Title: Old job won't give me my W-2, is being decidedly unhelpful, not sure what to do now. BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO

Question:
I worked at a restaurant this last fall/into December. I left on good terms. Come January, i stop by, looking for my w2. Managing partner tells me it's in the office, and he'll go get it. He wanders off, i don't see him again. A few weeks later, i stop back in, ask, and he tells me he'll get it for me. To be fair, this time i happened to wander off before he could.

Flash forward to the beginning of February. I stop in one more time, to check the status, and the managing partner tells me it's in the mail.

I have yet to receive my w2, well past the deadline. I had moved around the time i started at the restaurant, so i have been frequently checking in with my parents, on the off chance it made it to their house. Nothing. I even double checked the office at my apartment building, to make sure it hadn't ended up there, due to a mail blunder or something. I checked in with the manager yesterday, via text, and he told me that he didn't really know what to say, and that he didn't want to leave his house on his only day off to deal with it.

I ended up drafting a short email note to the M.P, and the other two owners, asking about the status of my w2, and why it was that i was the only former or current employee who seemed to not have it (so far, everyone else i checked with got theirs no problem whatsoever).

Ended up speaking with one of the other owners in person, who assured me that this could all be cleared up, easily, if the managing partner would just call the payroll company (which he also assured me could be done from the safety and comfort of M.P's couch, so I'm not sure why it seems to be such a big deal).

I'm just kind of at a loss for what to do now. I'm really looking for any kind of help or advice. I kind of feel like I'm being given the runaround, and i don't for the life of me know why. ANY help is greatly appreciated right now, as i can't do my taxes without that form, and as a line cook, i could really use that money. I guess in the future i need to be more on top of these things, but until this, i considered M.P to be a friend (we knew each other previously outside of this job, and were always on good terms, hence me not being quite as on top of this as i probably should have been), and i just don't know what to do about things now.

Sorry for rambling. Am heading to work, but will try and answer questions best i can. Worst case scenario, I'll be back around 4.

Answer:
 Contact the IRS.
https://www.irs.gov/uac/Here-is-What-to-do-If-You-Are-Missing-a-W-2Answer #2: To elaborate on what the other answerers have said: if you file a complaint with the IRS, they will contact your employer. In most cases, a call from the IRS is enough to quickly have your W-2 issued. If they still don't, you will receive permission from the IRS to use Form 4852 instead--use your paystub or bank records to determine your wages and withholding on Form 1040 (including 1040A, 1040-EZ, 1040NR and 1040NR-EZ), and describe how you arrive at these figures on Form 4852.Answer #3: IANAL but my husband and I had a very similar situation last year. My husbands previous employer refused to give him the W-2.

Finally, we asked the person who does our taxes for us what our options were. He told us we could file without it and do and file amended taxes this year OR he could call and see if he could get it for us.

He made sure to tell us he had no actual authority, just that sometimes hearing "Hello, I'm taxguy from tax services. Its come to our attention ex employee has not received his w-2 yet" might get the ball rolling. We gave him the contact info and it was in the mail to us the next day.

Just something that happened with us, YMMV.Answer #4: The IRS has FAQ.  Especially see instruction # 2 [here](https://www.irs.gov/uac/Missing-Form-W2-IRS-Can-Help)

edited for the 2016 directions


Title: [Nevada] A local nightclub charged me as a male a cover fee but let women in free. Can I sue for gender discrimination?

Question: I had to pay $45 in Clark County, Nevada. I did some research and found out the name of the guy who owns the club. What should I do next? Would this be a personal injury attorney I call?

Answer:
 You're totally out of luck

NV Rev Stat § 651.065 (2015)

1. Notwithstanding any provision of NRS 651.050 to 651.110, inclusive, it is not unlawful and is not a ground for a civil action for any place of public accommodation to offer differential pricing, discounted pricing or special offers based on sex to promote or market the place of public accommodation.


Title: Charged(?) with drug paraphernalia, 17 and live in Ohio

Question: So I got into a pinch the other day. I was on the way to my girlfriends house around 11:45 when I was pulled over for "multiple lane violations", police officer came to the window and asked to see license and registration, I opened the glove box and there was an empty sandwhich bag (which at some point contained pot) officer asked me to hand it to him, I did then he used that as grounds for probable cause to search the vehicle. Long story short, I had a bong, a hand pipe (dirty and resiney), a hand pipe(clean, 'tobacco' pipe), a grinder, stems, air cleaner, tobacco, and papers which were confiscated and I was released to my mother. The most messed up thing is that I have seen the arresting officer at parties taking bong rips and gloating that he's a cop. Regardless, is there anything that I should do to minimize the future impact? Im about 6 months from being 18 l, have a job, good grades, and high aspirations for attending college.

Answer:
 You have two separate issues here.

1.) Your criminal charges.  Get a lawyer and listen to his or her advice.

2.) The officer's conduct.  File a complaint with the department.  This will have no outcome on your charges, but if the officer is using illegal drugs, his department should be aware of that so they can take appropriate action.


Title: My mother, who was on hospice, was dying and my father brought her to the hospital and lied to the staff about her last wishes. Can charges be brought against him?

Question:
This is all very raw so I apologize if I miss anything or come across harsh. I’ll come back a little later today to answer any questions or clear up any confusion as best I can.

My mother died last night. She had been on hospice for about 2 months now so this was not completely unexpected, but for those past two months she had been fairly stable and her decline up until now had been very gradual. My siblings and I were all expecting her to go in the near future, but my father has been in denial since the beginning.

My mother had advanced esophageal cancer and was told that chemotherapy would actually shorten her life at her age to the toll it takes on the body. Makes sense to me. When she was first diagnosed a couple years ago, she made my older brother the healthcare proxy. She knew my father would not be able to handle the situation appropriately. She had a DNR, a DNI, and probably some other forms signed and on record with the hospital that her PCP works out of.

My father had been told time and time again that she didn’t want to suffer, and that her last wishes were to die in her house peacefully and comfortably, surrounded by family if possible. My father never intended to allow that to happen.

When she first went into crisis, he immediately called 911. The ambulance came and he instructed the EMTs to bring her to a different hospital. I didn’t even know you could do that but they listened. While there, he lied to the nurses. They asked all the usual questions like did she have an advance directive, is she on hospice, etc. He denied all of it. The nurse told me he was “pleading with them to ‘save her’ repeatedly”. I’m not completely sure I understand what this next part means but the charge nurse told me that my mother was “revived” twice but they could not get her to wake up. She died on a ventilator, unconscious, after going through several rounds of CPR and other methods of attempting to prevent her from dying.

None of my siblings were contacted until she had already been dead for an hour. My father is not incompetent nor does he have any lack of mental faculties. He willfully disregarded my mother’s last wishes, both written and verbal, and intentionally brought her to a new hospital where she would be considered a new patient because he knew if she were brought to the usual hospital they would call my brother and he would confirm that she didn’t want this.

Instead of dying peacefully, comfortably, in her home with her family around, my mother died in a hospital bed after being taking off the machines that were artificially keeping her alive. She was “brought back” twice but still died, and none of her children were in the building. My father made her medical decisions on her final day of life and deliberately ignored the fact that she had legally entrusted someone else with that responsibility. Is this something he could be charged with?

Answer:
 You have the grounds for a civil suit. But you really need to process your grief and think calmly: the issue, sadly, is moot. All you have left is your father, who was desperately trying to save his life. It was selfish, but understandable. You are going to make things so much worse for him, and importantly, yourself. Think hard and long on this before you do anything regrettable. Answer #2: You really need to take some time to process this when you're not grieving over the loss of your mother. Do you really want to permanently destroy the relationship with your only remaining parent over the fact that he didn't want to let go of the woman he loved? Answer #3: There could be grounds for a civil suit. It would be a long and possibly expensive road to pursue this though. As for criminal charges, only prosecutors can bring charges, and a DA may not be willing to pursue this case, due to all the circumstances. Answer #4: Without knowing your location this is extremely hard to answer specifically.

There is almost certainly no criminal liability here.

It is possible, though imo unlikely, that you have a cause for civil action.

It's important to remember that advance directives and proxy designations are not contracts or instruments of law like court orders.    They exist to provide clear, standard, documented instructions to health care providers caring for an incapacitated person.

Your father's actions are monumentally selfish and cruel, but not criminal.


Title: Bogus speeding ticket in PA. Do I have a case?

Question:
I got pulled over and cited for doing 73 (very reasonable speed) on a 55 highway. First off, it was almost midnight and I was the only car on the road so my reasonable speed was not a hazard to anyone or even myself. I was clocked using a stopwatch and the officer misprinted info; he entered 0.47 miles instead of 0.047 miles in the "miles timed" section and it took me 2.31 seconds to cover that distance. My biggest problem was that he used a stopwatch AT NIGHT to clock me.
1. How could he possibly have seen any painted lines on the road when it was pitch black except for my headlights?
2. The judge can correct the misprint in court, right?
3. Can I possibly get off because 0.047 miles or 2.31 seconds isn't long enough to guarantee no errors in the calculated speed?

Answer:
 Going 20 over isn't reasonable. Also, headlights illuminate lines on the road; would you know how to stay in your lane otherwise? That same reasoning shows how he was able to see them too. Sorry.

Enjoy your fine. Go try to get it lowered at best. Answer #2: > 73 (very reasonable speed) on a 55 highway

I would say this is perse unreasonable and reckless.

> First off, it was almost midnight

Oh goody so there was limited visibility due to darkness.

> How could he possibly have seen any painted lines on the road when it was pitch black except for my headlights?

Same way you could clearly see there were no other cars I guess.

