Title: Is downloading media illegal?

Question:
Hi, can someone point me to a successful lawsuit where someone has been prosecuted for downloading media, NOT sharing it? Every headline that I can find which claims a lawsuit against downloading also includes sharing.
Thanks!

Answer:
 Here you go --

[*Maverick Recording Co. v. Harper*, 598 F.3d 193 (5th Cir. 2010)](http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2326217699099161708&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr)

>Harper infringed Plaintiffs' exclusive right to reproduce their copyrighted works by downloading the 37 audio files to her computer without authorization. The district court correctly granted summary judgment on the issue of infringement.

[*BMG Music v. Gonzalez*, 430 F. 3d 888 (7th Cir. 2005)](http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=13750328162489237159&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr)

In *BMG*, the 7th Circuit affirmed the district court's finding that Gonzalez infringed BMG's works by downloading.  From the [lower court's opinion granting summary judgment on the issue of infringement by downloading](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=23&ved=0CDIQFjACOBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsl1.mit.edu%2Ffurdlog%2Fdocs%2Fbmg_gonzalez.pdf&ei=On19U9bnM8fhoATdpoDYCw&usg=AFQjCNHMHn1NGSU7SETId0TDsLImmZQgmQ&sig2=EHU376_vaLynkYsjDw1D3A&bvm=bv.67720277,d.cGU) (PDF warning):

>Gonzalez admits that she infringed upon the Recording Companies' copyrights by downloading 30 songs from the internet which she did not own. Numerous courts have held that downloading music from the internet, which the user does not own, constitutes "direct infringement."


Title: Why Can't legal Aid Help in a Child Custody case?

Question: I have a friend who is trying to get custody of his niece because his sister is has some mental issues, abuse issues, drug issues. He has called Legal Aid and they will not help him. He has a go fund me account.

Answer: Legal aid (like any other organization) gets to choose what kind of work they do. They've elected not to do child custody work. They don't really care whether or not he has a go fund me account.


Title: Co-worker found child porn. do they legally have to call the cops. MI, USA

Question:
I work at a small computer repair shop. My co-worker is fixing a computer. It sat for a while and the screen saver popped on. The screen saver is the customers pictures. There were a lot of questionable pictures. animal porn and other weird stuff. Then a picture cam up of child porn. They dont want to call the cops because they dont want the business to be ruined. I feel we have too. Is there a requirement to call?

Update- They called the cops. The guy is on the sex offender registry. So i guess i will see what happens.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 Calling the cops was required in MI - computer technicians are mandatory reporters:

http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/child-pornography-reporting-requirements.aspx


Title: [PA] My employer says I can't get commission and over time pay, only can choose one. Legal?

Question:
I work for Metro PCS in Pennsylvania and lately I have been working more then 40 hours. I get a base pay of $8.50 an hour plus Commission on any plans and items I sell. But today my boss told me that I can only get my commission pay or over time pay. I wont get both. Other employees said they usually go with the one is the lowest amount which is usually over time pay so they schedule people to work over time a lot.

Is this even legal?

Answer:
 No.  Read 778.117 and the few sections after it.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&amp;sid=48d6ee3b99d3b3a97b1bf189e1757786&amp;rgn=div5&amp;view=text&amp;node=29:3.1.1.2.39&amp;idno=29#se29.3.778_1117

If you're an hourly worker with a commission who works overtime, the employer is required to calculate your true hourly rate (let's say it ended up being $12/hour for a certain week when the commission was included) and then pay overtime at that rate ($18/overtime hour for this particular week).

Make a complaint to your state labor agency if you're working overtime and not being paid for it.  Document with a daily journal of your time worked.


Title: [USA, Oregon] Landlord is selling house while I have 6 months left on lease.

Question: Is there any information I need to know as a renter during this?

Answer: Your lease carries with the sale unless your lease says it doesn't. So you get to live there until your lease is up and you pay rent to the new owner. The new owner can not renew of course, or maybe they bought it wanting a tenant. The new owner can also raise the rent or lease terms once your current lease is up.


Title: Nearby BP gas station seems to be conducting in false/intentionally deceptive advertising.

Question:
Forgive the crude drawing, but I'm geniunely curious about this (and pissed off). I went out of my way to a BP gas station this morning because I recall passing by and it having some of the cheapest gas in the area.

The sign was laid out like this: http://i.imgur.com/I56YmMi.png

At the top, in big letters, it says "regular" then "2.39". In smaller letters beneath that, it lists "regular" again, and then the "super" unleaded or whatever it is gas stations name it for 2.59 both.

So, the top of the sign JUST says "regular" and then "2.39". All I got was regular, but I was charged 2.59.

Upon confronting the cashier about the problem, I was enlightened that the second "regular" states "without carwash" in small text. Indeed, this text would only be clearly visible if you were right up at the sign, and is in smaller print than the "regular" @ "2.39" proudly represented at the top of the sign.

Now, on one hand, it comes off as a gotcha because it's true, I didn't get a carwash. However, the price at the top doesn't say "regular" @ "2.39 with carwash".

It feels like I just got scammed.

Is this really legal?

I'm in the U.S. St. Louis, Missouri to be specific.

Answer:
 Normally we only receive crude drawings for easement questions!

That is not deceptive advertising. I see these signs all of the time, the text below really isn't that small. Often on the gas pump it prompts you if you got the car wash or not. You didn't get scammed. Answer #2: When filling up at the pumps, what price is displayed  on them?


Title: [FL] Can someone open a Life Insurance Policy on you without your permission?

Question:
So I posted over in /r/Relationships and I was encouraged to come over here with my post.

Long story short, my MIL wants to get a million dollar life insurance policy put on her son, and she is attempting to be extremely sneaky about it telling him to hide it from me (his wife) she keeps saying she wants to be "financially set" when he dies.

He is an extremely healthy young man and has no signs of dying in the next 40 + years.

What I want to know is she allowed to get a huge life insurance policy put on him without his permission? He is saying he will not agree to any life insurance policy where she is the main beneficiary because we want to get life insurance policies for ourselves when we have children. (But she does know his SSN since that is her son.)

Is there anything we can do ?
(We are located in Florida.)

Answer:
 This website I stumbled across actually does a good job of explaining both the yes and no to your question.

You should tell your mother in law that if she gets caught using fraud to get a life insurance policy she can get into a lot of trouble and the policy will be null and void achieving nothing anyway. Even if she gets away with setting it up which can be done - the main investigation part comes at the pointy end which is where her fraud is most likely to be noticed.

I'd also be telling your mother in law to butt the fuck out and mind her own business - but that train of though probably belongs back in /r/relationships

http://www.insure.com/life-insurance/secret-policies.htmlAnswer #2: Yes, that is generally ok (though consent is usually required) so long as she has an insurable interest in his life (usually close family, etc.). You guys can get your own insurance as well.


Title: [Austin TX] Want to get married....worried about warrant?

Question: So, my fiance got pulled over a while ago when we had a lapse in the insurance and got a ticket we have not yet been able to pay. We are planning on going to the courthouse soon to get married but i was worried that he may run into issues? I just don't want him getting arrested! Is this something we need to worry about?

Answer:
 There's always a chance, I would not report to any government office until you take care of his warrant.

You don't have the money to buy a marriage license if you have pending infractions to take care of. Answer #2: How about you pay off the warrant prior to getting married? Think of it as a pre-wedding gift to yourselves.


Title: (CA) If I serve a 30 day eviction notice to a sub-letter and they leave after 16 days are they still responsible for rent for the other 14 days?

Question:
We are in the process of evicting a somewhat violent roommate.

Sub-letter is not under any contract and is month to month.

Answer:
 Yes

But if they are "somewhat violent" and potentially mentally unstable it may be in your best interest to just take the financial hit for the 14 days rather than prolong your interactions with this person by going through the small claims process.


Title: My girlfriend is owed over $20,000 from the VA. How can she get traction on this?

Question:
My girlfriend is owed over $20,000 from the VA.
She was supposed to be getting over a thousand a month from them.
 She was medically retired from the air force for major depressive disorder and a many other things. She has a very hard time fighting for herself in this matter due to intense anxiety.
I've tried calling the VA for her but no one will give me the time of day because were not married.

Its like smashing my head into a wall....
Were both at our wits end but its also intensifing suicidal thoughts in my gf. She hates the feeling of being a burden (she's not) so much.

Are there lawyers we can go to that can fight for her?

What els can be done?

Also we currently live in Tennessee and the nearest base is very far and hard to reach because we share one junk car with three working adults.

We feel so stuck... we can't afford therapy and can't move on with our lives till this is over...

Answer:
 I went through this exact same thing.

Contact the local DAV.. or have her do it, rather.  They will get shit done.  Also, social media.  I reached out to the VA via Facebook and they were rather responsive.  Within a month of have an open claim for 3 years, we received a direct deposit for over $30K one morning.. And the next day, a letter explaining the benefits.

Don't give up.Answer #2: > Are there lawyers we can go to that can fight for her?

Sure, but that might be a waste of time and money, depending on the situation.  Why are they not paying her?  What does your girlfriend need to do to get paid?


Title: MA/CT My Mother has admitted to forging my endorsement on checks and is argumentative when accounting for $100,000 of life insurance check

Question:
Note: Using throwaway account on off-chance someone knows my main account.

&#x200B;

Hello all, I have been coming to terms with that my Mother is a horrendous narcissist and abusive. However, I am also now realizing that she has engaged in legally problematic actions. My father passed away a few years back (he was abusive himself but that's a whole different story). Myself and my brother were the sole beneficiaries of him and his estate since my parents were already divorced. At the time of his passing, I was 18. My father had a life insurance policy of which my brother and I were both equal beneficiaries. My half of his life insurance was distributed to me in a check in my name for $250,000. At the time this check was written, I had turned 19. I have a picture of this check for the amount mentioned.

