Title: A customer stole my book from behind the bar last night

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Kay, first off, telling people not to cancel their cards is offensively stupid. These customers may be liable for any fraud committed on their cards between the time they were stolen and the time they were reported, and in any case the cards don't belong to the customers - they belong to the bank - so not reporting them stolen probably violates their cardholder agreement again. If these customers don't want to buy some stranger a new television and some itunes gift cards they're going to want to tell their banks about this yesterday.

Criminally, the DA or Crown or Generalbundesanwalt or whatever you have where you are will charge your guy with stealing a few thousand dollars' worth of stuff (a credit card is a negotiable instrument in many jursidictions that's "worth" its credit limit) so your guy will probably be on the hook for some serious time.

Civilly, sure you can sue him if you can prove what was in it, but given that the guy's legal bills for the criminal defense he's about to mount are going to be very high, he's not likely to have $300 on him for much longer.Answer #2: Why would a customer agree to not cancel their card? Is the owner assuming liability for any fraud that occurs on that card? This sounds like an extremely dangerous idea.Answer #3: >I'm just wondering what happens next.

You should contact the police if you haven't already done so, and report the theft. There's no point in calling a lawyer; this is a criminal matter that will be handled by the police.Answer #4: One of my local bars recently caught a guy in a similar situation by plastering his face all over Facebook and Twitter, fwiw.


Title: Bank withholding all your funds, is it legal?

Question:
Hello all. I reside in New York and long story short, the bank that I have joint checking and savings accounts with has locked my accounts without and notice in the name of "anti fraud". Not on my behalf but apparently someone tried to access my accounts through their automated system.

They have now locked my accounts and all my funds for several days and refuse to release them to me. Does this sound legal? We have verified our identity with them all the time and they still refuse. It feels like i have been robbed. We're talking a non trivial amount of my finds also, upward of $50k.

Unfortunately its an online bank, so i can't just walk in.

What can I do? File a complaint with FDIC or state AG? Seems illegal. I thought only a judge could order a seize on your account.

Answer:
 You can probably make a complaint here if they're taking too long about it:

http://www.dfs.ny.gov/about/whowesupervise.htm

But in general, banks are expected to prevent fraud with regard to your account.  If someone from Estonia was withdrawing all your money, you'd be very pleased if the bank put a hold on the account while they figured out what was going on, right?

Call them every day, be polite but persistent.  If that is unsuccessful, start making complaints with state and federal bank regulators.  If that is unsuccessful retain a lawyer.


Title: Getting paid soon to cut down neighbors trees. need help deciding a contract.

Question:
Hello, i'm 18. my dad is 40-ish, i've agreed to cut down some of their trees for them, all marked in blue ribbons, $50 a tree. (my dad will be supervising everything, he has cut down hundreds of trees)

they don't have the money right now, how would i go about making a contract (agreement?) that they will pay for the trees as they get the money, and that me and my dad can cut down and haul the trees away as we have the time to do so.

This is my first time doing anything with a contract. so i'm asking for help making one, i live in Virginia, somewhere around Fredericksburg (i don't like giving out too much location wise) Thanks ahead of time!

Edit: The trees are nowhere near anything but trees. no fences, no houses, nothing but trees (grammar edit too)
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Simpler to do a series of small transactions, say they have 200 this weekend, they pay you and you go out and cut 4 trees and that deal is done, then later they have 300 to pay and you go out and cut 6 more.  Reverse the pay and work cycle if you want, but the point is to not get too far into owing either work or money, because this both sides doing their part "when they get to it" seems like a recipe for a shit-show later.


Title: [MI] Car accident, other guy's fault, but I'm riding a liiiiitle bit dirty

Question:
Dude with no headlights pulled out of a bar and slammed into my car as I was exiting a parking lot across the street. There were two witnesses, and the one who called the police told them that the guy had no headlights, exited the bar, and drove straight into me. The police did not take the witnesses' names, or ask them to stick around.

Other guy was cited for the headlights, but it's not clear to me what that means, since the officer was also telling me, "Well, it isn't like there are no streetlights ..." and kind of mitigating the other guy's responsibility.

I have an expired license, no insurance, expired tags (I was not aware of that), and I couldn't find my registration. The license and insurance stem from a problem I am having getting documentation from another state, although I don't imagine that will matter in court.

For some reason, they let me go. I need to call and make a court date. Is there anything I can do to mitigate the damage to myself? Since I have no insurance, I have no insurance company to report this to. Do I just eat what is definitely a totaled vehicle? How severely reamed am I going to get when I go court?

Edit in reply to a question in the comments:
I was cited for having no proof of insurance, and an expired license. I was given a "crash slip" with those things on it, and I have to call to set up a court date.

I only got home a few minutes ago, and haven't read the entire crash slip. I know those two things are listed as citations, though.

Answer:
 A "liiiiitle bit dirty"? NO license, NO insurance, NO registration. People like you is why my insurance is so expensive. YOU should not have been been on the road.

You get to eat the loss of your car and pay for the other's repairs. Here's hoping they throw the book at you for all and that you don't get another car or try to drive again until all is fulfilled. You're gonna love riding a bike in MI winter.


Title: [Washington State] Got a couple strange and unsettling calls today; are these pranks, scammers, scare tactics, or real threats?

Question:
If this is the wrong subreddit, apologies and can you direct me to the correct one. Thanks.

More info:

First call was an unknown caller at the shop I work at. Answered it same as usual.

"Thank you for calling. This is trickitup, how may I help you."

Then the voice, which was raspy and forward, "Hello, I'm going to kill your family..."

At which point, I tapped my coworker on the shoulder and put the phone on speaker.

"... $50,000 to Grand Central(or Hotel, kinda hard to hear on speaker), or else they'll all be shot." Then he said something else which I missed and hung up.

Thought it was creepy and strange but thought it was a prank caller or some dumb shit. An hour later, I get a call on my cell phone from an unknown caller.

Wondering if it might be the same guy, I asked my coworker to listen with me as I answered and immediately put it on speaker.

The voice just screamed "you have 90 seconds" then hung up.

Since it's really odd that I'd get a call at my shop then an hour later on my personal phone from the same guy continuing the story, it seems fishy.

What do you think? Should this be taken with a grain of salt or should I be on the lookout?

Answer: Why not just call the cops?


Title: Fathers visitation denied due to mothers self diagnosis

Question:
State of New York, Albany county. No court ordered visitation or child support documents in place. Mother believes she has celiac disease, never been tested. Mother believes child has celiac disease, refuses testing on child, claims it is "invasive".  Father wants to have celiac test but mother is refusing. No medical proof that child has celiac disease. Mother claims he is sick/ill, has no documentation of illness after father provides wheat.

Mother warns that if I do not follow her diet she will deny visitation. Is this legal?

Father is trying to go to family court for court ordered documents but is waiting on birth certificate because mother is refusing to let father have the birth certificate.

Answer: The father will need to use the court to prong the documents and such he needs out of the mother, as well as get a visitation agreement in place.


Title: My Boyfriend was fired because of his ethnicity, we feel hopeless.(TX)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If the EEOC found no violation and two different lawyers didn't think there was a solid enough case here, I think that says a lot about his chances. His best bet may very well be to just move on and find a new job. He can feel free to consult with additional lawyers though, if he feels inclined to do so.


Title: Is it legal to marry a character from DOA: Extreme 2?

Answer: Sure go for it. Answer #2: Dafuq?


Title: (Dallas, Texas) I (24) work 45 hours a week and my employer says only salaried employees receive Holiday pay . . .

Question:
So, I transferred locations (they are franchised) and I work from 7:00 am - 4:00pm with no break for lunch. The last location I worked for had holiday pay for everyone who was full time, even the mechanics who are flag hours.

Now they tell me that I should "see about working more overtime" and that holiday pay is only for salaried / flagged employees. I am positive this is to make me work 7:00 am - 6:00 pm, which every one else works.  Their words, "Start working a full day and we will see about holiday pay."

Note: I do enjoy my job and what I do, giving back and helping people but I feel this is not fair. I asked for the corporate number. I live on my own and next week we are off Thursday and Friday and I won't be able to pay bills without beingpaid those two days

Answer: Employers are not required to pay holidays. If the building is closed those two days, and you need to get paid, you should be able to apply vacation time to them. Answer #2: There are no requirements to pay hourly workers for anything other than hours worked and overtime (when applicable).


Title: [TX, US] Selling online game cosmetic skins, should I tax them and/or be worried about being investigated?

Question: I have skins worth a lot of money (thousands+) and they are not stolen, while there is no way to cash out from the online game there is a trading system, so I would get payment from person and send them the skins through trading system. This is obviously against the games ToS, but should I be worried about spending it and should I report it on taxes?

Answer:
 Breaking terms of service for a game for graymarket sales isn't illegal. It's a contract violation. You might have your privileges for playing the game revoked.

If you receive funds over a certain amount via virtually any online transaction management service (Paypal, etc) that service will report the earnings to the IRS. That means you will want to if you want to avoid having the IRS do terrible things to you.


Title: Where can I find information on the legality of university parking tickets?

Question:
I just received a ticket at my university for parking illegally. There are no definitive indicators that one cannot park there, and I would like to look up the actual statutes for what is a legal definition of a parking space, and what would constitute not parking legally.

It appears that there are no relevant statutes for the city, regarding this situation, and I cannot seem to locate any specific parking regulations for my university.

Should I be digging deeper into the city regulations, the state regulations, or should I be inquiring further with my university? I'm not sure what jurisdiction this would fall under.

Also, they plastered a sticker on my driver's side window that is difficult to take off, and leaves residue. Is there any sort of legal recourse I could theoretically take, in order to get them to fix that?

