Title: Wellness check failure.

Question: This happened in South Carolina. My best friend hadn't been heard from for almost a week. Nobody answering the door or the phone. Air conditioner was on, light on, TV blaring. He was dead in the back room, window was unlocked btw. The police were called for a wellness check and they showed up and did nothing. Citing no reason to break in. I know that I'm in grief stage right now and am VERY angry. Is there a reason to raise a stink about this? It wouldn't have saved his life, but it would have prevented our son from opening the window and finding his dad's bloated corpse. This happened probably 3 days after he died.

Answer:
 >The police were called for a wellness check and they showed up and did nothing. Citing no reason to break in.

Please understand that the police cannot break into a residence because a friend was not heard from in a while.

>I know that I'm in grief stage right now and am VERY angry.

And that is normal - nobody should go through the pain of losing a good friend.

This being said, the police did not harm anyone and did the best they could.

> This happened probably 3 days after he died.

At which point... there is no real damage anymore. Your friend's life would not have been saved, nor would the pain of their family been less.

Let go of this - there is no legal recourse, since nobody did anything wrong.

Grieve and let time make the pain less. I am sorry for your loss.Answer #2: To my knowledge they can’t break in unless they have a reason to believe someone’s life is in immediate danger. So, tv on and not hearing from someone is not immediate danger.

I’m so very sorry for your loss.


Title: Funeral home won't provide Death Certificate

Question:
Hello, first time post here and on mobile so sorry for poor formatting.

My father passed away in 2010 and the funeral home that we used for the burial can't provide us with a copy of his death certificate. They have sent us to the Department of Vitals and Statistics but they can't seem to find any record of my father despite the funeral home director telling us that he has already submitted all the paperwork.

My mom is trying to get her citizenship and the lawyer is asking she provide a death certificate for my father. This has been going on for the better part of a year and we're getting frustrated.

Is there grounds for legal action towards the funeral home for not having submitted the documents for my father's death certificate?

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.

This is in Texas.

Answer:
 You can order the DC online here: https://txapps.texas.gov/tolapp/ovra/index.htm But note that if they don't find a record, you don't get your money back.

Other options to verify the existence of a DC before you spend money at the above site:

* Search the Social Security Death Index via any number of sites, [like this one](https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/ssdi/all). That will tell you if anyone filed for SS death benefits, which (I think) requires a DC. That will tell you if a DC was filed.
* Contact the cemetery where he was buried. They should have a copy of the burial permit which may have a DC number on it.


Title: This is short, but deals with Pell Grants.anyoje who has the knowledge please give advice

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >I talked with 2 lawyers and they tell me to absolutely not use that money to pay him back and if I choose to do so I am severely risking any further Pell Grants and could even owe the government BACK that money that I would repaid to him.

Well, 2 out of 2 lawyers agree that this is a bad idea. Who are we to argue.


Title: Not allowed to bring water to a High School football game? (Cumberland County, PA)

Question: My wife and I went to watch our foster child play football the other day. Like many people, my wife brings her water bottle many places, and this game was no exception.  We paid $10 to get tickets for the game, and upon entering the field we were told she had to dump her water out. Apparently you're only allowed to have the water they sell. This seems completely ridiculous. **Do they truly have the right to stop us from bringing water to a football game?**  If they do not have that right, does anyone have something I can cite and send to the athletic director that made this rule? Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Answer: They don't have drinking fountains/bathrooms to refill the bottle? They're probably worried about people sneaking in alcohol. Answer #2: Have you ever been to a movie theater? You aren't allowed to bring in food from outside there, either. It's perfectly legal.


Title: Need help with an unfair speeding ticket

Question:
Hi guys, I'm a 17 year old in Massachusetts. I was driving to work this morning up a rather steep hill. When I got to the top, there were a few police officers crossing the street and I started to slow down. They turned towards me and asked me to stop, one of them saying I was going "70 or 80 MPH" and that the speeding fine was massive. I was actually fined for going 60 MPH in a 35, a 255$ ticket in my state.

Also, in my state this means I lose my license for 3 months, have to take an adjustment course, pay 500$, and take a new license test. I would prefer to appeal to this, and I have a few notes for a defense. Firstly, the law in MA states that to by eye (they did not use a radar) calculate my speed, I have to go over the speed limit for over 1/8 of a mile. Later, I went back and marked on my gps where my car was stopped. I then went to the part of the hill where you can first see a car coming. Measuring the distance between the two came up as 1/10 of a mile.

Secondly, I believe the officer that wrote my ticket was inaccurate because he originally said 70 or 80 MPH. My car is old, and could maybe do 50 up the hill. I was going 40 MPH up the hill. Third, the speed limit is not posted in the area. It is 25 MPH going down the hill, but going up is unmarked.

Alright, so what do you think my chance of winning this appeasement is?

Answer:
 Your argument about the 1/8th mile requirement for visual estimation is pretty good, it's worth a try. I'd print out a google map and mark where you became visible and where you were stopped.

Your argument about the age of your car is a bit weak but also worth a try, though don't exaggerate, it's really hard to believe your car can't hit 50 going up the hill. Don't bother with the complaint about the lack of a speed limit sign.Answer #2: Your car is not too old to do 70 up a hill.

Guaranteed.

Talk to a lawyer.Answer #3: You're making some good arguments. Judges often let drivers plead to lesser charges anyway. Take all of this to court and you might be okay.


Title: Concerns over violent homeless people [MN[

Question:
I live in downtown Saint Paul, MN. I've lived here for a few years and I've had a number of bad encounters with the homeless community. There's a community of homeless here that have been around since I moved in. They live in a Catholic charities local shelter and during the day they wander around and do drugs. I know them all by face, the cops know most of them by name.

They shoot up drugs in the alley next to my recycling bins. Walk around screaming randomly all night. Dig through our trash. Aggressively panhandle and follow people around.  Deal drugs constantly. Piss on the front door of the building. Last year, one of them threw a brick through my girlfriend's car window and stole her makeup bag, destroying the interior of her nice new Mercedes. Cops told us there was nothing they could do. A few weeks later, she came over and one of them stood by her side window, staring her down until she called me on speaker phone and I told her I was coming down. I came down with my concealed gun, but he was already gone by the time I got down there.

The other day, one of them was sitting on the ground in front of our door, and he was laughing loudly and hysterically for like 3 minutes non-stop at nothing. I told him he was loitering and he needed to leave. I had to shout at him because he was laughing so loudly. He got pissed and tried to fight me. He postered at me like he was taking a stance to fight. Cops were there and saw it and came over and asked what was going on. This is what concerns me, they basically just told me they couldn't do anything and let him walk away. How is it that someone who is clearly high on drugs, was loitering on our property, and postured at me like that, can just walk away? Are the cops really powerless to do anything about it? Is there anything more I can do about if they won't? I call the cops like twice a week on people dealing drugs or shooting up, but I really doubt anything happens to them because I constantly see the same people back on the streets doing the same things.

Answer:
 Dash cam/front door cam, call the police for each instance.

(I assume you’re not asking how to solve homelessness. A lot of them are likely mentally ill, and a lot of those resources were shut down back in the eighties.)Answer #2: I live in Minnesota too and work with this population. It’s not a crime to be mentally ill, and Hennepin County (not sure about Ramsey) has taken steps to reduce the recidivism and decriminalize homelessness because it simply bogs down an already overcrowded system. Cops often do not arrest for things like loitering, public intoxication, etc. because they simply can’t keep up with it all. Or individuals get referred to HOMES court. Perhaps that’s what happened here?Answer #3: Dude, your life would be a lot easier if you relaxed a bit and stopped trying to escalate every interaction. 99.99999% of homeless people are completely harmless. Half the time you can even have a friendly relationship with the bums they'll actually look out for you and your stuff. Staging WWIII on a daily basis is just going to cause you stress and make them hate you. Lose lose.


Title: Boss went into my chrome history and fired me today for it.

Question:
From Wyoming.  I know there is a lot of things I could have done to prevent this but now I'm looking for help.  So today at work I left my computer up and logged in for my coworker/best friend that never got a log in because he was just filling in temporarily.  There are 3 other people in the same position as I am that do this.  Our boss came in later in the day and sent him home early because it was so slow.

Well I had my google account signed into chrome and he went thru my past history and looked all the way back to the end of March.  He used the timestamps on the history and the time clock to see what I was looking at while at work.  I never looked at anything on the work computer except weather and YouTube but because I had my sync for my google account on, anything that I looked up on my phone or at home was put to the same history.  (I used google to save my passwords that I needed for different websites I had to use.)

They used this today to terminate me after almost 8 years and the last 5-6 without any disciplinary action. (instant termination)  I've gone thru my google activity and found they downloaded everything connected to google to an email using google takeout.  This includes pictures, history, locations, practically everything from my phone or home computer.  They used the work computer to do this.  I feel like them downloading my info is illegal and looking for advice on any of this.

EDIT:  I want the data they downloaded deleted.  I'm not trying to fight the termination.

Answer: Were you told why you were being terminated?  Generally speaking  you have no exception of privacy on an employer owned computer on an employer owned network.


Title: [Vermont] My landlord left me a voicemail claiming he would settle our security deposit dispute out of court, but won't now. Can I use that voicemail as evidence in court?

Question:
For background information: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3e3tv8/vt_usa_former_landlord_is_withholding_security/

After months of no contact, my landlord finally called me. He left me a voicemail, in which he said he "feels bad" about what happened. He claims he was "upset," and he said he didn't want to present this to court because we "were good tenants." He said he would have my security deposit available for pickup the day after the voicemail. I went to pick it up from his establishment (a restaurant, through which he does his business, I guess), but it wasn't available when I went in. I went in later, and it still wasn't available. This went on for three days, and I tried calling my landlord today, but his mailbox was full.