&#x200B;

Now, where and how this initial check was deposited I have no clue. What I do know quite confidently is that I never signed for or endorsed that check. I was away in a different state working a summer job. I suspect my Mother forged my signature on this check (especially considering she has admitted to forging my signatures on other checks but we'll get to that in a moment). This check was used to pay for a variety of expenses that I do know I was legally responsible for (e.g., my Father's funeral, spending money for myself and my brother, legal fees, giving my mother some as a gift) but also things I do not believe I should have been responsible for paying. Upon asking my Mother what expenses money went towards, she told me she used some unknown amount of it to pay for my Father's medical debts (which ones, she cannot say) "out of respect". From my initial Google search, his estate is responsible, sure, but his medical debts do not fall to me. Point being, there is evidence to suggest she may have made mistakes in how she handled my money. My brother also was loaned money out of my life insurance (retrospectively under my Mother's coercion of me) of some unknown amount since he was underage and not able to access his life insurance check without going to the court each time. There is also still a large portion of this money that is so far entirely unaccounted for to me on how it was spent.

&#x200B;

6 months later, we go to a financial advisor and give him the rest of the check to put into investments. As a result of a court order, the investment account was required to be in both my name and my Mother's name. Initial records I have found from contacting the financial advisor show that the principal of the investment was $150,000. $100,000 of that life insurance check is--to me--not accounted for. When I press my Mother to explain to me where it went, she acts argumentatively/aggressively and gives me answers that are demonstrably incorrect (for instance, $31,000 she claims went towards paying for a car that I have bank statements/investment withdrawals/pictures of the check showing was paid from a withdrawal from the investment account several years later).

&#x200B;

All of the withdrawals from the investment accounts and my expenses over the past few years seem to roughly match up after going through them with my financial advisor. It appears that money was not misappropriated by my Mother (at least during the time post-investing). HOWEVER, the way in which these investment checks were deposited is wildly illegal. My financial advisor would mail checks with both my Mother and my name on them (since the investment account was in both of our names). He tells me the checks were supposed to be deposited into a joint account in both of our names. However, no such account exists. There is a joint account in both my Mother and my brother's name. However, the checks were not even being deposited there. My Mother has admitted over text message to forging my signature on the endorsement and bank statements show that the checks were deposited into her own personal bank account in her name only. From that point, the money was then used to either pay for my own expenses out of her account (e.g., college tuition) or sent to my personal bank account through a money transfer. When I sent her a text message saying "my financial advisor told me the checks require both our signatures", she admitted to forging my signature on the checks, told me I should be grateful for it since I did not have to come home to sign them, said I am responsible for ruining her mood, complained to me about her work schedule, reminded me she still pays for my phone bill, and then accused me of sounding like my deceased abusive father.

&#x200B;

As is probably clear at this point, I am planning on limiting strongly contact with my Mother. Using my experience of living with a narcissist my whole life, I sweet talked her into agreeing to sign the paperwork transferring all of the investments into an account in my name only. She also claims to have a bag containing all of the expenses post-Father's death to account for where this $100,000 went supposedly that she is offering to let me look at. I plan to take pictures of all of this paperwork since she probably won't just let me take the bag whole (even though most of it has probably been paid for with my money). My question is: what legally should I be doing? Is there any recourse against my Mother if it turns out she mismanaged my funds and inappropriately spent my money? Is there any recourse against either my Mother or the bank for depositing repeated checks with fraudulent endorsements on them into a personal bank account without my name on it? As I am planning to limit contact, is there anything else I should be considering/paperwork that I should sweet talk her into giving me (such as birth certificate, social security card, etc.)? I really rely on this money as I am currently a graduate student diagnosed with cancer (I am still on my Mother's health insurance as well). My income isn't that great since I work minimum wage 20 to 30 hours a week on campus. I know probably the answer is going to be "get a lawyer!" but I would struggle with that. At this point, $70,000 of my original life insurance check remains that needs to be saved towards supplementing my living expenses/graduate school. I cannot afford to throw much money towards paying for a lawyer. If there is any inexpensive or free legal counsel regarding this situation, I would greatly appreciate any referrals.

Answer:
 For this kind of coin, you need to be at an Estate/Probate attorney yesterday.  You can get copies of your birth certificate/SS card/etc from the proper government agencies with little to no struggle, just depends on the state in which you were born.  Good luck.Answer #2: So, you are right that you have absolutely no responsibilities for your father's medical debts, also you aren't responsible for funeral costs, or any debts of his at all. His funeral costs should have been paid out of his estate and usually take precedence over any other debt.

Life insurance is not part of the estate process and should not be used to pay off the deceased debts, it should go directly to you outside of probate free and clear. You are getting screwed over big time.


Title: [Minneapolis, MN] Unwelcome guest in 2bd apartment

Question:
I live in a 2 bedroom unit with my roommate and his partner.  We split rent utilities three ways. One roommate has let guests crash over for multiple days even after I complained to both him and our landlord.

His most recent offence is his brother, who has been sleeping in our back hallway for over 5 weeks.  Every week I have complained, and he keeps stretching it out. I was very lenient due to "family."

I finally did a bit of research because something seemed fishy (I've been really busy with work and other stuff and barely home) and found out his brother is a convicted sex offender on a stayed commitment and supervised probation. Through connecting a few dots, I found out he violated MN 609.344.1(b) in a prostitution sting where he tried to solicit a 15yo. Being a felon and sex offender, it's no wonder he can't find his own place, but that's not my problem.

I am pretty fucking mad, and I'm wondering if I have any options besides moving out (I'm going to when I figure out the logistics) or blowing up at my roommate for lying to me. My roommate doesn't know I know any of this yet.

Answer:
 Contact your landlord about the tenant who's not on your lease for the last 5 weeks.

Also, you can submit an anonymous tip to the police about him staying there. It's unlikely his conditions of release let him live "in the back hallway" of an apartment. (keep in mind that's a bit harsh, but if you want him out and he's breaking his terms, this will do it.)


Title: Can i (18) bring alcohol from Mexico to California through my luggage?

Question:
To put it simple, I'm in Mexico right now and flying back home soon. I bought two bottles of tequila 1 liter each and Im not sure if i'd be allowed to take them back home because the legal age of alcohol consumption is 21 in Cali, would they confiscate my luggage in the us if I brought it with me or not let me bring them in the first place?
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 Possession of alcohol by those under 21 is illegal in California.

https://sa.berkeley.edu/legal/tipsheet/alcohol


Title: How do i sue landlord for entry to my room without notice?

Question: My landlord entered the premises without any notice. Where can i sue and how much damages. Im in California. They repeatedly did it twice.

Answer: You don't. You can complain and if it keeps happening you probably have grounds to break the lease without penalty.


Title: Can I sue a company for not giving me a raise after assigning 4 people's jobs to me?

Question:
[background] I'm in B2B sales. At the beginning of the year, I had some arguments with the HR about my raise. And they raised my salary by 5% more than what they had offered after a month-long debate. My company recently relocated me to another state (from a no-state-income state to a yes-state-income state) with a 1-year housing payment support up to 12K. (along with the moving expenses)

[Situation] Before I relocated, I had been doing 2 people's work as my colleague had been transferred to another department. I had no problem with that and there was no overload because I hated working with the person and the person barely did anything. However, as soon as i relocated, I was told to manage more accounts that were taken care by my ex-manager (all the accounts) and a colleague who recently quit (a half of the accounts). So, now, I have 3.5 people's accounts including my original accounts. And then another colleague quit the job and they assigned me all the accounts again. But shortly after, I was able to transfer a half of the accounts to someone else so I now am in charge of accounts which used to be managed by 4 people. And this (relocation and new responsibilities) has happened in a month

[Questions] In this case, would the HR be open to accept my request for another raise? How should I approach to clearly deliver my message?
If they rejected my request, I'm even considering about taking legal actions but I don't know where to start nor if I'm being overly sensitive.

Answer:
 Wow.  I wish I can sue my employer every time I feel like I am overworked.

Get off your high horse and consider yourself lucky that you have a job.  You are always free to resign if you feel that you are not being valued by your company.  Nothing is stopping you from doing that...,


Title: Neighbors sneaking around, possibly stealing (Florida, USA)

Question:
I'm not sure what subreddit to put this in but I need some quick advice on home protection that doesn't involve guns. (Also unsure whether or not to tag as douche or criminal law)

My next door neighbors party quite loudly and with many people on the weekends. There are always multiple cars in next door's yard and people in and out at all hours.

We have a screened in in-ground pool Long story short, it (the pool) was bad but now its working again. People at the neighbors house have been overheard talking about sneaking in to go for a swim very loudly many times.

I work nights. Last night at work I got a text from my girlfriend saying our large dog Happy was going nuts like never before, growling, barking, tail straight out, at the front door (which is a frame with a large single piece glass panel) and she said she thought she heard somebody out there.

She went to the back door next to the pool and overheard the neighbors loudly joking about sneaking in to check out if anyone was home so they could go swimming. (She says somebody hushed him and he appended his sentence with "just joking though")

When I got home this morning I checked things out-we had two bikes, essentially junk, sitting in the car-port. One was missing. There is a truck full of scrap next door and multiple bikes piled in their yard.

I think these people tried to break in and decided on the bike as a consolation prize when they decided fighting a dog wasn't worth going for a 3am swim.

