Title: 2 years ago ended up in ICU in a German Hospital, never received a bill and now am I being sued?

Question:
I am an American, live in California that ended up in ICU at German Hospital. I had a serious medical emergency with a lung collapsing. Then in the hospital, I got a bacterial infection from the hospital. After that I wanted to leave, they kept insisting I stay... but the hospital kept making me sicker (bad food, bacterial infections, etc. so I finally left). They kept insisting I stay for an entire month. This was close to three years ago. While I was at work I get this odd call from a lawyer telling me to call her back, with an extension. I brush it off and think it is a scam. Then I check my email and I get an email from this lawyer saying she has been retained by this German Hospital the email says this:
My name is ________, and our firm has been retained by ____________concerning unpaid medical costs in the sum of EURO 17,661.21.
Please contact me immediately at ______________ or via email at ________________if you are willing to resolve this debt.

I don't understand why the hospital never gave me a bill, never mailed me a bill, never told me about a bill (I had travel insurance at the time, and I have medical insurance) did not bill my insurance and now it goes straight to a lawyer being retained--- does this mean I am being sued? Any advice on what I should do about this? I have not responded to the lawyer yet.

Answer:
 > I don't understand why the hospital never gave me a bill, never mailed me a bill, never told me about a bill (I had travel insurance at the time, and I have medical insurance) did not bill my insurance and now it goes straight to a lawyer being retained--- does this mean I am being sued?

they may have tried to and had an old address.

if you had travel insurance, your medical stay should be covered, but there may have been conditions on the policy that required you to let them know that you were in the hospital in a timely manner otherwise it might be not covered.


Title: [TX,USA] Mobile home movers got stuck in a ditch and broke the tongue. Can i pursue legal actions?

Question: Today I had my mobile moved (attempted) and the people got the trailer stuck in a field line and couldn't get it out. I'm guessing they tried to just push through it because the tongue got bent upwards and now we have to pay someone else to weld a new one on. They are trying to say that before they even moved it the tongue was already bent and the frame was too. They gave us our money back but left the trailer stuck in someone's back yard and said if we can get it fixed they will come back and move it. I'm just wondering if I can take them to court to pay for all the damage that was done to my trailer because he tried forcing the trailer through a ditch, didn't put boards down to cross the ditch, or any other option besides getting it stuck.

Answer:
 This is not legal advice but life advice. I have a long history with mobile homes. Make sure who you are hiring has an excellent reputation. I have worked for the most expensive mover/set up guy in my area, for the moderately priced one with the best reputation and for some of the lesser known guys. The highest priced one was the one most likely to damage your home however, he was willing to tackle jobs that no one else would even consider touching, thus he damaged more homes.

Every one I know in the industry would have gotten a welder out there ASAP and finished the job. Did you hire someone who knows what they are doing and has the proper equipment try moving this or did you have the guy down the street try moving it with his John Deere? The fact that he didn't bridge the ditch makes me think you went for the guy down the road with the John Deer instead of the guy who knew what he was doing and had the proper equipment to get the job done. Not everyone has equipment like a TransLift or a jade but they should have had blocks, boards and pads (either wood, aluminum/steel or the really neat plastic ones that are so lightweight yet sturdy).

As for legal advice, was the guy licensed or bonded? Make him file a claim to cover the the repairs.

What does your contract say?


Title: My uncle who can’t speak, is deaf, and has trouble communicating doesn’t know he got a divorce.

Question:
Disclaimer(sorta); Hello, i am from Ontario, Canada and a 16 year old boy. I don’t know much about the law and this problem is causing a lot of issues in my family right now. That’s why i am here asking you very kind and amazing people for some legal advice:) if you need any more info then what I’ve provided below i will gladly provide some more for you.

My family haven’t seen my uncle in a really long time. There was a point where we thought he was dead; there has been a lot of family issues on my moms side thats why we haven’t been in contact. A year ago my cousins saw him at the temple we go to and they talked for a little bit. Now yesterday is where all this chaos began.

His wife or ex wife dropped my uncle off at my cousins house yesterday and just left. This happened out of no where, nobody was told about this. My aunt was shocked that he just showed up and didn’t know what to do. So she called her sister(my mom) and my mom decided to go and talk to him. My uncle then tells them(after like half an hour because he has trouble communicating) that he went to his ex wife( i guess thats what we’ll call her) friends house and she told him that his ex wife got a divorce with him.

This is where my mom asked my uncle how he does not know about this. He tells her that he doesn’t ever remember signing anything, or knowing that she wanted a divorce. He doesn’t even have any divorce papers at all. Today my aunt, my mom and my sister go to his ex wife’s friends house to ask her about this. From there they were able to contact the wife and they told her to bring the papers of the divorce, she kept on saying she isn’t coming back to show them. My mom tells her then that if she doesn’t then they will go to the police about this matter. This is when she gets scared and said she would come bring them. Now we are just waiting to see if she bring the papers.

My uncle doesn’t have a job, he can’t because of his disability’s, so he gets money each month from the government. The wife also never worked because of the fact he got all this free money and they just continued to pay rent and live in a basement with the money my uncle was getting. This is what we believe. We think that they she may have lied to him about what he was signing and just made up something to get him to sign the papers. Now my uncle not being able to talk and also being deaf, he *trusts* his wife. She also just up and right started to tell there 3 kids that there dad(my uncle) beats them and is a very bad person. My uncle would absolutely do no such thing, he is practically incapable of doing so. She also just left with the kids too.

Is there any possibility that we could take legal action because of this? Because of the fact that my uncle being disabled like this there may have had to gone to court or even have a witness when this was happening? Is there anything we could really do in this situation, or is it just a lost cost if his ex wife does show us she has the papers?

I am just sickened by the fact this monster could do so much damage to my uncle. After 12 years of being together, taking all his money, not working at all just abusing him mentally and end up doing this.. Just makes me so mad. My uncle is so mentally destroyed right now he thinks that she is coming back in 10 days. My mom keeps telling him they she isn’t but he doesn’t want to believe her. It just hurts how much pain he is in right now.

Thank you to anyone that can help me out here, really sorry if i wasted your time if its really obvious that we can’t do anything about this. I am just hopping some justices can be brought to this matter. If you need anymore info to help you, help me in this ask me in the comments and I’ll gladly provide it for you.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: This is strictly get a lawyer territory.  They will be able to find all the papers and where they were filed. And can help get this all figured out.Answer #2: I feel like some details are missing. Why can't the deaf uncle work? I know plenty of deaf people who work. Unless he has other disabilities in addition to the deafness?


Title: [US] Are my employer's diversity groups discriminatory?

Question:
I work for a large employer who has a diversity initiative which includes a number of diversity groups for people to join.  The groups host networking meetings where people can socialize and make friends with colleagues and these meetings often lead to intracompany hires across departments and divisions.

The problem is that I am excluded from all of the groups due to my race and gender.  There are groups for women, LGBT, African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Latinos, and Indians.  As a Jewish male, I have no corresponding networking group.

I never thought much of this until I applied for several different positions within the company and had all of them go to members of that manager's diversity group.

At that point, because I felt disadvantaged, I inquired to HR about forming a men's group and was denied due to the point of the groups being "about minorities."  When I pointed out that women are not a minority, I was told that the groups were then "about women and minorities."

I realize that workers have almost no rights in the United States, but I can't help but feel that this policy is blatantly discriminatory.  Is this a legal issue at all?  Or merely a moral one?

Answer: Have you considered asking about forming a *Jewish* employee group?Answer #2: It's blatant (legal) discrimination.


Title: What if I shoot someone who's breaking into my home?

Answer:
 Oh for christs sake why on earth would you not call the police when a stranger looks through your window and tells you that "he needs a baby". Just why.Answer #2: Call the cops now and file a report.

It'll be on record that he has been there before and could possibly be a threat because of the comment about him needing a baby.

The second he steps one foot into the home without an invitation shot him.

You won't have to worry about murder charges, but you might want to be clear on Mississippi firearm laws. Being 17 and in possession of a firearm might get you in trouble, I don't know MIS laws. Answer #3: You can still call the law. Do that first. Answer #4: First of all, you should call the police now. At the least he's trespassed.  You should also tell the parents right now. Call the parents and the police right now.

Generally an intruder in your home is considered a deadly threat on your life and lethal force is allowed.
Answer #5: Castle doctrine applies in Mississippi.  Give a warning if you can but you are allowed to use deadly force on someone breaking into your property. The presumption is that they are breaking in to do great bodily harm.

Call the cops if possible when you see him lurking around your property.


Title: Tree fell on fence, who is responsible for what.

Question:
Hopefully a simple question.

During a bad storm, a neighbor's tree fell onto my mothers property in Tennessee. It crushed the fence, on the property line, that my mother fully paid to have installed. Is the neighbor responsible for removing the tree and repairing the fence?

Edit: Thank all for the advice. She called her insurance, they don't cover it, and neighbor isn't responsible.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: If a neighbor's healthy tree is knocked down by a storm, your own homeowner's insurance would pay for it.  [According to Allstate.](https://www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/home-insurance/tree-falls-on-house.aspx)


Title: Employer didn't pay me, what recourse do I have?

Question:
Summary:
I was working as a wedding videographer (contractor, W-9) in Maryland in the summer of 2015. The company went under and never paid me ~$2,200. Do I have any way of getting that money? I was a high schooler at the time and didn't know how to handle the situation.

Other possibly relevant info:
I didn't realize it when I was hired, but the company was on a downward trend. One of the owners told me that a lot of their employees had recently left - I didn't ask why, I was excited to have a job.

