Title: (Florida) A former friend wants to sue me because I didn't help her during a bar fight.

Question:
She's a UK citizen, she was here visiting her cousins and stopped by to spend a week with me.

We went out for drinks and she started to mouth off about how terrible America is , how stupid she thinks we are, etc. A larger woman walks up and punches her in the head then walks away. My former friend yelled at me to "get her", I did not follow the larger woman out of the bar or attempt in engage her in any way.

I called an ambulance and waited with her till it arrived. I helped her book her flight back to her cousins house and she left two days after she was punched.

She called me from her cousins place(still in Florida) and says that she spoke to a lawyer and she's thinking of sueing me for "not protecting her or helping her". I did help her I called an ambulance, I wasn't about to go out an pick a fight with someone much larger than me that could be armed.

What are the chances of a judge listening to her? Since she's not a citizen or even a resident does that change anything?

Answer:
 You can tell your former friend to go kick rocks. You have no duty to defend someone else. Answer #2: >she's thinking of sueing me for "not protecting her or helping her"

Awfully American of her.Answer #3: "See you in court." She can fly back from the UK for itAnswer #4: Of course if you get served you should contact a lawyer and take it seriously (not that I think she would have any chance of actually winning). Until that happens I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

But no, nowhere in the US is there a law that says you are required to chase down an attacker after witnessing an assault.

On a more personal note, if she ever does bring it up again, be sure to remind her that frivolous lawsuits are distinctly American and that she's picking up the local culture quite nicely.Answer #5: I guarantee you she didnt speak to a real lawyerAnswer #6: She has no case - you don't have a duty to protect her or to pursue the attacker. You did well to call for help.Answer #7: The *cops* aren't even legally obligated to protect any given person, just to clean up the mess after. Your friend can sue you all she wants, but she'll lose.


Title: Do California cities have any obligation to inform the public of non-obvious traffic laws?

Question:
I received a ticket for a u-turn in an area where it was completely unclear that a u-turn might be illegal(I see people perform u-turns there all the time, and there's absolutely no signage or anything concerning it). Apparently, according to the officer, you can only do them in residential areas, which is something I've never heard of in 15 years and close to a million miles behind the wheel. The area in question was mixed residential and business. He also mentioned he pulls people over for it all the time, so there's a clear lack of communication to the public here.

"Ignorance is no excuse" is a common mantra in the legal system, which is absolute bullshit considering it's quite literally impossible to memorize the over 14 million laws that exist in this country. Is there any recourse considering the city's failure to provide reasonable signage?

It's one thing to be fined for breaking a posted law, but it's quite frustrating to be fined for things you didn't even know existed.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 I mean... they absolutely can expect you to know the law, since it's in the [California Driver Handbook](http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/turns.htm). That's the point of putting drivers through a licensing process; so that they read these things.

And yes, ignorance is no excuse on this.


Title: Just how much trouble could I get in if I had my friend store me in stow away luggage for an international flight?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 You'd probably die.

It'd also be illegal for a number of reasons.Answer #2: Well, your friend would probably go away for manslaughter (or worse), and you'd probably be dead, because luggage isn't kept in pressurized compartments and you wouldn't be able to get much air at 36,000 feet.  If you didn't get hypoxia, the radiation from the x-rays you went through before the luggage was stowed would probably give you a nasty form of cancer down the road anyway.

And if you were caught before you made it onto the plane (which you probably would have been and is the best-case scenario here) you'd be facing federal criminal charges.Answer #3: You will get caught at the airport scanners and never get on a plane. Are you trying to flee a country?


Title: Brand new remodeled home, purchased three days ago. Sewer isn’t connected to the main line - seller lied on disclosure report. What can we do? AZ

Question:
Hello humans,

My fiancé and I purchased our first home on Thursday. We basically got the keys and went back to our old place to finish packing that night. In the morning, we came by to start unpacking. Fiancé did #2 in the master bath, it struggled to go down, but it made it. Couple hours later, we flushed the toilet in the brand new half bath that shares a wall with the master. We here a “glug glug” from the master, run in and see shit water coming up from the toilet and shower. Fuck.

Call a plumber, he’s here in 20 minutes. Tries to unclog through the master toilet but no luck. “Don’t worry,” he says, “I’ll come out tomorrow with better equipment and it’ll be clear in a few minutes”. Okay, great.

He comes back on Saturday morning, tries to auger through the master toilet to get to the main drain. The auger comes up through the toilet in the half bath, and shatters through the bowl. The plumber is horrified. That is NOT how a sewer system is supposed to be connected.

He tries to go in through the roof, but the main vent isn’t connected/completely blocked. This vent is also not the appropriate size to handle the kitchen sink, half bath, master double vanity, master toilet, and shower (and possibly the washing machine?). Again, shitty.

There are no clear outs that are accessed so now it looks like we have to destroy the concrete in the driveway to access the main line. The plumber left Saturday night after working for hours and basically left it as “don’t use your toilets, shower, or kitchen sink. I’ll talk with my manager and get back to you Monday.”

This house is otherwise brand fucking new. The plumber who did the inspection found nothing wrong, but the plumber who was helping us this weekend slightly admitted that he definitely fucked up (they’re with the same company so he can’t talk shit about him). We dug up the inspection report and he didn’t even put his name on it.

On the seller disclosure report, the seller wrote that the sewer is “new”, nothing else describing it. On the last page, he marked “no” to “are you aware of any repairs/changes made to the sewer system?”. He marked “yes - 6 months ago” to “has the sewer system been inspected by a licensed inspector?”.

What can we do? This could easily be $10,000+.  Can we go after the seller? The plumbing company? If we knew about these problems obviously we wouldn’t have bought the house.

TL/DR: sewer system in this brand new remodel is completely fucked. Can we go after the seller for lying on the seller disclosure form? Or the plumber for an inaccurate inspection?

Thank you so much! We literally want to cry over this right now.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Im not a lawyer, just a licensed master plumber.
 It sounds like you just have a bad main line clog. A drain cable can go the wrong way when it's used on back to back toilets. The toilets are most likely connected on a double Wye fitting, which will allow a cable to go up the wrong way. The company you have out there sounds like a bunch of amateurs. You should call a company that specializes in drain cleaning, not roto rooter or Mr. Rooter. Stay away from the big national franchises, the techs they send out get paid mostly commission. Sometimes it's 50% of the job.
Call a local plumbing company the does NOT do drain cleaning and ask them for a referral
You need to have the drains camera inspected and make sure to get a copy of the video.
It's very unlikely that sewer is not connected. I know you probably feel comfortable with the plumber you're already using, but it's time to call in someone else. Find out what's going on with your drains then worry about going after the seller.


Title: I have reason to believe that our apartment building was not built to IBC code for noise isolation between units

Question:
This is sort of an extension on my other post I wrote asking for help on the possibility that my wife and I may be getting evicted from our home.

Yesterday I called the municipality and talked to the building inspector for our town. He knew exactly where we lived and said he would have no doubts the building would fail and not meet code if a sounds transmission class and impact insulation test was done to field test the construction. These tests show whether or not the building meets code, however from my understanding they are not required tests prior to construction and most of the time the architects plans are enough to satisfy the code is met. I have a few other data points as well that point to this being an actual building issue.

My question now. Is there anyway I can require my apartment complex to complete these tests? From my understanding I would have to pay for these out of pocket. They look to be about $2000 so I really don't want to do that...

Edit: This is in New Jersey

Answer:
 Getting these tests done won't prevent your eviction, regardless of outcome.

No, you can't force them to do these tests.  The building inspector maybe could, but you can't.


Title: Bought a car as is, and...

Question:
So I bought a car as is, and I'm pretty sure that's where most people can stop reading and tell me that I have to suck it up and live with what I bought.

Here's the specifics though:
Was looking for a car near chicago, found a dealer selling one on craigslist

I was given carfax by the dealer salesman stating the car had never been in an accident, and the salesman verbally guaranteed the history of the car (which means shit-all legally, I'm sure)

Being a scrub, I checked the car out myself (no mechanic) and bought it as is

4 months later, I get it checked out for a small problem and it turns out the car had been in a MAJOR accident, and fixed on the cheap. Two separate mechanics have independently implied that even being sold as is, this car could not legally have been sold by a dealer, as it was not road worthy.

Now I'm looking at a $3k fixer for a $4k car.

My question is, do I have any likely options? I have yet to contact the dealership. I want to demand they pay for the repairs, but I doubt I have the leverage to do so.

Answer:
 > Two separate mechanics have independently implied that even being sold as is, this car could not legally have been sold by a dealer, as it was not road worthy.

Two separate mechanics have perfectly illustrated why they are mechanics and not lawyers.

Carfax is not a guarantee; it is informational only and, if you read the report closely, it does not claim perfect accuracy.  It only reports information that is either public record or that has been voluntarily disclosed to Carfax.

While your situation sucks, there really isn't any recourse you have.  A dealer isn't going to do a complete check through of a $4k car; if it looks OK and drives OK and has a "clean" Carfax, they're going to assume it's OK. Obviously the car drove and looked OK since you test drive it and didn't note any issues.  The most you can do is remember this the next time you are looking at cars and have a mechanic check it for you before buying.


Title: Thinking of filing a civil suit for emotional distress. Opinions? Worth my time?

Question:
I work in retail and had this experience with a customer.

Customer was unhappy with products and wanted a refund, which we don't do. We only do exchanges. He's visibly angry and wants to speak to my manager, so I call my manager on my phone, tell him I have a customer who wants to speak to him and hand customer my phone.