Do the math but doesn't seem like you are contesting that you violated the law only degree. I would review to see if and to what degree, does the degree of your violation matter. Answer #3: Nothing about that is bogus.

Slow down. Pay your fine. Expect zero change in your case from a typo on the ticket. Answer #4: Did you tell the officer that you were going 73 and that was a reasonable speed? Because if you did, you have no case whatsoever.


Title: What happens to a persons debt if he commits suicide?

Question: [removed]

Answer: Please talk to someone. Debt is **never** a reason to end your life and your family is not safe from it just because you choose to take your own life. Bankruptcy will hurt your family a LOT less than the loss of their father/husband.


Title: I got a speeding ticket and my birthday is listed wrong. What does that mean?

Question:
I live in Douglas County, CO and was written a speeding ticket by the Douglas County Sheriff's Dept.  My birthdate is listed at the correct month and year but the day is 5 days off.

I called into the department and they gave me the officer's phone number to call, leave a message and figure out what to do from there.

Can someone explain if this voids the ticket or if it is still valid?  I'm hoping for a loophole but if not I just don't want to have anything wrong or disconnected on my history anywhere either...

Thanks

Answer: Clerical errors do not get tickets dismissed


Title: complicated situation while traveling abroad in China

Question:
Hi there, I'm trying to guide my friend in the right direction because she recently got tricked big time while traveling in China.

My friend went on a 10 day travel in China through a travel agency program in San Francisco. The program has specific destinations and what not so she was not able to freely travel during the entire trip.

One of the destinations was a gift shop in China that the tour guide brought her and the rest of the people to. The gift shop was professional looking and the store owner told all the people on the tour that everything in the shop was really expensive and not for sale. To make a long story short, he talked up the value of the jewelry in the shop and agreed to sell a lot of jewelry to everyone on the tour through some crazy reverse psychology. Many people on the tour used a credit card to pay.

After traveling to the next destination, everyone found out that the jewelry they had bought was fake or inferior in quality after more careful inspection. My friend lost $5000 as a result of this.

My friend felt that the gift shop was reputable since the tour guide brought them there. Many people on the tour felt the same way and everyone was extremely upset from losing so much money from being deceived.

Now, my question is, at this point in time, is there anything we can do to get some money back? We somewhat feel the travel agency is partly at fault for bringing everyone to shady place like this. Everyone on the tour had the preassumption that a destination in the travel program would be a reputable place. What do you guys think?

tl;dr any way to sue travel program for bringing people to a shady place overseas?

Answer:
 Not only do you not have a claim against the travel agency (wtf?) but there's not even a claim against the jewelry store.

Your friend paid $5k for some jewelry and now regrets it... Is that the gist of the argument? Give me a break.

>A fool and his money are soon parted


Title: A FRIEND RECEIVED A DUI TONIGHT

Question:
So tonight some friends and I were smoking and enjoying a relaxing night until a few of them grew hungry, one of my friends (we will call him tom) decided to go to mcdonalds which is right down the street. As he drove down the street (literally a quarter of a mile) a police cruiser lit him up and pulled him over to the side.

The officer pulled him over due to an illegal exauhst system, and illegal tail light color. (Fixit tickets)

Tom was asked if he was intoxicated due to the car having an aroma of weed, Tom said he had smoked 3-4 hours before driving (about half a gram of marijuana) the officer pulled him out made him do the basic sobriety tests, and then handcuffed him taking him to the station to be cited and given a blood test.

I picked up tom from the station after this and he was cited with VC23152(f) (m)driving under the influence of alcohol and drug. THIS WAS PLACED AS A MISDEMEANOR NOT AN INFRACTION.

Notes
-tom was not read his rights
-really only smoked 3-4 hours of driving

Questions
-what should tom do right away?
-will his license be suspended?
-major impacts?

This took place in Fullerton California
Tom is 19 years old

Answer: Your buddy needs a lawyer. He's facing criminal charges and he handed the cops evidence he likely was intoxicated while in control of a motor vehicle.


Title: Do company’s have to provide a “Clock in window” or time frame?

Question:
I work for company that doesn’t let you clockin earlier than 3 minutes before the shift starts, if your shift is at 6:00 you can clock between 5:57 and 6:00. Clock in at 6:01 you get an occurrence 3 occurrences you become ineligible for pay raises or job promotions for a year. Only way to ensure you clock in at time is to get here at early than that tight frame without getting paid.

Edit: In the city of Portland where traffic is terrible, there’s no wiggle room at all if I leave 30mins away I have to leave an hour and half early Incase of accident or road work or weather. Typically get here an hour early everyday and just wait.

Answer:
 IANAL but HR.

This is not illegal.

Edit to add:

Make sure you’re on time for work. That’s really the only solution here.

However.

If you find you are unable to clock in timely due to things like long lines at the clock, etc., I would recommend talking to HR about that. Otherwise, this isn’t an issue.


Title: I'm in Texas. My apartment complex "lost" my lease, moves me to month to month contract, and then "found" my lease again at a higher rate.

Question:
(Wall of text, on mobile, and I am unsure on how to format it.)

I was an idiot and did not have copy of the lease. The complex does all their stuff online, sending leases, rent, scheduling maintenance, and the like. I've lived here for 3 years, 2 of the years with a roommate and this past year solo. Before roommate moved out, we signed all the required paperwork to have my name as the primary leasee and I renewed it for another 14 months. Now the manager is claiming roommie never moved out, I never signed a lease renewal, and are trying to charge me 2.5x my normal rent rate for the month at $1552.00 which j certainly cannot pay. I've emailed the actual property owner detailing the problem and told them I'm withholding rent until this problem is resolved. Even my resident login for the apartment website where I pay the rent, I had no access at all. My username and password were not recognized when I typed them in and it prevented me from accessing the lease for the apartment. The manager restored my access, but I had to go through the new account creation, she said they did not even have my email on file. The lease they "found" was the new rate at $900 instead of the $750 I was paying. I've yet to sign the new lease and need to know if I'm just out of luck since I did not have any physical copy of the lease or if there is something I can do to help combat it.

Answer: Ask to see their copy where you agreed to $900.


Title: (Oregon) I need help for my brother...

Question:
If you have time to read all of this great.  Otherwise I'll make a TL:DR version

TL:DR - My brother got involved with a girl who is now squating in his house.  He snapped and pushd her and the cops came and filed a report.  He can't live there otherwise she will call the cops.  She has mental and physical limitations.  He needs to know what his options are.

My brother got involved with a girl (they were dating) let's call her Becky.  She was down on her luck and needed to move out of her apartment.  Becky lost her job and we found out she has PTSD and some other mental issues.  He owns a house in Oregon and had her move in with him.  He originally had another roommate but soon Becky made him evict her so it was just the two of them.

Move forward a few months and they just weren't getting along.  Everything my brother did caused huge outbreaks from her and she eventually started to become violent and breaking things in the house.  One day my brother couldn't handle it anymore when she was breaking plates and screaming at him and he snapped.  He pushed her up against the kitchen cabinet by her neck.  He immediately released her and told her he was sorry that he lost control.  She obviously called the cops and told them her story.  My brother (lets call him Bill) told the cops he did infact push her against the cabinet by her neck but immediately released her.  He told them what she was doing and just lost control for a few seconds.  The cops said they could arrest him right now but they chose not to.  Shortly after that my brother came to live with me and my wife.

Fast forward a year (yup a year) and my brother is still living with me.  He is paying a mortgage on a house that Becky only lives in.  She doesn't work, goes to therapy and has had a few surgeries (not related to the pushing against the cabinet) that have kept her house-ridden.  My brother said he has spent nearly $18,000 on her doctor bills as well as paid the mortgage and all the utilities.  He is running out of money and options.

The "incident" happened in July 2015 and I believe the statute of limitations is 2 years.  My brother at this point just wants to wait out the time limit so he isn't legally bound to this mistake he made.  He has gotten a job offer in another state but we were reading about this thing called "tolling" which would suspend the statues of limitation.  So he doesn't want to go out of state in fear that this would hang over his head forever.  Every time he does something that she doesn't like she threatens him by saying she will just call the cops and file charges against him.  He understands he made a mistake and should be held responsible but now it's just turning into blackmail and free housing.

Can someone give us some advice as far as what to do?  Is he basically screwed until the statues of limitations runs out?  Can he move to another state and not worry about the tolling?  Can she call the cops and report an issue that happened nearly a year and a half ago?

Any help is appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer:
 Why is he paying her medicial bills?

Sure the SOL is two years but no one is filing charges for a year old DV charge. But if he wants to be super duper safe, sure, wait till July. I would just file for eviction.


Title: /r/law told me Reddit wouldn't explain this to me. Non-US person in need of some lay-mens explanation of a few US (AZ) legal terms

Question:
I posted [this](http://www.reddit.com/r/law/comments/27nedt/nonnative_english_speaker_is_confused_about_some/) in /r/law but wasn't met with the enthusiast kindness that I know from other subreddits, trying my luck here! Below to post I made there.

To clarify: I am *not* looking for legal advice on this case (do this, try that). It's just that I am battling both the language barrier and the fact that I don't know a lot about the US legal system.

Long story but bottom line is that I'm trying to track someones case in the US. It's all public info and I won't post names so that should be okay to post here I hope.

There are a lot of abbreviations used and when I google them I only get results about what they stand for, but not what it means in the process. English isn't my native language and although I usually have little trouble understanding things this is too context specific for me I'm afraid (jargon?). I'm from the Netherlands and our justice system is also quite different, which doesn't help when I'm trying to understand things.

I'd be ever so grateful if someone could explain in lay-mens terms what the stuff below means. Especially the 'grand jury hearing' (?) and the vacating of the hearing. Also not sure what the parties are (D2, P1 etc).