My employers wrote a check for ~$1,500 and told me not to cash it since they didn't have the funds, and they would tell me when I should cash it (alarms should have gone off in my head, I know). I never tried to cash it. The additional $700 I was never written a check for.

There was a lawsuit against the company by customers who never got their wedding videos. I believe they were suing just to get the raw video footage from the studio.

Answer:
 3 years agaio going on 4.... moneys gone..... count your blessings you're only out $1,500 2200$ppl
.. it's a hard life lesson


Title: 4th class misdemeanor for (accidentally) shooting at trumpeter swan. Not sure how serious this is.

Question:
So this situations is a little odd and I’m looking for advice on how serious it is and how I should handle it. Yesterday I went out goose hunting on public land in Ohio.  This involves setting up decoys and calling in geese while trying to shoot them with a shotgun.  I am new to the sport (got my hunting license and everything maybe 2 weeks ago and this was the second time I had ever tried goose hunting for geese).  Throughout the morning I managed to get 2 geese (my first ones ever) and was very excited until I walked back to my car only to be greeted by a game warden telling me someone had reported me for taking shots at trumpeter swans (which apparently are very protected here). I told him I didn’t intentionally shoot at any but am new to the sport so there’s a chance I took a shot at one without realizing. He told me the person that reported me was an off duty officer so he gave me a ticket going off the other officers word. The ticket says it’s a 4th class misdemeanor and I HAVE to appear in court for it on Feb 11th.  How serious is this and what should I expect when I go to court? Should I get legal representation or is this not that big of a deal. The ticket says it is for attempting to harvest a swan.  Thank you for any advice you guys can give me,

TL:DR I was given a 4th class misdemeanor for shooting at a swan in Ohio and at not sure how serious the charge is. Should I get legal representation for the court date on Feb 11?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: This is very serious. Laws protecting migratory game birds aren’t put in place by localities; they are negotiated between the national governments that the species live in. IANAL, but I am an avid waterfowl hunter who donates hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars every year to help species game, non-game, and protected such as trumpeter swans recover and keep healthy population levels. I won’t shame you for what you did (or didn’t) do, but this is serious and you should seek counsel from somebody familiar with these types of cases, because this type of charge is very complicated.


Title: My neighbor has threatened to call immigration on me.

Question:
Im a little flustered right now. So i would like to get this out as fast and easy as possible.

I live in a big house divided into four apartments.

One of the tenents (i dont even know her name, i just know shes the daughter of the tenant who cares for the building) has already cussed me out, told me to get the fuck out, and gave me the finger for moving a kids bike away from MY chair on MY porch.

I just begged her to stop and went in side.

She has since then screamed about calling the cops while she walks past my door over false accusations that have already been dealt with.

Yesterday she did the same thing except she included calling immigration on me. (I am not a citizen, but i am not illegal. I have a work permit and deferred action paperwork) the catch is, there is no way for her to know about my immigration unless she has entered my home while i am not there and went through my paperwork.

The last tenent said that moved out said they told him they were going through his stuff while he was gone, but no one has said anything to me about going through my things.

Her actions made me afraid to sit on my porch (i literally stopped after the first incident) and the continued threats and spreading of false info (i also have my own construction llc. So this is a real issue for me)

The immigration threat had me so unnerved that i am already in the process of moving back in with inlaws.

She even claims that i lie about my work, that im a bum, and my mommy pays my rent.

This lady has had me in tears most of the night and this morning. I am out of my home because of her, and i just feel empty and sad.

I dont even know if what i have written makes any sense and i sorry, but proofreading is not something i can bother with right now.

Long story short, i am running away from this lady with my tail between my legs and i just want to give up.

Answer: What is your legal question? It is not illegal for her to call immigration. If you feel harrassed, call the police.


Title: Traffic ticket illegal? Please help, money is very tight.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your post is lacking in essential details:

1.  What were you charged with?

2.  Did you actually commit this offense?

Answer #2: I hate doing this, but can you make a diagram of what happened?


Title: (CO) My work doesn't start paying overtime unless I surpass 80 hours in 2 weeks? Is this okay?

Question: I work for a start up company, privately owned. All really nice people and a close relationship with them. I wouldn't think they are trying to scam me out of money honestly, but you never know.

Answer:
 No. Federal law requires that employers pay overtime after exceeding 40 hours in your workweek. Your workweek is required by federal law to be seven consecutive 24-hour periods. Your employer can set those boundaries -- your week could be Wednesday to Tuesday, or Friday to Thursday, or whatever their heart desires.

What they cannot do, is average hours over two weeks or more. That is 100% illegal and in violation of federal overtime regulations. Your state may have stricter laws that benefit you, but because feds and supremacy clauses and the likes, they can't average your hours.

A quick call to the DOL would fix this right up. Report anonymously, and let the auditors do their work. They're crafty sons-of-bitches.


Title: My wife was intimidated and bullied by a police officer. She took a picture of him. Is it legal for her to post this picture online? Thanks legal gurus!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Cop here, unless she is directly threatening him or something like that it's certainly legal.

We don't have an expectation of privacy in public places.

I'd also recommend complaining to the officer's supervisor.


Title: (VA) I might have an almost 18 year old son, and I have no idea what to do next.

Question:
I'm using a throwaway because this is nuts.

Backstory is this. I met a girl in high school, almost 20 years ago. She had a boyfriend at a different high school but she wanted to fool around and didn't want anyone to find out. We did and kept it quiet. I wasn't the only one she was messing around with. After graduation we left for college, different schools. She would show up and we'd fool around a bit sometimes but it was still a sort of secret FWB thing. Before the first semester was over, she claimed that she was pregnant. At some point I figured there might be a DNA test to see who the father might be if the boyfriend found out she'd been cheating on him but I never heard anything. She dropped out of school and moved back home. I haven't heard from her since then. I heard that she really was pregnant and that she had her baby.

Last month I get together with a friend from back then who tells me a wild story (being intentionally obtuse here). It looks like no one ever claimed this kid but she told a few people that it was mine when she got caught with the cheating. (This was proven in a court but I don't want to go into specifics if I don't have to.)

What, if anything should I do? There is so much more to this story but I don't want to be identifiable.

Edited for clarity: After the kid turns 18, if he comes for a DNA test and I'm ordered to submit to it - what can I expect if I am the father? Do I need a lawyer at that point? Or should I speak to a lawyer now to preempt any drama?

Edited to add: Thanks, everyone for your thoughts on this. I've only been sitting on this information for a couple of weeks so my thoughts and feelings are all over the place. I appreciate everyone who responded on a more personal level - definitely stuff to think about. Thanks also to everyone who answered the question of a DNA test and back child support. I might be wrong, but I think that was the only legal aspect that I needed to consider and now I'm moving on now to other aspects of this situation. Thanks again!
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Unless you think legitimately think you might be the kids father and you want to be a part of his life if you are there is nothing to do.

If you do want to find out contact her and ask to do a DNA test.  If she refuses you can file a suit to have paternity determined, but you will need some of those people who she has told that you are the father to offer affidavits or testify to give some plausibility to your claim.Answer #2: > This was proven in a court but I don't want to go into specifics if I don't have to.

Kind of an important factor in what your current or eventual liability may be.


Title: California...terminated from work, the reasons provided in text by HR are not relevant to my responsibilities at work. Do I have any rights?

Question:
Ive been a sales associate for 18 months at an "affordable luxury" designer brand, I was recently terminated for allegedly approving a non employee to work, however these are no my responisibilities. The second reason given for my termination is that I failed to lock the store after closing, however I was not the manager on duty and it is not within my responsibilities to ensure the store is locked. The manager on duty who held the responsibility was not fired but was cited in the incident by HR.

I was verbally asked to temporarily hold a key for the store when we lost 2 employees for a few months for major surgeries, however I received no official promotion. My position at the company i
was still "sales associate".

My assistant manager was also fired for the non-employee ordeal, however he was not made aware of the employees hiring status and was not responsible for hiring and scheduling. The store manager, who was responsible, was not fired.

I want to mention that the assistant manager and myself are men, everybody else in our store is female, including all corporate entities involved in our firings. the brand mission is about empowering women, on our store front we only ever acknowledge women in things like the ocars/emmys, never mentioning the men.

The fact that the two managers responsible for these offenses are women, but myself and our only other male were fired for respondibilities not assigned to our position just reeks of wrongful termination and discrimination.

With the information provided, is it worth it to pursue legal action? Ive never been in this situation and would appreciate any advice you have. I loved my job!

Answer:
 Other than the fact that you're male and your manager is female, why does this "reek" of gender discrimination to you?

Is your argument "It's not written down in my job description, so I can't be held accountable for not doing it"?  If so, then you're wrong.  They gave you a key, and asked you to perform tasks, which you didn't do.  Based on your own description.  They can penalize you for that


Title: Landlord gave notice of construction in my appartment, but its incredibly obnoxious and making my room uninhabitable. (Iowa)

Question:
This is a duplex, so my landlord is suggesting that I talk to the next door tennants to use their kitchen, as ours is being redone (along with the whole living room). I dont know them, so im not comfortable with that.

There are a few workers in here dispite the whole corona deal, making it a potential unsafe environment for that reason too. It's creating lots of noise and they also have a radio on.

Additionally, I have classes to do on zoon, and the breakers are flipped so I dont even have power to my room. I cant use my PC for that reason; I have to use my phone.

This all started this morning and im not sure how long it will be.