I took a look across the fence and didn't see the bike in their pile, nor in the bed of the truck. I chained up the other bike and brought the mower inside. I checked the car to make sure nothing was missing either (nothing was)

My girlfriend is going out to buy multiple No Trespassing and Beware of Dogs signs and a baseball bat. We're getting a gun with my next paycheck as well-but for now what can I do?

I think it is too late to inform the police (this happened almost five hours ago) and pointless too-it's a junk bike we have no proof we owned and can't prove that anybody affiliated with next door's tenants stole it. (I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that some kids were fucking around on a Saturday night and did it, I pulled similar shit when I was in school)

Should I confront the neighbors? I don't really care about the bike, but I can't afford for this to become a habitual thing on their part.

Should I call the police and file a noise complaint next time they are outside all night drinking? I used to get fucked up in the backyard with my buddies and I understand folks like to unwind but I feel like I should send them a message.

I don't want this to escalate either, if I call the cops they'll know it was me. It's not like I live in the ghetto, I'm just afraid of stupid people doing impulsive, anger induced things (aren't we all?) because they think they can intimidate me (I don't look like somebody who wins fights)

I understand there might be a chance they never pull this shit again but right now I'm anxious and worried and I want to do something about all this crap.

Also, if there is a relevant resource to improve my home defense I would be grateful to be pointed towards it.

EDIT: Got it about the gun. My girlfriend still wants us to take a safety course and buy a gun just in case of an actual home invasion, so I'm going to go through with that just to make her feel better. After considering some of the replies I think a big scary dog and a baseball bat is enough to scare off common thugs. I think I'm just going to warn the neighbors somebody stole a bike from us and they should probably watch out at night. Maybe that'll get the message across without being too confrontational. Thank you all for your replies.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 What about a motion sensor flood light that would point into your yard/pool/their direction? Answer #2: Unless you're experienced with a gun, don't get a gun. Doesn't sound to be like that level of response would be merited here anyway.

I wouldn't confront my neighbors, but I might give them a friendly "heads up" that "someone" is stealing stuff in the neighborhood, and how you're thinking of maybe putting up some cameras and they should make sure to not leave stuff out too. It puts them on notice that you know stuff got stolen without getting accusatory.Answer #3: > We're getting a gun

Don't get a gun just to have a gun.  If you don't have extensive training and experience, stick with less-dangerous weapons.  A gun is not a panacea, and it's likely to cause you more harm than it's worth.

> I think it is too late to inform the police (this happened almost five hours ago)

That's not even remotely too late.  You can certainly call them and file a report.  Even if you don't specifically accuse the neighbors, a theft report can be helpful.

> Should I confront the neighbors?

I wouldn't.  As you pointed out, you have zero evidence that they had anything to do with it.  Heck, can you even say for sure the bike disappeared last night?

> Should I call the police and file a noise complaint next time they are outside all night drinking?

You certainly can.  They may or may not be violating the law.  You should check your local ordinance to be sure.  On *this* point, I'd recommend talking to them first before going straight to the police.


Title: 81 in a 70 on 81 (VA)

Question:
Was in the process of stopping my auto pilot because I was going down a slight hill around a bend (had it set to 78ish), but apparently he hit me going 81. Figured I was just getting a speeding ticket until I realized I was going over 80 and it dawned on me I'm officially in the dreaded reckless territory VA loves to gives out. I'm a 23 year old student with nothing on my record. No speeding tickets or anything.

 At first I wanted to just pay the fine, but that doesn't sound like the right move. Attorney is the route I need to go I assume? 1 mph slower and I wouldn't be in this situation is the most ridiculous part that's driving me crazy.

Lastly, the senate passed that law to raise reckless to 85 in February, but when does that go into effect? My court date is the end of May. Thanks in advance whoever sends advice my way.

Answer: Im in VA. The lawyer will definitely make things better and theyre not that expensive as people think. I was in a similar situation, the lawyer bumped it down to regular speeding, paid the fine and moved on.


Title: Stepson said neighbor backed into him while he was biking past. He actually ran into the back of her parked car. There's a video from another neighbor's car. She's got charged and my stepson filed a suit and made insurance claims. What to do? (FL)

Answer:
 Your stepson needs a lawyer, now. He almost certainly made statements under penalty of perjury in the process of filing the claims and making the police report.

I strongly suspect his lawyer will advise him to withdraw his insurance claim and lawsuit, and to advise the prosecutor that he will not be able to corroborate the charges, but he should not do anything at this point until his lawyer tells him to.

He's in for an expensive lesson.


Title: [NJ]Are private rehab clinics required to have my ID? Can you sign up with a fake name?

Answer:
 Medical facilities will not usually treat you if they cannot confirm your identity so they can bill you. The exception is hospital ER's but they will go through anything that comes in with you to try and get that info.

If you lie on the forms they may stop treatment once they find out. If you are paying for everything up front in cash they may be more lenient with the identification thing. But how many people can actually afford to pay cash up front for medical procedures?


Title: Sold car for scrap, but it was fixed and in an accident while still registered to me. Who is responsible?

Question: My 2005 Ford Taurus had seen better days and when it sputtered out in December I decided to scrap it.  The inspection was bad and the title had been lost. But i found a guy on craigslist who advertised buying cars for scrap- no title needed .so he came and got my car, the next day I realized I needed the license plate so we met up and I got that, A month later when I went to put that plate on my new car I was told it was not my plate, I found that odd but figured he mixed it up with another one. I paid the extra $60 to get a new plate. Last week (6/13/19) I received an unsettling phone call from farmers insurance informing me that my car was involved in a hit-and-run and I was responsible for $7400 in damages.  It happened in March, but this is the first i heard of it.  The driver of my vehicle does not speak English. She was pulled over down the road and information was collected, but she had no license or insurance, she was driving my car still registered to me until the end of the month! I contacted the man I sold the car to, he gave me the runaround and I could tell he obviously did something shady. Now this week I am receiving letters from a collection agency which Farmer’s has turned my case over to.  They told me the only way they’ll drop this is if I have a notarized receipt of the sale. this is already on my credit report and affecting my rating. I know I messed up by not changing over the title and getting the registration out of my name, but does that make me responsible? At this point the only option I see is to contact a lawyer which will be costly. I have a copy of the police report and can post it if needed. Any insight,information, or advice is greatly appreciated. thank you.

Answer:
 There is really no cheap option for you. Not gonna bang on you saying you should have done this or that, it's done and over with. I would talk to an attorney...Answer #2: I recently donated my car, and when I called the registration office they said that I didn't need to do anything more since I signed over the title. I didn't need to cancel my registration or anything since any new driver would need to register it. I have the official donation receipt, which is basically what you are missing.

Without the title, proof of sale, or cancelled registration, you really only have your word against shady Craigslist guy that you sold it to him first and then he sold it to the person who crashed it.

I would talk to a lawyer, since you are in a very restricted pickle. Depending on your state you might be able to find some legal scenario where the car wasn't "stolen" but it was being used in a way that you didn't consent to. If you can't prove that you sold it you might be able to prove that you had no interaction with it for over a month and understandably had no control over its whereabouts.

This sucks, I'm sorry.Answer #3: You sold it on Craigslist - that means you should have copies of messages between you and the buyer in your email. Keep those as proof that you sold the car for scrap.


Title: Caught neighbor keying my car on camera. Now what?

Question:
This is the 4th time something has happened to my car (2nd time it's been keyed). Cops know my situation and since I had no evidence, nothing can be done. I had bought a simple security camera and nothing had happened since until this time. There's just a split second where you can see the act being done. I took a screen shot of it and will be talking with an officer tomorrow who knows me.

When I had filed that report,  the officer then  had barely looked at my video (it was a little fuzzy/ dark due to it being at night and our internet being slow at that particular time) and said he didn't feel comfortable charging anyone. After later looking at the video,  I was able to take the screenshot when her lights blinked from locking her vehicle, showing the act.

If the cop sees it as being enough evidence,  what will happen from there?

I am moving in a couple weeks and will be starting a new job as well, so I'll get some peace. Neighbor doing petty parking is one thing,  but damaging my property is where I draw the line.

Thanks in advance. I don't know anything about how this process goes.

Edit: Update: I talked with an officer to review the video  screen shot. He said it's enough to charge her.  He said the judge should see it as just enough evidence to find her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt so it doesn't have to go any further where I would have to show up to trial if she says not guilty.

Answer:
 If they think it's enough evidence, they will arrest/ticket/charge the neighbor with the crime.

Answer #2: Knowing your location will help.

You've done the right thing by reporting this to the police.  You could also sue that person in small claims for the cost to repair your vehicle (as I assume that is under your state's small claims limit).  Your burden of proof in a civil trial is much lower than in a criminal trial.


Title: How does one send a cease and desist to a website when you can't find their contact info?

Question:
An Indonesian school(?) has been hot linking to my husband's domain and using an mp3 file of ours on their site as background music. They leeched a LOT of our bandwidth over the past few days.

Thankfully we are not on a limited bandwidth package, but it's still a crap move on their part. Still, this behavior has impacted our site's performance since we are a mirror for a gamesite download so we keep offsite linking available in some ways but people like this obviously are abusing it.

I have absolutely no way of finding a contact info for them as google translate isn't doing so well and their site lacks an obvious "contact" button anywhere on it. How does one go about sending a nasty gram when you can't find the contact?

Location Edit: in the USA

Answer:
 Do you know their domain name? If so, do a whois lookup to see if any contact information is available there.

Besides that, it probably isn't illegal to hotlink to your site in the first place under Indonesian law, and that's the only law that matters here. Assuming they don't respond to your cease and desist (which is likely), your best bet would be to take technical measures to prevent the linking. Blacklist the IP they're connecting from, or maybe add some kind of authentication mechanism. Something like that.