When I finally went into his restaurant when he was there, he told me he was not going to give me the deposit, and we were going to settle it in court. He claims I trashed the apartment, despite that being totally untrue.

My question is this: I have proof that he was going to give me my full deposit back, and I was wondering if I can use that in court when we go.

Additionally, how can I prove I cleaned the apartment before I left. One of my friends helped me move out--could I ask her to testify? My uncle and aunt also helped me move out. Could they testify? How far do witness testimonies go when I don't have photo evidence?

Answer: Oh yeah take that recording to court. It's not a two-party conversation, and someone speaking to a voicemail recorder pretty much consents to be recorded, so there should be no issues with it being an illegal recording.


Title: Landlord not paying water bill, included in rent. City keeps shutting water off, maintenance keeps illegally turning it back on. [Missouri]

Question:
I live in an apartment that is a unit in an old house that is converted into three separate apartments. Each tenant pays their own utilities except water - that's included in the rent.

On 04/06/16, the city came out and shut off our water. My landlord acted like that wasn't the case, and that maintenance had turned it off to do some work. Later that day, maintenance went into the manhole in the front of the yard, and turned our water back on.

Fast-forward to today 05/18/16 - the city comes out and turns the water off again. Instead of calling the landlord, I called city to figure out what was going on. They told me that the water was shut off by them on 04/06/16 due to non-payment. I asked her if the city ever turned it back on, and she said no, but they turned it off again today since it had been illegally turned back on. She said, further, the meter had been turned off by whoever illegally turned the water back on, so they can't turn the water back on this time by just paying the bill. We were using water from 04/06/16-05/18/16 that wasn't being read by the meter. The city worker's exact words were, "what your landlord did was way more illegal than just turning the water back on. I'd look for somewhere else to live, because I doubt this water gets turned on anytime soon."

Well, fuck. So the lady from the water dept gave me the phone number to the property maintenance/code enforcement department. I called and asked if not having water would make a rental unit non-habitable, and she said yes, not having access to utilities makes your dwelling inhabitable. She offered to start a case, and said that someone could be out here later today to do an inspection. I asked what would happen next, and she said that if they sent out an inspector, and found that the rental property had no water (a utility provided by our landlord), we would all be forced out immediately! I got off the phone quickly without starting a case because I don't want to lose all of my stuff and have to find somewhere for me and my cats to go without notice.

Next, I called my landlord and played dumb. I simply told her we didn't have water, and she said the EXACT same thing she said to my neighbor last time this happened. "Maintenance was out there working on a leak. It'll be back on later today." Sure enough, within the hour, the maintenance man came out, got back into the manhole (I got him on video this time) and turned it back on!

So, what would you guys do, if you were in my shoes? I'm not really at a place right now where I could just up and move. I am on a month-to-month agreement, so I just have to give 30 days notice to move. I'm nervous about paying rent for a place I might get kicked out of by the city, but I'm also not able to pay a deposit+first/last month's rent at a new place right now either. I'm getting a significant raise in August, and was hoping to wait until then to move, but I'm nervous I might be forced out earlier. Any advice you have would really help.

TL;DR: Landlord hasn't paid the city in god-knows how long for water, which she agreed to pay for in the lease. The city has shut off the water multiple times, and the landlord keeps illegally turning it on. The city said if I make a report that I don't have water, they will come out and make the tenants leave immediately without notice. I'm not in a position to move at the drop of a hat.

EDIT: I talked with the other tenants. No one is in a position to move at the drop of a hat if the city code enforcement people come in here. I found a story about something similar in my city happening (not going to link it as I don't want to give out my exact location). There was a building owned by a state legislator that had the water shut off by the city for non-payment for FOUR MONTHS before a resident got the city code enforcement involved. So it appears the water dept and the codes dept don't necessarily share information. Right now, we have water. Yes, the landlord turned it on illegally, but at least I can shower and do dishes. We're all looking for new places. I just hope it's not illegal for me to use this water that my landlord is stealing. I pay rent, which includes water.

Answer:
 Move. Like, as soon as practical. If your landlord keeps playing stupid games with the city, he could well end up losing the property over the resulting fines, or going to jail.

It doesn't sound like he's going to stop, and your single best protection is going to be getting as far from this mess as possible. In principle, if your landlord breaches the lease by failing to provide an inhabitable dwelling, you can sue to recover your costs (for things like moving), but first you'd have to pay those costs, and even if you won a suit you'd still have to collect from this slimeball.

Start putting money aside now, in case your raise falls through. The water's _going_ to get turned off again, likely soon.


Title: (USA/TN) Huge Clusterfuck Regarding Family Member, Aggravated Burglary, Domestic Assault and Property Damage

Question:
The police arrested the family member and charged them with aggravated burglary and domestic assault.

What do I do to make sure this person spends  time in jail? I tried to drop charges and now have been subpoenaed by the DA.

First: this person is on morphine, cocaine, Xanax. They are also diagnosed Bipolar. For the last 10 years they have become steadily more unpredictable and dangerous. Anyone else would have already been in jail or have had a visit from CPS. But they always pay their way out of consequences. Please advise how to prevent this.

Second: their attorney is attempting to have their charges reduced to a class A misdemeanor. Even if they only spend a month in jail it would work. Their kids would be safe, they would gain clarity and be under constant supervision. Rehab was useless.

Third: I see criminal defense attorneys everywhere. Aren't there attorneys who help prosecute the offender? I need a door NOW. I want my medical bills paid now. We all gave statements to the police and the state has taken the matter out of my hands criminally. How do I get them to compensate us now for what they have done? Do I have to wait a year and go after them civilly? If I got subpoenaed- I want to make damn sure they get dragged back across the country to face their music. Who do I talk to? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Criminal defense attorneys are not prosecutors. There is no such thing as for-hire prosecutors, because individuals don't prosecute.

The DA (District Attorney)'s office files charges and prosecutes. You don't get to decide if charges are filed. If a plea deal is struck, you don't get in a say in that. Dropping the charges would mean there is no chance of them going to jail.

You can sue civilly for damages. Those would almost always be determined civilly and not criminally. What damages do you have? You don't just get to sue because they committed a crime.


Title: Received a W2 in the mail with my name, address, and SSN. I've never worked there. Possible identity theft? (Texas)

Question:
**Update:** Turns out I applied for a job (but never worked there) at STP Inc. when they were under a different name about 7 years ago. My father (same name as me) got employed there this year. My father and I don't talk, so I didn't know this. There was an accounting error where some of his pay got accredited to me. STP Inc. got it figured out and all is well in the world! Thank you so much for your help and support everyone!

Tldr: It wasn't an illegal, just an asshole.

|=====OP:===== |

This week, I received a W2 in the mail to the tune of $12,880.43 in wages from a place in San Antonio, TX. The problem is that I've never worked there. I'm in the military and currently stationed in Guam, a beautiful little island in the middle of the Pacific. I tried calling the IRS but they've had the wonderful suggestions of hanging up on me, speaking Spanish when I specifically pressed "1" for english, or just directing me to irs.gov, but I'm not entirely sure what I need to be doing. I don't know what my first step should be.

So I tried to call the business that issued the W2. Not sure if I'm allowed to say the name, but let's call them STP Inc. Googling them turns up very little except for a single number where none of the extensions seem to be in use any more. I called STP Inc's headquarters who said the address on the W2 is no longer in use, and they may have relocated. They said they would begin investigating the possible identity theft, but it would be best for me to contact the franchisee directly. But if the address and phone number are both wrong, and I'm 7000 miles away, I'm not entirely sure what my next move should be.

One more tidbit is that I may have applied for a job with STP Inc about 4 or 5 years ago. It wasn't the same location, but it was with the same franchise in San Antonio so it might have been with the same owners. Maybe it was just a typo in their books or something, where they meant to sent it to Fickle the General or something like that.

My  major questions are 1. How do I file my taxes? I called the IRS and they were absolutely no help. 2. Who else should I call? 3. What else can I do? 4. I'm still unsure if it's identity theft or just an error in their books. Is there anything else I can do to check this? How worried should I be in reality about identity theft?

Thank you so much for your help!

Answer: My guess is an immigrant who isn't allowed to work in the US is using your identity.Answer #2: Try the [steps here](http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0008-tax-related-identity-theft). There's a number to call there that's different from the main IRS line. Better safe than sorry, I'd follow all the steps at that site to check if your identity was stolen, rather than hope this was a typo - if it was, the name and SSN both wouldn't have been yours.


Title: [Houston, TX] I "stole" all my clothes and other personal belongings from my mother's house after she kicked me out. Is what I did consider theft?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You might have been trespassing, but even that's questionable. You're legally entitled to the same amount of notice as any other tenant: pushing you out the door and locking it behind you is both an illegal self-help eviction and _assault_. The former is largely a civil issue, but the latter could well be a crime - against you.

In practice, if you got your stuff back that way, and didn't run into a cop on the spot, you're probably fine. Even if she sues you instead of filing a police report, gifts and personal effects are yours even if someone else buys them for you, and your mother will have a hard time showing that any of "your stuff" is actually hers unless it's really unambiguous.

I wouldn't make a habit of breaking into your family's property in the future, though.


Title: Can you be fired from a job because you bent over and accidentally showed your butt crack? (Not trying to be funny here)

Question:
So a few years ago I worked at a company that wrote me up for accidentally showing my butt crack when I bent over to pick something up. Now I left that company a long time ago but I always questioned it. After finding this subreddit I'd like to see what you people thought it.

