Title: My dogs leash got wrapped around a child’s neck in a public park. Who would be at fault here? (ND)

Question:
This happened last summer and although there were no legal consequences, I keep wondering who was legally at fault in this situation.

I was at the park watching my son’s t-ball game at a public park. I brought my dog, who has one of those retractable leashes. We put down a picnic blanket and he sniffed around, still leashed. While I was watching the game, a lady’s child (1.5 to 2 year old, looked more like a baby) wandered over from another baseball diamond across the park. I guess my dog got curious and walked around this child, which resulted in the leash wrapping around the child’s neck. I didn’t see that any immediate harm was done and the child didn’t even seem to notice that the leash was around its neck. I immediately unwrapped the leash and tried to find the child’s mother, but I didn’t know who it was. The child started walking over to a group of people who I assume were the child’s family.

Later, a lady approached me and told me that my dog could have killed her child and that I need to be more watchful of my dog. She pointed to a scratch on the child’s neck, but the more I think about it, the less I believe it was from my dog’s leash. It didn’t look like a mark my leash would have made. But I don’t know for sure.

I held my tongue, but honestly I don’t know that I should be responsible for her child’s safety. I wouldn’t let my child walk over to strange dogs and make the stranger responsible for my child not getting hurt. My dog was friendly and didn’t directly harm the child.

So would I have been at fault if something more serious had happened?

Answer: It doesn't necessarily have to be one or the other (you or her at fault), comparative negligence is a thing.Answer #2: You can both be responsible. Unless a judge were to find her more than 50% liable, you would be on the hook for at least some part of the injuries. She was negligent in letting the child wander. You were negligent for failing to adequately supervise your dog.Answer #3: Most leash laws specify a leash of no longer than 6ft. Using a longer, retractable leash and not having full control of your dog is negligent.


Title: Girlfriends doctor is refusing to give her lab results back

Question:
About 2 1/2 weeks ago my girlfriend went to her doctors to test for an std. the test is very basically and takes roughly 3 days to get results back. I actually got mine back in two days from my doctor (we have separate doctors). The first week she was on vacation and did not have much access to her phone so she was not to worried about the results. However, she got back after one week had passed and she still had no messages from the doctor. Since then she has called every day and for several days the office told her only the doctor could tell her the results of the test. Then it became there system is down and they have no access to any test results. Finally, she was told there system was back up and she could call in today to find out the results, however, they then told her they would only tell her if she made an appointment. This seems very unethical as its been one excuse after another. We decided to look up reviews for her doctor and almost everyone else who reviewed the office stated they dealt with issues like this as well. They are not only withholding information from us but from several other patients, is there anything we can do? We are only 21 and 22 so we do not really know how to handle this situation so any help will be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I am at work so I will update this post whenever I can, and if you need more information I can provide it when I can. Thank you.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 > This seems very unethical

It's actually quite ethical. Depending on the results of the test, the doctor may have an obligation to help interpret the results and give additional information. While it's not a good time to worry, sometimes the results can come back a bit wonky or off and they want to retest before confirming what the results say. For instance, it could be a false positive for something serious, in which case, giving that information to a patient without interpretation would, in fact, be unethical.

The doctor has a responsibility to not only present test results but the ensure that the patient understands what they mean. This isn't always possible by simply handing over the test results.


Title: Can my biological father's wife sue me for the money he left me? (MD)

Question:
I just found out from my half sister that my biological father died. She told me that he left us both an amount of around $150,000. He raised neither of us and we had no contact with him and the majority of his family. The only person we have contact with is his oldest sister who disagreed with his actions. He also paid little to no child support when we were minors.

He has three children with his current wife and they all received some amount of an inheritance. The issue is the amount he left me and my half sister is more than the amount he left the children he has with his current wife. She has no way to contact me but called my sister to say that since he was not in our life as a father, we do not deserve any money. She said we can either sign the money over or she will sue us. I live six hours away in another state, they all live in Maryland.

Can she sue us for the money? I know you can sue for pretty much anything but this was apparently his decision according to my aunt. If so will I have to travel to Maryland? If needed can I just have someone represent me in court?

Thank you for your help.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 Can she sue?  Not directly, but she can contest the will and drag you into court as a necessary party.  That said I don’t know what basis she would have.  People are free to dispose of their property upon death as they see fit.  There are some limits to what can be done with regards to cutting out minor children or current spouses, but without more info no one here could say if those limits would be in play here.  The most common sort of charge in this case would be some sort of undue influence, but since you were not talking to him I don’t see how such a claim could be made.

Do you know who is the executor of his will?  You should reach out to that person to let them know that you have been informed that you may have a bequest just to make sure they don’t try to bypass you.  After that you can ignore this crazy ass woman unless you are served with an actual subpoena or summons.  If that happens talk to an attorney who deals with estates.Answer #2: Hmm. Did either of your mothers have an order for child support that dead dad didn't pay? If so your mom could go after the estate for the owed child support too. It probably wouldn't effect your bequest but would lesson the cut for the current wife.Answer #3: IANAL but where I am from an estate that size has to have a probated will which makes the will a public record.  Do a little research and get yourself a copy.  The executor will be listed in the will.


Title: Can I get evicted if I get a dog? My landlord said No, but we never signed a lease.

Question:
I really want a dog, but my landlord has been adamant about no pets. He told us no pets when we moved in, and gave us a short paper on general rules and such for living in the apartment. No where on the paper does it say no pets. That was verbal only. We also never signed a lease. It was and is purely a verbal agreement. Would me getting a dog be enough for him to evict me? I don't know much about eviction law, other than that during the winter it can be very hard to evict a tenant. I have always paid my full rent on time and taken great care of the apartment in the year that I've lived here.

&#x200B;

I understand that if I go ahead and get a dog anyway, its INCREDIBLY douchey behavior. I'm just playing with the idea and am curious about the legality of it.

Answer:
 >  We also never signed a lease. It was and is purely a verbal agreement. Would me getting a dog be enough for him to evict me?

He wouldn't need to evict you.  Since you don't have a fixed term lease, in most jurisdictions, you have an implied month to month lease, which he can terminate at any time without cause, with 30 day notice.


Title: Do I need to tell my employer I got married?

Question: I couldn't find any information in the sidebar or when I searched for this information, so I apologize if this question has already been answered. I recently had a civil ceremony because of the financial and healthcare benefits. My fiance and I plan on having our "real" wedding in the summer with all of our friends and family. For this reason, I don't want people knowing that I am already technically married and miss our real wedding or shun us for having a civil ceremony. I work a minimum wage job at a restaurant and gossip spreads like wildfire. Do I have to let my employer know? I will only be at my current job for another 7 months and then I will be moving. Thanks.

Answer:
 > I recently had a civil ceremony because of the financial and healthcare benefits.

Healthcare benefits from your spouse's employer or yours?  You would have to inform your employer to get benefits from them, otherwise I don't see a reason to inform them just yet.Answer #2: You might want to at least change your withholding on your taxes.


Title: Sister just found her husbands second phone with texts from another woman

Question:
Surrey British Columbia Canada

Basically what it says in the title. We are all shaken up right now they have 2 children together. This is not the first time she has caught him cheating (it was the same woman) She found a Blackberry phone in his bag and went through the texts. She had left him for a few months (up to 6) the first time this happened but went back to him. She never consulted a lawyer the first time this happened. What are the laws about going through her SOs phone. Is the phone admissible and is it enough to prove infidelity or cheating (sorry im not sure of the legal terminology)

Answer:
 She should probably stop going through her husband's phone, but it's not going to matter much in the long run. This isn't the kind of unauthorized access that's prosecutable.

She doesn't need to prove anything. She can separate for her husband for any reason at all, or even no reason, and can file for divorce after being separated for a sufficient period (generally a year). Infidelity may be grounds to shorten the period, but she should talk to a lawyer before attempting any kind of contested divorce: it may not be worth the hassle. [She can also follow the divorce the process on her own](http://www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/legal_issues/divorceDIY.php) if she believes her husband will be cooperative. Regardless of how she proceeds, her husband cannot prevent her from divorcing him, if she's determined to follow through.

[Legal Aid BC](http://www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/legal_issues/divorcefaq.php) has a pretty comprehensive divorce FAQ.


Title: SOS Possible Jail Time

Question:
ARKANSAS
So I got arrested out of the blue because I had a warrant for my arrest for “FAILURE TO SIGN AND TRANSFER TITLE” paid $300 got out of jail and then went to my court date a few weeks later.
All the judge did was tell me what my charge is and if I plead guilty or not guilty. I plead not guilty because I didn’t know what I had done. Then he set another court date and I was on my way. The next court date came and this is where they told me what happened
(I never got an attorney because I didn’t think I needed one)
About a year ago I trade my vehicle for another vehicle on Craigslist. The guy I traded with didn’t have the title but said he was gonna get it in the mail soon. I went ahead and traded (stupid I know) and trusted him to get me the title. Well he never did. So I was screwed out of a car. So I decided to sell the car “AS IS NO TITLE”.
I posted it on Craigslist bc I knew I was never gonna get that guy to reply to me. The post clearly stated there was a no title. These people wanted to trade a PT Cruiser for my car with no title. So I did.
They knew I was not going to get a title. I said they may be able to file for lost title but I wasn’t sure how it worked. They agreed with the trade and went on their way.