So, here is the current situation, as posted on the county website (state of Arizona) in the last few days (date, description, party):

* 6/6/2014 	002 - ME: Hearing Vacated D 2

* 6/6/2014 	CR Admin GJ Review D 2

* 6/5/2014 	Preliminary Hearing D 2

* 6/4/2014 	IND - Indictment P 1

* 6/4/2014 	NSI - Notice of Supervening Indictment D 2

* 6/4/2014 	NSI - Notice of Supervening Indictment P 1

* 6/4/2014 	NOT - Notice P 1

* 6/4/2014 	606 - ME: GJ Not/Supervening Indictment D 2

* 6/4/2014 	IND - Indictment D 2

* 6/4/2014 	NOT - Notice D 2

Many thanks in advance

*(edit: I'm not sure if the 'criminal law' is the best flair to use, feel free to point me towards another one!)*
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 P and D appear to be prosecution and defense.  From the bottom up:

D2 receives a Notice, which could be anything that the court needs to tell them about.

D2 is indicted.  Indicted is when charges are laid against you by a grand jury, which is a jury of your peers.

Grand Jury(GJ) enters a superseding, or second, indictment against the defendant D2.  This is probably the same indictment as above.

P1 is noticed about something

P1 and D2 are noticed about the second indictment

P1 is entered as a party on one of the indictments.

D2's preliminary hearing is cancelled.  I'm guessing on this one, since there's no other reason to have a prelim at this point.

Court does an administrative review of the grand jury - basically just a double check.

Finally, a hearing in the case is vacated.  This is, again, likely the preliminary or something similiar.

**TL;DR**: The defendant received a superseding, or second, indictment and these entries just deal with the motions, hearings and notices surrounding.


Title: "Friend" of mine swiped $700 or more worth of cards and is now trying to sell them on the internet. What can I do?

Question:
(US) Just like in the headline. I was trading at our local card shop last Sunday, was completely secure knowing everyone was there, and got up for a second to watch a game. I gathered up my stuff and left after, but when I got home I realized my main deck was gone- amounting to at least $700 worth of cards, probably more.
The person I was trading with last, who I found out later has a history of stealing, is now trying to trade those same missing cards online. Boy I am stupid.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt and asked him if he had my deckbox by accident and he said no. I asked him if he had those cards that went missing for trade, and long story short he "didn't" earlier in the week (Monday) but messaged me on Thursday having "magically" picked up the cheaper stuff that went missing (during the middle of the week where there are no tournaments?) and he is looking to trade for an expensive card I have. He is also actively trying to sell/trade chunks of the expensive stuff I had quietly on a facebook group. His trade book also went from having three of a card that I had one of go missing to four of that card.

I understand that this is difficult to prove without security footage, but how might I go about getting my cards back in a way that wont get me locked up?

Thank you for your help, Reddit! I am meeting him tomorrow afternoon, so prompt advice is the most helpful.

Answer: Why are you concerned with being charged with a crime?


Title: I am the surviving spouse and administrator of my husband's estate but there are very few assets and much more debt. His mother is claiming the estate to pay for the funeral in probate court. What do I do?

Question:
Sorry about the awkward title, I wasn't sure how to word this. I live in **Ohio**.

My husband passed away suddenly in April. I am his surviving spouse and was made official administrator of his estate in May, as he did not leave a will. Going through his accounts, I found that he left many debts that he was the sole owner on (debts that I wasn't aware of during the marriage - long story). His mother and father arranged the entire funeral proceedings and disposition of remains and I was not made aware of the arrangements and did not sign anything saying that I would pay or be responsible for the funeral. I did not attend the funeral or the interment. It was a very expensive proceeding overall. Now, his parents do not have the money to pay for the funeral and headstone. They have sent a letter to my local probate court saying that they are putting a claim to my dead husband's estate to pay for the funeral, including anything that they already paid.

**My husband's assets and debts:**

* He and I were co-borrowers on a motorcycle. It had a very small loan left on it at the date of his death, which I paid off and now have the title (in his name - but I can change it to mine easily at the DMV with the death cert and marriage cert)
* He had a loan in for a snowmobile and at the date of death it had a loan on it. I've since paid the snowmobile loan off with my own money and since they have no titles (they're like 4 wheelers/ATVs) there isn't anything to change my name to.
* A small amount in a checking account
* Debt comprised of school loans, credit card balances, unpaid utilities, unpaid taxes, and a 401k loan
* Because of his cause of death, there was also biohazard cleanup legally required, which my mother paid

So here is the meat of my question... **how do I figure out the value of his estate and if it's less than the cost of the funeral, how does the 'estate' pay for the funeral??**

Also:

* Do I need to include the motorcycle if I was co-signer/co-borrower on that loan (the financial institution that gave us the loan said they are 'the same thing' to them... is that true?).
* Do I need to include the snowmobile as nobody "OWNS" it because there's no title? I guess it's registered to him - but do I need to include it?
* If yes to either, how do I get a probate-approved appraiser to find the values?
* Can I use trade-in values? The trade-in values according to KBB and confirmed by motorcycle and snowmobile dealers locally won't cover the debts. The retail values may barely cover the debts.
* Does the biohazard cleanup count as something that the estate should pay, since it's directly caused by his death (like a funeral). It was legally mandated, so unlike an extravagant funeral, we had no choice but to handle it ASAP.

Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 I don't know the answers to most of this, but check into the student loans to find out which program they were under. If they were solely in his name, they may be dischargeable without any claim against the estate. See [here](http://www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org/loan-cancellation/disability-and-death/) and [here](https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation) for more info.Answer #2: From [here](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/joint-owners-survivorship-32441.html), it sounds like if your vehicles were jointly owned, they immediately passed to your ownership upon your husband's death.

As for payment of debts, looks like the main applicable law here is [O.R.C 2117.25](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2117.25), which specifies the order in which the estate's debts must be paid. Other than your costs of administration, the top priority is up to $4,000 for funeral expenses plus $3,000 for burial/cemetery expenses.

If there's anything left over after that $7,000, it looks like you, as the surviving spouse, get up to $40,000 for support per [O.R.C. 2106.13](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2106.13). I imagine that will exhaust the assets of the estate, even if you include the motorcycle and snowmobile with liberal valuations.

I don't see anything there that would require the estate to pay the costs of biohazard cleanup. (Except possibly "Expenses of the last sickness of the decedent", but that has lower priority than your $40k.)Answer #3: It's good to get advice on the internet, but this is a really complicated situation and you need a probate lawyer. Sorry for your loss.


Title: Who gets the child support check?

Question:
My mom and I live in the US, Arizona. My dad lives is Oklahoma. He stopped working some years ago and filed for disability as a good many chronic illnesses started to spring up and he just couldn't work the same way. I'm not sure exactly what happened but as I understand it he hasn't started getting disability until now. He got it in one big check and whatever child support he owed was sent to my mom on a credit/debit card. She's already referring to it as "My child support" and talking about how she should use it smartly and stuff like that.

I'll be 20 very soon now and I've been working hard since highschool, essentially paying the bills myself and helping my sister in another state as well. My step-mom and dad were very hush hush about and told me what was going to happen before my mom ever received the money. They didn't want me to tell her, and wanted me to tell them how much we got and when we got it. I think they were concerened it wouldn't go to me. I'm seriously thinking about college and what to do with my life and now I'm not sure who's side I'm on.

My dad and step-mom are acting really sketch, and my mom wants to keep it for herself. Is it rightly hers? Do I tell my stepmom and dad what we got? Am I asking for legal advice or life advice??

Answer:
 If your father was ordered to pay that over to your mom, then it’s your Mom’s money. I don’t know of any situation that the money would then be handed over to the child, or in this case, child that has grown into an adult.

Your mother went without that money when she raised you, so I believe it’s considered hers.Answer #2: Normally child support goes to the mom and she had all those years she had to support you


Title: Co-worker (Mid 20's F) is threatening me (30M) with lying about a sexual attack after she awkwardly found out that I didn't want to cheat on my wife (31F) with her.

Question:
Reposted from /r/relationships after they'd locked it and directed me here.

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

I have a co-worker friend at my office.  This office is mostly an older crowd, and we're really only the two people under 40 here so we kind of hang out a little bit at work.  She's kind of cool and funny, I always just considered her to be a cool work buddy.  I'm ridiculously in love with my wife and just don't really become attracted to other women, at least no more than checking somebody out for a fleeting second or whatever.

We'd been going to lunch together about once a week or so for a really long time, maybe a year or so.  Nothing serious, just ducking out of the office to go get a sandwich or something.  We'd just talk about what me and my wife had been up to, how things were going for her, what movies we'd seen lately, just normal bullcrap kind of stuff.

About a week and a half ago, I gave her a ride to lunch and on the way back she said "she had to talk to me."  She explained that she felt really close to me and felt like she could trust me.  When we'd parked back at the office, she leaned over to kiss me before we got out of the car to go back in.  I was just kind of shell shocked and didn't really know what to say or do, and kind of kept to myself for a day or so and avoided her and really avoided even thinking about it.

I didn't even say anything to my wife about it for around 24 hours or so because I didn't really know how to process it.  Once I finally came around to my senses and talked with her about it, she said that she actually felt bad for my coworker because she was probably confused or whatever, but she insisted I still needed to talk to her to clear the air, and I agreed.

I brought lunch in this past Thursday so she'd know I wouldn't want to go out, but she did come into my office and I closed the door so nobody would hear our conversation.  I told her I thought she was a really cool friend but I really had no intention of stepping out on my wife.  I explained that it really kind of confused me and put me in a bad situation because I really wanted her and my wife to be good friends because they're the two females I see most of the time, and now that might not even be possible.  I said I was willing to just forget the whole thing if she was and just pretend it never happened.

