Title: My mom is in jail and says she's pregnant. Is there any way for me to legally verify this?

Question:
Hi, I'm sorry if this isn't the right subreddit. If it is, please direct me to the right place and I will go there!

&#x200B;

Long, long story short: my mother (44F) and her two boyfriends were arrested 6 weeks ago for making meth. Two weeks ago she called me to tell me she had to be taken to the hospital for what was essentially an anxiety attack, and while there they told her she was pregnant.

I don't believe a word she says for various reasons. I'm sure she's just looking for sympathy in hopes that I will bond her out (which I won't). I am not a callous person but she has betrayed my trust multiple times and I have no more trust to give. I just want proof that she is lying to me.

Is there any way for me to obtain proof of her claim? I thought about calling the jail but I think any information they could potentially tell me would be a HIPAA violation.

Any advice? I am located in Illinois, USA.

Answer: There is no way she is going to be able to provide proof. Wait 6 months. Then go see her. She will either look pregnant or not


Title: [WA] Just found I got ripped off buying a truck off of Craigslist

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You are going to have a hard time convincing a court that you expected much out of a 30 year old truck with 300+k miles on it. If you have proof that he 1) represented the vehicle as having a rebuilt engine and 2) that the engine currently in it isn't rebuilt (you said it had 100kish miles on it already, so that may be a challenge too) you may have a small claims case, but just know that it's going to be an uphill battle.


Title: Grandfather is getting very forgetful, and has been just being rushed into a marriage for his money, by the now wife.

Question:
Hi everyone,

This is coming from Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom, so perhaps /r/LegalAdviceUK would be more suitable, however I'd like to try here first.

To start, my Grandfather has been getting very forgetful for the past year, and a close friend for almost 2 decades, has just rush him into a marriage, so that she can take all of his money for "Financial Security".

The long story is that my Grandfather has known this woman for 17 or so years, and they've never been romantically involved whatsoever, but because he's being suffering from Alzheimer for some time now, she's suddenly decided that they should get married.

Unfortunately, this marriage went ahead 3 days ago at the local church with only 2 weeks planning, and none of his family were told (the only reason we found out was because a friend from my mother's work saw the surname on the church notice board iand linked it to my own surname.

So obviously, this seemed suspicious, especially because my Mother was talking to her a few weeks back and was told (by the close friend) that she had to take time off work for emotional stress, and was thinking of not visiting my Grandfather anymore.

Once my Father heard about this marriage, he immediately went to speak with my Grandfather (his biological Father) about this, however he wasn't allowed to see him due to the woman denying him access.

Due to my Grandfather's long time deteriorating health, he was taken to his personal doctor, by my Father a few months back and was told that he wasn't in a state to make any large decisions, however when this woman took him to her own personal doctor, they said he was perfectly fine, and more than capable of making a choice about marriage. And due to some legal reason, this overwrote the original diagnosis, since both doctors are from the same practice, and they can't contradict one another officially (or something along those lines. I might need clarification on that matter too).

Before the wedding took place, my Father hired a solicitor to look at this, and he was the one who found out the date of the wedding (about 6 days in advance when he found out), so my father asked for him to setup another evaluation about my Grandfather's Health, however his secretary sent the document to my Grandfather's address and the woman opened the letter, and then decided to push the wedding ahead by a day to speed up the process before we could do anything about it, and no evaluation was made in the end.

Social Services were involved too, but because there was no sign of physical abuse, they couldn't do anything. And the Reverend was told about our situation, but he refused to do anything about it (whether or not this was because he was getting paid, I'm not sure).

It's also quite worrying too, that this woman is preventing my Grandfather from taking any medication and has been doing this for quite sometime (she has admitted to this), but we can't tell him to do otherwise, because she has being telling him that my Father is deceitful, and is trying to take everything away from him and put him in a home (which I assume is her plan, since she's alright doing half of it).

The whole "Financial Security" part I mentioned at the beginning is due to her telling me that she is entitled to his money since she has known him for so long, even though she has rampant spending habits that I'm certain she has being using my Grandfather for all these extravagant items for years.

So I suppose what I'm asking is;
Is there anything I can do for my Grandfather since he's being used almost like a puppet by this woman?
Can I prevent her from changing his Will to benefit her, since she'll probably have the power to do that once she proves that he is now suddenly incapable of large decisions like this?
And what about this Marriage? Can I make a case with anyone about the circumstances of his health, or is it too late now than he has already been married?

If any information is missing from this, just ask and I'll update the post as quickly as I can.

Thanks in advance everyone.

Answer: You or your father need to talk to a lawyer specializing in elder abuse.


Title: Propane tank left on property.

Question: (Michigan) I recently switched propane tanks from one company to another.  When the new company came, they moved our old propane tank out of the way, and placed their tank in it's place.  Since this time, I have contacted the old propane company numerous times to schedule them to come and retrieve their tank.  Each time they "schedule" a pickup, they don't show up.  It's been three weeks, now.  What steps can I take to get their tank off of my property in an expedient manner?

Answer:
 I listed the propane tank on craigslist for an extremely low amount. Then I forwarded the listing to the propane company with a note of my intentions to sell it. They came and got it the next day.

This was after waiting 5 months of them no showing on scheduled pickups. It was a 200 gallon tank.Answer #2: It's been three weeks, I suspect it's still well within "a reasonable time" for them to arrange a pickup. I'd keep the pressure on them and in the meantime ask around your community if anyone's had similar issues, and if so, how they resolved it. This is likely more a customer service issue than a legal one at the moment.

As a side-note, check your contract. It may detail how long they have to remove it.Answer #3: I have a similar issue. Our house came with a propane tank (100lb) for a company that is nation wide, but no longer has a local branch. I can't get any local company to fill it, and the national chain won't pick it up. So now I have two propane tanks--one that is just sitting and rotting, and one that I bought and can have refilled.

They're installing gas lines to our neighborhood this week, so at the end I won't need either tank. It's all quite annoying.


Title: Neighbors that accused me of catnapping have now vandalized my car and are now actively harassing me. Please help I'm at wit's end. (Houston, TX)

Question:
Warning this is long.

My first issue with this couple is documented here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5r9an2/neighbor_accusing_me_of_catnapping_houston_texas/

update to that matter here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5rca4f/update_neighbor_accusing_me_of_catnapping_houston/

Last issue with them here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6lnkgh/neighbors_who_accused_me_of_catnapping_now_have_a/

I was able to resolve the dog barking by buying a white noise machine. It works amazingly this is the model incase anyone is having that kind of issue: https://www.amazon.com/LectroFan-Fidelity-Machine-Unique-Non-Looping/dp/B00E6D6LQY/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1500485275&sr=1-5&keywords=white+noise+machine

As you can see I try to find solutions for my issues with them but they have crossed a huge line.

Last week they had a pool party and it ended like all the other pool parties in a huge fight. We heard screaming, fighting, and a huge bang and the alarm went off on our truck. Since we were scared we didn't go outside to check for damage and waited for the police to get there. Once they do we go and check the vehicle but didn't notice a huge dent on it since it was dark. My neighbor was arrested but not due to the fighting but because he violated a protective order.

The next day in the daylight is very obvious they broke a fence board off their fence and smacked the vehicle with it. We filed a police report but the police officer that comes tells me we can't prove they did it and suggest we get surveillance cameras. Great, another expense. The police also told me that she has a protective order against him and he should not be around anymore. I'm so happy to hear that and let all the other neighbors know that if they see him to notify the non-emergency police.

He gets out of jail and he comes right back. On his first day back they have a screaming fight in the backyard and I guess the other neighbors decided to call the police. Since I live right next to them they assume it's me. The guy's girlfriend texts me this: "The cops are saying your calling the law out to my house? There is nothing going on at my home. I dont understand why you keep calling them! The second time now!" I, of course, ignore the text because there is no use arguing with crazy. Hoping they'll just leave us alone.

Yesterday my husband and I were out in our driveway trying to change a turn signal bulb on our car and she tries to come over and talk to me. I immediately tell her there is nothing I need to talk to her about and to get off my property. She immediately starts screaming at me "Why are you so rude?! I'm going to get the law involved!! Sandra (owner of the house) is on my side!!".  (When I noticed the damage to our vehicle I had texted Sandra that I needed her to contact me regarding her tenants, but she never did). She then drove off and I was so happy that I could finish fixing my car without her around. She came right back 10 minutes later. I'm panicked thinking that she's going to attack me so I call the neighbor on the other side and ask her to stay on the line with me and if I give her a signal to call 911.

She parks and I'm going to paint you a picture, she's wearing a tight short black dress and heels, she proceeds to get out of her car and starts pulling weeds. I wish I was making this up she's tits out, in heels pulling weeds. WTF. It gets weirder she starts calling out to neighborhood children asking if they want to make money by picking up leaves in her yard. The children weirded out by some stranger in a tight dress pulling weeds shake their heads and run home. It gets weirder. Apparently, I live in a very self-conscious neighborhood because there were a lot of people running and she would yell, "GOOD FOR YOU WORKING OUT", "KEEP IT UP!", those people were as perplexed as we are. She had no reason to be out there but I'm assuming she wanted to be out there to harass us. When her family gets there she loudly tells them "STAY OFF THEIR YARD, THEIR VERY RUDE NEIGHBORS" and we're just trying to ignore her and finish working on our car. I don't know what to do, I don't feel safe in my home. I wish they would just leave us alone! Can I take the landlord to court because they are so aggressive and such a nuisance? (The police mentioned they have had to come to that house 10 times in the last month)

Answer: On the last incident she did nothing illegal or anything for you to get a protection awarded.  Answer #2: In your previous thread you said they left the dog outside for two days straight, please call animal control because depending on local laws that's not legal. Also the poor dog.