What should I do?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 If your power is being interrupted due to construction than you've likely got a case for inhabitablity issues and your Landlord may be on the hook for alternate accommodations during the duration.

That being said, I don't know Iowa's laws and your Landlord may be able to otherwise legally end your tenancy with notice or decline to renew your lease.


Title: Appartment AC repair. No AC in bedroom. Pregnant wife forced in sleep on floor for 3 weeks.

Question:
I live in a big apartment with more than 1000 units. This apartment was built in 1970 and needed some repair to fix the air conditioning unit. So a month back, the maintenance crew drilled a hole in our closet to remove the old pipes. They also sealed the closet, so that don't use it. Next, they switched off the centralized AC and provided a portable AC as alternative. Since the portable AC can be fixed only in one room, it was fixed in the living room. Now myself and my 9 months pregnant wife are sleepingoin the floor of the living room for more than 3 weeks. She is getting back pain sleeping on the floor. We cant sleep in our bed because it is very hot without AC. The management is taking a lot of time to fix this. Is there any legal obligation for them to fix this issue or compensate us? Is there a city ordinance that would force them to provide necessary arrangements (like portable AC in both bedroom and living room)? Thanks.

Location : Chicago (Cook County), Illinois.

Answer:
 It doesn't sound like your pregnant wife was forced to sleep on the floor. It sounds like you both chose to sleep on the floor because that's where you chose to put the AC. Move the portable AC to the bedroom, and sleep there instead.

In regards to the length of time it's taking to complete repairs, has your landlord given a reason? Is the AC just inoperable in your unit or are they making repairs to the entire 1000 unit building? If they're upgrading, it may take a long time before it can all be put back into operation.

Are you guaranteed air conditioning in your signed lease?Answer #2: What does your lease say about the AC?Answer #3: Move your bed to the living room?Answer #4: $30 air mattress from Wal mart?Answer #5: When the judge asks how she was "forced" to sleep on the floor, what kind of answer are you prepared to give?Answer #6: Stop sleeping on the floor?Answer #7: Seriously, move the bed....


Title: Fan-Made Game?

Question:
I want to create a fan game based on a pre-existing universe . It is non-profit, however can I use Kickstarter to get funds to create the game without any lawsuit? Can I make it in the first place?

Edit: How is this any different from fan-films, fan-fiction and parodies? You see them everywhere

Answer: You want to know if you can use someone else's IP without permission?


Title: [KY] Private employer can search my personal vehicle while parked on their property at any time for any reason.

Question:
I recently received an updated employee safety handbook that I am supposed to read and sign. There is a section I came across that I am not sure if it is completely legal.

"Searches - (Place of employment) reserves the right to conduct periodic random searches of personal articles and vehicles on (place of employment's) premises, employee lockers, and (place of employment) vehicles. Such searches may be initiated by (place of employment) without prior announcement, at any time for any reason."

My concerns are, if I sign this:

- Can they search my personal car without my consent, or even knowledge?

- Can they search my car without probable cause?

They have private security at my work place, so I know they are able get into locked vehicles. (Many people have locked their keys in their cars). So my question, is this legal? Or if I sign it, will it then be legal?

Thanks

Answer:
 If you agree to the terms then yes you are giving them the legal right to do so at any time for any reason.Answer #2: They can require that you give permission as a condition of your continued employment (or equivalently, fire you on the spot if you refuse a search). No problem there: if your car is searched, it's because you allowed it.

The only thing that would stop your employer from having such a policy would be some agreement overriding your state's presumption of at-will employment, such as a union agreement.

If, despite knowing they no longer have your permission, they open your locked car anyways and rifle through it, it might amount to trespassing, but you'd likely have a hard time getting the cops to do anything about it unless something is missing or damaged as a result. Even then, they might shrug and tell you to sue your employer if you're sure you want to pursue it.

The fifth amendment requirement that establishes the need for probable cause applies to state actors, not to private parties. Someone can demand your permission to search your vehicle without any cause at all, if they want. If you say no, they're allowed to take other lawful actions, such as firing you, in response.Answer #3: Park off their property when at work?


Title: Who Gets What (Legally) In A Break-Up - California

Question:
At the end of a relationship with my BF of 4.5 years. I am a legal resident in the home he owns (I am not on the title).

There are some things from the home I want to take with me when I leave. Can he come after me over kitchen appliances? Sue me? He tends to retaliatory and finds loops holes in the law to go after people.

Also, the biggest issue of all is the dog we got together. I chose this dog, but at the time when we adopted the animal all the information went in his name (I wasn't aware that the pound microchipped the pets at the time) This makes the dog registered to him and rightfully his personal property per California Law.

To make this short, he will not relinquish the dog to me - is there anything I can do? If I take the dog when I leave - can he sue me? Come after me in any way? I figured he can only if he finds me.

Answer:
 Dog law expert here!

"It depends." Some divorces result in custody and visitation agreements over pets. The court prefers to stay out of it, so working out an amicable arrangement yourselves is to your benefit.

However, take heart in that no matter how nasty it gets, no court in California has yet decreed that (given the 50/50 split of marital property) you're required to cut the dog in half.

And ducking service is a poor idea.


Title: A neighbor called the police on my brother for "breaking in" to our sisters house, when he simply lost his key. His lawyer said they will likely give him 25 years in prison. (Texas).

Question: The public attorney is not helpful. What information/statements can we give to the attorney to ensure the charge is dropped? He has a prior residential burglary charge from 6 years ago which is the reason they want to give him 25 years in prison.

Answer: Your brother is not giving you the full story. We can't help based off of your limited hearsay.


Title: Found out Odometer was rolled back.

Question: This all occurs in Florida about a month ago i had purchased a Truck advertised at 150,000 miles. I had always wanted a truck so after getting into an accident the month prior I figured it would be the perfect oppurtunity. Today I entered my vin into car fax maintenence to set up a schedule since I plan to do my own maintenence. Upon entering the information Carfax was insisting the vehicle had around 273,000 miles. I tried changing the value thinking it was pre generated but it was locked. I did some further investigation and found the vehicle had been recorded with mileage well past the 150,000 mark since 2 years before me owning the truck. Ive started collecting information such as the advertisement any conversations and maintence reports. Is there anything I can do with this info or am I just SOL? The vehicle was bought from a private party seller.

Answer:
 >Is there anything I can do with this info or am I just SOL?

You can give your information to the police. In Florida, lowering an odometer reading or knowingly selling a vehicle after the odometer the odometer has been lowered is a felony. Fla. Stat. § 319.35(1)(a) and (c). Note that now that you know the odometer has been tampered with, it is illegal for you to drive the truck "unless the certificate of title and registration certificate of the vehicle have been conspicuously stamped so as to indicate the displayed mileage is inaccurate and written notice has been placed on the vehicle [attached to the door frame of the vehicle by the owner or his or her agent specifying the mileage prior to repair or replacement of the odometer and the date on which it was repaired or replaced.]" Fla. Stat. § 319.35(3). So you'll probably want to do that.

Failure to properly disclose mileage is also illegal under federal law: if the information was concealed with an intent to defraud, you can file a civil lawsuit in which you are entitled to the greater of treble damages or $10,000. 49 USC § 32710.


Title: Kohls Shoplifting

Question:
Not sure if the flair is correct.

I was walking around Kohls, kinda just killing time, talking on the phone. Picked up a lot of things, put all of it down. Tried on a few things, left them in the fitting room.

I did however, out of sheer boredom, snag one pair of earrings. I ditched the packaging in some clearance clothes, walked around for a bit longer, & left. When I left, LP chased me, said they saw me, took a picture of my license plate, & I left. I realize I probably should've just given the earrings back, but I had already dug a hole by saying I didn't do it.

I'm over 18, but my car is still in my parents name. I'm in Texas. What will happen?
They probably got me on camera doing it.
Just so you know, in advance, I'm done stealing things and I'm never going back to that store.

Edit: I'm mainly trying to manage my anxiety through seeking information. I know what I did was wrong and seriously stupid. I know it was a crime, and I'm prepared to deal with the repercussions, I just wanted to know what they would probably be.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 I just watched a video of a man burned alive because he was caught stealing a potato to feed his family, and you're stealing out of boredom.

Unbelievable.Answer #2:
Maybe nothing. Maybe a criminal record. You get to wait for a few years for the statute of limitations to run out before you find out which.

But hey, free earrings!Answer #3: I'd tell your parents, because LE will contact them if the car is registered to them and Kohl's does decide to pursue this. The last thing you want is them to find out when the cops come knocking. Other than that, is it costume jewelry? Is it 18k gold and not pretty much worthless? The amount of loss tends to be a variable in the decision to follow up on this.


Title: [KY] Can you sue a national fraternity anonymously and a few years after hazing has occurred?

Question: I just recently graduated from my university and I have been biding my time since I did not want to experience any retaliation. I left my fraternity, but there is documentation that hazing occurred during this time. The hazing was forced, and I was unable to leave during the worst of it since it was not on the campus. Is it possible to bring a hazing suit against a fraternity after this amount of time? Now that I am out on my own, is it possible to sue the organization anonymously, as would I fear that in doing so I'd receive many threats, especially from my university's chapter?

Answer:
 No, you can't sue them anonymously. The statute of limitations on whatever claims you may have may have expired as well. Answer #2: There is no such thing as an anonymous lawsuit. It's all public record.

If you want real change and not just money (which you aren't overly likely to receive), contact the university's Greek life office and notify them of the events.


