary that keeps calling CPS(she's even told us that it her). She claims that we're starving them because they're "too skinny". They're just not obese like a lot of the kids at the school, they are at a perfect weight. CPS even contacted their pediatrician to confirm it but every time she calls they investigate.

She's also started calling CPS saying that we don't allow they to wear sunscreen?! Because at "Sports Day" she didn't see ME put sunscreen on. Seriously..they were wearing sunscreen,I wasn't I'm from Natal I don't need it when Im just sitting under a tree.

Can we legally stop her?

Answer:
 You can complain to the principal and the school board that a school employee is harassing your family.Answer #2: eventually CPS will wisen up and realize that she's making phony calls/wasting their time.  but there's probably nothing you can do about it for now.  if cps decides to interview you or inspect the living conditions, treat it seriously.  Answer #3: Is Texas one of the state's where CPS has to investigate every call they get? I know that is how CPS works in some states, so they might not have a choice to investigate.Answer #4: It's annoying. I doubt you can bar her from contacting CPS.
 You can ask to file a complaint with CPS, but that won't go far. Respond to CPS, have the kids' doctor submit a letter to CPS, maybe she or her supervisor will wise up.

Be thankful that CPS is able to investigate cases that quickly and thoroughly. Plenty of times something is going on that is unreported and uninvestigated.Answer #5: I have no advice for you, OP, but if there is a resolution, I would love to see a follow-up.

Good luck!


Title: How to handle possession charges

Question:
Hi guys - burner account here. I got arrested last night for speeding, possession of less than a 1/2 ounce marajuana, possession of hallucinogenics (LSD) , and possession of a controlled substance (ritalin, ADHD medication). I'm looking for any advice at all as to how to proceed from here, do I get a public defender? Do I simply plead guilty? I'm a second year graduate student in a hard science and first time offender; the state is CT.

Any advice is super appreciated, thanks!

Answer:
 Don't plead guilty.

If you haven't already, shut up and stop talking to the police.

Get the best lawyer you can afford. If you can't afford one, ask the court for a public defender.

Listen to your attorney's advice and follow it.

Best of luck

Answer #2: I don't say this to scare you, I say it because it's true; this is a way bigger deal than you seem to think it is. You may at some point need to put your education on hold to afford a legal defense that allows you to eventually one day finish your education and be gainfully employed. You are facing years in prison. Do not plead guilty without the advice of an attorney, do not answer questions posed by the police or DA without the advice of an attorney, get an attorney *today.*


Title: (MO) Transfer of a gift from my parents has caused some problems.

Question:
I (25) am leaving the Midwest in about a week. I have an instrument that was a gift from my parents when I was younger (approx worth 2000?).

The instrument has always been mine to do with what I please. I've performed with it, taught lessons with it, there was never a question that it wasn't my instrument.

A good friend of mine lives 3 hours south. He asked if I was taking it with me when I moved and I said no, it was going back into storage for about a year or so. He asked if he could borrow it during that time and I let him take it this last weekend.

My parents were livid. All of a sudden it's not mine to do with what I want because it's not being used by me, then I find out my dad pretty much can't stand the friend I let borrow it and has been pretty upset with me since.

They've asked me to drive to retrieve it which would be about 5 hours round trip. The thing is, I don't want it back, I'd rather he just kept it, and I can't spend my own gas moneys to make a trip like that right now.

Legally speaking, who's right is this and what advice do you have about the situation.

Answer:
 > Legally speaking, who's right is this and what advice do you have about the situation.

Legally speaking it is yours to do with as you please.

That said, lending out a very expensive gift like that was bound to piss your parents off and you had to know that. So good job I guess.


Title: Is what I did illegal? (CA & NY)

Question:
Throwaway cause I don't want this tied to my regular account.

I made the mistake of lending my ex boyfriend a couple hundred dollars with the promise he would pay me back later that week.  He didn't pay me back for months.  We live across the country (I used to be out in LA) and don't really talk much.  I would text him once every 3-4 weeks for 3 months asking how he was doing and if he was able to send me a check.  He would always say yes but not until this weekend/I get my paycheck/etc all documented via text or Facebook.

After a few months of this, I snapped a little.  He said earlier in the week that he would send me something online on Friday.  I sent him 4 texts Friday (responding to his message that he will send the money and following up to make sure he had the correct info because I didn't see anything in my account.) I sent him 1 text Saturday and 2 on Sunday.  The one on Sunday said that I can see that he read the messages cause his read receipts were on and that I was thinking about involving my dad, who is a lawyer.

I got a super long message back full of excuses and insults but he ended by saying that if he involved my dad then my ex would make sure my dad saw the nude photos I sent my ex.

That got me really angry because I went out of my way to help him when I knew I would never see him again. So this is where I am worried, I took a screenshot of the threatening text and created a twitter account with that as the main photo.  I shared the screen shots of him promising to pay but the account was private so no one could see the posts.  I followed his company's Twitter account (they are a large amusement park in the LA area) and they sent a request to follow me back.  I never accepted it so they could never see the content of the account, just the profile photo.

I sent him a screenshot of the account and the follow request from his company.  He flipped out and said all sorts of mean things but he sent the total amount owed immediately. As soon as I accepted the payment, I deleted the account and blocked him on my phone and all my personal profiles.  The last text I got from him is that he was going to send me a restraining order.

Is what I did harassment or extortion like he claims?  I know it was a shitty thing to do but I was so mad and a couple glasses of wine deep.  I am embarrassed that I acted like that and would rather not involve my father.

Answer:
 I just got to say that I like your style. You have a future in debt collections.Answer #2: I doubt it will be pursued, however just for your own education:

California Penal Code 518

>518.  Extortion is the obtaining of property from another, with his
consent, or the obtaining of an official act of a public officer,
induced by a wrongful use of force or **fear**, or under color of
official right.

>519.  Fear, such as will constitute extortion, may be induced by a
threat of any of the following:
   1. To do an unlawful injury to the person or property of the
individual threatened or of a third person.
   2. To accuse the individual threatened, or a relative of his or
her, or a member of his or her family, of a crime.
   3. To expose, or to **impute to him**, her, or them a deformity,
**disgrace**, or crime.
   4. To **expose a secret** affecting him, her, or them.
   5. To report his, her, or their immigration status or suspected
immigration status.

If he paid you because he was embarrassed about the screen shots and felt threatened that you would release them if he didn't pay you, then you may have committed extortion.Answer #3: People throw around restraining order threats as though you can just hop into Walmart and grab one. He would have to go to a court and file for one, saying that you're just a danger to him (from across the country no less) that he needs it issued immediately. And even if he was granted a temporary order, you'd get a chance to go to court and he would have to prove why he needed it.


Title: [NJ] Are you required to pull over for unmarked non emergency vehicles with flashing lights?

Question:
Hi Guys,

So, a few hours ago when I was on my way home from work, a big unmarked pickup truck came up behind me and was riding my ass.

We were in a residential area, so the speed limit was like 35mph or something, I was probably going a little bit over that but apparently not fast enough for him.