Title: Is it usual for an attorney to settle for a small amount and then try to go through your coverage of uninsured motorist to ask for another 10,000?

Question:
After I spoke with my attorney I was told the other victim in the car accident was going to get most of the money from the settlement.  My attorney then told me they were going to contact my insurance provider to ask for 10,000 do to my coverage including uninsured motorist.  Is this the usual way this is handled?

edit: california

Answer:
 When multiple people are injured in a car accident, the at-fault person's chances at getting sued go up. If person A has $10k worth of damage, and person B has $5k worth of damage, and you only have $10k of coverage, you can be sued for the extra $5k.

If you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, this will cover you if you are hit by someone who does not have insurance you can recover from. So in your case, the insurance pool is dried up due to the other victim, so your underinsured coverage will kick in to make sure your claims are covered. Your insurance may go after the at-fault person personally, but your bills will be covered and you won't be waiting on that lawsuit (if there is one).


Title: [Quebec] Employer stopped paying me and keeps making excuses as to why he cannot pay me yet.

Question:
**BACKSTORY**: I've worked for a start up in Montreal, Quebec for about a year now. I started off as an unpaid intern who was eventually hired. There's only 3 developers on the team including myself and one is an intern.

&nbsp;

For the past 4-5 months, my paychecks have been late by at least a few days. The first time my paycheck was late, it was only by a few days. Then it was late by a week. Then 2 weeks. Now it's at the point where my boss is behind on 2 and a half MONTHS worth of payment.
&nbsp;

His reasoning for being late is that he's trying to "transfer money from [his] German bank account" in order to pay us but the bank transfer is not going through. Every piece of information I could find on international transfers says they typically only take 2-5 business days so I'm incredibly skeptical about his 40 day late bank transfer.
&nbsp;

Any time I text him about money, he takes around 1-2 days to respond and it's typically a very brief, uninformative response. I'll ask him "Hey [boss' name], do you know when you'll be able to pay us?" which typically results in him saying "I'm not sure. I haven't received my transfer yet".
&nbsp;

On Thursday, I had a meeting with him face to face. He seemed incredibly sympathetic about our situation and even said "I promise, I'll get you your money tomorrow and pay you gentlemen. They're way past due and I need to get this off of my conscious". On Friday morning, I asked what time we would be meeting. He informed me he would "get back to me shortly with a time". He never got back to me with a time. In fact, he did not return my calls or texts for the rest of the day. The next text I received from him regarding payment was this morning (Saturday) where he said "I'm working on it". I've asked him to elaborate on his financial situation because it's getting to the point where my friend and I are unable to pay our bills. My co-worker's credit score is dropping because he had to max out his credit card in order to pay his bills and is now unable to make payments due to a lack of income.

&nbsp;

What can we do about this situation? If I seek legal action, can I sue for my paycheck AND the legal fees incurred due to the law suit? If not, the income acquired from the suit will be used towards legal fees so what's the point?
&nbsp;

I'm becoming desperate and don't know what to do.

Answer: Life advice, not legal advice - your company is going under. You need to find a new job immediately.


Title: I have 6 thousand dollars in Florida and I want to sue the IRS. How can I do it?

Question: For a month now I've been trying to get a transcript. Their online service is broken on iOS. Which is totally ok because, you know, it's not like iOS Is a huge popular operating system that millions of people use. I don't have a car. Nearest library is 12 miles from me. Their phone number is constantly having technical difficulties. I am beyond the point of anger, honestly. At this point, I just want to be a pain in the side of that defunt still in the 80s branch of the government. Who do I call?

Answer:
 Why don't you sue apple for making products that are incompatible with the current program?

There is nothing for you to sue the IRS for.Answer #2: Your question doesn't make *any* sense. Why are your six thousand dollar and the IRS related to each other?


Title: [MA/US]How exactly are 'sleeping pods' possible in airports despite zoning law?

Question:
Apologies if I'm making too many presumptions... but I mean, we don't have storefronts here in the US where you can walk in and 'buy sleep' for dirt cheap in a tiny box just barely large enough to lay down in.

But you see... I have homeless friends. They *desperately* need a solution better than Tent In The Woods. You'd think a safe, sturdy, secure, clean, private, climate controlled space to sleep in (maybe even with wifi and a power socket) wouldn't be an unreasonable thing to ask for, but it's surprisingly hard to come by if your per-day budget is small enough that you could count it on your fingers. What the hell?

But "what the hell" isn't my question for you.

It's that, clearly, albeit at a steeeeeeep premium, airports must have somehow found a way around whatever laws dictate where someone is or is not allowed to sleep. Can you tell me what's going on there or maybe puzzle out some examples?

Because I would **love** to leverage that, somehow. There is a real niche for this in this day and age just begging to be filled.

Answer: Are you high?


Title: [US,AR] Signed job offer for specific salary, was contacted by HR saying there was a mistake and my salary would be ~$15,000 less.

Question:
Interviewed and received an offer to work for the \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*. During the hiring process, I was told I would be following a special rate table for the position, where I would start at a certain amount ($X) which would jump up after the first year to another amount ($Y). I was told the special rate table was authorized to attract professionals to the position.

I was accepted for the position and received a tentative offer for $X per year. I accepted. After filling out paperwork, agreeing to background check, etc., I received a final "official" offer for $X which I accepted and received onboarding paperwork.

Today, nearly a week before my start date, I got a call from the HR person saying that there was a mistake in offering me the special rate table and that I would be placed on a different table which pays about $15,000 less for the first year (and even less than that for the second year).

I haven't spoken to the supervisor who I interviewed with yet, but my question is: do I have any legal leverage here? The salary that was agreed to was very reasonable and the new salary being offered is much much lower than typical for the position (by about $20,000).

Answer:
 Unless you have a contract to work for a fixed period of time (such as 2 years), then you can't force them to pay the amount in the offer letter. You are an at-will employee, and your employment terms are subject to change at any time.

The way outside exception might be if you spent a bunch of money to move across the country for the job. Then you may be able to recover moving expenses. Answer #2: Unfortunately you won’t be able to do anything about it.  Assuming you are in the US you are an at will employee and your boss can change your prospective salary whenever they want so long as they give you notice before the changed rate goes into effect.  You were given advance notice.  You can accept the new rate or quit, but you can’t force them to pay the other rate.


Title: [UPDATE] [Puyallup Washington 98374] General Contractor here that replaced the roof of a customer. Since then, she has contacted one of my direct competitors to do an inspection. Now she wants a refund.

Question:
Client allowed me to come out for an inspection. Got to the property, was allowed to be on roof for 5 minutes before her daughter demanded I come down. Then she proceeded to yell at me and demanded I pay for a replacement roof. I listened and disagreed with her before being kicked off of the property. What are my options now?

[Link to previous post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4nqwkg/puyallup_washington_98374_general_contractor_here/)

Answer: You let her demand. If you get a summons, go defend yourself, and the Judge will like that you tried to make good, but she wouldn't allow you.


Title: Credit card stolen from doorstep and charged over $2500. Wells Fargo won't reimburse me.

Question:
Sorry if this has been asked before. I couldn't find a previous post with all of the info I needed.

I currently live in Los Angeles, CA. I have a credit account with Wells Fargo that came with my checking and savings account. On January 24th, 2020, I lost the card to that account when I misplaced my wallet. I cancelled the card and put in a request for a replacement. There were no fraudulent charges on this first card, it was simply lost and cancelled.

The following day on the 25th, I received a FedEx confirmation for the replacement card. The confirmation says it was delivered at 11:34am. I didn't notice this email, nor did I look for the package. I simply forgot the package was on its way, as this is not a credit card that I use very often.

On January 28th, 2020, I received text message and email from Wells Fargo about suspicious activity on my credit card. When I checked my online account, I noticed several charges from 1/25-1/28 totaling $2566.28. I immediately cancelled the card and filed a claim for credit card fraud.

The charges were immediately removed from my credit card statement, but days later, they were put back on. When I called, they said they my card was activated using my personal phone number and the charges were valid. I appealed the case and filed police report. I had my roommate file a police report for a package what was stolen two days later as well. I then went into my local Wells Fargo branch and faxed the two police reports to the fraud claim department.

Unfortunately, the guy working at Wells Fargo filed it for the wrong credit card. He referenced the original card that was lost with my wallet and replaced, and all of my evidence went towards a case for a card I never claimed was stolen.

After several weeks of back and forth, I finally figured it out. I was told by a representative to resend everything in one fax referencing the correct card number. I sent a new fax with a letter explaining the situation and the following items:

1. **LAPD report for the stolen credit card**
2. **Verizon Wireless bill highlighting phone activity during period in question**
3. **LAPD report for second stolen package at same address**
4. **Email to Lyft requesting information**
5. **Screen shots of Lyft ride history during period in question**
6. **Screen shots of Uber ride history during period in question**

\*Note: the card was used for several Lyft and Uber charges. I included my ride history to show that they weren't done under my account.

Yesterday, I received a letter from Wells Fargo stating that charges are still valid and I will have to pay them. I called them today and they said that my story has been inconsistent; that one point I claimed I received the card and now I'm claiming I never received it. That's simply not true. They just mixed up cards.

At this point, I've accrued about $60 worth of interest and I'm pretty much at my wits end with this. I feel like I've exhausted all of my options and I'm ready to throw in the towel. But $2600 is a lot of money. I feel like I've exhausted my options with this internal appeals process. Is there anything else I can do? Do I have any legal standing there? No one at Wells Fargo is helpful. I talk to a different person every time and can never get in contact with the people who actually make the decisions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

\*Edited to include location

Answer:
 I work for an FI (not Wells) in the fraud department. Unfortunately it’s real crap shoot with who you initially spoke to, what their level of training was, and how well they documented it.

