Title: Roommate issues. Roommate wishes to study abroad for a semester but says he is not liable for share of rent while he is gone, despite being an occupant.

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice, and in advance thanks a lot for your help.

I am a 20 year old college student in New York City and me and roommate X and roommate Y are lease holders on a one year lease on our four person room. My mother, Roommate X's father and Roommate Y's father are the co-signers for the leases since we do not pay our rents ourselves.

Roommate Z, who wants to study abroad, has been working hard to find a sublet and I definitely am supportive of him studying abroad. However he claims that since he is not on the lease and is only an occupant that he is not liable for his fourth of the rent he paid for 6 months prior when he is not there.

Is it true that he is not liable? Me, Roommate X, and Roommate Y are still trying to work out an arrangement to find a subletter and Roommate Z (the roommate in question) is still working hard as well. But if he cannot find one, who is liable? Can he just walk away from his commitment legally? I can get a copy of his signed occupancy form from the leasing office at my complex, so there is proof that that is signed. And there is ample text evidence that he originally had decided to live with us the entire length of the year lease.

Edit: Thanks for the quick answers. I'm glad there is a place like this where I can get knowledge of this sort without having to pay or consult a professional or peruse through thousands of pages of law. I appreciate it

Answer:
 If he is a month to month tenant and gives proper notice that he is moving out then he can move out.Answer #2: as others have said, he can move out with 30 days notice if there is no lease that says otherwise. What he can't do, is expect to move back in upon his return, unless he negotiates something with you folks/the LL, now. (which should of course, cost him some $$).

Also, don't be a dick and try to hold or claim his security deposit, if there are no actual damages (which you will need to prove when he sues you. Take pictures, keep receipts.)

I have 99 reasons why I love NY, but finding a place to live was never one of them.


Title: [NY] Requiring legal advice about medical malpractice / negligence. Cancer patient. [Serious] Please help.

Question:
Greetings!

I am seeking advice about my situation before I look into finding a lawyer in NYC considering I am not knowledgable about any of this. I'm in my 20's.

I was worried about pain and a lump on my testicle so i went to a doctor to check it out. I specifically went in there about the odd hard lump, asking if it were cancerous... etc. After checking me out he said there was no reason to send you to a specialist and that I'm healthy and both testicles are perfect.

Fast forward 4-5 months later... I was injured at my job, requiring me to be hospitalized and had scans done.  During CT scans and a sonogram at the hospital they found out that I had testicular cancer. Upon hearing this it lead to the removal of the left testicle and I have been going through massive amounts of chemotherapy due to the cancer spreading outside of my testicle and into my body, making it stage 2. Chemo is 6 Hours a day, 5 days a week. Requiring many weeks of chemo. I have been out of work on medical leave with no pay due to it not being a workers comp case. I'm starting to drown in debt due to living expenses and food bills stacking on my credit card.

What I'm asking here is if I have a case due to his negligence / malpractice? Why did he give me such a confident answer that i'm healthy and not refer me to a specialist even if i were worried? He said he couldn't find a lump and that maybe what i felt was a "gland". If i was never injured and weren't at the hospital to give me a ct scan I would have never known and the cancer might have spread even more thus leading to a possibly worse outcome. I was told at the hospital this clearly isn't something that just popped up in a few months. Also if this were caught at the time of the visit then maybe the outcome of me going through such a harsh chemo schedule might have not been needed? I'm pissed and every aspect of my life has been turned upside down from this.. my job, relationship, overall living, depression.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the massive wall of text and poor writing.

Edit: I have documentation of my exam with the doctor and how it all states that he says i'm in good health, good testes, everything.

Answer:
 Medical malpractice is incredibly fact specific and no one here will be able to tell you if this is a case worth pursuing.

Medmal attorneys usually have free consultations and work on contingency (meaning if you don't get paid, neither will they). If you are concerned (and as a physician, it seems like your concerns might be valid), then find one that will see you. They will review the charts and with the help of an expert, they will decide if the case has merit and is worth pursuing.

I'm sorry for what is going on with you and hopefully you will fully recover.


Title: [Missouri] Purchased motorcycle with clear title in Arkansas but discovered lien when registering in Missouri

Question:
A friend bought a motorcycle from a seller in Arkansas. Seller had a "clean" Arkansas title showing no liens.

Friend then took bike and title home to Missouri and attempted to register. Missouri DMV reports there is a lien by X company. X company has been bought by Y and Y has been bought by Capital One.

Friend contacted selller who claims to be unaware of any lien. Says he will contact previous owner 1. Seller contacts friend back and says previous owner 1 also unaware of lien and no way to contact previous owner 2.

What are the options?

Update: friend has tracked down previous owner 2. Po2 bought motorcycle in Missouri and financed with company x. Po2 moved to Arkansas and paid off loan. He then applied for title in Arkansas showing proof of removing the lien to Arkansas. Clean Arkansas title created. Years passed and he sold the bike and it was sold again.