After like 40 seconds of him being like 3 feet behind my car he started honking his horn like crazy and turned on these flashing blue lights. They weren't police lights, they were just blue. There was also no siren noise with them. I was confused for a while just kind of looking at it in my rear view until I just decided to pull over real quick and he passed me.

For the next like minute or so I was driving behind him(he didn't speed up after he passed me and I didn't notice the flashing lights anymore), he turned into a fire station.

So thats the backstory, my question is that ASSUMING there was some kind of emergency, and I didn't let him pass me would I have gotten in trouble? Am I legally obligated to just assume anyone with lights is a legitimate emergency vehicle and pull over for it?

Answer: You phone 911 and ask if it's a real officer. You do whatever they tell you too. I would not pull over in that scenario.


Title: NYC - If I do work on a website for somebody selling illegal products will I be complicit?

Question:
I'm a freelancer and I've just been approached by a client who sells products similar to Fake ID's. I'm pretty sure this illegal.

Will I be committing a crime if I fix their website?

Answer: [Yes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAp9sFVdERQ)Answer #2: Thanks everyone. I'm going to stay away.Answer #3: Yes. Answer #4: Yes. Don't do this. Don't advise this person. Don't talk to this person.


Title: How should the legal system deal with the issue of teen sexting?

Question:
This has been an issue for more than a decade ever since cell phones that can send and receive photos have been common. Many teenagers who have sent and received sexually explicit photographs of themselves have often been charged with child pronography. Many of them have had their lives ruined. In addition, there have been cases where such images ended up being spread across their schools and they not only faced Relentless harassment over it, they also ended their own lives. There's lots of debate over how to deal with the issue. Some people feel that charging teenagers who send and receive photos of that nature with creating and possessing and distributing child pronography is a misuse of those laws. And different jurisdictions have come up with different potential Solutions. New Mexico passed a law stating that minors could text each other without being charged with crimes as long as they don't share the photos with anybody else. And in some jurisdictions, prosecutors are able to use more discretion in dealing with these cases, and so there is a huge possibility that the teenagers involved will not be charged with child pronography, and may instead receive education or some other measure that won't result in them being stigmatized as a sex offender for the rest of their life.

Which Solutions do you think I the best? Should consensual sexting be legal between minors as long as they don't share the photos with anybody else? Should it remain illegal, but dealt with through non-punitive means, at the prosecutors discretion?

Answer:
 In my opinion:

* Laws should protect against "Revenge Porn" regardless of age. (Yes, this is difficult to define legally.)

* Taking sexual pictures of oneself should NEVER be a crime. (An exception to ALL laws on the production of child pornography.)

* In any case where the law permits individuals to have sex (above age of consent, romeo-and-juliette exceptions, and parties are competent to consent), the production of photo, audio, or video recordings should not be considered a violation of laws prohibiting the production of child pornography.


Title: My mom slipped in a supermarket and was injured. How to proceed? (Maryland)

Question:
Two days ago my mom was at a grocery store and slipped on a clear puddle of oil that was on the floor. Employees saw her fall, it was seen on camera, and she gave her info to the managers. She was hoping nothing was wrong and went to work as usual today, but ended up having her boss drive her to the hospital because her hands and neck were in pain.

My mom has RA but manages, and this fall seems to have made her take a turn for the worse. The hospital gave her a neck brace and braces for both hands, it may be a fracture. She's in a ton of pain right now.

My mom has a job where she needs both hands to work and her health insurance is pretty crappy. She hates the idea of going to a lawyer over this and so do I, but I'm thinking its something she needs to do, the store was at fault here. What are the steps to take from this point forward?

Answer: She doesn't need to speak with an attorney yet. She should address it with a store manager. They have insurance for this type of accident.Answer #2: Try to resolve with the store on your own first, if that fails, look to retain a personal injury attorney, most work on contingency (they take 1/4-1/2 of the settlement or judgment depending on how far along things go). That said, keep in mind that the simple fact that she slipped doesn't mean the store is actually liable. important questions to be answered include 1) how long was the oil on the floor 2) given the location/time was it reasonable for the store to have not located it? 3) if the store was aware had they taken steps to mitigate the risk? 4) since you are in MD, did your mom do anything that would make her even 1% at fault for her injury? If so she cannot recover due to Maryland's use of the doctrine of contributory negligence.


Title: [Michigan] - Landlord unlocked my room. Roommates trashed the room.

Question:
Hi, guys! I am a college student living in a house with 7 other people. We each have our own room with a lock on it. I wasn't living in the house from January to April because I had an internship in another city. I still paid rent for my room. I came back at the end of April and my door was open. One of my roommates asked the maintenance guy to unlock my room and he never locked it back up. I never gave anyone permission to unlock my room. I called the management company and there side of the story is that the guy did in fact unlock my door but that was only to turn a light off and then he locked it after. The company suggested that my roommates picked the lock. I know this isn't true. They have apologized for using my room while I wasn't there, but they insist management unlocked my door.

I feel violated! I need your help! What questions should I ask? I will continue to bug them until they right this wrong. What should I say to pressure them? What rights do I have?

Thanks for the help! Sorry for the typos, wrote this while on the go.

Answer:
 Damn, this sub is doing things to me. I saw the word "Land" and "Locked" in the title and got really excited.

As for advice, it sounds like your roommates caused the damage. I think it's on them more than anybody else's.


Title: Roommate's Father Threatened To Kill Me If I Didn't Give The 14% Larger Room To His Son

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You have to live with this guy for the duration of your lease. Think about that. Is the room really worth it?

If he made an actual threat feel free to file a police report, and next time don't have a "5 minute conversation" just walk away. Answer #2: When he said he would "flip" you for it, I'm sure he meant "flip a coin" for it, which is a very common expression.


Title: Property Management taking away driveway.

Question:
Lowell MA

We are students who have a lease on a 2 unit house with 2 driveways. Each unit has 5 cars, and they fit fine with 5 in each driveway. The property management company stopped by today and told us that the driveway on the other units side of the house (we split up driveways internally, both driveways are actually shared) is too close to the river, and they are being fined for cars parking there. They said all cars must be out of the driveway by 8am tomorrow and that they are going to rip up the driveway and replace it with grass. We have 10 cars, probably 8 of which are essential to have. We definitely cannot fit this many cars in one driveway. Our lease has been going on for 4 months without issue (except our microwave they provided sets off the breaker and they won’t do anything about it). The lease does not say we are entitled to driveways or anything like that. Do we have any legal course of action or are we screwed here? Is there any way we can make them pave additional space in other parts of the property?

Answer:
 I would say an attached driveway is a pretty essential feature of the house, and even if your lease doesn't expressly guarantee it, taking it away is giving you a worse unit than you signed up for and that could be seen as a breach of the lease contract.

Keep in mind that your landlords apparently have no choice in the matter, and paving over other land may not an option due to city codes. So you'll have to decide which outcome would be better: getting out of the lease so you can get a different unit, or getting a break on rent to compensate for the inconvenience or expense of parking elsewhere.Answer #2: If your lease does not expressly mention access to a driveway or parking accommodations, you will have to find other places to park your cars.