She didn't take it well.  She got angry and claimed that I was giving her "signs" for months.  (I honestly can't see how she saw anything that way.)  She kind of sobbed a bit and told me how embarrassing it was and how she had told friends and such about it and now she's just going to look like an idiot.  She started throwing accusations around and said that if she wanted to she could accuse me of sexual misconduct at work and everyone would believe the female over the male in an instance like that.  She'd mentioned that she wanted to talk about it outside of work and that she could easily go ahead and file a complaint about me if I didn't.

Of course, I talked with my wife about all this, and she's not sure what to do either.  Also, ever since then I haven't talked with her at all.  I didn't want to give her the chance to fabricate some situation where I took advantage of her or whatever.  I really want to work things out so we can be buddies again but I don't know if it can be salvaged at this point.   Thankfully our work doesn't actually intersect that much since she's in Advertising and I'm in Accounting, so I guess if worse comes to worse I can just ignore her.

It's Monday now and I haven't talked to her yet.  I'm afraid she's going to try to pull that trick and coerce me into going outside of the office with her, and given how crazy she acted last week and how historically emotionally unstable she's been in the past when she's talked about past relationships, I wouldn't put anything past her.

Anyone have any advice on how to handle this?  I'm afraid I'll have to bring it up with HR, but I'm also afraid she'll counter with some wild accusation that I won't be able to get out of if she does.

**tl;dr**: A female coworker mistranslated our friendship as something more, and assumed that I wanted to cheat on my wife with her.  I just thought of her as a really good friend at work and didn't want the same with her.  She's now holding the threat of accusing me of workplace sexual misconduct over my head and I feel like I'm being held captive by it.  No clue what to do.

**UPDATE**: The HR lady just had us both in her office with a conference call with our Director.

Basically, they're choosing to give us both an "unwritten warning" since they say there's no way that they can know who really did what since it's just one person's word against another.  They're going to make sure we don't work together and are telling us that it's up to us to avoid each other and otherwise keep it professional.

I'm still trying to figure out what I think about it and what it all may imply, but right now I am not happy with it.  I am not happy with having been given a warning of any type and for my job to be on the line for something entirely outside of my control that I had absolutely nothing to do with.  I'm not sure what I should be doing at this point.

Answer:
 Really all you can do is document your interactions to date as best you can and go to HR first. Even so it will be a he-said/she-said situation. It might be worthwhile to go to HR before she does and report that you no longer feel comfortable working with her because she made a pass at you and did not react well when you told her you weren't interested in cheating on your wife. This will at least give you a legal foundation for recourse if the company blindly takes her side without doing any kind of investigation. Sexual harassment/hostile work environment law protects both men and women.
Answer #2: Out of curiosity, would OP hypothetically be able to report her for sexual harassment for kissing him when he didn't want her to and then continuing to pursue the relationship when he made it explicitly clear he was not interested? I don't know, which is why I'm asking, but it seems like he could at least phrase it as such when talking to HR to make it clear that what happened was not okay.Answer #3: OP, as an aside, your wife is awesome.


Title: My sister is pregnant w her second child her first one was adopted because she was proved to be an unfit mother. She’s doing all kinds of drugs and spends all her money on the drugs rather then planning for the child. How to I get a court order to take her to rehab? She’s addicted to senthetic weed

Question:
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer: You can't, unless she's a minor and you're her guardian. Otherwise, call the police.


Title: [Virginia] 16 year old with two abusive (?) parents... What are my rights/options?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You cannot get emancipated. You don't meet any of the qualifications.

You have no good options.

You can call CPS who still likely not do anything because you don't meet any of the legal qualifications based on what I am reading. Being an asshole parent is not illegal.

You can go to a youth shelter.

You should figure out how to cope for two years and figure out what your want to do as an adult and work towards that goal. Do after school activities. Stay busy. Two years is not as long as you think. Learning how to deal with people you don't like is a good life skillAnswer #2: Honestly I doubt that CPS will find anything wrong enough to remove you from your parents. You also have to prove that you are able to support yourself before you can even be considered for emancipation.

Legally speaking 16 year olds with crappy parents don't have many options.


Title: My probation may be revoked and I didn't do anything wrong!!

Question:
I was convicted with a B felony for selling marijuana back in 2016 and have been doing well with following my probation. I am on the lowest level of priority and I just have to send them an email every month. I will be let off in december 17, 2018 and I haven't had a single failed drug test or even a false positive or any interactions with the police.

  Last night I gave a ride home to a new co-worker instead of him waiting in the cold for the bus.  I have a dash camera and I keep the audio running at all times and I asked him point blank if he had any drugs or weapons on him as I want no parts of it. After a few minutes of him assuring me he had nothing we left.

  On the way home I was rear ended and one of the responding officers was the one who busted me years earlier. He immediately had me and my car searched(no issue with this, i know I can't refuse on probation). They pulled out my coworkers back pack and  ended up finding a fucking loaded and unregistered hand gun. Co-worker was arrested after he admitted to owning it. The officer said with a huge smile on his face that he's got my ass now, he can't wait to tell my probation officer then told me to get the fuck out of here.

   I am freaked the fuck out right now because I'm so close and I have done everything I needed to. I haven't smoked weed since I was arrested, not even a birthday puff, and I don't go out to party. This officer legitimately hates my guts and goes out of his way to call me a drug dealer in public if we run into each other.

  Would the audio from my dash cam be allowed to show I grilled co-worker for a good 5 minutes about me being on probation and not wanting to be fucked for someone elses stuff? Should I call my lawyer who represented me originally? My PO and I have a good relationship, and unfortunately he is out of town till monday so I won't hear from him till then. I'm just scared as hell of being sent to jail for a full 5 years, 4 months was more than enough, when I was just trying to be a decent guy.

Edit: The gun belonged to my co worker and was hidden deep in his backpack which had PROPERTY OF COWORKER. He owned up to it 100% and said I had no knowledge of it, I was just giving him a ride instead of letting him sit in bitter cold weather with super high winds. We were together when I was rear ended, it happened 5 minutes from his house.

Answer:
 Make sure to copy and archive the dash cam footage. Otherwise it will be overwritten sooner than you think. But do not volunteer that recording or even mention you have it to your PO, until advised by your lawyer.Answer #2: What state did this happen in?Answer #3: As a follow-up question, is the officer calling him a drug dealer in public even legal/ethical?

Do they have any privacy/professionalism standards?


Title: [RI] Should we get a prenup?

Question:
I'm pretty sure the answer is always yes anyways but I wasn't sure. My fiancé bought a house several years ago and wants to protect the equity he's put into the house before I started contributing.

He bought the house when we initially started dating so I did not contribute anything towards the down payment nor do I have my name on the morgage. In case we did divorce, I'd like the recoup what I have paid into the house. We would probably sell the house (or one buys the other out) and the profit is shared after he gets his initial investment back.

I also will eventually recieve an inheritance from my parents and would want that protected.

We've talked about this and agree on these few things but we weren't sure if what we're interested in would already be protected in say, divorce laws or real estate laws.

So do we need a prenup and if so, what kind of lawyer would we deal with? Would we need two lawyers involved or can we draft a prenup together?

Answer:
 it sounds like you guys have already settled on the idea of having a prenup. you'll want to look for lawyers who specialize in family law, and you should each have your own lawyer to represent your separate interests. the [Rhode Island Bar Association](https://www.ribar.com) can refer you to lawyers in your area.

congratulations and good luck!


Title: How to inform my landlord I have ESAs?

Question:
Hello all, I recently moved into a new apartment & I’m not sure how to tell the housing office that I have 2 cats and a dog that are all emotional support animals.
- They are all friendly & very well trained.
- I live alone so I keep to myself anyways.

Should I just give them a copy of the script or should I include a friendly letter too? Should i include copies of updated vaccinations? Should i include a copy of the FHA? If I include a letter, how should I word it? Should i include the steps i take to keep the apartment in good condition: that i clean up after my dog, i own expensive pet equipment (top of the line litter box & vacuum, scratching post), they are regularly bathed, etc?

I’m a very clean person & i take very good care of them. I never had issues in the past with previous landlords, they didn’t even care about seeing my script, but this new apartment is located in a complex so I’m not sure if they’re going to give me backlash (i didn’t inform them upon signing the lease but it’s my understanding I’m not required to) (i didn’t inform them because i was rushing to sign the lease and i don’t do well in confrontational situations).
By backlash, I mean that I am afraid they would try to keep me from renewing my lease. I haven’t had problems with them (like i said i just moved in) & i don’t know if any other tenants have service or emotional animals to ask them for advice or to know if the landlord is familiar with this.

Should I just not say anything unless they ask? I’m so conflicted & now my depression & anxiety are acting up just typing this to ask for advice. please help
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: It is very possible that three emotional support animals may not be considered a reasonable accommodation. However, not saying anything is not really an option.Answer #2: I'm not trying to be unpleasant because I have no doubt that you get support from these animals but: you should have stopped at one.


Title: My friend was subjected to police violence but will have to go to court because he spit. [Massachusetts]

Question:
My friend (20M) and I (19M) were walking to my friend’s house around midnight a few weekends ago. I wasn’t looking at him but all of a sudden two police officers screamed “Are you fucking kidding me?” pulled over their vehicle and the next thing I know, he’s got his hands behind his back, bent over a fence. The entire time, he was repeating “either arrest me or let me go” and this went on for several minutes and from what I gather, he had spit in the direction of the police vehicle. On multiple occasions, they calling him “a fucking retard” and they had told me that filming this exchange would mean that they’d have to arrest him so I did not film it. They took down his details and nothing happened for a while. About a week ago, he got a notice from our University that he had a hearing with the school’s office of student conduct. Yesterday, he found out that he had a court summons for Endangering Behavior but missed it because they sent the summons to his old address.
We have some help from graduate law students but I wanted to know if there’s anything that can be done for him besides waiting for the court system and if anything can be done to make it clear that there was blatant misconduct on the part of the police.