So now fast forwarded to today (almost a year later) they are the ones who took me to court over it.
They stood in front of the judge and basically told them I was supposed to give them a title and never did. When it was my turn to speak the judge wouldn’t let me talk. He would only let me answer in yes or no answers and was very rude. He asked me if traded vehicles I said yes. He asked if I ever gave her the title and I said no. I tried telling him I never received the title either but he wouldn’t let me explain. He just blurted out “I give you until January 1st to get the title back to her or give the car back”
If I don’t do either of those I get 30 days in jail.

The car they traded me broke down the same day they traded me, so I don’t have it anymore. The title I never even received and happens to have a lean on it.
I can’t go to jail. This seems totally out of context. Need help ASAP

Answer: First of all, do you understand what you did and why you're facing jail time? You never had the legal right to sell that car. It was never your car.  Secondly, get an attorney if you're facing jail time. You may be able to convince the Judge that the matter is settled if you give them a refund of the value of the PT Cruiser.


Title: Alaska: I was charged a late fee for paying my rent on the agreed upon date, because apparently they sent out a flyer stating the rent was due on a different day.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The contract controls..if the contract states they can change the pay date by taping something to your door, they can.  If it is does not allow them to do that, they can't.


Title: My cat jumped into the window screen and broke it. Can this forfeit my security deposit and should I call maintenance to fix it?

Question:
Title explains it all. I rent an apartment that allows cats. My window was open (with the metal screen thing down), and kitty was playing. I guess she tried to catch something because I came into the room to the screen snapped on two corners hanging outside the window. There's a fire escape outside, so the screen and the cat couldn't fall out.

I put it together with some tape, inserted it back (albeit poorly), and have not opened that window since. I'm scared to call maintenance because I'm afraid they would blame me and I'll have to pay damages and/or give up the security deposit.

Advice?

Edit: I'm in MA, if that matters.

Edit2: Cats. Apartment allows cats. Apartment definitely does not allow "it all".

Answer: just call maintenance. at the most they'll charge you for the price of the screen. you could probably even get the measurements and go pick one up from the store and try to replace it yourself or have them do it. really, not a big deal.


Title: How likely is it to be convicted of rape on a false accusation by someone you’ve never met in person but lives in the same city?

Answer:
 How long is a piece of string? Where are you? What are the specifics of the allegation? Do you have any kind of record? Can anything in the allegation be verified? Too many questions to say for certain.

I will say that in most jurisdictions, sexual assault is under-reported, and under-prosecuted. It's generally an uphill struggle for the accuser to get any motion so if there's absolutely no evidence to support the claim, and especially if you can account for your whereabouts at the time, conviction purely on the basis of victim testimony seems very unlikely. It's far more common for genuine victims to be told that there isn't enough evidence to bring charges against their attacker.


Title: I will be receiving a fine for something that isn't against the law.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Is it normal for your police to ask for a payment right then and there?  What are the payment options when being ticketed in the moment?  This is the most suspicious sounding part to me, but I live in the USA so I am not familiar with your laws.  The part you copied and translated makes it sound like they shouldn't be able to give you a ticket for it though.Answer #2: Not from Belgium but living in eu in general this is what happens: You will maybe get a ticket to your home with bill enclosed for payment. On the ticket you will have your rights listed and possibility for "judicial security" in x amount of days if you disagree. You can opt for that and write back your reasoning why the ticket is false and it can either be approved and you do not pay anything or disproved with reasoning after which you need to pay it.

Usually for this kind of tickets there are no lawyers involved in the process although you could opt for one to write the letter on your behalf. Answer #3: I suspect that there is information in regards how to settle the ticket on the ticket that you recieve in the mail.


Title: MN: Question for dog law experts. Being sued for return of a dog I've been taking care of for 4 years.

Question:
Around four years ago, in mid-2014, my boyfriend agreed to take care of his friend's/ex-girlfriend's two small dogs. (This is my first reddit post ever, so I'm not sure about the anonymity rules for dogs...I'll just give them fake names and call them Jonesy and Reilly.) From my understanding, this arrangement was supposed to last for a couple months.

A rough timeline of the events since then:

&#x200B;

2014: My boyfriend agreed to watch the dogs for approximately three months, as she was moving to CA. Under 6 months later, she moved into an apartment that did not allow dogs/or she was unable to take him. She paid him a small amount toward their care for the first 18 months.

Throughout 2015: Every time she was asked about the dogs, she responded that she was unable to care for him or couldn't get them at that time.

April 2016: She stopped sending my boyfriend any money toward the dogs' care. She then borrowed amounts totaling approximately $800.00 from him.

&#x200B;

November 2016: She picked up Jonesy to live with her, while Reilly stayed with us. My boyfriend and his other dog moved in with me, and we have been solely responsible for Reilly's care since then. I was under the impression that my boyfriend had reached an understanding with her that he'd be staying with us.

Fall 2017: She wanted to come pick up or visit Reilly, but I said no. To be honest, I thought it was ridiculous - that's my dog, I'm not handing him off to someone I don't know or trust. She threw a fit, called the police, and filed a report. Nothing came of this. Shortly after this, I licensed Reilly under my name with Minneapolis Animal Care & Control.

&#x200B;

In spring 2018, we received a demand letter from an attorney threatening legal action for emotional distress, monetary damages, and return of the dog. As a favor, an attorney called on our behalf and we didn't hear much from the first attorney except that he might advise her to file suit in conciliatory court instead (the letter was WAY over the top and I don't think she was paying this guy). I really didn't think she would...until last week, when we both received certified letters advising us that she filed suit in conciliatory court and we have a court date next week.

&#x200B;

In conciliatory court you represent yourself, but I met with an attorney specializing in animal law this week. We mainly went over the details of the case, and I'm actually feeling even more nervous than I was before. A different attorney I had reached out to earlier suggested getting affidavits from neighbors and friends, which I'm more than prepared to do, but my new attorney shot that down and said that it wouldn't matter. She also said I shouldn't counter sue for expenses when I asked about that possibility. I'm meeting with her again next week, and I have a list of follow-up questions, but I want to make sure I take everything into consideration so I'm prepared.

She (Reilly's original owner) has documents including the sales receipt when she bought him, some text messages between her and my boyfriend, and some vet bills from 2015 that she paid for, listing her as Reilly's owner. We have a few bills plus the Mpls license that I've compiled for court, but I don't think my boyfriend kept any text messages or correspondence between them so I can't be sure if she'll have any surprises in writing.

&#x200B;

So my questions are as follows: Do we have a case? Is there anything I need to do, or any facts I should be giving my attorney that will be helpful? Is it likely this woman could take my dog? Am I way out of line for being involved in this, even though I am a named party in the legal case?

There are obviously quite a few more details that I can add if needed, and I tried to write everything as emotionless as I could, but I love this little baby so much and I'm a nervous wreck. His home is with me; he's so extremely attached to me and his family and his neighborhood and the dog park and his dog friends that I know he'd be devastated at being uprooted. And I'd be just as devastated.

&#x200B;

TL;DR: I'm going to court and am looking for any information about keeping my dog.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Answer: You may be able to convince them to drop it once you ask for reimbursement of 4 years worth of food and any vet bills.


Title: Did i commit EBT fraud?

Question: When I was living in california and going to school, I was receiving FAFSA and using an EBT card, I signed up without doing a work program by not informing them I was going to school in the form. Now i'm finishing my education, using the fafsa again, and now the school is calling me about being flagged by fafsa to check my records, the form asked if I used EBT in the last few years and I put yes. Now the school is calling me to give them the receipt to those EBT purchases, did I commit fraud by not adding my school in those forms? Is the government coming after me? Will I have to flee America? thanks.

Answer: Yes you did. You are not entitled to EBT benefits if you are in school and not working.


Title: [Oregon] Can my step brother's probation officer search through my phone/computer?

Question:
My step brother is going to live with us for a few months after 1 year in prison for "Child Pornography" ??

My parents didn't really give me the details, however they told me his probation officer is going to stop by and check up time to time.

Now I have nothing to hide, and will be willing to give into searches for my step brothers sake.

But do I have the right to refuse? Or will they not even bother searching me?

What if all my devices are password protected?

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer or in Oregon, but I've worked with several sex offenders (specifically for child porn)/P&P officers as part of child welfare.

It is rare, and I'm only saying that because there's no 100% anything, that they'll want to search your stuff at all.  It's your brother who is on probation, not you.  Think about the feasibility of this.  How many Internet-connected devices are in your home?  They wouldn't single you out; they would have to look through your phone, computer, tablet, DS, everything that can connect to the Internet.  And your step-parent's.  And your biological parent's.

If you're under 18, then yes, it's your parents' decision for everything.  Your parents can't kick you out if you're under 18 unless there's some sort of ass-backwards hugely-questionable and potentially unethical decision made in family court regarding custody.  Keep in mind that would likely mean child support payments could come up, and I don't think that your current custodial parent wants to go through that.

If you're over 18, then you don't have to let them look at anything, but this may cause your parent(s) to kick you out of your current situation.

The police *WILL* come to your home to make sure he's there at curfew (could be a certain time each day or he's only allowed out a couple hours per week at the beginning) because that's part of the conditions for probation.  Remember that probation is not a guarantee; it's a leniency that the Court can revoke and put him back in prison for the remainder of his sentence or worse.  Don't let a Probation and Parole officer coming by unnerve you; this is normal.


Title: [NY] Online Harassment is Now Affecting My Personal Life, What Can I Do?