Most of the time when something gets pushed forward for attention/to be reviewed again is because:
1) You know someone who know’s someone higher up the food chain.
2) You get traction on social media (twitter or Facebook)
3) You send an email to someone higher up. Basically cold calling.

I’ve had team members who are caught up in things much more trivial than this where no one took a loss for days because someone sent an email to a VP. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to try.

Also definitely call again and let them know you will be contacting a lawyer. Most FI’s rule of thumb is that language automatically gets a complaint filed where someone will actually look at it and try to help you.

Good luck!Answer #2: >they said they my card was activated using my personal phone number and the charges were valid

With my bank, this would mean calling the activation line using a phone whose callerID was my personal phone (which the bank knows). So either someone used your phone to activate the card or they spoofed the callerID. This is likely why the bank is refusing to accept that the use was fraud - they believe that you or a friend or acquaintance (ie somebody who has access to your phone or at least knows the number) likely activated the card. Your bank may work differently.


Title: Expired Plates Ticket - Wrong car information on ticket.

Question:
My fiance got pulled over this week  in my car that i forgot to get the car registered (last may.. i know. i know.)  I got my car registered today now and upto date until 2018.

She has a court hearing coming up but on the ticket, it shows the year 2000 (last 0 is a bit open but definitely looks like a 0) but its a 2006. and the model is a cobalt. (officer put cavalier)

I have heard of getting a dismissed because of errors similar to this. Would this error be one of those cases? If so what would we do to go about it?

Answer: This is not going to invalidate the ticket. Clerical errors don't invalidate tickets. If it really bugs you they can just void that ticket and issue you a new one with correct information.


Title: Upstairs neighbors throw their dog feces from upstairs to our lawn

Question:
I recently moved into a downstairs apartment & the location is perfect for us.

Yesterday, when I stepped outside my back patio I got a strong odor of dog feces. I'm familiar with the scent because I have 3 dogs of my own. Surely enough, there were huge amounts of dog feces on the side of my lawn. I hadn't seen it before so I immediately suspected that someone had disposed of it there but I couldn't figure out why. There are dog tins all over the apartment complex and they also free dog bags to pick it up.

When my husband went to the front office to request that maintenance pick it up, the woman revealed to him that they knew it was our upstairs neighbors disposing of the dog feces from all the way upstairs because other tenants have complained about him in the past. Also, she said that he's not supposed to have dogs since he never disclosed it to them and much less paid for the right to do so.

She told my husband that she had been attempting to reach them as soon as we initially called the front office but they weren't responding and she pleaded with my husband to not engage the topic with this neighbor and to allow them to take care of it.

That's fine and I agree, however, in the meantime, all of the dog feces is still out there. Also, if this tenant has this reputation and they have yet to respond in a manner that would indicate that they are heeding to the front office's request.

It's the fact that they are very much aware of the fact that they have new neighbors. We've bumped into one another and yet they blatantly and selfishly threw their dog crap (and fur balls) all over our lawn with absolutely no regard to their neighbors. We pay a little more to be downstairs, btw, so that's annoying too.

I'm hoping that everything gets quietly resolved by tomorrow but if it happens to get more complicated than that, what options do I have to express and perhaps demand that pur neighbors ceases their disgusting and lazy behavior?

I'm in Texas.

Answer:
 Set up a cam outside to get footage of him doing it.

Make sure it's not aimed to see into windows.

Give footage to the office and demand the poop is removed.Answer #2: “Im familiar with the scent because...” LolAnswer #3: Get the camera everyone is suggesting, since you have dogs yourself. Then report to your Health Department or Code Enforcement if you Animal Control doesn't handle defecation removal on private property.Answer #4: Camera. Now.

Then, pay a lawyer to go over city ordinances, rental complex bylaws, the lot. The lawyer will find something illegal your neighbour has been doing (either in garbage disposal, pet ownership, endangerment of your dogs with possibly contaminated feces, etc.), and will be able to draft a quite convincing "Stop throwing dog shit on my lawn, or so help me God..."-letter.Answer #5: Not really legal advice, but you many mention to them casually that it's happening, or even ask if they've seen anyone pitching poo in your yard.

Then mention that you're getting a camera. Answer #6: Bag it up and drop it at their front door with a note “you forgot something”

Do NOT light bag on fire!


Title: Neighbor keeps cutting his grass so it throws all over my car

Question:
Location: Ohio

I have an asshole neighbor. If you look through my history for this sub, you'll see that I've talked about the neighbor and him being charged (and convicted) of criminal trespassing on our property twice now.

Since his charges 3 years ago, he has purposefully cut his grass so that it blows out of his mower directly onto my car. Now, we're not talking about a lil bit of grass...I'm talking about grass covers the entire side of my car &  a good drive doesnt even take it all off. This is, of course, in "retaliation" because he thinks he was wronged.

I've taken pics the last 2 grass cutting seasons of my car and he just cut his grass for the first time this season today. My car is a mess [https://imgur.com/XyVBADX](https://imgur.com/XyVBADX). In addition to the pictures I've taken we also have outdoor video cameras (which we had to install because of this neighbor).

Any advice on how I can get him to stop this crap LA?

Answer:
 >Any advice on how I can get him to stop this crap LA?

Privacy fence


Title: Laws and rights regarding a Police Officer who "points" you over to the side of the highway.

Question:
This happened in MA.

I was driving on the highway, going 70 MPH in a 55 in the center lane, people were passing me on the left going faster than I was.

I drove by a group of three officers who were standing IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIGHT LANE OF THE HIGHWAY, apparently doing a speed trap. I didn't even see them until last minute. I noticed one of the offers pointing in my direction, however, there was 3 cars in front of me, at lest 4 in the left lane PASSING me and a few behind me as well. I looked at the spedo and realized that, oh no, maybe he meant me, maybe not. I immediately moved over to the right lane and slowed down to 45 hoping that the officer was after another car. Sure enough I soon saw the officer in my mirror and when I did, I slowed down to about 30 MPH and pulled over as soon as I saw him put the lights on.

The officer ran over to my car, my window was down and I already had my license out. He screamed at me to take off my seatbelt and then forcefully pulled me out of the car and told me I was being arrested. Full patdown and told me to spread em, he was being overly aggressive. He had no right to arrest me and I knew that, but I kept quiet and was respectful. He seemed to calm down a bit once he looked me up and saw no priors. Eventually he let me go with a speeding ticket. He originally said he clocked me at 65, then changed it to 72 and finally gave me a ticket for 78. I have a radar detector, he did NOT use radar.

OK, so the story is over. But what is the deal with an officer vaguely pointing in your direction on the highway. Did I do the right thing? Did he have the right to pull me out of the car and actually arrest me or was this just to intimidate me?

I've been pointed over like this before and did exactly the same thing and was given an oral warning.

It doesn't seem right to me that if a cop points in the general direction of someone, that EVERY car has to immediately pull over to the side of the road, that seems dangerous.

It is worth noting that this is a high crime area and this stretch of road is know as the "herion highway". I am a small business owner in my 20s, white, drive a average station wagon, I do NOT look intimidating, no history of drug arrests.

TL:DR: Cop pointed me over on highway for speeding. Was a jerk said he was arresting me, didn't but gave me ticket. Wondering if I did the right thing.

Answer:
 If a police officer directs you to the side of the road (or is directing traffic at all) then you are legally obligated to follow his or her directions.

The officer can order you out of (or back into) the car on any traffic stop legally.

I don't know any MA law specifically, but lots of places you can be arrested for nearly any traffic violation.  I know I can arrest people in Missouri for (nearly) anything you can get a ticket for.


Title: Wedding photographer lost photos

Question:
We paid a little over $4k for our wedding photographer and everything seemed fine and within 4-6 weeks she delivered our gallery online. When my wife went to create a book from the photos, it came back pixelated. We asked our photographer and she blamed the print company, and after talking with that company, we determined the original images were low quality. Photographer admitted that was the case and she had outsourced the editing.

Another month or 2 went by of us trying to get updates (and thinking she was never going to deliver) before she released the new proper resolution photo gallery. We then discovered that the photographer chose to edit an entirely different set of our photos from the wedding. Meaning that of my wife’s original 800 or so favorite photos, only 120 of them were in this new high resolution gallery.

We argued that she was being rude, unprofessional, and we weren’t happy with our service and how much we spent for it and wanted the photos from the original gallery, only to find out she had tried to run backups but those photos were now lost forever. She was able to recover a few of the lost files.

While her behavior has been downright rude to us and we fully intend to post poor reviews, We are curious what, if any, case we have and what damages we might be entitled to.

We signed a contract with the photographer. It states the following which I feel would be relevant:

“Client will receive an online. password protected, proof gallery within 4-6 weeks of their wedding date. Photographer retains the right to edit the photographys and omit any image they see fit. The gallery will always remain available for print purchases for up to 10 years from the wedding date.”

“If legal action is necessary to enforce the terms of this contract the prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable attorney fees in additional to any other remedies to which that party might be legally entitled.”

“Photographer(s) take the utmost care with respect to the exposure, retouching, and transportation of digital captures, proofs and prints. However, in the unlikely event that all the originals are lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed within or beyond Photographer’s control, Photographer’s liabilityn is limited to refund of all payments received. The limit of liability for partial loss or damge of originals shall be a prorated amount of the total amount, based on the percentage of originals lost or damaged.”

As of now we have around 2,100 photos but are missing 500 from our original “favorites” gallery. Do we have a claim to a case here in small claims court? What can we assess as damages?