Answer:
 There's no magic way to make this go away.

Your friend can hire an attorney and can prevent his defense in court.  The officer's behavior after the incident charged is irrelevant.  All that is relevant is whether he's guilty or not guilty of the charged offense.

Your friend can file a complaint with the officer's department, if he'd like.Answer #2: If a cop ever says to not video record an interaction, RECORD THE INTERACTION!!!.

As said he needs to work with the lawyer/s that are helping him, testify honestly to what happened, and have him file a complaint with you listed as witness.


Title: My friend's son was preparing to transfer schools on a sports scholarship, when a current teacher called the new school's principal and told him the son had cheated on an exam, resulting in his offer being rescinded. Does my friend habe any recourse?

Question:
The title basically says it. This is high school by the way, but both schools are top-rated prep schools that offer very high sports scholarships to otherwise unreachable kids. The school's principal and teachers had long been bitter about losing an athletic asset and this occurred just as he was preparing to transfer. Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit: This is in New Jersey and Pennsylvania if that helps.

Edit 2: The consensus seems to be that since the act actually did occur, there is likely no possibly recourse. That being said, I do feel the uncertainty of some answers warrants speaking to an education lawyer who can analyze the specific details. Thanks so much for the help!

Answer: **did** he cheat on the exam?Answer #2: If he did not cheat on the exam, he likely has a defamation case. Even if he did cheat, student records are often protected and their disclosure by unauthorized parties could be a violation. I don't know the specific rules about this. I'd suggest talking to an attorney who specializes in education law.Answer #3: If your friend was thinking of pursuing a slander or defamation claim, your friend should know that truth is a defense to such claims.  Probably very little to no legal recourse.Answer #4: probably not if its true.


Title: Leasing company deleted my unique code for common door.

Question:
I live in an apartment complex with thirty or so apartments in it and, a year and a half ago they gave every apartment a unique code. Today I find that my code (and only my code, my neighbor's code still works just fine) is no longer working and I'm essentially locked out of my apartment for the entire long weekend. The main office was closed an hour early and the emergency number apparently told my roommate that they "are looking into the matter." Were it not for a friendly neighbor we both would be stuck on the streets.

Could this be considered 'changing my lock' without notice, and is there anything I can or should do?

Edit: I do feel that this could have been in error, as one of our neighbors recently got evicted, but it seems like a pretty huge mistake to make.

Edit 2: I forgot to mention that this is in North Dakota

Answer:
 Because it's likely an error, and because you've taken reasonable steps and completely recovered access, I would be inclined to treat this as an administrative mistake and not as an illegal eviction. However, yes, if you were unable to gain access to your unit and your landlord didn't restore your access in a timely manner, your landlord could be liable for the resulting damages, including the costs of temporary accommodation for the weekend.

"Timely" in this case would likely be the same day.


Title: [Ontario] Am I obligated to communicate with wife's lawyer

Question:
I would like to serve her with a divorce application and return funds via cheque.  She is refusing to be served and refusing to sign for the cheque sent via registered mail.  I prefer not to send these to her lawyer since she insists I split her legal fees and I'd like to keep costs down since there are no other issues (support or children)

Thank you

Answer:
 You aren't required to talk to her lawyer, but she isn't required to accept communication directly from you since she has lawyer representing her.

Honestly, it sounds like you are delaying everything more than it needs to be.


Title: Is this online job I applied for legal?

Question:
I applied to be a "Remote intern" for a small company I've never heard of. The next day I received a check for a large amount in the mail (no interview process or anything) with instructions to take a large amount out in cash and deposit in another bank account, does this seem legit and is this all legal?

Edit: called my bank, confirmed it was a scam, didn't pull any money out. Glad I posted here thanks for the help. I feel really dumb but I'm glad I caught it last minute

Answer:
 You're asking the question. You know the answer. Run far away.Answer #2: It's a scam. He's going to say he overpaid you, and to give x back. His check will bounce, yours won't. Blah blah blah.

Answer #3: There is no business. There is no job. This is a scam. The check is fake, will bounce, and you'll be out a lot of cash.

No real job has you depositing company funds other than your paycheck into your own account, and no one hires you out of nowhere to work from home.


Title: First job, are these things normal?

Question:
I don't know if this is exactly what belongs on this subreddit, but i don't know where else to post it.

I am a sophomore in high school, and this is my first job experience.

So I recently applied and got an interview with a pretty respected fast food place in the US (don't know if I can say the exact name). I got hired on the spot, and told to come in later with my social #, and drivers liscence. There I filled out my W4. I was told my first day was next week. They never asked, or mentioned a Workers Permit.

The next week I come in, bring my workers permit. I wait in the back while the manager goes to the car to find a shirt and a hat. She takes 30 minutes, and eventually (I had to walk out of the back to ask if they were still looking) she finds a hat, but no shirt. So then they ask if I can drive home and find a shirt that matches the colors. Keep in mind im supposed to be working at the moment.

I don't know if this is sketchy, maybe just lazy management or normal?

Thanks
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: I worked in restaurants when i was your age the uniform thing happens all the time especially with franchise places, it'll get straightened out. The working papers don't matter over the summer but they will need them while you're in school


Title: CA - Moving out of newly rented apt two weeks into the lease after 2 incidents on their property.

Question:
I recently moved to an apartment complex the I assumed would be safe given its close proximity to my college campus. It is gated and locked in the evening. However, after just two weeks in the apt, I've had a car broken into in their lot (gated) and my bike stolen from the bike racks out front (again, gated. Cut my bike lock). I've reported both incidents to the landlord and the police.

My roommate and I have decided to move, assuming that it won't get any better and we don't want to wait around til the day another car window gets busted on their property. My landlord wants a 30 day notice and for us to honor the lease break fee of one month's rent, so essentially they want 2 months rent. Am I entitled to pay this?

Answer:
 They are under no obligation to let you out of the lease at all, so they could demand that you continue paying until the term is up or a replacement tenant is found.Answer #2: > Am I obligated to pay this?

Yes, if that's what your lease says.


Title: Fired/Rehired/Fired/Rehired to Avoid Union Enrollment

Question:
Hi Reddit,

I was employed back in November of 2014 as a Mental Health Counselor at a rehab facility in Philadelphia. I was hired to be a 'Counselor' and given a job description and duties in a packet which, underlined on the top of each page stated "This is a Union Position"

I was hired, initially, as a "Temporary Counselor," filling in for a former employee who had taken FMLA. In the course of my employment I was asked to do many things outside my job description - which I did, curses to my empathetic Counselor's heart, because I saw that a happy rehab meant happy clients, etc.

That's not the issue. The issue is, prior to my 120th day - a day on which all employees are enrolled in the PSSU Union - (the SEIU Local 668) I was terminated. Not once, but twice. And told to come back two days later and continue working my position with a fresh hire date.

All paystubs show that I have earned my paltry $16k+ in the full course of my employment - I was simply fired and rehired, then last week, day 118, they called at 4:58pm to tell me I was fired again.

I wanted health insurance. I wanted union representation. I was, not to toot my own horn, a very good employee. Please, oh Legal Redditors, tell me: Do I have any kind of case here? I really dislike making waves (given my profession...) but golly, I felt I was done dirty.

Thanks!

Answer:
 > I really dislike making waves (given my profession...) but golly, I felt I was done dirty.

I agree. No way to resolve this without making waves though. I would contact the Union and let them know of this practice.


Title: Throwing Cup At Someone? Charged with assault

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Quit saying "someone who isn't me."

It provides no legal protection at all and makes you sound foolish.

You need a lawyer.


Title: I Don't Want a Funeral

Question: I'm going to die, and when I do, I don't want a funeral (no family + co-worker mingling) - how can I go about enforcing this from beyond the grave?  Is it even possible?

Answer:
 You can stipulate it in your will and let your next of kin know.

But there's really not a legal nor a realistic way to 100% guarantee no one will have a funeral or memorial service for you.Answer #2: Note that putting your funeral wishes in your will is a great way for no one to be aware of your funeral wishes, because the will is generally not probated or executed until weeks or months after whatever handling of your remains is already done.

The will is for your *estate.* Your body is generally not part of your estate.

Put your funeral wishes in a separate document entirely, and give it to the executor of your estate, and also make friends/family aware of your funeral wishes.


Title: [Colorado, US] Father is Applying for EIN/Tax ID in Sister's Name Without Her Permission

Question:
My father owns a failing, indebted construction business. He lost his liability and workman's comp insurance from failure to pay and can't afford the debt to the insurance companies in order to renew the insurance. He has work upcoming that require these insurances so he applied to transfer the business to my sister in order to obtain a new EIN so that he could start the insurance back up without paying the debts. He did this without my sister's permission and now my sister and I are very concerned about her financial future and potential liability.

Is there anything my sister and I can do to block this from going through? What can we do to protect her? What resources are there to help us?

Edit: Apparently it's an EIN for a new business and not a transfer of his existing business. He's doing it because he claims he can't do it in his name? He's been dodging IRS unpaid taxes from 2001 for a long time.

Answer: She should call the police to report the identify theft, then call the IRS to let them know this was fraudulently issued.  That's her only way out of this without being on the hook or implicated in his fraud.


Title: Wife is threatening to file a rape charge if uncle Jim divorces her. What to do?

Question:
Throwaway for reasons. I’ll try to keep it as short and clean as possible.