Location: USA, Connecticut

Answer: Have you called your campus police and asked them for this information?


Title: My dad forged my signature on student loans and kept me in the dark about it for years.

Question: As the title says, I have reason to believe my father forged my signature on my loans, and he waited until this past year to tell me I would be the one paying them. Until now he only talked about his parent loans that HE would need to pay, and even that was confusing to me because I got scholarships that should have virtually covered my schooling. My dad has always been a control freak and he’s always wanted to have unnecessary involvement in my finances. For example, he tried to become a joint member of my bank account so he could see my funds and take money out if needed, but I didn’t let that happen. Part of me always thought he had the authority to have control of and sign me up for loans, but after a cursory google search it’s clear to me that this isn’t true. Most of this originally happened when I was 17/just turning 18, so I thought being a minor may have something to do with it but I now know this isn’t true. I was never given anything to sign or read. I have no clue how to approach this situation because I feel like my dad will lie to me or try to justify it, and I have little to nothing to go off of. All I know is that I never signed or read anything related to loans and suddenly I’m being told they’re mine to pay. As a young kid just going to college I remember being happy I had someone to help me with things like parent loans and the student loan process in general, but now I believe my trust has been betrayed. Is there any way to prove this has happened? Is there a legal route I can take against my father if it comes to that? He kept me completely separate from this process and I feel like an idiot for trusting him, but he’s my dad. At one point when I still knew nothing about my loans he told me “it’s my plan to have your student debt paid for by the time you get out of college” which I thought was in reference to the parent loan or simply that he had the legal ability to sign me up for loans. I now know this is false and I want to take action to defend myself if possible. If it isn’t already apparent, I’m pretty ignorant to this whole situation so I’m sorry if people reading this just think I’m an idiot because I might actually be. That’s just how ignorant to all of this I am. This is in WV if that helps.

Answer:
 You can either accept the loans as your and pay them, or you can file a police report because your father stole your identity to take out loans.

If you choose to contact the police, after doing so, run a credit report and dispute the debt on all of your credit reports, which will begin the process of getting the loans off of your credit.


Title: Fiance passed and no my BIL needs to cash his paychecks [PA]

Question:
I hope someone can help because I would really like to be done dealing with this.

My fiance died suddenly a month ago. Since we were not legally married and did not have a joint account, his paychecks are the property of his mother. He had no will or estate to leave.

Regardless of ownership of said checks, they need to be cashed. Except his brother and mother closed his bank account. So now they can't cash the checks. He keeps bugging me and fiance's former employer (who happens to be my brother's wife) about the checks, but I don't know what can be done. He could open an estate account, but according to him, the cost of doing that is prohibitive.

Can anyone offer some advice?

Answer:
 https://www.tdslaw.com/resource/5-reasons-you-should-open-an-estate-account-even-if-you-dont-have-to/

>Opening a new Estate account is not time-consuming or expensive. Often the only actual cost of opening an Estate account is the fee to print the checkbook. Although you might be tempted to carry on using the joint account instead of opening a new Estate account for the sake of convenience, you should consider the potential risks you run in doing so – and you might find that whatever convenience you gain just is not worth it.Answer #2: What are you asking his employer to do? If he's dead then they have to make the checks payable to the estate if they resissue them. There is no other option. They certainly can't make the checks payable to somebody else.


Title: (TX) Is it possible my friend can end their lease and not pay next month's rent?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If the lease says they must give 30 days notice or it will become month to month then she owes July rent. She should pay more careful attention next time she signs a lease.


Title: Can an employer legally deduct money from an employees paycheck just because they smoke cigarettes?

Question:
My mother claims that a former employer would deduct $20 from paychecks of employees who were known smokers, even if you didn't take smoke breaks while on the clock.

What do you think about the legality of this situation?

Edit: Colorado

Answer:
 It would not be illegal to pay an employee at a lower pay rate because they smoke. It would be illegal to take a post-tax deduction from their pay check because they smoke. That is not an allowable deduction per Colorado law.

http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDLE-LaborLaws/CDLE/1248095305391


Title: I opened a Roth IRA with State Farm and they ate all my money with fees.

Question:
I opened an account with State Farm back in 2004 and deposited up to $850 in it, travelled and forgot about it. I returned back to California, moved and just received a letter from state farm wanting to verify my current address and info. After all was said and done, I was told they would be closing all Roth IRA accounts and issuing back they funds.
They are sending me a check for $76.
I asked the guy what happened to the hundreds I put in when I was younger. He said they have a $10 fee every quarter or something like that.

I asked him how it’s possible to consume 90% of my savings in fees when I haven’t touched it.
He didn’t really have a reply.

Have I been wronged?

Answer:
 Look through your documents when you opened the account.  I bet you'll find a $10 / quarter fee for having the account.  That amounts to $560 over 14 years.

Sorry to be harsh, but you did this to yourself.  Don't just leave money in accounts without checking on them.

Edit: fixed mathAnswer #2: That math doesn't add up. 14 years at $40 per year is not $800. You might want to talk to a higher up.Answer #3: > Have I been wronged?

Not legally.


Title: Minor Sending Nudes Is Illegal Right?

Question:
WARNING: sexual nature

I want to keep this brief because I’m still in so much shock, but basically.. I found out that my teenage sister had been sending nude pictures and nude videos to a random guy on Snapchat. From my understanding, it was consensual and he sent stuff too, but I believe that towards the end of their communications he threatened to blackmail her with them if she didn’t send more. Now, I don’t know the age of this guy, for all I know he could be 17... or 27. My sister is 15 and has been told before not to contact random people online, but clearly she didn’t learn her lesson. I’m asking for advice because I don’t know what steps to take to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Right now my sister has no idea that I know all this, and I don’t know how to go about telling her. I know there’s no reason at this point to get authorities involved, however what she did was child pornography and is absolutely not okay. I’m thinking that I should sit her down and intimidatingly tell her that she what she did is illegal, and also tell her that if she doesn’t take me seriously I’ll threaten to tell our mother/ get authorities to speak to her.
What should I do ?!!!

(ps. I also don’t know if she only sent stuff to one guy or if she sent stuff to multiple. I also don’t know if this is still happening but I believe they cut off ties recently)
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 > I know there’s no reason at this point to get authorities involved

Why?  There is a guy soliciting child pornography from a minor.  I'd seriously consider calling the authorities.

The problem is that your sister is also complicit in producing child pornography.

Bring your parents into this, meet with a lawyer, and discuss options.


Title: University says I owe for a semester of school that I didn't attend....from ten years ago.

Question: (Indiana) So a year ago around tax time I received a letter from my old university saying they took my state tax return because of an outstanding balance. This was the first I had heard of this supposed debt since I left halfway through my 2006 year. Not an email, phone call, letter, nothing. They claim I took a semester in the spring and was removed for non attendance. I called to refute this, and they had to fumble around their records and tell me that their records show this is accurate even though they admitted to me that its a little confusing because they had changed their record system a few times in the nearly ten years I had been gone. They told me I had grades in all the classes, some of them A's. I asked how I could have an A in a class I reportedly didn't show up to, and they didn't really have an answer. I requested they mail me copies of any and all documents they had regarding the issue and I never received any and also never heard any more about it. Good or bad. Possibly foolishly, I assumed they said forget it or realized they had made an error, and didn't pursue it any further as my state return didn't amount to much. Well fast forward to this present tax season, boom, same letter. Only now it says they advise I seek legal council and that I have 30 days to pay the amount in full. I know its been 10 years but I am 99% positive I did not attend a second semester that final year.

Answer: It sounds like you need to go to the school and address this in person, and leave with these documents in hand.  It doesn't appear they are too interested in sending you documents that dispute their position.


Title: Franchise of a Large Sandwich Company Really F'd My Company Over...Am I Rich Now? Or Should I Just Get My Money Back And Move On...

Question:
Just started an account specifically to ask this question, usually I lurk here on another account that could potentially identify me.

&#x200B;

So yeah, a few weeks ago, I produced and ran an event...not sure if it matters what the event was, but I had staff, costs to put it on, reputation on the line, etc.  I am not a rich person or anything, don't really have access to lawyers to fight this, it's a small business and quite frankly I didn't even make any money on this event yet, it's more of a long term thing I'm working on.

&#x200B;

Anyway, I made an order to a franchise location of a particular sandwich company for a couple thousand dollars worth of food.  Got email confirmation and everything, paid for it, company charged it to my credit card, the works (in fact they still have my money).

* Per my instructions, staff called and got confirmation for the order one week before the event, they verbally confirmed after sounding confused and not having it on their board.
* Per my instructions, staff called the day before, they confirmed again.
* Per my instructions, staff called the morning of the event, delivery was supposed to be at 11AM, the people at the franchise sounded confused and had no record of it.

We ended up going to a competing company, scrambling around basically ordering all of the sandwiches available in the area, having to buy a whole new set of food at a higher cost, plus the food was late making us look unprofessional.

So, of course I could just ask for my money back.  However on top of this, there was a huge opportunity cost at the actual event in that we could have been spending time getting sponsors and helping our attendees and potential future sponsors, but instead we had to spend time during the largest most busy time of year calling all of the sandwich shops in the vicinity to make sure people got the food that they paid for.

Basically, I see this as a huge potential loss.  We could have spent time on selling and customer service, instead I had to make up for a company that charged me money and didn't deliver anything at all.

Of course there is a help line for refunds, but I think this goes beyond that.  I would really rather file a police report as what is basically a theft, however I suspect there was no crime, that this is 100% civil.