Answer: Ask them a refund for the % of the lost pictures, as per your contract. If they won't issue the partial refund, you can sue them.Answer #2: It appears that you have a legitimate claim for loss of images. Based on prorated calculation you could claim $955 + legal costs. Some small claims forums don’t allow lawyers to represent you however. The aspect of rudeness is best dealt with by feedback. You may also consider negotiating a larger compensation payment which includes positive feedback. She won’t want  the story circulating about her losing images as it’s professionally damaging. Perhaps start at $2000 and settle from there? This is a photographers worst nightmare - her attitude needs to change if she wants to salvage something from this. Good luck!


Title: Trying to secure a liquor company name... hit with a trademark-related Cease & Desist

Question:
I'm trying to secure a name for a liquor company, a name based off my hometown. For sake of anonymity, let's call the hometown "Boston". I applied for a trademark about two months ago. Just last week I received a Cease & Desist to end all business operations under the name I am trying to use.

The name I am trying to use is Bostoncello -- a name referencing the fact that I am making fruit-based liqueurs. The company that sent the Cease & Desist is called "Boston Craft Company", and produces a line of alcohol products, notably a "Boston Gin" and a "Boston Rye". They *also* own a liqueur simply called "Limoncello di Avenue" -- not referencing Boston in any way. Their only products that reference Boston are the gin and rye.

As they've been operating since 2013, they believe they've established sole ownership over any "Boston-formative" alcohol names -- meaning any liquor name that begins with Boston and ends with the liquor product. They believe any other product with "Boston" in the title will cause confusion, especially since they also own a fruit liqueur (again, even though the liqueur name does not bear "Boston").

My question is, do they have a real case or are they being trademark trolls? What can I do to defend myself? Here's why I think they're wrong:

* My company name is one word, instead of broken up into two. So an example product of mine would be titled "**Bostoncello**: Limoncello" rather than "**Boston Liqueur**: Limoncello"
* Can you really own a city name as your trademark? There's a Boston Brewery in this city, completely unaffiliated to the liquor company. They are older than the liquor company.
* I think it's clear that the single-word "Bostoncello" is distinct from "Boston Gin" or "Boston Rye." Would consumers really think Bostoncello was part of the "Boston Gin" or "Boston Rye" line?

Answer:
 Sounds to me like they have a real case.  It may not be a 100% slam-dunk.  They don't mix the name of the town with names of products, but they really do currently enjoy the exclusive use of the name of the home town in association with spirits, and I can see how an uninformed consumer would probably be likely to think that "Bostoncello" would be produced by the same maker as "Boston Gin", "Boston Rye", etc.

They don't own the city name.  Boston Brewery proves that.  There are probably lots of other companies in the area - Boston Paint, Boston Sand & Gravel, Boston Glass, etc., none of which cause any actual confusion.


Title: Exfriend telling everyone my husband raped me. (Tacoma,Washington)

Question:
Hello all, I am fairly new to reddit so please excuse my errors, the other day I received a message from an old friend calling me a bunch of names and saying our friendship was over, I wrote her back confused and she began listing off a bunch of reason but one stuck out to me.

Appreantly an old mutal friend of ours thought it would be a good idea to tell everyone we both knew that my husband raped me and that I was married to a rapist.

He has never raped me (or anyone as far as I know.) I believe this is out of spite since my husband choose to be with me and not her. (She had been vocal about trying to get with him before we got together.) I have politely asked her to quit spreading lies. She refuses to talk to me and has blocked me on social media.

I don't have time to deal with a petty person, My only worry is she is continuing to tell people this and I'm worried about it getting back to ny husbands work. (Mutual friends and all) Is there anything legally I can do to have her stop?

Much appreciated for any responses.

Answer:
 >I don't have time to deal with a petty person,

Then don't. Do you even know if she's currently telling people this?
Answer #2: As side not my wife made a joke about me cutting her hair in the night on facebook(to blame me because she did not like the haircut she got).  Someone told the police they heard I held her down putting bruises on her and cut all her hair off.

The police came to make sure I did not.  These things can get out of hand.  Best nip it in the bud before someone does something stupid.Answer #3: If you don't want to deal with it, then ignore it. If you don't want to ignore it, talk to a lawyer. A strongly worded cease and desist from a law firm may scare them enough to stop it.


Title: Making a culturally insensitive comment to member of own cultural group.

Question:
I work as a teacher in British Columbia, Canada. The elementary school I work at has a fairly predominant Chinese community. Very upscale and affluent families with a lot of money.

Once the afternoon bell rings I'm out the door and off to my vehicle in the parking lot. The parking lot is a complete disaster in terms of traffic. Parents are blocking exit ways and cars cannot get out of their parking spots. There aren't enough parking spots.

This afternoon I was very frustrated and honked my horn at a parent walking her child to her car as her vehicle was blocking my ability to get out. I asked her if where she parked her car was a parking spot (she was in the middle of the exit way). She indicated there was no where else to park.

I then said, "This is not China. Come on, let's go!"

Obviously I said something I should not have said. What are the legal implications here if she follows through with a complaint? I may be overthinking this and she will probably forget about it, but I hate the idea I was culturally insensitive to a member of any cultural group. I am quite concerned.

**EDIT:** Context.

Answer: There's no legal context. Being racist isn't a crime. However, the school would be well within their rights to fire you for it.


Title: my dad was court ordered to do things in 12 days he cant afford

Question:
my dad went to court because my neighbor hit him. (hes 60) but it turned into dispute about these cats that roam around both are yards. the neighbor actually feeds them. but my father is reversed and doesnt talk much so of course he didnt stand up for himeslf in court, im guessing. now he has to put up a fence and get animal service in next 12 days

hes ex military and lives off that pension which is about $1k a month. he refuses to take money off me since i recently moved to new york. is there anything he can do? can he get extension on court order? can he appeal it? or push the date back?

Answer:
 In all the history of mammals on earth, a fence has never stopped a cat from going where it wants to go. You could put up a 12-foot fence with electrified barbed wire on top and the cat could still climb a nearby tree and jump over. This doesn't make sense... Can your father talk to an attorney and appeal?

Also, who owns the cats and what would the "animal service" be for?Answer #2: Your post doesn't say--I'm presuming these are legally his cats, and the neighbor doesn't want them in his yard?  The simplest route would be to keep them inside.Answer #3: This is an incomplete story if ever I’ve seen one.

They were in court regarding an assault but somehow the victim wound up with the punishment? How does that happen?Answer #4: You are going to need to provide more details.Answer #5: If those are his cats, he should keep them inside.  If they are *not* his cats, he should've said so in court.  Best bet now would be to humanely trap them and take them to your local animal shelter.Answer #6: He should contact an attorney.


Title: My cars been broken into 5 times. Do I have legal grounds to break my lease?

Question:
There's no avoiding it, if you live here your car is at risk. I live in Texas and not sure if that helps just for jurisdiction info. I simply can't take it anymore. Even if nothing is in it, it'll get broken into.

Do I have any options?

Answer: No, unless your landlord is directly responsible for crime in the neighborhood.Answer #2: Pro-tip:  stop locking your doors. Answer #3: You can break your lease but you would be subject to any penalties outlined in your lease for doing so.


Title: [PA] Got an underage and possession of fake id charge at a casino with my parents in Pittsburgh...

Question:
My parents recently became aware I owned a fake ID and surprisingly were not mad about it (I'll be 21 in less than 3 months) and were aware that ultimately living on my own being away at college they had no real way to enforce anything like that.

My parents were down in the city near me, when they normally live an hour away and were excited about the opportunity to share a drink with me and also a sort of congratulations because I started my first week of my internship so they wanted to hear about it.

After leaving the first small bar with no problems, my parents wanted to drink at the bar at a casino after to sort of show me a place they would hang out at. There were no intentions to gamble, just get a drink. In my mind I felt like using a fake id at a casino is the equivalent of trying to hit the federal reserve, but I trusted my parents judgement, even though they seemed to have a lapse of it.

When we get there after not carding my parents they ask for mine and after using their tools and scanners and having a few people look at it they determined it was fake and took my mom and me (dad was worrying about parking or going to bathroom) back to the police station part of the casino and tell me what is going to happen with getting a citation for the id, then they breathalyze me and I also will receive an underage drinking citation in the mail. I was read my rights and was searched and even had a cuff on my ankle attached to the bench. There was no fingerprinting or picture taken by the officer, just the breathalyzer. Also, I did not bring my real ID with me so I provided the officer with my information and he also looked at my student id.

From this point what seems to be my best options? In the fall I'll be a college senior at a great school and could potentially run into background checks later in life for jobs. Most of the information outside of reddit is found on lawyers websites where they realize everyone reading is in a rough situation and want to convince them to represent them to make some money.

Also, yes my parents realized what they did is idiotic so no need to scold, I'm assuming not being used to being carded ever because they are visibly adults made them underestimate the security measures.They have apologized so many times and want to do whatever they can to help because they realize it was ultimately their fault for wanting to go to such a strict place. I can't really be that mad at them either because I understand they made a mistake out of normal character and the the positive things they have done and sacrifices they have made as parents in the past exponentially outweigh what happened today.

Answer: You need a criminal defense attorney. This could result in jail time and a criminal record.


Title: Arrested but not charged

Question: Hello,  I have a friend that has been on probation for nearly 11 months (fines paid off in January, Comm. Service completed in April, Counseling completed in May, classes completed in December, and has not failed any random drug/etg tests). Unfortunately, they were arrested on Saturday for a owi (in MI). When released, they were told that there were no charges being pressed, and wouldn't until the blood test results came back anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. They are off probation on October 12th..my question is whether or not they should inform their PO about the arrest, even though there is no warrant out, and probably won't be until after their probation is over? My friend and I have both done some research/asking around and have heard/read both yes and no..it seems to be a 50/50 chance. Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 > my question is whether or not they should inform their PO about the arrest

Every probation I've ever dealt with has required reporting of arrests.  Most require reporting of *any* contact with law enforcement, even as a witness.