Title: [MA] In-Laws Want Me To Hold $10,000 In Bank Account

Question:
Location: Near Boston, Massachusetts, USA

My in-laws are low-income/disabled and both get SSI/SSDI and some other misc. disability benefits from the state and/or federal government. (I'm not really aware of exactly which benefits they get...)

Recently, they were forced to sell their house for reasons I don't quite understand relating to a water bill or back taxes with the City or whatever...I don't know...the point is that they're selling the house, and they said they'll end up getting around $10,000 or so out of the deal, which is going to be finalized soon.

Because they have various disability benefits (SSI/SSDI etc...) with the state, and they think that the state would stop benefits if they saw this "large amount of money" in their bank account, they asked me (their adult son-in-law) if I can hold the $10,000 (or whatever "large" amount) in my bank account for them (where they would call it a "gift"), and then (presumably) I would give it back to them over time, in cash. They indicated that they trust me with this, and I would naturally honor this agreement, if we did it.

At first, I agreed, but now I'm thinking that if I do this, I might might get me into some legal trouble, but I'm not sure.

So my questions are:

1. Is it legal/OK for me to hold around $10,000 for them in my bank account, and then give it back to them over time (presumably in cash)?
2. If the answer to (1) is "no", what other options might they have where they don't get kicked off SSDI (or other state/federal disability benefits) while still being able to keep the money from the sale of their house? (I want to help them if I can, but I want to do so legally...)
3. Is there anything else I should be aware of if I agree to go through with this? (ex: If I have to fill out an I.R.S. form with the bank when making this deposit, I assume I should be truthful on it, because I heard that lying on a government form is a crime, but I'm not sure if that's true...)

Thank you very much!

Answer:
 > Is it legal/OK for me to hold around $10,000 for them in my bank account, and then give it back to them over time (presumably in cash)?

You're not asking the right question.  This is the question you should be asking:

"Is it legal for me to help my in-laws hide assets, so that they can lie to the government to continue to draw benefits?"

It's pretty clear, I hope, that the answer to that is "No, that's not legal".  Answer #2: 1.  You would be helping them to commit a felony of defrauding the federal government.  Don't do it.

2.  Neither me nor anyone else here is going to advise them on how to commit a crime.

3.  There is no IRS form or anything, but the bank might ask you were it came from i.e. banks are required at some level to "know their customer" and if the deposit is out of pattern they MIGHT ask you about it, although this is pretty rare in the US.

US banks are great for laundering money, despite what the government says.


Title: (NY) I am a college student who rented an apartment (student housing) from a landlord. I want to terminate the lease as stated in one of the sections due to the multiple violations from landlord. I called my landlord and he refuses to give me the money back.

Question:
Hey everyone, first time posting on here. I am going to try to make this as short as possible.

I was looking for apartments in the summer for the school year and met a recent college grad. He's a realtor and he told me about this property that had multiple apartments.

I went to the apartments and they were being worked on. I had asked the realtor if they would be done by July 31st (when my old apt lease ended) He had confirmed that they would be cleaned and furnished by then. He had also said that I would be able to move my stuff out of my old apartment on the 30th. (I have text logs with him confirming that I can move in on the 30th)

When I got there on the 30th the apartment was not open. I called the landlord a few times and he finally responded. I met him for the first time at the apt on the 30th and he told me and confirmed that the apartment wouldnt be done till Tuesday (august 4th). I reluctantly agreed to that

My landlord did not respond at all on the fourth. When I went to the apartment on the fifth there were some contractors who said that the apartment would not be done for some time. Obviously I was furious that both my landlord and the realtor had told me that I would be getting my keys on a certain date and that it did not happen.

On August 14th my landlord called and told me that the apartment was fully done and to call NYSEG to turn on my gas and water. When I called NYSEG they said they never received any inspection papers and even when they would receive the papers it takes a week or so to turn the power on. This meant that at earliest I would get power by August 28th.

I finally got my keys on Tuesday August 18th (19 days after the contract stated I could move in and 19 days after when I was promised the keys). While I was at the apartment I noticed none of the furnishings in the lease were at the apartment and promptly told my landlord. He said it was no problem and it would be there.

Unfortunately on the 21st of August I tried entering my apartment for the first time and found that the keys the Landlord gave me did not open the door. This was remedied when the landlord told me the copy he gave me was slightly off and I had to stick the key "1/16th of an inch out"

I was finally able to get into the apartment on the 27th of August. 28 days after I was legally supposed to get in. When I get there I see that a small coffee table, a couch, and a kitchen table with no chairs are the only furnishings in there. The bed frame was hollow and as soon as I sat on the bed it fell down through it onto the floor. The oven and stove were not new at all, it was a gas oven that required a match to light it and half the stove tops did not even work. There was no power to the apartment and he had jumped a few rooms with a extension cord. After that weekend on Monday the 31st I contacted the landlord and told him I was terminating the lease as it stated in a clause in the lease because of his multiple breaches on the lease.

HOWEVER, he is refusing to give me the money (first, last and deposit) of $1950 back to me. I contacted a lawyer and they said they would require a $1500 retainer for the case and I am a poor college student who cannot afford that. I have already moved out to another apartment with a landlord who I know, I need to get my money back from the old landlord but he is refusing to give it back.
What are my legal avenues and what can I do to just get my money back and have this lease terminated?

TL;DR:
-sign student housing apartment July 31st start

-get told then that I will get key tomorrow

-this continues for almost 3 weeks

-finally get key, wrong key

-finally get in,no power or furnishings as stated in lease

-tell landlord I am terminating the lease

-he refuses to give me back my money

-looked up small claims, He lives 3 hours away from me in another county

-wut do

sorry for the long read. thanks

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You take him to small claims court. You don't use a lawyer. It will cost you about $50 to file, and if you win you may be able to get that added to the $1950. Unfortunately you will have to drive to the county where the apartment is to file and to attend court.


Title: Wedding dress

Question:
So, my daughters were supposed to be in a wedding, one as a flower girl and one as a junior bridesmaid. For reasons I don't want to explain, they will no longer be in the wedding and we no longer have a need for the dresses we ordered them. We were able to return one dress but the other dress is not so easy.

We placed a special order with a local company who works directly with the designer. When I went back to the local store, they told me that they were able to cancel the order but that they could not issue a refund, only store credit. Part of the dress was paid for on my card and the other was on the bride's. I am wondering what can be done. Attempts to work on a reasonable solution with the bride/groom have not been successful thus far.

Is there any legal way for me to get my money back? I live in upstate New York.

Answer:
 No bride or groom has a legal obligation to cover the costs of dresses for the bridal party.  In fact, even social etiquette says members of the bridal party typically cover their own costs.

They don't currently have a legal obligation to reimburse you.Answer #2: The other side of this story must be AMAZING.Answer #3: Were you forced out of the wedding party or did you quit?


Title: Car was stolen while undocumented uncle was driving it. Need help on figuring out what to do. California.

Question: As I said in the title, my uncle borrowed my truck this morning to drop some things off at the house of a friend of his. On his way back he went to go pick up some beans for my grandma. From what he tells me he was robbed at knife point for the keys to the truck. He got a ride back from his friend and just told me a few minutes ago. I have no idea what to do and my fear is that because my uncle is undocumented and driving the truck, he'll get arrested. Please help me.

Answer: In my experience, police officers really aren't concerned with a person's immigration status. /u/citicop could probably give a more professional opinion, though.


Title: My landlord let someone enter my apartment with absolutely no notice. (US, IL, not Chicago)

Question:
Sorry for the wall of text!
  I was getting ready for work on Friday, when I had a knock on my door, which I almost didn't answer because I wasn't expecting anyone. Anyways, it was an electrician who told me that he was changing the light fixture on my front porch (my apartment unit is in an old house) because my landlord thought the street corner was dark, and he told me that he had a key to get inside to check the wiring in the switch that I had to my outside porch light.
  I didn't think much of it, I just thought he was putting up a more modern, updated light fixture so I didn't really question it then. I get off of work that night, and when I get home there is a bright ass light on my porch. My neighbors were outside, so I thought maybe they installed a motion detector light. 2 hours later and the light never goes off, and I personally cannot turn it off because the electrician came into my apartment and put a flat plate over where my light switch used to be.
    I flipped my breaker, and the light is wired up to my electric, so my landlord is expecting me to pay for a dusk-to-dawn light to stay on allllllllll night every night because he thinks the street corner is dark at night.
    I normally receive a typed letter taped to my door 24 hours before something like this occurs for maintenance issues or anything else, but I never received anything for this. Am I justified in being upset over this (the no notice AND expecting me to pay for a light I can't control), and should I call my landlords office when they open back up tomorrow, or should I cap off the wires to kill the light and stay quiet about it?
    TLDR: Landlord had electrician enter my apartment with NO notice to instal a dusk-to-dawn light outside that is hooked to my electric, and to remove my inside switch to the light so I can never turn it off.

Answer:
 Assuming you want to press the issue with your landlord, regardless of potentially souring your relationship, you should type up the standard letter informing him that he had someone enter the property for a non-emergency without your consent, and that subsequent instances will be pursued with the standard fine. (assuming that's what your state has)  He would probably claim that you agreed to let the man come inside, thereby waiving the requirement for 24 hours notice, but from what you've said it looks like the electrician never made it clear that he was doing anything other than fiddling with someone on your porch, outside.  And I would definitely press the issue at least about the electricity cost of the light, even if you're able to get used to or block out the unwanted brightness.  If he wants a 24/7 street light then that should be on his electricity bill, not yours.