Here is more of the story. I was a large guy at the time, kinda still am, 6'3 250lbs. I knew that I had a hard time keeping my pants up as pants don't feel comfortable always pulled up on me. It is construction work that I do so we see a lot of butt crack because a lot of guys are the same size as me. There are guys who don't care, but for me it bothers me. I had tried different pants, suspenders, longer shirts, overalls. Nothing either worked or didn't feel right. I was told by management that if they saw it again I would be written up. It happened while I was in my tiny work van at the shop, no one around, trying to find something in a hurry, and the manager walked up to the van and he saw my butt crack. He didn't say anything to me. The next morning I came in and was told to speak to the owner of the company. So I went in his office and there it was a write up sheet that said in clear print "failure to keep pants up exposing his butt crack.". I signed it and didn't take it that serious, but I asked the owner if I could get fired over this. His response was yes.

Now I tell people this story and they think the company was looking for an excuse to get rid of me. I don't believe that because I was their only licensed electrician who brings in the most work. Customers where very upset when I left later on. Supply houses even told me the company went down in business days after leaving. So I know they weren't trying to get rid of me. They always wanted to be this top shop no mess around no fun company, but they would cut a corner quick to make a buck. I don't know why I still think about it today, but I always wondered if I stayed around long enough would I have been fired? I stayed almost 6 months after the write up, I know someone had to see my crack one more time, was never written up for it anymore. Just weird and I would like to know what people think.

Answer: Labor laws vary by state and country. That would be a valid reason to fire you almost anywhere in the United States.Answer #2: Yes you can be fired for your butt showing.


Title: Roommates GF won't leave house. Given 30 days by cops??

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >  However she's not going to stay here for free while racking up water, gas and electricity usage. That's crazy.

Yea she might. And you can sue her. But you can't kick her on your own.


Title: legal for a public school

Question:
There is a college in Idaho that a friend goes to. He says its a public school and they require you to do a drug test at the beginning of the school year.

If you test positive for ANYTHING, you can't attend the school.

Is that legal ?

That seems like such a violation of the students civil rights.

Answer:
 > There is a college in Idaho that a friend goes to. He says its a public school and they require you to do a drug test at the beginning of the school year.

Credible citation needed.

> Is that legal ?

Blanket drug testing of students by public institutions has been found to be a Fourth Amendment violation by courts.


Title: Am I Legally Allowed To Drive Empty Beer Cans Underage?

Question:
I was wondering if I could take in empty beer cans into a liquor store and return them for money. I would have to drive with them in the car though and idk if that breaks any laws

edit: in MA, USA

Answer: Wash them out really good, put them in a garbage bag with soda cans and keep them in your trunk, and you should be okay. When I grew up in Michigan I use to return empties for money, and never had a problem so long as I wasn't the one drinking them.Answer #2: If they're in the trunk, I don't see how you could have any issue with this. Unless you've drank them shorty beforehand.... Answer #3: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/recycle/reduce/1983-bottle-bill-guide-for-consumers.html#Canminorsreturnemptybeercontainers


Title: Would downloading music affect US citizenship application?

Question:
If you were raised in the US and as a teenager had downloaded some music and streamed movies online, as any teenager does, would any of that come up in your background check? If you were never arrested or cited, do they go through your phone and internet history to check? How much would it affect your application?
Topic:
Immigration

Answer: The logistics of doing such a thing and the amount of effort and manpower it would require to do this kind of search, especially when you have no record, would be unfathomable. It is highly unlikely it will matter or come up at all.


Title: Drugged at a bar help?

Question:
My friend was at a bar/club a few nights ago, had no friends with him. Someone slipped something in his drink, it turned out to be heroin. He got mugged just outside the establishment, phone and wallet stolen, but here's the most pressing issue. He's a college student, living with his parents to save money, and they're helping him pay tuition. They came and got him after he came to after being mugged, but they don't believe his story. They're sending him to rehab, which he won't make it out of in time for school to start up in Fall, and he'll fall behind in his courses. If he doesn't go like they're making him, they'll kick him out and stop helping him with tuition.

I tried telling him to contact the bar for video camera footage, and they said they won't provide any without a warrant. He doesn't have the money for a lawyer and his parents won't believe him, despite this being the first occurrence of any drug use (aside from light alcohol consumption).

The state is Washington, if it makes any difference. Any idea what he could do? His academic track would be completely thrown off if he has to go into rehab.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 Nobody slips heroin into drinks.

Is he an adult, if so his parents can't force him to do anything.Answer #2: > it turned out to be heroin

So he tested positive for heroin. How did that happen?

> he'll fall behind in his courses

Better than a) dying of a heroin overdose or b) getting kicked out entirely.

One semester isn't going to kill him.Answer #3: He can do whatever he wants. He's an adult.Answer #4: This story doesn’t add up. His parents are sending him to rehab after one time use? Why wouldn’t he be out in time for school to start? Rehab is very expensive. Why would someone slip him heroin?Answer #5: He needs to file a police report. They can investigate the issue.


Title: [NY] Is it illegal to try and phish one person?

Question: I got out of an abusive relationship a couple years ago, but unfortunately I still share friends with my ex. Most of my friends actually. I don't really trust anyone but have had to talk to people anyways...one of them swears that she doesn't relay any information to my ex. The only way to prove it would be to get any private chat logs from either of them. They both use Discord a lot. Would there be legal recourse if I phished one of them? There wouldn't be any acquisition of personal or financial information. It really would be just to look at chat logs.

Answer: Don't do this. It's stupid to expose yourself to liability or criminal charges just to see if someone is talking about you behind your back.


Title: Neighbor threatens on filing a complaint because of my car, but car hasn't been modified.

Question: This is in Ontario Canada. Both my sister and I own Subaru's, one is a wrx and mines is the brz. I was re-adjusting the cars but one got stuck in the snow and of course the car would rev to back up. A neighbor infront came out of their house complaining about how loud the mufflers were and I should stop revving it at night. Both my sister and I don't rev the car on purpose but to just re-adjust the car into position, and it's not every night that we do it. My other sibling drives a civic, and they always come home at the evening and I believe that my neighbor was talking about that too. There's nothing I can do about the cars, it's made that way and nothing has been modified at all. I told him that we don't do these things on purpose. If he does end up filing a complaint what can I do? And what can the authorities charge me?

Answer:
 Some might not understand but for those who haven’t been around a WRX, if idling, it can vibrate the windows of the house when parked a few feet away in the driveway. The BRZ was not as bad on this but still made similar with stock everything.

Most cities have anti idling ordinances that target anything more than parking or regular operating practices.


Title: Company bought out overnight. All employees fired on spot. No notice. 35+ people. (NY)

Question: Hello. I've been working for an EMS agency in upstate NY for 9 months. No union. anybody who spoke of such was fired on spot. Last night I showed up for my night shift as normal and was informed that the next morning the company is closing as they sold out to another agency and we were all fired. 35 people let go with no notice. The owners have promptly gone on vacation up north and can't be reached. Some people have suggested taking legal action against them saying things like "wrongful termination". enough people have said so that I thought it would be worth hearing what you guys and gals think. feel free to ask any questions.

Answer: Absent an employment contract there is nothing illegal about closing a business/selling and firing you without notice. Answer #2: WARN only covers employers with 100 employees or more. You have no recourse except unemployment.


Title: Overworked Employee (CA)

Question: I've been working as a videographer for the past year and a special events venue. I make a day rate of $100, but am consistently forced too work 13 hour days. Some night I get off at eleven and am expected to be back by nine AM. Some days I'm able to come in for maybe 2-4 hours on certain days but constantly at least once a week I am forced to do these late nights. We are understaffed but I have limited options in my rural area. Is there anyway I could sue for compensation?

Answer: Are you an independent contractor or an employee?


Title: {CA}State hired me to do work that was not in the original Job Description and my Union Won't back me.

Question: I started as a student worker at the local Junior College and was hired into a full time position. After a few months I realized that the work I was hired to do was not in the hodge podge of a job description that I believed I was going to be doing. My whole job falls under the "Other duties as assigned" category. Essentially imagine being hired to do technical work and then handed a mop and told you are a janitor. I have tried to work with the Union and HR but they seem to be working together with My department's third-party outsourced project management to create NON-JOBS. The whole department is ran this way. Highly paid state workers told to not do their job description so that the Project managers can outsource to other third party companies with State money. I would like to fight this legally but need advice on the first steps. False Pretense Hire maybe? Thanks

Answer: Your question is predicated on the incorrect assumption that job descriptions are legally binding. Absent a contract, they are not. Employees perform tasks as assigned by their employer. So long as nothing illegal is going on, no laws are being broken having somebody go outside their job descriptions. If the employee doesn't like it, they can quit and find a new job.


Title: Fired because of side effects from mental illness/psych drugs?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They fired you because you made customers uncomfortable. The reason why you were acting that way doesn't really matter. Good luck on your next job.


Title: (SC, Charleston) I have renters insurance that covers wind damage, but do not have flood insurance due to 30-day waiting period. Hurricane Florence is on its way so my question is this: If my windows are knocked out due to wind, and then rain gets inside and damages things, is that covered or not?

Question: The insurance sales person said it would be covered but I'm not sure they told me correctly?

Answer: Look at the policy description, that will control the definition. In most situations, the sales person is correct. Flooding (aka an inundation of surface water entering your home) is very different from water damage from rain entering your home through broken windows.  An adjuster would be able to distinguish damage between the two when observing your property and writing up the claim for your insurer.