In the meantime Missouri still has no record of the payoff. Documentation from po2 showing loan paid off doesn't exist any more. And company x is out of business and capital one has no record of any lien since it was resolved before they purchased the company.

Missouri requests a notarized form from a company that doesn't exist any more. Now what?

Update 2: Capital One was able to find the account information and provide the necessary documentation to the state of Missouri to release the lien.  Yay!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Have you tried calling Capital One and asking for a lien release?  Or, if they say have no record of the lien (most likely considering how many times that debt was sold), then ask for a letter stating they have no lien.

Here's the thing.  if you are going to get clear title by yourself without the assistance of counsel, you must keep track and document every phone call, email and correspondence with Capital One.

Why can't you get in touch with Owner 2?  Is he dead?  I suggest trying again.  Everyone is someplace.  You just have to know where to look for them.


Title: If my landlord is charging me for owning a restricted item but has no evidence other than their word against mine do I have to pay the fine?

Question:
I own a small grill and take it outside to grill occasionally and this time left it out overnight and my landlord saw it while I was not home I am assuming. The next day I get a letter saying I owe $150 for having the grill, which is in violation of the lease contract. This is also after an initial warning. I understand I am wrong here but there are 50 identical apartments to my own and there is no relationship with myself and the landlord. I am just wondering if I can say they made a mistake if they have no photo evidence? [New York]

edit: Also the charge was 3 $50 fines to myself and 2 other roommates. Are my roommates responsible for these charges as they were not even involved? If I do pay the fine can get them to drop the charges from my roommates if I take full responsibility?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 >I am just wondering if I can say they made a mistake if they have no photo evidence?

You certainly *can* say this, the question is whether you *should* say this. That depends on a lot -- your lease provisions, your landlord's willingness to go to small claims court over this, and your willingness to lie to a judge about this.

>Are my roommates responsible for these charges as they were not even involved?

Depends on your lease.

>If I do pay the fine can get them to drop the charges from my roommates if I take full responsibility?

Depends on the landlord, but it's ultimately irrelevant. Either the landlord takes $150 from you or takes $50 from each of the 3 of you, and then you repay your roommates. Same result either way.


Title: [new jersey] Brother hasnt seen his daughter in almost four years. No reason other than ex is pure evil. Please help!!!

Question:
So this might become a long story but I'll try to keep it short. My older brother married one of the worst human beings alive about 12 years ago, they had a daughter and pretty much after she was born he was beaten down and eventually booted out. So they divorce and he gets taken to the cleaners because of shitty representation. But custody was set up and he had every other weekend and one week night, that was four years ago. His daughter thrived in our company, she had a loving family and my son and her got along wonderfully and she was coming out of her shell, this is where she starts to get less and less time with her father.

 October will be four years since we saw her, hes gone to court and had a custody decree written up, but to my knowledge nothing states that she has to give her over to him, it only says make an attempt to. This girl knows the court system very well and knows what she can and cant get away with, so she continues to abuse her right as a mother.

We just recently found out she has missed 94 days of school this year, yet she still has full custody, keeping her home and saying she has issue, when teachers at the school never see them and now wants to sue the school for not providing a proper learning environment.

My brothers second lawyer seems to as useless as his first as this girl and her lawyer have made him look foolish and all he can say is that shes crazy and this and that, basically making excuses for his failure. We as a family have pretty much given up on ever seeing her again. Theres no reason for his lack of visitation either, never been arrested, never charged with any sort of sex crime, steady job and home.

 I came here today to seek help for my brother and friend as hes just so frustrated and feeling like he'll never see his daughter again as it seems every avenue hes taken is a dead end, he met with the school today and they basically can only put together a learning program and if she doesnt stick to it, the state can then step in. Any advice will be greatly appreciatted, thank you.

Answer: In all fairness your brother's lawyer knows more objective facts than we ever will.  Get that information first, not just what you are observing or hearing from your brother.  If you, him more importantly, and your family feel the lawyer isn't very effective, then find other representation who can better explain the facts of this and what CAN be done.  Just because it seems like there isn't anything being done, doesn't always mean something can be done.  These things are messy and difficult for a reason and the simplest solution is often never the case.


Title: Haven't done taxes for 5 years now. What is going to happen when I finally do them?

Question:
I am going to day this right now, I'm a total idiot for letting this happen. Completely my fault. And I'm stressed, haha, I feel as anyone should be. So my question, for anyone who cares to answer, is what is going to happen when i finally do them? The first year of not doing them I was 10-99'd without being told for a part of the job i was doing. When I found out, I didn't file because I for sure would not have been able to pay the taxes. Then I locked up and didn't do the next four years even though they were all w4 jobs. So here I am, tired of feeling cowardly and stressed, but I also want to potentially get a read on what I'm in for.

Tl;dr: haven't done Taxes in 5 years. First year was i was partially 1099d. Every other year was w4. Consequences?

Answer: You need a tax attorney. You may owe a *lot* of money.