(edit: lol, I'm going to leave the "fiddling with someone" mistake since it's kind of funny and I didn't notice it for so long.  I'm going to assume the electrician was playing music with a partner and not doing something inappropriate)


Title: (Ohio) Need to know if this is fraud

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: That's pretty much a literal text-book example of fraud.


Title: [USA] I have been prescribed meds for ADHD (Schedule II stimulants) for ~4 years and have taken them ~70% of the time. Is it illegal for me to have old meds that were prescribed to me?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer: 240 pills is a suspiciously large "backlog", I'd suggest getting rid of them ASAP and in future take your meds as prescribed.


Title: My son's mother has been using my son as a pawn for getting me to do whatever she wants so that i can continue to see him.

Question:
(US Florida) Ever since i established to her that i had no intention of being her boyfriend she immediately filed to put me on child support. I told her i would fight it but apparently for some reason i wasn't listed as the legal guardian and to make matters worse. A week before court she said she was sorry she even did and that she wouldn't go through with it so i didn't bother showing up to the court date. Well, turns out she did show up and i didn't. I know it was stupid of me in hindsight, no need to tell me. As for me supposedly not being his guardian i thought signing his birth certificate was the legal way of doing so. I really boned myself so far guys...but atleast she does allow me to see him 3-4 days a week, every week. Probably just to keep me around for her own benefit, she still tries to get me to come back to her.

It took a couple weeks for the child support to go through which was last year. Being that i still had him 3-4 days a week and paying three hundred a month in child support that she would leave the appropriate amount of diapers, clothes, and food to get him by for the 3-4 days...nope. I've been having to do that myself.

 I work full time at Walgreens as a cashier at $8.25 an hour plus the extra .25 cents for working between the hours of 12a.m. and 6a.m. So four days in a row from 10-7a.m . Then when i get my three days off i have to stay up for nearly 24 hours. Needless to say it sucks but it makes it worth it to see him.

As far as when she's using him as a pawn its always been when she's not getting her way. There have been times when she needs me to watch him for whatever reason while i have to be at work that night. When i would say no, she would usually reply with "nevermind then, dont expect to see your son anytime soon". Ofcourse i usually panick and give in, causing me to call off or have a family member do so so i won't lose my job. I'm currently walking on a thin line with my job as we speak

But today was the final straw, i asked her when she was going to drop him off today and to please bring diapers, food, clothes, etc. Her response was "that's not my problem". So now my son has nothing and she doesn't care. This has happened only once before and it was extremely stressful. I had to feed him tomato soup (which thank god he liked) and bread with water and leftover gatorade mixed. I also had to make a make shift diaper out of toweles wrapped around him in the shape of a diaper...

Im not going through with any longer. Where do i start to get my rights back? Please
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You go to court and get a court order for custody/visitation.

Then you're not dependent on her mood or goodwill when you want to see him.Answer #2: You are responsible for supplying a fit home for your child at your place, including supplies. You are not the babysitter. You're a parent.

If you want to dispute custody, visitation and support, go to court. Be advised, being the parent that is relying on the other to make your home fit is not a good look in court.Answer #3: Your story is a bit confusing.  Do you or do you not have a custody agreement or order from the court?

If you don't, then get one.

Also, generally speaking, it's not common for the custodial parent to provide items for the non-custodial parent's visitation time.  You can petition the court to re-visit your support obligations but it's unlikely they'd force your ex to give you food and supplies.  That would sort of defeat the purpose of the support in the first place.


Title: Had sex with a girl who said she was paid to give me an std

Question: Over the weekend I had sex with a girl who said she had Chlamydia and her “boyfriend” was going to pay her $100 to give it to me and 200 if she gave it to my friend. We both had been drinking through out the night any advice on what I can do? I live in Nevada if that helps at all.

Answer:
 Don't panic. You only have a 15% chance of getting it if you used a condom, even if this girl is telling the truth that she is positive. And what the hell, who doesn't just take the antibiotics if they know they have chlamydia?

Go to the doctor. Even if you did get it, antibiotics will cure it relatively easily.  The cost of this is likely so low it wouldn't even be worth it to approach her for money, but you could go after her in small claims for your damages.

Get a better group of friends.Answer #2: File a police report under Nev. Rev. Stat. § 441A.180

Intentionally passing an infectious disease is illegal. First offense is a written warning, second is a $100 fine. Answer #3: Get yourself tested for the clap.


Title: When do gambler's ownership of their winnings actually vest?

Question: Was reading and came across an account where someone gambling in Vegas won huge at a craps table and then immediately had a heart attack in the excitement. I'm curious if their estate would be entitled to those winnings or if there's some other "step" that the person would have had to go through besides winning in order to be legally entitled to the funds?

Answer: Casinos don't mess around when placing bets, as soon as your chips are on the table, the bet is made. Given this strictness, I would assume that the winning chips are yours as soon as the roulette wheel stops.


Title: [NC] City is making a sidewalk across my property. They sent me an analysis and an estimated payment for the use of my lot. Do people normally haggle over these payments?

Question:
They say the land cost is roughly $2800 and that a payment of 10% ($280) is due to me. (Somewhere buried in the paperwork is I imagine an argument that I'm only losing 10% of the utility of the land where the sidewalk goes. Haven't read the whole thing...it was like 200 pages.)

I imagine some people get very contentious over eminent domain, and certainly there are egregious cases. But this is just a sidewalk by the road that won't take any trees or flowers or structures etc...

I tend to go with the flow, I'm not all unhappy about it. But in general I am sort of a softie when haggling so it is hard for me to gauge whether I'm being a doormat.

So as the title goes, probably the best way to phrase it, do people "normally" haggle a bit over eminent domain purchases for sidewalks?

edit: Thanks to everyone .... a lot of food for thought.

edit 2: This sub wins the award for most communicative. A lot of discussion here. Thanks again for all the input!

Answer: In the contract who is responsible for future sidewalk repairs, liabilities etc? Also if you are in a snow region city code probably holds you responsible for clearing snow and ice within a short time frame. Probably none of this is negotiable, but something to think about.


Title: Waste management has stopped my service after receiving my payment. (Pittsburgh PA)

Question:
We were behind on our payments. However, on Nov 20th, they received payment for half the year (they get paid in quarters). I have proof that they cashed my check. After talking to them on the phone. They demanded that I pay for the last quarter again (which I did) and they continue to say that I never paid them before. What can I do I was way over charged and still won't get any service?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 INAL, just an accounting clerk.

Go online to your bank and print the front and back of the cashed check, plus save the PDF version to your computer.

Call Waste Mgmt and ask them what the last payment that they show received.
If they say they do not show your most recent payment hitting your account, tell them that you made a payment, the date, the check number and ask if you can email the rep while you have them on the phone a copy of the cashed check.

If they say they did receive your check, then ask them how they applied it, because it almost sounds like you owed 1Q & 2Q....with 3Q now past due and 4Q would be current.


Title: Independent font designer here. Font used commercially without my consent.

Question: I'm an independent font designer and creator of the Motion Control and Digital Desolation fonts. Recently, I found [this box](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/334080309790375938/478433122095071232/P_20180812_170409.jpg) of some kind of  model, and the logo for “NANO SCENE” uses [my font, Digital Desolation](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/334080309790375938/478433123349037056/20180812_205024.jpg), which is only free for personal use. I have not been contacted or notified by [Jada Toys](http://jadatoys.com) about this, and only found this out after the fact. As a Japanese 19-year-old living in Australia, what legal steps can/should I take to be treated like my design work actually matters?

Answer:
 Are there any fonts similar to yours that may be the one used? I ask because if so, you may have a difficult battle, legally speaking. Answer #2: In the US, you cannot copyright the actual typeface.

Anyone can hand draw your typeface all over the place.

What you can copyright is your actual font file that creates the typeface.


Title: My coworker is doing something actively legally discriminatory at work

Question:
So I am a bit in shock and I apologize if this is erratically written.

I was chatting with the receptionist at my work and learned there is a HIV support group close to our workplace. I learned whenever anyone mixes up the office (presumably HIV +), she will disinfect any surface they touched once they leave. I confronted her, (that's not how the disease spreads, they are people too etc.) and she came up with BS excuses. I live in Ontario, and I looked it up, it's 100% illegal to discriminate against people with HIV.

I have 2 questions: Does this put her or the company at risk, and what is the theoretical recourse if she was caught doing this by someone who entered the office?

I am still angry and embarrassed, so I will add any additional information.

Answer:
 I'm not entirely convinced this counts as discriminating against somebody with HIV.  Is she making a scene or announcing she is cleaning because so and so has HIV and she doesn't want to get it? If she's a germophobe and wants to clean her desk all the time I don't see how that affects anybody else.Answer #2: I’m not familiar with Canadian law, but I don’t see how this is discriminatory in any way.  It’s stupid, but it’s not like she isn’t helping the people, she directs them to where they need to be.  Presumably if they needed whatever service your company offered she would direct them to the right person just as she is directing them to the right location.  Even in Canada it’s not illegal to be stupid.Answer #3: That's not illegal discrimination.

It's a bit like when I take my wife, who is severely disabled to medical appointments to unknown providers.

They will frequently start talking to me about her care, instead of her.

That can be considered insulting and rude, and condescending towards a disabled person.  But, it's not illegal.

When they start doing that, I just start goofing around on my phone, and ignore them.  When they start directing the questions towards my wife, I start to participate in the conversation again.