Question:
So I go to college and I use an app (3rd party, not connected with my school) that connects me with other people at my school. It's a place for posts about the goings of campus for that day, and other stuff. This app is an anonymous app with profile names as identifiers. For the last 6 months, i've been targeted, harassed and defamed by an individual on said app ranging from insults to framing me as a partaker of hate speech. Recently, they've linked my anonymous profile with my real life name and is now making the connection that I am a partaker of hate speech, going so far as to plaster my name and photo on this app saying these false things about me.

needless to say, i'm worried now. I found this person's name, address, phone number, and the names of their parents online through reverse people/address searches, which i'm assuming is public record. I have not done anything with this information as of yet, what options do I have for myself?

Answer: Report it to the school and report it to the police. Do not contact them and *definitely* do not contact their parents. That's only asking to be accused of harassment yourself.


Title: Friend caught secretly recording women

Question:
Hello legal advice! I certainly never thought I would be in this position, but I need some help. My friend was recently caught because he had been setting up cameras in a location where he knows females would be changing. Unfortunately I, as a female, have changed in an area where he had access to. He was arrested and charged but I can't seem to find any information on the charges. Is there any way to find out information on the charges or the situation? What information is available on pending cases and what is the best way to request copies? For the most part, I just want to confirm that I wasn't impacted by his actions. Would the court notify me, if I was?

Location is in CA.

Answer: Your county may have an online court system that will show some of the info you want. That or going to the court clerk and trying to get copies of whatever you can are good bets. But honestly, I'd just contact the DA directly, or their victim services division if they have one. Answer #2: Go to your county District Attorney's office.  They will know if the guy has been charged, and if so, the specifics.


Title: Living with a Friend Without Parents

Question:
[Georgia]

A friend and I are attempting to make it possible to live with each other next year. We both live very far from the high school we attend and decided it would be great to have an apartment (that's closer to school) to go to during the week while we attending this high school. We are both 17 years old and will be turning 18 years old sometime during the stay there. (Next school year 2016-2017). If we go through with it, we'd both have the full support of both our respective parents to do this; however, with a little research, I have found that even being a minor with consenting parents it is considered neglect for no parental supervision to be present at the "living location." What's your take r/legaladvice?

Answer: You will never find an apartment willing to lease to you two, even with parental co-signer


Title: Is it legal for my landlord to make me paint my apartment

Question: I live in Miami FL and have put in my notice to leave. I've lived in this apartment for 12 months. It's in my lease agreement that I have to paint my apartment by a credited painting company before I leave. If not my landlord will charge me a $700 fee from my deposit. I haven't touched the walls at all for the time that I've lived here, and the walls are in the same condition that they were when I moved in. I haven't hung any pictures or painted the walls different colors. I signed a lease agreement that states I will paint the walls. Is that even legal for him to do?Isn't that his responsibility to paint the walls? Is it legal for him to make me signed that agreement?

Answer: You signed it. I know if no reason why he couldn't enforce it.  I am not your attorney.


Title: A kid smashed my MacBook Pro in college (UK)

Question:
To cut a long story short, a kid jumped across a table to catch a Jaffa cake and smashed my laptop In our college library. He is not taking full responsibility, and trying to pin blame on the school. His has delayed telling his parents, and it took more than a week before his parents were informed as he would not do it himself. I am under 18, so is he (both 17, both 18 in 1 month). The repair is £446.16 and I have all of this documented, photocopied. The incident was on cctv but the college won't give me that cctv footage unless I really need it. E.g small claims. If you look at my reddit profile you can see my 2 previous posts to /r/Apple about this incident. I would link/type all this out but I am doing this all on an iPhone as I still have no laptop. (It's in repair centre waiting on payment.)

This would all make more sense if you read my previous posts in the last 2 weeks to /r/Apple and they informed me to come here.

What are the laws in terms of taking this kid / parents to small claims? My family are completely willing to take them to court as this is really taking a huge toll on my college work. Is it worth taking him to court?

I have no knowledge of laws or court rules here in the UK, so you guys could really help.

Many thanks.

Pat.

Answer:
 You should post this in /r/LegalAdviceUK/ as they have more UK-specific legal knowledge than the members of this sub who are mostly US-based.

You should also link to your previous posts (below) and summarize them (in tldr fashion) to more readily get advice.

http://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/2tbkbk/somebody_smashed_my_macbook_in_college/

http://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/2ujjup/update_smashed_retina_macbook_screen_in_college/

Answer #2: I am not a lawyer.

First of all, thank you for demonstrating the futility of asking for legal advice in other subreddits; you get idiotic stuff like:

>[tortfeasor is a minor] All it really means is that his parents are on the hook. Not him.

and people saying "file a police report!" over a purely civil dispute.

I'm assuming you live in England or Wales.

1. Of course he is liable in tort. Based on what you've said, very straightforward negligence case.

2. He is 17 years old and in college. He is personally liable. At common law his parents would *not* be liable. I don't know if England and Wales has a parental liability statute, but if so it probably would not apply in this situation.

3. You do not need a lawyer. You can sue in County Court via the small claims track. The court costs are minimal.

4. As you are a minor, you will require a litigation friend to represent you. They do not need to be a lawyer. They can be a parent or any other competent adult.


Title: [OK] Can I legally Self-Publish a Diary I purchased?

Question:
If this is not the appropriate place to ask this, let me know. Here are the details...

I purchased a Diary from a local Flea Market that was written in 1872 by a teenage girl.

It has some very interesting submissions and I was just curious if I am legally allowed to Self-publish this since I didn't write it.

Also, if I am, would I have to change any of the names of the people listed in the diary, or the cities she lived in?

Answer: It's from 1872.  It's out of copyright by about 50 years.  You can reprint it, but you can't stop anyone else from copying it, either.  You will own no rights to the original material.


Title: [FL] Accidentally soiled an Uber car and already paid the fee, now the driver is suing me in small claims even though I own a cleaning service and have offered numerous times to get the car professionally cleaned.

Question:
I will try to make this as quick as possible. I put my TL;DR as the title to this post. We are located in Pensacola, Florida.

My car was in the shop so I had to take an Uber to/from a doctor's appointment. On the way home, I accidentally went to the bathroom on myself (this is part of the medical condition I was seeing the doctor for, it's a bladder problem) and soiled the Uber driver's car. I apologized to him and immediately offered to pay the Uber fee and have the car professionally cleaned by my company (I started the company with my brother in college, we do professional office cleaning).

The uber driver told me not to worry about it as long as I paid the fee, but now he is suing me in small claims for the cost of cleaning the car as well as the cost of new car upholstery (I have received the court papers already). We had corresponded by text messages before he sued me and he has stated that he has not gotten the car cleaned yet because he could not afford to do so (even though I had repeatedly offered to have my company clean the car or to pay the bill if he got the car cleaned somewhere else). Now he is claiming that the seats are permanently stained and need to be reupholstered, even though there would not have been any damage had he gotten the car cleaned that same week. It's been 7 weeks since my accident and he claims that he still has been unable to get the car cleaned.

Any advice for this situation is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 > even though there would not have been any damage had he gotten the car cleaned that same week.

This right here is a failure to mitigate damages.  It's important in court.Answer #2: IANAL but I d like to add: read the Über terms of service and be prepared to show them in court.  It Über is charging you for cleaning and you hired Über and *not* the driver it stands to reason that the driver has no recourse against you but would have to seek them against Über which contracted out to him.  It may even be explicit in the terms.Answer #3: NAL. So he's been letting his UBER passengers sit on the pee stained seats? Not cool.
Sorry you are going through this though.


Title: [NJ] My Girlfriend is Having surgery to remove some cancerous cells and will be out of work for up to 3 weeks. Is there anything that she maybe eligible for benefits wise or anything her shady employer may try and do that I should make her aware of ahead of time?

Question:
As the post says, my girlfriend is having some Type A pre-cancerous cells removed from her body. She’s going to see and OB Specialist for her surgery. She’s having the surgery tomorrow and will not be back to work for up to three weeks. She’s only going to receive partial disability for her surgery for up to a week only. Her employer is shady. They like to “misplace” documents and state they never received any paper work.

First are they’re any other benefits that she maybe eligible for that we have Not pursued, (Disability, FMLA, or something else)?

Second, is there anything that she can do to protect her position for 3 weeks while she’s away on leave? She plans on emailing and scanning all documents as well as mailing them into her office of employment.

Third is there ANYTHING that I didn’t mention that I should bring up to her or she should apply for or research ahead of her surgery?

I know this is not your forte but all knowledge would be most useful.

Thanks to everyone in advance.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: If she qualifies for FMLA, she should take it. They can't fire someone on FMLA leave.


Title: [MO] GF moved into an apartment w/income restrictions. If she gets a job that'll have her exceed the restrictions, can the landlord ask her to leave?

Question: Long story short, she moved into an income-restricted apartment where you can't exceed a certain income per year. If she gets a 2nd job or a better-paying one & exceeds these annual income restrictions, what can the L/L do? Will they give her a certain time-frame to vacate the apartment? Or will she still be able to stay & her lease be valid until it's original expiration?

Answer:
 There's probably information about this in her lease.

My assumption is that she will be given notice to vacate.