A member of my family (Let’s call him Jim) has decided to divorce his wife. His children have all finally grown up and he has decided that he is done putting up with his wife. Jim has put up with his wife for over 25 years now and throughout those years she’s been manipulative and aggressive towards Jim.

Recently, Jim finally decided to tell his wife that he wanted to divorce her and that he was done with everything. Not only did she pin their sons suicide attempt on him (long story here), but she is now also threatening to go to the police to file a rape charge against him (the rape victim is a family member of the wife’s side of the family). Now, I don’t know the complete story is here but I have spoken to Uncle Jim who swears this is not the case and that he has never touched anyone on her side of the family, let alone attempted to rape someone in his life.

The wife did tell Jim that if she stayed with him, that she would not call the police to file a report. (Apparently the girl uncle Jim attempted to rape has psychological problems. She never filed a report and has not seen a psychologist nor attempted to seek any kind of medical help. Also, this supposedly happened more than 15 years ago.)

Currently, Jim is looking for advice on what to do. He has yet to speak to a lawyer and is also clueless as to what type of lawyer he should contact.

He has moved out of his home. And now, the mother has told his children that he raped a family member and that he used to use drugs. His children no longer want to speak to him (except for his youngest son who still communicates with uncle Jim). Now, I can attest to the wife’s aggressiveness and manipulativeness. And uncle Jim has always been a great father and has cared for his children as well as any father could under the circumstances. It breaks my heart to see his children picking mom’s side when uncle Jim has been nothing but a good father to his children.

&#x200B;

This is in the state of CA.

Answer:
 Jim needs to talk to an attorney immediately. That is his next step and that is who can help keep him out of jailAnswer #2: People with psychological problems are at HIGHER risk for sexual assault. It doesn’t mean they should automatically be disbelieved because they’re “crazy.”

Have you spoken to her and heard her side of the story? Jim’s kids have known their father their entire lives and yet all but one of them seem to think there’s enough truth to her story to justify cutting contact with their only father.

Maybe look a little more into both sides before automatically supporting Jim.


Title: TX why isn't flag burning illegal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 1. Arson is specific to buildings. Destruction of property would apply, but the flag would have to be the property of someone else.

2. Treason is a betrayal of the country, or specifically its interests (especially by overthrowing its government or leaders), not the country's *ideals*. Differences of opinion and especially expression of one's opinion are protected because it's what makes democracy possible.

3. This isn't a /r/legaladvice question.


Title: Realistically, what would be the worst that would happen if I distilled my own whiskey at home.

Question: I know the consequences vary from state to state, and I live in KY. I also know that quite a large number of folks have been and will continue to distill their own alcohol for some time with very little about it in the news. I know that being 'caught' in KY for your first offense is a class B misdemeanor, but, does that mean they would have to catch me actually in the act of distilling and then subsequently drinking it? What if I have a permit to make ethanol for use as a fuel?

Answer: I think the *worst* that could happen is alcohol vapor catches fire and your house burns down.


Title: Is there anything legal you can do in a parking lot if someone physically stands in a space to save it for someone else?

Question:
This hasn't happened to me personally, but I've seen it a lot on the college campus I work at. During a high-traffic time where people are desperately looking for parking spaces, occasionally someone will physically stand in an open stop to "save" it for their friend. I know I would be worried to do anything for fear of getting my car keyed, and I highly doubt you can legally nudge someone with your car, so I was just wondering what- if anything- can be legally done in the moment? Or is it just a big, fat "some people are jerks, oh well"? I know the logical thing is to get campus police involved but I can't imagine they'd get there fast enough considering it's not an emergency situation.
Anyway, just wondering in case that ever happens to me or if a student ever asks. I searched for this question already with the search bar but didn't see this exact scenario, so my apologies if it's been asked already and I missed it!
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Answer:
 It's not illegal. It is also not illegal for you to drive into the spot as far as possible, effectively blocking it.Answer #2: INAL, but I had something similar happen. Long story short, some guy was standing in a parking spot saying it’s saved for his friend, I said “too bad I got here first,” we had a 10 min stand/sit off, I won. It’s really a matter of who has more time to waste and I wasn’t in that much of a hurry. Answer #3: You can get upset about it, tell them off, call campus police, and find somewhere else to park.

You can't nudge them with anything; especially not your vehicle.

Some people are jerks, oh well.


Title: UK After 3 years with a company, i received a "Sorry you've left the company" email -

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 First off IANAL but you gave notice to quit on the 18th, written notice is good but not required and your employer is not required to accept your attempt to take it back.

http://www.landaulaw.co.uk/resignation/
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4095
http://businessdatabase.indicator.co.uk/business_advice_directory/articles/resignations/relying_on_a_verbal_resignation/UKTAPSAR_EU101003/88/search


Title: (TN) Company president and 50% owner has lost his everloving mind.

Question:
On mobile.

I went in to work yesterday morning and was told to "cease and desist" with the work I was doing, pack up my shit, give them my password, and GTFO.  This was done by the president of our company who is 50% owner.

My manager is the CEO and also 50% owner.  I immediately went and called him and he had no clue about what was going on.  He wasn't able to get in touch with anyone else.

After my phone call, I was in my office packing my crap up and the Pres comes back in. He tells me this is happening because some "very illegal stuff has been going on behind his back." He says he hopes I'm not a part of it because he has a meeting with a federal prosecutor in an hour.  Threatening legal action is a big no no if you're talking to me.  I told him I'm an employee and had nothing to do with that. Finished getting my shit and left.  CEO and I have been in touch the rest of the day.  I would be extremely schocked if CEO has done anything illegal.

The list of known fuckery:

-He can't fire me without CEO's say so.

-he ordered the factory workers and the operations manager not to talk to me, CEO, or my minion (I'm a manager.) He fired my department which is very necessary for the business to keep running.

-He told the factory workers about his allegations and was waving a sheaf of papers around claiming it was his proof.

-He put the password he had demanded from me in incorrectly. He had the Operations Manager call me and tell me he was going to hold my check and again threatened legal action if I didn't give him the PW.  I told him he needed to contact me through a lawyer if he wanted to talk to me in the future.

-I heard him say he plans to change the locks and security codes. Thus locking the CEO and half owner out.

I think it's pertinent to note that I and many of my coworkers thought the Pres to be a nut job before this went down.  That includes the operations manager who is still working for him. From what I can tell, he's scared of potential legal troubles.

I wouldn't even know what questions to ask y'all.  Any advice is appreciated. Advice for the CEO is appreciated to.

Answer:
 Did you have a specific legal question?

There's nothing illegal about ranting and raving conspiracy theories or whatever in the workplace.  His ability to discipline or terminate is an internal matter.  You have no basis to restrict your own employer or cowrker's communications to a lawyer, unless you've also resigned or been terminated.

If the ship is sinking, best to not wait around until you're neck deep in it before scrambling for an exit.


Title: [Georgia]is it legal to kick me out of a business because I don't wear shoes for religious purposes?

Question: I don't wear shoes to keep me connected to  Gaia. Recently there was a new sign put up at a store I frequent about shoes and shirt required. I call the company's corporate office to get a little more information about their policy. After a  long discussion as to what the purpose of the policy I was told it was nothing more than to keep away legal disputes if you step on glass while in the store. I explained my religious reasons as to why I don't wear shoes and he tells me it doesn't matter that is their policy and is enforced across the board. It's the only store in my small town and I frequent it often multiple times a day. I really don't want to drive 30mins to get a small grocery items(eggs and etc.) Can they keep me out of their store?

Answer: Secondary question, but if the purpose of not wearing shoes is to be in contact with the earth, then isn't walking on a linoleum floor doing the same thing that wearing shoes would do?


Title: Desperate, dangerous legal/medical/family situation involving elderly relative with dementia not getting the care he needs and his family unable to care for their own health

Question:
I can't find a way out of this situation. It seems fully hopeless. Please read the whole situation before offering your advice, I may have made mention of your suggestion and its complications below. Also more than happy to hear suggestions for a better subreddit, if appropriate. I'm open to any advice to alleviate the situation, from medical (decrease symptoms, help Bob get sleep) to family (how to talk with Rose or deal with her denial of the situation) ***to legal*** (how to take control away from Petunia without destroying our lives).... Any small improvement would be a **big** improvement.

Edit: Location - Southern State, USA
__________

**My very elderly relative, *Bob*, has severe dementia**. He is almost never lucid, maybe experiencing 10% lucidity during the day, and almost never sleeps. He loses his mind when he doesn't have his three meals per day at *exactly* the same time each day, refuses to go/stay anywhere for any amount of time, and cannot be left alone at all. He screams and curses constantly (whereas in his previous life he had been a very docile, sweet, clean-mouthed man). On the rare occasion that he has needed to be hospitalized, he has screamed non-stop and doses of *sedatives only made his screaming louder*. He becomes very, very violent at night, trying to **beat down the (barred) bedroom door** of his caregiver. He is NOT frail by any stretch of the imagination. He doesn't like for them to be on the telephone or watch TV because he thinks they/the characters on TV are talking about him.

His two daughters, both advancing in years with their own health problems, are his caregivers. The older one, ***Petunia***, is controlling, overbearing, legitimately obsessive compulsive, and absolutely irrational. She **does NOT believe in psychology or psychiatry** and will not take Bob to any sort of doctor to have his dementia fully diagnosed, monitored, or treated (she takes him to all other "real" doctors just fine, for "real" medical issues like heart function, eye care). The younger daughter, ***Rose***, has always been controlled by Petunia and always given her her way in everything. There was a similar situation with their mother for ten years until she passed away. Rose is scared of conflict with the volatile Petunia and has forbidden her young-adult children from intervening in the situation.