Title: I was banned from getting blocks for Grubhub

Question: I got an email saying I was accepting to much money in contribution and that I was delaying orders. My acceptance rate is 100% and I accepted and delivered every order that Grubhub gave me. I did 60 orders in 2 weeks which comes out to 120 delivers and I delivered every single order . Then I got an email saying that I was banned from getting blocks. This is not right. I did the right thing every time . There were a few times where Grubhub sent me multiple orders at once. I had 3 orders to do and I couldn’t do them all at once , it’s Impossible especially during rush hour . So I called customer to support to let them know to extend the times on the orders so the customers weren’t upset that I was going to be late because no one can deliver 3 orders at one time . Especially when every order is at a different restaurant and some in different towns . If they think that this is delaying orders than that’s just crazy . Also another time I had two orders at once. One from Denny’s and another from Buffalo Wild Wings . Both restaurants are really far from each other so I did the Denny’s one first. I brought it to a customer in a hotel . He called me a minute later saying he ordered a veggie burger and got a regular burger. So I called customer care and told them and they said I could bring back the wrong order and get the new one for the customer. By me doing this I was gojng to be late on the Buffalo Wild Wings order so I told them to extend the time on that as well . This isn’t my fault that I got multiple orders and grub hub thinks I can deliver them both at the same time . Another time I deliver food to people that live in bad areas of service and I can’t hit deliver when I get to their house. I still deliver the food and when I drive back to an area where I get service I call them and ask them to deliver the order on the app for me because the only way to do it is being at the place you drop the food and if you have bad reception the app won’t let you . This happens to me everyday and the past 2 weeks I have screenshots of every time I lost signal and the app messed up because of this. I’m not doing it intentionally. I’m doing the right thing by calling Grubhub and explaining this to them. So I got an email saying I am being banned from getting blocks even though I accepted 100% or orders and delivered all the food . I was wondering if it’s legal for them to do this to me . Punishing me for no reason .

Answer: You’re an independent contractor, and they terminated your contract. Take it up with them. Otherwise, there is no legal issue here.


Title: What is considered plagiarizing?

Question: If I were to make a book that is a compilation of excerpts of stories I find online and credit all the original writers of the stories, would it be illegal to profit off of my book if I did not get any authorization from the original authors? I'm not talking about authors of books like for example. Let's say I make the book title "Best of Reddit Stories" and find stories people post on reddit and compile them. Would it be illegal to sell this book for profit even if I credit the original authors of the stories without asking them?

Answer: It would be copyright infringement regardless of whether or not it was for profit.


Title: Completed lease with apartment complex and now they say I owe them money only because my 60 day notice was late

Question:
I lived in an apartment complex in Asheville, NC for 3 years during school. During that time, I paid all of my bills on time and never had any issues. My end of lease walk through inspection had no issues. I remember when I moved in that they required a 60-day notice when I planned on moving out. My lease ended May 31st, but I was in DC with a school related conference April 1st.  I had an alarm in my phone to provide this 60-day notice. Since I was out of town, I called to give them a verbal notice and they said it had to be a written notice. I get home and go to give my 60-day written notice first thing the next morning, which happened to be April 6. They said that it had to be a full 60 days, so now I have to pay rent until June 6. I told them I would not be doing that and they told me they would keep my $99 security deposit. Now, they have sent me a bill for $65.00 saying that my security deposit wasn’t enough to cover what I owed them and if left unpaid will be sent to collections. They also included a water bill that I supposedly didn’t pay in that bill. I have my online bank statement proving I did pay that water bill and that they cashed it. Their argument is that they included in the lease that I signed 3 years ago that they require a 60-day written notice. I know this is only 65$, but I am so tired of apartment complexes swindling people out of money. As a tenant, I never gave them any problems and took care of the apartment. All because of the 60-day written notice they get to charge me for more money. I did a little searching on my own (aka google), and I read that in order to keep my security deposit they have to sue me for it. I also read that in North Carolina, legally a 15-day notice is required. I understand that the 60-day written notice was in the lease, but I’m so angry that I’m tempted to let it go to collections and to small claims court if need be. I have a credit score of 738, but I am prepared to take a hit and recover it later. As someone who has no legal experience, I wanted some advice of the pros and cons to this situation. Thank you in advance for any and all help.

Edit: Thanks for everyones advice. I understand it is a petty $65 that could potentially come back to haunt me on my credit. I'm just angry that they always find something to charge their tenants for. I'll pay it, leave a negative review warning future tenants, and move forward. Thanks again.

Answer:
 Sorry to pile on, but you're not going to prevail and whatever pride you might feel you're salvaging by not paying it will hurt you in the long run.

You signed a lease.  That lease said 60 days.  You were the one a fault because you didn't give written notice until April 6.  The fact you were out of town is irrelevant to the complex.  You knew you were going to be out of town on the 1st, right?  So, if this was so important to you, why didn't you put in your notice before you left that you'd be out on the 31st?

If you want to dispute the water bill, and you have proof you paid it, address that issue, because it's legitimate.  But you're on the hook for the rent.  Letting that small amount go to collections will add blemishes to your credit score, your credit history, and your rental history.  The complex will get their money.  And you'll eventually have to pay it.  You'll only be hurting yourself.  Don't let your ego screw over your future self.


Title: (CA) Do nonresident aliens get added to the no-fly list if they take a college cryptography course?

Answer: The criteria for being placed in the no-fly list is classified.  There is not a published list of prohibited activities.


Title: Next door Halloween party is blocking the road

Question:
In Connecticut

Our neighbors across the street are currently having a party and parked their cars on the road. No big deal because cars still have plenty of room to pass. However, just now, a SUV has parked on our side of the street, with a good half of their car on the lawn. Cars can hardly drive though and one was nearly stuck. We've already tried asking, but no one came out to move their car. Is there anything else we can do right now? This would definitely be a problem if a fire truck or ambulance couldn't get though.

Answer: Call the cops.


Title: Coworker stole my wallet

Question: [SC] A week ago I noticed my wallet was missing from my purse at work. A certain coworker was there for only a few minutes that same day but because she arrived late, as she did almost every single day, our boss sent her home and gave her the whole week off as punishment. Tonight, I received a call from her mother (who she lives with) telling me that she found my license, credit card, and insurance card in her daughters room. I went and retrieved them, but my actual wallet as well as all my other cards and a large amount of cash are still missing (I’m a restaurant server so cash tips are practically my only source of income). I contacted my boss and she has already been fired, and I’m planning on filing a police report against her tomorrow. I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before and I would just really appreciate some advice about what I should do/expect.

Answer: You're doing what you need to be doing. Cancel all the cards. Don't carry around so much cash.


Title: Is it legal for a teacher to impose partisan beliefs unto students in an indoctrinating-type fashion?

Question:
I believe that one of my teachers is knowingly and deliberately exposing students to beliefs of partisan nature in a biased fashion. These concepts are often taught as fact, and if I disagree with them openly, I am usually shamed through condescending “correction”.

Assuming that she is actually imposing partisan beliefs on my class in a biased manner, is it illegal?

The reason I would question it’s legality is because she is a servant of the state, employed by the government and in a position of influential power.

Is there any law against this or is this allowed?

This is in Michigan.