Title: My "friends" are threatening to sue me

Question: I rented an airbnb with a couple of friends for a girl's trip this weekend. The day before we were supposed to leave one of the girls said she felt unsafe staying there and that she tried to contact the host a few times and she wouldn't answer us, so they thought it might be a scam or sketchy. She said she wanted to cancel the airbnb and get a full refund. One of the other girls agreed, and the other two didn't care either way what we decided to do. When we booked this months ago, everyone sent me their money on paypal, and I put the whole airbnb rental on my credit card. So they convinced me to cancel it and I did. Airbnb approved the refund and sent me an email saying that it would take up to 15 days for the money to show up again in my bank account. I sent them all that email. This all happened on Wednesday morning, it's now Friday night, and for the last couple of days every day they've been demanding I send them each exactly what they paid immediately. I keep telling them that I'm not sending out hundreds of dollars of my own money before the refund shows up. They keep saying because the refund was approved and will eventually show up, I'm holding their money and stealing from them by not sending them my own money now. At first I was considering just sending it all to them but it's almost a thousand dollars to send everyone the money back and  I wasn't budgeting for that this month. I know I'll eventually get it back when we get refunded but my dad brought up that airbnb says they're approving the refund but might actually not, and then I'd be out the thousand I refund them of my own personal money I put into the airbnb too. One of the girls just texted me that her dad is a lawyer and they can sue me for not giving them their money back. Does anyone know if that's valid? Am I being crazy or irrational, or are they for trying to get me to refund them my money before we all get refunded?

Answer:
 It'll take way longer to sue you for the money than it will be for them to wait for a refund.  Call their bluff and tell them you'll give them the money when you get it and not a single second sooner.Answer #2: Wait for the refund 100%. Shes just trying to scare you into it.

Tell them “I don’t have the money until the refund comes through. Sorry. Dont know what you want me to do.”Answer #3: Even if they were to take you to court, they don't get the refund until you do. It wouldn't hold up. I don't care what her dad says. You get the refund as if you individually paid Abnb. And the money isn't guaranteed. It depends on the seller's refund policy as well. And I think your friends know that.

Don't be friends with these people. And good lesson, don't put it on your card. You don't need to be out of money for them either. You're all in the same boat. Tell them if they keep harassing you, then you can have the police explain the law to them.Answer #4: You cannot refund them money you have not yet received, and if Airbnb does not refund you the money they are welcome to take you to court where you can produce the emails and text messages where they demanded that you make this cancellation.
It is unlikely that you will be compelled to reimburse them until you are yourself reimbursed.


Title: [Tx] Mother accused of fraud because sister filed for unemployment?

Question:
So my mother works as a secretary for a personal injury law firm and my sister also worked there almost a year ago. My sister has since been self employed and recently filed an unemployment claim (because the CARES act has expanded who qualifies for unemployment). My sister had to list her most recent employer on her claim and the law firm received some sort of notice/document about my sister's claim.

An employee who retrieved the mail from the mail box opened the letter of my sister's unemployment claim and starting announcing it to the whole office. The HR took the letter from the employee and gave it to the boss but the employee was not punished for this action. Next my mother was pulled aside by her boss where he showed her the contents of the document and accused her of fraud. My mother had no idea my sister had filed for unemployment and left her work in tears. My mother and her boss are going to have a meeting about this in a few days.

The expansion of who qualifies for unemployment because of Covid-19 is confusing but whether or not my sister qualifies, the legal issue at hand lies elsewhere. The Texas Workforce Commission's website says that claims of unemployment are confidential and that "We mail a notice of your claim to your last employer and may communicate with other former employers." The employee that was announcing my sister's unemployment to the whole office seems to be in the wrong and the company did nothing to punish that person.

Additionally, I suspect they also broke the law in telling my mother. Although my mother is a family member of the claimant, she should not have been shown the claim right? My mother knew nothing about my sister's claim and the company has not even attempted to contact my sister before calling my mother a fraud.

Is there anyway to pursue legal action against the firm? No monetary damages were caused by disclosing my sister's unemployment to the whole office and to my mother so a lawsuit is out of the question. But disclosing this information is illegal so they should get punished somehow... right?

Answer: NAL, but the law firm isn't her most recent employer if she's been self-employed.  Your sister is her own employer.


Title: Warrant for my arrest in PA over $35 parking ticket

Question:
I got a notice today in the mail that there is a warrant for my arrest.  I called the court and it's over a $35 parking ticket.  It was probably issued to my wife back in 2017 when she was doing some work in PA.  The car is in my name.
She has no recollection of the ticket and this is the first notice I've received about the charge. We live a couple hundred miles from Pennsylvania.

They've added on an additional $60 in court costs.  I know I'll probably just pay the $95 to make this go away but I feel like I should only owe the original $35.

What are my options for paying only the original $35?

How serious is this sort of arrest warrant?  It feels like a scare tactic. Is it enforceable outside of PA.  If I were to visit PA, could I actually be arrested and detained?

Answer:
 >I know I'll probably just pay the $95 to make this go away but I feel like I should only owe the original $35.

Your feelings are wrong.

If anything, you are lucky to only owe $95 one year later - CA would have you owe $400 or $500 by now.

Pay your fine unless you want to get arrested one day.

>What are my options for paying only the original $35?

Pay $95, consider $60 to be tuition and $35 to be the fine.

>How serious is this sort of arrest warrant?

There are no "joke" arrest warrants". Each of them is serious enough to get you arrested.


Title: Co-worker attacked me and got a summons for Disorderly Conduct. Now he's telling the entire staff I hit him first. He never said this to the police. What can I do about this?

Question:
His charge is Breach of peace 2nd (53a-181) in the state of CT.

 I went to the police station and got the report. The officer makes it very clear that I did not touch him, and the dude who attacked me admits it 100% and says he overreacted. The next day, he is back at work telling everyone that I hit him first, and even has a bruise now!!! I received calls all day from coworkers/friends asking why I attacked him. I have tons of evidence proving I did nothing wrong (it was literally on camera) and have been showing people defending myself.

 He is due to appear in court soon. My questions are:

-Can I go to his court date?
-Is there anything I can do to testify against him?
-Would I be able to submit a letter describing how this has been affecting me?

A witness and close friend has offered to pay for an attorney if needed. I have already spoken to my employer and I've been told they couldn't possibly fire him due to his importance. They told me to let it go because he apologized via e-mail. I made them aware that he was now changing his story and telling the entire staff (250+ gossip loving employees) that I hit him first, showing bruises when there is camera evidence showing it's not possible. I don't expect them to do anything besides tell him to stop, and the damage is already done.

Edit: One important thing I forgot to mention is that my job is 100% secure for unrelated reasons, and I can take this as far as I should.

Edit: OK this is what happened. I work for the owner of 2 separate companies that do the same thing under different names. I went in for a meeting with this dude from company #1 to look over some lame reports. The meeting started at 9:10 and I called 911 at 9:35... During normal conversation he cut me off and said "shut up, stop talking, you don't know what you're talking about." I replied "wow, that's rude." He aggressively asked to speak with me privately and he led out into the parking lot outside. I reluctantly followed, asking him why this was necessary because we were now by the dumpsters far away from the building. He turned and got in my face yelling, "HOW DARE YOU CALL ME RUDE! I HAVE 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, HOW OLD ARE YOU?!?" I said "have a great day", and without another word turned away to walk back. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards him as hard as he could, pulling me off balance until I ripped my arm out of his grasp. The first thing I did was pull out my phone and start recording. While recording, I discover that my arm was starting to bleed and you can clearly see where his nails ripped into my skin. I find more bleeding scratches on my forearm from when he tried to grab me a second time after I pulled away. I now have bruises around the scratches perfectly shaping out his nasty ass fingers. I have footage of him backtracking and defending himself saying he did it because I was rude to him. I walk away and go back to the meeting and inform everyone I was assaulted and need to call the police. It was my also supposed to be my day off.

Edit: I'm also 1/3rd of this mans age...

Answer:
 Document everything that is happening in a journal that you keep private; do this after work. Provide a copy of that report to corporate if your lawyer advises you to or if they ask for it and look in your employee hand book for the policy regarding workplace violence (assuming this took place at work).

Here is your current problem: he is slandering you, but he hasn't caused you any damages, yet.  You also need to be careful, because he is being shielded and the same is apparently not true for you.  If you are fired for shooting off your mouth or attempting to defend yourself from this before you have a chance to get real advice you may damage your chance at a claim.

You can call the number on this page best fitting your area and get a referral for some real advice https://www.ctbar.org/?page=LookingForAnAttorney

Again, write down everything that is happening.  Names, dates, etc.  Connecticut appears to be a two party consent state so written records will be your best bet.       Answer #2: Let it go for now. The line to use on people is "Don't believe everything you hear."  You're in a no win situation right now, and virtually anything you say is going to be twisted against you. Keep your head down, stay focused on your work, and on being professional as possible. Eventually it will blow over, or it won't and you'll decide to move on. But this is absolutely no way to clear your name with one fell swoop like you want right now. Just hang in there.


Title: Am Filipino. Can I call myself Hispanic?

Question:
Question's in the title.

I'm applying for jobs, and there's always a question about whether or not I'm Hispanic. Allegedly employers don't even see your answers, but I have my doubts...

Anyway, I'm descended from people who were formerly colonized by Spain, but I'm not from the areas typically considered Hispanic(Central/South American/Carribean). Can I get in trouble if I go around telling employers I'm Hispanic?

Answer:
 You can call yourself anything you want. You could write "Martian/Eskimo" on those forms and you wouldn't "get in trouble." The only time it would be an issue is if you intentionally lied about your background to get something of value like a scholarship.Answer #2: > Allegedly employers don't even see your answers, but I have my doubts...

They don't, those are demographic questions to collect data to submit to the EEOC.  You're not scoring more points for checking "hispanic" when you're trying to get a job.

If all you do is check the box on the form, nobody is going to care what you identify as.


Title: [CT] Exited fast food through ENTER driveway, pulled over and given citation. Illegal?