Currently Petunia stays 12 hours during the day and then goes home to sleep. Rose stays the other 12 hours during the evening (his worst, most violent time), receives three to four hours of sleep, then wakes up and goes to work. He has attempted to strike them both on multiple occasions. He refuses to be "watched" by anyone besides Petunia or Rose. Even with Rose, he's constantly asking why Petunia is not there and endlessly dialing her on the telephone, letting it ring for hours on end.
_______

There is NO extended network for Bob, Rose, or Petunia (church, community, family) to reach out to, not that they EVER would. I'm convinced this is not a situation that any normal medical professional would suggest that *two small-build 60+ women* handle on their own, especially considering their own medical concerns.

I listen to Rose tell me every day about his deteriorating condition as well as her own, in her sleep-deprived state. I also listen to the way Petunia berates her day in and day out. ***Despite my pleas to Rose to bring in outside nurses, caregivers, legal help, anyone at all, they will not do so.*** Rose insists that Petunia WILL NOT allow it; raised very, very conservatively, Petunia is too embarrassed for anyone to see her father in such a condition and hear his ranting. Moreover, it's likely that the very controlling Petunia even likes the hold she has over Rose in some sick and awful way.

I live far away and am unable to help; otherwise, I would take over shifts if we could trick him into thinking I was Rose. I've been told by Rose that if social services or the law or anyone external is "anonymously" notified, that she and Petunia will both know I was the one that made the call, and ***I will be completely cut out of both of their lives*** along with my inheritance (Petunia because she's just a vindictive snake and Rose because Petunia would make her life a living hell until one buried the other). Personally, I say screw the inheritance, because I'd pay any amount of money on this Earth to have Rose out of that situation if only I could; however, my relationship with Rose is far too important to me to risk never being able to talk to her the same way again, or possibly never again at all. Also, as I'm sure Rose also feels, just the thought of the small-town scandal of bringing legal action in this situation is absolutely overwhelming.
________

Please, someone, anyone... **Help me**. Help Rose. Help at all.

**UPDATE**

I got the courage to call APS just now and explained the whole situation. I was informed that Rose and Petunia are adults, and as long as Bob is not being actively abused, ***there is nothing that APS can do***. I was told that "that's just how people with dementia act," "there's not really anything a doctor can do about it anyway," and "if he becomes too violent for them to handle, they are fully capable of calling the police" ... on a 95 year-old man that has no idea who he is. She said that since they're willing to be there with him 24/7 and he has no chance of wandering off and getting lost, it doesn't count as neglect; that "they're adults and know their own limits."

Now I ***really*** feel helpless. I thought before that I at least had one option, albeit a very painful one. Now I don't even have the option of bringing in help against their will.

Answer: What do you want help with?  You can call adult protective services.


Title: Sister signed a non-compete with 2 bit company, got a better job at national company now 2bit is suing...

Question:
My sister worked for a shitty HR company for 2 years and signed a non-compete in the state of NY.  Got a better job at a national chain HR company after National's lawyers reviewed her non-compete.  Every time she assumes new duties at National they review her non-compete to make sure she is not breaking the law.  Now she is being sued by 2bit for contract breach.  This is very surprising since the new company (and lawyers) are a big outfit.

She cannot afford court costs or to not work/get a new job.  This is her career and she can't simply do something else.  Please help!  This is happening in the state of NY.

Edit: Sorry I don't have more information!  I am getting information 2nd hand and my sister doesn't have a complete handle on what is going on.  She hasn't been served, but will be (they went to the wrong address). She's meeting with National Legal team in 2 hours so she'll know more at that time.  Thank you for all the responses, I'm sorry I can't give more information!

Answer:
 If her new company is as great as she thinks it is, then they should settle or represent her.  (How long was her non-compete agreement for?  Usually they are like a year.  How long has it been since she left her former company?)Answer #2: Non-competes are a normal part of many industries such as HR and IT. They usually have limitations on scope and geography or run the risk of being unenforceable. If the 2-bit company is suing, they must feel your sister is violating the terms. My understanding is these sort of situations are usually settled - one of my former employers would typically seek for repayment of the prior year's bonus. I personally had to sit at home for a year because of those shitty bastards but I did it. However - to be fair - I learned proprietary techniques at that place that maybe a dozen people in the world know and it was very worth my while to work there.

Non-competes usually are enforced just as emotions are running at their highest and always seem so unfair to the employee. Be very careful before signing one - expect to be handed one unannounced as you walk in the door to a new job and be prepared with how you want to respond. Including walking out the door if the terms are unacceptable to you. An employer can also hand you one at any point in your time there - we're all just one day away from unemployment in an at-will industry. Make sure you are compensated for bearing that risk.


Title: Mortgage company stonewalling on discontinuing private mortgage insurance.

Question:
I live in Indiana, if that makes a difference.

If there is a better subreddit to post this to, please advise.

My (fixed rate, conventional) home mortgage is at 77% loan to value and by law the bank must drop my mortgage insurance as long as the mortgage is up to date with no late payments (which it always has been).

I'm only able to contact the PMI department through email and snail mail.  There is no way to contact them by phone - the service reps say they cannot even contact the department.

I was told by the service dept. and by the mort. company's website to put in my request to drop the insurance through their online messaging service or through email.  I've only received automated responses in return.  After hearing nothing for over 30 days I sent a registered letter this past week.

I don't know how to force the issue with them.  From my own layman's reading of the Homeowner's Protection Act, it looks as though they are definitely breaking the law - but what do I do now?

I'm in the middle of refinancing my mortgage and if I don't get this PMI taken off now it will follow me to the new loan.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 >I'm in the middle of refinancing my mortgage and if I don't get this PMI taken off now it will follow me to the new loan.

Have you confirmed this information? This hasn't been my experience. It's been many years but I refinanced my first home from a FHA w/pmi to a conventional w/o. No hassles as long as the value supports it.

You should get some response to the certified letter, keep sending email and keep copies. I've had issues contacting a live person with the large mortgage servicing companies as well. Local banks and credit unions that hold their loans are the better option if you can do it.


Title: TN-Landlord threatened to terminate my lease due a service animal.

Question: I'm a college student recently diagnosed legally blind. My doctors suggested getting a service animal to help in college walking around and avoiding bumping into people. However I am about to move into an apartment building on campus that has a strict no pets policy. I told my landlord of my diagnosis and getting a service animal and he threatened to end my lease because of this. I know the easy solution is to find another place to live but school is about to start and that place was close to campus and cheap compared to other places. What can I do here?

Answer:
 IANAL but if you are blind a seeing eye dog is permitted by ADA, right? Answer #2: Legal blindness counts as a "real" disability. Did you make sure they know it will be an ADA covered service animal, and not an emotional support animal?

Do apartments, mobile home parks, and other residential properties have to comply with the ADA?
A. The ADA applies to housing programs administered by state and local governments, such as public housing authorities, and by places of public accommodation, such as public and private universities.  In addition, the Fair Housing Act applies to virtually all types of housing, both public and privately-owned, including housing covered by the ADA.  Under the Fair Housing Act, housing providers are obligated to permit, as a reasonable accommodation, the use of animals that work, provide assistance, or perform tasks that benefit persons with a disabilities, or provide emotional support to alleviate a symptom or effect of a disability.  For information about these Fair Housing Act requirements see HUD’s Notice on Service Animals and Assistance Animals for People with Disabilities in Housing and HUD-funded Programs.

[Link, Q35](https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html)


Title: My ex-wife took my children 350km away overnight with no warning. Help plz?

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice, I'll try and give the details as unbiased as I can. I'm seeking legal advice as soon as I can but maybe reddit can let me know what to expect.

I live in QLD, Australia

For the last 18 months we have had a **verbal** agreement of 50/50 care of my 2 children. We would swap care weekly on a Sunday.

Child support and Centerlink have decided that I am the primary caregiver for their purposes and that she pays me $0 per month in child support.

She did not notify me of her move, but has taken the kids immediately after I dropped them off to her yesterday afternoon, she was not there in the morning (I had to drop off my daughters school bag).

I live in Maryborough and she has moved to Brisbane, around 350km away as the crow flies.

If I've forgotten something let me know, Thank you

Answer:
 Get a lawyer.

In the US at least, if there is no specific custody agreement, this would be considered legal.  However, if you are designated as primary caregiver, it may not be in Australia.

If she returns the children on Sunday, presumably she is still within the agreement, though so don't make accusations.


Title: (FL) Girlfriend is breeding burmese pythons.

Question:
(I got suggested to post here from the relationship forum)

We live in Florida, if you didn't know Burmese pythons are an invasive species. It's an environmental problem everyone who lives here knows about. They eat pretty much everything.

So my gf loves reptiles. I'm totally cool with this, we even have a few pet snakes two turtles and a lizard between us. I found out today that her love of reptiles has lead her to be working, with a few other people who share the hobby, creating basically a "breeding ground" for burmese pythons. Two of those guys each had one as a pet and the group thought it would be cool so decided to breed them someone's backyard that's in swamp land. They're bringing the babies out to the swamp to let them go in the wild.

She's been involved in this for about a year. There's been dozens of snakes the group has released.

I'd like to get an idea of how much trouble she'd get in if it was found out? Is this breaking any law?

Answer:
 Looks like there are [three](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0379/Sections/0379.372.html) [related](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0379/Sections/0379.305.html) [statutes](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0379/Sections/0379.231.html), both level 1 misdemeanors, but which also revoke all animal permits and fishing/hunting licenses.

I just dont really get why. Selling, sure. Just breeding them and releasing them to be dicks? What's up with that?