Customer argues with my manager, telling him "he'll be sorry" if he doesn't get a refund, saying he's going to tell Guest Services at the mall as well as call the BBB and *stand by the cart every time he comes to this mall and tell people how much we suck*

My manager wouldn't budge (he later told me he wouldn't because the guy was being a dick) and the guy becomes increasingly angry. I have been silent this whole time, sitting in front of the work computer with a pit in my stomach, pretending not to exist.

Eventually the guy becomes so enraged that he *forcefully throws my phone at my work computer/at me* and storms off. I immediately go to the neighboring kiosk and ask him to call security (I didn't have the number on hand). My manager called me to make sure I was okay and told me he'd called security. Security arrived shortly, asked for a description and for my name, and left. (This was earlier today and I'm still at work so I haven't seen him again since)

I have anxiety and this ordeal triggered an anxiety attack, where I had to step away from the kiosk for about 30 minutes before I felt okay to go back to work. I'm still visibly shakey and not doing well. If there's no legal recourse for this guy, is there any way I could file a suit? I don't want money I just want him to see some kind of ramifications for his actions. I live in California. My phone isn't damaged but if I didn't have a case I wouldn't be surprised if it would have been. The man was also with his wife and children, if that matters.

**TL;DR Customer gets pissed at me, employee, because I won't give him a refund (store policy). Talks to my manager on my phone, gets angrier, threatens to deter other customers from buying, gets angrier, chucks my phone at computer/me and storms off. I get an anxiety attack but my phone is, luckily, okay. Security was called, awaiting news, looking for advice on possible civil suit**

EDIT: I don't want to come off as an overly sensitive twat over this. It's more just about wanting an asshole to get his comeuppance. This is not necessarily directed toward you, but a lot of people are saying things like "Get a thicker skin" or the like and this isn't about me being upset. This is about an asshole continuing to be an asshole and get his way and my not wanting to just sit and take it.

EDIT 2: I am being downvoted for my responses, but I have the answer I was looking for so there is no need to continue telling me there's no law against being an asshole. I get it now. That's all I wanted to know. Thank you.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 There is no law requiring people to be nice.  In fact, "customers are assholes" is sort of the mantra of Retail Life.

  May I suggest http://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail instead?
Answer #2: You need a thick skin to work retail in a mall. Answer #3: No. Unless you were physically injured (hospital, surgeries, stitches or broken bones, 18 months of physical therapy, etc.) there is no way you'll be awarded in civil court for 'emotional distress'.

You get 'pain and suffering' compensation for actual, physical pain. Of course you *can* try to sue, but the judge will probably take one look and dismiss it. You won't even get recompensed for the three days you're going to take off from work to recover from the ordeal.

Because really, think about it, that's a really hard thing to prove. You took three days off from work? How does anyone know you just didn't stay home to watch Opera or play video games? You had to take a few extra xanax? Prove it.

What's to stop anyone from claiming 'emotional distress' every time someone cuts you off in traffic, or a bus driver sees you but doesn't stop? If it's not seriously enough to spend big bucks on a lawyer and expert witnesses, it's not that serious.

I get it, you're mad, and you want him to pay for what he did to you. But here's a good rule of thumb: Do a free consult with a personal injury lawyer. Those guys have an unerring nose for a winning lawsuit. If they won't take your case *on contingency*, you have no case.


Title: Grandma with mental illness signed reverse mortgage, HELP!

Question:
I don’t know all of the details, but I will do my best to explain this.
Grandma is 93, a few months ago the doctors had her on a bunch of different medications that made her suicidal, and gave her audible hallucinations, she was delirious. During this time, her son got her to sign a reverse mortgage. After a few incidents, (cops being called on grandma for her safety) she was moved into a nursing home.. and this was not long after she signed the documents to get a reverse mortgage. Here is the f***** up part. Her son is taking all of the money from the reverse mortgage, grandma doesn’t see any of it. In fact, grandma has no idea that she is about to lose her home. I am not a lawyer, but none of this seems remotely legal. And the family is in a rough spot, how do you tell a 93 year old that her son is screwing her over without her having another emotional breakdown?

What can I do about this? I want to get in contact with a lawyer, or two, but I am not sure which direction to go from here. What I am asking is for any advice, and what type of law we need to look into.

Thank you!

We are located in California

Answer:
 > what type of law we need to look into.

A lawyer that deals in estate planning, or the aftermath of having no estate plan.

Initial consultation with lawyer should be no charge.  This will be your chance to explain your problem to lawyer and him to do a sales job on his services.  Basically a job interview for the lawyer.  You can interview a couple this way before you hire one.


Title: Recovery meetings

Question: I have been forced to attend 3 recovery support meetings per week by an addictions doctor and enforced by my employer. I understand that they can make me go to meetings but they cannot make me attend AA. AA is religious and I am not. I don't mind going to Life ring meetings along with SMART but their availability in my area is not great. So I suffer through AA most of the time instead of drive 45 or an hour to attend non religious meetings. Thus I feel I am de facto forced to AA. Also I am in Canada so US precedent doesn't apply to me

Answer:
 They aren't forcing you to go to AA, you are choosing not to drive the further distance to the secular meetings.

Answer #2: Your employer can't force you to do anything. What they can (probably) do is legally fire you if you refuse.


Title: Cops cited store security with aggravated assualt

Question: I was walking out with merchandise in my hand. I past the last point of sale but did not exit the building, three security guards tackle me then two grab my arms while the third chocks me out and I'm begging for my life this happens for about two or three minutes. When the cops come and review the footage the one who chocked me out is cited for aggravated assualt. Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 If you incur medical expenses as a result of thier neglegence you can demand they pay for them.

It doesn't sound like you plan on going to the doctor or need to, so move on with your life.


Title: Friends Ex opening credit cards and spent $25,000 under a credit card opened in her name.

Question:
My friend is in the process of getting a divorce. My friend moved back home in the mean time.

Her ex lives in Florida. She lives in NYC. He has been opening credit cards in her name and so far has spent more than $25,000 under her name. The ex has stopped all communication with her.

What are the next steps.

Thank you.

Answer: [Run through r/personalfinance's identity theft article](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/identity_theft). The important steps are outlined there. Because this is happening in the context of a divorce, your friend should also speak to her divorce attorney about any additional steps to take.


Title: Unhinged Neighbors and Trespassing (also tree damage!) - Help (VA)

Question:
Hey there! Throwaway, of course, because little bro reddits and I'm not giving up my real account. (Hi, D!)

I own my own home in small town Virginia and I've got a big problem with a neighbor who is renting the property next door.

A little backstory. We bought this place about a year ago and met the neighbors soon after. One side is a lovely young lady who works in some government capacity and is never home. The best neighbor. The other side, though, is quickly becoming a nightmare. Nightmare lady is home all the time. Her husband is a trucker who is gone for weeks at a time. I've met him a handful of times and he seems...off. I witnessed her lying right in front of him and he just puts on a shit eating grin and nods along. Whatever. So it's her that I'm dealing with. Her and her dog.

When we first met her, she seemed pleasant enough. A little more talkative than I'd be with someone I just met but whatever. (This has now turned into hours-at-a-time instances of listening to her rant about people stealing things out of her yard, conspiracy theories, her self-diagnoses of many different mental illnesses, her Christianity, how she's not afraid of anyone because she has a gun, and her landlord.) Her dog is friendly enough, but it's now constantly coming into our yard as soon as we come outside. The dog is enormous, smells awful, has fleas, and doesn't know to not jump on people. We've talked to her over and over about not letting the dog over.

Things are starting to become more shitty.

She asked us once about taking a bit of wire off of the old fence between the properties for an art project. We said okay, and now there's a huge hole where her dog comes over. Not cool. We've now had fleas brought inside the house and have spent additional $$$ treating our house and our three cats.

Two weeks ago she spent four hours outside our living room windows, grunting and talking to herself. We paid no attention. The next day, she banged on the door and insisted that we come outside because she had something to show us. She'd cleaned out an entire flower bed - weeds and planted stuff - and then said "I was thinking about planting something there". That was our flowerbed. It's right up against the house.  I stammered out a "Uh, thanks, but please don't do that again. We actually have lawn care that comes and takes care of that stuff. And no, we don't want you planting things there." That same day, she also asked if she could mix up some extra cement she had laying around and cement our mailbox in. I told her "No...it's a temporary mailbox until I find one that I really like. That's why it's not cemented in." I've told her this before. This is when she walked me down there and said she'd "just noticed" that the mailbox was hanging off of the post and that the door wasn't closing. WTF? We'd gotten the mail that afternoon and it wasn't like that. She has a history of ruining things so that she can fix them in the way that she likes. I don't have proof, of course, but I strongly suspect she did the damage.

A week later, I come home from running errands and she's cleaned out the second flower bed on the same side of the house, and was hacking at/removing the tree roots of one of my trees. She claims she was tripping on it. (She wouldn't trip on it if she stayed out of my yard...). I was aghast! I don't know much about trees, but I'm pretty sure that hacking out the roots causes...death? Again, I said that wasn't asked for and I didn't want them touching that tree. Her husband said something about not touching it, because I'd notice a chainsaw if he was and that the tree was diseased and needed to come down. They've been after me since we moved in to pay for a survey, put up a fence ON the line (as opposed to offset on our side), tear down the row of trees, and they've graciously offered to pay for half of the fence so long as it's a "ranch style barb wired fence". Um, no.

This woman has come over in a panic because she swears people are stealing bolts out of her lawn equipment, stalking her from across the street, prancing around in her backyard "meowing" at her to "lure" her back there. She corners my kids and tells them how she's OCD, NPD, ADD, and "in general mentally ill". No shit. Honestly, I think she might be a paranoid schizophrenic.