The thing is, I am constantly busy with my business, I have very little resources, and hence am coming to /legaladvice to get some back seat lawyering thoughts on what I should do here.

I'm not going to say what the company was but suffice it to say it's a big brand name company which is associated with something that it would really not want to be associated with.  Maybe that was my first mistake and I should have steered clear from that fact alone!

Thanks in advance...

Answer:
 You haven’t posted a location.  Assuming USA;

You are entitled to a refund

You are entitled to complain

You won’t be rich based on this

Good luck!Answer #2: If you want to hold a company liable for their failure to perform, enter into a contact with them, preferably one that specifies liquidated damages should they fail to perform.  A catering company would have provided the sandwiches for three times the cost, and you wouldn’t have to keep checking on them leading up to the event.  You clearly knew that you were trying to stay cheap and were risking that they wouldn’t come through.  You get your money back.


Title: [OH] Wife got put on financial hold for school. I think said school is screwing her over

Question:
Good morning,

My wife first went to college in 2012 but dropped out due to medical reasons.  She was put on financial hold then and it was successfully appealed.  She went back to class this fall and obtained a 3.0 GPA this semester but her cumulative GPA for all credits attempted is below the schools Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) guidelines.  Few quick questions:

1.  I understand that the school will calculate her cumulative GPA based on all credits attempted, but is there anyway to NOT have the credits in 2012 calculated since she was having medical issues?  (Doctor wrote a statement back then).

2.  One thing we tried to bring up, but got shot down, was exactly what I stated above.  On the schools SAP form, which anyone can look at right now, it says a student can request to have a class(es) not counted in the SAP calculation.  We brought this up to financial aid but "Oh we don't do that anymore."  I'm wondering if this is something we can leverage similarly to if a store advertises a price on an item incorrectly then they have to sell it for that price.  If the school doesn't offer that service then their forms should reflect that.  Link to the SAP document is [here](http://www.hocking.edu/documents/PayForCollege/sapGuidelines.pdf)

Thank you for your time.

EDIT:  I know this is a late edit but one other thing we were wondering is she was enrolled in a program in high school that allowed her to earn college credits that she could transfer to the school.  Wonder if that would affect her GPA at all?

Answer:
 I am going to disagree with Napalenator here, and tell you to keep following up with Finanial Aid (as a dean or advisor is unlikely to have any control here.)

So, what happened back in 2012 was that your wife did poorly enough that she lost eligibility (or was temporarily removed from eligibility) for federal financial aid. These standards are not established by the university, but rather by the federal government.

Usually you get one semester of probation, then you lose eligibility until you again meet SAP standards. There is an appeal process (successful completion of coursework after a break is usually solid grounds for an appeal), so you need to figure out what that process is. (Usually it is a written statement and a plan showing when you plan to graduate).

As for course forgiveness, that's usually highly dependent on the university. At my undergraduate program, it required a return to school after a break of five or more years, and was limited to 15 credits.

Retro-withdraws are usually approved by the registrar, not financial aid, so you need to follow up with them on that, but it's ok if they've decided to stop offering them.

Can I ask how close your wife is to minimum standards? If that 3.0 brought her up, for example, to a 1.4 through 40 credits, you will have a harder (but not impossible) time winning an appeal, since another 3.0 semester will still leave her short of the mark. Either way, encourage your wife to take the easiest courses possible this semester, to get as close to a 4.0 as possible. If your hold is not appealed, consider taking 1-2 easy/remedial courses out of pocket to boost her gpa.


Title: [OHIO] I think my judge is a Islamophobe, what can I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Before you go after a judge, you need a lot more evidence than the fact that you are Muslim and the fact that you lose a lot of motions.

If you go after the king, you'd best not miss.


Title: Increased water bill due to landlord power washing

Question:
My water bill went up $150 after the landlord sent someone out to power wash the house. I am responsible for the water bill, but the lease doesn't say anything about power washing. I called the leasing office and they basically said there is nothing they will do because there is no proof the increased bill is due to the power washing, but our bill has never been this high in the year and a half that we have lived here. My husband wants me to call a lawyer, but do we even have a case here? I'm not sure what to do at this point because we just can't afford this right now.

Location: MD

Answer:
 I'm looking at the price for water in what would presumably be a drier city - San Diego.  The cost is $11 per about 750 gallons, at the high end.

A pressure washer uses about 2 to 5 gallons per minute of water.  2 gpm is more typical for an electric pressure washer, 5 gpm is one of the higher values I found from a gas unit.

Assuming 2 hours of washing at 5 gpm at San Diego pricing, that's less than $12.

Ummm.


Title: [CA] Distant family member losing custody, can I lay claim and adopt?

Question:
My cousin, a single father, has been arrested on accusations of crimes against his daughters.

Right now the courts have placed the girls in a foster family, and my aunt and uncle (his parents) are demanding custody of the children.

I have recently got reason to suspect that they will coach the girls to testify in a manner that will assist their son, while not following the facts as they happened.

I assume the courts would want to place the children with the closest possible family member, is this set in stone, or flexible? I have only spent a few days a year with them, but we're comfortable together, and I have both the time and energy to commit to them, where as the grandparents are in their golden years, and medically not that fit.

My questions are ...

1. Is it possible for me to nominate myself as an adoptive household? Would my single marital status influence this?

2. If it is possible, what is the process to get it officially started?

3. What kind of things will the courts take in to consideration? I am physically old enough to legally be their mother, I graduated high school, and operate a small business (only a few hours a day, a few days a week.) I own my own home, and live in a fairly decent school district. As of now my home is not set up to accommodate children, but this can be arranged. My pool is also not fenced, but I'd rather fill it in then have the children move in with their grandparents.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. I know this will burn family bridges, but I am completely okay with this. If their father is convicted, and his parents want to help him see the girls, or even testify against the facts, they're not the type of people I want in my life.

If it matters, they are 3 and 5.

Answer:
 >Is it possible for me to nominate myself as an adoptive household? Would my single marital status influence this?

You can contact their social worker.

Your status as single will be a factor because it means you have less help and support to assist in the difficult task of raising children.

>I have only spent a few days a year with them

This will hurt you.  They barely know you.

>If it is possible, what is the process to get it officially started?

Contact the social worker.

>What kind of things will the courts take in to consideration? I am physically old enough to legally be their mother, I graduated high school, and operate a small business (only a few hours a day, a few days a week.) I own my own home, and live in a fairly decent school district. As of now my home is not set up to accommodate children, but this can be arranged. My pool is also not fenced, but I'd rather fill it in then have the children move in with their grandparents.

It sounds like your main reason for doing this is not what's best for the children, or a genuine desire to become a parent -- but a desire to keep them from their grandparents.  That's going to be obvious to a social worker.  Your distance doesn't help, nor does the fact that you barely know them.


Title: Service animals

Question:
I searched the sub and found lots of service animal questions but none that answered mine. I understand it is illegal to demand proof that an animal is a service animal. You can ask if the person with the animal has it because of a disability and you can ask what tasks it is trained to assist with if I understand correctly (though *not* what the disability is).

My question is what prevents somebody from bringing their pets into businesses and individuals lying that they are service animals. Presumably there must be *some* way to verify it but the laws I've read (IANAL) seem to indicate that they are not required to provide proof.

I want to be clear that I completely understand the valid and justifiable use of service animals. I even accept their use for assisting with psychiatric needs (which I only separate because I believe not all states recognize that use). I very specifically am concerned about people that simply want to bring their pets everywhere and don't mind lying.

Edit: I am in Massachusetts, but I'm interested in information for all states. My question is purely to satisfy my curiosity.

Answer: There is no way to prove that a service dog is a legitimate service dog. However, businesses have the right to kick out a patron and animal if the animal is obviously acting inappropriately- barking, being unruly, jumping on people/things, using the bathroom on the carpet, etc.


Title: Price altered after calling locksmith (Los Angeles)

Question:
On Monday my girlfriend locked my keys in my car after we drove to her work. I search on google for a locksmith and found one, called, and was quoted $29 for them to unlock my car.

The guy get there no problem has me sign a work order, opens the car in a few minutes. Next I try to pay with a card and he tells me it'll be an extra 10%, I said fine, then he hands be the work order for $191.04 and takes off while I'm standing there confused.

After I called the place again and ask them why I was charged so heavily. They transfer me to customer service and they get in contact with the service person about why it was so much. During this time they said they'd call me again once they had done so. A few hours pass and I call again and they say the same thing.

This repeated twice the next day.

Finally yesterday (Wednesday) I ask for a price quote from the initial company: They say $29. So I transfer to customer service again and they tell me the $29 is just to dispatch some and it's another $20 for service. I then ask about other cash difference and they tell me to talk to the manager who isn't in.

Additional in all this I've been hung up twice and basically put on hold for four days.

What can I do?

EDIT: Thank you for the responses. I've chalked it up as a loss and me and my girlfriend have decided to split the cost as she locked the keys in the car in the first place and my dumb ass called the shady locksmith. This sucks as I just got here and am looking for work, but lesson learned and I shall be extremely careful from now on.

Answer:
 There's a big issue with locksmiths showing up and inflating costs once they get there in a mostly-scam manner:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/business/fake-online-locksmiths-may-be-out-to-pick-your-pocket-too.html

Don't expect any sort of useful resolution via the "company"


Title: Network scan on hotel network to find my own device. Would this be considered hacking?

Question:
I want to do a headless set-up of my Raspberry Pi since I don't have a hdmi cable. If I scan the entire network with my computer looking for the MAC address of my Raspberry Pi could it be considered hacking?

United States, multiple states

Answer:
 Definition of hacking:
>use a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system.