The statute also allows for civil penalties (a bunch of fines).Answer #2: She would get in a shit ton of trouble plus be fined. Shes puprpsorly introducing a invasive species that kills alligators deers peoples pets etc.  At this point if you know about it and haven't reported it you can be held as a accomplice. If you have a shred of decency in you you need to let her know that that needs to stop or she will be reported to the authorities Answer #3: You need to put and end to this.  You're better off in life without this knucklehead. Call your local Fish/Wildlife agency.Answer #4: WTF? Does she not see the news of what these snakes are doing to the native species in Florida already? If she wanted to do "good" she could get training and work with the natural reptiles in Florida  to help repopulate. She is only making that area worse for a Fucking thill. These people may get in major trouble for doing this, breeding and releasing a non-native species to be jerks. People get fined for releasing 1 pet snake out. Save your skin and get away from this trainwreck of a human.


Title: [IL] Can an employer require "professional development" outside of work hours without pay?

Question:
Hi all! I'm posting a question here for my mom. I was discussing her new job with her last night, and one aspect of it seems a bit...fishy. Now I'm not too familiar with employment law, so hopefully someone here can help clear things up before I tell her to go call an actual lawyer. For all I know this could be sketchy but still technically a legal practice. She is nonexempt and paid hourly, employed part-time. As far as I can tell looking at her pay stub, there are income tax withholdings so she is a W2 employee and not a 1099 contractor. If it changes anything, the employer is a tax-exempt church or religious organization.

The fishy thing is a required 15 hours of "professional development" classes and seminars and such employees have to complete per year. Some of these are offered by the church itself and take place at the workplace, and some can be taken at outside providers. The classes are required to maintain employment, but they do not pay her hourly wage for time spent on this required professional development. Something just seems kind of fishy when she stays late at work, off the clock, to attend some kind of seminar they're having that counts toward this "professional development" requirement.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 Seems like the kind of situation that 5 C.F.R. 551.423 was intended to address  Per the FLSA:

>(2) Time spent in training outside regular working hours shall be considered hours of work if:

>(i) The employee is directed to participate in the training by his or her employing agency; and

>(ii) The purpose of the training is to improve the employee's performance of the duties and responsibilities of his or her current position.

Additional useful info can be found by reading the whole thing. http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/5/551.423

Based on your description, sounds like there's an argument she should be getting paid. I'd like to know more about how it was conveyed that this training was required and what the consequences are for not doing it though.

Answer #2: Does her job require any sort of professional license or certification that needs to be maintained?


Title: Employer not paying overtime unsure if it is illegal or not

Question: Currently I am working for lawn care company in Illinois, we are paid on a production percentage (9-12% of what the customer pays for each service so if the service is $100 I get $12) whenever we ask about pay, our boss always says that everything is “calculated into the percentage we get.” I’m thinking that it is illegal. On average we work 50+ hours a week and don’t get any overtime pay. From what information I’ve read on it we should be getting overtime, does anyone know if production pay is exempt from overtime pay?

Answer:
 The only exemptions in Illinois from the OT law are Executive, Administrative, professional, computer, and outside sales.

https://www2.illinois.gov/idol/Laws-Rules/FLS/Pages/Chart.aspx

You do manual labor and fit into none of these categories, and should be paid overtime.

https://www2.illinois.gov/idol/FAQs/Pages/minimum-wage-overtime-faq.aspx


Title: I was playing professional hockey when a certain play herniated a disc in my neck ("massive"). It had pinned my spinal cord against the other side of the cavity.

Question:
I lost feeling in my left arm and anything that came in contact with head I crumpled in agony.

Long story short I was cleared to play by our team doctor a documented five times. I played through the pain and was at "extreme" risk of being permenantly paralyzed. Finally demanded an MRI after a month of playing every second night to find it.

The doctor still practices for the team and my career is over.

Can I do anything?

Answer: I believe the statute of limitations on medical malpractice in PA is two years. But there are sometimes ways to extend the time for filing a lawsuit. You should contact a PI attorney in PA for a consultation ASAP.


Title: This link recent reached the front page from /r/technology. Can anyone confirm this?

Question:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/jailbreaking-iphone-rooting-android-does-not-void-warranty

I assume this is only America. It could be a global issue though seeing as it regards mobile phone technology.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: It's true, it does not void the warrant despite what they say.  The problem is, they don't have to honor that and it would require you to sue them, likely in a class action suit, that will take years of litigation and cost just to recoup a small amount of money - not tens of millions like say a wrongful death suit.  So the cost vs. reward is very low and that's how they get away with it.


Title: I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle. Her insurance company/collection agency is trying to get the money from me for the damages.

Question:
*I fully recognize that no advice I receive here should be taken as actual legal advice. *

So November last year, I was riding my bicycle to work. I was traveling opposite direction of this woman. She was stopped in a left-hand turn lane and then proceeded to take a left turn in front of me into a parking lot. I couldn't stop fast enough, and slammed into the side of the bed of her truck. Two police officers were at the scene, as well as another woman who said she was a witness. However, I was in such high emotional distress, that no police report was filed by me.

That same day, I filed a claim with my insurance company. They got back to me and told me that they don't cover any damages because I was riding a bicycle.

I am now receiving a letter from a collection agency on behalf of this other woman's insurance company saying that I am liable for about $2,600 of damages. I did not receive any letters prior to this from either insurance company. This is the first I am hearing about it.

I have contacted her insurance company and gave them a statement. They said all they can do right now is reopen it for investigation and get back to me.

So those are the facts of where I am right now, and now for my own personal commentary on the situation: The moment I was hit, the driver got out and without even asking if I was alright, started yelling at me that I had to pay for the damages. I was just hit by a car! I slammed my sternum into my left handlebar, and so was assessing my own injuries. I didn't even see the dent I had made into the *side* of the bed of her F150 (again, remember how I was on a *bicycle*?). I was so scared and was on the ground sobbing while she was yelling at me. At some point, an officer appeared and so did another woman claiming to have seen what happened. The first officer calmed me down a little bit, but then he eventually said he was leaving and he had called another officer to come to the scene, and then he left. He asked if I wanted to call an ambulance, but I said no because I didn't want to go to the hospital. I honestly didn't know how injured I was at the time (adrenaline and all), so I didn't want to have to then pay for this woman's car and a hospital bill I couldn't afford. So I said no. I was out of work for the next 3 days though, because I was in so much pain; I had bruised my sternum. He also then asked if I wanted to file a police report. I was so upset, and so scared, and thought that I was in trouble here, so I again said no. This woman was seriously terrifying me about having to pay for her car. I just wanted to get away. So I managed to ride back home and immediately called my insurance company to file my claim.

Oh, and also, I'm a petite woman at 5'2" and 110 lbs. I don't know how I was able to, from that small dent, cause over $2,600 worth of damage. Yes, there was a visible dent, but it was the bed of her *truck*. It's not like I broke windows or bent her door or something. I'm just extremely stressed out about all of this and I can't stop worrying about it. There's nothing I can do at the moment. I just have to wait for her insurance company to get back to me.

Edit: [Here is a ms paint rendition of the incident with google maps.](http://i.imgur.com/71xTwYa.jpg) This is not a lighted intersection, and there are no stop signs, nor any yield signs.

Answer:
 "Left turn must yield to oncoming traffic" is the rule unless there was a signal expressly granting right of way.  If you were in the roadway proper - fault would be 100% hers.

Being on the sidewalk makes things more nebulous and I'm not clear on how that works.  What I would tell her insurance company is that she was not struck in the rear end - she was struck in the side after failing to yield to oncoming traffic.  The right of way was yours.  See if that makes them go away.  Photos of the damage will back you up.  Avoid any talk of "rear" and make it clear - she cut you off and you, being both surprised and unable to stop, collided with the side of the vehicle she placed directly in front of you.Answer #2: > Yes, there was a visible dent, but it was the bed of her truck.

Well, that's good, because the law says that you can do as much damage to a truck as you want and you never have to pay for it.  /s

If you're at fault, you owe for damages.  $2600 may be too much, it may be right on.  You should ask to see estimates.  You can also challenge your liability - your narrative doesn't make fault clear.  Did she have a green arrow or something similar?


Title: [CA] My girlfriend was in an accident a few weeks ago where another driver pulled in front of her on the highway. The other driver lied about what happened to her insurance and they are only accepting 10% responsibility. What are our options?

Question:
As said above My girlfriend was involved in an accident a few weeks ago. Me, a friend of mine, and her were all in the car. She was driving. This was in a rental car as my Girlfriend is in the US as part of her University studies from a foreign country. The rental apparently only has minimal insurance, enough to cover damage to the car itself, but not to damage done to third parties. (which i didn't think as possible)

Anyways, the event.

We made a lane change in heavy traffic and as we were finishing the change the other driver attempted to get over as well. The cars hit and scraped a bit. There was minimal damage to our car and a fair amount of damage to the other drivers. No one was injured, we pulled off exchanged information, took photos of everything that happened and went on our way. The cops were not called for a report. (looking back I realize this was a mistake) It is important to note that the woman who pulled in front of us was on her cell phone talking to who we discovered to be her Fiance when she pulled in front of us.

Last week my girlfriend got a call from Geico asking for her statement of the accident. after some bizarre back and forth's and strange questions Geico came back and said that their party would only accept 10% responsibility. Further more, the woman denies that she was on her cell phone while driving.

What our our options legally from this point? We dont agree with Geico's assessment but have no idea what avenues to pursue to challenge this. We also want to set the record straight about the woman talking on her cellphone if possible.

Expanding from this, my Girlfriend is not a US citizen, and we are both poor college students. If we have to accept the 10% responsibility what does that mean for us, and are there any services we can contact to help us?

Thanks for reading.

Answer: She was basically without liability insurance?  She can be responsible for all damages the other side can prove.