Or be cute and replace the mp3 they're linking with a porn soundtrack with the same path and filename. I bet they'll quit real quick after that.


Title: Ticketed for reckless driving general for texting while driving.

Question:
This happened yesterday in Virginia. I was driving down the interstate doing the speed limit, not swerving and no other vehicles in sight. I was responding to a text when a state trooper drove next to me, matched my speed for a moment and then got behind me and on came the lights.

Trooper: "do you know why I pulled you over?

Me:(playing dumb) "because I was using my phone"

Trooper: "I pulled you over because you had both of your hands off the steering wheel and it appeared to me that you were texting"

Me: "no sir I wasn't texting I was searching for an email"

Trooper: "with both hands?"

He then told me to sit tight while he returned to his car. He came back with a situation for reckless driving general, for having both hands off the steering wheel and driving with my knee.
______
What have I gotten myself into?

Will this be easy to get reduced?

Should I hire a lawyer?

Fines? Worst/best case scenario

Any input is appreciated, thank you!

______

Additional information: I have a valid Virginia drivers license. I have two DUI's(4 years ago - in another state). I had a speeding ticket 10mph over(3 years ago in another state)
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Do you genuinely think searching for an email is less reckless than texting?


Title: Neighbor demanding we pay 50% of existing fence - Colorado

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There already is a bad relationship with the neighbor.

It's never going to be pleasant.  Forget that dream.

The blame lays with the neighbor, who is chasing money they already spent on THEIR property, and vaguely threatening you as well.

We call those people assholes.

Now you know your situation, get security cameras and establish a relationship with an attorney.  Keep an eye on your dog.Answer #2: > What would you do? We don't want them throwing antifreeze tainted meat at our dog.

Get security cameras. If anything happens to your dog, your neighbour will have no de...fence ^^sorry ^^:PAnswer #3: Maybe.

I know that some states have laws about boundary fences that require costs be split between the owners on either side. I am not sure about Colorado in particular, although a very quick Google search turned up this: http://codes.findlaw.com/co/title-35-agriculture/co-rev-st-sect-35-46-112.html which might or might not apply.

The story is complicated by the fact that the fence was put in before you moved there. While you might be responsible for a share of ongoing expenses, going back in time to pay a share of the installation costs is not something I have ever heard of.

The two things I am certain of are (1) that it is not very neighborly to demand large sums of money from a new neighbor, and (2) that if this winds up as a legal dispute it will cost more than just having paid for the fence in the first place.


Title: Police thought I was evading arrest, I just didn't want to stop car in the middle of nowhere...

Question:
I'll keep this brief.

I was on a highway at 3am on Monday, coming home from my job that runs late into the night. I see a cop following me for a few minutes before he begins flashing the lights at me to pull over. Seeing as it was late, and there was basically no one else around, I didn't feel good about pulling over. I slowed down, put my blinkers on, and called 911. I asked the operator to let the cop know that I'd be pulling into the 24/7 Wal*Mart near my home. She claims she complied. The cop began to tailgate me.

It took fifteen minutes for me to get to the Wal*Mart. The cop arrested me for "Second Degree Police Eluding". He also suspected I was drunk but I passed my sobriety test. I also got a ticket for "Reckless Driving". My court date is around a month from now.

I spoke to an attorney, and asked if I could have the operator vouch for me. Apparently, she can't??? So now I have no proof that I *wasn't* evading police. Am I fucked now? If not that, what can I do to prove that I wasn't trying to outrun the cops?

Answer: If you're this paranoid AND regularly drive home in the middle of the night, get a dashcam and stop somewhere more reasonable next time. Much cheaper than a lawyer.


Title: [Ellerslie, Ga] Builder poured the wrong foundation for a different model

Question: I was in a binding contract (and the initial deposit was provided to the builder for the house and any upgrades) to buy a certain model for a plot in a development. I was told this weekend that they had poured the foundation for a different model that was not agreed upon in the contract. Just to note, I am also paying an extra 20K for the premium spot (due to the lake view). They have been giving me the run around trying to have me buy a different spot in the development. None of the other spots available have the same view or access to the same lake (which is the biggest lake in the development.) This is my first home so it hard to stay non-emotional about it, but it's business so I need some advice on what I should do next.

Answer: Have you told them you expect them to live-up to the terms of your original/current agreement?Answer #2: You need to set your foot down now. screw ups happen all the time in construction. And, this will not be the first one to affect you. You do not want them to believe that you will accept their screw-ups. You may be in this home for decades. You do not want to just accept screw ups that have that long of an effect.Answer #3: Not a Lawyer.  I'm a REALTOR who has a lot of new construction experience.  I would almost think the builder/developer got a better offer for your premium lot and is trying to move you to another lot.  But, these kind of mistakes also do happen.  My builder began construction once on a lot that they didn't own.  And I've seen framing that isn't consistent with the plans.  And I've seen forgotten fireplaces.  I've seen a lot.  Much drama and renegotiating ensues, but things were worked out.  In all cases of mistakes happening, the homes weren't deconstructed to fix the error.   Everyone had to work with what they had.  I am not sure you will be able to get that foundation removed and restarted without a LONG fight and delay.  Good luck to you!Answer #4: Dude get a real estate attorney to represent you in this transaction. An extra $1000 spent to ensure you don't get jerked around is well worth it.


Title: Fired after two days because she "could tell" I wouldn't make it.

Question:
I've worked at a fast food chain in FL for over three years now. I asked to be switched to the kitchen recently and was told if I did so I couldn't switch back. After working for two days in the kitchen, the manager there said she could tell within an hour if someone would make it in kitchen and that I wouldn't. I was then asked to either resign or be fired. I resigned because I obviously don't want being fired in my work history, but this doesn't feel right. Is this even legal?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance! :)

EDIT: Thanks for all the comments. Guess it is legal. Incredibly frustrating, but not at all a healthy work environment anyways. So I guess on the bright side, this will force me to actually look elsewhere.

Answer:
 Yes.  It's at will.  You can be fired for any reason or no reason.  Next time take the unemployment instead of walking away.

Answer #2: That is not wrongful termination by any means.

FYI, you don't have a "work history" that shows you were terminated. Generally, you want to make your employer fire you, rather than quitting, so you can collect unemployment. However, even though you "quit," it was really a termination, so you have a good chance of collecting unemployment. You should file for unemployment if you haven't already.


Title: Is it a hippa violation if your boss blabs to his friends about your medical issues?

Question:
I had to miss work because of a cancer scare. Had a benign tumor growing in my stomach. Was definitely precancerous but for now there is no immediate threat.

Two weeks after returning to work a friend of mine messaged me on facebook asking if I had cancer... After some digging I found out that one of his friends is friends with my boss.

I questioned him about it and he said he never said anything. I forgot it until a day or so later I heard him blabbing to people about me. He was not using my name.

Basically earlier this year I had attendance issues and cleaned up my issues. Problem was my boss was looking for a reason to fire me. Because I cleaned up my issue he was a bit perturbed about it and when I found out my issue was not cancer but a benign tumor, he started blabbing to everyone.

I specifically heard him say "And this worker missed 2 weeks saying he had cancer... of course he later said it wasn't cancer. Dude just wanted a free 2 week vacation if you ask me." Im paraphrasing as Im typing this from memory.

He was very careful not to use my name and has repeated this same thing to several people and even includes things like "of course he logs in exactly 1 minute before his start time every day too."

Basically sounds like he wants me gone but his boss wont let him cause I no longer have any attendance issues.

He is giving very specific details out without giving out my name. Enough people pieced it together and now some people have told me that I "lied about cancer."

I already know what I am going to do if the answer is yes so the question is simply this. Is what he is doing a hippa violation?

Location is texas.

Answer: Your boss isn't a HIPAA covered entity unless you happen to work in the healthcare field. Also it's HIPAA not HIPPA.


Title: (Virginia) Republican mailer using voter history to apply pressure?

Question: I got a piece of mail today that was my "Republican Voter Scorecard" that said I scored C+ in my voter history, then listed the first names of 5 of my neighbors each with scores of A and B+. It said it used voter history records and that they are watching my neighbors and I need to raise my score. Obviously, I'll vote whichever way I feel like voting, but anyway, I looked up what you can use voter history records for (http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/access-to-and-use-of-voter-registration-lists.aspx), and it says political parties can use the info as long as it doesn't apply pressure or intimidation (In VA). Does the peer pressure angle of this not constitute pressure? Feels kind of sleazy and unsettling to give up your neighbors' party affiliations in an attempt to pressure you to vote their way or "raise your score". I'm not suing or anything, I'm just curious of the legality - I mean it must be legal since they're doing it, right? I didn't want to know who votes what anyways b/c I don't like to judge or talk politics with friends/neighbors, but now oh well. And, how do I know they aren't making up their scores or what the scores are based off of? It all just seems kind of gross.

Answer:
 >"I mean it must be legal since they're doing it, right?"

Have you been keeping up to date with the news lately?Answer #2: They don't know how you voted, just if you did or did not vote.  This is a tactic to drive up voting turnout in areas they think that they might have an advantage, such as areas with a high number of registered Republicans, or high home values.Answer #3: They don’t know who you voted for so they are going off of data generated through other means – probably campaign donations/engagement on Twitter/Facebook/NRA membership and that sort of thing.

You might wanna let the neighbors who scored “A’s” know what the VA GOP Is doing with their information. Although it wouldn’t surprise me What they sent to those guys also said they were C+’s and listed you as an A - In which case it’s all made up.Answer #4: It’s not intimidation to say you should vote and to note that neighbors can see if you did or didn’t vote.