Title: [MO] My mom literally just yelled at me that I have until June 4th to move out

Question:
Sorry if this seems to be rambling, I'm still shaken and trying to process this. So the back story is kinda convoluted.

I live with my mom and three siblings. My mom and I just got in an argument about 30 minutes ago, she yelled "Take this as your notice: Get Out!". The basis being stated as I don't do chores and I'm not "a part of the family".

I mainly sit in my room, read, write, listen to music and use my phone, occasionally I leave for food. I clean up what I do use, I don't bother people, and live generally ambivalent to my "family".  I interact with oldest sister, we started playing D&D together on sundays, but not much else in term of 'family time'. I don't really do anything besides sleeping and eating at my house, so I don't do chores besides keeping my room clean and washing the dishes that I use.

In the past we lived in Cali with my dad and it was a bad situation, but I never ran away because I was under the impression I have to live with parents or other guardian until I'm 18.

So just to be clear, I am glad to move out, but I wasn't planning on it for a while.

We moved out to Missouri and even though dad isn't here, they are too defensive and are at each other's throats all the time so its not much better.

I don't currently have a job, but I have been applying places. (Wasn't planning to move out for a while) I really want to move out, but I have a sneaky suspicion I can't because I'm 17, and don't turn 18 until November.

I have a feeling that her lashing out is partially due to our differing religious beliefs. I left their church a few years ago, been looking  ever since and recently found one I do like.  She has always been bitter about it, because she has admittedly been through some rough spots and confessed that she probably would have killed herself when she was younger if not for the church.

 I don't actively go around saying I think the church she believes in is wrong, but I do not and will not believe in or attend it anymore. She may or may not be taking it as a personal offense to her mothering , as the church really stresses family.

I mentioned the D&D earlier because back in ye olde ages when my mom was in college she was cautioned against RPGs by church clergy. I've been told it was widespread and nigh on canon, and playing that, on Sunday, might also rub her the wrong way.

I don't pay rent to my mother, and was wondering if she can actually evict me on the 4th like she said she would.

Before it gets said: I will not attend her church. I will continue to play D&D with my sister.

* Does it change anything that I just graduated high school this past weekend?

* Can I actually voluntarily move out before November?

* What are important documents to have in order to be on my own?^asterisk

* any other general help?

Asterisk=  During September my brother, mom, and I legally changed our names, they changed their name to take my mother's maiden name, I fully changed my name. I have yet to receive an amended birth certificate, how do I go about getting one expediently from California? I have a new SS card and drivers license, but not much else. I incorrectly assumed that it would be taken care of by this point. What do I need to do to get that done?

Thank you for any and all advice!

Edited a word and responded to all comments.

Answer:
 If she kicks you out before you reach the age of majority call the police and/or CPS. Do your chores.

>Can I actually voluntarily move oSeptember November?

 Yes, if you are 18 you can leave home. You should get your hands physically on your SS card, birth certificate, state ID/drivers' license, passport and diploma. She doesn't have to give you her copies of the first three (I'm not entirely sure if she can legally withhold your passport because it actually belongs to the government) and may not. If you share a bank account with your parents/they opened your account for you because of your age, you should establish your own separate account as soon as you are able to. If you put money into an account your family can access, move it now. If you don't put money into an account because you don't have a job or something, it would be prudent for you to do whatever your mom wants you to, because where are you going to live come 18 if you don't? Also, if you are headed to college and fall out of favor it may make filing for a FAFSA or getting loans, if needed, difficult. Answer #2: Other general help? Being a single parent to 3 teenagers is brutal.

Help her out. It's not you against her. You are a family, so act like one. You leaving her church is hard for her because she cares, not because she dislikes you.

Clean up around the house (not just your junk), do you homework. Be friendly and polite. Be a decent person.


Title: Relative's home loan has been sold to what seems like a collections agency. Payoff negotiable?

Question:
New Hampshire

My uncle had been unable to pay his mortgage for approximately 18 months (due to serious illness).

Last week he learned the loan had been sold. Notification came from what appears to be a collections agency -- one that seems to specialize in delinquent mortgages.

Yesterday we received a demand for payoff letter, it included the correct principal balance due. But it also included a huge fee called "penalties".

They've threatened to put the home into foreclosure if we do not pay in full.

My question is whether this balance is negotiable (?). True principle is less than 75K.

Because my uncle is still not well, I have been granted durable power of attorney. He does not live in the home and will not be returning to it. So my intention is to acquire the home and then sell it for my uncle.

Do I have an attorney handle this process? Or should I approach negotiations on my own?

Answer: It's negotiable, any debt between private parties is negotiable. It's just a matter of whether or not they are interested in negotiating. The market value of the house will play a big part here. If it's greater than $75,000 they may not be very interested in a big discount. But since they carry all the risk right now, they might be willing to go lower.


Title: Hypothetical: How does one protect oneself from being removed from employment for lodging a complaint in an at will state? Oregon, in theory.

Question:
I work for a family restaurant with three locations. I personally don't have any personal problems with the place. I love my job, and I've been there since a week after opening just over 12 years ago.

The thing about working for a small business is that everyone knows pretty much everything. If anyone has a problem, everyone knows about it. Complaints have been made in the past and everyone knew who complained. That's just how it is in a small town.

I see advice for how to file a complaint, but I don't see how to keep that job after it's filed. It's incredibly easy to find a reason to let someone go in the restaurant industry, and everyone talks. It's pretty easy to figure out who had an issue.

In a small town, just looking for another job isn't easy. Especially when It's a good job, with great pay for the hours. Moving isn't an option. How can someone be protected from the consequences  of reporting something that might be shady?

Answer: Realistically, you can't. You're asking for an answer that's just not there.


Title: [Washington State] Porn company threatened me for downloading their porn over BitTorrent. I ignored them. Now I'm worried about my privacy.

Question:
A few years ago, I downloaded some extremely hardcore porn over BitTorrent. This porn was extreme enough that if anyone found out, I would become a pariah. My reputation would be destroyed irreversibly. I forgot about downloading it for a while. Then, about 6 months later, I found 2 emails in my email account with my ISP, which I had never used before. By the time I found them, the emails were already several months old. In the emails, a porn company said they caught me downloading their porn over BitTorrent. They gave the title of the copyrighted video and said they'd go away if I paid them a certain amount of money. Because I didn't have the money, was extremely busy, found the emails late, and was already depressed, I ignored the porn company and deleted the emails.

Now (years later), I need to find out to what extent my privacy was protected. I need to find out if my ISP gave my name to the porn company, or if the porn company never got more than my IP address. If they got my name, I need to find out what records were made. This is complicated by the fact that I deleted the emails, eventually cancelled the account with my ISP, and threw away my papers from the ISP. I don't even remember the name of the porn company because I ignored the situation for so long. I just remember the video, the ISP, and the approximate time when it happened.

Answer: You are way overthinking it... Are you afraid they are going to put up billboards shaming you or something?


Title: Bitcoin mining at school.

Question:
My teacher and I would like to collect profit by Bitcoin mining using the school's computer lab which is unmonitored and left on 24/7. Are there any legal issues with that or would we be in the clear?

Edit: Located in Nevada and in a high school.

Answer: Off the top of my head, it's probably against school policy which could get your teacher fired and you suspended or expelled. It's also conceivable that doing it on a school computer would make the bitcoin you mine property of the school.


Title: My brothers ex is falsely accusing him of domestic violence

Question: She has been abusive in the past but the police have never been involved. Now when they were drunk she attacked him but when the police were called she said she was the victim and now he is trying to prove his innocence. Due to state law he had to spend the night in jail. She has also taken out an order of protection against him while continuing playing the victim. How do we prove she’s lying?? Surely there’s something we can do?

Answer: He needs to get a criminal defense attorney and to stop talking to the police.


Title: Apartment manager left out a huge detail when I signed my lease

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons, location Arizona. Apologies if its a long post.

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So I am a month into my first apartment, when I signed the lease agreement my parents came to see the location. We got a tour of the property, got to see a model of the type I was looking to get, everything looked great. Now I just needed to choose a unit, I did not get to see the unit I would be living in as it was under renovations as a lot of the property was but there were a few I could choose from.

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The property manager really up-sold one, corner great location, parking spot, bottom unit like I wanted. He let me know it would be ready for my move in date so I could not see it in the inside. But he went on to tell me a fun fact that the guy who lived there before moving out lived in the unit for over 20 years and still lives on the complex so he sees him around frequently.

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Move in day comes there are a bunch of things wrong with the apartment that clearly needed to be addressed. The one I noticed first, it wreaked of cigarette smoke. Manager says its the new paint and he'll try to get rid of the smell.

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Fast forward a month and smell is obviously not the paint. I bring it up to him and he says he did not the previous tenant was not a smoker which is total bs to me. Maintenance came once to clean the coils helped for a couple days but now its back to normal.  I have 12 months left on my lease, the smell has saturated all my belongings, I'm getting terrible allergies and headaches, and am just not comfortable in the place. What could I do considering my situation? Thanks reddit

Answer:
 What does your lease say about a smoke free or odor free apartment?

Keep complaining.


Title: [Chicago] What happens if the guy I'm suing doesn't file an appearance?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No. You'd have to move for default judgment. Nothing is "automatic" in the American court system unless you stand up in court and give the judge The finger – because then you're pretty much automatically going to jail for contempt of court.


Title: FL - Employer is requiring me to work different project sites, which often means 10 or more hours of travel each week, but will only pay for 4 hours of travel time per week due to 'company policy'.