The arrest will likely show up on his criminal history, and the PO will be notified if he doesn't report.


Title: (New York) bought a flooded car with a clean title, seller did not disclosed it and now have health issues, do I have a case?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There would have to be a requirement for that disclosure. This page mentions no such requirement.

http://dmv.ny.gov/brochure/let-buyer-be-aware


Title: Ontario, Canada: I have a roommate who claims he's employed, I'd like to verify with the employer he named. Would they be prevented from answering?

Question:
Before the roommate in question moved in, he promised me he could pay first, second, and last month's rent within the first 2 months. He failed to follow through and owes roughly 1.3 month's worth to my landlord as well as $130 to myself. He found a job landscaping just under a month ago; I did the math and he should have around $1100, net, in his account as of his Saturday (paper) paycheque deposit.

Today, I asked him to email transfer to the landlord in front of me as he had claimed it hadn't worked for him earlier this week and I wanted to make sure he wasn't doing it wrong. The deposit wasn't even in his transaction list. In the past, whenever I've deposited a cheque, regardless of the day or time, there would at least be a transaction line even if 100% of the funds weren't available. In this case, either the bank teller screwed up (unlikely but possible) or he's BSing me.

Given the "information" he's given me about his past over the last year or so is obvious BS, I'm inclined to take the "trust, but verify" approach when it comes to business matters with him. As such, I'd like to verify his employment.

First, can I ask his employer if he is currently employed there? Second, can they answer? I'm not interested (well, I am, but I know it's *definitely* not possible) in knowing his hours, income, rate of pay, etc, just whether he currently works there or not.
Topic:
Background Checks and Expungements

Answer: You can call them and ask.  They may or may not tell you.  From a social engineering standpoint, you might be better off calling the main number and asking if you can reach him, rather than asking if he's employed there.


Title: Reported something stolen and found it... (NYC)

Question:
2 weeks ago I was out with friends and got pretty much black out drunk. We had guys back to my friends apartment (who left in the middle of the night) and when I woke up my bag was gone. To be honest, I don't remember even going back to the apartment. So, after searching around for a long time, calling bars, etc- we found nothing and figured it was stolen. I didn't really think the guys did it so I thought that it was taken from the bar and I was just really blacked out. Anyway, I was urged to report it to the police, so I did, stating that it happened at a bar I think, but I was really drunk. Today, the police called back and said another bag was stolen from the same place and asked me some follow up questions. Just now I got a text from my friend (whose place it was) saying that her cleaning lady just called and found a bag wedged somewhere in the apartment. I don't know what to do. I didn't mean to file a false report but that's what it turned out to be. Do I call the police and tell them it was found in a completely different location? Do I just let it go because it's Manhattan and bags get stolen all the time? Do I wait to see if they contact me again?

If this isn't the right subreddit I apologize. didn't know where else to post this.

Answer: Call the police and tell them you found your bag. If they called back and asked follow up questions that means this is on their radar so don't let them waste their time.


Title: (IN) I am being investigated for public masturbation, should I seek legal counsel

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I can answer any more questions if I left out any details.

This is what you need to STOP doing.  Stop talking to the police.  Stop answering questions.  Stop giving them ~~answers~~ evidence.

Keep your search going for an attorney.  But, until then, stop everything else.

This is serious, and could get you tagged as a sex offender.


Title: Pulled over in Idaho for turning left over a double yellow line, which is legal, now I have marijuana charges

Question:
Ok the title says it all. Turned left out of a gas station and had to cross a double yellow. This was the officers initial reason to pull us over. I've been back to the gas station and yes it's a double yellow. Keep track of how often you see this occur next time you drive. Called the Idaho State Police and confirmed that it's legal to cross the double yellow onto or off of a road, going into or out of a home, business, or alleyway. So I'm somewhat relieved and I have high hopes of getting these charges dropped i am still uncertain and a little worried. I'm just lookin for feedback and possibly some advice about how to best go about this. (I go to college in CA so I won't be appearing in person at court)
Thanks, Reddit.

Edit: The traffic ticket for us initially being pulled over is "Traffic control devices- failure to obey"

Answer:
 If it is in fact legal to cross a double yellow line when turning, your attorney could get the judge to suppress the evidence (aka the marijuana). This is assuming that the police didn't have any other reasons at all to pull you over.

I did not find any statutes that allow for you to cross a double yellow line while entering/exiting a road. I did, however, find a proposed but not passed statute that would in fact make that legal.Answer #2: >So I'm somewhat relieved and I have high hopes of getting these charges dropped i am still uncertain and a little worried.

The fact that the cop was mistaken in their initial stop does not necessarily mean all charges will be dropped. Your hopes should be much lower and you should get an attorney ASAP.

>I go to college in CA so I won't be appearing in person at court)

Yes, you almost certainly will. All criminal charges that I know of require the defendant to personally appear.


Title: Neighbour complaining and calling police about where my truck is legally parked. TL;DR included

Question:
BC, Canada
**TL;DR at bottom**

Every instance of *"neighbour"* will refer to the one man.

* **Background on where I live:** I live at the end of a cul de sac with a small street off of it to a row of townhouses with minimal parking, so parking on my street is very crowded (a clusterfuck, if you will). With all our vehicles at home, we have 2 that need to be parked on the street, and only 1 fits in front of our property.

* **A little history:** I thought I'd be the gentleman and start parking a few houses down so nobody else had to walk far to their vehicle. I wasn't parking in anyone else's "claimed" spots, so I thought I'd get no complaints.

* **Where the trouble starts:** A couple days after doing this, a neighbour who owns the driveway beside where I've been parking tells my upstairs tenants that the truck can't be there because it blocks his view of the street when he backs up and they tell him to talk to me. It's legally parked and it is not at all difficult to see past my (small) truck. I end up parking there again a few days later and go away for 2 days. My girlfriend texts me the first day and said the neighbour came to the door and told her to move it. She said she can't and he'd need to wait until I was home and talk to me. The next day he comes back and demands she move it. She says she doesn't have the keys and he says he doesn't fucking care, move it right now. She's intimidated, only 5'1" and alone with the kids so she says sorry and quickly locks the door. I get home that evening and as pissed off as I was at his actions, I decide not to park there anymore to avoid starting a feud between houses. I start parking on an angle (against the bylaw) in the cul de sac in front of my house to avoid a 3 minute walk (seriously) to my truck and to avoid neighbours.

* **New trouble:** I got a ticket a couple weeks ago for parking on an angle. Now, beside the neighbouring property to the angry neighbour's property has a ~40' strip of cedar hedging which cars park along. I notice a lot of cars come and go from this area and I can grab a spot there once in a while. After about a week it seems people are leaving a spot for me which straddles the border between the cedar hedge and neighbour's property, which is about 3 car lengths from his driveway. I think my parking troubles are over until two weeks ago the upstairs tenants tell me they saw him peering through the truck windows. Oct 11 my girlfriend tells me she saw neighbour standing by my truck with a pen and paper. Oct 12 a bylaw officer shows up and says they've gotten a couple calls about an abandoned vehicle. The bylaw states a vehicle cannot be left parked on a roadway for more than 72 hours and asks that I move it every other day, "even as little as 1 - 2 feet". I had driven it the day before. Over the next 3 days, once I moved it backwards 6', and once I drove it and parked it in generally the same spot. Today I get a warning ticket on my windshield saying the vehicle needs to be moved today or it violates the 72 hour bylaw. I moved it forwards 5 feet and closer to the curb, but that's really all I can do without going a street over.

This guy obviously has it out for me, but I have the same right to use the street as everyone else and I will not cede my rights.
This is becoming a big nuisance and a cause of stress for my family. Is there a legal way I can stop this guy from bothering us, at least? Can I file a complaint to the city, or something? I have save text messages from my girlfriend and the upstairs tenants about what the guy has done.

**TL;DR**
Neighbour keeps calling the police because he doesn't like where I'm legally parking. He raised his voice at, swore at, and intimidated my girlfriend when I wasn't home and seems to avoid talking to me. A bylaw officer asked me to not park for more than 72 hours without moving my vehicle. I got a warning ticket today that I'm in violation of the 72 hour bylaw, even though I've moved twice in that time, but I'm still generally in the same spot. Parking is horrible here and I don't want to give up this spot that other people seem to leave for me. There has been a 4 month history of him complaining about where I'm parked and it's just getting worse.

Answer:
 Write a note to that neighbor and put it in the window "You need to get a life. Parking is difficult here and I have a legal right to park here"

Put a second note for the parking enforcement (bylaw officer) "I have complied with the law and moved the car. The person living at _____ address is making false claims and harassing me and impeding my right to park"

On that second note, put the date and time you last moved the car (do it every time)

You might go to your local police or neighborhood association and ask for help getting this person to stop bothering you.Answer #2: Get a dashcam just in case he decides to damage your car.


Title: [GA] Clerk told me I didn't have to go to court anymore, now I'm in default

Question:
So I had a tenant in my primary residence who was just month-to-month, and I decided to give her 60 days notice to move out. That day came and went, and she did not leave. I filed a dispossessory with the clerk a couple days later to get her out, and a court date was set. Within a week or so she answered the eviction with a counterclaim the day before she moved out (I had no idea this counterclaim happened before she left since the mail takes a few days).