Title: Very tricky theft case. I am the victim. If you like brain benders, this one might be for you.

Question:
I own some vacation land in Northern, MN.  In January 2015, I placed two steel shipping containers on my lot (they were going to be turned into cabin this summer).

I went up to the land last week to work on the cabin, and found the containers to be missing.  Yes, two giant steel boxes were gone.

I called the sheriff.  Sheriff informed me that a woman named xxxx called them back in March 2015 and reported that someone had placed two shipping containers on "her" property without her permission.
Sheriff advised xxxx that the Sheriff's Dept had no authority over this matter and told xxxx that is was her problem to deal with.

xxxx called an acquaintance of her's and arranged for the acquaintance to give xxxx $2500 and he would take the shipping containers.

I obtained xxxx's home address from police report (her contacting them reporting the boxes on "her" land).  She lived in a town about 30 minutes from my land where the shipping containers went missing from.  I tracked down xxxx's phone number from internet records.

I called xxxx, with the intention of asking for my containers back, and thinking to myself "if she returns them asap, then I will not pursue this any more".   She basically told me to fuck off, and that she already spent the $2500 she was paid for the containers.

I reported this to the Sheriff as a theft case, and they are currently being very resistant to taking any action, stating that they will likely not prosecute the case, as they cannot prove that she "intended" to steal them.  The basis for this is xxxx owns land near my land where the containers were stolen from, and she is claiming to have believed that the containers were on her land.

They were not close to her land, and the county's public website has a very helpful GIS map that has the property lines laid over satellite images, showing nearby structures, geological features, and roadways (very easy to ascertain where property lines begin and end).  In addition to the county GIS map, there are property stakes in the ground, extending up a few inches, which define parcel boundaries.

State law : 609.52 Subd. 2.Acts constituting theft. (a) Whoever does any of the following commits theft and may be sentenced as provided in subdivision 3:....
(6) **finds lost property and, knowing or having reasonable means of ascertaining the true owner, appropriates it to the finder's own use or to that of another not entitled thereto without first having made reasonable effort to find the owner and offer and surrender the property to the owner.**

Only caselaw I have found thus far : http://caselaw.findlaw.com/mn-court-of-appeals/1553834.html

In that case, defendant found item, reported it to numerous supervisors (was on military base), and was still charged, found guilty, and conviction was affirmed by MN court of appeals.

Both courts felt that even though he took some steps to locate the rightful owner, he did not do enough.  So the county Sheriff here says "xxxx tried to locate rightful owner (by calling us, the police)", but xxxx failed to do the most simple thing, which is to go to the county website, and click on that area of land, which would have identified me as the owner of the land, as well as provided my contact information.

However, her "defense" is that she never thought to do that, because she never thought she was on another person's land.

How can that fly?  I believe it is 100% her responsibility to know where her parcel ends, and not knowing this basic information is more than a mistake, but gross negligence, which should have some culpability attached.

Any ideas here?

Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 Eh, not that tricky. The first thing you should know is that the cops are probably not going to do anything about this. It's kinda floating around in the grey area between criminal and civil law, and there's no evident risk of additional harms, so they're going to leave it alone.

That doesn't mean you are up shit creek, though. What you can do is sue her for the replacement costs of your containers. As long as those damages are under $15k you can head over to your local courthouse and ask the cop at the door to point you to the small claims court clerk. Tell them someone took two containers off your property and you need to sue them -- they'll hand you a stack of forms and an instruction sheet for filing. Go from there.


Title: [Atlanta, GA] Reporting employer for misclassifying me as a 1099 contractor vs a W2 employee.

Question:
I've been working at this company for 7 months (started in May) and my boss told me I would be under a 1099. I had no idea what the difference was between a 1099 and W2 and he said it was just a few more taxes I would need to pay so I said sure. Well, after researching for the past month so that I could correctly do my taxes I also saw something on misclassification.
On our contract, I am regarded as an employee and I do the same tasks as other people who are on a W2. I have emails where he says he can transfer me to a W2 status from a 1099 if I explain to him what the difference would be. At this point I feel I have a solid case to report him but I was wondering what else I should or could do.
I've earned only about $12,000 up to this point. I also know for sure another person is under a 1099. Would I file a SS8 or 3949-A or both? Should I contact an employment lawyer? Any advice is appreciated!

Answer:
 Not legal advice.

I am in IT consulting and a lot of people I know in the industry PREFER to be 1099 for many reasons. Mostly related to freedom that it tends to give the worker.

But really the point that I came here to make if that as a 1099 you will end up paying both the employee and employer portion of taxes, probably along with a smattering of other things. For this reason, many people (in my industry) are compensated at a (much) higher rate of pay as a 1099 instead of W2. The reason I bring this up is that if your employer continues to pressure you to remain 1099, this can be a good bargaining chip. “Want me to be 1099? Fine - I need a 30% raise to cover the additional costs I will incur as a 1099.”