Question:
My work requires going to various hospitals in the region, often every day for anywhere from a week to 6 months. I've only been with the company for a few months and my primary site is only 10 mins from my house. I have been asked many times to go to other projects where the travel time adds up, but I'm always capped at billing 4 hours of travel time. Additionally, my project is ending in a couple of weeks and my new primary project is an hour and a half away. They want me to drive every day 3 hours round trip. They pay for mileage, but not time over the 4 hour mark. And the project location is 'too close' to warrant a hotel.

This happens to a lot of our techs, and it really affects morale and work life balance. Aside from looking for a new job, is there a legal route that I can take to either get financial compensation, or at very least force them to change their policies to a more fair approach?

Answer:
 Contractors get essentially none of the protections that an employee has: Overtime, minimum wage, sick days, etc. None of that.

If you are actually a contractor, it will all depend on what your contract says. If you are misclassified, then your first step will be dealing with thatAnswer #2: You haven't mentioned if you're salary or hourly, as that matters here.

In addition to that, 'billing 4 hours' of travel time. Is that internal chargeback, chargeback to the customer you're servicing, or something else?


Title: Emergency housing for my 2 year old son and I

Question:
Sorry for the length but i need advice.With in a matter of three days my world has completely changed. My SO of three years, our two year old and I were living with his dad who is an awesome person but he drinks too much. Anyways, on Sunday my boyfriend and i were fighting and he was calling me horrible names in front of child and hit me in the face.
We were near the FIL house and i told my SO that i was dropping him off and going to my moms and bringing our son.
 He refused to let me bring our son to my mothers house b.c. i was "irrational". He took all 3 sets of car keys from me, took my son from me and prevented me from leaving. I called my mom (what i always do when he's abusive)and he tried taking my phone while my sister called the cops. He smashed my cell with a hammer and when he found out the cops were coming he got vodka and spit some all over me so it would seem like i was drunk driving..
 He was arrested and got 4 charges. One being a felony. I now have temporary sole custody of my son, a restraining order, and absolutely 0 income. Child protective services is making it seem like my only option is living in a shelter if I want emergency housing.
 My mom was willing for us to stay with her but her landlord said we could only stay 2 days for $25 extra.
 My son is very rambunctious and acting out because his father is gone. My mom and I are the only people he seems to be comfortable with. I dont see how bringing him to a shelter would help him and I'm having enough trouble making him behave. I dont want to risk not receiving housing but my son needs some stability and the only shelters are all at least 45 minutes away from our loved ones. Do i have any options? Is it even possible to get Emergency Housing if i dont go to a shelter? My sons life and my life feels like its unraveling and I dont know how I can possibly get by without being close enough to my mom. She has been more of a parent to my son than my ex. What are some alternatives to staying in a shelter, where I could still recieve some kind of help in finding a place to live soon?

Answer: I'm very sympathetic to your situation, and maybe someone else will have suggestions for you (although the odds of that seem to go from slim to almost none given that you haven't told us where you live). But I do think this is exactly what shelters are designed for; it seems unlikely that there's a government agency in your area that will just immediately hand you a completely free long-term lease for a private apartment, or will rent you a free hotel room so that you can be within ten minutes instead of 45 minutes of your mother. I would recommend that you go to the shelter if you have no other options and talk with their staff about what help they can give you in transitioning out to a better situation.


Title: [U.S.] [Iran] My U.S.-born friend is going to Iran with a conservative mother. If she is forced into anything (marriage) or faces more abuse, where can she go for succor?

Question:
Background:

My friend is a natural-born US citizen with Iranian citizenship through her father, though both of her parents are Iranian and Persian. Both of us live in CA.

My friend has an abusive parent who is religiously conservative. My friend isn't a devout Muslim — she actually leans towards Christianity, though she keeps this hidden as this causes friction.

Both my friend and I are under 18 and will be underage this summer and the next. My friend doesn't want to alert the police about the situation, but I told her that I don't think she should rule put that choice in this situation.

What can we do? I can't house her, and my family doesn't have enough money/wouldn't be willing to lend her money until she becomes independent.

Edit: Thank you for the responses — I forwarded this to her. We don't live bear each other at all, but I offer her support, even if it's through the Internet.

Answer:
 An Iranian citizen in Iran will have to abide by Iranian laws and no other country will do anything (dual citizenship will not help).

Best bet is to avoid entering Iran. Leave home if needed. Be willing to physically fight as hard as necessary to avoid ever getting on a plane out of the country.  Children are not property (in the U.S. anyway) and the police may return a 16 year old to the home once or twice, but then they will stop doing so. There are youth shelters in all major cities that will provide assistance.


Title: Laws on drawn pornography

Question:
There’s a subset of pornographers called hentai which is basically pictures and drawings of porn. These drawings sometime contain underaged girls engaging in sexual activity. If I were to view this online would that be illegal in the United States? The websites are on google and are easily accessible too. Is this considered viewing child pornography and can I get arrested for this?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Hand drawn items cannot be considered child pornography in the United States.


Title: My Daughter was trapped in school

Question:
Help everyone!  I am not sure if I need a lawyer or if I should pursue a lawsuit.

Here is the story, it happened in Montana, USA:  My daughter is 6 years old and is in 1st grade.  Her school was evacuated yesterday due to someone smelling gas.  I received an email from the school stating that the school was evacuated from 12:10, the evacuation order lasted for about 20 minutes and the students were returned to the classrooms by about 12:45.  I received this email at about 13:45.

At around 2:10 the school principal called me and informed me that during the evacuation my daughter was accidentally locked in her classroom.  She said that the teacher routinely locks his classroom door due to recent thefts and that when the door is locked students are unable to get out that door.  So when they decided to evacuate the building the fire alarms were pulled and somehow she was left in the classroom and the door was locked.  They didn't realize she was in there until they returned to the classroom.  She was left alone in there for at least 20-30 minutes.  When they walked through the school to make sure it was empty they skipped her classroom because they knew the door was locked.  They did not perform a head count at the evacuation point and had just started taking attendance when the evacuation order was lifted (20 minutes long).  They decided to forgo the attendance until they returned to the classroom. When they returned to the classroom, they found my daughter and she was "very upset".  They talked to her and kept her there without contacting myself or her mother for another hour and a half.

I contacted the Superintendents office and was told that they were not going to do anything unless I spoke to the principal first.  I tried to explain that I had but the lady I was speaking with didn't want to help me.  She hung up on me after I asked her if she understood what could have happened.  I was upset, but I never swore at her or anything.

The school is now trying to blame my daughter for being trapped in the classroom.   They say that she should have gone out the fire escape.  And I won't even argue that, but she is only 6 and she was scared from the fire alarms and sirens from the fire trucks.  She panicked when she tried to go out the door that the others had just gone out.   She tells me that the teacher never walked through the classroom (where the coats are is not visible from the doorway and is around a corner).

My biggest concern is that she was in there for at least 20-30 minutes and the school had no idea that any child was missing.  I thank God that it was a false alarm, but there is no doubt that if it wasn't we'd be planning a funeral.

[proof](http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/child-left-behind-in-school-evacuation/30709414#.VLcS7IL_Wb8.facebook)

And this is a throwaway because obviously my name is in there, etc.  Thanks for the help!

Answer:
 You can hire a lawyer if you want, but you have no lawsuit here.  You don't get damages for what could have happened, only actual, real harm.

Your best avenue is to work with the principal and see what can be done to improve procedures. Answer #2: Talk to the [State Fire Marshal](http://www.metnet.mt.gov/Official_mail/FOV7-00111049/I03572D77). It should have been possible to open that door from the inside.Answer #3: That's messed up and scary, but your daughter wasn't injured.  So you can't take legal action against the school.

If you don't like how the school handled it, complain to your town administrators or other officials.  And vote for people who will take the actions you want taken w/re: this kinda thing.


Title: 1985 Corvette hit in accident, insurance won't pay for whole car repainting

Question:
My old school corvette was hit in an accident, the car wasn't even on when I got hit so it's clearly not my fault. The paint is 30 years old on this car, and it has some runs etc in it. It's not awful but it's old.

The shop I went with is doing an amazing job repainting the front end, but my concern is that it doesn't match. The color is fine, but the problem is that the paint is TOO GOOD. It looks new and the rest looks like crap in comparison.

Obviously I don't want to tell the shop to do a crappy job on the front end so it will match. I'd like the whole car repainted. Do I have a leg to stand on here? I want to know before I call and raise a fuss.

EDIT:I'm in Tennessee.

EDIT: Their insurance is paying. They have State Farm.

Answer: Not really, they're responsible for dealing with the damages their insured caused. Repainting the whole car would be betterment, though if you offer to cover the cost with the body shop it would probably be less than if you went back later to get it done since some of the prep work and dealing with the paint would already be done.


Title: The police broke down my front door and another locked door in my home, despite finding nothing, they won't compensate for the damaged property, is this legally right?

Answer: You will want to obtain a copy of that search warrant. It will provide some more context to the situation.Answer #2: /r/LegalAdviceEU Answer #3: The general rule is that unless they acted maliciously or were negligent in performing their duties, they are not responsible for the cost.  But obtain a copy of the warrant and check your local law.


Title: Apartment says I have to pay to terminate (military clause)

Question:
California. (I hope this is correct, I've never used Reddit before and was referred here by my sister)

My husband just got orders to leave our current location. As soon as we got them we took them to the landlord to break our lease via military clause however, the landlord is saying the orders only apply to my husband, not me. So if I want to terminate then I need to pay the termination fee? I'm going to meet with the JAG next week but maybe someone her is familiar with this in California. We have never had issues with this before. Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 I'm going to assume both of you are on the lease (are you?). They can't say your husband can terminate his lease but you can't terminate yours without paying the termination fee. There is one lease, and it's either terminated or it's not.