She's now threatening/suggesting that she'd like to come over and fill in some of the masonry on my house. I've told her emphatically "NO" but I don't trust that she won't. I have outside cameras ordered. I have pictures taken of the outside of the house, especially on the side next to hers. I have multiple calls out to surveyors for someone to come ASAP and find my property markers so I can literally mark the boundaries. The town manager is calling me on Monday to let me know if a privacy fence can be put up. I have plans to speak to her landlord first thing on Monday and if she touches anything this weekend, as I fear, I will be calling the town police.

My thoughts so far are to go through both the town police and the landlord. Reporting any trespassing and dog issues to the police, while sending a courtesy letter to the landlord at the same time. My hope is that the landlord gives them 30 days to find someplace else.

Guys, what else can I do? A "No Trespassing" sign? Should I speak to her landlord in person, or just mail them a letter as a "courtesy" before speaking to the police? Should I mention to the landlord my concerns about her mental health? How can I avoid a legal battle? For those of you here who are landlords, what could I say (truthfully) about this situation that would make you want to end your month-to-month lease with a tenant like this? What should I do about the tree?

Thanks!

Answer:
 >She asked us once about taking a bit of wire off of the old fence between the properties for an art project. We said okay, and now there's a huge hole where her dog comes over. Not cool.

No, it's not cool. Why on earth did you agree to allow her to remove wire that would leave a hole in the fence? Your approach with her seems somewhat passive.

Contact the owner and tell them to rein their tenant in. File a police report for the prior trespassing and damage to the yard, call the police if she trespasses again. You are welcome to post a "no trespassing" sign, but verbally telling her she's trespassing has the same legal affect. Answer #2:  "they've graciously offered to pay for half of the fence "

Either they are planning to stay for a LONG LONG time or they are lying. Renters don't usually pay for fences.


Title: (Canada/BC) How to separate my mentally unstable son from his gun?

Question:
We live in BC, our son got his gun license a couple of years ago and owns at least a rifle/semi-automatic gun(?). My husband and I never really cared about guns and gun control but our son's behaviour in the recent years is alarming. He has always had some behaviour issues but my husband always attributed to "boys being boys".

Incident 1: Son dented our daughter's boyfriend's car. Boyfriend asks for money for repairs. Son gets into an argument with our daughter's boyfriend and takes out a knife as if to show D's boyfriend that he is armed. Not menacingly, but definitely looking not very stable. D's boyfriend tells our son to stop and D and BF begins to leave and walk to their car parked on the side of the street. Son takes out his gun (without his magazine) and follows them out to the car. Again, not menacingly but definitely "showing it off" to threaten D's boyfriend. Our son tells the police that he thought that everything up to the street was part of our house and is private property so he can take his gun wherever he wanted. Police check for his license and tell him that the sidewalk and street are public areas.

Incident 2: Son moves out and shares a place with his friend off-campus (friend's parents are our friends). I've visited sometimes and sometimes when I'm waiting outside, I talk to some of his neighbours and they tell me of his loud partying, fights during their parties, garbage on other people's property, and communal property damage. He broke a window in the common room and an elderly man down the hall told me that my son and his friends would purposely park underneath his window and turn up their stereo after midnight.

I should add that I always try to talk to my son and get him help. My husband is more "neutral". Our son either just does not listen or just blocks all contact with us.

Incident 3: Son's friend's parents wants our son to move out but are willing to allow our son to stay as long as he removes his gun. Son now takes his rage out on them. This is where our son might have some mental issues: whenever the parents are visiting, our son would go out and park his car so close to their car that they wouldn't be able to open their door; he constantly makes rude remarks to the mother; as son's roommate was packing, son would take things out of the boxes and throw it in the garbage and stand in front of the garbage bin to block friend/friend's parents from retrieving, in front of everyone; and as their son was moving out, he would keep body blocking the father holding boxes walking to the car.

Incident 4: Son moves in with cousin, now they both live in a strata building. Same issues: noise, property damage, violating rules. Cousin says that they have found several communal property items in the garbage bins.

I don't think this is immaturity. Our son is 21. He has held a job before. **Considering that I've seen so many of his mental lapses, even as his mother, it seems like he really enjoys violating rules and particularly property damage, and he really enjoys bullying others.** The few times he's visited us in our house, the simplest things like asking him to lock the door, he would not do. I would walk to our door to lock it, he would come after me and unlock it and smile at me.

I know a lot of his issues does not necessarily imply he is dangerous with a gun but he has a lot of mental issues. Son keeps saying he likes to be the bully and other really incoherent things. Husband does not want him to get tested and is on his side. **Our daughter's boyfriend was the only one who stood up to him over property damage and repairs and my son pulls out a gun.**

**Is there a way we can get his gun taken away? Counselling?**

**TL;DR: Son has mental issues, continuous property damage, and owns a gun. I want to help him but husband is more neutral. We are in British Columbia, Canada.**

Answer:
 If you truly, genuinely believe that your son may pose an immediate threat to himself or others, you need to communicate that to the police. If they share your concerns, they can detain him and bring him to a doctor to obtain a medical certificate for involuntary detention at a mental health facility for 48 hours.

This recourse is only for emergencies.

The other option is to get the certificate without the police. that's all covered in the source material I used [Here](http://cbabc.org/For-the-Public/Dial-A-Law/Scripts/Health-Law/425)Answer #2: I was ALWAYS taught that if I was pulling my gun out infront of anybody I better be prepared to shoot them for a fucking good reason, because that's not something you do lightly.

Your son is terrorising people. You need to stop this facade of "not menacing". Pulling out a weapon, knife or firearm, loaded or not, with or without the intention of using it IS MENACING.

You need to report this to the police and mention his mental health. Say you're concerned about people around him including yourself. Answer #3: The "not menacingly" is a we bit troubling. If someone is in an argument and shows a knife. That's menace. A gun? That's menace, too.

I hope you are able to get him the help he needs, soon.

You and other family members should consider further distancing yourself from him.


Title: Wage garnishment advice

Question: Ok, so I fucked up. Got some furniture from a local store and financed it through synchrony bank. Ended up losing my job that I was making great money at and I couldn’t afford it and basically just didn’t pay it. Feel free to judge me. Went to collections and eventually had a default judgement in my state of Kentucky where wage garnishment was issued towards me.  They are stating they will take $217.50 weekly which is 75% of my weekly income. I have 2 children and I cannot afford that I can’t pay for my children’s diapers and food and survive on $60 a week. Looking back at it I know I’m not in the right I should have acted on it and found a way to work something out with the company or even debt collection agency. I have the law firms number that are going to attempt to garnish my wages. I’m skeptical of calling them to see if I can work anything out with them and I’m aware of filing bankruptcy to stop it as well. Looking for other options if possible. They haven’t garnished any wages yet I just don’t know what my steps should be at this point. Any and all ideas welcome and you can call me a dumbass if you like. I in fact am one. Thanks.

Answer:
 You need to provide a location. In the US there is generally a limit of 25% of disposable pay which is gross pay minus taxes. This is lower if you make close to minimum wage. Answer #2: I believe you are misreading the garnishment form. I believe the $217.50 is the minimum weekly wage protected before the garnishment can take effect. In Kentucky the maximum garnishment is 25% of your gross wages but never to drop you below $217.50 (30 hours a week at federal minimum wage).Answer #3: Go and challenge the garnishment by going to the court that issue the garnishment. Talk to the clerks for the proper forms. If your after-tax income is $277.50, you should be only garnish $60.

Also, you can contact the collection agency to setup a different payment plan.


Title: Purchased a home with a foundation issue. The seller was less than honest in disclosures.

Question:
Hi all, I'll try and keep it short and to the point, but happy to give more details if needed.

Basically I purchased a home this last month. Leading up to the purchase everything was going well except for one issue with the foundation (crawl space).

The seller disclosed on the listing that water gets into the crawl space during "heavy rains". During the inspection we noted vast pools of standing water which were flagged as a "Must fix". We requested that an inspection be done by a very reputable company that I will refer to as Company 1.

Scheduling complications meant that Company 1 would not be able to complete an inspection in the near future, but we found two other companies with no reason to question their credentials. Both companies surveyed the crawl space and presented identical proposals for sump pumps at a cost of $4000.

The seller was willing to concede the $4000 so we moved forward with closing with a plan to get the crawl space repaired with those funds.

Fast forward to this week. I had scheduled an inspector from Company 1 to come out and inspect the crawl space. I figured I might as well get the best in the business perform the work. When the inspector arrived I was shocked to learn that he already had a quote and inspection report on file for my home. Come to find out that the previous owner had in fact already had Company 1 inspect the crawl space last April. When they visited last year they measured dangerous humidity levels in the crawlspace and informed the owner that sump pumps would not fix the issue. The only remedy is to waterproof the crawlspace and the proposal for that project? $17,000.

The inspector shared with me dozens of photographs and readings of humidity and moisture in the crawl space. The moisture is in the wood and well above safe levels for lumber framing. The inspector claims that sump pumps will remove the water, but that the real danger is humidity leading to mold and damage to the hardwood floors inside. He also says that the lack of insulation means that the floors will be ice cold in the winter. Turns out that the previous owner had also complained about that issue to Company 1. They have all of this documented with her name and address.

So my question is how screwed am I?

I shared the information with my agent who is livid on my behalf and will be seeking legal advice this week but I'm curious about anyone with experience with disclosure issues. I am assuming that I have no legal recourse against the seller because at the end of the day I signed off on the bad proposal and concession. But the seller blatantly suppressed information regarding an inspection of the crawlspace and safety issues brought to her attention. She even claimed that she had no idea that water in a crawlspace is a hazard. Did she have any legal obligation to share that information with me?

Thank you so much for any information, advice, or feedback!

Edit: Location is Michigan

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, a real estate agent. This reads just like a typical legal ethics education horror story. The owner had information about a defect in the home that they did not disclose, that is a misrepresentation of the home's condition.