Of course, listen to your lawyers too. Just something to chew on.Answer #2: First, contact your employer.  Explain the mistake verbally, ask for it to be fixed verbally.   If this does not lead to a resolution, contact an attourney and follow his/her instructions.


Title: 8 year Old Debt, multiplied by 11 and in collections

Question:
Throwaway account, because my family doesn't need to be involved in this yet.

So, I worked overseas for a few years and took out a credit card. Credit Limit was for $5,500. When I left, there was about $2,000 balance. I was let go and the only way I could get home was to charge a plane ticket home.

I contacted the bank and they charged me double to pay off the debt. I found that horrible business practice and they wouldn't take the settlement for $2,000.00.

A few co-workers told me to ignore it. I'm not sure why I let them talk me into it, but what can I say I was in my mid-20s, finance wasn't a huge factor yet in my life.

NOW... Over 8 years later, after it's been forgotten, a letter of collections has come out of California to my address in Maryland to settle a debt, now valued at $23,000.00.

I'm currently living paycheck to paycheck, with a very small savings I was going to apply towards a new car this summer, as mine is very old and the engine is getting very worn.

Do I have any options?

Answer:
 This debt is stale and cannot be collected through court judgment since it is passed the statute of limitations. Creditors are also forbidden legally from adding fees, interest, charges, etc to any debt unless it was agreed to in the original credit agreement. Since it is past 7 years it will also not be on your credit report.

My advice to you: check your credit report. If this shows up, dispute it with the credit reporting agencies. Ignore these people completely - they have no legal grounds to collect and seem to be of the scammy-type debt collector. Do not communicate with them beyond telling them not to contact you. You are allowed to ask that. They’re next step would be to sue in court - but they can’t since this is passed the statute of limitations. Furthermore, it’s likely not a valid debt at all.


Title: [ON, Canada] President of company saw team's personal messenger chat and is now threatening to take legal action against us and then some.

Question:
Hello, /r/legaladvice, I'd appreciate any help you can give me. Recently, my company has started to go through some "downsizing" and laid off the head of my department. Due to fear of outsourcing and a few other comments I've received, I've quietly decided to start looking for a new job. Thankfully, I've been given a tentative offer depending on background check, etc, etc.

Well, now that's all up in the air because the president of my current company looked at my team's messenger chat this morning. This chatroom is not owned by the company but is just a random free chatroom we use to communicate quickly to one another throughout the day. We do joke around in it at times, but it is all in good fun. However, the president is now threatening to take legal action against us and call my next company for two things:

1. Saying we are planning to steal stock images from the current company

2. And that I make racist remarks

The problem with number 1 is that the stock images are free images taken by googling free stock images, but he is claiming it is theft and a crime regardless.

As for his second point, the racist remark was a joke along the lines of "Russians are always mad" made to a Russian on our team who actually coined this joke himself and it's now a running joke within the team. In addition, the team tends to make off-colour jokes all the time.

My questions are: can he actually sue us for "stealing" free stock images from the company? And can he call up the company I intend to move onto and try to sabotage my future employment? I've asked around and he is only threatening legal action to myself and one other person on the team, someone who is also leaving the company shortly. There were no other witnesses.

Answer:
 >The problem with number 1 is that the stock images are free images taken by googling free stock images, but he is claiming it is theft and a crime regardless.

If he wants to piss into the wind, let him.

>As for his second point, the racist remark was a joke along the lines of "Russians are always mad" made to a Russian on our team who actually coined this joke himself and it's now a running joke within the team. In addition, the team tends to make off-colour jokes all the time.

That doesn't make it right. The honky jokes I tell are still racist. If it's objectively wrong, and racism is, he'd be well within his rights to come down on anyone for it at any time.

But what can he do about it? Not a whole lot. An HRC complaint against you personally, perhaps? That'd be a hell of a rigamarole for such a small gain and there's a good chance the Tribunal would dismiss his complaint as vexatious.

>And can he call up the company I intend to move onto and try to sabotage my future employment?

If my phone works his probably does too, so yeah he can. It would be a bad idea. You could sue him for the results of statements he made that interfered with your ability to find employment, even if those statements were "true, from a certain point of view".

He's probably blowing smoke, but all the same, maybe cool it on the russkie jokes at work.


Title: [NC] Studio Agreement Refund

Question:
Had some issued with a music studio. Paid them $9000, now I'm getting a refund of $5200 as long as I sign one of these releases. Just checking to make sure everything is square and I'm not getting duped.
----

**Option 1**

*RELEASE OF GENERAL CLAIMS*

*FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF THE SUM OF  $5200.00 Dollars, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, I _____ of _______ hereby fully release and forever discharge _______ of ________ , its heirs, executors, administrators, agents and assigns, and all other persons, firms or corporations liable or who might be claimed to be liable, including _____ (collectively the “Releases”) from any and all claims, demands, damages, actions, causes of action of any kind or nature whatsoever that I now have or may hereafter have, against said Releases, by reason of any matter, cause or thing whatsoever, from the beginning of time to the date of this instrument.  Moreover, I shall not contradict or disparage this release by communicating with others anything that may create in their minds any questions or concerns related to any of the matters covered by this release.  Should anybody in the future ask me to comment on my dealings with the Releases, I will simply say "No, I cannot."*