If they're saying he can't terminate his lease, that's a violation of the law. If they're saying he can terminate the lease, then the lease is terminated. It doesn't break up into two separate mini-leases, where one survives and one does not.

If neither of you were in the military, and one of you decided to terminate your lease early, would your landlord expect you both to pay separate termination fees? Of course not. If your husband was not in the military, terminated the lease, and paid the termination fee, would your landlord consider the lease still enforceable for you, and you'd have to pay a separate termination fee to terminate it? That's absurd. That's like the zombie lease that never quite dies.Answer #2: Assuming that he is listed on your lease, and you are listed on his PCS orders, the SCRA definitely applies in your situation too. It wouldn't apply if you had just gotten married and he was never on your lease.

Contact your base legal office. This happens often enough that they have a prepared nasty gram ready to go; usually a letter from them is all it takes.


Title: I’m a mail carrier for USPS in California. While delivering a “Blu” vaporizer package which was supposed to be signed for, a teenage boy opened the door, grabbed it and locked me out. How should I proceed?

Question: Obviously this is far from o.k. as teen vaping is an epidemic and I want to do what I can to make sure this kid pays. Is it out of line to go back to the house and inform the parents? My section was over starting Christmas so I won’t see or talk to my boss or any executive at the station for a few days. Basically, what can I do?

Answer:
 I am quite sure that, as a postal carrier, you have procedures for this. Follow the procedures laid out for you. If something strange happens in the course of your employment that is not covered by procedures, ask your supervisor.

This is such a strange question that I half suspect you're a teenage boy asking how to get away with receiving an adult-signature-required package.Answer #2: Theoretically, you could call the police.Answer #3: Isn't this what USPIS is for?

"The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. Its jurisdiction is defined as "crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail, the postal system or postal employees.""

Edit: call them at 1-877-876-2455Answer #4: File a police report. Take a copy to your employer. Don't engage the family, leave that for the police or your employer.


Title: Neighbor is mentally ill, threatens to kill himself, others, other neighbors concerned... Please read (MN)

Question:
Hey Reddit.

With how many posts I make about my neighbors, moving seems like a better idea every day.

I live in low-income housing, sort of. The building and the one next to it are run by a government funded group led directly by the county I live in. The tenants either go through an application process, or they are sent to the group.

My building has seven units. I live on the bottom floor near the front of the building. For the most part, everyone in the building and the one next to it are a small community. Save for a few special flowers that have scorned the rest of us, like the one that set up a restraining order against me... for the crap that he was doing to all of us like randomly turning off the heater in winter. The rest of us all talk, care about each other, and help each other out.

For example in my building I'm the youngest, and I have the most money, every now and then I help the others out with groceries, and I let them mooch off my internet when they need to. I also am the only one that drives, so I help the others when they need rides. The other tenants, save for one guy who is the restraining order asshole, and a young couple living across from me, are older folks. Retired or unable to work. Though they're fairly active still and we all hang out every now and then, shoot the shit, and talk about politics, whatever.

One of the older neighbors, who lives above and across from me if that makes sense, is an old vet. The man was kicked from the military for mental illness. And he yells. Screams. All day every day. He always has since he moved in day one. Of course, if you asked him to stop or ran into him outside he was pleasant, and a funny guy. And what he yelled was usually nonsense, the sort of thing you'd yell at the tv during a football game.

But over the last few months, it's gotten pretty bad.

It's constantly violent. Killing people. Executing people. Killing himself, shooting people, stabbing them, raping them. In detail, and LOUD. I do not live directly below or across from him, but I can hear him clear as day in my apartment.

I posted a video of him a few weeks ago, feel free to look at my profile. The subreddit no likes links.

This last week, it's gotten pretty bad. One of my neighbors said that the guy was dragging all of his furniture out of his house, torn apart, cut to shreds. He's been getting louder. More obscene. And his favorite topic remains wanting to kill people. Very paranoid as well.

We're not angry about his yelling. We're concerned. We don't want him to hurt himself. We don't want something to happen. He needs help. We've tried to figure out his social worker's name, but he never really answers. And the company running the building won't tell us. I've called the police to do a welfare check before, and they just walked in, said, yeah, he's crazy, and then left.

What should be do? I work in a hospital, in the ED, I know that mental health is bullshit right now. But still...

Answer:
 First five paragraphs are irrelevant.

If you're concerned about your neighbor, call the police and adult protective services (or whatever your local equivalent is). That's all you can really do.


Title: [Piqua,Ohio] My fiance [M25] and I [F24] really want to do a lantern release at our wedding.

Question:
Apologies in advance for formatting issues since I'm on mobile.

Like the title says, my fiance and I really want to do a [lantern release](http://imgur.com/22jvNhB.jpg) at our wedding, which will be in Piqua, Ohio. Kind of like the one in the attached picture (taken off Pinterest). But we would like some help knowing what our legal obligations/risks would be around this, and what we need to do to prepare for this.

For example, would we be responsible to drive around the county and find/pick up every lantern the next day? Do we need to contact the city/county and let them know we are doing this?

I assume we will be held responsible if, heaven forbid, a lantern causes a forest fire or damages to someone's property or whatever. Therefore, is there some kind of insurance we can get to cover us just in case? We rent, so we only have renters insurance.

Any advice or suggestions or previous experience would be super helpful! Thank you!!

Answer:
 I don’t think there is insurance that will cover you releasing fireballs into the sky.

EDIT: And they are illegal in your state.


Title: Is this discrimination?

Question:
Maine

Hi ladies and gents

I am a nursing student as is one of my friends, we met in the program. We are both married moms. She is seeking a nurse midwife career and every second semester 4 students are chosen for an extended labor and deliver preceptorship above and beyond our training.
Today, her clinical instructor told another student & my friend that because they have children (not merit based) that they will not be recommending them for the preceptorship.

I believe this is discrimination and quite frankly, she has more than enough support to make this happen.
Her family knows she wants to be a nurse midwife, and they know she will have crazy hours.

Is it worth having an attorney draft a letter explaining that this is not cool?

Edit: mobile phone formatting and spell check

Answer: It's certainly discrimination, but it is probably legal discrimination. Here is what the EEOC says about [discrimination against caregivers](https://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/qanda_caregiving.html). Nothing protects caregivers outright; only in specific situations. If they only discriminated against women with children, for example, that's illegal.


Title: [NY] My mother, who is turning 60 this month has been denied disability for her MS yet again. What recourse do we have?

Question:
To preface this, my mom was diagnosed with MS in 2005. After working for over a decade with it, the stress became too much for her and she left work in 2015.

She applied for disability in March 2015, and was initially denied. After waiting for yet another appeal, which she had last month in May 2017, she was denied yet again, and informed she is exaggerating her symptoms.

We find this ridiculous, as I literally know people who not only receive disability, but work while receiving it and fucking smoke.

My mom has to walk with a cane when she relapses and is losing the use of her hands.

She has put up with this for over two years, and is extremely upset that she has been denied because she is relying on this money to not lose my family's home.

What recourse do we have here? What can we do to assist her in being approved?

Answer:
 You can hire a disability lawyer to assist you in getting approved. It's not a sure thing, but those attorneys do this often.

Edit: did she appeal once or twice? Answer #2: Whether or not anyone else has disability isn't relevant to your case. If ten people run a traffic light and you get a ticket and the other nine don't, it doesn't make you less guilty of running the light.

You can go many more years without disability and still get it approved and you will get all the back disability should you ever win.

During the Great Recession, disability became the new safety net since unemployment and public aid are so limited now.

This mean it's harder to get. You also must be permanently disabled. MS is a very tricky disease as there a so many levels. Some are very mild, a few are very severe and you can have very severe MS only to have it go into remission and you're fine.

This is why it's often hard to class a permanent disability.

At this point you can only get an attorney that specializes in disability and keep appealing.


Title: What do I need in my situation for emancipation?

Question:
I've been considering emancipation for a while, and I decided to try when I turn 16 in sept. 2016, as soon as I get my drivers license. I am 15 now. I live in California and feel my living situation isn't the best.

*I feel that my family does not support me, and makes my life harder than it needs to be. I see emancipation as the way I'm going to be able to escape the living situation I'm in. I've tried to go stay with someone else but my parents refuse to give me permission. I need advice on what to do in the next year or so to prepare to appeal for emancipation.

*I live with my brother and parents. My brother has "high-functioning autism." We don't get along and he constantly takes out his anger at me. My parents provide me with what they need to, but not supporting me with my mental illness. My mother is constantly saying shes sick when she rarely is, I think to get prescriptions, and both parents smoke medical marijuana.

*I work 2 jobs, more hours than I can legally a week(will that be against me in court?), so I have money to support myself, about 2,000 saved up and i make about 450 a week. I plan to save up much more by the time I turn 16.

*I am a sophomore in high school, and I do independent study classes, I maintain a 4.0 even though I am about 20 credits behind. I can catch that up very easily though, and I should be caught up by the time I try to appeal for emancipation.

*An issue I'm afraid will come up is I have mental illnesses, anxiety and severe depression. I attempted suicide am afraid my parents will argue mental instability. I attempted suicide about 4 months ago, and got treatment on a 5150.

My understanding of the requirements for emancipation is proof of financial stability, mental maturity to take care of yourself, and it being in the best interest, which I feel I meet all three. Is there anything anyone can tell me to help myself prepare over the next year? At what point should I get a lawyer if at all?
Thank you.