Title: Making a Murderer: Brendan Dassey's Conviction Overturned

Answer:
 For those who haven't watched it, it was quite clear from the documentary that Dassey (who has an extremely low IQ) had nothing to do with anything and just wants to play video games. He had an alibi for the time of the murder.

The police fed him details of the crime, instructed him to repeat them back, and then took that as a confession.  Despite having no other evidence that he was involved in any way, and not being able to express any sort of motive for why he might be, his "confession" and his extraordinarily poor legal representation combined to put him in prison for life.

There's also a fascinating transcript of a jailhouse conversation between Dassey and his mother that is worth watching the series for alone.  Dassey's mother has an IQ barely higher than her child, whose IQ is barely higher than a plant.  The two of them talking on the phone to each other about the questioning and the events of the day is like two five-year-olds talking, but again, what was said was then taken out of context and treated as a confession.

Answer #2: See! Getting media attention sometimes *is* the best option.Answer #3: Are there any ways that the attorneys or police involved could be held criminally liable? It almost seemed like there was a conspiracy to put him away for the crime.


Title: Can I break lease because I don’t feel safe in my apartment anymore

Question: I live in Texas. There was a shooting at my apartment complex the other night and my girlfriend and I no longer feel safe. Is that enough to break a lease?

Answer:
 You can break the lease per the terms of your lease.  You may owe rent until a new tenant is found.

This is not a reason for you to break your lease without any future payment unless your landlord did the shooting.


Title: [nyc] My personal injury lawyer is sexually harassing/harassing me.

Question:
I'm sorry for the throw away.

He's a partner in one of the top ten injury lawyers in NYC. His personal statement for ethics states that he treat every client with respect and dignity. He's a very powerful man.

I sustained a serious injury last year. Brain damage, spine trauma, depression and anxiety.

I'm an attractive, polite girl in my twenties.

I emailed him asking him for advice for my workers compensation hearing & asked him if he had a psychologist that he would like me to work with and if he could please send my workers compensation attorneys some medical records.

His email response was mortifying. He described, in detail, the pent up sexual frustration he sees in my eyes; the "pent up volcanic eruption that sits just below the surface" - and that I should do that with the judge (but "not too much that the judge is onto me.)"

Now I'm afraid to look people in the eyes. Or leave the house. He keeps emailing me and calling me and won't leave me alone despite the fact that I asked his partner to please obtain all of my original paperwork. (I sent his partner a screenshot of the email.) He's since called me from a number I didn't recognize, he's sent an apology email, and his latest email describes how if I leave him I won't find an attorney that will represent my case. I'm scared.

I mustered up the courage to google "my lawyer is sexually harassing me" and literally nothing came up. I read a bit of the dense language behind New York's ethical standards. But I don't really understand it or know what to do. I have brain damage so these things (especially when emotionally overwhelming.) are hard.

Who do I contact for help? What are my options?

Answer:
 Preserve all evidence.  Print all relevant emails and texts.

Find a new attorney.  Let him or her handle firing your first attorney.  Report the first attorney to the bar.

I'm very sorry this happened to you; it's an embarrassment to the entire profession.


Title: (New York) COBRA question.. I told former employer I wanted to wait to sign up to see if I need it, due to the fact that COBRA is retroactive for 60 days and I'll be covered again in 30. They sent me a form stating I have to sign up now or I forfeit my rights to get COBRA in the future.

Question:
I gave notice and quit my job. My new employer gives me medical after 30 days of employment so technically I won't have coverage for a month. I thought about opting in for COBRA, but I did some research and COBRA is retroactive for 60 days. I really don't see a point in signing up now and paying $700 for COBRA when I might not even need it. Worst case, I'll elect later and I'll be covered for anything that happens.

I told my former employer this and they were visibly annoyed. And now I get a letter saying either I sign up now or I waive my right to COBRA in the future. Is this legal?

Found this site... but I'm a bit confused.

https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/faqs/cobra-continuation-health-coverage-consumer.pdf

Q9: If I waive COBRA coverage during the election period, can I still get coverage at a later date?

"If you waive COBRA coverage during the election period, you must be permitted later to revoke your waiver
of coverage and to elect continuation coverage as long as you do so during the election period. Then, the plan
need only provide continuation coverage beginning on the date you revoke the waiver. "

Answer: Short & long of it:  You need to sign up for Cobra. But you don't have to pay for 60 days.  So you won't have to pay if you really do get insurance 30 days from now.  But sign up, because the last thing you want is something popping up in that 30 day period, and your new employer bailing.


Title: Fraudulent arrest

Question: My brother was arrested after leaving a club to go back to his girlfriends party bus and this guy on the bus got in his face before boarding the bus. My brother claims he got in his face for no reason.  He then pushed him out of the way not trying to get into a confrontation. A cop near by approached him and said “I already warned you once” and pushed him up against a fence and arrested him with improper behavior. He was never warned about anything and my bro thinks he mistaken for someone else. Either way I believe him and he plead not guilty this morning. What are his options?

Answer:
 >He then pushed him out of the way not trying to get into a confrontation.

Pushing someone is not how you avoid confirmation. Nor is an arrest following pushing someone "fraudulent."

>What are his options?

To hire an attorney to handle his criminal charges.


Title: What is a detainment? was I detained? (New Jersey)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > SO, was I "detained"?

Yes.  You can tell because of how he said you were being detained.

In situations like this, it's often *far* better to front the situation and explain it.  Tell them of the detention, and that you were held as a witness while the cops sorted things out.  Answer #2: You were being detained as a potential witness.  I think there is a spot further down the form to explain that.


Title: I was fired from my job for refusing to work for free.

Question: My normal schedule is 10am-6pm, last Friday 6pm came around and my boss gave me my paycheck. I was just about to get in my truck and head home when my boss told me to do more work. I asked of I was getting paid to stay after 6 to do this job and he told me no. On top of telling me no he went on to say if I went home that day would be my last day. Needless to say I went home. Was he in the wrong or was I? I mean you cant have employees work for free. Also what's the best route to take now claiming unemployment? I have a feeling even tho he fired me he will say I quit. He proclaimed it was my last day not me.

Answer:
 Do you get paid salary or hourly?

He can ask you to stay, that's not illegal. If you are hourly, or salaried in a way that requires overtime pay then he would need to pay you for the additional time you work. Answer #2: You should absolutely still apply for unemployment.  If you get denied, appeal.  It’s only when you apepal that anyone looks at the details, and here you can share your story.

For what it’s worth generally the proper response I’ve seen suggested is to do the work and then file a wage complaint if/when you don’t get paid.Answer #3: Where are you located?

Are you salary or hourly?


Title: [NY] GoFundme setup for funeral costs of friend, Father given money as he paid for funeral. Ex-Wife Suing

Question:
Hi there, About 6 months ago a friend passed away and funds were raised by me to help assist with funeral costs. After funds were raised the Father who paid for the funeral in full and all other associated costs (Thank you cards etc) declined the money when presented to him, but it approve of it being used on his son's car for repairs as it needed quite a few. The funds were held onto by approval of the father so that i could take the car where needed for any repairs, or order parts. The father being informed and showed/given receipts of anything purchased for the car or done to it.

The Ex-wife has asked me for the money numerous times in-which i declined because she had no costs to be reimbursed (See: Son did not live with her, lived with father). She then got threatening saying she was the mother and no one is allowed to touch her sons car or the money (car is owned by the father, insured by the father).

After numerous texts from her asking for the money. I handed over the money to the father in-which he accepted to eliminate me from the money problem (In-which he accepted and photo evidence taken and signed a document so that we could prove where the money is currently). The father was informed of any repairs, has the receipts for repairs

She is now said she filed paperwork to sue me for the full amount so that she can give back the money to those who donated. Not a single donator has complained about the money usage.

Advice? I just plan on walking into small claims presenting the harrasing texts, donation list proving she has no contribution to this fund, no claim to the car, no costs to be reimbursed for the funeral and that the father has the funds.

Answer:
 > She is now said she filed paperwork to sue me for the full amount

Have you been actually served with the lawsuit?  If not then ignore this person.  I don't know what she'd be suing you for.


Title: Faked Pregnancy

Question:
My brothers ex faked a pregnancy. For the entirety of 2019. Used photos from Google. She said she was at the hospital but there is no record of her. She also said the baby was stillborn and only has pictures from Google. We have text messages from her telling everyone in our family about the pregnancy etc. What can we do? She obviously cause a lot of emotional distress.

We live in Texas.

Answer: Thank god it wasn't a real pregnancy, cut her out of all of your lives, and move on.


Title: Reddit, what can I do about the lady in the apartment below that keeps complaining that I'm stomping and "purposely trying to get a reaction from her?"

Question:
I am in Houston, TX (one-party state).

&nbsp;

So my friend (let's call her Nicole) has had this lady living below her who has been filing complaints ever since she and her roommate moved in. The woman claims that Nicole has been stomping and causing a lot of noise at all hours on purpose to "get a reaction out of her." She says Nicole "wakes up at 630 like clockwork" just to make noise and disturb her. Well, yes, it is clockwork because Nicole is getting up to go to work. This woman claims she goes to Nicole's apartment to talk to her about the noise, but she says Nicole is purposely ignoring the door. Nicole isn't purposely ignoring the door, she's NOT HOME, and her roommate is also usually not home.