*I hereby declare that I have fully read and understood the terms of this Release and I have voluntarily accepted for the purpose of making a full and final compromise adjustment and settlement of any and all claims.*

----
**Option 2**

*RELEASE OF GENERAL CLAIMS*

*FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF THE SUM OF $5200.00 Dollars, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned _____ of ______ and ______ of ______ hereby fully release and forever discharge _______ of ________ , its heirs, executors, administrators, agents and assigns, and all other persons, firms or corporations liable or who might be claimed to be liable, (collectively the “Releases”) from any and all claims, demands, damages, actions, causes of action of any kind or nature whatsoever that I now have or may hereafter have, against said Releases, by reason of any matter, cause or thing whatsoever, from the beginning of time to the date of this instrument.  Moreover, we shall not contradict or disparage this release by communicating with others anything that may create in their minds any questions or concerns related to any of the matters covered by this release.  Should anybody in the future ask us to comment on our dealings with the Releases, each of us will simply say "No, I cannot."*

*We hereby declare that we have fully read and understood the terms of this Release and I have voluntarily accepted for the purpose of making a full and final compromise adjustment and settlement of any and all claims.*

Answer: We don't and can't review contacts here.  You're talking about $5200 here, it's likely worth spending a tiny fraction of that for an attorney to review it if you're worried.


Title: So lets say my mother has been using my child support, and I have proof? What can I do about it, and is the proof legally obtained?

Question:
My mother was highly physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive for 7 or 8 years, starting at the age of 12. I've been living on my own since I was 17 as a result of her attempting to kill me (before anyone asks whether or not it was REALLY an attempt, choking me until there are bruises around my neck and saying "I'm going to fucking kill you" is an attempt, I'm pretty sure). Since then, I have moved on with my life, as at the time, I was too afraid and confused to really make a police report -- in Houston, TX, where the both of us lived, "running away from home" (which can simply mean your parents not knowing where you are) is actually a misdemeanor if you're under 18. I've spoken to the Senator of Texas at the capital, and apparently HE doesn't even know this is a law, but I digress... I was 17 at the time, and two months away from 18 -- if I'd have gone to the police about this, I would have had bigger issues to face.

Anyway, lets say in a hypothetical situation, I remembered my mother's Facebook password from the time she hypothetically gave it to me, and did NOT hack into her account, but simply remembered her account info, and went through her messages and found a series of messages from my mother to another friend talking about my mother receiving and using my child support, which I am supposed to receive until I'm 21. In this hypothetical situation, is taking screenshots of those messages and using them in a court of law illegal? Is being in someone's account without their consent illegal? IS there a way, if it is illegal to use that info as evidence, to receive that money back, given that the "child" receiving the child support is now past the age of the majority, and should be receiving it themselves? She feels (in this hypothetical situation) that she should have it because it's her right as the person that has given birth to me. **I don't mean the money PRIOR to me turning 18, but all money received after and this day forward, given that I am the child of the paying parent being supported, and that the purpose of child support is to support the child in question.** It isn't doing that if my mother is using it on her own and no longer supports me at all.

Could really use some help, guys. I have been homeless on and off now for two years because of my experiences. The money could assist, and it's meant to be mine anyway.

Answer: I guess now that [suing your former employer](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4u95bf/i_an_disabled_and_a_hostile_work_environment_has/) isn't going to work, you're moving on to other potential lawsuit targets?


Title: Other car left scene of accident, now I've been written a ticket (following too close) should I fight it in court?

Question:
Here's the details. The roads were wet, it was raining. I was driving a reasonable distance behind the SUV in front of me when they slammed their brakes for no apparent reason. I saw I was approaching her vehicle fast so I slammed mine too. My brakes locked up and I felt my car skid across the pavement. I had plenty of time to see what was happening, and even pumped my brakes several times before the impact. The SUV drove off, leaving me with a totaled car in the middle of the busy, 45mph road. I called 911 immediately. 15 minutes go by, and some gentleman stop to help me roll my car into a nearby parking lot. 20 more minutes and a woman shows up saying I hit her daughters car. She wants my information, told me not to call the police, and was reluctant to give me her "daughters" information. I call the police a second time. I manage to get the woman's information from listening to her on the phone with her insurance company. Her name, address, the apparent make and model of the car I hit, and her "daughters" name. Mind you, i never saw the car i hit again, so, for all intents and purposes, this could be a totally different person. Meanwhile, i call my insurance and give them all I can information wise. Another 20 minutes have passed. The woman leaves and doesn't return. My college roommates show up, and they call police a third time. It took police over an hour to get there from the time of the first call. He finally arrives, gets my story, tells me to file a report. I told him the driver left the accident.