Contact a real estate attorney. The seller may be on the hook for some of this and they still may have some money from the sale to pay it. Or even better for you, there may be evidence that the seller's agent (If they had one) was aware of the bid in which case they could also hold some responsibility.


Title: Michigan -- can I get a DUI after the fact?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No, but officer discretion is what saved you on this.  You can be convicted of a DUI when sleeping in a car while drunk if you have access to the keys.Answer #2: You could. I mean you did break the law. If you thought officer was genuine why doubt yourself? Perhpas this is a time to reconsider your drinking if you are left paranoid by your own perceptions of reality after.


Title: Is a contract binding if it is not lawful?

Question:
Hi,

I sub-leased a vehicle to a "friend" who has now shown she is incapable of the responsibility. Sub-leasing is illegal in my state. She has damaged the vehicle and gone over the mileage limit.

Am I within my rights to request the car back, and in the face of her refusal, report the vehicle stolen? Would there be any repercussions?

She is knowingly driving without working insurance right now.

Is the contract binding? Or is it basically worthless, since the registration is in my brothers name, whom I am acting as an intermediary due to his disability.

Thank you for your help.

Edit: apparently my first edit did not come through.

This is in NJ and the plates are Delware.

I've spoken with a lawyer and I've given her until 6pm Monday to remit the car to me at the local police department(by email, she is not responding to phone calls. If she does not, I will be reporting it stolen.

This is a giant mess that started with my mom dying and leaving me and my brother with her lease. The dealership would not take the car back; my brother cosigned.

We saw no other options when it happened as we could not afford the vehicle.

Answer:
 > She is knowingly driving without working insurance right now.

You realize if she gets into an accident you could be sued right?

Do you know where the car is now?


Title: Employer took away all of my paid time off - NYC

Question:
So my employer has recently removed all of our paid vacation and replaced it with "unlimited vacation"

I'm not stupid and neither are the other employees, we all know what this is.
1. They say they no longer have to pay us out for our days if we leave the company or are fired
2. Our accumulated days have now vanished and veterans of the company have the same days as new hires.
3. Psychologically they're attempting to get everyone to take less days
4. Without documentation of our days, PTO now seems like a favor instead of an earned benefit.
5. Extra days that were previously allowed to be carried over into the first quarter of next year are also no longer tallied.

We were told this 10 days before the end of the year. New policy goes into effect next year. Didn't sign anything new and received no warning. Is this really legal?

Answer: There is no required PTO in NY. But, if an employer has a PTO policy, they must follow it. They are also free to change the policy at any time but the new policy only takes precedence moving forward. So basically, all the PTO earn this year should be used in accordance with the previous policy while any new PTO earned in 2018 will fall under the new policy. Answer #2: They still should owe you that accrued PTO, especially if it’s part of your employment contract. Answer #3: I’d keep track of my own “PTO” through the year in case you’re brought into the office for excessive days off. That way you can explain to them that you’re using the same you have in the past and if it’s an issue you have proof they’re trying to reduce vacation time.


Title: My wife is a public school teacher and is not being allotted her state mandated planning periods.

Question:
So, my wife has been a public school teacher for 6 years in the same school. Up until this year, every teacher has been given 2 planning periods. This year, a small handful of teachers were only given one planning period because of lack of teachers. My wife was one one of them. Due to many reasons, this year has been exceptionally difficult for everyone at that school. Last week, a teacher quit. This week, my wife has been asked by her boss to cover a class during her planning period and then also on the next day, has a mandatory staff meeting during her planning period. We live in Mississippi and I found [This](http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2016/pdf/HB/0900-0999/HB0936IN.pdf) bill that, to me, looks like they shouldn't be doing this.
Am I reading this correctly to assume this? Also, If I am, what can be done about this and who should we go to? She is part of a teacher union. Thank you for any help.

Answer: She should speak to her union rep.Answer #2: Since she has a qualified legal advisor in her union rep we can't give you better legal advice. You might consider asking for nonlegal opinions in a sub like r/teachers


Title: [US,CA] (21YO,M) My "joint" bank account has been levied/garnished because of my parents debt.

Question:
Hi guys posting here for the first time ever and was hoping to either gain some insight on actions I should be taking or just tips in general.

Today I tried using my debit card and it was declined, I checked my account balance and both checking and savings account were at 0. As I contacted my bank they notified me that my account has a levy on it from my local sheriff because of a case of American Express trying to collect from my parents. The problem apparently is that since I opened this bank account when I was 12 years old my mother's name is on the account giving the creditor the ability to have my money held.

All the money in my account was from either the insurance payment from an accident with my car or from doing odd jobs and getting paid cash in construction.

I tried going in today to my sheriff office with the court case number the bank gave me but they were closed at 4:00. Im going back tomorrow morning and am trying to get advice before I come back in.

I have a close relationship with my parents and I knew they were going through a rough time considering I had to stop school for the time being and get a job. But we never knew they could access the only money I had in order to get to them. I don't live with them anymore but see them on a regular basis and they are concerned about when il be able to access my own money again.

Thanks so much in advance for anyone caring to chip in.

Answer:
 You need to file a *third party claim* with the sheriff. [Here is a form you can fill out](http://www.sacsheriff.com/pages/organization/correctionalcourt/documents/7483%20Form%20011-Third%20Party%20Claim%20Form.pdf). (This form is from Sacramento County, but you can white out any references to Sacramento and use it in any county. There's no standard statewide form for this.) Attach any documentation showing that the money is yours, such as bank statements, papers relating to the insurance payout, and pay stubs from your jobs.

Someone at the sheriff's department may tell you that you need to file a *claim of exemption*, but that is not the correct process for this situation. A third party claim is more of a bother to contest, so you are more likely to get your money back sooner this way (though it will still probably take at least a month).


Title: My family owes $12000 in taxes, what options do we have?

Question:
Hello Reddit,

I am older and independent, but I have just found out that my parents owe $12000 to the IRS, and I am looking to the Reddit community for some help.

Their household income is about $300k/year and they live in the Northwest Arkansas area. They also have 3 dependents, with one in college.

They filed incorrectly this year due to other circumstances, and have just received notification from the IRS stating that they owe $12000 in 2 weeks. This is not a feasible payment for them, as they use most of their income to pay for student loan debt, college tuition for one dependent, and supporting their children.

My question is, what happens next? They will not be able to make the payment, but what options DO they have? Can they pay in installments? Any help would be appreciated.
Topic:
Tax Law

Answer: They can set up an installment plan on the IRS website


Title: I got arrested for carrying a knife because I had a knife and fork with my lunch

Question: 2 days ago I had a meal prep so I used a knife and fork to eat it in my car. Fast forward til yesterday. Get pulled over, police see knife and fork, take knife, leave fork, and arrest me for eating lunch the day before. Apparently you can't carry knifes in public places without good reason. Is my car a public place? Is using a standard kitchen knife not ethical or lawful?

Answer:
 Look at the LegalaAdviceUK thread.

He _repeatedly_ dodges questions about the knife with almost politician-like expertise.

Show the knife or nobody can advise you.Answer #2: When you say a "standard kitchen knife", what are you referring to? A normal table knife, or a sharp cooking knife?Answer #3: Well the comments on here are a shitshow.

For reference, in another thread OP says his knife was very similar to https://www.russums-shop.co.uk/i/q/SY401/cutlery-economy-s-s-table-knife-(per-dozen)

OP you can not be helped if you are avoiding the questions of people trying to help you. It's very suspicious, this whole post is suspicious honestly.Answer #4: /r/legaladviceukAnswer #5: What’s the rest of the story?Answer #6: What did the knife look like?


Title: [UTAH] My BIL is being held against his will at a behavioral center. What are our options to get him out?

Question:
So my BIL has had terrible migraines for the last 6 weeks and has been going in and out of hospitals. They finally found he had west Nile virus and let him know it would pass. He's not contagious. He also takes some anti depression meds along with some meds the doctors gave him. Many if these meds can give hallucinations. He was told he should go to a behavioral center one they recommended and check in since he was depressed. He said he was fine but my SIL convinced him to go. He went and after a day the meds were out of his system and he was no longer hallucinating and the migraines were more manageable. He signed a release to be discharged and was expecting to go home today (Friday), but he was not allowed to and when we asked they said he requested to stay. He talked to my MIL and said he did want to leave. They are now telling us he has to stay till Tuesday since Monday is a holiday and they don't release on weekends. What can we do to get him out?

Also the reviews on the place say that this thing happens alot. They have very negative reviews.

TL:DR
BIL is being held at behavioral center. They're telling us he wants to stay. he says he wants to leave.

Answer: There are time periods in most places between requests to get out made by voluntary patients and actual release to allow providers to determine if they're going to allow it or file papers to commit. Usually those times don't include holidays or weekends. If they've agreed to let him out, just give it until Tuesday.


Title: [Quebec, Canada] Girlfriend who has nuts allergy and I went for ice cream, she had massive reaction...

Question: My girlfriend and I went for ice cream earlier and she has a nuts allergy. The flavour she picked was bubblegum which wasn’t supposed to have any nuts. She has had other ice creams from the same shop without any issues. She had a couple bites on the way to the cash and when we got there she asked the girl if there were any nuts in the ice cream. She was told that there might be traces since they don’t wash their equipment between batches... Fast forward 4 hours she is having the worst reaction of her life at the ER. Just wondering if she is entitled to any compensation from them?

Answer:
 >She was told that there might be traces since they don’t wash their equipment between batches..

Then she chose to take the risk. Also, your in QC? So were all the ER bills not covered by your provincial coverage?


Title: Vaccines.