Looking for a MAC address of a device is literally what the ARP protocol does. It is designed for such a use. Finding a device's address (whether using ARP or not) is just part of networking as a whole. So no, you're fine.


Title: [TN] Is it legal to film upstairs neighbor making intentional loud noise?

Question:
About 6 months ago a new upstairs neighbor moved in and began making a tremendous amount of noise.

My ceiling shakes, the lights flicker in my apartment, and this goes on for sometimes hours a day and can happen at 3 pm in the afternoon, or 3 am in the morning.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason.

I've spoken to him on several occasions.  Young guy probably still in highschool.  When I saw him, he looked like a basketball player and that got me thinking:  "has he installed a basketball goal in his apartment?"

Sure enough, yes!  From the street level while parking my car, I can see that he is running full blast and jumping to slam dunk on a basketball net.

I've gotten police and management involved before, but he simply doesn't answer the door when they come over and turns out the lights pretending to not be there.

If i can get what he's doing on video, maybe that will convince them that they need to step in and do something.

This is NOT "reasonable living space" noise.  Plus I'm afraid that all the vibrations could be causing asbestos to break loose and go into the air.  He could also be doing damage to the electrical fixtures - I've even had fluorescent bulbs that have been shaken out of their fixtures from the vibrations.

I'm not talking about standing outside the window and video taping, or capturing video from a telescopic lense or anything.  I just want to get footage from what anyone would see when they parked their car and walked into the building.

Answer: Yes it is fine to do this from inside your apartment.


Title: Ontario, Canada A friend of mine has been sick for weeks and just got fired

Question:
So a friend of mine has had stomach issues for the last few weeks (about 6) and just got fired from his job. He missed several days of work because of his illness, but got doctor's notes for all or most of his days missed. I'm not too sure of the laws surrounding this but a lot of people I've talked to have been saying that this is illegal ect. He's worked at the job for several months now on contract, and they gave his 2 weeks pay when they fired him. I'm just wondering if there is anything we can pursue legally because the reason he missed so much work was because of his illness.
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer: There's a lot of missing but necessary information.  The short answer is they can't fire him *because* he's sick.  But they can fire him for other reasons while he happens to be sick.


Title: Hypothetical - Escaping prison to clear your name

Question: I've been watching too many movies again, particularly ones where our hero escapes from prison to clear his name. In the movies, he usually succeeds in his goal and the police apologize or something like that. In reality, he'd totally be going back to prison for having broken out, right? It's not like he can claim self-defense here, can he?

Answer:
 He *can* be charged with the escape.  He *can* be sentenced to go back to prison for it.

Will they choose to do so?  Will they convict him but give him credit for time already served?  House arrest?  Probation?

No one can guess.


Title: [NY] someone hacked a paypal account that i haven't used for years, transferred $5k from someone elses account and now paypal says i owe them the money.

Question: I haven't used this paypal account for years, it didn't have any money on it, but somehow someone hacked it, put $5000 of someone elses money on it and withdrew it from a bank. I got a letter from a collection agency today saying that i owe the money paid in full. What should i do? i've called paypal and they said they will look into it. should i request a fraud claim?

Answer: Definitely dispute it with the collection agency in writing, postal mail return receipt requested, within 30 days. In your letter, notify the collection agency to stop contacting you. There are plenty of examples online of how to write such a notice. If the Paypal account is linked to any personal bank accounts or credit cards of yours, close those accounts immediately. It will be up to the collection agency to sue you and prove that you owe the money. Burden of proof is on them.


Title: [Iowa] If you are convicted of a crime, and that act is later decriminalized, how does that change how the court/future employers view the previous conviction?

Question:
This is entirely hypothetical.

Say I had been convicted of possession of a small amount of marijuana some time ago, and then say marijuana is decriminalized or legalized. How would that affect, say, my ability to get a government job? Would it affect a judge's perception of my history? How does the legalization of something you were previously convicted of, change your opportunities?

Answer:
 Any answer would be completely speculation.

The government could choose to ignore a prior marijuana conviction, or it could choose not to.

A judge's "perception" of your history would depend 100% on the judge. I know of judges who didn't give a shit about prior marijuana cases and that was before marijuana was "legalized" in Colorado.

Same with "opportunities." That would depend on who it is giving you the opportunity and what the heck you even mean by "opportunity."


Title: Writing letter to HR about disregarding professional advice/opinion

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice!

So I'm legit asking this for a friend (bff and matron of honor, this year is our 10 year friendiversary!) although I'm sure everyone says that. Either way, she doesn't reddit, so here I am :) So bff is a curator at a museum in a major US city and has a bunch of artifact trainings. Said museum is disregarding her professional advice and opinions that she's voiced for over a year regarding the treatment of some artifacts. The museums' CEO will be putting the artifacts in a display that will carry the risk of damage (by food/drinks/mice/bacteria). Some of the artifacts are on loan. Her main concerns are 1) the safety of the objects 2) her professional code of conduct. I've asked, and there don't seem to be resources through the museum professional organization. I assume she should be writing a complaint to HR, but I wonder if there are additional steps you would recommend taking?

Thank you!!!

Answer: How it this an HR complaint? Her boss has no obligation to heed or even listen to her opinion.


Title: Proton Pump Inhibitor Advice

Question: To the lawyers on the board, I jumped in on the class suit against nexium, Prilosec, aciphex, etc. I have taken these meds since 2003 and am in Stage 5 kidney failure due to these meds. I am a candidate for a transplant or dialysis. My question is what type of settlement should I look for monetarily? How long do these suits usually last? And what are my odds of having the firm take on my case individually instead of as a group? My kidney function currently is below 15%. I am located in the United States. Thanks

Answer:
 >I jumped in on the class suit

If you mean that you are the named or lead plaintiff in a class action law suit, then you should talk with your class action attorney.

If you mean that you applied to be a class member of a class action case, then you are probably not going to get more than $10.

If you mean that you want to file some kind of medical malpractice or other type of individual case against your prescribing doctor or against the drug company, then you will need to find a good lawyer for that - it's beyond this forum to discuss legal issues regarding medical malpractice type claims.


Title: High School sent me to a DAEP facility (Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs) because they smelt marijuana on me and a friend, need some advice.

Question:
Some context: I'm aspiring to join the army to be an infantryman, maybe try for the Army Rangers, and in the military, admitting marijuana use isn't such a big deal, but with current downsizing, waivers are not as common and being disqualified from joining is a possibility. One thing that can get you DQ'd is legal  adjudication in an educational facility. Something like juvi and stuff like that. Except in my situation, there was no LEGAL trouble, so what I've heard from other service members is that I'll be fine but I'm still worried. The DAEP facility is where they send you if you get in a fight or are absent too much.

Here's what happened:

Last day of school (were both sophomores), me and of a friend smoke some celebratory weed, go to school. Receptionist tells the principal we smell, she brings us in with a cop, and they make us give statements. We both admitted that we smoked, and the cop said we could be in trouble for 'public intoxication', but it was ultimately up to the principal. She decided to send us to the DAEP facility for 45 days, and there was no legal action taken. Keep in mind, we have no physical evidence of marijuana on us, the only thing they went by was the smell. I've mentioned this to some military personnel, and one happened to be a lawyer, and said that the situation sounds fishy. Is everything here justified, or did they bullshit us?

Answer:
 They also went by the fact that you told them you smoked pot.Answer #2: > Is everything here justified

Sure.  You smoked weed, got busted for smoking weed, and got punished for smoking weed.


Title: [CA] Got restraining order from GF. What effects will it have on me?

Question:
Just got served restraining order (court date for restraining order) papers from police officers who came to my house. I took the paper and closed the doors.

Quick background, dated girl for a year, had a break up. She took it very hard and is trying all kinds of ways to put me in jail out of spite. So far, months have passed and lots of claims like "He follows me to work, and hides in my bushes" started being called to the police. They came to my house and I showed them proof of me not being at her work or house. They chuckled at the situation when I explained it. They walked off after I told them I blocked her on every social media and I have no interest in her and I have a GF.

Then as I went to Chicago for a vacation for a month maybe more in December, a family friend who works for the police told me her car got water in the gas tank and she said it was me who did it. With no proof, all the officers did was file a report with a theory, and seeing how I am half way across the country, I could not have done it. Though that report alone was enough for the court to serve me a temporary restraining order and I have to appear at court in a few weeks.

After reading the papers I was served she put a lot of false claims in there like "Admitting he was stalking me the police." "Hiding in my bushes, and we saw him run away."  The only thing on the report that was true was that I texted her drunk. You know, stupid shit you send your ex when your drunk. Like "let me see you on more time" then wake up next day saying "I'm an idiot" to yourself. But never harassment or slander.

I really don't care if she gets a restraining order on me, I don't want to go near her or talk to her, I have moved on. What I am really looking for is will it hurt my current career or further career opportunities? Does this kind of thing show up on background reports? I understand the not owning a gun, not communicating, not seeing her, blah blah. What are other things to prepare for?  Is it worth fighting to show I am "not guilty"?

TL;DR - Ex GF made lots of false claims about me to police, filed restraining order, have court in a few weeks. I dont care if it goes through, but is it worth fighting to keep off my record, or does this kind of thing not show up?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 >What I am really looking for is will it hurt my current career or further career opportunities? Does this kind of thing show up on background reports? ... Is it worth fighting to show I am "not guilty"?

Yes to all of the above.


Title: Car got booted in the parking garage of an apartment complex I live at

Question:
Location is in Oklahoma.

I'm a tenant of this apartment and I got a boot with a note that told me to call a number to have it removed for 100 dollars. The rules are that any car without a visible parking permit will be fined. It is explicit. Also, a good detail is that it is a parking garage, not a street.