He seemed kind, but he wrote me a ticket for 'following too close'. I feel like since they left the scene of the accident, I shouldn't get a ticket. And since it took police an hour+ to get there, he didn't witness it or even talk to the other driver, therefore not knowing how close I followed behind the other vehicle. To me, following too close is like you look down to change your a/c, look up and BAM!... I had two hands on the wheel and eyes forward when it happened. It was just unfavorable weather conditions and a brake malfunction.

I don't know... Should I just pay the fine or should I go fight it? I know I'm technically 'at fault' but this ticket seems unfair given the circumstances. What happens if I plead not guilty? Will I be given another court date or should I suggest to plead my case then and there, with the hopes the officer or whoever is the prosecution's witness, isn't there? Advice please :)

Answer:
 You rear ended someone. Of course you were following too closely.

Fight it if you want, but that's a tough one to fight since you were, in fact, following too closely.


Title: Twins both get speeding tickets [PA]

Question: My brother and I were both pulled over on the same road in Pennsylvania during the July 4 weekend in separate vehicles. Our tickets together amount to $315. When my officer pulled me over, he told me to appear in court and that he would "help me out". Sadly for me, I live in NJ and driving roundtrip would be a 4-hour drive. My brother was not told the same by his cop. What is the best way to go about this situation in order to minimize costs to us? Do we plead not guilty so that we have a chance of not incurring the fine? Do we show up to court to plead not guilty or should we plead not guilty by sending in our NG plea through the mail and hope that our cops don't show up to the courtroom that day? I've never gotten a ticket before so any help is very much appreciated. Thanks so much!

Answer:
 Obviously the right answer is to switch places in an escalating series of whacky and improbable hijinks.

Pay the tickets or show up and contest them. What else did you expect?


Title: Is it illegal to pretend to somebody else on fb in order to obtain nude photographs?

Question:
Somebody has catfished my mum, exchanged nude photos and could possibly post these online/on facebook without her permission.

I'm based in the UK so I know its now illegal to post nude images without that persons consent, but is it also illegal to pretend to somebody else in order to obtain the pictures?

Answer:
 How do you even know this happened? Why on Earth would your mother tell you something like this?

...unless....

It wasn't you, was it? Please tell me it wasn't you.


Title: US/MO How do I give someone 10k without them knowing who I am, willing to pre-pay any taxes.

Question: There's someone that really saved my life one time probably without knowing it. I would like to give them an anonymous monetary gift and include any taxes on said gift but also absolutely do not want to disclose the circumstance or any identifying information.  If I set up some paper company I still think they would think the check was a scam, how do I legally engage someone as an entity to pay them?

Answer: The receiver doesn't pay the taxes, the gift giver does and I belive it has to be over a certain amount..


Title: I ordered something with a promo code and the next day the seller sent an email saying that the code was a mistake and they were refunding my order. Am I entitled to anything?

Question:
I ordered $300 headphones from a large online retailer and a friend told me about a promo code to get them for free (except for shipping, which I paid for). I placed and order and received a confirmation email that the order had been received. Then, today, they sent an email saying that the promo code had been an error, and that they cancelled my order and would refund the money I'd paid. Are they allowed to do that, or are am I entitled to anything for them cancelling the order against my will? Should I threaten to take them to small claims court or something? In online transactions it seems like people accept this kind of behavior, but if, analogously, this had happened in a store, where I'd agreed to buy something, signed some sort of contract, and exchanged money, then said I'd pick it up the next day, and instead they said they changed their mind and gave me my money back, that seems like it would be illegal. Any advice?

Edit: apparently I need to include my location so I live in MA and I bought from the Barnes and Nobles LSU bookstore.

Answer:
 So the deal was advertised pretty clearly as being in conjunction with a laptop, an error in the checkout system allowed you do the deal without the laptop in the cart. B&N is on very solid ground with regard to cancelling the order. They actually would even have a decent position if they wanted to go after the people the people who misused this code for fraud. Since most purchasers were acting in bad faith by knowingly exploiting the error. Doubly so if whichever college bookstore you used had you attest to some affiliation to the college and you misrepresented yourself there.  So you suing them is a pretty terrible idea given the situation.Answer #2: I've seen this like 4 times today. No, they are fine to refund you.Answer #3: Before executing this transaction, you had money in pocket and no headphones.

After this transaction and refund, you had money in pocket and no headphones.

You're not entitled to anything further. Threatening them will just get you laughed at. The customer service guys have been dealing with customers threatening them all day; they are going to give 0 shits about somebody who clearly hasn't the faintest clue about the legal system.


Title: Brother was responsible for a hit-and-run after being accepted to college. Now they are calling him in to discuss his "standing in the class of 2019." Best way to proceed?

Question:
Hi all,

Not sure if this is the best community for this question, but my bro is definitely in legal trouble and I thought maybe someone would have some good advice on how to proceed with this specific scenario. I'm reaching out to some college administrator friends for advice, too,.