Title: Wireless carrier canceled my insurance *on accident*

Question:
In Virginia: My phone broke today and when I filed a claim with the insurance company my wireless carrier uses they told me my wireless carrier had canceled my insurance after I filed a claim earlier this year. After a long conversation with my wireless carrier they admit it was an error on their side and offer to replace my phone and I would only pay what I would've paid to the insurance company (199$)
I have to go to a store tomorrow and decide to do this. My main issues are that they canceled my insurance, did not inform me that they cancelled my insurance, and that I can't re enroll into the insurance with the replacement phone I will buy because there is no open enrollment right now. Do I have any legal grounds? I am planning in demanding they give me the replacement for free.

*edit: I didn't think about how I was getting a replacement despite not paying for the insurance that is a plus. I also guess I could enroll it in outside insurance, the representative I spoke to talked about open enrollment. Im in my early twenties so I'm not as familiar with insurance as I should be.

Answer: They are willing to let you pay what you would have paid with insurance - and you didn't have to pay for the insurance....seems like you won.


Title: FL - Possible employment discrimination

Question: I am a full-time student and I recently interviewed for a part-time job at a well known company. Everything went fine and I received a call 2 hours later letting me know that the job was mine. I was told to go online and finish off the just hired portion of the application and call the manager afterwards. The part simply asked for my SSN and other payroll questions. Here's where things get weird. I call back the manager and tell him I finished the application and that if he needed me to comeover with my work authorization card because I'm not a U.S. citizen. His demeanor changes and says to give him a day to figure it out. 3 days pass and whenever I try to call the store, I get no answer. Finally, I call the store with my gf's phone and the manager picks up and tells me , he has no idea what the process is and that he would need to speak to his DM and HR for the next process and to give him a few days to figure it out. This all started 3 weeks ago and he never called me back. Is this a possible equal employment violation?

Answer: Possibly but it sounds like he doesn't know the process with a non-citizen and is trying to figure that out. Rarely is there a cause of action for mere legal incompetence. If anything, do some research, find out what he needs to do, head down there with the info and show up. You should be able to find everything on web.


Title: My friend was willing to rent under the table. Now the table has been flipped over.

Question:
Sorry, tried for a creative title!

My friend is early 20’s, female in NJ. She recently bought a home and had been working on fixing it up. Soon she will be going overseas for over a year for work-related events. The problem is she had plans to rent to two friends of hers.

The problem: It has come up that these people (a couple) thought they would be living rent free for 9 months and then MAYBE pay it back by buying a fence. The fence at a high estimate would come to 6,000. Rent is 400 each so 800 total.

She’s upset by this suddenly development and is concerned they may have squatters rights or some other claim to make. They are currently moved into the home, have paid no money as far as I know. Is there anything she should be worried about? Sorry if there’s any formatting issues and thanks in advance!

Answer:
 If they're in the home now, they're likely tenants.  If she no longer wants them there, and hasn't signed any lease agreements with them, she needs to give them a notice to vacate (30 days).  If they don't leave after the 30 days, she'll need to evict them.

She should also not have any renters in her home going forward unless she has a formal lease written up and plans to declare and pay taxes on the income from the rent.


Title: I had a potential employer ask me if I am a mormon. I know this is illegal, what do I do?

Question:
Just a little bit of background... I am from Utah, so many clients are Mormon, and he wanted to know if I "was a member of the mormon religion" so I could fit in with the many mormon clients. I am no longer a member of the mormon church, so I told him so. I know this is very illegal, and I am not sure how to go about this?

Also... He asked me if I have kids, and he wanted to know if my wife works.

Answer:
 Just asking those questions isn't illegal.   Title VII of the Civil Rights Act doesn't spell out 'if you ask this question it's against the law'.

But such questions imply an illegal motive to discriminate in hiring for religious observance and family status, and would provide some good evidence in a discrimination lawsuit if the employer took an adverse hiring action.

There might be some far-flung stretch of imagination where being Mormon is a bona-fide occupational requirement (is your employer literally the LDS church?).   But I doubt it;  your religion and your family status are both plain as day protected classes.

Step 1 for an employment discrimination lawsuit is the EEOC;  you have to make a notice of complaint with them before proceeding with a lawsuit.

http://www.eeoc.gov/employees/charge.cfm


Title: Wyoming, DUI Enhanced.

Question:
So, this Friday after a decent amount of beers, my black out mind decided to get behind the wheel of my pickup and attempt to drive to my house. Now, this was never my intention as through out the day I had planned on staying at my best friends house the entire weekend, but at around 10 P.M I got behind the wheel, I had hit a concrete barrier while trying to take a turn  about 5 minutes after leaving my friends and subsequently the police were called. I did one field sobriety test before refusing to do anymore, I refused to go to the hospital as I wasn't seriously hurt, was wearing my seatbelt thankfully, and they drew my blood at the jail.

I don't remember anything after roughly 8 PM except that I had 4 beers where I was, and don't remember my friend driving us back to his house.

It is my second DUI in 3 years, my first being in 2014 when I was 17 about 2 months before my 18th birthday were I blew a .04.

My arraignment is currently the 31st of this month, and am very worried about what I should expect and what to do leading up as I am currently unemployed and have no disposable income for a lawyer.

My main questions are; what steps should I take leading up to my arraignment? What is the suggested thing to do at said arraignment as far as pleas go? Advice in general? And also what a DUI Enhanced is?

Answer:
 Get a lawyer, you are likely looking at jail time due to having a prior. Also, get into an alcohol program, it appears you have a problem and you are lucky you only struck a wall, and not another car. People I've done 10-20 for killing someone in similar situations to you.Answer #2: Get a lawyer.

Find an alcoholics program that fits with your personal philosophy - Whether AA or something else.

* The fact that you're getting black out drunk and driving means that you need this.

* If you drove this time when you explicitly planned not to, you're likely to make that same stupid mistake next time. Then it may kill an innocent kid, may kill you, and will at least land you in jail for your 3rd DUI.  If you don't want that, do something about your choices now.

* Showing that you've voluntarily sought immediate treatment may help your legal case.


Title: Fired for getting mental help.

Question:
My friend got fired today from his job.

First they said to him over the phone that he was a danger. But when he went to the office he asked again why he was getting fired they said they cant disclose it.

He recently went to a mental hospital for suicidal tendencies and a drug problem. (Hes wife left him).

Is there something he can do legally.

Answer:
 I am guessing the drug problem is going to be the bigger issue here.

He should file for unemployment and continue to seek help.


Title: [North Carolina] Can a private, Christian college legally fire an employee for being an atheist with no other grounds?

Answer:
 generally, the answer will be yes. some specifics may matters, but odds are this will be fine.

Answer #2: It would depend very much on the specifics of the case (what kind of job that person did, and kind of school it is). I'll leave this here for you: https://www.aclu.org/blog/speakeasy/religion-isnt-free-pass-discriminate-against-employees


Title: How would I go about emancipation?

Question:
I'm 16 and my house is overcrowded and my mom won't get a job so I'm probably going to be stuck in this situation until I'm 18 but I really want to do good this schoolyear and if I stay I'll end up doing bad because of my lack of sleep, since the people in my house stay up and watch tv until late at night. I know in CA I need to support myself but how do I do that.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You do that by getting a job that will pay all your bills and allow you to live self sufficiently.

If you can't do that then emancipation is not in the cards for you.

But if you had another place to live (with a friend or relative) and your mom's permission to go there, you could still do that.


Title: Chest cracking ever since visiting chiropractor

Question:
I assume I would have no legal ground since a chest crack can’t be proven to have been caused by anyone.

What can I do?

Every time I push my chest out and put my shoulders back to fix my posture the middle of my chest cracks loudly and feels very weird, like right under my heart.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: Step 1 is to see an MD.


Title: How can i make ex pay child support from Qatar? (California)

Question: Divorced since october 2017 and ex is yet to pay $1450 stipulated. He has been living in Qatar since separation (tho not Qatari, whole other story on how he got there). I would like to know if i can make him pay, and if not, can i at least make it so the payments pile up and has to backpay in case he returns to US.

Answer: The US order will not be enforced by the courts in Qatar, the country is not a party to any treaties with the United States dealing with enforcement of custody or support orders.  The US order will remain in place and arrearages will build so that if he ever returns or moves to a country that will enforce US orders you may be able to collect the back payments.  But unfortunately at this time he is out of the reach of the US courts for this matter.


Title: Are previous DUIs taken into account in a drug possession charge?

Question:
A friend of mine has 2 DUIs on her record, most recent was 4 years ago. Last Friday she got popped with a possession charge (~1.5 ounces of marijuana). She has a lawyer who JUST passed the bar exam 3-4 months ago, and from the sounds of things doesn't have much experience. She's suggesting pleading guilty and going for a plea deal that will involve 6-9 months of probation, and drug testing, after which the charge will be expunged. But no one seems at all concerned that my friend has 2 DUI charges on her record. To me, it seems like most judges would take that into account. It pretty clearly shows her irresponsibility and recklessness.

Any advice on how big of a deal those DUI charges will be in this situation?

We're in Michigan. And the discovery of the marijuana in her car was legit, as far as I can tell; she was pulled over for a taillight on her car being out, and apparently her car reeked of pot, they asked if they could search her car and she said yes (probably a dumb choice), and they found the drugs, and paraphernalia.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 If she has a plea deal in place with that as the sentence, the judge can either accept the deal or reject the deal.

What the judge can't do is accept the guilty plea and then sentence her to maximum jail time or anything like that.