Here's what happened: The parking permit they handed me while moving in had a crack forming and the piece of plastic finally gave under its own weight. It fell from my rear-view mirror to the abyss that is the floor of my car.** I'm a student and live close to campus, so I hardly drive, and therefore I didn't catch it in time. Extremely unfortunate for me.

I took the broken permit into the office and got it immediately replaced so it wouldn't happen again. Cause this is dumb. Once I inquired about the fine and process to remove the boot, they told me call maintenance and I walked out to take care of business. Also, there were no managers there when I asked. It was the end of the day by this point and a Friday (day of post).

The apartment maintenance boots the cars themselves, so there is no other entity involved here. When I called, I told them the story and requested empathy for the broken permit. They didn't care of course. No surprise there. But then the guy started haggling. He offered to remove it for 50 bucks since I was a tenant. Then went lower again after I declined. This time to 30.

I'm feeling mishandled and I feel sketched out by this whole thing. It also really sucks that my car is disabled all weekend. Makes me wonder if it's even legal for them to do this.

So, the question is: does the company that runs these apartments have the right, by law, to physically disable my car, in their parking garage, on their own accord? And to extend further, do they have the right to treat their tenants and true violators the same? How can I avoid paying them anything at all? It's not my fault they don't have a better parking system in place to account for crusty parking permits. Any advice? Is my best chance just to appeal to their humanity?

Also, why not just pay the 30 dollars and be done with it? I don't work. I have student loans for the apartment. I'm ashamed to say I didn't even have 30 to give them. I had 20. But then I wouldn't have been eating much this weekend.

**TD;LR**:

**I, tenant, got booted by apartment maintenance due to an aged parking permit falling from verifiable view. What's my recourse?**

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: What does your lease say in regards to parking and/or booting? I hate to say it but you may be out of luck. However if they illegally boot your vehicle for reasons other than parking (ie behind on rent) then contact your local police department.


Title: On reddit, someone has been copying my guides and posting them on his blog.

Question:
I'm in Maryland, if that matters.

What can I do about it? Its not super important, as it is a guide for a game, but it is a 6000 word guide, so I'm super pissed.

I'm underage, so I cannot do copyright things I think, and google's form looks scary with all of the swearing in you have to do etc.

Answer:
 >I'm underage, so I cannot do copyright things I think

You think wrong.

Copyright is automatic, if you wrote that guide you own its copyright and no one else can use it in any way without your permission except in a few specifically defined circumstances.

That shitty 50 word poem you wrote in 1st grade? You own its copyright. Same with the pasta sculpture you made in pre-school, and the poop smear on your diapers the day after you were born.

Google has a form, simply fill it out accurately and honestly.Answer #2: I'm not sure there's much you can do except continually ask the mods for a ban and make it public. I checked out your other posts and it seems most of your community's posts on your page will back you up. Just keep exposing him and report every instance to a mod if on reddit.

Actually posting it on THEIR website is where you may be actually able to do something. IANAL, but I would make that my attack point right there. ESPECIALLY if they are receiving any revenue whatsoever. Seems like you might be able to do something there.

Upvoted.Answer #3: As a mod of the sub your guides are on, that user has been taken care of. It wont stop him from posting to his own site, but it will stop him from then re-posting your guides to the sub.

In the future the best way to contact a sub mod is through [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FClashRoyale).


Title: Just found out my Airbnb host has been illegally subletting her room. Now, her landlord knows and I have been asked to leave immediately.

Question: I am so upset. I am alone in a foreign country(UK). And now i have to find a place to stay at a really short notice. Please advice.

Answer: Deep breaths! This happened to me and my boyfriend in California. AirBnB called us almost immediately and put us up in a new place at their expense plus some extra credit for future vacations. Get in touch with them asap.Answer #2: Call Airbnb and tell them all this. They will help you find a place. Another Airbnb or a hotel.


Title: Wife left with daughter, unannounced with no cause (in my eyes). x-post from r/relationshipes

Question:
Location: Western Canada

TLDR: Wife left with child with no warning, and I don't know what to do.
Throwaway because some people know my account.
My wife and I got into an argument today (non physical, no shouting...more like a heated discussion) where she feels I use her as a personal secretary and to some extent I do. She is unemployed and I am self employed and I've always felt and communicated with her that her doing 4 hours of paperwork every month is her contribution to the household income. I know this sounds condescending but I don't know how else to put it and I was sure to communicate that to her as well. We were on the phone and ended the conversation with, we should discuss this further when I get home from work.
When I got home, I found the suitcases gone, her and our daughters (10/ Last day of school) drawers empty and got no response from her.
Eventually she texted to tell me that they are safe and have removed themselves from an unhealthy situation. I phoned the police and she had already contacted them so they would not tell me where they were.
There is rarely any arguments in our relationship and it most certainly is not abusive in either direction, at least I've never felt that way.
So here I am, going insane because my family is gone and I don't know where. My bank card has been removed from the online banking but after going to the bank, I've found our small amount of money gone.
My business is financially draining and we are constantly struggling from month to month. She brought this up today but not in any way that would make me think she is bailing on our 10 year marriage. I'm not sure what I'm asking, I just feel lost, don't know what my options are or what I should do. I just want to talk to her and my daughter so I know what I did wrong so I can fix it but all I've gotten for communication was a txt that sounded like lawyer speak telling my that she has removed herself from an unhealthy situation, they are safe, and I should stop trying to phone.
I guess I'm just looking for advice during what I feel will be a long sleepless night.

Answer: You will need a local lawyer. You may find her version of events is very different.


Title: If a dog attacks you can you defend yourself?

Question:
A neighbor lets her dog outside without a leash or fence. Often when I'm returning from a run it will leave her property and run toward me barking. I've had to run a few times to my door.

My question, if I cannot run fast enough or get caught off guard and it attacks me, can I legally defend myself? If I were to kick it - on my leased property- and it was injured would I be liable?

Location is Vermont, where people don't have fences or sidewalks.

Answer:
 Yes, you can defend yourself if the dog is attacking your person.

The bigger issue is why is the dog off leash to begin with? Your jurisdiction may mandate that animals not be unleashed outside of fenced yards.Answer #2: Leash laws in Vermont are a matter for the town,  not the State. Call your town clerk and ask.

But defending yourself against a dog is certainly allowed, especially if it actually bites you. Kicking is very likely to be fine. Carrying a pistol  (always legal everywhere here) and shooting it... Maybe not so much.

If the dog has bitten other people,  the town may already know.  A pit Bull was recently put down in Milton for attacking.

Edit: Milton, not Melton.


Title: Why do random cat facts pop up in legal advice?

Question: I don't really understand why a bottle posts cat facts in a legal advice forum. I mean, I like them (particularly about vampire cats) but it seems odd.

Answer:
 People will sometimes downvote location bot (like LAOP if they delete their comment and don’t like that location bot preserved it).

If location bots karma gets to low it can’t post.

Location bot posts cat facts to get upvotes so it can continue to post. And everyone likes cat facts. Even people who don’t care so much for cats.


Title: Two families buy a property in the 90’s, 20+ years later one family resides

Question:
My parents and my uncle and his wife bought a house on Guam in the 90’s. We built a wooden wall down the middle of the house and each family added an extension to the house. Basically, turning the house into a duplex. My uncle passed away in the ’95 and his wife and son moved away to the Philippines and never returned to Guam. The other half of the house turned into a storage area for my family. Fast forward to 2016, my auntie passed away and now the only survivor of the other half of the property is my cousin (27 years old). My cousin lives in Las Vegas and does not care about anything left on Guam (He’s dodging any attempts I have made to speak with him).

I have the deed to the house/land and it says the property is owned collectively by the 4 original signers of the loan with no lines drawn as to who owns what part of the property. My father has been the one paying the property tax this entire time. Now it’s 2019, I am 31 years old with a wife and still living on the property. My father decides to give me the house to start my life.

Here’s my problem, house is old and decaying due the humidity of the area. I want to raze the house and build a whole new house on the property. What would the legal repercussions be if I proceed with my plan? Do I have any alternatives?

My main concern is that if I do build a new house, he might one day show up years in the future and claim half of my house is also his.

Answer:
 Get a local real estate attorney.

Sometimes when people buy property together, there's language that says that in their passing the co-owners become sole owners. (Rather than passing on to their heir)

The property was never passed on to your cousin as its still in their name, so you need to find out who actually owns it.

That'd be the best case scenario.

Its also possible that your dad can push to get full ownership as only he has been paying taxes and the other family has not resided there for so long.  A real estate attorney will know.

Do NOT build a new house on that property until your family has full ownership of it and *your name* is on it.

If your cousin does own half, he could absolutely come in and claim his half after you increase the property value by building a new house.

It may not be years. You could finish and that day have him swaggering down with attorneys to claim what's his. Its happened.

Your dad could also just throw you out if you aren't part owner. (I know you believe he wouldn't, money makes families into assholes so protect yourself)

If your cousin does still own half the property, you can buy him out first. Then get both yourself and your dad on the property with lines drawn about who owns what (just to be safe) then build the new house.


Title: CA - Re-signed apartment lease contains an error that works in my favor, they want me to pay for their mistake

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice! I have a good one for you...

I live at an expensive condominium complex in a desirable area. I will preface this by saying that the ownership of the building changed hands last year, supposedly not affecting the tenants whatsoever. My current lease does not expire until later this year, but the new owners got the bright idea to pressure current residents into signing renewal leases several months in advance by offering a tiered rate structure with only about 2 weeks to decide and "lock in" the "best" new rate. Waiting a day longer than that would result in an even higher rate, and 2 weeks longer than that an even higher one. If we waited, say, until our current lease expired to re-sign, the rates would be even higher yet again, probably upwards of 20% year over year. The "best" rate was a little under a 10% increase.