Edit: I would like to quickly clarify that it is not just because the teacher is of different political belief than me, it is because its of partisan nature and is being taught as fact, not opinion. It is not because the thing being taught is inherently partisan that I think it is wrong, it is because it is partisan *and* being taught as epistemologically true and morally and ethically correct.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 You're going to need to be much more specific to get a useful answer.Answer #2: Here's the basic high-level problem with your approach: You're suggesting that the government should have the authority to decide what is true and what is false, i.e., by legislating what can or cannot be taught in school.

Surely you can see the danger in that.Answer #3: There are no laws that prohibit teachers from teaching political opinions to students.Answer #4: Can you give an example? Like are you objecting to science teaching (e.g. evolution) or are you objecting to a religious teaching (e.g. creationism) or more political (e.g. Obama is a secret Muslim)?Answer #5: Solid maybe.

There are things like separation of church and state that mean she can't force her religion on you, but things you just disagree about are probably not a problem. Answer #6: Generally speaking your best option is to have your parents complain to the administration with specific examples and ask them to present multiple sides of the arguement.


Title: She is trying to ruin my life. PA

Question:
I saw this girl as FWB for maybe a year. She got pregnant and I kinda strongly suggested she get an abortion. She did.
I immediately dumped her.

She then went insane by calling me and trying to see me all the time. She once showed up at my workplace ( a bookstore) and said she needed someone to talk to about the abortion.

I noped out and called the police. They didn't do anything other than ask her to leave. She called my manager and complained because she said she had wanted to buy these books and I was refusing to serve her.

The girl is only crazy in person. She doesn't say anything crazy in text or phone calls or email.

Last week I got pulled over in a traffic stop. I got a DUI and possession of meth. It was in my car. I don't do meth. And I have no idea how it got in the car but she must have put it in there last time she was in it.

She told me once that (in person of course) that I'd pay one day for coercing her into an abortion. She says I forced her and got an abortion by fraud but I only promised to stay with her if she did. Lying to your FWB isn't illegal.

As soon as I got out of jail I got notified that she filed a restraining order against me because I apparently hit her when I came over to get my things two weeks ago. She said she was  scared for her life because she had a few text messages where I joked about killing her if she didn't get an abortion.

This girl is insane in person but not on paper so I have no proof that she did anything crazy but I did not hit her and I didn't put meth in my own car. I know she did it.

My lawyer isn't really listening to me about get putting meth in my car and she playing up this battered and lied to victim thing.

What are my options? How much can she screw me over?

Answer:
>Last week I got pulled over in a traffic stop. I got a DUI and possession of meth. It was in my car. I don't do meth. And I have no idea how it got in the car but she must have put it in there last time she was in it.

Crafty little winch, she must have cleverly hidden the drugs in your body too.


Title: Can employers terminate you for talking to your coworkers about your pay? [KY]

Question:
I started a new job today and it was clearly said that if we are found to be talking about our compensation with other coworkers we would be terminated.

I'm not going to sue anyone or do anything drastic but that didn't really sit right with me. At my last job I found out when I had been there 1.5 years that someone who was hired recently was being paid $2 more an hour than me (with I'm pretty sure less experience but I don't know for sure) and that felt really bad and was part of the reason I left.

I just really want to know if this is a thing they can enforce because if they can I might start looking for something else. I'm already taking a pay cut and the conditions for higher pay I already fulfill (experience, daytime vs nighttime pay), and if they're this tight on what they pay I do not see many raises in my future here.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Provided you’re not management, the NLRA specifically protects your job for discussing wages. Answer #2: talking about your pay is one of the few things that you actually cannot be fired for in the united states. however, there are exceptions, mainly related to being a manager or someone who handles payroll.

istr that the policy itself, even if not enforced, may be illegal, but i can't find anything proving that so don't rely on it.


Title: My first speeding ticket is reckless driving in Virginia

Question:
I'm 21 years old and I've never gotten a ticket or even pulled over in my 4 short years of driving. However, I was just pulled over and ticketed in Virginia for reckless driving. I was going 78/55 on the interstate. I was speeding to get ahead of traffic so that I could get over. I'm freaking out because I don't have a fine, I was straight up given a court date. After reading up online I think I'm screwed?!? What should I do? Hire a lawyer? Fight it myself? I can't go to jail.

EDIT: My driving record is clean as a whistle.

TLDR: Got a ticket in Virginia, how fucked am I?

Answer: It's not a speeding ticket. It's a criminal charge and you could end up with a criminal record. You need an attorney. Answer #2: You wont be going to jail, at least it's very unlikely.  This is a misdemeanor though and is very different than your average speeding citation.  You'll need a lawyer.  VA doesn't mess around when it comes to speeding.


Title: [USA-CA] Drunk driver hit my parked car last night.

Question:
My neighbor had two people (guy and girl) over yesterday. They were drinking all day and getting in to fights. I called the landlord to complain about the noise. He took care of it and they dispersed for sometime. They came back again and continued drinking and fighting.

The girl got into her car to go buy cigarettes. She came back and drove through a fence, ran over her boyfriend, and crashed into my parked car. I was in bed when all this happened.

My dad tells me I should get a lawyer and sue the driver, but I don't know what to do. I've never been in an accident before or had anything like this happen.

Answer: Did they hit and run? If so, first step is file a police report. You should then let your insurance company know and they will get in touch with the drunk's.


Title: Learned one of my employees is a sex offender after he was hired, now I'm not sure what to do.

Question:
This is in coastal South Carolina, Beaufort area. I manage a kitchen at a local business. Background checks aren't typical in this industry, simply because most of us wouldn't have a staff if we didn't hire felons. The employee is still within his 90 day probationary period, and after overhearing a rumor of his past in the kitchen, I looked into the claims.

He is a registered sex offender, his charge is soliciting a minor. He did not disclose this to me when he was hired, and didn't indicate on his application that he was a felon. We are a family friendly restaurant, and there is no separate kitchen entrance/exit. We have teenagers that are employed as food runners, so they work in and out of the kitchen as well. The GM does not want him employed there anymore, and he's not particularly an employee I'm dying to keep on, based simply on performance.

I quashed the conversation with the employees who were discussing it, but I am concerned about him working around teenagers. If I let him go before his probationary period is up, do I have to give a reason, and am I opening myself up for a discrimination lawsuit here? Was he required to disclose when I hired him, so I could make considerations for the situation? As a felon, can he work shifts with other felons?

I just moved to this state and want to make sure I'm in the right, I've reached out to an employment attorney just to cover myself but I won't hear from him until next week and would like some advice heading into the week, if at all possible. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 “Sorry, Jim, it’s just not working out. Here’s your final paycheck, you’ve been taken off the schedule. Best of luck.”Answer #2: You wouldn't have to give a reason before or after the probationary period. It's perfectly legal to fire him for being a sex offender.Answer #3: > He did not disclose this to me when he was hired, and didn't indicate on his application that he was a felon.

Did you *ask* if he was a felon?  Did he lie on his application or did he simply not volunteer this information?