So I go to the clerk and drop my case (per advice from a lawyer), because she's already moved out; no point in fighting a ghost. I *specifically* ask the clerk if I still need to go to court, and she said no because "the entire case will be dropped", so I did not go to court. But the other person did, and the case was still heard, but since I was not there (per the clerk), a default judgement in her favor was awarded.

At this point I hire the lawyer. He suggests filing a motion for new trial/motion to set aside judgement and I sign an affidavit with it saying why I didn't show up (the clerk said I didn't need to) among other things like the general timeline of these events. He cited several previous cases where the default judgement was set aside and overall I thought it was a rock solid motion.

She files a motion to strike that motion (with 6-7 pages of nothing but insults and lies about me), and consequently my motion was denied, which the lawyer thought was very surprising.

At this point my lawyer is telling me I'm basically screwed. The tenant's original counterclaim was for $1,100 to cover her moving costs of $1000 and $100 of "property damage". But there is no reason for me to pay her anything when I followed the very legal process of having her move out with 60 days notice, and I have never touched any of her belongings. There is nothing wrong with the house and she never complained about any possible damage to her property, I'm guessing it was her movers that maybe damaged something. And by the way, those movers also damaged my walls and my lawn, but I decided not to persue it because I thought it just wasn't worth it. It's like she thinks the eviction itself was wrongful or something, and thinks I should have to pay all her costs. She has never presented any evidence to anybody which substantiates her counterclaim.

So now I owe the lawyer practically as much as I still owe her, and I'm still screwed. He says the only other option is to file a request for a writ of certiorari to the Superior Court, but it would cost a lot more, plus he's never done it, doesn't know anybody that has, and thinks it has a very slim chance of going anywhere since it's basically just "one judge second guessing another."

Reddit, what do?

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 It's possible the clerk didn't realize there was a counter claim when she told you the entire thing would be dropped. Her counter claim is in fact a separate case and you dismissing your claim doesn't mean hers is dismissed.

>  But there is no reason for me to pay her anything when I followed the very legal process of having her move out with 60 days notice, and I have never touched any of her belongings.

And you would have had a chance to make that case, if you had shown up.


Title: [NC] Wife's employer withholding tips because 'client hasn't paid yet'

Question:
My wife works part time at a country club in North Carolina.  She is the event coordinator, and occasionally fills in as a server (waitress) when they are short staffed.

They had a banquet last week, and everything went fine, a normal day at work.  Since she gets paid weekly by check, she anticipated the tips from the banquet were going to be included in her check (she is entitled to a 2% commission on all events held), as they typically are.  However, her commission was not included, and when she asked, the manager told her that the client hasn't paid for the banquet yet and so she would get her commission within 8 weeks after the company who had the banquet paid (the client was a large hospital and their accounting department takes up to 8 weeks process and pay out, supposedly).

My question is, can an employer(the country club) withhold monies from employees for work that has already been performed if the client(hospital) has not yet paid for the banquet?

One night of compensation isnt going to bankrupt us, but there were 15 or so other servers who I know depend on tips to get by, who were also told that it would take up to 8 weeks to get their money.  Thanks in advance.

TL/DR:

-Hospital staff rented country club for event

-Wife is entitled to 2% of total bill (the amount hospital staff paid for food/space)

-Wife's employer said he won't include 2% in her paycheck because hospital hasn't paid the country club yet, and it may take up to 8 weeks

*Edit:  Here is her contract, if anyone's interested  https://i.imgur.com/BRwEKtS.png

**changed 'tips' to 'commission' where applicable, for clarity

Answer:
 I'm inclined to say that they can withhold the tip until it is actually paid.  However I suspect that 8 weeks is too long.  I would guess they have to be paid as part of the paycheck after the payment is received.

This sounds like something where you should just speak with your employer to get it figured out.  They don't want to pay anything in case that person decides not to pay.


Title: [UPDATE] Left a job 2.5 months ago, still calling me asking of I can come in for my shift. (FL)

Question:
[EDIT: This is the original post!](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2mzhm0/left_a_job_25_months_ago_still_calling_me_asking/)

I got a lot of posts asking for an update, so here it is!

I sent a certified letter to the listed registered agent for the company I worked for.  I also sent a copy of the letter to all of the managers in my work location.  In the letter, I included copies of my resignation letters, as well as a phone log for the calls I got from them.  I asked that they stop calling me, that I was no longer an employee, and said I would be speaking to an attorney and department of labor if the calls continued.

Last week I got a phone call from their legal department.  What had happened was that I had interviewed under my maiden name, but got married before my official hire date.  My onboarding person screwed up my paperwork, so there was a "ghost employee" with all my correct information, just the wrong last name.

I asked if the other me had been separated from the company.  He said the process was in place to make that happen.

I haven't heard anything since, but do plan to follow through if the calls (somehow) start up again.  Thanks for the advice, /r/legaladvice!

Answer: The real question is where the paychecks for the ghost employee were going.  Answer #2: It's pretty ridiculous their system allowed for a ghost employee like that. Glad you got everything sorted out!


Title: Think I found Child Porn on Reddit By Accident

Question: I was browsing subreddits today looking for Adult porn. I came across a subreddit called virginlove. I went to the subreddit because I was looking for porn but not child porn 18 and up. I thought it was for adult porn. I clicked on a link called brother and sister play doctor. And it took me to a site where a picture of a child appeared. i backed out immediately. I made a mistake by acedetaly going back to the site my mouse has a web page back button on it and i hit it by mistake. I did not mean to go back i was shaking becausei was disturbed. I was on the site for maybe 30 seconds total. I am not sure if it was child porn. Can i get in trouble for this. How do i report this to Reddit so they can look in to it and get it off the site. What should I do? Located In MN United States

Answer: I'll take reasons you don't click on a link to "rapefilms.net" for $400, Alex.Answer #2: Report it to Reddit and stop looking at crappy/questionable porn in a "virginlove" subreddit, "acedetaly" or not.


Title: [HELP] At fault for a car accident, getting sued but cannot afford it

Question:
Hi everyone.  About 6 months ago I got into a car accident that was my fault and went through all the trouble of speaking to insurance and everything else.  I heard nothing from both my insurance and theirs until recently their insurance asked me to pay 18,000 dollars to cover what they paid their insured. I asked my insurance about it and they said that I wouldn’t need to pay and they would resolve it. But today I got a knocked on my door and am being served for the accident. I just graduated college so I won’t be able to pay.
I am not sure what my options are here. Should I talk to my insurance or should I get a lawyer? Should I file bankruptcy? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you.

Answer: You go back to your insurance company and tell them you have now been served. It’s their job to deal with this.


Title: Husband lost his arm in car accident last year, I feel like our lawyer ripped us off. (MS)

Question:
The wreck happened on July 23, 2014. My husband, son, and I were all involved. We were going down the highway with the cruise set at 65 when a Ford F250 comes across the highway and hits the driver's side of our car (2011 Scion tC). My husband (27) had to be cut out of the car and flown to the hospital where he stayed for a week. My son (1 1/2) had minor scratches, and I (24) had minor injuries. The wreck was proven to be other person's fault. The other person was not under the influence, he "just didn't see us".

When we first contacted our lawyer she promised us $300,000+ because it turns out the man who hit us owns a farm. She even said we would end up owning the farm. As time went on the number kept going up, she had us believing we would be getting a million dollars, then in February 2015 she told us to come in she had bad news. She said the farm was a LLC and the man was underinsured for his equipment.

 State Farm ( the man's insurance company) ended up only giving us $50,000 and the man took a $30,000 loan "out of the kindness of his heart" for a grand total of $80,000, minus the 33 1/3% for the lawyer, we ended up with next to nothing.

My husband cannot get a prosthetic because there is not enough tissue left. We are having to file bankruptcy (which our lawyer said she would do) because we cannot afford the doctor bills. My husband has been denied disability 3 times, but the same lawyer said she will "help" us with that as well.

I feel like we really messed up with this lawyer. Is there ANYTHING we can still do, or is it too late?

Answer:
 If you agreed to a settlement, there is likely nothing you can do.

Lawyers can't make assets and insurance coverage appear from nowhere.  If they don't exist, they don't, and there is not much the lawyer can do.

I'm not seeing what you think the lawyer did wrong here.  I sincerely doubt she "promised" you anything because no sane lawyer would do that, and I'm sure you don't have that in writing.


Title: Wife is getting trash talked on a closed Facebook group

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Nothing, opinions are not illegal.


Title: Is my mother verbally abusing me?

Question:
My mother calls me names, yells at me, and always puts me down. I just turned 18 and I'm male. I'm growing out my hair and she calls me a sissy and weird for it. She has called me retarded several times before and I don't even have any mental or physical disorder. She expects me to pay for everything for myself but I'm still in highschool and because of it I'm too busy to have a job even though I want one and been trying to figure out how to juggle it all. Is there anything I can do? I don't think she deserves jail but I feel like since I'm 18 now there isn't anything that anyone can do for me. She blames things on me that aren't even my fault and also forgets things and later blames me or my brother for them. I'm trying to get into a college so I can get away when I graduate but is there anything I can do before that happens?
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Yes... shes verbally abusing you. You're not a sissy for growing out your hair, either. Get financial aid and get into a good school.


Title: City Sewer Project is going to claim many of my mature hardwood trees

Question:
Is there a reference I can use for negotiating compensation for mature hardwoods before they are acquired through eminent domain?

I have many red oak, white oak, cedar, and others I will be losing to land acquisitions due to the new city sewer project.

Thank you all in advance

Answer: This is very state dependent, but you can get a certified arborist to give you an idea. Some states value by tree size, others by chip value, others still allow replacement value as far as such can be found, etc.