Here's where it gets interesting. I re-signed the lease. I was told by the office to read the terms carefully, etc. The contract itself says at the top that it is a binding document (duh) and to read carefully before signing. You'll see why I mention this in a moment. I have been paying for parking in the garage at the complex (no assigned spaces, just take whatever is open) which, according to the terms of my current lease, is a fee on top of the base rent price. Nothing ambiguous about the way it is currently set up, and they do not rent these spaces in excess of the number of slots available or anything shady like that. With the NEW lease, however, I noticed that in the parking section of the contract it specifically states the following:

You are entitled to exclusive possession of:
[X] garage or carport attached to the dwelling
[  ] garage space number(s)____________
[X] carport space number(s)  Carport   and/or
[  ] storage unit number(s)_____________.
The monthly rent in paragraph 6 of the Lease Contract covers both the dwelling and the checked area(s) above. All terms and conditions of the Lease Contract apply to the above areas unless modified by this addendum.

[...later on the page...]

Special Provisions. The following special provisions control over conflicting provisions of this printed form:
We reserve the right to assign and change location of your parking space during the term with written notice.

~~~~~

The new contract has been signed by all parties and so it is effectively "done". I noticed the above change in the rate structure (charging a fee for parking before, versus bundling it with the base rate as the renewal contract does). The contract was e-signed, and after a little time had passed I went in and asked for a printed copy with all of the signatures on it. As they were printing it out, they said something along the lines of "yeah this is the contract except it doesn't have the part in it about the extra parking fee". I have not specifically addressed to them that I'm aware of this little "discrepancy" that works in my favor. Clearly they overlooked those little check boxes that bundle parking with my increased rate, instead of increasing my rate AND charging for parking as they have been doing. For what it's worth, the rate increase and the monthly parking fee are roughly equivalent. I do not anticipate this will be an issue until the new lease kicks in, unless they make me aware of it between now and that time for whatever reason. Here is where I am left:

1. What are your thoughts about my situation? It is really obvious that they are going to try and make me pay for parking when the time comes. I'm not sure how they'll do it though, since legally speaking, the contract is final.
2. Can the special provisions clause possibly be construed in such a way that they can invalidate the (obvious) benefit I receive by their mistake? Can they say, "we will not assign you parking unless you pay us the fee (that we forgot to make you pay in the lease), or something to that effect?
3. This one is really on me, but what are the chances there is some clause hidden in the contract that says something like "if we make some type of error affecting the integrity of the contract, we reserve the right to invalidate it and renegotiate it as necessary"? (This seems unlikely).

Thank you for reading, r/legaladvice!

J
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Tl;Dr: Apartment complex comes under new management. New LL offers reduced rate to tenants who resign immediately. OP goes for it, and later realizes that parking is listed as an included amenity in the new lease. OP would normally have an additional parking fee. LL is now taking a wallet hit and OP wants to know if LL can somehow force him to sign a new lease or otherwise pay the parking fee.Answer #2: Waiting for some brave soul to tl;dr this tome.


Title: My DMV is fucking me over through fines and restrictions - what should I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Eight hours is one Saturday.  If you can't manage that without destroying your grades, there is a larger problem here you may need to address.Answer #2: >I am legitimately afraid that attending that clinic is going to have a serious negative impact on my grades,

Really?  Come on.

If you really fear that, then pony up the extra $75 to have your license reinstated. Answer #3: > I am legitimately afraid that attending that clinic is going to have a serious negative impact on my grades.

It won't. Just do it.


Title: I want my parents to voluntarily terminate their parental rights.

Question: Me and my parents haven’t gotten along in years. It all came to a boiling point when they refused to respect and allow practice of my religion. I’m almost 16 and planning on leaving for the military once I’m done with high school. My parents are generally great people, and nothing is wrong with them aside from their disrespect to me and my beliefs, sexuality, and mental state. I do not want to live with them anymore and would prefer foster care or emancipation. What would be the steps to take to begin this process?

Answer:
 Not possible.

Emancipation requires you to be able to 100% support yourself, such as by having a job that pays enough to live on your own, having a place to live, and usually while still maintaining your education. Furthermore, California requires willing parents who are okay with you becoming emancipated.


Title: [MI] I purchased a used vehicle and was told multiple times by the dealer that the car was in terrific condition. The dealership while getting an oil change informed me that my life is in danger driving this vehicle. How do I proceed.

Question:
So my father and I went out were looking to purchase a reliable used vehicle to replace our ancient dying vehicle. We found a dealership and after a test drive and inspection of the vehicle we found a 2011 GMC with around 70k miles that we payed around $12k + $1k for a one year third party warranty. The dealer selling the car assured us the car went through a full inspection and that it was a great car. He showed us the CarFax and there was nothing on there that was of any concern. Car drove great and everything looked good so we went ahead and pulled the trigger.

Now we come to today, roughly a week after purchasing the vehicle. My dad figured we go out and get an oil change on the vehicle. We took it over to our local GMC dealership (not the location where the vehicle was purchased) and got a quick oil change, with a free tire rotation as they do that with the oil change. So I give him the car to do the oil change and off I go to their waiting area to wait until the vehicle is done. A little bit later the technician came over to me while looking a little worried. He told me that he refused to take off the tires because the lug nuts and wheel studs were so rusted he felt they would have snapped off if he attempted to. He also said that when he raised the vehicle up the rust under the vehicle was a lot more than you would expect for a car that is only from 2011. He also stated that he was amazed how the muffler was attached onto the vehicle, and also on a quick glance noticed there were no tire sensors on the vehicle. He told me not to drive the vehicle unless I had to because he was worried about the studs could possibly break while driving. He felt that the car looked like it was sitting on salt for a very long period of time. I had him leave the wheels where they were and put in writing what he found.

I contacted the number of the dealer who sold us the car and told him the story and he told us that he wants to take a look at the car at his dealership and take it from there. What I want to know is what type of options do I possibly have in this situation.

TL;DR: Bought a car, apparently it's rusted a lot more than it should be, and I shouldn't drive it.

Answer:
 I'm going to break this to you gently: trusting the dealer was foolish. They have great incentive to lie to you, and they're professionals at doing so. This is why you always get an independent mechanic to do their own inspection. Unless you can prove the mechanic knew about the problems and lied, you can't claim fraud.

Car sales are by default "as-is". Getting a warranty doesn't help because something like this can be called a pre-existing condition, which usually won't be covered.

Honestly you're lucky they're willing to take a look at it for you. If they offer to make it right, count your lucky stars. What's more likely is that they'll offer to buy the car back from you (for less than you paid) and maybe give you a discount on another car from their lot (and this one will also "be in great shape"). Or they'll offer to do some repair work for a discount (that won't turn out to be much of one) and take more of your money.


Title: Community is asking me to remove my pets or threaten eviction

Question:
Hello, long story short I have pets and live in a pet free community. The complex has become aware of my rabbits and have threatened eviction although there are plenty of dogs and cats that also live in this complex. Whatever, I understand people probably see small potentially damaging animals in a different light than more commonplace pets.

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My problem here is that they have also recently been entering my apartment without giving me 24 hours notice when in the lease it explicitly states:

"Resident agrees to allow landlord or any agent thereof to enter the premises at reasonable times with resonable notice to make such repairs, additions or alterations as may be deemed necessary for the safety and comfort of the Landlord, Resident or other residents, or for the preservation of the premises, or to exhibit the premises for the purpose of sale or rent, to make periodic inspections, and to confirm compliance with this lease. This right of entry shall also exist for the purpose of removing signs, fixtures, alterations, improvements or additions, which do not conform to this lease or to all such rules and regulations, which landlord may adopt from time to time. In cases of emergency or apparent emergency, landlord or any agent thereof may enter the premises  may enter the premises immediately and without notice to resident. Reasonable notice shall be considered as not less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to notice, except in the event of an emergency in which case no notice shall be required."

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See, the problem here is the explicit, in writing, reasons I was given for their entry were "to do balcony work" and "to lay rodent bait". I would not consider those emergencies.

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Can I heir my personal grievances and get out of dodge?

Answer:
 You're not supposed to have pets.  They're now deciding to enforce the policy.  You're still bound by the policy, even though you were skating by under the "Don't ask, don't tell" procedures in the past.

If you're living in a pet free community, then don't have pets.  That other people are getting away with it right now is irrelevant, because you don't know whether they're about to have the hammer dropped on them too.


Title: Ontario - Old Landlord is Suing My Girlfriend

Question:
First time post so sorry if it's awkward/formatted wrong.

So, in the summer of 2014 my girlfriend was in a relationship with a real winner of a guy. I won't go into the specifics about him, but lets just say he was awful to her. They moved into a townhouse together, along with some other roommates, but the 2 of them were the only ones to sign the lease (him being the primary, her a co-signer). They broke up in early November that same year and she moved out of the house and in with her brother.

The landlord was contacted, had the situation explained to her, and she agreed to remove my girlfriend from the lease. This entire conversation was done on the phone, meaning we do not have it in writing.

Today she was served papers at work saying that she was being sued for $25,000 for damages to the property. The men who served her the papers commented that they were "looking for" her ex. Within these papers it claims nearly $2000 in unpaid rent and utilities bills (with dates, all of which occured after she moved out), as well as nearly $7000 in damages to the house, with receipts for the repairs included. I don't know where the landlord is getting the other $16,000 from.