Is he in violation of the terms of his registry in any way?  Is he still on probation?Answer #4: South Carolina doesn't limit use of criminal records for employment decisions. Federal law prohibits excluding everyone with a criminal record because that would disproportionately affect certain races and could be considered racial discrimination. What you can do here is give him a chance to explain the circumstances behind the conviction; you'd then have to consider the info he provided, the nature of the conviction, the nature of the job, and when the conviction took place to determine whether he should in fact be fired. Once you've done that, you can fire him for lying on his application by not disclosing the conviction.

Or you can avoid all of that and just fire him for poor performance during his probationary period, which looks like an easier path to take.

*I am not a lawyer*


Title: My grandmother surrendered 54 guinea pigs to a rescue. The rescue is now demanding money for vet bills. [Australia]

Question: Recently we tackled the enormous job of cleaning out about 25-30 cages which contained a total of 54 guinea pigs. These guinea pigs were all in very good health. The cages however were filthy due to my grandmothers worsening arthritis and asthma. All 54 guinea pigs were then surrendered to a specialty rescue run by a woman and her husband as my grandmother is in very poor health and unable to keep up with the cleaning. The woman from the rescue has now been harrassing my grandmother for money. She has sent text messages and emails asking for a payment of $1,456 AUD for the veterinary bills. And again for $650 AUD. She has also opened a money dispute case that my grandmother has to attend. The woman has also entered the property without permission and taken food supplies and wooden cages which she did not have permission to take. I believe that when you surrender an animal to a rescue, that you relinquish all rights to them which also includes vet costs? Thank you for any advice.

Answer:
 You might want to check out /r/AusLegal

On a side note, if you donated all the guinea pigs (and I'm assuming no other small rodent pets are around) why not offer the cages and food supplies to go with them?Answer #2: Was there anything put in writing on either side when the guinea pigs were surrendered? Or was it all handled verbally?Answer #3: Not typically, granted I know nothing about AUS. But what would they do if it was a random drop off abandonment? No one to go after then. Lol


Title: [IL] Asked to resign due to surgery during my probation period ADVICE

Question: I currently work for a retail store in Chicago. My first day was June 10 2019. I am 19 and have a herniated disk in my back. My flares have been so bad that I am having a sudden microdiskectomy surgery. My general manager told me today that “I will most likely be asked to resign because my recovery period will be 2 weeks and they will not award me that time off”. I was told I could reapply and possibly be rehired. This is not a guarantee. My family’s advice is to NOT voluntarily resign. My coworkers and bosses advice differs, saying I SHOULD voluntarily resign. Is this discrimination due to disability? Do I have any rights to keep this position regardless of the fact that I am within my first 90 day period? Essentially, I need general advice on how to handle this in the most effective way to keep my job. I’m not familiar with what my rights are.

Answer:
 You're within your probation period.  You're employed in IL, which is an 'at will' state.

You should have no expectation that you'll keep your employment due to needing time off for surgery.  You will not reap any rewards by staying on until you're terminated, but most certainly will get a 'do not rehire' put on your file.

On the flipside, if you're a good employee and your absence will be 2 weeks it's unfortunate they won't hold your spot.  However, although recovery will be 2 weeks undoubtedly there will be some medical restrictions like not being able to lift anything, needing more frequent breaks/need to sit down frequently etc.

&#x200B;

You're in a very unfortunate spot.  Resigning does limit your ability to come back on them, but realistically you have ZERO grounds for any legal action.  You're not being discriminated against, and you've not even completed your probationary period.

&#x200B;

IANAL so an employment attorney may have a different legal opinion.


Title: Wanted in another country for a serious crime, American LE are trying to make a deal with me

Question:
I don't want to say too much but I committed a very serious crime in an very much allied country, I am from that country as well.  American LE knows my contact info however it very encrypted so I cannot be traced. They are trying to work out a deal with me to potentially work with them to catch other criminal and stop attacks on Amercian soil. We talked about my backround and my skills and they agreed I maybe of help, and since I did not commit the crime in USA they might not send me back if I help them. The only issue is if I don't help them I don't know what they might do so I made sure they included that in our agreement that they will not send me back regardless of how our meeting will go. They send me the agreement however, we must meet first then the signatures will be signed. I wanted them to sign it before we meet but they tell me we need to do it in person. Could this potentially be a trap?

Here is the last email I got, the context is I asked them to sign it before we meet and they said its better we meet.

"I have made the necessary amendments to the agreement regarding your name.  I have taken your concerns to our Legal Compliance Regulation Branch, who have expressed concern about signing the agreement in advance, stating that all agreements should be signed by all parties in person, to verify identities, witness signatures and authenticate the agreement.

We understand your concern, but feel your interests are better suited and protected, as are ours, with an original agreement, signed by all parties present.  I assure you, nothing on the agreement you hold now will be changed, modified or amended prior to witnessing your signature and you witnessing ours, unless requested by you.

You are aware of our stance; we are interested in gathering intelligence, regardless of the source or venue its coming from.  Outside factors such as yours do not play a role or dictate how we obtain intelligence.

We would prefer to have all parties sign together to avoid any alterations to said document, at a location of your choosing.

Please let us know your thoughts. "

Answer:
 >Could this potentially be a trap?

Ever hear the story about the sheriff that sent free tickets to a ball game to a bunch of folks with outstanding warrants and then arrested them as they showed up at the ball park?

You need a lawyer to negotiate on your behalf. Hire one tomorrow.Answer #2: This is **definitely** outside of "ask strangers on the internet for advice" territory.

If you don't want to be screwed, you need to hire a criminal defense attorney.


Title: I found money in my parent's name on the unclaimed money site. Parents are deceased. Can I claim the money, and if so is it just divided equally among the children?

Question: (NJ) As I said, parents are deceased and I found money in their names. What do I need to go about claiming the money and dividing it up amongst the children? There were no wills.

Answer: Depending on the amount, you may or may have to open probate.  New Jersey (like most states) has a "small estate" process.  You can claim property you're entitled to without going to court, as long as it's under the small estate limit, which looks like it's $50k in NJ.  If you have siblings, you'll probably split with them equally.  If it's over the small estate amount you'll have to open probate, and hiring an attorney would be wise.  They usually don't get paid until probate closes.Answer #2: Your state comptroller’s web page should have all the info you need to collect the money. I’m in NY, and it listed all the documents.


Title: My wife's cousin is suing her. If I can't prove my wife was mentally ill at the time will it dismiss the lawsuit?

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice,

I'm posting this using a throwaway account because some of my wife's family might connect me to my real reddit account, and I want to have this all figured out without them knowing. My wife's cousin and his fiancée are suing my wife for a bunch of stuff including emotional damages and say they have called the police on her for theft and fraud.

My wife was a wedding planner before we got married, and she continued to do it part time once she got pregnant and our son was born. When her cousin got engaged she offered to be their wedding planner. They agreed. The wedding was supposed to be on September 26th. Except that my wife (for reasons I’ll explain in a moment) didn’t actually plan or book anything. They had the rings, her cousin’s fiancée had her dress, the wedding party had clothes and the invitations were sent out. Beyond that nothing was done even though my wife had shown them venues and they had visited vendors and stuff. Basically my wife told them she was booking things and took their money but didn’t book anything. She came clean the day of the wedding when the hairdresser and makeup artist didn’t show up. There was no venue, official to marry them, caterer, flowers, honeymoon or hotel rooms for the family who came out of town and were going to spend the night. My cousin and his wife to be were both transitioning out of military life and going back and forth and wife had told them she would take care of booking everything and showed them old receipts from her old clients. Her cousin's fiancée's grandfather was ill and he came for the wedding, but passed away a few days and I think his fiancée's grief has made her irrationally mad at my wife over it because he wasn't able to see her get married.