Question:
Very small issue but I don't want my insurance premium to go up or to have to take some kind of driving class because of this.

I had lunch at a Wendy's, it's along a main road and there's an ENTER driveway into the parking lot and around the other side of the drive thru is an EXIT driveway. I'm not defending what I did but I lazily left through the ENTER driveway. I was then immediately pulled over and ticketed, and the officer gave me a citation for a $168 fine 'wrong way violation'.

Is that seriously illegal? I just figured it was like any other parking lot. There was nobody else around so it wasn't reckless driving I don't think, and the officer said it was going the wrong way.

Answer: Yes. You were cited for violating a posted traffic direction.


Title: Legal precedent for Lottery Pools?

Question:
I have heard various stories of people entering lottery pools wherein one member buys a winning ticket and tries to run off with all of it. From this point, I have heard the story going either way, either with the courts forcing the guy to splt the winning or the guy finding some leagal loophole allowing him to to take all of the money because forms aren't in order.

Anyone know the truth of any of this? I've noticed that Facebook lottery pools have gotten popular, whereby participants post a photo of their ticket and if there is a winner amongst them the pool splits the winnings. Is there a legally binding method of doing this sort of thing wherein pool members cant just take the money and run?

Edit: I am in New York but my question pertains to people throughout the USA.

Answer: Facebook lottery pools sound particularly idiotic and prone to abuse. Wouldn't touch one of those with a barge pole myself.


Title: Selling replica products without license

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >I'd like to resell customized replica shoes.

Counterfeit. The word you're looking for is counterfeit.

> I really doubt that such big companies would even notice me selling them

[You'd be mistaken](http://wwd.com/business-news/government-trade/eu-caught-670-million-in-counterfeit-goods-2016-10949882/).


Title: Friend being sued for "threat" after using "Navy Seal Copypasta" on Facebook

Question:
I think the title explains it all.

My friend sent the "Navy Seal Copypasta" to someone on Facebook.

In case you do not know what it is, here is some information on it...
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/navy-seal-copypasta

It's obviously been taken out of context. This "threat" was sent after a religious debate spiraled out of control on Facebook.

This also happened in Ohio.

Any information on what to do would be helpful. I have written a testimony to his character, and have sent it to the Judge presiding over the case.

Thanks.

Answer: Hire an attorney. "Because it is a meme/thing" is not a defense. Answer #2: sued for what?  this can't possibly be a criminal case.


Title: Question about what rights a father actually has.

Question:
I'll try to make this simple:

I have a child with my domestic partner.  We are not married because of other reasons, but regardless, her and I have a 9 year old son.  We moved to Illinois, from Indiana, about 1.5 years ago.  Occasionally, we get into an argument, and she gets super overly dramatic.  "I'll take our son back to Indiana if that's what you want" sort of a thing.

Question:  Is that actually possible?  Could she just up and move him away from me?

*Possible things that matter*:

- She hasn't had a job in *almost* two years.  We moved to Illinois because I landed a good job.  She knows damn well I can't just up and move away to Indiana if she decided to actually do that because I would lose this very good job and thus greatly negatively impact my career.  Yes, it would be a dick move of the highest order.

- I have no clue how she would actually afford this move, or how she'd get a job that's good enough to raise him in the same way he's being raised today.  His quality of life would almost certainly go down.

- She is not a drug user or anything like that.  Just kind of lazy, tbh.

Surely there has to be *some* sort of protection against just moving a child away from a parent like that though, right?  I mean she could fuck my entire world up, figuratively hold it up to my head like a gun, by simply moving away?

Is there anything I can do to protect myself just in case this ever happens?  I really doubt it will.  But it does make me nervous to think about so I'd like to be proactive, just in case.

Thanks all!

Answer: A father has the same rights as a mother.  Absent a custody order, either parent can take the child anywhere. That said, judges don’t look kindly on parents who spirit their kids away to other states leaving the co-patent behind. As has been mentioned, jurisdiction for a custody trial is set by the last location the child lived for six months, so the faster you act, the more likely it is that the custody hearing will take place in your location. If that’s the case, judges tend to default to keeping the child in-state absent a compelling reason to the contrary.


Title: [OR] Ex-girlfriend is due midish October and has cut off all contact with me. What steps do I need to take and when? Before or after the birth?

Question:
I am very lost on what to do and want to establish a reasonable 50/50. We are not separated due to any domestic violence or harassment issues. But over a disagreement.

Anything someone can do to point me in the right direction I would be very grateful.

Answer: Get on the putative fathers registry.  You will have to establish paternity after the birth before you can try to get visitation.


Title: (Maryland, US) Firm never provided updates, hit with with surprise bill.

Question:
I had put down a retainer, where I was supposed to add more funds once it went below a certain amount.

I was never provided with any updates or invoices during the time I was using their services.

After I was finished with their services, it took nearly two months to get a response concerning what I thought would involve a refund of the remainder of my retainer. Instead I was given a bill for nearly twice what I had initially put down.

So my questions are:

Were they supposed to be providing me with regular billing updates?

If we had an agreement where I would add additional funds to the Retainer if it went below a certain amount, why wasn't I informed when they used it up?

Answer:
 This is difficult to answer, and essentially there isn't enough information here for any of us to give you perfect answer. But, in short, the answer to your first question is that it depends.
 There are some things a lawyer should ethically ask your permission to do before spending sums of money on it. It depends both on the amount of money and what you're trying to do. If you are indigent, that complicates things as far as billing goes. However there are many other things which lawyers have an implied ability to do to further your case, or maybe you expressed you wanted to do something and the lawyer went ahead with it at an extra cost to you. These costs could be anything from billable hours to court fees to filing fees, etc.  without being your actual lawyer working on the case, there is no way for us to know.

You are entitled to request a full accounting of the bill from the firm with a breakdown of what you are being charged for (if they haven't already sent it to you). That might answer your questions.


Title: (Texas) My boss fired me on the basis of my work performance being "subpar" because of my sprained ankle.

Question:
I sprained my ankle a couple weeks ago, pretty badly I might add, and I called in to work because I literally could not walk without excruciating pain. The next day, I went in (still in pain) and my boss sent me home because I was limping so bad - I should add that I'm a server in a restaurant.

Afterwards, I've been going to work and have not missed a beat until one day, I go into work and, out of nowhere, my boss tells me to go home. I did, and then later called him to ask why I got sent home and he said that my work have been "subpar as of late". When I clarified if he'd been referring to around the time I sprained my ankle he said "yes."

Fast forward to last Friday, I go into my scheduled shift and check my schedule only to see that my name had been crossed out and "ciao!" written next to it.

I had no idea that I was fired, given no notice or explanation and my boss will not return my calls or messages. What can I do?

Answer: Generally it's not illegal to fire somebody who can't perform their job up to the requirements. Did you ask for an accommodation where you wouldn't be on your feet so much?  Also, file for unemployment.


Title: Hospital missed easy diagnosis 5 times. Do I have legal recourse?

Question:
So about 6 months ago I got really bad stomach pains.  knew something was wrong. I went to the emergency room and they kept me for 2 days and ran every test in the book. CAT scan, sonogram MRI, blood. They found nothing and sent me home. Pain didnt go away. Over the next 6 weeks I was admitted to the ER and kept overnight and released 5 times. They never found anything. The 6th time I went to a different hospital for a second opinion and in 15 minutes the doctor did a sonogram, saw my pancreas was inflamed. Asked if I drank, I said no and he said "well if you dont drink, an inflamed pancreas means only 1 thing. Gall Bladder" The next morning he removed the Gall bladder and I was fine. The first hospital saw the inflamed pancreas, asked if I drank, and that was the end of that.

 If the other doctor said that a swollen pancreas in a person who doesnt drink can only mean one thing, Gall bladder. And the first hospital missed it 5 times. Do I have legal resource? I was in bed for months in excruciating pain, and couldnt work.

 I live in Florida if that matters.

Answer:
 Cue the med mal bot....

It doesn't sound like you have a case to me but med mal lawyers often offer free consultations.


Title: Roofer was supposed to do work in June before we moved but never showed up. Now, having moved states over a month ago, the roofer says he's done the work as of last week and wants payment.

Question:
[Louisiana] My wife and I moved states for work and needed to get our roof leak fixed to get the house ready for sale. One roofer said he could do it and would be by the following week to do the work. He never showed, so I reached out to another roofer who was able to do the repair by coordinating with our agent while we were driving to our new state.

Now, about two months later, the first roofer who never showed up when he was supposed to has said that he's finished the repair he was going to do and wants to send me an invoice.

Does he have any leg to stand on for demanding payment? The timeframe during which he had said he would have the work done has long expired. He never reached out to me again before starting work after I had moved. He never contacted my agent. Hell, I could have sold the house in the meanwhile, even (I haven't yet, sadly).

Answer: Do you even have proof that he did the work? I'd tell him you won't pay. He'd have to sue you in small claims court where you are. Answer #2: "Although we had some preliminary discussions about the work to be done, unfortunately you never showed up during the appointed time to perform the services, never advised us of any modified timeline for doing so, and thus we had no choice but to engage the services of another provider. Considering that no work was ever done by you, no amounts are owing to you."Answer #3: Did you sign anything when you initially hired him before his no-show?  Contract, accepted proposal, work order, or anything else along those lines.Answer #4: You might consider asking the guy who actually did the work for you to come back out and inspect it. Maybe he'll say everything is exactly as he left it, and you can ask him to document that for you. Maybe he'll say the crazy guy tore out the flashing he installed and did a crappy job installing an inferior product. Whatever the answer, it'll be good to get the information and have it documented.Answer #5: Did you notify him he was no longer needed?Answer #6: Did he pull a permit?