This past Sunday night, a few friends went back to Nicole's apartment after going out because we had all met there to carpool. We came in around 3, and we just sat and talked normally in the living room while we got the energy back to drive home. Yes, it was 3AM, but none of us were drunk or crazy or anything. We were all tired. Nicole and another friend actually went right to sleep, while the rest of us chatted. The woman from below came up and pounded on the door so hard that one friend woke up. When we opened it, she immediately began yelling at us, saying we were being way too loud and that we need to stop stomping and screaming. She said that we apparently have been doing this same thing every night. We told her we had no idea about anything prior to today and that we were sorry and would reduce the noise, even though we were only talking at a normal volume. She continued and said she was an officer and that she would call another police officer to come. We kept apologizing, but she never calmed down.

After a short time, another officer came and said he could hear us "yelling and screaming" from right outside the door. He seemed really angry towards us from the get go. We absolutely were not yelling or screaming or stomping. We were just sitting in the living room and having a conversation. When the officer asked to speak to Nicole, we told him she was asleep, and he proceeded to walk right into the apartment without asking. He tried to talk to Nicole, but she was completely out. I don't understand why he also said we were screaming and yelling. It was literally just 4 of us talking in the living room. We may have laughed a few times but nothing excessive.

We found out from the police officer that the woman is the "courtesy officer;" however, she did not show us a single ounce of courtesy. Both the woman and the officer were both hostile and aggressive, and I don't think that's warranted over some normal talking in my friend's apartment. I understand there are quiet hours. We were wrong if we were disturbing her, but we were not excessively or unnecessarily loud. We weren't even walking around the apartment. We did lower our volume after the first complaint, yet this didn't seem to be enough. We left after the officer left.

Today, the woman wrote another complaint saying that we were running up and down the stairs yelling and screaming and stomping and saying that the officer who came after her "spoke to Kelley" even though Kelley was asleep. She even said that "the officer got the feeling that [we] were purposefully making noise" to disturb her. I don't understand where she gets this crazy idea that we have nothing better to do than to disturb the lady downstairs?

&nbsp;

tl;dr - The woman who lives downstairs from my friend keeps complaining about noise even when no one's home. This past Sunday, a few of us came over to her place to talk for a little bit after going out, and the woman called an officer, who seemed to be predisposed to being hostile towards us. Woman wrote another lengthy complaint with false claims of us "running, stomping, and screaming and yelling."

&nbsp;

So I'm wondering, are there rules to how a "courtesy officer" is supposed to conduct oneself? Can we say something about the way she stormed up and banged on our door and yelled at us loudly from the doorway at 3AM and how she was much louder than all of us combined? What can Nicole do to protect herself against this paranoid woman who keeps filing complaints, especially after this incident?

&nbsp;

edit: added more details and reworded question

Answer:
 > So I'm wondering, are there rules to how a "courtesy officer" is supposed to conduct oneself?

You can complain to her supervisor.  Is she an actual police officer or just a security guard?  Same question about the other "officer".  Was he an actual cop or an apartment security guard?

> Can we say something about the way she stormed up and banged on our door and yelled at us loudly from the doorway at 3AM?

If you were up at 3am, I don't think anyone will take seriously the complaint that your neighbor was rude in telling you to be quiet.

> And was that officer allowed to come inside without a warrant or even asking for permission?

Maybe.  If he's not a cop then there's no search issues because he's not a cop.  Even if he is, if an officer responds to a noise complaint and finds a bunch of non-residents who claim the legal resident isn't present or is unconscious, there's a pretty solid argument that he has probable cause to perform a basic safety check.

Also this:

> He tried to talk to Nicole, but she was completely out.

Sure makes it sound like your friend was passed out drunk.

> What can Nicole do about this paranoid woman who keeps filing complaints?

Not have friends over at 3am, for starters.  If she were only complaining about normal daytime activities, nobody would take her seriously.  But the fact that she called at 3am and the responding officer ALSO said he could hear you from outside doesn't bode well for her.


Title: [TN] Insurance company won't pay medical bills unless I agree to a settlement.

Question:
I was in car accident a few months ago and incurred some out of pocket medical expenses. The amount is low enough after my insurance paid out that I could pay the remaining amount. But Allstate (the at fault party's inusurer) contacted me after the accident to tell me they were accepting liability and that they would reimburse my insurance company as well as any expense not covered by my insurance. The agent with Allstate said that they would not try to settle until all my accident bills were paid. Today the agent said if we want them to pay our bills, we have to settle first.

I'm not comfortable with that because what is to stop Allstate from saying we settled so they don't have to pay the medical bills?

Anyone who is familiar with the insurance business or insurance law please bring me up to speed.

Thanks in advance

Answer: That's how insurance company's work.  Once they pay you, they want the case to be closed.  Your option is to sue the at fault driver and go to court over the costs if you do not believe the insurance company is paying enough.


Title: Stop light ran

Question: I’m gonna try and make this short.  My gfs car was having issues and the headlights were out and the engine was stuttering. She ran a red light t because if she stopped the car would come to a complete stop. Her house was about 200 feet away so she just wanted to push it. She got a ticket because she was bitchy with the cop.  But if she explained the reason for running the light to the judge would it normally get dropped immediately?

Answer:
 No. Running a red is illegal for a reason. Her car's maintenance issues are not an excuse. Answer #2: She dint get a ticket for being bitchy, she got a ticket for running a red light. No judge will drop the case.  Answer #3: No. There's also a chance she'll get in trouble for operating a defective vehicle. Answer #4: > But if she explained the reason for running the light to the judge would it normally get dropped immediately?

No.

This might be  a lesson in catching flys with honey. Answer #5: >she ran a red light

You said it in you original post.

She broke the law. Her reason isn't relevant.

The police officer was trying to give her a break by telling her to be nice and he'd let it slide - she didn't take the offer.

She's going to have to pay it.


Title: Who normally carries liability insurance in a rental contract

Question:
Residential rental contract in Vermont under discussion. Question is who carries the liability insurance for a potential 3rd party injury inside the apartment.  The owners say the renter, while the renter attorney say the owners should cover that.

Normally who carries this ?

Answer: They both should have insurance


Title: (CT) Receiving 1-4 Parking Tickets A Day For A Fleet Vehicle I Don’t Own

Question:
Location: CT

I moved into a new house a few years ago and since then I’ve been receiving parking violations and EZ Pass toll bills for two vehicles I do not own sent to my home address. The addressee is a large, multinational corporation I will refer to as BigCorp. Somehow my home address has become the mailing address for any parking and toll violations accumulated by two of their fleet vehicles. The vehicles have CT license plates but neither have plate numbers remotely close to my car.

A few months ago I finally got sick of receiving 2-3 notices a day from different cities throughout New England so I reached out to BigCorp to get this matter solved. I was eventually contacted by an employee who is responsible for their fleet of vehicles and instructed to open the notices, scan the documents inside, and email the PDFs directly to her. She was apologetic and thanked me for bringing that error to her attention. She told me she would get things fixed on her end and I shouldn’t get any more notices.

Fast forward a few months later and I am still getting 1-4 notices a day. I’ve tried to reach out to my previous contact at BigCorp to no avail. The DMVs and parking authorities (NYC, MA, RI) who are sending me the notices are no help. I’ve sent the notices back via USPS with “Addressee Unknown” written on the front only to have them return a few days later.

Is there anything I can do to get these notices to stop coming to my home address? Is there any chance my credit could be adversely impacted if those tickets go to collections with my address associated with them?

Answer:
 Collections are based on your identity, not your address. If the citations aren't in your name, you have no legal or financial impact. If they keep coming, send them back. You could talk to the postal inspector's office who might be able to escalate the situation for you. Answer #2: Op needs to send the mail back as such; Enough of this back to the senders and they WILL figure out where it needs to go:

[How to stop "Loop Mail"](https://www.citylab.com/life/2015/03/how-to-stop-getting-a-previous-tenants-mail-over-and-over-again/389021/)

This is a constant problem until people figure out the machinable nature of these items and that a Sharpie is your weapon of choice.  ;\)

Edit: Note that it is the barcode at the BOTTOM which you must cross out while adding your NATA notation.


Title: Being sued over university fees from 2012

Question:
I just got served (Wa state)....    win 2012 there was a cluster fuck of WSU trying to force me into about 2 years of 1 credit classes or they round up giving me my degree.  Oddly enough they decided I was golden the day after you can drop classes for 100% refund.

It's a scam all around, but I took the lesser of two evils and said put it on my loans 3.5k to be approximate.

They put it on my loans problem solved right,  except I'm here.

2013 I get sent to collections for that 3.5k.  I sent them proof that it was on my student loans.  Gone.  Nope 2015 same story.  2016 same story again only this time the bitch on the phone won't give me the courtesy of being a human. She says, she suing me and here we are.   For the detail minded I got yelled at about 3 times.  I asked for proof of debt, never got and I faxed her proof that it's on my student loans.

I know get a lawyer.   Any other advice?

Answer:
 > the bitch on the phone won't give me the courtesy of being a human

So instead of working it out or talking to her supervisor, you decided that because a lady was mean to you once, you're just cool with being sued? Because that's what it sounds like.


Title: Debt collector trying to collect debt that's been handled.

Question:
Hello,
I had an ER visit 2 years ago.  I used the hospital charity service and they wrote the bill completely off.  Now I have a debt collector calling about it, and I went to pull my proof to realize what I have probably isn't proof enough.

I have a paper that says its 100 percent written off from the hospital, but their is no date, or amount that was written off.  I might have gotten a letter with this info but I no longer have it.

Is there anything I can do? I don't want to send them this because it had my SSN on it.

(I had another company trying to get me to pay this debt a year ago, but I ignored them and it went away so I'm thinking this is a debt buying scam but I don't want them to ruin my credit.)

PS. I live in Ohio

Answer:
 It was only 2 years ago. The hospital should have those records. But sometimes there is a seperate ER charge and a doctor charge and maybe the hospital only waived the ER charge. They may not have the authority to waive the doctor charge. (not saying this is for sure what it is but it's possible)

If your credit is important to you don't ignore this.