Question:
An already large topic is Vaccination. I'm hoping to receive compilations of, credible, data that states the benefits of vaccination and the cons of not  vaccinating ones child. While it has been a discussion, I'm hoping to find the information that may help bring this entire topic to court in the US. All the way up to the Supreme Court if need be.

Non-vaccinated children post a threat to the health of everyone around them, in which they create bodies for major diseases to evolve and become super-viruses. These kids become walking time bombs.

I hope to find a decisive argument to use to enforce child vaccination and perhaps a budget to have lawyers, doctors and more join us in the fight to prevent future outbreaks. Set up a Kick Starter to fund it for all I care, but vaccination needs to be mandatory across the board.

Answer: What's your legal question?


Title: What options do I have about a neighbor's dog biting me? TX

Question:
One of my neighbors was playing fetch with their dog in the hallway. The dog was unleashed. I exited the elevator on my floor and the dog ran up to me and attacked me and bit my leg and drew blood through my sweatpants. I filed an incident report with my apartment complex and they basically said "cool, thanks". I asked for this dog's shot record so I know if I need to get shots because this dog might be diseased and they said they can't give me that information if I don't have the unit number of the dog's owner, and at the time of the report I didn't have it (I have it now). I am genuinely uneasy about leaving my apartment or coming back home because I'm scared I'm going to get bit by this dog again. Here's what I'd like to know:
Is there anything else I can do with the complex about general safety? I feel like they didn't take my report very seriously and they haven't made any changes to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Secondly, is this enough for me to be able to break my lease if this isn't resolved?
Location: Austin, TX

Answer:
 A dog bit you, call animal control and make a report.

Unless the dog belongs to your landlord, this incident is in no way related to your lease. Your landlord isn't animal control and has no obligation to discipline the other tenant, even if that means failing to enforce that tenants lease.Answer #2: If the dog doesn't have an up to date rabies vaccine, the owner is breaking Texas law, so you can get law enforcement or animal control involved that way.


Title: Cheating Ex Wife

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Yea just get a divorce attorney. Whether or not infidelity matters depends on the state of residency.


Title: [USA OR] Dog was attacked at a dog park by another dog. Owner isn't responding to me (details inside)

Question:
Hillsboro, OR

So to make a long story short, I was at a public city owned off leash dog park. My dog was just doing her normal thing when another dog (first time at a park, never been off leash before) attacked and injured my pup. I quickly got some basic info from him before running my puppy to the vet. I called the non emergency number for the police and asked if I needed to have them come out. The officer  (?) Said that since he was cooroperating that there was no need for it.

My puppy will be fine. But now I'm left with the vet bill. I have attempted numerous phone calls, voice-mail, and texts with 0 response from the owner.

He only gave me his name and phone number and I am planning on filing a police report and taking him to small claims. My concern is that I only have his name and phone number. Will this be enough to file a police report? Will the police assist me in securing information to be able to serve him?

Answer:
 Since this is civil and not criminal, the police aren't obligated to come help you and probably won't.

Name and phone number might be enough to find an address though.


Title: Making signs warning people about undercover cops hiding in parking lot

Question: Is there anything illegal about pointing out a cop's hiding spot? There's this abandoned Macy's furniture outlet on my way to work with a huge empty parking lot and almost every morning I see cop cars trying to catch unsuspecting speeders. I wanna make a bunch of big signs that say "CAREFUL, A COP ALWAYS HIDES IN THIS LOT!" and picket them up right before the intersection so people are warned and have a chance to slow down before the cop can see them. Is there anything illegal about messing with cops this way? Can they charge me with anything if they catch me putting up the sign in the act?

Answer:
 There’s nothing wrong about the alerting others to the cops. But you can’t put signs up in areas you don’t own. Depending on the location you might need permission from either the property owner, the city or both.Answer #2: Absolutely legal.

In fact, AAA pays for billboards that say "SPEED TRAP AHEAD" in rural Florida towns notorious for traffic fines.

Starke and Lawtey, to name a few.

Perfectly legal under the First Amendment.Answer #3: I don't think so, though people probably wouldn't see them because they are too busy paying attention to the speed cam and police alerts in Waze.Answer #4: It's not illegal and nearly no cops are going to care.

The point of speed enforcement is to get people to slow down and drive safely, which your sign is doing.

They'd be grateful if you showed up with the sign even when they're not there, I bet.


Title: There are 5 pedophiles living in my co-worker’s neighborhood and she has 3 children under 10. What can we do?

Question:
Like the title says, there are five registered sex offenders in my co-worker’s neighborhood. The fifth one moved in this week and is a class-four offender, most likely to offend again. She has two boys that are 7-10 and a young girl >3 and our shop is concerned. Is there anything that can be done about this? They’re not the only family with children in the neighborhood.

Also, sorry if this is the wrong subreddit; if you could point me in the right direction, it would be appreciated.

Thanks all

Answer: Your co-worker can move. That's about it. As long as they're properly registered and not violating the terms of their parole, there's nothing to do. They're not doing anything wrong.


Title: Got in a heated argument w/ SO but neighbors called the cops and he was arrested for DV

Question:
A couple months ago me & my SO got in a really heated argument, he tried to make me go to sleep and as soon as we both did cops showed up and arrested him...

At the time me and him were blacked out drunk, i wasn't hurt in any way whatsoever but he did grab me and tried to lay me down to go to sleep (that's the "worse" thing he did to me that night). I showed no signs of physical abuse. However, on my blacked out report when i was being questioned I told them he did "aggressively try to make me go to sleep and was calling me stupid." I don't recall any of this and in the statement the cops said that I told them i was taking medication when i never was. He's currently being charged of Harassment, (something else), and they added another charge of false imprisonment because my dad (who does't like my partner) told my DA that my SO never really let me go over to see him (my dad is very abusive, manipulating, alcoholic, and drug addict) I don't understand why the DA took his word for that? I just never wanted to see my dad because of the reasons I just mentioned.

Anyways, in my report I never mentioned any of this abusive behavior my S/O is being charged with.. Immediately after he was arrested they put in a no contact order, meaning up until the case is over will he be able to contact me... I just showed up to court once (because it was mandatory) and never have gone back to "fight" the case.

&#x200B;

Me and my SO took a break and didn't talk at all for about 3 months. However I've been discretely contacting him and even seeing him. I wan't to move back again with him but i'm afraid of the no contact order. Yes, i'm clearly aware of the consequences if they found out we were talking but we're being very discrete and no one knows we have been seeing/talking each other. I'm also afraid he's going to be falsely accused of DV over just a one night heated argument. He's never been arrested before, and has a clean record.

&#x200B;

His PD told him more than likely the charges will be dropped. Right now he can't afford a lawyer but that being said he's willing to get one if that guarantees the charges will be dropped. Is is worth getting one for a case like this or should he just go to trial with only his PD??

Answer:
 He is being charged with false imprisonment because you told them he falsely imprisoned you. It had zero to do with your father's report. False imprisonment does not mean that you typically are discouraged from leaving, it means that you are restrained from leaving at a particular time, like when you are being held on a bed.

A PD is a lawyer and you are putting his freedom at risk by helping to violate the no contact order.  You truthfully have no idea what you told rhe police and may very well have said enough to support the charges.


Title: A cop didn't pull me over but did some other weird things.

Question:
Location: Calgary, AB, CA.

So it started when I drove my brother to a social area in downtown (Yes he is of legal age) at about 11:00 PM and was trying to find my way home out of Calgary's devilish downtown with horrendous signage. After getting lost for around 30 minutes, I finally found my way onto a road that I knew and recognized, and being flustered and somewhat angry, I sped up on the road to get home faster. I was probably going around 10 over the limit when I noticed a white Crown Vic in my peripheral vision, however, it was just a peace officer (They've never given anyone that I know much grief, in fact, he was going faster than I was) and I thought nothing of it, because of the fact that they never give anyone grief. He turned left while I kept going straight, and this is where it happened. I stopped at a red light, and when it turned green I started off as I do normally, and got up to the speed limit. I was closer to my house and in an (In my opinion) better part of town, and was more comfortable not rushing. I then looked in the rearview mirror and say headlights VERY close to my rear end, and as I looked the vehicle behind me made an aggressive lane change (As in no shoulder check, immediate lane change) and sped up all at the same time. Me, being somewhat frightened by this, sped up too, substantially. I'm not sure if this would be considered speeding or reckless driving or whatever. At this moment I realized it was actually a police van that had been behind me for who knows how long. The time was around 12:00 PM-12:15 PM. I stopped at the next red light, trying to act cool (Which probably didn't help) and the cop pulls up next to me. I glance over and see him eyeing up my vehicle and looking down at the laptop in his police van (I'm assuming to check the license plate which I'm sure he got). Finally, he picks something up, and a flash comes over me and my car. My guess is he either took a photo of me (I can't imagine why) or he was just using a flashlight to see if I was, in fact, one of the car's registered drivers. The light turns green, we go, he stays right beside me until he turns on his lights, no sirens. I thought I was getting pulled over, however, he just sped off and took a left turn, and I lost sight of him.

My point is, why didn't he pull me over, why would he take a picture and/or shine a flashlight on me, could the peace officer have something to do with it, and will I get a ticket in the mail down the road?

Thank You

Answer:
 > as I looked the vehicle behind me made an aggressive lane change (As in no shoulder check, immediate lane change) and sped up all at the same time. Me, being somewhat frightened by this, sped up too, substantially.

This doesn't make sense.  If I had an aggressive driver next to me like that, I'd hit the brakes to allow some distance.Answer #2: Perhaps they were checking if you were alone or had picked up passengers on 3rd avenue or popcorn alley (got kerb crawled there one sunny afternoon on the way to work years ago). Don't live there any more so I don't know which areas are most prevelant for prostitution currently but if the car was roaming downtown it may have been flagged for checking.