Title: Could this use of pepper spray be considered self defense?

Question:
https://youtu.be/8Uh_9tg5GEs?t=11m43

The location of this video in the US is unknown, so feel free to assume any state or jurisdiction that you're familiar with in order to answer this hypothetical question.

Answer: That's not justifiable based on what we saw there. She used it to "punish" the white girl for using the N-word, not because she was in danger.


Title: Can I legally where a body cam to school in California.

Question: I am going to be in 8th grade and I just want to make sure that incase I have a teacher that hates me or something happens at school I have proof. You know just incase the school is like against claims against people.

Answer:
 No, not with audio.  In California, you must get consent from ALL parties in order to record the audio of a conversation.  Some states you only need consent from 1 party (which can be yourself, so as long as you're apart of the conversation you can record it), but not in California.

Video without audio a much less restrictive (for reasons of allowing security cameras, for example), but I'm not sure if that would be allowable or not in this situation.  Video recording in bathrooms or locker rooms is not allowed.Answer #2: It depends on the school policy. You do not have the absolute right on the school property.


Title: Bought a car with a clean CARFAX, but 2-3 weeks after buying the vehicle, the dealer reports damage.

Question:
A year ago I bought my car from Enterprise car sales, they told me and gave me a clean CARFAX report saying there was no damage/no accidents reported on the car. Today I went to go trade in this car and get something different, and the dealership I was gonna trade with came back with a CARFAX report that shows that my car has a damage report. Which didn’t sound right, I still had the original CARFAX report that was given to me when I first bought it, and on the new CARFAX report it shows that In May 2017 there was a damage report and it also says it wasn’t reported until June 27 2018, about 3 weeks after I bought it.

Is this legal? Is this something that I can go to enterprise and get paid the difference back? It would be one thing if it wasn’t their car and didn’t own at the time of the damage occurred. But it was a rental car from enterprise before I bought it so they knew that the damage was done.

I wouldn’t have bought the car if I knew it had a damage report because I know it hurts it’s value. And I also wouldn’t have paid the price that I did because that wasn’t the cars correct value.

Answer: Sounds like a clear case of misrepresentation. go to Enterprise with copies of both reports and demand compensation.


Title: I want to start offering rides to planned parenthood/abortion clinics for those who aren't able to get there. Is it legal to offer this to minors?

Question: I live in Arizona. I'd really like to help these women and I know a lot of young girls don't have a way to get the services they need and can't or don't want their parents to know. I'm a 21 yo female. Thanks!

Answer:
 This isn't legal advice, so I'm not sure if it is or isn't allowed, but do NOT offer anyone you don't know rides to a clinic, for your own safety. Get involved directly with the clinic themselves and they can often connect youwith people who are already confirmed and need rides, or a local org that qualifies riders/drivers on both sides so that everyone is safe. Answer #2: I think there are some national organizations that already do this - my recommendation would be to get involved with someone who has already figured out what this would take. Sorry, don't know of any specific names off the top of my head.Answer #3: I'm also I AZ and wanted to help women in regard to obtaining medical treatment for abortion. After a lot of searching and consideration, I decided that volunteering rides/money/support and such on my own, as an individual, was not a good idea.
I then got in contact with the Abortion Fund of AZ. You can fill out an application (it's on the website) to volunteer and you also list what you're available to do (such as screen phone calls, be a patient escort). IMO, you're able to help more people this way as they work with many family planning clinics, and not just PP. If you're invested in helping only PP, then scratch all this. Good luck, and I'm glad there are people like you in the world.

[Abortion Fund of AZ](http://www.abortionfundofaz.org)


Title: Resident of my apartment complex tried to have my car towed (California)

Question:
Two days ago I went down to the leasing office of my apartment complex and rented out an additional parking space. The agent for the complex printed out the form stating the space was ours and we both signed the document. Fast forward to yesterday my friend is pulling into my complex when he sees my car getting towed. He immediately calls me and I come out to see the tow company about ready to pull my car out of the spot. I still had the paper work from the day before with my name, the spot number, the effective date, my signature and the leasing agents signature. I proceed to show the individual from the towing company the document, but he informs me that the resident who claims to have rented the spot must explicitly consent to stop the tow or he has to tow my car regardless of what the paperwork says. Luckily he is able to reach the residents, but they come out looking for fight. I proceed to show them the paperwork given to me by the leasing office and tell them I’m more than happy to move my car to visitor parking until the situation is sorted out. They agree, begrudgingly, to stop the tow. My primary question is it even legal for them (the lessees) to call and have my car towed?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Probably not a crime, but there would be liability. If your car gets towed, you pay to get your car back, then sue the other resident in small claims for the cost. In fact, you sue the resident, the tow company, and the apartment complex, since they could all be liable. If they point fingers at each other, let the court sort it out.


Title: NYC - broker changing from no fee to fee after application and approval

Question:
Hi everyone,

This is a bit time sensitive so inappreciate any insight you can offer.

I found an apartment on streeteasy, contacted the broker, and went to go to see the apartment. When I arrived, she had a fee agreement that she made me sign before viewing the apartment. Normally I despise this about NYC brokers, but she told me that this was a "no fee" apartment, wrote "NO FEE" in the "commission" field and asked me to print and sign my name. Fine -- I can pre-agree to no fee, so I signed it.

I really liked the apartment, and messaged her shortly after that I would like to apply. She said great and to come into office, only to call me a few minutes later and say they weren't sure if this is a no fee listing. All of the others in the building amwere, but maybe not this one because it's renovated. She tells me she will let me know for sure in the morning.

The next morning she texts me: "We won't charge a brokers fee on __<the address>__. Let me know if you'd like to move forward."

I say I would and go into fill out an application. I pay the $500 application fee (I know) and the $130 credit check fee (also absurd) and submit all my paperwork - pay stubs, bank statements, employment letter. While there, the broker's boss says "we made a mistake on this listing, the landlord might not actually pay us a commission, but we will honor what we said and work it out with them." I appreciated her forthrightness and moved forward.

They run a credit check and submit my application, and the boss calls me to tell me that I'm approved but, and a big BUT, there will now be a fee on the apartment because the landlord isn't going to pay them a commission.

What the hell? That literally is the opposite of everything you told me and what I signed and what I have in writing. She tells me yes but nothing they told me is binding and that they expected the landlord to make up for their mistake. And now that he's officially not, they are reversing what they told me entirely even though they mentioned they would assume that risk.

She then emails me this:
"We reached out to the landlord. Unfortunately  for Apt#10 he is not paying us a commission. We really tired hard to make this work for you. You can take the other apartment at <other address, not renovated> for "no fee". We will work with you on this one and lower the commission on our end to 12%. We apologize for any inconvenience."

So instead of no fee, they want me to pay 12% of 2800 * 12 = $4032 and act like that is "working with me".

Do I have any rights here? Should I reach out to the landlord directly? This broker has an exclusive contract with the landlord for this building so I wonder if they couldn't circumvent her even if they wanted to.

Thank you again.

==========================================

UPDATE: I called the landlord and explained them the current circumstances, and they let me know that they would reach out to the broker's office and the broker will contact me once they had spoken to them. A few hours later, the broker sent me an email saying that the landlord has agreed to pay the commission. I'm sure there was some negotiating behind the scenes, but crisis averted for now. I'll wait to celebrate until I sign though. Thank you all for your help and advice.

Answer:
 this is like the underage sexting scam: it's getting more nuanced and elaborate all the time.

they were never going to not charge a fee. bait and switch is their unwavering business model.

but what can you do?  force them to deliver the apartment as promised? probably not since that's LLs choice, not theirs. so you can't really get performance.

maybe you could sue for your application fee back.


Title: [California] job discrimination / mental health

Question:
I work for a Fortune 100 corporation, been with the company almost 10 years.

But I have been on medical leave for about 9 months, after I suffered a mental health crisis at work. Note that I had previously disclosed to my bosses that I had been diagnosed with mood disorders and PTSD.

Before going on leave, my behavior toward by managers and HR rep had steadily worsened over several weeks. I repeatedly told all of them that I was miserable, that I hated my job, begged for help finding a position somewhere else in the company, etc.

Finally, when I didn’t receive an expected promotion, I accused them of discrimination due to my mental illness. (In my defense, I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time.)

The company responded by assigning an internal claims investigator to interview me. By this point I had become pretty paranoid, and felt I was likely to be railroaded. On the other hand, I wanted to explain my grievance to someone outside my management chain. So I was conflicted.

So the investigator and I had a brief introductory conversation where I asked her questions about the process, like: who would make the determination, who would get copies of the report, would I be able to offer corrections, would she be searching our work email, who else would she be interviewing, would there be follow up interviews, and so on. For the record, her answers were mostly noncommittal.

At which point the investigator and I agreed that we would start the actual process the next day, with another phone conversation (except this time she would be the one asking questions).

Which is when my wife put her foot down and insisted that I stop this and go on medical leave immediately. Which I did.

Now I am about to return to work in a few weeks, and this workplace discrimination investigation is sure to restart as soon as I’m back.

I can prove that I was jerked around about my promotion (which I realize isn’t itself illegal), but I cannot prove that it was due to discrimination.

What can I tell the investigator?

My stupid gut wants me to say that I’m pretty sure I was discriminated against, but that I realize it’s basically impossible to prove.