The forms also clearly state that my girlfriend had moved out early, but mention nothing of the conversation where the landlord agreed to remove her from the lease. There is a copy of the lease attached, with her name included.

We're really unsure of where to go from here. When she moved out, the house was still in good shape. She is extremely neat, organized and tidy, and I know 100% she was not involved in any of the damage or messiness that went on after she moved out. Since it's after 5 on a Friday, we can't contact any lawyers offices until Monday afternoon, but we'd really like to get some sort of an idea of what to do. Any advice would be appreciated greatly.

Answer:
 Collect whatever documentation you have: The lease, any proof that you had permission to move out, any past issues you had with the landlord, etc.

Do not ignore the lawsuit. Find a lawyer that is experienced with LTB/small claims. It shouldn't be too expensive to have a lawyer look over the evidence and/or attend your settlement conference for you. I regularly offer my clients upfront / package pricing for LTB issues.


Title: My motorcycle got pushed over by a stranger, hit another strangers car, and now the car owner is demanding I pay him cash when he opted out of insurance coverage.

Question:
AL.

A few months back, I woke up to cops outside my apartment calling my phone, telling me my motorcycle was pushed over. I went outside and sure enough, it was purposely pushed over by somebody and on its way down scraped the car in the next parking spot.

The cops logged this as criminal mischief with no suspect, and that was that. The car owner took my number but I didn't hear back for a couple weeks. When he did decide to call me, he told me his insurance wouldn't cover it and he wanted me to pay. I asked him for his insurance info first and when I called the company, they said there was never any indication they wouldn't pay, and he specifically opted out of insurance coverage.

I text him about this and he responded, saying he didn't want to pay the deductible because it wasn't worth it, and wanted me to pay instead. His quote was about $900. I don't have that money, nor do I feel it's my responsibility to pay. As a friend said it-'if somebody stole your baseball bat and beat somebody else with it, you wouldn't be charged with assault just because it was your bat.'
However, I do want to double check where I am here because he texts me often saying he's going to take me to court and escalate this and blah blah.
(I'd like to add my bike is not insured at this time.)

Tl;dr-my bike was pushed over by a stranger, it hit a car, carowner opted out of insurance coverage and wants me to pay so he doesn't have to pay the deductible.

Answer:
 The police report says an unknown person (not you) pushed your motorcycle over, right? That is your defense if he sues you in small claims court.Answer #2: Lots of people say they are going to sue, but rarely do. If you do get notified of a suit, contact counsel. He opted to not have insurance, that’s on him.

Take detailed notes of all the contact. If it gets harassing, tell him once and firmly to stop contacting you, then don’t reply. You have nothing to gain by further speaking to him.Answer #3: Unless you did something negligent that allowed/caused this to happen it’s not something you are legally responsible for. You are not responsible for the  injuries caused by a third parties criminal (or even their negligent) actions. Tell your neighbor to pound sand.


Title: [New York] Instagram account with pictures of students "having fun while learning" for tutoring business...

Question: I am hoping to start a tutoring business with an online presence.  I have found that one of my biggest assets as a tutor is that I am relatively young (23) and students relate to me.  For this reason, I was thinking that it would be a good idea to have an Instagram for my budding business.  However, I was wondering if posting selfies with students (or something like that... i.e. pictures that show that I "make learning fun") who are under 18 (most of my students are in high school) is legally allowed without written consent.  I have looked at similar Instagram pages, and it seems that many of them do this... but it doesn't necessarily mean it's legal.  Thoughts?

Answer: Regardless of the legality, whenever your primary business is working with minors you should always ask permission of the parents before you do something involving their kids that's outside of the parameters of what you're being paid to do. Even legal actions can tank your business if your clients don't approve of it.


Title: New tenant in my old apartment racked up a $650 electricity bill under my name. Electricity provider claims that since I didn't terminate the service that I am responsible. Please help.

Question: Rochester, NY

Answer:
 It seems very likely that you owe the electric company the amount of the bill.

You can then sue the new tenant for the amount you had to pay.


Title: Girlfriends family being evicted after house sold to third party without consent.

Question:
My girlfriends family home in Dallas, Texas is in her mother and her oldest brothers names. While he oldest brother was deployed in Iraq, the HOA sent all, charges and mail relating to infractions, to the brother in Iraq and he never received any of the supposed letters. So, while he was deployed, interest accumulated and the debt to the HOA grew. The HOA eventually sold the house, under the family's nose, to a third party buyer because the family could not pay back the debt, that they accumulated without knowing. Now the third party is trying to kick them out. They have been served a 3 day eviction notice and are planning to fight in court. They have very little money since her mom is disabled and get oldest brother has a family and home of his own.

My question is: How can they prevent being evicted?

I also should mention that they paid and are paying a mortgage. Not renting or leading.

Edit: My girlfriend's brother, the one who cosigned on the house and the militant who was deployed in Afghanistan is currently retired and living in his own house, not the house in question.

Edit: The brother is just a cosigner. The true owner of the house is my girlfriend's mother.

Answer:
 The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protects against just this situation. Servicemembers on active duty can have default judgments vacated when they return.

Your older brother needs to make a motion to vacate in the original foreclosure case, and get a stay on the resolution of the eviction case pending the foreclosure case. You guys need to get an attorney; he might be able to get JAG assistance or pro bono help from a civilian attorney.Answer #2: > My question is: How can they prevent being evicted?

the need a real estate attorney, and they need a copy of the HOA covenants they signed when they bought the house. it's possible that the foreclosure could be undone, although the idea of HOAs being able to foreclose on houses has been hotly contested in the texas legislature for a number of years.

however, it's very possible that the house is gone.


Title: 24m about to be homless because of a guy i dont even know.

Question: So i recently feel on hard times with friends and funds so i decided to move back with my Mom,and within 4 days there was a eviction note on the door....for me.. Now i guess the problem is its a two bedroom apt and theres 4 people. But its pretty spacious. And now i apperantly hace 3 days to find a place wgich is impossible. I have no where to go. Nobody wants to take me in. Im legitly about to be homless. So people told me to come here and see if anyone has legal advice for me. I sure hope some one does because ive never been so worried in my life.

Answer: Who wrote the note and put it on your door?


Title: (FL) My ex employer paid my OT as straight time using a separate account and paying on a 1099 form for 3 years

Question:
As the title says, my ex employer who fired me was paying me for ot using a separate check and giving me a 1099 form for those hours. I inevitably owed taxes and had to pay.

Now after firing me they are denying ky unemployment. I've had enough and would like to be reimbursed for all those hours. Is there any case here? Should I get an employment attorney? Would it be better to get my ex co-workers involved in some sort of class action suit? Or small claims court?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 >Now after firing me they are denying my unemployment.

Appeal it and you'll get it.

>Is there any case here?

Yes.

>Should I get an employment attorney?

Overkill at this point. File a wage claim with the federal Department of Labor (since you're in Florida) and then file an SS-8 form with the IRS.

>Would it be better to get my ex co-workers involved in some sort of class action suit?

Class action isn't what you want here. Now, if you wanted to unionize your former coworkers, that'd be a different story.


Title: Popped for possession in Rainier NP in WA

Question: A friend and I got popped for possession this weekend in Mt Rainier National Park in Washington. Neither of us have any priors and both of us had small amounts of marijuana plus paraphernalia. We did not receive fines, but were told that we will receive summons in the mail. As we were waiting there, the officer standing with us told us that others have picked up medical cards before receiving anything in the mail and charges have been dropped/reduced.   My question here is what would be the best course of action? I have no intention of ignoring the summons or anything. Should I get a card? Would it help? Just wait and see?

Answer:
 It could help, the prosecutor could also get pissed off on the grounds you lied about a medical condition to get the card as a ploy to duck the fine.  I'm not a huge fan of this in that to get the card you basically need to commit fraud and fraud is worse than a little pot.

I would consult with a lawyer in the area (many do a free initial consult).  It could be the officer is correct and the prosecutors really just want the card as a fig leaf to give them an excuse to drop the issue, or perhaps it only works 1 in 10 times.  It could be with no priors you can just get into a diversion program (community service in exchange for no chargers type of deal).  Someone who actually goes in to the local court and deals with this will know best.


Title: [WV] Landlord ordered parents to get rid of mydog

Question:
This is in West Virginia. My parents own a trailer on a rented lot. They've been living there for about 10 years, but six months ago a new landlord took over. He has been complaining and suggesting over and over that my parents should get rid of one of their dogs, a 3 year old Jack Russel Terrier.

The lease allows pets if you pay an additional $10 per pet per month. My parents were exempted from this since they were on the lot before he took over, per the landlord's instructions.

Last week, the landlord drove up and jumped out of his truck at my parent's house. Evidently he stormed up and knocked on the door, and yelled that they need to get rid of their dog because he is "too vicious" and he's "tired of dealing with it".

My parents are extremely confused because the dog is tied outside the house ~3 hours a day and is kept inside the rest of the time. He barks when people come around the house and is very energetic as Jack Russels tend to be, but he is never let loose and is quiet as long as nobody is around the house.

They are considering giving him away because they don't want to fight the landlord, aren't sure if they have recourse, and don't have the money for a lawyer if it came to that. Decent property is also hard to come by in their town. Is there anything they can do?

Answer: Sure, they don't have to do anything except maybe pay the $10 a month, since the lease allows you to have a dog.


Title: If I have a U.S. passport does that make me a citizen?

Question:
I came to America about 12 years ago. My parents both naturalized about 2 years ago. My green card is expiring in 2 months so I was looking into the process of naturalization. However when I went to my DMV today for my drivers permit and handed my U.S. passport and greencard for identification they said I didn't need the green card because the passport makes me a citizen. Is that true?

Also my dad says I had a parent/child passport when I was little. I don't know if that effects anything.

Answer:
 Were you under 18 when your parents were naturalized?

If so you automatically became a U.S. citizen without going through naturalization yourself. So you can't be naturalized nor can you get a green card or get proof of naturalization. The only thing you can get is proof of citizenship (or a passport).Answer #2: http://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/passport-requirements.html

Frequently, we receive emails from green card holders wanting to know how they can apply for a U.S. passport.

This is not possible unless they go through the process of becoming naturalized citizens of the United States first. U.S. citizenship must be proved in order to get a United States passport unless the person is a non-citizen national.

What is a non-citizen national?

 Not a surprising question given the fact that non-citizen nationals are rare.

Section 308 Immigration and Nationality Act confers U.S. nationality but not U.S. citizenship on persons born in or having ties with "an outlying possession of the United States."

 The outlying possessions are defined as American Samoa and Swains Island.

 Also, children born abroad to two non-citizen nationals or to one alien parent and one non-citizen national parent are eligible for non-citizen national status.

This is so rare that the State Department does not even issue a certificate for it. Non-citizen nationals are delineated as such in their passports.

---

Edit - also read your passport; they usualy explicitly state your nationality within them [or at least the UK one does].Answer #3: The passport alone does not make you a citizen, but it's one of the strongest pieces of evidence you can have that the government considers you a citizen.

What country did your parents and you immigrate from? When did you get your current  passport?


Title: I got caught shoplifting, will this stay on my record?

Question: I got caught shoplifting, I had no money and could afford it I work two job to live on my own and go to school and sometimes I make cuts like choosing to eat and I have to go to court I explained the situation to the police office and the store manger they were understanding but I want to know if this will go on my record, I realized what I did was wrong and will never do this again in my life I learned my lesson.

Answer: Your arrest is on record. If you are convicted, you will likely have a criminal record.


Title: Do you legally own what you find buried in the sand?

Question:
I found an entire whale skeleton at the beach, but after digging 17 feet of the skeleton up the beach patrol roped off the area and confiscated my find. I found it, I spent 5 hours carefully digging it out. How can they just take it from me?
http://imgur.com/a/Kz64P

Answer:
 Yeah, it belongs to the State of Florida: http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2012/1004.57 .

"t is further declared to be the public policy of the state that all vertebrate fossils found on state-owned lands, including submerged lands and uplands, belong to the state with title to the fossils vested in the Florida Museum of Natural History for the purpose of administration of this section and ss."Answer #2: I have no idea where you stand legally but goddamn that's cool.


Title: Condo board wants us to give up our dogs!!

Question:
So, my condo board recently sent out a notice saying that dogs over 25 lbs are 'illegal' in our building, and any dogs over the weight limit will result in the owner being asked to remove the dog.

Is there any recourse here?   Any dog owner knows that's like someone asking you to give up a member of your family.  We're pretty sure we can squeak by as long as they don't get too intrusive (she's about 27 lbs), but I just want a defence in case they get picky.

Also be nice to give any of my neighbours advice for those that definitely have dogs greater than 25 lbs.

Any help or advice is appreciated!!

Answer: If the covenants or bylaws prohibit docs greater than 25 lbs, your remedy is likely politically within the association to see those provisions changed.


Title: Pressing Charges on Robber

Question:
So my school bad and laptop were robbed. I finally got my stuff back today barely and the officer didn’t help being buddy buddy with the family. I finally open my laptop and everything i had on it was erased including pictures of my Uncle who committed suicide a few years ago and the laptop was his. Everything of his that I held dear to me as memories are gone.

Can I press charges on this guy besides theft? Like emotional damages or something?

Answer:
 You can absolutely sue for the cost of taking the laptop to a data restoration firm and having them try and restore it.

If someone just pressed "delete" or even reformatted the harddrive just once, what was on it is very likely to be recoverable but *at a cost*.  Get this stuff back, then sue him for the full cost of recover plus filing fee.


Title: Can my ex move to another state and take me back to court to change custody just one month after the judge rules on it? MO/IL

Question:
I'm a single mom and the judge gave me full custody of my 2 year daughter and my ex husband every other weekend and every Tuesday. This is in Illinois. Our case should be settled within the next two weeks.

I have since moved to MO. He still resides in Illinois but has found a place in the same city as me in Missouri solely relocating to Missouri to take me back to court immediately after our court case has settled to ask a new judge in MO for modification for 50/50 custody and to lower his child support. My lawyer is a quack. He can't give me a solid answer on this and has mishandled my case. I've already looked into turning him into the bar association but I can't afford a new one at this point though he's done nothing for me.

My ex is in the military. I'm a funeral director and the judge has sided with him on almost everything but custody solely because he's in the military and she has a son in the military.

I have proof he's going to do this by text messages and also proof that he keeps dragging out our court case to run me out of money so I can't afford another attorney when he takes me back to court.

I'm already 4000 in with my current lawyer and I just absolutely do not have the funds to hire a new one this late in the game.

Any help or direction on this is so very much appreciated.

Answer:
 The judge agreed that I could relocate to Missouri and it says so in our current papers. He's going to follow me to this state because he wants to modify the custody agreement in MO. Answer #2: Did your custody agreement allow you to relocate to another state, in general?

Absent a violation of the custody agreement or a local state law that changes any of the provisions agreed upon, a court is not likely to revisit the agreement simply because you moved.


Title: What can or should I do?

Question:
To start off, I’m a dog groomer. Which entails a lot of strenuous activity. I recently had found out I was pregnant. I then informed my managers of my pregnancy last Friday. Not only because I had to, but because they were aware I had a miscarriage at 5 mos. last year. So, I wanted to make sure They were aware, and can make sure I’m safe. Meaning no giant dogs.

Two days after (Sunday) telling them, the assistant manager booked me a Newfoundland dog for Tuesday morning. He was around 150lbs. She didn’t want to have to work on it. So she gave it to me. I didn’t find out until Monday, that this dog was on my schedule. She was off that day. So I told my other managers. They came up with the idea that they could have someone help me bathe and groom the dog. Mind you. She (the manager who booked it) had almost nothing on her schedule. Also, I found out the owner wanted an early morning appt. But the other manager lied and said she didn’t have anything. So she schedule it for me at 11:00am. When I come in.

So Monday, I had someone helping me. As I was checking in the dog, I was sitting at the computer desk while the other girl held the dog, when all of a sudden the he jumped on my lap with his front paws. Hitting me in the lower abdomen. I continued on. Since the customer was still in front of me.

Later, the girl and I had to do part of the groom on the floor, because he was too big for the groomers table. Even though the dog was being held back and I was being careful, he managed to get on my lap again. Kicking the same area. After this, I was starting to feel pain. But I had to continue the groom. The manager who booked this dog was there. In free time, she would stand and chat with the girl who was helping me. Acting like she didn’t understand why I was so stressed about doing this dog.

Even at the end of her shift, before she left. She said, “Do you feel better now. You got him done and you made more than me today! I don’t get why you were so stressed!” I told her it wasn’t the fact that Newfoundlands are hard to groom. It was the fact that I was scared he was going to put to much stress on my body or kick me. Which I told her happened.

All she said was yeah, and said bye. She left and that was it. I was still in pain and felt really drained. When I went to the bathroom some hours later, there was blood. I was cramping and there was blood. But it was light. Sometimes that happens early in a pregnancy. I took a deep breath and finished up my shift. The bleeding persisted after I got home, but didn’t seem to get worse. Until, I woke up at 5am and found a lot of blood. I called out of work and went to the hospital. They said it’s a threatened miscarriage. They told me how I shouldn’t have been dealing with anything that heavy. They then gave me a weight limit (10lbs.). They said there’s a good possibility that I’m going to miscarry. But there’s nothing they could do.

I’m home. I’m still bleeding a lot and I’m a lot of pain, waiting to miscarry. My question is, can I take legal action against the manager who insisted on me working on that dog? She made my last pregnancy horrible. Now this one. It’s not fair. What can I do. The salon is part of a major company. Should I report her to corporate or something. I’m lost. I’m devastated, depressed, angry, and I feel completely helpless. Can somebody please tell me what to do?

P.S. Sorry for any typos. This is my first really post on reddit. I didn’t know who else to ask at the moment.

Answer:
 You can make a worker's comp claim.  I expect you're going to have difficulty proving the dog caused your miscarriage, especially given your history.

Talk to a lawyer if you wish.


Title: Opposite Sex Observed Drug Screens

Question:
Hi Everyone,

Are there any laws regarding the opposite sex observing drug screens? My company does random urine tests. The employee is given privacy for the first test. If the test comes back diluted or suspicious, they have to do a second test in the presence of someone. If for example, we have to re-test an employee and she is a woman, is it legal for a male staff member to observe the second test? I am specifically interested in Ohio law. When I searched the Ohio Administrative Code, I could not find any mention of the opposite sex providing drug screens.

Thanks.

Answer: Legal? Yes. A potential HR nightmare? Definitely.


Title: Former escort being blackmailed

Question:
I received a text today from a former client that used my real name and asked in my current employer (I work a normal job now since graduating from college) knows I was an escort. Sparing me the judgment, does anyone have any suggestion of steps I can take to protect myself?

This was five years ago and I thought I’d left it enough in the past. I keep my social media profiles locked down but they must have found out.

Answer:
 Blackmail is a felony.

You can report him to the police for his crime.

There is no magic legal button that will stop him from conveying the information he has to anyone he chooses.