Bro, who is of ...uh, fragile mental state and low maturity levels but excellent academic skills, was admitted to a selective, private four-year institution early decision this year. He accepted the offer of admission and all was thought to be settled.

Late this spring, while out with friends, Bro hit a car - pretty nastily, I'm unsure of the exact value of the damages - and drove away with the pretty express intent of trying to avoid being caught. Nobody was injured, but the incident was caught on film and my brother was apprehended by law enforcement.

Complicating factor: A friend who was with my brother when the incident occurred also told LE that Bro had "taken some pills" before it happened. This is a prescription psychotropic med that Bro takes to help him control his anxiety, but it's definitely not a real good thing to be under the influence of when operating a vehicle and makes the situation look even worse.

My parents and my brother called the admissions office at the college pretty shortly after the event happened to disclose the problem. (Court date is still pending.) On the phone, the officer made it sound like it wasn't going to be a big deal. But now, Bro has received a fairly strongly worded letter that they want him to come in for a personal meeting to "discuss his standing."

Now, I am aware of the tremendous fuckup Bro has brought on himself. He's aware he has to take any repercussions of his actions, as he should. But we just want to know what might happen to him when he goes in for this meeting. I assume the admissions officer had never dealt with a situation like this before and thought it wouldn't be a big deal, but then mentioned it to someone and realized it was.

I'm imagining two potential scenarios:

1) Bro gets his offer of admission rescinded (this event shows that he's a liability to the admitting institution, honestly)

OR

2) Bro receives whatever extended admission screening is given to candidates who disclose a criminal history during the application process, such as being hooked up with supervision or disciplinary probation prior to matriculation.

Anybody have experience with what happens in these scenarios? We'll accept whatever comes, but at the moment the family is just wondering what that is. (Questions to admissions re: the nature of the meeting have gone unanswered. It's next Monday.)

Answer: This isn't really a legal question since the university can follow whatever policy it has in place.


Title: Lead paint and small children do not mix

Question:
I need some help. Preferably from people who rent.
We live in Indiana and rent from a reputable rental company. Well at my sons 1 year check up, his lead levels were at a 9 which was alarming to the doctor. So she asked if we lived in an older house, we do. She told me what to do, vacuum a little extra around the places where the paint is present and make sure to clean the toys cuz the dust can carry it too. So I have been exercising every precaution I could. Well we go back yesterday and his level is at 13. 20 is the level where is cognitive will start being affecting. We get ahold of our rental company and let them know what’s up. They tell us they’ll get back in touch all yesterday. Well it’s today and we finally go down to the office and they proceed to tell us that they put the work order in to have it tested, they never called us back or told us. We’ll normally get an email when maintenance is gonna be in, never got one. They also tell us that they’ll get to it as soon as possible but they have a lot of other things to do as well.
I’ve looked into the laws regarding lead paint and apparently in Indiana, the people renting the house are supposed to tell us it’s present in the house before they even rent it. We got NOTHING. When I lived with my parents back in Ohio, our landlord there gave us a whole pamphlet on it even though my brother and I were old enough to know not to eat paint.
Has anyone else dealt with this and what did you do? We’ll move if need be especially if the company isn’t trying to help us. I’m just pissed off about this whole situation cuz I thought I had it under control but it seems I don’t.

Answer:
 Honestly

1) This isn’t something too play around with or waste time on online asking

a) if you can move or have your kid stay at a family in the mean time DO IT TODAY!

b) If you can afford a lawyer, her one this weekend and schedule an appointment for Monday. If you can’t afford one go to your local court and ask, sometimes they have a free legal service (limited hours & days).

BUT PLEASE GET YOUR SON OUT TODAY! The rental company will play games with time that you can’t imagine but the damage to your son isn’t reversible.


Title: [CA] Unable to pay opposing attorney fees

Question: So as the title states, I'm getting divorced and the opposing attorney asked for fees which were granted. Without getting into the details of the case, the judge just based her decision solely on the fact that I make more money. My savings and credit have been absolutely tapped paying my own attorney and temporary support. I have a meager 401K which will get divided up and I can't touch anyway because of the temporary restraining order. I was given 3 weeks to come up with the money but simply don't have it. My family has no money and in fact my mom relies on me for financial support. I don't have any friends I can borrow from either. The only thing I have is a decent salary on which I can make payments. I'm planning on asking for this but am unsure if they will agree. My ex's initial attorney is a nightmare and directly responsible for driving up fees on both sides without doing any work. His partner is the one who actually got the temp support order done within a day. So my question is, if they don't agree to a payment plan what are the possible outcomes? Wage garnishment? This is effectively the same as a payment plan but more work involved. Any other advice would be appreciated. I have 5 days left to magically come up with this money and I'm opposed to doing anything illegal. Thanks.

Answer:
 >Wage garnishment?