Title: Advice for dealing with a scummy landlord

Question: Hey, so my girlfriend and I recently signed a lease for an apartment. We really liked the apartment, 1st floor, close to family and our colleges. Because of this we kind of turned into suckers. The landlord absolutely insisted that the lease be dated April 1st. We told them we won’t be living there until May 1st. He said that was fine but the lease 100 percent had to be for April, but all we had to do was give the secretory deposit and then the first months rent when we move in for May. So we signed, being suckers and just drawn to the apartment. We have texts of the landlord agreeing to letting us pay first month rent for May. Now a day after we sign the lease he calls and said Change of plans, we have to give him April rent by the end of the month. We don’t even have the keys yet. If I can not settle this with him, how would this work out? Would I be forced to pay the years rent? Will I get my security deposit back? If there is a way to just opt out of the lease we will because we don’t want this guy as our landlord. Living in Rhode Island

Answer:
 If you signed a lease starting April 1, you pay rent starting April 1. I'm not quite following your story on deposits or whatever, but unless the **written lease** specifically gave you April for free, you don't get April for free.

I'd you choose to terminate your tenancy, you pay rent per the lease until the apartment gets re-rented or the lease expires, whichever comes first.


Title: Discrimination Against Immigrants in Assault charges

Question: I have been charged with assault among other charges. I admit that I did commit assault but that the charges received for it are greatly exaggerated and it is because I speak with an accent and because of my religion. I'm from Georgia, country, and immigrated to the United States when I was a kid and my mom was atheist, but I converted to Islam. I had no prior convictions but was arrested a few times when under 18 for vandalism and reckless endangerment. All was thrown out. Anyway, the situation that caused the assault charges I believe was out of discrimination. I was wrongly accused of something I did not do and assaulted for it in which I retaliated. My lawyer is pissed at me every time I talk to him, but I was planning to ask if I could use the fact that I was discriminated against in my defense.  Thank you.

Answer:
 If you're the dumbass who stabbed the loss prevention guys for trying to stop you, no, claiming discrimination probably isn't going to help much. Answer #2: Dude, come on.

https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5pa2m8/assaulted_by_lp_on_false_accusations_of/Answer #3: No, you don't have any case for discrimination. You assaulted an individual for doing their job, or more to the point, your reaction was **way** out of proportion for what happened. Your religion and/or ethnicity wouldn't come into play when you were the aggressor.

If you want valid legal advice, you have to tell the truth. That includes telling the ENTIRE history of what happened - and yes, I am sure your lawyer is pissed at you if this is how you behave with him.

*Listen to your lawyer*. It's what they do, it's the, you know, entire job of a lawyer to advise you and to get you the best possible outcome given the circumstances.


Title: Help with my brother and a false drag racing charge

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If this is all a perfectly legal drag-racing event that is either licensed to take place on public streets, or is held on private property, then why do people run and scatter when cop lights come on?


Title: [WA] Can my employer ask for my medical history?

Question:
[WA] I just accepted an offer at a company and part of the conditions of employment is filling out this lengthy health questionnaire. Some of the questions seem standard like, "Can you lift 50 pounds" but others are ready invasive to me. Some of the questions that I am not comfortable answering are:

List all of your surgeries and why you had them.
List all of your medications and why you take them.
Do you ever experience numbness or tingling in your hands or feet?
Do you have vision problems?
Do you see a therapist or mental health professional? If so why?

There are may more questions that I can't think of at the moment, but I will update them when I log back on and look.

Basically, I feel as though my medical history is none of their business and any of my past or current medical issues would not impact my ability to do this (office) job. They claim that the form is only viewed by their internal medical team, but there was also no mention of HIPPA or anything like that. The form said that if I do not fill it out I cannot work there.

Is this legal? If I lie and say I have never had surgery etc. they wouldn't be able to find out right? I am not sure what to do here.

Answer:
 >Is this legal?

No, it's not. The ADA actually prohibits these questions about employee disabilities. They are permitted to ask if you can perform job-related functions (can you lift 50 lbs?), but they can't frame the questions to ask about the disability itself (do you see a therapist).


Title: Being falsely accused of stealing upon vacating residency. They're actively trying to contact various authorities to have me arrested.

Question:
[TN]

Hey Reddit!

Admins, please don't delete this. If I broke any rules, please contact me and I'll fix it ASAP. This is important to me. I haven't included any personal details to my knowledge. Thanks.

This is long, but I'm trying to explain as much as possible. I tried not to include anything unnecessary or boring. When it boils down to it, I'm just trying not to go to jail for something I didn't do wrong. Also, from a third person perspective, it's probably not a bad read.

**Before I begin**, let me just say that I work in the law enforcement category and would never ever have any reason to steal something when I work hard at my job transporting fugitives around the country. Like I'm currently away from the state I live in with about 20 inmates who are wanted in other jurisdictions. Just saying that this is an honest post and I'm just trying to find out what I should do. Last thing I purposely stole, I was probably around 8 years old. And that's still currently true. I've always worked hard in life to get the things I wanted(iraq/afghan combat tours in the army, truck driving, prison transport, etc).

---------------------------------------------------

#**Summary**:
 Vacated residency and former roomate is in contact with his local DA and they are threatening to have me arrested over something he gave me two months ago. They said that there is a warrant out for my arrest. Checked on the warrant by calling the sheriffs department and it doesn't exist at the moment.

I'll include a TL;DR at the bottom as well.

---------------------------------------------------

#**What happened and is happening**:
So 5 and a half months ago, I ran into a living situation. I moved states for work and my living situation fell through, resulting me living in my car for a few days. I found someone on a Facebook group that said he'd help me get back on my feet and wouldn't even charge me money, and that I could "stay as long as I'd like". Well at the time, the job I had wasnt paying as much as they said they would (truck driving at the time). I paid them what I could after a month to help out utilities. I was gone most of the time anyways. After a couple months that job wasn't working out for me so I switched to a new job transporting prisoners. Between giving them what I could and paying on a couple of my own bills, I had not much money. They still never set a specific rent price for me. There was never a set lease agreement, nor was there any verbal or written agreements to how much money I'd pay. I paid them in chunks when I could. $1200, then $100, another $100, then a few weeks ago $250. So $1,650 total. Their rent for a 3br apartment was just over $400/month. Most of the 5 months I was barely around because I was always out of state working or training. I didn't even get my own room. Their daughter slept in their room while I was there and I slept in her room. A few weeks ago I asked if they can give me a price quote on how much they'd like me to pay so I know how much they're expecting from me and so I know how much I should pay them.. Well, they waited until I got on the road heading several states away and messaged me saying they'd like $1,200. At that point, I instantly felt betrayed and taken advantage of. Obviously that's way too high. That would bring the total over 5 months to $2,850, or $570/month. I immediately felt like there would be repercussions had I not paid, just because the nature of the person I was living with, the vibe he had been giving me the past two months I had been staying there, and the ridiculously large amount. At that point, I knew I had to get out of there as quickly as possible. As soon as I got back from my work trip, I showed up with two police officers to get my belongings without any issues. I grabbed my belongings which were already bagged up previously and left his home. I immediately had to return to work 3 hours away because I was going back out on another trip out of state. Half way to work, I got a call from a police officer about half way to work saying that he had gotten a call from my former roommate and he was saying that I stole his gun holster and ammo pouches, and needed his house key returned. I told the officer(and this is true) that this is about to turn into a he said she said type of thing, but "just so you know", that although he gave me the gun holster and ammo pouches two months ago for me to keep, I have no problem returning them once I get back from my work trip. That it wouldn't be an issue. And as far as the house key, I made it myself at Walmart so it's not technically his, but I can understand where he's coming from and I can return that as well. The officer said ok and he'd let them know. The next morning, I was already out of state rolling around with over 20 inmates when I got a message from his wife harassing me saying "So thanks to you for screwing us majorly, we can't spend Thanksgiving with our families because we was depending on that money to get us through till 'husband(redacted)' gets paid again and not to mention him getting back and forth to his new job! So thank you!". I replied with the following, "When I get back from my work trip, I'll mail 'husband' the holster that he gave me and the house key that I made. There's nothing else to discuss. I don't want to be contacted by you or 'husband' any further." I then blocked her on Facebook. Few hours later I get a phone text from her saying " 'husband's' already been to the district attorneys office and there are warrants out for your arrest". Then texted me saying "2 counts of theft by deception u/ $300". And again, texted me saying "We never threatened to keep your stuff, so why did you have the cops involved? We didn't care if you wanted to move out. It's your life. We just helped you out when you was living in your car". I contacted the local sheriff's department in that town inquiring about any warrants under my name and they said they did not currently have a warrant out. Their local DA office wasn't answering the phone when I tried calling them.

As far as the gun holster, only proof I have is an older picture message i sent to my mother and friend saying that he had given it to me. I still plan on mailing the holster and pouches back as soon as I get back from my trip but that won't be for another 4 days. I'm several states over and those items are near my work. They're not at my home because at the moment I'm now technically homeless.

 Do they have any legal grounds to have a warrant put out for me? Even though they are false claims? I've literally never been arrested before and I'm at a new job there pretty good and pays great. Would all of that be screwed up just because someone wanted to screw me over?

Oh and also to note, I got an email yesterday from Netflix. They even changed my Netflix password!! Which I recovered because it's on my email. The guy is a former Marine and gave me all this "I'm here for veterans" crap, then turned around and tried to take advantage of me because I was a homeless veteran. It's a little infuriating.. Now I'm concerned because supposedly he has friends who are police officers and he seems to be working hard to screw me over.