Title: Fired from Walmart, wife wants me to sue and won't let it go. [NC]

Question:
[EDIT]: Thanks for the answers, folks.

Hey all. So, when I was hired at walmart, I was informed about a thing called "Decision Day" where basically, they send you home, with pay, for you to decide if you still want to work for walmart.

When I was fired (for justifiable, performance-based reasons) I was not given this, I asked about it and was told that they don't do it anymore.

Anyways, my former boss is giving me a good recommendation. I hated the job and was looking for work elsewhere, anyways. Taxes are coming back and, with my last paycheck, I basically have a bit more than a month's wages while I look for other work.

I think I'm best off spending my time and energy looking for other work and not burning bridges. My wife, on the other hand, thinks that walmart wrongly fired me and I need to sue to get my job back or for damages, or something. She will not let this go. I called their associate hotline to humor her and she's now got ideas of a big payoff coming from this.

Am I right thinking that she's being unrealistic and also that her head's full of rocks?

Answer:
 > Am I right thinking that she's being unrealistic and also that her head's full of rocks?

Yes to both. This is not wrongful termination, not even close.Answer #2: This sounds more like an /r/relationship_advice problem than a legal problem. Yes, she is being unrealistic.Answer #3: I think the 'decision day' is a step they 'like' to take, not a required one.  But yes, she's way off course.  And just to let my cynical side show through for a little bit--it'd have to be a very egregious case of discrimination or something to win a case against Walmart anyway.Answer #4: Were you fired for being a member of a protected class (race, sex, disability, etc)? If not then you have no case for wrongful termination


Title: Can I use video surveillance footage in court if captured in my bedroom? [California]

Question: Long story short my landlady is coming into my room without permission. I’ve read conflicting accountants on whether video surveillance will hold up in court. I know there’s a no eavesdropping law, but does this cover something of this nature?

Answer:
 Hold up in what court?  Civil or criminal? Is there audio on the surveillance? What is your end goal?
Is she denying that she is coming into the home?  Is she giving notice?  Answer #2: Yes, you can. Your landlady doesn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy in your leased bedroom. There’s also no confidential communication that would make Penal Code 632


Title: I got side swiped by a car while on my bike Portland Oregon

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Don't play the system, that's not right, especially since the driver stuck around and gave you their insurance info instead of giving you the finger and driving off. Keep all of your receipts from the doctor, Uber rides, repair shop, etc. But go ahead and call their insurance company and have them start a claim right now. No point in waiting.Answer #2: Report the accident to their insurance. You are entitled to money to fix your bike and for medical damages. I'm not sure about uber rides, but that's possible. DO NOT attempt to manipulate the system in order to receive more money than you are owed in damages and medical expenses. This is fraud and illegal and could get you in a lot of trouble.


Title: [VA] Can I legally pass a police cruiser if they are driving significantly below the speed limit?

Question:
I was on my way to work today on a long single lane backroad which I ended up stuck behind a police cruiser. The Speed limit on the street was 40 mph and he was going 20-25 mph.

The road itself often has stretches of yellow dotted line instead of a double yellow, which means we can pass if the person in front of us is going slow for whatever reason.

Considering I was driving to work, and that the cruiser did not turn off for a good 20 minutes down this road, I was tempted to pass him as we often do with any other car.

I ended up not doing it, because my fear of speeding tickets or reckless driving exceeded my fear of being chewed out by my boss.

This probably wont ever happen again, but just so I can know: Would it have been legal to pass him?

Answer:
 Providing you break no laws in the process, go right ahead.

However, be aware that speeding, even while passing, is illegal.  Additionally, there are times where speed limits are lower(schools, construction) and you can be cited appropriately for following too close, passing too close, et cetera.


Title: I feel horrible.

Question:
Got home from work tonight after a 12-hr shift and had a large amazon package on my porch. (For one I was surprised it was still there and not stolen since no one had been home all day)  Me and my girlfriend ordered a bunch of stuff from amazon for the holidays and I thought maybe it was just a late package. I took it inside and opened it to find pillows. I was extremely confused and called her (she’s at her parents for the weekend) and asked in a joking manner “why’d you order pillows” she explained she didn’t so I checked the shipping information and it was to a previous resident. I immediately texted my landlord and asked if he knew them and if he could let them know I had their package. I feel horrible for opening it. I guess I’m just curious on what form of repercussions I could face if they aren’t rational about the situation.

Long story short. I opened someone’s amazon package by accident that was on my porch. In the process of returning it to the rightful owners. Will I get in trouble?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You opened a package that was delivered to your place, without any intent to violate any law or anyone else's property rights. You did nothing wrong. Find something else to worry about!


Title: Is this a scam? I remember doing a lot of surveys and such from /beermoney...

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Ahhh, the ole [secret shopper counterfeit money order scam](http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/Secret-Shopper-scam-Watch-out-for-fake-Postal-Service-money-orders-161639495.html).

Here's how it works:

* You deposit a legitimate-looking money order.
* The way banking regulations work is that your bank makes the funds available immediately to your account.
* You withdraw the funds to send them on to the scammer.
* But it's not until several days later that the money order works its way through the system that it's determined to be fake.
* Once that happens, the bank withdraws the entire deposit from your account, leaving you holding the bag.  In the worst case scenario, you're left with a negative balance.

Anytime someone is offering you money to cash an instrument and send money on to someone else, it should immediate trigger your scam alert.  Think about it this way -- why in the world would anyone pay you $200+ to send money to another person when conceivably the requesting party could do it for free?  Once you take a step back, none of it makes any sense.  Run away, run far far away from this and never look back.Answer #2: Of course it's a scam. Do you really need others to tell you that?


Title: Skip the dishes delivery drivers.

Question:
Hey everyone.

I am located in Canada. Recently I've installed a smart doorbell so I can keep an eye on the kid across my street who's got the cops called on him daily and swears at me when i see him. Completely unrelated to that however is the fact skip the dishes continually uses my driveway to get to my neighbors door as it's easier then walking around her grass and saves potentially 7-10 seconds of walking.

I have emailed skip the dishes 6 times with pictures of their drivers hitting my cars and walking between them after complaining. They tell me I need to have the customers order number to do anything but my neighbors will not help me out. I've sent them all the pictures and asked repeatedly to help but the simply will not.

What are my options as they are littering in my yard, parking extremely close to my vehicles and hit my vehicles with their red skip bags... Its driving me bonkers and I would appreciate any help or advice.

Answer:
 Did I hear "Hitting your cars"....any damage? Get an accident attorney and file a lawsuit pronto!  At the very least that oughta get their attention.

Even without damage I'd still consider a letter from an attorney about why you don't trespass on people's land.Answer #2: If people have hit your cars and left, contact the police and report a "hit and run."Answer #3: Havr you told them/shown them the videos of their delivery people tresspassing and damaging your car?

If not do so, and also let them know the next step would be legal action should they continue to ignore the problem.


Title: [Ontario] My employer is trying to change an agreement with out my consent.

Question:
So here's my situation, this takes place in Ontario Canada,

My employer is restructuring and laying off over 100+ employees.  It's a mass termination scenario.  So when the hammer dropped (July) they issued agreements to several standout employees asking them to remain employed for a short time past the effective shutdown date and offering them a stay bonus.  I was one of them.  In the agreement it states that I will remain until a specific date and be paid a sum of money after that.   This "stay bonus" as they've labelled it is entirely separate from any severance package they will offer, which will come at a later time. I agreed to the stay bonus.  So the offer for the severance package came a short time later and due to the scenario of a "mass termination" the severance laws are slightly different.  I have been with the company for 4.5 years and the cutoff for any severance in a mass termination is 5 years of employment.  So what they offered me in severance is 1 single week pay in exchange for my signature on a standard indemnity agreement.  I rejected the severance and did not sign the indemnity agreement because it felt like a slap in the face. I won't sell my rights for a few hundred dollars.

Fast forward (early September),  I am going to use this opportunity of being laid-off to go back to school.  So before I'm out of work, I started part time classes in September to get ahead in my program, and scheduling requires me to leave work early one day a week.  I asked HR for written permission to leave work early once a week (just covering my ass to not get reprimanded and lose my stay bonus).  When I asked HR for the permission note, he cornered me saying he wanted me to sign the indemnity agreement and he'd give me the note (I had permission from my Manager already for leaving 1 day a week, this is just getting the written note from HR), and he asked me what I wanted for the severance package. I was not prepared to negotiate here and I felt cornered so I sputtered out 4 weeks because I knew he'd say yes and I would get the note. I got the note, but never signed the severance package or indemnity waiver again.

Instead of signing for the severance package, I wrote a letter to HR, listing the accomplishments I have completed for the company which not insignificant, and saying I would not sign the indemnity agreement for any less that xx weeks pay (I'm not being greedy for money out of luxury, I'm trying to raise tuition money, I need about 25k just for tuition and the stay bonus doesn't even come close to covering half of that). He never responded, and I haven't heard a peep about it since.

Fast forward (End of October),  The senior executives are stumbling and bumbling their way through this transition and need to push the shutdown date back, and need people to stay longer than originally anticipated.  So they call me into HR and tell me they need me to stay a month longer than originally agreed upon in the stay bonus agreement. But, the amount of the bonus does not change and if I don't stay until the new date, I get nothing. According to HR, they can just change the agreement as they please.  The actual line in the agreement is "Xmy employerX ("The Company") will terminate effective XdateX ("the Termination date"). If that date changes we will notify you as soon as practical."  They are essentially holding my stay bonus ransom. What's to stop them from pushing the end date back again and again.  I discussed this with HR and his response was basically 'too bad'.