Title: My neighbors are playing loud Christmas music on loop 24/7 and it keeps my fiance awake at night

Question:
Pretty much just the title. My fiance is a full-time student so as you can imagine, sleep is precious and rare. But with these absurdly loud decorations and bright lights it keeps her awake. I mean it sounds like someone is watching a Christmas movie downstairs. I installed blinds over her windows (she previously had none) and that helps with the lights, but the music is still there.

I'm in a suburb of north Austin TX

I've asked them to at least turn the volume down and they said
 "Who doesn't like Christmas music?" And shut the door.

Should I contact the police or is there something else I should do first or instead?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Yes, contact the non-emergency police. What your neighbors are doing is considered to be public nuisance. Answer #2: Call 311 or use the Austin 311 app to report a noise violation.  Austin's noise ordinance states that "a person may not make noise or play a musical instrument audible to an adjacent business or residence between 10:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m."  Here's where to find the house ordinance in full: https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT9PRAC_CH9-2NOAMSO#TOPTITLE

Report it every night after 10:30 that you can hear it inside her house.  The cops won't respond immediately, but they will respond. And if they keep getting calls about it, that neighbor is gonna be stuck paying a $500 fine.Answer #3: Are you in an apartment building? If so, she can complain to the owner or property manager. If that doesn't work, she can find out the noise ordinance in her locality: most will have a law or rule that prohibits loud noise after a certain time at night. Then, if she can hear the music after that time, she can call the police.


Title: 18 year old sibling being offered a home by random stranger online in another state. What can I do to stop her?

Question:
Hello all! I am in need of advice. My 18 year old sister has always had problems with my mother but recently it has reached a boiling point and she decided she wants to leave the house. It would be awesome if she did it the right way and got a job and roomed somewhere in the city (we live in Chicago) that would have been fine and dandy because she's 18 she can do whatever she wants. BUT she has found someone, an older man, online who lives in New Mexico who is offering her a place to stay for free.
    It sounds extremely, extremely suspicious because my sister is exactly the right kind of girl that weirdos and pimps look for, she is vulnerable, has no money, has low self esteem, and is looking for an escape. I don't want her to end up strung out on drugs, prostituted, abused, or end up as a missing person on an Investigation Discovery show

What can I do?! She won't listen to reason, she is 18 but is obviously not an adult so she thinks she is invincible. She has had a history of mental issues (bipolar disorder, depression, suicidal thoughts and tendencies) i don't want to let her go only for her to be hurt physically or hurt further mentally.

As an aside, Our home life is not the best but it is not horrible. She gets away with everything and this is what it has led up to. We were never abused or mistreated; she and my mother just butt heads a lot and she takes it very very hard.

EDIT: by saying that she is obviously not an adult I mean she is of age, of course, but does not have any kind of foresight or caution, much like a teenager

Answer:
 > What can I do?! She won't listen to reason

If she won't listen to reason, there's not much you can do.

> she is 18 but is obviously not an adult

Sure she is. She's 18.


Title: Hotel theft help

Question:
My parents went to chiefland 23 days ago and had to stay in a days Inn cause there house needed work on.

They are moving from pompano beach to chiefland so they were in the process of moving small stuff there.

They were at days Inn for five days then went back to the house in chiefland. They decided to bring back jewelry down to pompano instead of leaving it in the house alone (they are still in process of moving)

They just went through the jewelry today as I write this and noticed around five thousand was stolen.

They are depressed as some of it is my deceased aunt and grandmother jewelry. Is there any legal action they can do? They don't seem to think so since it's been 23 days and its 100 miles away now.

Chiefland florida

Answer: They can report it to the police and the hotel. The theft may also be covered under an insurance policy.


Title: Legal Inquiry: If 2 Orthodox Jews get married in Israel and later move to NY, and the wife wishes to divorce her husband but he won’t give her a *get* (and a divorce may only happen with the husband’s consent) and she gets a civil divorce and remarries civilly, what action can be taken against her?

Answer:
 Legally, nothing. She is allowed to remarry. A get is strictly a religious thingAnswer #2: > what action can be taken against her?

By Whom?

The State of NY or the United States will take no action against her.  As far as they're concerned, she's divorced and remarried.  Neither sovereign cares about Jewish Law.

The State of Israel is another matter.  I don't know the answer there.  But since she's not located within the territory of the State of Israel, there's not really anything the state can do to her, assuming it wanted to.

The Orthodox Jewish Community At Large can shun her, I guess.  If they try to do much more than that, they're probably wandering into legally shakey territory.

The God of The Old Testament can take any action he pleases, including inventing a really awful place to put sinners, and condemning the woman to spend eternity there.
Answer #3: Why would you want to take action against her? As other posters have advised you, there are no legal actions that can be taken as the US no longer considers women to be property. What do you believe the US legal system should do in this case?


Title: Did they forgive the debt or did I just lose my house?

Question:
edit: missouri

I was out of town for some time. I paid a friend to mow my lawn. They did not. The city instead mowed the lawn and billed me. The due date was about a week but because my mail was forwarded it took about two weeks to get the bill and pay it. I was charged late fee and interest. When I paid the late fee and interest the city immediately wrote a check back to me for what I paid and sent a letter. I don't understand at all what it says.

text is as below:
release of special tax bill
The city , Grantor, amunicipal corporation, in the county, state, does hereby certify that a special tax bill filed in the office of the recorder in favor of the city, grantor and claimant agains thte real property, being more particularly - "my lot and address"
for the full indebtedness claimed against the owner, (me), grantee of the aforesaid property is hereby released and the city of rolla does hereby consent that the same be discharged of record.

signed (mayor)
notarized (notary)

I read legalize all the time but i don't understand anything in the above letter. I can't tell if they are taking my house or forgave the debt.

Answer:
 You would be seeing a LOT more paperwork if the city was trying to take your house. You should call someone at the city to clarify, but from what you posted it appears they're releasing the house from the debt.Answer #2: It sounds like they have put a tax lien on your house.  Don't worry, they are not taking it.  I doubt they are forgiving the debt either.  Just call them up and figure out how much you owe them and pay it.Answer #3: Foreclosure for delinquent taxes/water/property fees takes a long time.  I think you are fine unless you were ignoring the bill for several months or more.

All that shit just sounds like they released you of any lien they may have had on your property for the debt, probably because you paid it.


Title: [RI] Two men knocked on my door claiming to be from insurance inspection. I didn't answer, they came in anyway.

Question:
See title. I was asleep, they came in anyway. They looked around before I could put some clothes on and get out of my room. I texted my landlord asking her what the fuck, she said the following:

"they were insurance inspectors. They told me there were going to look at the commercial units which is why I didn't notify you."

She then scolded me for improper fire detection equipment.

What can I do about two strangers entering my apartment, in a method I do not know, with apparently my landlord's consent?

I checked RI Law, it is required to give 2 days notice before a visit.

Answer:
 Pardon the language, but your LL fucked up hard. In a lot of states, that's how people end up getting shot.Answer #2: Landlord here.  Looking over the [RI landlord tentant act](http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/title34/34-18/index.htm) shows they do have to give you 2 days notice before entry.  Your remedies allow you to sue him and terminate the lease if he is in violation.  However, that means hiring a lawyer, then moving!

If I were you, I would simply purchase and install a door lock that can only be used while you are in your unit.  This could include a deadbolt, that is *unkeyed* on the outside (difficult to install).  It could also be one of those little chain and slot devices (very easy to install).  That way you can lock your door while the unit is occupied, and no one can enter without your approval (unless they kick the door down, and then the police will be happy to help).  It also means you do not have to give your landlord a key, which is a requirement if you change the locks.Answer #3: In many states it's a criminal trespass for a landlord to send someone in your apartment without the required notice. If you are angry enough, you can still file a complaint with the police. Some police departments won't do anything, but I have seen the police charge a landlord for trespass in a similar situation. (I'm blaming the landlord here based on speculation that the landlord told the inspectors she'd notified the tenants).Answer #4: Get a chain for your door.


Title: Injured at international music festival in the Netherlands, US resident

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You can ask them to cover, but it's not clear that they have any liability here.  In the USA they almost assuredly wouldn't, and you would likely have to sue them in the Netherlands, which would be prohibitively expensive.


Title: Back Pay Child Support

Question: I’m a 26 and my father only paid around three years of child support starting basically at birth. My mom told me I could go after him for it and that if any was rewarded that it would all go to me. I’m not sure how accurate any of this is or if it’s too late to pursue. Any information would be helpful!!

Answer: None of it is accurate.  Your mom can go after it and if it was awarded it would all go to her.  She could obviously give it to you but she was awarded child support and it is her right to bring an action to try to recover it.


Title: Im working 120+ hours and making less then minimum wage I need advice...

Question: I work for a company in oregon that does roadside assistance and tows disabled vehicles, when I accepted the job offer I was told it was all commission based and that all the drivers bring home a minimum of 1200 every 2 weeks. After receiving my first pay stub and doing the math I found that i was not being paid commission just a number that he decided was fair. I tried to talk to my boss and figure out what's going on and he said he'd work on it. Hes now switched me over to salary but I'm only making $900 every two weeks after 120 hours. I looked at the labor laws and i cant make sense of them, my questions are: is what he doing legal? If not how do i go about reporting him? Is there any hope for lost compensation?