I am not excusing what my wife did but she was very depressed at this time because our son had lost interested in breastfeeding and she had to give him formula so he wouldn’t starve. Breastfeeding was very important to my wife, she had wanted to breastfeed for a couple of years at least and she was devastated when he stopped. She tried everything she could but we had to turn to formula because he was losing weight. This made my wife distraught because formula is inferior to breast milk and she felt like she failed.

I believe my wife’s depression from this makes her mentally ill and therefore unable to be sued. My wife put the cash for vendors and stuff in the bank and the rest which was her payment spent by me unknowingly on bills and stuff. I have told her cousin and his wife we will pay them back all the money we have and the rest over time and I’ll make sure they get a wedding. I have also tried to explain that my wife was mentally ill. They are furious which is understandable but they don’t care about my wife’s health and well being at all. The rest of my wife’s family including her parents have sided against my wife and my wife feels isolated now, which is not good for her at all. She swears she was going to book things but it just got out of control and she was numb to everything.

If I can show that my was mentally ill, or pay everything back and make sure they get a wedding, I am hoping it is enough to get the lawsuit dismissed. They won't talk to us (except through their lawyer) or accept my offer of repayment of what we have and the rest over time and a wedding, in exchange for the lawsuit and any criminal charges being dropped. I hope the court will force them to. My wife doesn’t need any more stress. No one is thinking of her and her well being. I don’t have a legal background and would like to know what I have to do in order to have this suit thrown out and the criminal charges if there are any dropped. I can barely afford a lawyer and would like to do this without one if possible. This happened in New York City. Thank-you in advance!

**Edited to add a tl;dr:** My wife is a wedding planner who offered to plan her cousin's wedding. She showed them venues and took them to vendors and they gave her money and paid her for services but she never booked anything. She confessed on the morning of the wedding. It wasn't her fault, she was depressed because our son stopped breastfeeding. She was mentally ill. Her cousin and his fiancée are suing for emotional damages and a bunch of stuff and are going to the police for fraud and theft.

Answer:
 I'm sorry depression does not mean you are legally insane and can't enter contracts or lie to people about your wedding planning. Your wife is on the hook for everything if that is what the court decides. Answer #2: >I believe my wife’s depression from this makes her mentally ill and therefore unable to be sued.

Mental illness is generally not a defense in tort, and nothing in your account suggests that this case would be an exception. Simple depression doesn't render someone legally incapable of entering into contracts. Answer #3: She must have known she was doing the wrong thing - why show them old receipts to mislead them?Answer #4: If you can get them to settle for payments over time (GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING), yes they would dismiss the lawsuit. Otherwise

>If I can show that my wife was mentally ill

No. Being depressed does not mean she gets out of contracts she agreed to.


Title: Being sued by former employee CA

Question:
Hi Reddit,
I am posting this on behalf of my parents (dad/step mom).

My parents own a small business.  They are very, very well known in their industry.  The way it is structured is that they have had a few big clients for like 20+ years.  Last year, they decided to branch out and start trying to attract newer/smaller clients.

Because they basically worked with the same people for a long period of time, they didn't really have stuff like a proper website, business cards, logos, advertisements, things like that.  They have letter head for legal reasons but it is literally something my dad designed in 1992, and looks it.

They hired a friend of my older step sister (25/F) as an intern, to do design work.  I'll just call him Freddy the Friend (24/M).  There was no pay, because this was an internship.  The work was litterally only the fun designing parts, like drawing the logo, doing up the website, etc.  Freddy got lots of attention and I know for a fact that he made many contacts from my parents network.  The no pay was in a contract that was written and the contract had a arbitration clause.

Now, my parents are getting even more well known in their field, and getting attention from my hometown media etc.  They last week got a letter from an attorney saying that Freddy was going to sue them for unpaid wages.

1) Can Freddy sue them?  I think it will get tossed out of court because after all he did agree that it was an internship...

2) can my parents enforce the arbitration caluse to stop him from speaking to an attorney?  They did not want lawyers involved and that's why the arbitration clause is in there.

Answer:
 Freddy can sue them.  He wasn't an intern, he was an employee with no pay and that's a no-no.  Internships are supposed to be learning experiences, not free labor.

Assuming the internship agreement isn't void as against public policy, your parents may be able to enforce the arbitration agreement.  Arbitration is merely an alternative to courtroom litigation.  It does not, and cannot, prevent a party from consulting with or using a lawyer.


Title: I was 16 when my mom naturalized, was told by USCIS representative that my sister and I were automatically citizens. Got hired for a job at Wendys but got an error saying they couldnt put me on payroll because I wasnt a citizen

Question:
So what do I do? I have a permanent resident card, but I thought I didnt need it anymore because I was a citizen. Basically, I called the Social Security Administration, they said I wasn't a citizen, and if I wanted to fix that, I had to bring proof of citizenship. I have no proof of citizenship, other than some Korean documents saying my birthday and my moms naturalization certificate. My mom said her lawyer also said that my sister and I would get citizenship when she got hers, but obviously either she fucked up, or the US Gov. did. Could I get some advice on what to do?

Im 18 right now, and my mom is lookg for some spare money to hire a lawyer for the next step, but the whole reason I got a job at Wendys was to help her with the rent and bills and things

I am in Virginia, US.

Answer: If you were living in the US under the sole custody of your mother and all the other conditions [listed here](http://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartH-Chapter4.html) were met, you should have been granted your citizenship automatically. But now that you need to prove your status, you're going to have to bite the bullet and get your N-600 or passport, which is going to involve the steps listed on that page; along with a personal appearance and interview by your mom.


Title: Lent $8000 to a friend (NYC)

Question:
I helped a friend out over the course of 2 years, helping him with rent and other miscellaneous expenses while he was jobless. The money was usually given in cash, but at times he has used my credit card to make purchases. Some of the loan was also online transfers, cashiers check (made payable to his landlord) etc. The total amount owed is about $8000.

In April we had a falling out over an issue which in my opinion was an overreaction from his side. Since then, I have tried to contact him multiple times but there has been no contact from his side. He was a few months behind on his rent at the time and has probably been evicted by now, though I don't know for sure. His phone rings a few times and goes to voicemail.

What are my options? Even if he does not have the money, I would accept a payment plan. He also has several high value items which I would accept at this point. Some of these items were purchased by money that I had given him. In March, I gave him my credit card (willingly) to go purchase a $1200 laptop. Can the credit card company help me in this regard? I am an idiot of the highest order, I know.

Answer: Gather your evidence and take him to small claims court.  But even if you win, it doesn't guarantee you'll get paid.


Title: Job wants SO to sign something saying he quit

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Creating a new position that they don't need to fill isn't a reasonable accommodation.