I offered a solution, saying I'll sign the indemnity for the xx weeks, and you have your indemnity agreement and I have tuition money. Everyone is happy. He said no, the severance package issue is closed to him as I rejected it twice. Apparently HR does not think it is in the best interest of the company to have me sign the indemnity agreement (that's a nasty hanging loose thread if you ask me).

So I want to keep working, and earning money for tuition, but the date change hampers my plans for returning to school full time and I'll have to change them. That's fine, but if they want me to stay longer, I want more money for more of my time.

Tell me, do I have a legitimate complaint that they can't just change the date of the agreement for the stay bonus? The line "If that date changes we will notify you as soon as practical." is very vague to me and doesn't necessarily mean that I preemptively agree to any changes.

What are my options here?

Answer:
 You may be able to enforce the stay bonus at the date originally listed, or maybe not. You would need to get a lawyer to go over the full contract.

However, you don't have the right to demand that they allow you a day off or early departure, or that they pay you a higher stay bonus for staying longer.


Title: [WA] My city didn't let us cut down a couple trees on the slope in front of our house (which is our property), and now we have to pay almost 10k in damages to our plumbing.

Question: Title. We expressed to the city that we were concerned about root damage to our plumbing system in the future, and they more or less ignored our concerns. Now, we have to pay about 8-10k for a plumbing service to fix the leaky pipes, otherwise we're getting fined for not maintaining our sewage. You see the catch-22 type situation I'm in. I looked at the tree removal code for my city and it seems like one of the exemptions to protected trees is when their removal is necessary to the public health, safety or welfare. We'd be fined for our sewage presenting a public health issue, so do we have a case here to have the city compensate us for the damage?

Answer:
 Likely, no.

Public health and safety issues would be if the trees were found to be a vector of disease, or being the habitat of a dangerous species of insect.

It causing plumbing issues to you doesn't necessarily rise to the level of a public safety threat.

What you can do, however, is work with the city to renovate your plumbing in such a way the trees no longer present a threat.


Title: Could I dispute a charge by a mechanic for fixing the wrong part?

Question:
So this actually happened months ago to me but I just went along with everything since I just wanted my car back.

Basically, my car stopped dead at an intersection and was towed to a nearby mechanic. Mechanic said the fuel pump was most likely the issue, and replaces that part. Turns out, fuel pump was not the issue and car still wouldn't run.

Mechanic then holds my car for another day or so and replaces a fuel sensor and the harmonic balancer, and the car runs fine now.

Now from what the mechanic told me after he fixed it and gave me the bill, the old harmonic balancer and fuel sensor were what caused the problem, not the fuel pump, but he still charged me for the replaced fuel pump.

Could I have disputed this charge on the grounds that he unnecessarily replaced a part? To be clear, no mention of the balancer or sensor was made before he replaced the fuel pump, he just said that was what the problem was.

Answer:
 Your mechanic knows that several parts could be responsible.  He started with the cheapest part and most common point of failure.  He could have replaced everything at once but for most people it would be a waste of money.

You paid him to find and fix the problem, this is how that gets done.


Title: Is it legal for me to sell audio recordings of me reading erotica?

Question:
I currently live in Texas.

I’d like to be able to record myself reading and “acting” some free erotic stories and sell them for some extra side funds.

It would be strictly audio.

I’m also wondering too if it would be legal for me to charge adults to do this live with them over the phone. I would not record their live sessions with me.

Can I legally charge them? How do I verify that they are of legal age as well? Or that I “provided” the goods since I would not be recording the calls?

Answer: There are websites that will sell them for you. Just Google erotic literature.Answer #2: If you didn't write them then no.


Title: Need help children MIGHT be in danger!

Question:
Hello everybody. I'm sorry to bother you but I really need some advice. This is how it starts. Last year the mother of 3 of my children had a new baby with her long time boyfriend. That baby died mysteriously on their living room floor of asphyxiation. He was around 6mo old. Everybody was home and the baby, I believe, was by the boyfriend. The local police department closed the case with no charges, I don't know that they are prepared to handle cases like that so it was swept under the rug, so to speak. Now I'm hesitant to use the local police department. Right after that baby passed, girl got pregnant again. That baby is now about 6mo. Today the boyfriend was apparently playing video games with the new baby on his lap. Somehow that baby fell off his lap and suffered a fractured skull possibly and a few other injuries. The police and CPS were at their house today after they took the baby to the hospital and doctors called it in. The baby has been removed from the home and placed with her sister. This guy is huge and I now fear for the safety of my other children with any instability/remorse/ anger from him. Worst case He is habitually violent or can't control himself with a baby that was perhaps crying. I don't really know. He had already physically put my son in the corner by spinning him by his head. There is NO custody agreement in place, paternity has been established as I pay child support and am the father on their birth certificates. Fearing for their safety, can I pick them up and not return them until this is resolved? I don't want to do anything illegal or wrong. But I don't want my kids to fall victim to something. They've already seen 2 of their baby brothers be hurt. Please help me. Is there a way to introduce it to the courts in an emergency procedure without a lawyer? Any help or direction would be great. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear some responses soon.

Edit* Nebraska

Answer:
 YES. Apply for emergency custody. Call CPS right now and ask what you can do to get emergency custody. Answer #2: > This guy is huge and I now fear for the safety of my other children with any instability/remorse/ anger from him. Worst case He is habitually violent or can't control himself with a baby that was perhaps crying. I don't really know. He had already physically put my son in the corner by spinning him by his head.

So there's a suspicious history of child injury in this house where your children live.

> The police and CPS were at their house today after they took the baby to the hospital and doctors called it in. The baby has been removed from the home and placed with her sister.

CPS is aware and taking actions to safeguard children.  You could call them to share your concerns, but I feel like the right people are already on the case.

> Is there a way to introduce it to the courts in an emergency procedure without a lawyer?

I can't say for sure without knowing your state, but this is very unlikely, not something you would want to attempt.


Title: [TX] I have just been fired on my 5th day of training in being a Corrections Officer. According to the psychologist that interviewed me, it is largely in part due to me taking prescription Xanax and the psychologist thinking I can't be trusted to handle stress.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You were fired because you were using Xanex before even coming into contact with anyone. She did her job and gave her *professional* opinion that you probably couldn't handle the stress involved.

And honestly, you probably couldn't if you're already taking medication to cope.

I was a Corrections Officer for four years. Count your blessings because it's a dead end job with lousy pay. They did you a favor.


Title: Could a victim get a case dismissed by faxing a letter or talking to the prosecutor/judge?

Question:
Charges are by the state for simple assault. I am willing to testify on behalf of the defendant. This is in NJ.

EDIT:

Was able to catch the prosecutor before he left today's court session.

The deal we made was Delayed "Dissmissal"? I could have sworn he used another word.

always good to talk to people face to face, man to man.

Answer:
 The DA decides whether to drop the case.

What /u/Citicop is getting at is that DAs don't do this much in domestic abuse cases because if they did, battered spouses everywhere would be strongarmed into swearing to the DA that he didn't do it, and cases everywhere would be dropped at a high rate.
Answer #2: Is the victim related to the suspect at all?


Title: [MI] 18 years old and looking at three felony charges

Question:
Hello, this might be a little bit of an odd post. I have never used this sub before, but as you could imagine I am very nervous and stressed.

Last year, I got into my schools grading system and did a few things to it, such as changing my grades. I do have one of the best attorneys available, however I believe he is very serious and I don't want to really get into it but he won't give me any deeper insight that I can talk about on here.

The current charges that I'm looking are three different counts of computer fraud, which is a felony. I do have a good history, with good grades, and everything. I have heard of the youthful Holmes trainee act and I don't know if the judge or prosecutor or whoever makes that decision will offer it for me.

I guess I am here for some realistic insight, and I'm also aware that it could be hard to give insight because of every prosecutor and city is different. Will a prosecutor really give me 3 felony charges? How often do they make "deals" ? If you need more information please don't hesitate to PM me. Thank you.

Answer:
 > Last year, I got into my schools grading system and did a few things to it, such as **changing my grades.**
[...]
> I do have a good history, with **good grades**, and everything.

wait a minute ... ಠ_ಠ

Anyway.

I am not sure about this "Holmes Youthful Trainee Act" (though it looks like you'd be eligible. Computer fraud *can't* be an offense with a max life sentence), but if by "deals" you mean things like plea bargaining, well, plea bargaining is very common and can be initiated by the defendant. Trials are expensive and burdensome on everyone.Answer #2: >I do have a good history, with good grades, and everything.

Questions:

* Then why did you go into the school grading system and change your grades?

* College, or high school?


Title: [Ontario]neighbour built a shed crossing the property line

Question:
Hello yo, I live in windsor, and I have a semi-detached house that my son live in. Someone bought the connecting house last year, and he started building a shed (looks furnished inside though) in the backyard this month. When I came to visit my son today, I realized that 1/3 of the shed crossed the property line.

My son suggested negotiating with my neighbour to sell that part of the backyard to him, but I do not like this idea. Someone encroached on my property and now wants buy me out? I refuse.

Preferably I would want him to move the shed over to his portion of the backyard. The shed looked pretty much completed though, I wonder if that changes my legal position or not.

In any event, the first obviously is to talk to him to get him to move it, but what if he refuses? How much would a lawyer cost in this type of cases (Windsor)? It seems like a slam dunk I wonder if I can self-represent for a summary judgment of some kind.

Answer:
 First things first, you need to hire a surveyor to determine where the precise boundary line is and stake it. You can't do this yourself. You need a professional to do it so it holds up in court. Once you know for certain where the property line is, if the shed is still encroaching contact your neighbor, give them a copy of the survey, and ask them to move the shed. If they refuse then you hire an attorney and take them to court.

But survey first. You need to be beyond certain that the shed is crossing the property line.