My pragmatic gut wants me to say that this was a mistake. I was in the middle of a nervous breakdown, and I no longer believe that I was discriminated against.

Are either of these statements good enough to satisfy the investigator? Or am I in for a major investigation no matter what?

Should I hire an employment law attorney? What should I ask them?

Thanks.

Answer: You are free to continue or drop the complaint. HR is free to continue to investigate with or without you.Answer #2: Did you ever ask for any accommodations due to your mental health? Were any ever put in place?


Title: [OH] Does girlfriend have any legal backing to making threats against me?

Question:
We have been in a relationship for a while, but it is getting toxic. She threatens me with rape to justify mental and physical abuse, as well as staying with her. I know I'm not perfect, but she uses it to justify any of her wrongdoings.

This happened more than 6 months ago. We were drinking and getting handsy. She asked to have sex, i asked if it was ok multiple times and she insisted. We did this before so i thought it was confirmed. We start having sex and i finish in her, she was on bc. After the fact i notice that she is asleep, i did not notice it. It was stupid. When she awakes she becomes upset and accuses me. She secretly records our long conversation in which she is agitated, i try to calm her because i honestly did not know. I was really upset and angry and anxious with myself and eventually go with what she is saying and apologize and agree that i knew and didn't stop. I believe that we both talked about how she consented on the recording, but she says it is rape since i did not stop when she became unconscious. Now its been a while and she constantly holds it over my head, threatening to report me to the police despite also saying she is trying to forgive me. I do still love her, but the relationship has gotten so toxic at this point that i can't do it anymore. I don't know if she would actually report me, but if it comes to it i want to know how it looks. This has honestly been a nightmare scenario, and i need help. Thanks

Answer:
 Falling asleep during consensual sex does not make it rape unless you noticed and finished anyway.

You need to distance yourself from this relationship immediately. Nothing good can come from you staying together.


Title: Mother passed a few months back, potential land inheritance from her father.

Question:
My mom passed a few months ago and shortly before she did, her paternal father passed as well. I didn't find out until yesterday that my paternal grandfather left a sum of land in Oklahoma to his children. My uncle messaged me with some weird FB messages a month or so ago asking for my mothers death certificate, which I declined. Then yesterday he left me some odd FB message telling me about the land, how I probably wouldn't like it and I wouldn't pay taxes on it then the state would take it away. But he'll rescue me if I sign a waiver of interest and he'll even give me a whole $200 if I do... (Seriously? That's like 2 hours of work for me) I wouldn't of even given a second thought to this whole ordeal if his messages didn't sound so sleazy and strange.

Any idea wtf is going on here guys? What paperwork should I request, if any, to pass on to a potential lawyer to look into it for me? I'm not going to waste my time for some tiny land inheritance that my extended family would be better off having, but I don't want to get bent over if there's potential gas drilling, etc. involved.

Answer:
 A waiver of interest would give up your right to your mother's inheritance.  Your uncle is trying to get you out your grandfather's inheritance.  There generally needs to be consideration in these deals, hence the $200.

Get in contact with whoever is responsible for your grandfather's estate.


Title: I got banned from a buffet??? Is this even legal?

Question:
Me and my friend would go there high AF

And while having the munchies

Would feast on like 12 plates each for like about 3 hours

Then the manager came out with security and told us ww where banned for life

Wtf??????
Topic:
Update

Answer: Nobody is forced to provide anyone goods and services and they can ban you whenever they wantAnswer #2: What makes you think you're entitled to their goods? Honest question, no sarcasm. I'm trying to figure out how you came to this line of thinking.


Title: Can I get in trouble for leaving a card on someone’s windshield that tells them they park like an a**hole?

Question:
I got these fake business cards recently that say “Hey you! You park like an a$$hole!”

Today, someone was parked blatantly over the line, taking up two spaces in a very crowded parking lot and I wanted to leave one on their windshield.

I figured I should check if there are any possible legal issues with doing this first. Like if they have me on camera putting the card there or come out to me placing it, can I get in trouble?

Im not soliciting anything with the card, but the store name of where I bought them is listed on it.

Answer:
 It might fall afoul of your local littering statutes, but the odds of getting cited are probably low.Answer #2: Unless you make a habit of it and are told to stop (and don’t) there’s no chance you’d have any liability.Answer #3: There can be all sorts of reasons for bad parking: new driver, emergency situation, ADHD (thoughtlessness), disability, moving into a new place and needing space to unload, etc.

My dad, for instance, has to park to the right and often goes over the line to get out his walker. He's too proud to ask for a handicap sign and he thinks walking a bit farther is good for him anyway. I've had other friends do similar when there's no handicap parking available.

I just don't see the point of putting more hate out into the world. Sure, maybe they're just an asshole. But you can't possibly know that. You could just be making a difficult day so much worse.Answer #4: No, as long as the cards dont appear as "offical" tickets.  (Plus of course you cant damage the vehicle in process of placing)

The only time I've heard of anyone getting in trouble, it's for placing "official" looking tickets.  In this case you could be charged under a variety of laws.  Most likely falsification of a government document or related charges. (Each state has different laws regarding this issue)

If it simply says "you're a c**t" you'll be ok.


Title: Can I aquire custody of my niece?

Question: [OHIO] Back story, last July my brother passed away. His ex-wife is a drug addict, and agreed to give my mother full custody of my niece. It has recently been discovered, that my parents have developed a drug addiction as well. I would like to get custody of my niece if possible, however, I do not want something to happen where she would end up with her mother, or with someone else. What would be my best course of action?

Answer:
 > What would be my best course of action?

Retain a family lawyer for assistance.


Title: father passed away. anyway i can get out of the lease?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Read the lease. It will explain the provisions for breaking it without penalty, and the penalties for breaking it otherwise.


Title: (NC) Is it legal for an employee/employer to login to my personal bank account or personal email?

Question: I have proof that the safety manager and possibly president of the company logged into and examined my bank account and personal email, and have reason to believe they exported information. I’m in NC, what can I do and how do I proceed?

Answer:
 North Carolina law defines several crimes related to unauthorized access of computers. First and foremost change all of your passwords to everything and delete any saved logins on any computer you can get your hands on. Contact an attorney for advice on what your damages may be and what your legal remedies are.Answer #2: Did they log into the accounts via use of a keylogger or did they simply open pages that you had logged into on work PCs?Answer #3: No no no no it is not okay at all. That is a violation of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

An employer can legally record all keystrokes, including your passwords if you login to personal email and accounts from business computer systems. Even take screenshots of accounts is legal if you login on work systems.

It is not at all legal for them to login to your personal accounts.

If you want this to be pursued he would a file a report with the FBI here with whatever information he has that indicates this happened: https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx (Check the box marked Email Intrusion)

While testimony is evidence, even better are login alerts to email, account activity history, photos or camera footage of this safety manager and company president logging in.

You should change the passwords for every single account you have tied to that email, including the email account YESTERDAY. Obviously, don't do it from any computer or phone owned by the company or software installed for company purposes. If you don't have a computer system not tied to work, go to a public library and use their computers to change passwords.


Title: Dog Custody- afraid to lose my pooch to an ex

Question:
Hello everybody,

I'm in a bit of a situation that I want to sort out and was hoping I could find some advice. In July 2015, my then gf, now exgf decided to adopt a puppy from the spca. A handsome blue nose pitbull that stole our hearts. I would often stay over her place since I worked in the area and we were dating.
Time went on (about a year) and her dad got sick from cancer. She moved back home to help care for him and took the dog with her. We broke up around that time due to ongoing problems in our relationship.
On November 7th 2016 I saw that she posted an ad on facebook (screenshotted for proof) stating that she had to find a new home for the dog because he was too much to handle with her dad going through treatments at home and she was working odd hours. A pitbull puppy has a lot of energy and needs a lot of care. I reached out to her as soon as I saw the post because I loved that dog since day one and helped raised him. She was about to give him away to a random family but agreed to give him to me since she already knew who I was and I had already built a relationship with this pooch. Saying goodbye was hard for her but I promised to take great care of him.
Since we broke up I had moved back home to my parents house. My parents and sister all welcomed him with open arms. We dog proofed the house and even decided to get professional training for the dog since he was never very well behaved. Time goes on and he becomes integrated into our family.
On occasion I would let my ex gf watch the dog for a weekend here and there if I had plans and no one could watch him. I didnt mind at the time because we still kept in touch with no hard feelings from breaking up.
I am now in a new relationship with a girl I will probably end up marrying. I have since cut ties with the ex however she keeps texting me and my sister asking to see the dog. To be honest I have no problem with her visiting him in public with my sister as they still talk on occasion. But she's asking to take him for a couple days. I dont feel comfortable with that situation at all. It's not fair to her as it would make her miss him more after seeing the dog. It's not fair to me because I have moved on and started a new life.
My concern is that she threatens me with the legalities of the ownership. She technically adopted him but since giving him away, my family and I have owned him and paid for vet bills, dog licenses and food and toys for 2 years now.  Please help me clear the air on this one. Thanks.

Answer:
 Just say no. She can sue you for the value. If she keeps the dog and doesn’t return it you can sue her for the value of the dog. Maybe you don’t win that one.

Dog custody isn’t a thing any more than toaster custody is a thing. (Except in Alaska and I think Illinois.)


Title: I got scammed

Question:
So this happened about 5 days ago, I was looking for some cars on craigslist, and I saw one that was a very good price. Like 2.5k below regular pricing. So I thought I scored a good deal. Contacted the seller and he asked for my name and address so he can ask ebay to sell me the car. I was confused why he went from craigslist to ebay. Didn't think much of it.