Answer:
 I wanted to get emancipated in CA when I was 16, decades ago.  I found out it was almost impossible then and I'm sure it's even harder now. I ended up getting an equivalency diploma at 16 1/2 and moved out with my parents blessing to work and go to community college.

Keep your life in order, save, and make plans for sure, but legal emancipation is probably off the table.  Look into colleges, California Conservation Corps, Peace Corps, etc.   Answer #2: Like 100% of the teenagers who post here, you will not be emancipated.

Emancipation is for teens who are literally receiving nothing from their parents or are being horribly abused and for some reason cannot go into the foster care system. It is not for surly kids with a bit of teenage angst who are otherwise receiving at least the minimum care and supervision the law requires.

This should be an autotext for any post containing the word "emancipation," since basically if you're in a good enough situation to have internet access, you're highly unlikely to have anything else going on that would justify emancipation.Answer #3: With your mental health issues, everything else aside, there is no way you're going to get emancipated.  It's almost impossible even without that huge obstacle.

Plan to save that money to move out when you are 18, and continue to work on your mental health and education.


Title: Child custody situation

Question: I don't know if this is the right place to post this but it's just the only relatable subreddit I'm subscribed to. I'm 22, live in indiana, have a top 10 internship in the country and make decent money. Anyways, my son just turned 1 in March. When he was born, my ex (his mother) chose to not give him my last name and instead give him her's and also decided not to put me on the birth certificate. I obviously was upset and had full intention in taking her to court and at the very least getting my name on the BC. We have a very weird situation, in which were not together but i go over to her place and get my own time with him everyday before I go to work for about 4 hours. It's not ideal, of course, and i want my family to be much more involved than they currently are. I have always just been scared of taking her to court for fear of not being able to see him for even the few weeks or month or so that the court situation might take. Ive finally gotten over that and am moving out in a couple of weeks and just want to have my son for as much time as possible under my own circumstances without supervision. His mother knows im a great dad and can definitely be trusted with this, but she is ridiculously controlling and will do whatever it takes to keep as much custody over our son as possible, even if it means me getting nothing. The point of my back story is to garner answers to a particular question. My plan was to move out and then take her to court and since i have a good job, college degree, and im a great dad, i figured i had nothing to worry about. The thing is, i used to smoke a good amount of marijuana and i don't buy it or waste money on it anymore bc i have more important shit going on, but i do still smoke maybe a couple times a month or so just because i have friends/coworkers who don't mind offering and it tends to keep my stress level lower than it needs to be. Going back to what i said earlier, my ex will do whatever it takes to keep our son to herself and has even said to me before that she would ask for a drug test if we ever went to court. I have no problem stopping and since a court proceeding wouldnt be for at least a month i would have no problem passing a urine test, but i would absolutely fail a hair test. My questions are how common a hair test would be in this situation vs a urine test and how detrimental the repercussions would be if the only thing that showed up on it was marijuana usage. My lawyer and i havent discussed this yet, but she was pretty certain id be getting 50/50 custody or close to it. I didnt really think about this being an issue when i first met with her but until i meet with her again, some information on the topic would be great. For anybody who read through all of this, i really appreciate it and need all the help i can get. Thanks guys.

Answer:
 Holy wall of text, batman.

All you can do is quit the pot and hope if mom requests a hair follicle test, she doesn't get it.

You have 0 rights at the moment, since you aren't even on the birth certificate.  What usually happens (in my experience), is you get a lawyer, mom gets a lawyer, eventually you two will both sit down and agree to something you both can live with and it'll never get in front of the judge.  Answer #2: quit smoking, now, as you said no big deal.

understand,

if you go to court for a custody hearing, you will likely (maybe depending on circumstances) be given joint custody, or some kind of co-custody, most judges don't take the child away from the parent they live with unless that parent is provably horrible, so, that means, you will be paying child support commensurate to the states laws based on your salary.

You will probably have to pay for a DNA test to prove the child is yours, right now, there is no proof except your word, so, thats going to cost money as well, it is NOT a service provided by the court for you.

understand this an (at least) 18 year embarkation where you can not, not have your child on prescribed days times, there will be no more options to miss time etc :) really, that is good, Iam happy to hear you want to do more with your child, that is awesome!! good for you.


Title: [SC] Uncle passed away. Sheriff's seized property we (remaining family) believe unfairly, and can prove. Any advice on specific laws to challenge or where to begin research?

Question: As stated, my uncle (very sick) passed away and his body was discovered after he missed a doctor's appointment by local sheriffs. Upon discovering his body, they searched more inside his home and found marijuana. Because of the amount they found, it is deemed a felony (I'm assuming they're believing he had intent to distribute based on the amount) and they began to seize his property.  They told his sister (his last remaining family member) that they are seizing this property because there was no way he could afford this property. However, we can prove that when his mother passed away, she left him a great sum of money and he lived extremely modestly to where he never needed to sell drugs to be able to purchase the property in the first place. We (his family) members aren't in need of his possessions, however it's the principle of the matter that we want to fight. Even though he committed a crime, he has passed away and the only people this act of seizing is hurting are his heirs. We are planning on obtaining a lawyer but is there any advice or additional research I can get a head start on so that I can ask the right questions? Thanks all.

Answer:
 I may be out of the loop but I think it is unusual for the cops to apply civil forfeiture to a deceased person's assets. When your uncle died, his property became the property of his estate. The executor of the estate will be the one who needs to bring a claim. If I were you, and you can spare the 33 percent of what you expect to recover, I would hire a lawyer and immediately file a lawsuit on behalf of the estate. You will not get anywhere dealing with law enforcement informally. They have no incentive beyond the goodness of their hearts to return the assets. A lawsuit provides that incentive.Answer #2: >  they searched more inside his home and found marijuana

I'm rusty on my 4th Amendment search and seizure law, but is this part legal? Even if the entry and search fall into the emergency exception for warrantless searches, wouldn't the cops still be limited to what is in plain view? Sounds like they went looking through things.

It would probably depend on the circumstances (if they thought foul play was involved and the murderer was still in the house, that justifies searching in people-sized places, for instance), but from the facts as we have them it's a good question to ask.Answer #3: There are public interest law firms that deal heavily with civil forfeiture related issues. Id try contacting them, at the very least they might have a reference for a local attorney.


Title: [WA] USPS delivery worker left a "Missed Delivery" notice with the word "PILLS" on it

Question:
I live in a condo building with about 8 units. We all share a mail room. There are individual mailboxes for letters and small packages, and a shelf for larger packages.

The other day, I came home and saw a missed delivery notice from USPS on the shelf for packages. The delivery was for a controlled medication from ExpressScripts. On the notice, the word "Pills" is very visible ([https://imgur.com/cIHin2P](https://imgur.com/cIHin2P)). I have no idea how long it was there or how many people saw it. I have 2 concerns:

1. Is this a HIPAA violation? Most people could deduce that since the package couldn't be left there or placed in the mailbox, that it is a controlled substance. This isn't something I want the people in my building, or any other delivery person who had access, to know.
2. Safety concern. The notice had my name and apartment number on it. I am worried that someone might try breaking in to get the medication in order to sell or use it.

Answer:
 1. No, HIPAA does not apply to your USPS driver.

2. Maybe but for anyone knows it could be prescription strength Vitamin D.

Just ask the driver to not put that information on the missed delivery notice. Answer #2: 1. No.

2. You can complain with USPS.


Title: Husband dropped medical coverage on me during his open enrollment

Question:
Ok guys and gals I need some advice.  My estranged husband and I have been separated for a couple of weeks more than a year.  I won’t get into all the details of why the marriage ended other than to say he screwed me over in many ways during the marriage.

So, last year when we physically separated he took me off his benefits so quick your head would spin.  When I received a letter from ERS AND Blue cross Blue Shield Texas last year it stated I was dropped because the employee (my husband) stated that we had been divorced for longer than 31 days.  It took lots of calls to lots of people, but I got the insurance coverage back on track by letting everyone know that  the divorce had not even been filed, much less finalized.

A year later and the same situation.  No one has filed, nothing is finalized.  I went to my doctor today and found out that I no longer have coverage.  I contacted BCBS TX  and found out that open enrollment for any changes was in July/Aug and that he submitted paperwork for insuring himself only.  So, my medical insurance dropped September 1st and I never received any kind of notification nor a letter of coverage that might be needed for future insurance benefits.  I’ve never received an EOB from any of my doctor visits leading me to believe that he has them sent to wherever he is living.

My question is, what are my options?  I’m unable to work due to medical issues so it’s not like I can get a job to provide for my own benefits at this time.  I was told last year that it is illegal for my husband to discontinue health coverage for me as long as we are married.

I’m about to be in a pickle with maintenance drugs that need refills without having insurance.

Answer: Is the only reason you're staying legally married to get his insurance?


Title: Glass in my food

Question: So I goto McDonalds and buy a $1 biscuit, sausage. I am chewing and I find a piece of shattered glass in my food. I am not hurt but wonder if there is any action I can take since I could have damaged a tooth, or maybe worse.

Answer:
 No, if you don’t have any damages, you aren’t able to recover anything.

The purpose of law suits isn’t to give people windfalls when someone unfortunate happens, it’s to make them whole.Answer #2: Since you have no monetary damages, you have noyhing to sue for. Definitely call the store and/or corporate. You might get some free meals out of it.Answer #3: You have no damages, unless you'd like to sue for the $1 you spent on the biscuit. The legal system is not a lottery you play every time you go out to eat, and if the place screws up, you win. The point is that people who are harmed are made whole. You were not harmed.