---------------------------------------------------

#**TL;DR**:
Moved out from my residency due to ridiculously high rent fees that were uncalled for. Upon vacating, they had an officer called me about a gun holster and ammo pouches. I told him that they gave it to me two months ago but I would return it as soon as I got back from my work trip. They sent me a message harassing me and then I replied stating that I would mail them the gun holster and ammo pouches that they gave me as soon as I got back from my work trip. They again sent me a text stating that they've been in contact with their local district attorney and a warrant has been issued for my arrest on two counts of theft. I didn't steal it.... After checking with the sheriff's office there, there is no warrant as of yet, but it seems they're actively trying to get me in trouble over something I didn't do wrong because they're mad that I decided not to be taken advantage of rent wise. What should I do? Do they have any grounds to do anything?

---------------------------------------------------

**If you read everything thank you for listening. If you have any ideas, please share. Thanks!!**

Answer:
 >"2 counts of theft by deception u/ $300"

Sounds like a bunch of bullshit posturing to me.  Tennessee doesn't even have a crime of theft by deception.  And the lowest level theft offense is described in terms of under $500.  [Source](http://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2015/title-39/chapter-14/part-1/).

My only comment is that you need to find some way to return the items that isn't by mail.  If you're dealing with people who are allegedly out to get you, it would be simple enough for them to say that they never received the package or that what you sent isn't what you took.  Ideally, arrange something with a witness or a signed document where they have to acknowledge the receipt of the items, that the items are what they claimed were taken, and that they were returned in acceptable condition.


Title: My car was burglarized in a secure garage with signs touting substantial security. Security company did not fully live up to its responsibilities the night of the robbery. Can the building/security company be held liable?

Question:
Hi all, thanks in advance for any feedback. I'm wondering if I have any legal recourse in a burglary situation due to potential negligence on the part of the building/security company. I think my chances are very slim at best, and this is probably just a costly learning opportunity, but I'm curious for other opinions. I'll try to lay out all the facts as clearly as possible.

* I went to visit a friend who lives in an apartment in Seattle. She has lived in the same building for 6 years, renting a parking spot in the garage the entire time.
* Friend offered to let me park in her parking spot. Garage is in the basement of the building. There are 3 exits/entrances: 1) The front gate, which is like an automated garage door that requires a key fob to open, 2) Stairwell, 3) Elevator next to the stairwell.
* When I parked around 8pm, we immediately left the garage to go get dinner. I had \~$3,000 worth of stuff in my car (a backpack carrying a MacBook, Kindle, hard drive, and some notebooks, plus another bag carrying audio gear, and some LED light panels). I realize this was stupid to do, but I thought the garage was secure, and we were hungry and didn't want to haul my stuff up to the apartment right away.
* Long story short, we stayed out late, came back, and immediately crashed in the apartment. I never bothered to get my stuff out of my car. I felt like the stuff was safe because the garage has cameras and signage about being under security, and my friend said she's never had a problem leaving stuff in her car overnight, and never heard of a problem for anyone else.
* At 7:30am, I went down to my car to find my window smashed and all my valuables stolen. My car was the only car in the garage that appeared to be vandalized.
* The garage has 3 signs showing a security camera that say "Warning: Security cameras in use". There are an additional 4 signs that say "Warning: Property on these premises protected by \[Private Security Company\]". There is one sign on the stairwell door saying that the building is not responsible for any belongings stolen from cars. (I don't know if this also covers vandalism/broken windows, or if this claim is legally binding at all.)
* I noticed one security camera at the front gate, and another camera in the garage pointed at the Stairwell/Elevator. I didn't notice a camera covering my friend's parking spot, but I later saw a security monitor that seemed to show 4 or 5 cameras total covering the garage.
* As my friend and I were taking pictures of the car and trying to figure out what to do, another resident was walking to his car and asked what was going on. He was livid when he saw what happened, because he said he knew of 5 or 6 similar burglaries in the garage in the last couple years. He said he has complained to the apartment managers about improving security, but nothing has been done. My friend was shocked that she had not heard about \*\*any\*\* of these burglaries.
* This other resident also mentioned he got home at 12:30am and didn't see anything amiss in the garage at that time. (You needed to walk right past my car to get to the stairwell/elevator.)
* I called the security company phone number listed on the signage and asked about the camera footage. They said they don't have access to the footage, they just do nightly patrols of the garage.
* Friend and I waited for the property manager to get into her office for the day. When we told the property manager what happened, the vibe I got was that she was much more concerned about being held liable than being helpful. She said that she "might have time" to look at the security footage later in the day. Then she said she just started her job 3 weeks ago and actually didn't even know how to access the security footage. I could see behind her desk that there was a monitor showing all the live security cameras in the building, including at least 4 cameras in the garage. There was also an older couple in there applying for an apartment, and she didn't want them hearing about a robbery in the building. She gave me her email address and said there was nothing else she could do, which just felt like an inadequate response, and not taking a crime in her building seriously or urgently enough. Her attitude essentially struck me as "Not my problem."
* I asked the property manager how often the private security company patrolled the garage, and she said their contract is for \*\*3\*\* patrols per night. So, I called the company to ask when the patrols happened, and they said they patrolled \*\*twice\*\*: once at 9:45pm, and again at 12:30am. So, it's very likely the burglary happened between 12:30am and 7:30am. That seems like a long window of time for no patrols.
* Since the  manager wouldn't even guarantee she'd look at the security footage, I decided to get the police involved. I went to the police station in the neighborhood and described what happened. The officer informed me that this was actually a felony burglary, because it happened on private property in a gated garage. He told me to immediately go back to the building, call 911, and wait for an officer to come make a report.
* I waited about 2 hours for some police to come. They checked out my car, checked out the garage, and had me fill out some paperwork about my stolen belongings. The property manager then told them that it looked like someone had broken in through one of the doors that connects the apartment stairwell to other businesses on the ground floor of the building. Of course, there is no security camera covering that door.
* The police gave me a case number and told me I could leave and would be updated if there were any developments. I got the impression they were going to get the security footage from the property manager, but I can't confirm this actually happened.
* In case it's relevant, the building is owned and managed by a Fortune 500 investment/insurance company.
* This all happened yesterday. Right now I'm just calling pawn shops to ask about my stolen gear, and making an appointment to get my window replaced (another $300 on top of the \~$3,000 worth of stolen stuff).
* I'm a solo business owner/freelancer and I need that gear for work. It's demoralizing that I need to replace it all now, but I know it's my fault for leaving it in the car overnight.
* I did not have insurance on the gear, and my car insurance is only liability coverage. (I know... living on the risky/cheap side when it comes to insurance.)

I'm just curious to know if the building or security company should be held liable for any of this. The building allegedly has a history of burglaries in the garage, for which they (again, allegedly) have not taken measures to improve security or notify residents. The security company is allegedly required to perform 3 patrols a night, but they only performed 2 (both relatively early in the night).

It's also a little frustrating that the building touts all of these security measures that instill a sense of security and comfort, but they also have one small sign saying they're not responsible for stolen items. They seem to want to have it both ways: "Your property is safe here... but it's also not our fault if that's not really true."

Any advice/feedback is much appreciated!

Answer: Unless they company made a claim that your car will NEVER be broken into under their watch, they are not liable.


Title: Cemetery crypt was resold

Question: Mother in law died, already bought "two chambers" in a mausoleum, wanted to be placed besides father.  Get to service, another whole family now exists in other chamber, and the cemetery says we need to downsize urn to fit in the "two chambers" meaning now one.  Virginia.  We have a copy of the contract, and getting a lawyer.

Answer:
 Sue for specific performance/replevin. Don't accept any compensation or make any compromise. Burial plots are unique especially family plots.Answer #2: I suggest you find the contract from when she purchased the 2 chambers.  Otherwise it's her word against theirs and she can't be asked what was said.  Hopefully she still has that in her effects otherwise you will need to request it from the Cemetery.Answer #3: Are these cremated remains going into a small crypt designed for urns? What exactly is the set up? Was her husband cremated too, or is he in a casket? I'm trying to get clarity for what's going on.

In the industry, niches/crypts/graves can be "singles" or "doubles". It is possible she believed that the "double" they purchased was two side by side spaces, and not one space that would fit two sets of remains.

Also, thank you for reminding me I have to sign-off on two cemetery contracts sitting on my desk.

Additionally: there's also the Cemetery Board http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/Cemetery/


Title: If you put glass shards in someone's food with the intention of harming them, could you be charged with attempted murder?

Question: Hypothetical question.

Answer: Of course you could.


Title: [FL] Can previous employer force me to complete work after I resigned?

Question: I left my job rather abruptly due to a job offer out of state that required me to go quickly. I recieved a letter today from an attorney that my former company retained to try and force me to complete "TPS" reports that I was unable to complete. They are saying that since they already paid me (although I was paid hourly not per report) I am required to finish them remotely without pay. I was emailing with my former boss and stated I was willing to do it but not for free, the letter from their attorney stated I was trying to extort them.

Answer:
 If you worked for all the time you were paid for then you don't owe them any work. But if you were overpaid you have to return that.  (for example if they estimated hours for payrol and you worked less)Answer #2: If you have worked all the hours you were paid to work, they must pay you for any future work. Never work for free.

Florida is an “at will” state. Without a signed employment agreement, you can leave for lunch and not come back. If you had a signed employment agreement, it may say that you must give two-weeks notice and what penalty will be expected if you fail to do so.Answer #3: Is it an actual attorney? He is confused about who is trying to extort who.

Absent a contract you were an employee at will. You could quit any time without consequence. Implying otherwise is an attempt to extort you.