Answer:
 Not a lawyer but I'd be surprised if 900 a month even qualifies as a salaried employee. I know in Texas it wouldn't. Just checked for Oregon. If your not paid $455 a week you're not a salary employee and might be entitled to overtime pay
 Answer #2: Contact the [Wages and Hours Division of the Federal Department of Labor](http://www.dol.gov/whd/#). They have both local branches as well a an 800 number.  They can help you make sense of the laws and what this guy is doing.


Title: Is Customer Service Recording Notification Consent?

Question:
I can't seem to figure this out...I know that some places only require one way consent but some require all parties to consent.

The question is:

If you call a company and they say "This call may be recorded." does that equal consent on their end?

Do you have to get their permission to do your own recording?

Logic would dictate that the company has given consent by having the system in place and that the customer service rep has given consent by working there, knowing they are recorded.

However, I guess the grey area might be that they consented to themselves recording but not you recording...but that seems...stupid...

Answer: Just tell them that you're recording. Chances are likely they'll tell you that they can't talk to you, and you then tell them you want to speak with their supervisor. Answer #2: This question comes up all the time here. Consent is not a two way street. By remaining on the call, you consent to them recording. They have not consented to you recording.


Title: Fender bender is my fault, says her insurance

Question:
Hello, there! I'm Leah and I've recently had some trouble with a fender bender. I'm new to this area (NorCal) and am still just finding my way around. I happen to be in a small town, and, just outside the city limits there's woods and fields and deer galore.

Well, one of the deer must have got into the city limits because a week ago I nearly slammed into one that ran in front of my car. I managed to slam on the brakes in time to not clip the deer, but the person behind me (who we'll call Lauren for the sake of having a name, though it isn't her real name) did not brake in time to not hit my car, who's trunk is now ruined. Thankfully no one was severely hurt- my head slammed onto the wheel and I have a forehead bruise; Lauren says she has mild whiplash- but Lauren and her insurance are saying that it's my fault and I have to pay for her medical bills and car, because I didn't give Lauren enough time to brake.

Lauren was less than 3 carlengths behind me the entire time and easily could have braked on time if she was further away. I fail to understand how her riding my ass puts me at fault.

I think her insurance company is bullshitting me because they know they can get away with it. See- and I'm gonna get shit for this- I don't have insurance. Yep, I'm an idiot and I suck, clearly.

Now that we got that out of the way: Do I have a right to challenge this claim? Should I?  They want me to pay over 5 grand. Was I at fault? If I was, I'll gladly accept responsibility and pay up. I just don't think I am.

Please be nice to me. I already may have to part with my dearly beloved wallet. Isn'the that enough? I'll be nice if you are.

Answer:
 Don't listen to the other party's insurance company. Their sole purpose in life is to defend the other party and make you pay for everything. Of course they're going to say you're 100% liable.

Did you file a police report? What did the police determine? That's what matters, not what some insurance adjuster thinks.

>I didn't give Lauren enough time to brake

Also, LOL. This is pretty funny.Answer #2: >because I didn't give Lauren enough time to brake.

If everyone's driving safely then you can't not give anyone time to break. You're suppose to have sufficient space between your car and the one in from so that even if they somehow came to a stop immediately you could still stop before you hit them. Hire a lawyer and ask them to deal with it. Also get insurance in future.


Title: Dealership sold me salvage title car

Question:
Hi, I need advice on what the next step for me should be.

I bought a WRX from a dealership for $9700 in February of this year. My understanding, my banks and my insurance company's understanding is that the car was clean titled as they wouldn't have approved a loan on a salvaged titled car. I went through all of the paperwork multiple times and nowhere on there does it say that the car is salvaged titled, but it also doesn't say it's a clean title. My bank is now converting the auto loan to a personal loan after finding out from DMV, and I can't sell the car private party for what I owe on it because the value is now way down from being salvaged. Carfax shows no history of an accident on the car, but the salvage is from a total loss collision.

Do I go into the dealership and ask for ALL of my money back and give them the car back?

&#x200B;

Answer:
 Yeah, you could be entitled to a lot more from the dealer than just your money back. Read up on this:

http://www.dmvnv.com/salvage.htm

I am not a car expert but I think a dealer should reasonably know if a car is titled clean or not. Furthermore, clean title is implied in a vehicle sale, it's salvage titles that must be clearly noted.

You might consider your damages as the actual difference in value between what you paid for the car and what you could sell it for today, plus the total amount of interest you've paid on the loan so far. That could probably get up into the $15K neighborhood.

Do some Googling for attorneys in your area who have a lot of auto dealer fraud cases. You might also look for consumer protection attorneys. In any case, having a quick chat with one of them should help guide you on next steps. That's probably the only thing I can recommend, since this type of thing can be pretty messy and not something you want to do much with on your own.

The easiest out is probably just to tell them to void the sale, but that may be letting them off the hook pretty significantly. But your call!


Title: I want my son back!

Question: My wife and I have been separated for over a year. Recently she decided that I was an unfit parent and has kept my son away from me. She leaves my son at her moms for the week and picks him up during the weekend, using her work schedule as an excuse for this. I believe she does this because she enjoys having the week to herself and being able to drink her nights away. Would I be in my legal rights to go to his grandmothers and demand she turn him over to me? There's no court orders or any legal documents for the divorce or any custody agreements. Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 >There's no court orders or any legal documents for the divorce or any custody agreements.

Get an attorney and get a court ordered custody agreement.

>Would I be in my legal rights to go to his grandmothers and demand she turn him over to me?

Errrr... yes... Probably. But don't do this without advice from an attorney.  It most likely will just result in a shit storm that might be used against you in the custody agreement mentioned above.

When approaching a custody battle, you want to make sure none of the dirt, blood and shit that is often thrown around lands on your hands.


Title: [NH] is it a crime for me to drive out of state with no car insurance?

Question:
Or is it fine since it is isn't required in New Hampshire. I'm assuming you wouldn't be allowed to drive out of state but I'm curious

Thanks!

Answer: You must abide by the laws of the state you're in. A New Hampshire plate is a magnet for cops, whose first request will be for your license, registration, and proof of insurance.


Title: Is there a way for me to get my parents divorce documents changed.

Question: This problem has been going on for a while. I'm 14 and in high school. My parents have been divorced for over 13 years. Everything was going fine until 2 years ago when I started making my own choices. I started to dye my hair red and dress a certain way. I legally have to visit my dad on the summers and my mom makes me visit him every two years on Christmas. My dad has always been that dad that wants a very manly son. When I started to dye my hair he would call me things like "Queer" or "Faggot" and I've always hated it. I've told him multiple times that I don't like it and he keeps saying the same thing, "Son, if I didn't make fun of you than I wouldn't love you" and I hate it. I'm a very sensitive person and I try telling him that but he then proceeds to call me a pussy and saying that he will, "Work the queer out of me". Now it gets very hot in the summer and even though I'm a very weak sort of person, he still makes me work in 100 degree weather even though I'm in pain. I've tried talking to my mom about how I don't want to see him again and to take me home but she always says I'm overreacting and then proceeds to tell my dad what I said. He then give a huge BS lesson about how he loves me more than anything. I've told my friends and one of them said that I can go to court and get the document changed. When I looked online it said that I need a significant change in order to change the document. I live in California and being my age, I know close to nothing about laws and all that. If anyone has any advice on what I can do so I don't ever have to see my dad again can you please tell me, it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Your dad is an asshole, but he’s not psychically neglecting or hurting you. Unfortunately, he and your mother don’t seem interested in changing things at the moment. However, if it ever gets to the point where your father is harming you physically, you should report it.Answer #2: You can’t. You’re parents could, but neither of them seem interested in doing so.

For the record, working in 100 degree weather is not going to kill you. Drink plenty of water. I do it all the time.


Title: Mothers friend having crazy number of medical bills sent to our home

Question:
Hello,

My mother has a "friend" in Las Vegas that has started having all his medical bills sent to our home in California. For the last several months thousands and thousands of dollars of medical bills, invoices, statements, arrive at our home. From what I can tell, all get burned. It seems like this guy is claiming tons of medical care, saying he lives at our home in California, and then burns them. I estimate 100K in burned medical coverage notices.

Is this something that can be used as a lien against our property?
Is what he's doing legal?
What can we do to make him stop?

Any insights you have are appreciated.
Thanks,
D

Answer: Stop opening the mail, mark it as incorrect address/no such person at that address, put it back in the mailbox.


Title: Ex-band member squatting on .com domain of active band

Question:
Looking for some advice.

I’m the member of a band, where our .com website was registered a few years back by someone who has since quit and no longer associates with anyone in the band. This person who has control of the domain was not an original member of the band, the band name can be proven as in use before and after and is a LLC in our home state.

So we are about to release a new album, and while we have control of all our social media accounts - the .con has remained dormant since the ex member quit in 2012. I’ve contacted him and got an offer of $2000 to get the domain which yes, seems in their right but a shit move all around for a band he quit yet is wanting to profit from. The domain is registered until 2021 which means we can’t use the domain to promote our brand and presence online.

I guess my question, is there anything weird about them seizing and squatting on a domain this way, and then wanting to hold it for ransom? It seems like sabotage.

Answer:
 Was the domain registered before or after the bandmate left the group?

If it was before, you have a chance that you might be able to do something in court if you can prove that as an agent of the band he registered the website and absconded with it afterwards. Especially if you have any proof that he was registering as an agent of the band.

On the downside, it's been 6 years since he left the band so that kind of limits you because waited 6 years to pursue anything.

Less legal, but more practical advice; did you try changing the domain at all? Adding "the" to the front or "band" to the end. Basically keeping the name, but shifting to an unused domain.