Title: Bought a car "new" turns out it may be used!

Question: We bought a new car in September form the Hyundai Dealership.  It was advertised as new all of our documentation says new.  We looked at Carfax and DMV, they both only list the car as being sold to us.  However, we took the car in to get serviced today (at a Hyundai dealership in a different town) and were told we were not the original owner and thus not covered by the full warranty. They gave us a printout listing the name of the 'original owner' and we are listed as the 'current owner'.  We were told to take it up with the dealership that sold the car to us as the two dealerships are on different systems.  What should our next steps be.  The deciding factor in purchasing this car was that in buying a Hyundai, we would get their 10 year warranty. How could the dealership have a previous owner that the DMV has no record of?  We are in California.

Answer:
 If the previous owner listed is the dealership, that just means it was likely a demo car.

If the previous owner is some other person, you have a good old fashioned paperwork SNAFU on your hands.  Throw it back in your dealer's lap and make them sort it out to your satisfaction.Answer #2: What a cluster, I'd be pissed. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it does affect the value of the car, and the loss of warranty is unacceptable


Title: My husband's job will have him sometimes 20+ hours with a minimal break, is this legal?

Question: So my husband is a recent grad and has been with his company for about a year. They have, on multiple times, made him work his regular work day (which is typically 11 hours) and then work overnight with 2-3 hours in between for a break. He's salary so he gets no additional pay even though this week he'll be pushing close to 80 hours/ week because he'll be working overnight one night and on the weekend as well. When he was hired they said it'd be 40 hours/ week. Can his boss do this?

Answer:
 What does he do?  Is he legit exempt?

If so, he can push back (and say no) but that's about the only option he has.

Personally, I'm fond of taking a technical class after his normal work hours, so say at 7pm, so he has an excuse to leave, consistently.


Title: Accepted a job offer at a new company and start next week. Company now wants me in a significantly different role I would not have taken. Have already resigned current job. What are my rights?

Question:
[NYC, NY] I am set to start my new job this coming Monday. I accepted the job officially back in March, completed drug/background contingencies, and have resigned my current job (this is my last week).

I get a call today from my new manager stating they want to present a different role in a different function than I originally accepted based on my background. Equivalent pay, benefits, etc.. But It's in a function (sales) that I would have never jumped ship at my current company for.

What are my legal rights? He mentioned they may be changing the original role I accepted... The role I officially applied for and have documentation.

I feel like my hands are tied since I have already resigned at my current company. How do I handle? What are my rights?

Answer: Pretty solid Promissory Estoppel facts.  But since the remedy would ultimately be employment at-will, it wouldn't be much of a remedy and not worth the fuss.  Answer #2: Your rights are to accept or decline the offer.


Title: PayPal took all of the money from my bank account without me authorizing the charge, I called and they said it was a known bug in their system and they have no idea when they can get it back to me. My bank account has been empty for 3 days.

Question:
I live in Colorado. Last week I sent 2000 dollars through PayPal to my friend and then he refunded it that same day. All of these transactions went through correctly, so all of that money was back in my bank account normally. Then 3 ish days later the same 2000 dollars gets pulled out if my bank account by paypal, and it's not in my or my friends paypal balance or bank account. So I call paypal and they tell me that it's a known bug in their system, that I shouldn't worry and they are going to have it fixed by the end of the day hopefully, but they have no real idea when they can get it back to me. that was on Friday, the charge was on thursday. I have no money in my bank account, I can't put gas in my car, I'm pissed. I called my bank before I called paypal and started the process for an unauthorized charge dispute. I'm unsure what to do at this point that was all the money in my bank account and I need it back.

Edit: Called PayPal again this morning, they said they would definitely have the money back to me by Tuesday. If they don't I'll send them a certified letter demanding it and advance it to small claims court if I have to. Then I'm going to delete PayPal forever and tell everyone I ever meet not to use it. Thanks for the help everyone.

Answer:
 You can send a certified letter demanding the money back and then sue paypal for it in small claims court.  Good luck getting it back though, paypals a shite system.

Answer #2: Is it possible you've been scammed somehow?  How well do you really know your friend?  Did your friend give you Paypal's number to call, or did you google paypal directly in your search bar to get it?  Not my business, but, consider - why would you toss $2k between friends in under 24 hours?  IDK, but something sounds stranger than "a bug in the system".  Answer #3: I had something similar (in terms of Paypal withdrawing money then becoming obstinate about returning said money)

I spoke to my credit union about it, they gave the go-ahead to try submitting a chargeback.  We weren't sure if it would work, but having openly discussed it with the bank at least I wouldn't be accused of fraud or misrepresenting information.  And it did work, they got my money back within a few days.  Unfortunately, the Paypal account is probably forfeit so now I no longer have one and that impacts my ability to buy things online.Answer #4: I guess you were not here about ten days ago for the thread on how bad PayPal is. Do like I did: as soon as I finally got my money-I closed my PP account. Good luck!


Title: Leech of a sister won't pay her car loan, Cosigner dad is stuck with payments.

Question:
Located in NY:

My dad consigned on the loan for a new car for my sister. They are both on the title for this car. She is also on his insurance.

My sister is an asshat and doesn't talk to most of my family including my dad because we are all just horrible people apparently.

She will not give my father any money toward the loan payment or the insurance, so he has been making all the payments to keep it current. He tried to have her sign paperwork to take her off the title and get the car back, but she refuses!

How can he get her off the title? Or what does he need to do to make her start making the payments? Or what can he do to just get out of this whole mess?

She works and lives rent free with my mom, so she can afford it.

Answer: Your dad could potentially sue your sister for the loan payments. Generally a borrower is responsible to their cosigner for loan payments, unless some other agreement was reached.


Title: Another business wants the space that my business occupies. What type of negotiating goes on and what type of buyout could I expect?

Question: Just like the title says.  They want my space and they want it pretty quickly.  I would guess that I would be looking at some type of offer to move my business, just not sure how this would all go down.  Any advice would be awesome.  I am located in Ohio.

Answer:
 Find what other space you could run your business from. If there is an increase to the cost, figure on 5 years of the expected increase. Add your moving costs (including breaking your lease if necessary), and the costs of any updates to customers & clients (stationary, business cards, invoices, etc). Toss in some change for your inconvenience.

They are the ones that want you to move, and you have the right to stay there. Figure out what would make it worth your while and see if they will pay it.


Title: Alaska: Judge ordered me to sign passport so ex can take child to Mexico.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Beg borrow or steal to get a lawyer.  Do not disregard a judge's order. Ever. Answer #2: It's not going to help. The judge [can issue an order](https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/under-16.html) allowing the parent to waive the two signature requirement. The custodial parent just needs to file a DS-5525 with the state department along with the application and the judges order. Refusing to comply will just get you held in contempt.

If you didn't meet the filing deadlines, the judge doesn't have to even look at your submission. Most judges are pretty lenient about that, especially for *pro se* parties, but it doesn't sound improper. Nor does a professional relationship with the legal counsel; judges and lawyers work together a lot, it doesn't mean he will be less impartial.


Title: Possibilities for why Jacob Wohl is not in jail for repeatedly faking sexual assault & misconduct claims? Any chance he will be?

Answer:
 What he's doing opens him up to a civil suit, but it's not criminal unless he actually files a police report it.Answer #2: Stanford Law School professor Robert Weisberg said Wohl’s actions could be construed by a federal prosecutor as wire fraud, obstruction of justice or conspiracy – or as possibly violating various state statutes – but likely fell into a legal “gray zone.”

“The whole thing smacks of illegality and nefariousness and deception, but it still needs to have an anchor in criminal statute,” Weisberg said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/26/robert-mueller-hoax-how-jacob-wohl-created-sexual-harassment-plot/2993799002/


Title: IF I BUY FOOD AND SOMEONE DAMAGES IT, WHAT CAN I DO?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer: Did they damage your food because you type in all caps?Answer #2: In what way would someone damage it?


Title: Can my friend in TN keep a wild opossum that got into his house?

Question:
My friend lives in Tennessee and a few months ago a female possum entered his house. It was living in his crawlspace for a while and he was finally able to trap it with the intent to release it. Well, the guy walked 2 streets down to set this possum free out in the woods...and it followed him back to his house and ran back inside.

He developed an attachment to it because it's been killing all the vermin in his very infested house (he had rats, flies, roaches, etc and this possum's been gobbling them up like candy). He wants to know if he's legally allowed to keep her around his house. He wanted to keep her out in his yard but she won't leave the house and if he tries to trap and release her she just runs back into the house. He told me she actually followed him at his heels in order to get back in the house the last time he tried to set her out.

Possum's left the crawlspace recently and has been chilling in the house eating up mice and brown recluses. He wants to know if it's legal in his state to start leaving out food for her in order to encourage her to stay around. He does not handle her and isn't intending to cage or pen her. There's no rabies risk (possums cannot usually carry it) and there are no pets or children in the house. Some states have laws saying you can't feed wildlife or encourage wildlife into your house, or that label possums as vermin, so he wants to make sure his state is okay with it before he starts keeping this possum around.

Answer: Call the TWRA.  I'm pretty sure you just need to get a permit.  My dog groomer owns a skunk and a raccoon.  Also there is a guy who owns a fox here that's quite the local celebrity.  He takes her into Petco all the time.Answer #2: He shouldn't feed her. She will quickly become a nuisance and no longer do her job as a beneficial pest controler.Answer #3: A house infested with rats, flies, roaches etc.  Might be time to clean and exterminate instead of bringing in wild animals that will soon take over the house...