Title: [US - IA] Am I understanding my child support agreement correctly?

Question:
So, I have 3 kids for whom I pay child support, ages 18, 16, and 15. The 18 year old is graduating from High School next month.

Back in October, the 15-year-old chose to live with me full-time. I called Collections Services at that time in hopes of getting my monthly payment reduced, and was told that my divorce decree did not include any step payments, i.e. "when the first child turns 18, the amount owed will be X". I was told if I wanted to get it adjusted, I would need to hire a lawyer to draw up a new contract. I didn't think I could afford the attorney at the time (though in hindsight, it may have been cheaper) so I have just continued to pay the original amount each month.

But looking at my divorce papers, the pertinent line seems to be this (emphasis is mine):

> [REDACTED]’s support payments shall begin on April 1, 2012 and [REDACTED] shall pay each subsequent payment due on or before the first (1st) day of each month continuing **until one of the minor children reaches age eighteen (18) or until a minor child graduates from high school, whichever later occurs**, or when the minor child sooner marries, dies, or becomes self-supporting.

Now, to my reading, that seems to mean that once my oldest graduates from high school next month, my support payments end, period. Presumably, if my ex-spouse wants the payments to continue, they will need to hire an attorney and have a new agreement drawn up. Is that correct?

Another consideration is that I am earning far less money than when the agreement was made, but because I quit my original job voluntarily, I could not get my payments reduced. If a new agreement is drawn up for the remaining children, will my current income be used as a guideline (IA uses fixed income guidelines to calculate support amount), regardless of the circumstances of my loss of income?

And lastly (and I realize this is getting out into the weeds), if a new agreement is drawn up, is there any hope of getting a credit for the payments made for a child who was in my sole custody?

Thank you for taking the time to look at this. I will post the entirety of the child support section from my divorce decree below, just in case there is something relevant in there.

> 6) CHILD SUPPORT. [REDACTED] shall pay the sum of [REDACTED] per month to [REDACTED] for the support, maintenance and education of the minor children pursuant to the Iowa Child Support Guidelines attached and incorporated herein. [REDACTED]’s support payments shall begin on April 1, 2012 and [REDACTED] shall pay each subsequent payment due on or before the first (1st) day of each month continuing until one of the minor children reaches age eighteen (18) or until a minor child graduates from high school, whichever later occurs, or when the minor child sooner marries, dies, or becomes self-supporting. [REDACTED]’s support payments will be made through the Collection Services Center of the Department of Human Services through employer withholding. An order for mandatory income withholding by [REDACTED]’s employer for payment of child support shall be prepared by [REDACTED]’s counsel and entered immediately.
>
> Each party to this action shall file with the Collection Services Center upon entry of this Decree, and shall update as appropriate, information on the location and identity of the party, including social security number, residential and mailing addresses, telephone number, driver’s license number, and name, address and telephone number of the party’s employer. In any subsequent child support action initiated by the child support recovery unit or between the parties, upon sufficient showing that diligent effort has been made to ascertain the location of such party, the unit or the court may deem due process requirements for notice and service of process met with respect to the party, upon delivery of written notice to the most recent residential or employer address filed with the Collection Services Center pursuant to this Decree. This information shall only be disclosed and used pursuant to Iowa Code § 598.22B, and shall not be deemed a public record.

Answer:
 One third of your support terminates, yes.

Hire a lawyer, you shouldn't be paying another third currently, what with the kid in question living with you. Answer #2: It seems unlikely the divorce settlement meant 'no more child support when the eldest of the children reaches age 18.' That's not how the court or your ex's lawyer would likely interpret it.

Typically, child support for multiple children is reduced as **each** child reaches the cutoff criteria. Three kids, when the eldest is 18, the support rate then is calculated for the younger two. When the second reaches 18, then you pay for the one under 18. Answer #3: Your interpretation of when the support ends isn't reasonable. No court would interpret it in the way you are and I suspect you don't actually reasonably expect to stop supporting your other two children because your oldest has become a legal adult.

Even if it were the case it would take one trip to family court and you'd still be on the hook.

Instead of focusing on some loophole, go through the state and request a review. Your case meets the review requirements and given the significant changes (one child 18, one child living with you, and change in income) you should be able to get it modified in your favor.

https://secureapp.dhs.state.ia.us/customerweb/api/documents/ebb4d77d-705c-4c1a-8afb-43190e8f264e/download


Title: CEO & president taking company profits when employees are owed significant backpay

Question: Limited backstory: Small company, no HR, paychecks started being delayed over 6 months ago and then stopped entirely. Not entirely uncommon in this world (tech startups) so we were patient for a while. Thing is, I have access to all the company bank accounts and can see that the CEO and President have been taking money over the last few months but not paying any of the owed backpay to employees. They both did put a significant amount into the company over the last few years, so are calling it repayment for loans. Is it legal for them to pay themselves when they owe employees so much money? Most employees are W2, a few are 1099s, if that matters.

Answer: Employees who are owed pay can contact the Dept of Labor and file wage claims.Answer #2: You should promptly file wage claims with the department of labor before that money is gone for good. It's not so much a case of it being illegal to pay themselves, it's just that they have no basis for not paying you all on time, as agreed.


Title: Sellers hid unfinished hardwood flooring during sale.

Question:
Recently closed on a new home (IL), got the keys and headed over. Upon arriving I noticed the sellers left their area rug in the living room (no big deal). Started to do some cleaning and went to move the rug where I find (attached in the photos) that there's only about a foot of actual wood flooring bordering the room and under the rug is just a sheet of plywood. Checked the two other rooms  (bedroom and office) that also had wood flooring and sure enough two more area rugs and two more sheets of plywood. Naturally I was upset and contacted my real estate agent who basically said "Probably too late, should've had a more thorough inspection." I'm not sure if it's common practice for home inspectors to lift up every rug they find but there was living room furniture covering the rug during the inspection, a bed covering the other and their office furniture covering the last so couldn't really get underneath anyway. Even during the final walk-through they had the home mostly emptied aside from a couch in the living room, the bed in the bedroom and a dog kennel on the third rug in the office. Thinking back it seems they deliberately left a few items to be moved the morning of closing to keep the area under the rugs hidden.  Not sure if withholding that information is illegal in any way or if there is anything I can do? (the listing ad even stated "Hardwoods in bedrooms and living room"). Any advice would be appreciated.

&#x200B;

[https://imgur.com/a/scjrMIz](https://imgur.com/a/scjrMIz)

[https://imgur.com/a/h8EzNj5](https://imgur.com/a/h8EzNj5)
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 On the seller disclosure form, item #6 says, "I am aware of material defects in the walls, windows, doors, or floors." Did the seller check off this item and describe the flooring issue?Answer #2: Something like this would almost certainly fall under the realm of issues that a seller is legally obligated to inform a potential buyer about.

Also, check both the real estate ad if it's still accessible and your purchase agreement, probably mentions something about hardwood flooring throughout I'm the description which would prove they falsely advertised the place.

Definitely contact a real estate lawyer.  No guarantees, but it looks like you definitely have a strong case and could go after the seller and/or their real estate agent for the cost to install new hardwood flooring.

Finally, if the seller used a realtor, I would recommend contacting you local real estate board and reporting them as this incredibly unethical behaviour on their part.Answer #3: So that’s strange. Like you’d have to go out of your way to not put hardwood in some places. Was there water damage in those spots so they tore it up and just patched it with the plywood and then just threw a rug on top so they wouldn’t have to look at it?


Title: [California] Does it go against NDA if I tell my friends about my case number?

Question: We settled out of court and signed a NDA. I know I'm not allowed to discuss the contents of what went on in the settlement but court cases are public records and I can find it just by checking public court databases. With that being said, Am I allowed to give my friends the case number (since it's public record)?

Answer: You can just tell them to look it up with your name.  It probably will be fine, but why skirt the rules.


Title: Venomous snake and landlord duty to inform other tenants (Chicago)

Question: I have just been told by an employee of my landlord that the apartment across the hall from mine keeps a venomous snake. While I try to sort out what type it is and if they have a permit under Illinois Herptile Herp Act, what, if any, responsibility did my landlord have to inform me before I signed a lease and moved in?

Answer: None. None at all.


Title: A hired hacker informed me he had been solicited to hack me.

Question:
Pretty much what the title says- a hacker approached me recently and told me that he was given my information by a client along w a request to hack me.

Apparently the deal he had w the requester went bad and it obviously has the power to cause a lot drama in that persons life who ordered the hack so he told me. I assume to get even w the other person.

I told the hacker I didn’t want to discuss whether they were successful or had even attempted, instead I asked for the in writing request to hack me in the first place.

What are my options when I obtain?

Answer:
 This smells a lot like a common scam where a “hitman” contacts you with a similar story. If the “hacker” asks you for any money, it’s a scam.

> What are my options when I obtain?

On the chance it is not a scam, take the evidence to the police.


Title: Meet the Mods. AMAA today - questions are now live. Answers begin at 1pm ET / 10am PT.

Question:
The AMAA is now open. Go ahead and post your questions.  Participating today will be /u/biondina, /u/UsuallySunny, /u/Fuego_Pants, /u/Sorthum, and Yours Truly -/u/Zanctmao. We'll start answering at 1pm Eastern/ 10am Pacific.

Feel free to ask questions specifically to one of the above mods, or just generally about how we moderate or what we do off reddit. We look forward to chatting with you.

For locationbot purposes this is taking place in Missouri.

Answer:
 MFW mods are trying to lure people into posting on LA through a link in BOLA. Is this a case of entrapment?Answer #2: What has been the most heart warming or satisfying post on /r/legaladvice?

Locationbot, what is your favorite cat fact?

Thanks for all that you do! Y’all keep me entertained.