If he is refusing to work, then he quit.

EDIT: But he doesn't need to sign anything.


Title: [NE] First offense, shoplifting

Question:
Hey there, Reddit.

Me and my girlfriend (both in our 20's) are down on our luck financially and got caught shoplifting from Wal-Mart. It was about $25 in items, mostly very essential ones: Shampoo, fish food, crafting supplies (tubes of paint), but stealing is no excuse and we are fully aware of our actions.

Our location is Buffalo county in the state of Nebraska.

After paying for a few things at the front of the store (since we didn't want to take everything), we proceeded to leave but were suddenly told that we had items unpaid for on our person. (In my fiancée's purse)

We were brought to the back of the store and had our pictures taken. I have Asperger's coupled with severe anxiety and started shaking and eventually crying. My girlfriend who knows of my disability spoke on my behalf and she was very polite, clear, and concise. (Even diffused the situation with small humor, her unintentional defense mechanism. I've never heard a policeman snicker before.) We were ticketed by police and given a court date for a month later in court.

We cannot afford a lawyer so the morning after the incident, we went to the courthouse in town and picked up an Affidavit form for the both of us. We're not married and can't be due to the state's law, so we both filled a separate form, listing us as single and our assets and whatnot.

Before we turn in the Affidavits (most likely tomorrow), we want to know if that is a good thing to do and what other steps we can take.

What should we expect and what should we do? We really want to talk to an attorney and find out what we could be facing. We both make far less than 1k a month and can't afford much once our rent and bills for the month are taken care of.

This is all just overwhelming and we have no clue of what to do.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Fish food and crafting supplies are about as far from essential as you can get.

Filling out the affidavits is a good start.  When you go to court, request a public defender.  Many courts (but not all) have diversion programs for first time offenders.  Hopefully yours do.


Title: Mangled by an Unattended Chairlift

Question: So last Sunday I went skiing at a local resort. I've been skiing forever and have never seen anything like what happened to me that day. I was unloading from the lift at the top of the mountain when the strap on the back of my boot (the one you'd hold to carry your boots) got stuck on a rivet under the seat. I ended up getting dragged along by my ankle, screaming for help the entire time, until I was hanging by my ankle. For whatever reason, the lift operator didn't see me or hear me until I was about to go back down the mountain. Terrifying. Once the lift stopped I was immediately transported down the mountain and to the ER where I was treated for injuries to my foot, ankle, tibia, and hip. I am now unable to walk without crutches and unable to work (I'm a nanny). - what do I do? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Answer:
 You can talk to a personal injury attorney if you wish, but this might be the kind of accident that is inherent to the sport.

Be very wary of any attorney who wants you to see a chiropractor or to send you to a specific doctor for treatment.Answer #2: Check and see if they have the ski resort immunity law.  Most resorts do, and they are not responsible for injury.


Title: (Arkansas) My friend from Argentina was pulled over for light out, was given a ticket for no driver's license and had to pay before he could leave

Question: So my company has many people from South America come visit to check out our plants.  One of them was driving and got pulled over for a light out.  He had his driver's license from Argentina on him which should have been enough because he is on a tourist visa.  The police still wrote him a ticket for No Driver's License and told him he had to pay the fine (over $600!!!) before he could leave.  We had someone meet him at the court house and the police followed them to the ATM.  They gave him a receipt.  Is this legal?  It seems really sketchy

Answer: I can't even in good conscious imagine how in ANY sense this would be legal. You need to go to the police department and speak with that officer's commanding officer *immediately*.Answer #2: Wow. Um. I'd be calling that police department and filing a complaint.


Title: I lost Samsung Galaxy buds in my school can i sue them?

Question: My school has rule that all electric and personal things go in a box during PE. i put my buds in at the start and at the end the box was at the changing room where someone stole them i followed the eules to prevent this and it happened can i sue to pay dor new ones?

Answer: No, you cannot sue your school because you lost your headphones. Don't bring them to school and they won't get lost.Answer #2: Most schools probably have a rule where "Your property on school grounds isn't our responsibility, it is yours." If they don't have a rule like that, maybe you could file a complaint to the school. If they do, then you're probably stuck buying new ones.


Title: The police force asked me if I wanted to do a withdrawal of an action, but my lawer said I shouldn't. I don't know what to do.

Question: First of all I ask your pardon if I make some mistakes, I'm not an english speaker. I live in Italy, and here laws always confuse me, but this time I'm involved. So months ago (December 2017) I decided to go out to buy some presents for Christmas, I was on my bicycle because it was a relatively  sunny evening. I was close to the store, on thecrosswalk on my bicycle (I'm stupid I know) when at some point a car rushes from a roundabout and almost kills me. I hit my head againts the windshield and faint at the impact. As soon as I wake up I notice that my leg is broken, literally bent from the knee. The guy who was driving get down the car and askes me if I'm ok ( dude, really? What the f\*\*k the street was covered in blood). By the way I notice that he's not a native speaker, and only after I found out that he is the president of an embassy european country here in Italy. So since he is a politician all the lawyers I asked declined my case. At the end one accepts to take my case. Everything was going as standard, but yesterday the police force asked if I wanted to do a withdrawal of the action, so I refused to give an answer since I wanted to ask my lawyer first. The problem is that she says that if I take the lawsuit back I will not get any repayment for the damages (I'm taking about thousands of dollars at hospitas). So she agrees to continue with the lawsuit, but I don't trust her because she has already received money from the insurance for this case, so maybe she wants to keep on going just to earn more money. I feel that is something wrong here and I don't know what I should do.

Answer: You should listen to your attorney. Did they take you case with the agreement that they would not be paid until the lawsuit is finished?


Title: I found an abandoned RV not on my property or the owners property, and I want to get its title.

Question:
(First post on reddit, typing on mobile too so give me a little break here).

About a year ago, I was walking with a friend of mine and I found an abandoned RV that was parked next to a cell tower. I assume it’s abandoned because all of the tires are flat, there is a lot of rust on the outside, and it was parked pretty far off the road. (I also looked at old google map images from 2016 and it was still there). I spent a lot of time trying to look up vehicle abandonment laws in my state (Missouri), but I could only find stuff about RVs parked on a landowners property and how to get it towed, which isn’t my problem.

It’s parked next to a cell tower although I don’t know which company owns the tower. It has power via a cable that comes out from the side of it that connects to an outlet right next to the tower, which might explain why it’s parked there? I’ve shown a couple friends this thing and we decided that we wanted to buy it off of whoever owns it and get the title to it. We have the owners contact info but we don’t know how to approach this, or if we even should. Was looking for some help with this and thought this would be a good place.

Answer:
 Probably a meth lab.Answer #2: >We have the owners contact info but we don’t know how to approach this,

You are overthinking this. Use the contact information to contact the owner and ask if they want to sell.


Title: (FL) My school principal is demanding that everyone donate money or "face the consequences"(detention,suspension and expulsion).

Question:
My public high school got a new principal this year. She's demanding that every student donate to her charity of choice, she has some of the people from the front office to around to the class rooms and collect from people once a day. She started last week for Thanksgiving donations and she plans for it to go on until New Years for Christmas/Holiday donations.