Title: Drug testing

Question:
I live and work in mass. Long story short, I side swiped a parked cars bumper in the company's work van (not my company, just an employee). Per their rules, I had to get drug and alcohol tested after the accident. Our approved testing site is over an hour drive away from the location of the accident (this is important for later). So I called my manager, let him know of the situation, and he refused to drive there and back to get a drug test (it is mandatory he go with me). I found a location in the next town over that would do the test. It was a hospital, and I had to go to the emergency room.

Weeks have passed since, and I get a letter in the mail from my insurance company, refusing to cover the hospital bill. Their reasoning is that it was out of coverage area. So I bring the letter to my H.R. director and she tells me not to worry, when the bill comes in, just give it to her and it will be taken care of.

The bill from the hospital arrived Friday last week. To the tune of $807. I brought the bill in to work today and took it to H.R. this afternoon. She then informed me that the operations manager, her boss, told her that they would not foot the bill. Even after she argued with him that it was not my decision to go there, he said "make them split the bill" (my manager and I). H.R. said she would pressure the operations manager again and let me know how it turns out.

So, I have a few questions. What are my options here? If it does not get paid, it's under my name and will negatively affect my credit. My thought is to just use my company credit card to pay the bill if they refuse. But, could that bring me any legal repercussions? I know that I would lose my job if I did that, but I refuse to get arrested over this. My clean record is not worth $800.

Any advice would be appreciated, even if it is brutally honest. Thank you for reading this.

Answer: If the company approved the location change before hand they should pay. If not company has a place they tell you to use for the test and then you go somewhere else because its easier for you/manager. Its similar to if you got an upgrade to first class for a business flight and expected the business to foot the bill for your convenience. My advice would be to try and argue down the price with the hospital as they often overcharge on purpose hoping for an insurance company or business to pay. Also get on the manager that didnt want to drive or complain that you just did what he said and it goes from you spending 800 dollars of the companies money to him spending 800 dollars. If its framed like that then the company should be on the hook because your supervisor ordered you somewhere else.


Title: Broken ankle due to no lighting behind apartment. What to do? [ Virginia, US ]

Question:
I recently missed a step while leaving out the rear of my apartment building, breaking my ankle in the process.

The thing is, the area behind the building has no lighting at all unless tenants decide to turn on their porch lights. There are four apartments per building, two on each floor. My next door neighbor and I both had our porch lights on (it's a shared, large balcony). There's a set of concrete steps that leads down to the ground adjacent to the patio of the lower apartments. Neither one had a light on.

So, in the pitch darkness, I misjudged a step (I thought I was all the way down the steps) and ended up falling quite hard, fracturing my ankle. I'm now on crutches and can barely get in and out of my apartment... and definitely won't be able to get to my part time job (I'm a grad student).

I've looked at my lease, and there's no mention of injury liability in common spaces, nor is there an arbitration clause. There is, however, a line item that mentions a "handbook of procedures" or something like that... I never initialed that line item on the lease because a copy was never provided to me. I'm somewhat concerned that may be problematic.

The last time I was seriously hurt, my insurance company asked if anyone was at fault. I have a feeling that in this case the answer may be "yes?"

Do I have any kind of leg to stand on to make a claim against my landlord because there isn't *any* lighting behind the building?

How should I proceed? Thanks in advance for the help.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 You knew it was dark out and you chose not to bring a flashlight or turn on a light. This sounds like your fault, not anyone else's. There are entire cities that don't have functioning streetlights, you don't see those governments being sued for people falling in the dark. Answer #2: First off, sorry this happened to you.  I broke my ankle years ago, and it was not a fun road to recovery.  It took a long time before I could run again, and I still get aches when the weather changes.

Looks like VA is a pure contributory jurisdiction.  This means if your own negligence contributed in any way to this incident, this will bar your recovery against your landlord.  In this case, you were injured because it was dark and you missed what sounds like an ordinary stair step.  Walking around in absolute darkness may itself be negligent (not to mention you were walking down the stairs) and it definitely contributed to this incident.  So, you may be out of luck.

You can discuss the issue with a personal injury attorney or with your landlord's liability insurer, but from the facts you've presented, you may not have much success.


Title: [CA] Can Direct-TV charge me for my in laws unpaid bill since I had paid their bill for them in the past?

Question: I once did my in-laws a favor and paid for their direct tv bill for a couple months using my debit card, but they decided to switch to Fios because the satellite kept having problems. My brother-in-law was supposed to pay for the termination fees and send the equipment back but he decided not to for whatever reason. Apparently, he got a call from direct tv saying that the bill needs to be paid by the 12th of this month, or they will take the money from any card they've had on file before. Can they take money from my bank account? I removed my card from the payment options after I wasn't paying their bill anymore but can they still use it? What should I do? Thank you

Answer:
 You don't have a *legal* agreement to pay anything to Direct-TV.  That said, if they do end up charging your card it's probably going to be a hassle to get cleared up.  Your best bet is probably to call your bank and either get DirectTV blocked from taking any money out, or simply get your card changed.Answer #2: This process is in the DirecTV customer agreement. You likely "agreed" to these terms specifically when you paid - I don't have DirecTV but many utility payment websites have a checkbox so that you "agree" to these terms every time. Otherwise, it's arguable that your brother-in-law accepted the terms on your behalf.

This puts you in an odd situation where DirecTV has the legal right to charge your card, but does not have the legal right to charge you, personally.

You have a clear escape here by cancelling your card before they charge it. As you did not agree to take on liability for any debts, there should be no more legal complications. Other than logistical issues - providing a new card for anything you have linked to the old card, including your own DirecTV account - you should be fine.

If you attempt a chargeback, you might or might not be successful.


Title: My wife had her ring stolen?

Question: This is near Charlotte North Carolina, where of the following events took place. My wife left her wedding ring in the gym where she works out. There was an email sent to the staff saying that they found a ring. It was placed in the cash drawer, and some of the staff saw it verifying that it was there. When my wife went there looking for the ring it had been removed from the cash drawer. Should we contact the police?

Answer: Yes. Absolutely.


Title: Salary reduced after an "error" on contract ?

Question:
Hey so my friend just got a mail saying that her brut salary will be reduced from 1044 ("wrong" salary) to 833 (actual salary of someone with her statut, an apprentice). But the contract is already signed, so is her employer allowed to do this ?

We're from France btw

Answer:
 I'm not sure about France, but at least in some other EU states the law stipulates the **lowest** salary that is given an apprentice. The company chose otherwise and signed her on at a higher rate. The contract is valid and legal, they need to honour it.Answer #2: C'est un cas un peu particulier, le salaire minimum en apprentissage dépend de différents facteurs : âge, domaine, année d'études. Mais l'apprenti a un statut de salarié et comme tout le monde il peut négocier plus. À titre d'exemple dans ma promo ça allait de 1400 (minimum) à 1800€ nets/mois (+avantages divers : transport, tickets resto, etc.) en 5ème année post-bac.

Un contrat de travail est un contrat, si les deux parties ont convenu d'un salaire alors c'est ce salaire là qui doit être payé. En revanche si l'apprentissage se fait sur plusieurs années l'entreprise peut ne pas augmenter ton ami tant que son salaire est supérieur au minimum légal sauf si les dispositions du contrat les y obligent.

Si l'entreprise refuse de payer ton camarade ce salaire là elle peut soit proposer une rupture conventionnelle avec les indemnités qui vont avec, soit s'il y a une période d'essai ne pas continuer, soit aller aux prud'hommes pour faire casser le contrat si ils peuvent réellement prouver que c'est une erreur et pas simplement que l'étudiant a négocié ça.

Ton camarade peut parfaitement exiger d'être payé ce qui est inscrit dans le contrat. Il est possible que cela dégrade fortement ses relations avec l'entreprise et elle peut très bien lui faire rater son année en donnant un avis négatif sur ses performances. À lui de voir si il souhaite continuer avec l'entreprise ou non.


Title: [San Francisco, CA] Would like to add my son as a co-owner to my house and create a proper will to prevent my spouse from kicking my son out.

Question:
Before the question is asked, I have always owned the house and remarried after purchasing the property, so my current husband doesn't have his name on the documents.

After a string of deaths in our family, I have begun thinking of my mortality and would like to begin preparing to leave my house/assets to my son since I'm afraid my husband will kick my son and his wife out of the house. He's a good person, but I know my son and he sometimes don't get along and I have a feeling that without my presence their relationship will deteriorate.

After doing some reading, it seems like it's better to make these changes now since wills can always be contested. I've been reading on different options I have and, from what I understand, there can either be a change in ownership (from me to my son) or my son and I can be "joint-tenants" of the house. On top of being unsure of which path is correct, I am reading that the property could be reassessed if documents aren't completed property OR submitted on-time. This can cause a problem since property taxes now compared to twenty years ago are radically different, especially since real estate in San Francisco is at a premium. If the property is reassessed, I know my son would not be able to afford it. The good thing is that according to Proposition 58 (http://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/faqs/propositions58.htm#1), our situation is excluded from reassessment since the transfer would occur between parent and child ONLY IF everything is done properly and on time.

In addition, I would also like to create a will to "cover my bases". With this in mind, I have the following questions:

- Is transferring ownership the best course of action to guarantee that my son is the sole owner of the house after I die? I don't want there to be any room for any legal contention.
- What steps do I have to take in order for the property taxes on the house remain the same as they are currently?
- Are there any documents I need to fill out and how long do I have to complete everything?
- Can I have a will signed and documented by a notary? Or does it have to be through a lawer?
- Does having a final will help the situation?

To summarize: I want to take the proper steps to ensure my son inherits the property, without any reassessment or there being a risk my husband can argue the arrangement.

Thank you for your time.

Answer: There are still community property implications here, so you absolutely need a lawyer for this.


Title: Would landlord be liable for this damage or is it entirely on me?