After I sent her my info, I received an email from ebay motors customer support, it sent a picture with the info of the deal, my name and address and the seller name and address. Then it also gave me the name of a EBAY "agent" saying I need to send the money to this agent, this agent will hold my money until I receive the car, as soon as I get it, EBAY will then release the money to the lady. This made me feel secure, that I wasn't getting scammed. So I thought if the lady actually doesn't send me the car, Ill just ask EBAY for a refund.

Fast forward to today, I don't have the car, I looked up the transaction ID on EBAY to request for a refund, but it doesn't show up because the deal was probably never even on EBAY! So now I am wondering how to get my money back.

Almost forgot, I also sent $1000 to another "EBAY AGENT" for shipping insurance.

Btw first time buying anything from craigslist, I am an idiot for falling for this I know. And I used the Walmart2Walmart money transfer system for sending money.

I sure hope I put this in the correct subreddit.

Location: Oregon, US
Their state: Oklahoma

Answer:
 That money is gone, my friend.

There is no way you're ever going to see it again without the identities of the people you sent it to, which you don't have and probably can't get.Answer #2: >I used the Walmart2Walmart money transfer system for sending money.

Sorry, but you probably don't know anything real or even useful about the seller/scammer, and you definitely cannot reverse or trace your money transfer.Answer #3: Bye bye, money is gone.

Make a police report.


Title: If land records are public, why are municipalities able to charge for them?

Question:
Some counties have free land records, where others charge $5 per document, and I have seen some as high as $100.

Wouldn't this mean that it's not necessarily open to the public since not everyone can afford it?  Like an amusement park.

What's to stop them from charging $1,000 per document?  NY or any other state.

Answer:
 Courts allow "reasonable" fees for public record requests, commensurate to the time and effort required to locate and reproduce the records.

> What's to stop them from charging $1,000 per document?

The inevitable court challenge that they will lose.


Title: If NSA can only focus on national security, then why do their OIG hotline allow reports on regular crimes if they can only on national security?

Answer:
 I'm not sure what you mean. The NSA OIG does things like investigate whether the NSA and its employees and contractors are following the law and using government resources well (there are inspectors general throughout the federal government that check up on government agencies and investigate potential violations, fraud, bribery, waste, etc...). Their hotline exists to "facilitate the reporting of allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in NSA programs and operations, as well as violations of law, rules, and regulations by NSA employees, contractors, and assigned military."

So if you were an NSA employee and your boss ordered you to break the law (perhaps collecting intelligence on targets you're not supposed to be snooping on or for an improper purpose) or you were aware that they, say, [wasted money on a parking structure that never got used](https://oig.nsa.gov/Media/Article/2821113/nsa-oig-releases-two-unclassified-reports-finding-36-million-wasted-on-construc/), you might call the hotline. If your report is about a regular crime unrelated to the NSA's operations, the NSA OIG hotline isn't going to be any real help.


Title: Girlfriend's boss assigning "homework"

Question:
My girlfriend works at a well known shoe store making a little more then minimum wage. Her boss asked her to research some foot disease on her off time without pay and is expected give a presentation to her coworkers on it the next day. Can she legally be reprimanded for not complying?

Location: Midwest USA

Answer:
 If this task is mandatory then she must be compensated. File a wage claim.

Legally, the can reprimand her for "not being a team player" or some other thing like that. But they cannot fire her for refusing to work with out pay.

I would complete the task. Ask to be paid. If they refuse track the hours worked and file a wage claim with your local department of labor.


Title: [IL] I was hit by another car. Insurance company indicated by driver-produced insurance information denies there's any policy. Do I have recourse?

Question:
I was rear-ended while sitting in traffic (my dashcam video shows me essentially at a standstill) by a driver with a livery plate in Chicago (white plate, so not a chicago city livery plate). We exchanged insurance information - the indicated insurance company said they couldn't find the policy and only after three weeks sent a letter saying that no policy was in effect.

Do I have any recourse outside of subrogating thru my own insurance? I just hate the idea of having my premium increased even though I'm the victim here.

Answer: You can sue the other driver for the cost of the damages.


Title: NY - I recently got a small tattoo. Redcross says to wait 1yr before donating, but there's a blood shortage. Would I get in trouble for donating blood before 1yr is up?

Question:
(throwaway account)

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Hi, I recently started donating blood. This would be my 3rd time donating. However, I recently got a small tattoo on my wrist (the size of a quarter).

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

According to Redcross rules, NY state does not regulate their tattoo parlors, so I need to wait 1 year before donating, to reduce the risk/spread of hepatitis.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

I think this rule is outdated, as the shop I went to used fresh ink, sterile needles, all the artists wore masks and gloves, etc. It has a good reputation in my area. It's only been a week but I'm pretty sure I don't have Hepatitis.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

I really want to donate blood bc there is a blood shortage for my blood type (Type O-) and I want to help out, but I also am a law-abiding citizen and don't want to get in trouble or cause any issues. I feel stupid for ruining my chance to help people, I should have held off on the tattoo until next year.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

TL;DR - I got a tattoo. I'm supposed to wait a year before donating blood. Would I get in trouble if I donated before the year is up?

Answer:
 > I think this rule is outdated

That's not your call to make. I reckon The Red Cross knows a bit more about blood supply safety than you do.Answer #2: You shouldn’t donate. While you may think you don’t have Hepatitis (you probably don’t), the Red Cross will need to take your word for it. This rule is very much not outdated — there are several places that are probably much more sketchy than where you went that could have very well given you hepatitis. The reason you must wait a year is because if you have it, it won’t show up positive in blood tests for a year after getting your tattoo, even if you have it. The Red Cross doesn’t want to give anyone hepatitis.Answer #3: When you get a tattoo, it is your RESPONSIBILITY to not donate blood until the year is up. You would be choosing to put countless others at risk if you donate right now.

For what? Because you think you know better?? Because you think your one donation is **so** important that it's okay to completely disregard the rules? Trust me, there's no blood shortage big enough for that.

You got a tattoo. Presumably, that means you're an adult. So act like one, and don't lie just to donate blood.


Title: Who is at fault in this car accident?

Question: [not me] I stumbled across this [tiktok](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJcscXXY/) of a girl explaining a car accident she was in. I do feel horrible for her injuries and being for her assaulted by the other driver, but how is she not at fault? By the looks of this, she pulled out into traffic without looking. How would this be seen from a legal standpoint?

Answer:
 It is probably going to be a split fault.

(1) The damage is not consistent with a car going 60-70 mph, it is closer to 25-35 mph. There plenty of video on youtube to show the difference in level of damage.  A 60MPH  t-bone crash someone would most likely have died.

(2)  She pulled out into traffic and got hit.  This makes her the most likely party for the incident. HOWEVER, if she can prove the other driver was speeding, on the phone or distracted. or driving beyond reasonable conditions would allow, she might be able to pin it on him.

(3) Dash cams with forward and rear view cameras are worth the money.


Title: Wrongful Termination from Employee Slander

Question: I have been a manager for a company for the past 5 months. I got the job right out of grad school. I managed a biomedical engineering department for a hospital through a third-party organization. One employee lied to HR and told them they heard "sexual noises and moaning coming from the Biomed office and when the door opened a man left looking disheveled and she saw me". I was suspended with pay for about 3 weeks while they did an investigation and yesterday I was terminated. I provided them with my badge access records and security surveillance of when I walked into the building, which was after this incident allegedly happened, but they dismissed my evidence and fired me anyways. I can't afford a lawyer but I want to pursue a defamation lawsuit. How do I go about doing this? I am in CT.

Answer:
 This is not wrongful termination.

Hiring a lawyer and suing the person that falsified the report would be your only option. However, if they *did* hear those noises and *did* see you, they wouldn't have been lying. If the noises were not sexual in nature, but they perceived them that way, it still wouldn't be lying.


Title: [CA] Rent increased by 32%

Question:
I live in an apartment located in Los Angeles County and our manager gave us a notice that our rent has increased. On the notice, it states we will have to pay $1,850 starting August 1st. We are currently paying $1,402 for rent right now and a $448 increase is outrageous.

I am not knowledgeable about Landlord-Tenant laws in California or Los Angeles County and I am wondering if there is anything we can do about it legally. Our neighbors are not pleased with this either and are planning to create a petition which seems pointless in my opinion.

Answer:
 As long as you are not in an RSO unit within LA city, *and* you are a month-to-month tenant, this is legal. This is how renting goes in 99% of the country. The exceptions are few and far between.

> planning to create a petition which seems pointless in my opinion

Agreed. The only thing that can help you here is if you are in the middle of a term lease, or, as I said, are actually within the city limits *and* in an RSO unit.


Title: Can I sue Tinder for intellectual property?

Question:
In July 2012 i posted an idea on a poker forum. The idea was a dating app that does pretty much exactly what "tinder" does. That was in July 2012. Tinder was founded in August 2012. Just days after i posted the idea. Is there any legal way to get money out of this? Say if research would show the founders were poker players or maybe even active users on that forum (this is just speculation) would i have a realistic chance to get compensated? Word on the street is that tinder is valued at $1billion+. Here is the link to my post from July 2012:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showpost.php?p=34029416&postcount=766

location central europe.

Answer: Given that this was the exact idea behind a gay dating app called "Jack'd" that came out in April 2011, I'm going to go out a limb and say that you wouldn't have a case, no.