She wants at least a dollar a day and the people that she has collect it try and badger everyone to give more since her goal is $5 a day each.

My family can't afford it, I've been using some money I had leftover from my birthday to pay but on Friday I ran out and I was given warning that if I do that again I'll be given detention and if it continues from there I'll be suspended or possibly expelled.

I told my mom on Friday and she spoke to the principal. When my mom told her that it's ridiculous and threatened to call the school board the principal told her that it's completely legal and the school district encourages it and even rewards schools with the most donations.

Is that true? If I get suspended or expelled that'll effect my college chances but my parents can't afford to give me that money every day. My mom said she'll call the school board on Monday but will they actually do anything?

Answer:
 That's called extortion and no, she can't legally follow through with that. If the school board doesn't act, call the police. That is illegal.Answer #2: What is the over/under that the principal is donating this money under her name for the tax deduction? Answer #3: "That's a nice permanent record ya got there. Be a shame if somethin' bad were to happen to it."

You principal is operating a Mafia-style organized protection/extortion racket in you school. Nice. Call the School Board and if they don't do anything about it, call the police. If they don't do anything about (and I highly doubt that they will), call a lawyer. If this is a public school, then what they are doing is totally illegal. Your principal is an asshole who is only thinking about their own ambitions and not the economic situations of the kids that attend that school. I guarantee that there are families in that school that can't afford this under any circumstances. This will take food off the table for them.Answer #4: I just want to point out that if your school has 500 students, and they each donate 5$ per day, they are looking at over 100k by the end of the year.

But yes, this is not ethical. Answer #5: Straight to the popo like how others have said. Please update I am craving some sweet justice this rainy sunday.Answer #6: I think this would be a great lawsuit. Students v. PrincipalAnswer #7: What would happen if you didn't pay, didn't go to detention, and went to school anyways if you got a suspension for it? Answer #8: Out of curiosity, what's the charity?


Title: My roommate fucked up and ruined the toilet, landlord wants payment for it.

Question:
I have been sharing an apartment with a female roommate for a few months. I will refer to said roommate as "Mary". I got along with Mary at first, and all was normal. Months into living together, things began to get nasty. She is a slob, doesn't clean, and has hoarder tendencies. That's not the worst part.

A few days ago, I noticed the toilet was not flushing properly then started to overflow. I called the landlord, and he came in. After hours of trying, he could not get it unclogged. He hired a professional plumber. It turns out there's severe damage to the pipes because someone has been flushing sanitation napkins, aka menstrual pads, down the toilet. I couldn't believe Mary was so fucking STUPID that she thought it was okay to flush those down the toilet!

Landlord handed us a bill of $1799.89! He says we must pay for the damages to his bathroom or he will evict us, sue us, and "kick (our) asses". Mary says it wasn't her that did it and is laying the blame on me and my girlfriend. First of all, my girlfriend is never over because of how disgusting the apartment is, and second, she has told me she wears tampons... I'm a guy so I have no use to flush pads down a toilet.

What are my options now? Is what my landlord doing illegal? Am I going to have to pay all or part of the plumbing bill even though I am not at fault?

Answer:
 What your landlord is doing is perfectly legal. Because you are both on the lease you are both jointly (i.e. equally) liable as far as your landlord is concerned.

You either need to convince Mary to fork over the money, or pay it yourself and sue Mary in small claims for what she owes you.

Be aware that suing a roommate can create a tense living environment, but it sounds like that ship has already sailed.Answer #2: When you say he handed you a bill, was it a copy of the actual bill from the plumber? Because while you and your roommate are jointly responsible for the damage, I would want to make sure that I was paying for the damage caused and not anything else. Because while flushing sanitary napkins will clog a pipe it shouldn't cause damage to the pipe.Answer #3: Ask for the itemized bill from the plumber. This make no sense, pads will clog the pipes but not damage them. And it does not cost $1800 to clear a clog.


Title: My pediatrician lied about my daughters length and changed the numbers so she wouldn't have to deal with a possible failure to thrive.

Question:
I am in Texas.

I took my daughter in for her 12 month checkup.  She went from above the 50th percentile in length to below the 15th.  It is my understanding that a change that large would be considered a possible failure to thrive and would require action to remedy.

After the doctor saw the nurses measurements she redid just the length and made up a number to put her just over the 15th percentile.  She also lied and said the new length made her at the 50th percentile and wouldn't show us the new chart.

I plan on filing a complaint with the Texas Medical Board.

Is this grounds for a lawsuit (criminal or civil)?  Is this malpractice?

I think this doctor has been chronically dishonest and is dangerous.  What else should I do?

EDIT: Thank you for all the information, ideas, and perspectives.  We are going to a new doctor this week and will proceed from there.  I will most likely just be filing a complaint with the state medical board and the hospital group.

Answer:
 It doesn't sound like your daughter has suffered any harm yet, from this incidence at least.  That would make it hard to get damages.

Get a new doctor.

Filing a complaint with the TX medical board is the way to go.  You can also appeal to any group the doctor is affiliated with, such as if she's working with a medical group or out of a hospital.Answer #2: Not legal advice at all. But are you sure he just made up a number? My son got measured once by a nurse. Doc came in looked at it and was like that doesn't make sense. Straightened my son out a bit and got a higher number. She said some nurses don't measure babies out correctly because they wiggle and curl up.

100% find a new doctor if you aren't comfortable though!Answer #3: I'll admit this is out of my depth, but wouldn't a diagnosis of failure to thrive open up a CPS case with OP?

Maybe the doc is trying to do OP a favor. Sounds like a new doctor is on order anyway.Answer #4: With small kids, the only really accurate measure is weight - it's pretty difficult to screw up that measurement.  Is your daughter's weight OK?

Length and head diameter are harder to measure accurately because kids move and bend.  Not saying your doctor isn't screwy - but it's common knowledge these measurement's aren't super precise.Answer #5: You should get a different doctor. As for your malpractice question, we can't help here because it's far too fact specific--consult a local attorney.

Also if you're concerned, get a second opinion.


Title: My parents are taking my car that I have been paying for. Is there anything I can do?

Question: I am currently in college and live with my parents and drive what is technically their car as the deed is in my mother's name. However, a couple of months ago me and my parents made an agreement that I would start driving my siblings to and from school and extracurricular activities in exchange for insurance for the car and for a certain amount of money towards buying the car from her. Our deal was that once I payed off the car completely then we would transfer the title to be in my name. However, I recently got into a fight with my mother and she says that she's going to sell the car and that I won't be receiving any of the money that I had put towards the car. There is no written record of our agreement but I feel like I am being robbed of all the money I had put towards the car. Is this legal for her to do? I live in South Carolina by the way if it makes any difference.

Answer:
 *paid ("payed" is a nautical term)

She owns the car, she can do what she wants with it.

You can sue her and argue to the court that you had an oral agreement, explain to the court what the terms are, the judge will ask her if that's correct and she'll likely tell the truth, and *maybe* the judge will award you back the money you paid towards the car. But I think it's probably unlikely. And even if you win, she can pay you that money and tell you to go live somewhere else, or stop supporting you.