Question:
I am currently leasing a commercial space in a small section of a larger warehouse for my business.  It has come to my attention as of a few days ago that the insulation in my ceiling is taking on water.

Upon noticing the damage, I immediately notified the landlord and they sent a roofing contractor over to assess the damage.  I showed the contractor the damage inside and he went on the metal roof to search for leaks.

He didn’t find any leaks whatsoever in the roof and he helped me drain roughly 20 gallons of water out of the insulation inside my unit.  He emailed both me and the landlord afterward stating that there is no vent in the roof on my side of the building for the condensation to escape and that would be his plan to fix it.

He told me privately that all of the insulation will need to be replaced immediately as it is useless when wet and may also harbor mold if left unattended.

I have asked landlord to speak with me so we can manage a plan to remedy this situation and will be speaking with him early this week.  He has emailed me since to state that he doesn’t feel as though he is responsible and that I need to check with my insurance to see if I am covered in the event that any further damage comes to his building as a result of this water damage.

I don’t believe that this damage was a result of my business operations or anything I have done and it appears that it was a lack of structural planning as to why this damage has been caused, as stated in the email from the contractor recommending adding a ridge vent to allow condensation to escape.

I plan on getting another opinion from an insulation related contractor as I want to take the necessary steps to fix this damage.  I don’t plan on moving out as it would be more costly and damaging to my business to do so.  But, as a tenant, I don’t feel as though I should be responsible for the related costs to fix this damage.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my situation.  My question is should I speak with a lawyer or any other type of professional for assistance with this matter?  Or should I suck it up and pay to fix the damage caused and move forward with my business?  Any and all advice is appreciated.  Thank you

Edit;  btw this is a commercial lease in Maine.  I attempted to edit this into the title but having a difficult time on mobile.

Answer: A lot depends on the terms of your lease agreement and the law of your state governing landlord-tenant obligations. It's advisable to seek legal advice from a lawyer.


Title: [Oregon] Question about GPS tracking on phone

Question: I am a minor (17) and had a quick question. I live with my parents and after some situations I got into, they started to track my phone a few months ago with an iPhone app. Once I turn 18, or go to college, move out of the house etc. are they legally still allowed to do this?

Answer: Who owns the phone and pays the bill? Regardless, when you turn 18 and move out, get your own plan and phone. Problem solved.


Title: What sort of options does my best friend have?

Question:
To make a very long story short, my best friend, who is 29 years old in Tennessee, is in a very bad position. He has no job, no car, no driver's license and no money. He is in this position because he never took my advice about getting it together. At his point, he lives with his mom and there is no way they can keep paying for their house. Thus, he called me today and indirectly suggested he wanted to live with me. Not going to happen. He's in the position he is in because his mom has enabled him. It rips my insides apart to tell him no, but he will never get better unless he has to try to improve his situation.

Now, onto the meat of the issue. He has pretty bad health problems that cause him a lot of pain, so I suggested he go try for disability. Problem is, it takes ages to get that in motion. What are some other sorts of options he might have while getting disability? Is it possible for a lawyer to get him into public housing while this whole process is going on? Any other options for him while working through this legal process so he doesn't wind up on the streets? I also suggested he go back to school and get university housing or to just grit his teeth and work while this process is going on...we'll see.

Ugh, he should be digging for information on how to solve his problem instead of me, but I guess I do care a lot.

Answer:
 He and his mom need to reach out to social services.

His mom may be in a better position for help than he is. I am unclear what his issue is but he can some help/guideance too.

This is really vague but I will give you some advice, OP. Don't get emotionally pulled into this. There is a time for someone to stand up and take some responsibility for their circumstance... and at 29? That's beyond that point. Don't try to rescue that family. Share resources but don't be the one that becomes the "fixer" for the crisis. There will always be a crisis until they get the family dynamic fixed.

It will be hard to give links and resources.... and not save them... but at some point they need to stand up and self advocate. There are web links you can give them. There are social services available. Don't do the work for them

Good luck and be very careful. Don't hire a lawyer for them They don't need one. They need to follow directions and fill out forms.


Title: (NJ) Extrememly minor parking lot love tap, got a careless driving ticket.

Question:
Hey all, a week ago, I planned to head to the Freehold Raceway mall to go birthday shopping for my girlfriend. The main parking area is usually crowded, and being a cautious driver, I opted to park at a farther location. I saw a spot in between a sedan and an SUV. The SUV was parked a little far to the left so it was a little tight. I was borrowing my brothers car, which is an 03 Buick Le'Sabre. The car is longer than most.

Anyways, I head into the spot, foot on the brake and was going less than a mph, to be safe. I saw my headlight reflecting on the SUV but I assumed I had the room. I ended up love tapping her car. I immediately reversed, parked and got out of the car. The woman was parked in her SUV on the phone.

She gets out and repeatedly says "are you kidding me". I said sorry many times and said it was an accident. I take all responsibility. I had paint transfer on my car, and so did she. She had no denting and neither did I. Eventually she calms down but says she has to call the police. I've never been in any accident before so I just said sure.

Cop comes, and takes my usual stuff. I have no points and a clean record. I just thought the cop was there to write the report and we'd be on our ways, and let the insurance companies sort it out. He comes back and gives back the stuff, but tells me he has to write me a careless driving ticket. I was shocked. He told me he had to because something with his supervisor potentially asking about if he wrote a ticket(?)

I don't think I was being careless, in fact I was being really safe. My uncle who is a retired cop told me to fight the ticket, and he'll come with me as well. The careless driving is an 86 dollar fine, and 2 points. I definitely don't want points as that affects my insurance. I am a good, smart kid (never been in trouble), but have been down on my luck lately.

So /r/legaladvice, what do you think? What are the chances of getting it reduced or potentially thrown out?

TL;DR: Love tapped SUV in parking lot going 1 mph, foot on brake. Cops called. Got careless driving.

Answer:
 >I don't think I was being careless

You ran into a stationary object in a parking lot, and hit it hard enough to transfer paint. Yeah, I would say careless applies here.

>What are the chances of getting it reduced or potentially thrown out?

Anywhere between 0% and 100%. Depends greatly on the policies and mood of the DA handling the case. You can increase those chances by hiring a traffic attorney to handle the case for you.Answer #2: > I don't think I was being careless

You were, by definition.  You did not drive with enough care and caution, hence your accident.


Title: Evicted and now ex roommate won't give back my cat

Question:
Last July me my ex roommate who also happened to be the landlord had an argument and then falling out that ended in him evicting me while I was on a vacation in Amsterdam. I didn't fight it and asked him to just leave my car keys and stuff outside so I could pick it up. When I arrived he held all my stuff in the garage and called a police officer before I was permitted to take whatever I could fit in my car, which wasn't much.

My living situation didn't allow me to take my cat with me but other roommates in the house insisted that the cat was safe and would be taken care of until I was ready to pick him up.

Now, in October, I have a new place and I'm trying to arrange with another ex roommate to pick up the cat and now I'm being told that the landlord thinks that I wouldn't be able to take care of the cat and is refusing to give him up to me.

Is there anything I can do? Did I officially"release" my cat when I left without him? Me and the landlord are not on speaking terms but me and one other ex roommate are.

Answer:
 Just tell the ex roommate you're in contact with to please give you your cat (on the sly, if needed), and make this alot less complicated than it needs to be. They wouldn't be doing anything criminal, because your ex landlord doesn't own the cat. You do.

There was an agreement that they voluntarily chose to take care of the cat until you had a place that was appropriate for that. You do now, so the cat should be returned.

There might be an argument to be made for abandonment if a long period of time were to pass, but 3 months is not sufficient for that. Even if it were, you've proven they have a way to contact you. If they were under the assumption that the cat was being abandoned, they could have called you to find other arrangements.

Edit: This is all assuming that there were no signs of abuse with the cat. Even mental ones. They could probably pull a fast one if a usually aggressive or dirty cat was calmer or better taken care of under their presence.


Title: [MI] have a stalker, would appreciate advice re: obtaining a PPO

Question:
I [21f] have known this person [24m] since I was sixteen. Dealing with him has always been stressful and when I decided to cut him off completely at age 18 (the friendship was on and off even before that) he has been stalking me – at one point he was sending hundreds of messages a day, calling me up to 50 times in one day (I have his number blocked but can still see when he called // he can still leave voicemails) and sending letters by mail. At one point he showed up at my home unannounced and left a package in my backyard.

I have called the police to deal with him before (once when he threatened to come to my fathers house and refused to leave until I talked to him and once when my therapist called in a wellness check on him after he threatened to kill himself if I didn’t talk to him – he was taken into inpatient for eight days) but they say that they can’t do much unless I have a personal protection order against this person.

After researching PPOs in Michigan, I’d really appreciate some advice on how to get into this or what the process is like, if anyone has any information. I have emails saved going back years and possibly a voicemail or two that might help with evidence. I have some deeply disturbing photos he sent me of a drawing I did that he carved into his leg. My only concern about getting the PPO is that he has never threatened to hurt me, only himself. I’m still terrified of him. What can I do in this situation?

Answer:
 > After researching PPOs in Michigan, I’d really appreciate some advice on how to get into this or what the process is like

Call the local Circuit Court. They help people get PPOs on their own as a matter of routine. They will also tell you how to navigate local rules and procedures and schedules, which you can't learn on Reddit.Answer #2: You would be applying for a Non-Domestic (Stalking) PPO. If you have two documented incidents of stalking (everything from multiple unwarranted calls texts/in person incidents) it will qualify you for a PPO. Doesn't matter just that he's hurting himself.

https://michiganlegalhelp.org/self-help-tools/personal-safety/overview-personal-protection-orders