Yes. They will go to court again to receive a judgement against you if you cannot pay. Answer #2: Keep in mind wage garnishment in California is limited to the lesser of 25% or the excess of 40x minimum wage (so excess of $400 in most of the state) of your *disposable* income (i.e., what's left after deductions required by law have been taken out). That might make for an easier burden than the payment plan your wife's attorneys come up with.


Title: Received a promotion which was taken back due to my low level manager

Question:
(Virginia Beach, VA) Okay so back in October, I was really struggling with my depression and anxiety and it was slightly affecting my work.  I used to be a server at a restaurant and was promoted to bartender, which is something I always wanted to do. Especially at this restaurant because it is so hard to move up because of seniority.  So I was pulled aside by my GM and she told me that they needed a new bartender and they chose me. So they added me to the bartending schedule, set up training days, the whole nine yards.  Then, out of nowhere GM texts me and says we're postponing training because its the slow season. Understandable.  The next day, she texted me again and told me that they're going with an outside hire instead of me.  So naturally I was devastated, but life goes on. Last night, however, I found out that my lower level manager, personally went up to the owner of the company and told him not to give me the job because of my "mental issues".  I also found out that while I was having a panic attack one shift, he was telling the other employees that I was "doing this for attention, and she only lost weight because she's addicted to pills" which is SO far from the truth.  So my question is, do I have any rights here? Its a family owned business so there's no "corporate" to report to.

TL;DR- Low level manager got in the way of me getting a promotion by telling the owner I had "mental issues" and I need to know if I have any rights here.

Answer: If the company rescinded the offer based on a medical condition,  I would think that a consultation with an employment lawyer would be a good idea. You can contact the state bar for referral.


Title: Would adoptive child have claim to blood parent's estate if parent didn't know they'd had a child? [USA]

Question:
It's my understanding that an adoptive child cannot place a claim on a blood parent's estate after their death if the parent in question gave the child up for adoption.

I am in a unique-ish situation. My birth father was unable to be located after my birth. Certain procedures were followed to locate him before my birth mother was allowed to put me up for adoption.

Now as an adult I know his identity, but he passed before I found it out. I am curious to know if I have any rights to his estate. I'm more interested in photographs, diaries, personal effects than I am in money or items of measurable value.

I am located in Pennsylvania, but the state of his death was Missouri.

Answer: Have you tried contacting the estate heirs about photos or learning more about him before it gets legally messy? Just curious if you tried that route. Anyone can file a claim, it's up to the judge to hear it and if it's valid or dismissed. It's not your fault and you never know his family could really want you to be apart of theirs. You aren't out for money, just a sense of who he was. I know it's not the best legal advice, but nobody answered and I hope it helps. If there exists no other family members you may be the next of kin, but you'd have to have proof of the situation. Answer #2: You'd only have a claim if the court (in MO) permitted it. When you were adopted those two people became your legal parents making biodad a legal stranger to you.  Answer #3: In my state (TN), you lose the right to a claim on your bio parent's estate when you're adopted by someone else.


Title: [California] Received text message from someone that will send mail with legal procedures.

Question:
Hey /r/legaladvice,

Earlier this morning, I was browsing Craigslist, the personals section. (I know, I fucked up.) Anyways, there was an ad about these girls wanting guys to send a voicemail of them jacking off. I didn't call but I texted them to check if they were girls and not guys. We texted back and forth for a bit. The messages died down soon. Later, that morning I got a long text identifying himself and doing a social experiment on predators. Saying that the messages will be used on his website and stating that I should get "correspondence via mail with legal procedures."

My question, is it possible to get my mailing address via cell number. Also, the ad said that were over age. Was I suppose to know if in fact I was texting a minor? I didn't send any sexual explicit photos of my junk or anything like that. Please help guys.

Answer:
 My guess is this is the start of a con, trying to get you to confirm your identity in some way in order to come after you for money (no legitimate researcher works that way).

Block the number, ignore any messages you get from them, and move on with your life.


Title: (NJ) ticketed for moving a cone into our business parking lot, threatened with arrest. Cop was clearly lying about the reason for the cone. Ticket was issued as I was walking back to my car.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 >39:4-94.2a.  Mutilates or removes the notice, or damages, destroys or removes any warning sign or signal, or removes the barricade placed or posted by the commissioner or county or municipal governing body, at any point along the highway, road or street in connection with or relating to the closed portion thereof;  or

[source](http://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/2009/title-39/section-39-4/39-4-94-2/)

I would definitely have the cop clarify, in court, how the parking lot was a closed roadway.

Maybe a talk with her supervisor as well.

If things played out the way you said, that is.


Title: Is cyber stalking considered a crime?

Question:
Considering how people say "privacy is dead" or that we should get used to it and just protect our sensitive info. It's good that people talk about how to prevent it generally. However considering how internet is built-in almost in every device in our homes, it's opening new possibilities to see what's going on in another persons life. While information itself isn't dangerous, it's much about how people use it.
So when it comes to cyber stalking, it actually punishable by law and if so, when would it become that?

I'm not talking only about the common things such as a crazy ex trying to order stuff in your name or a social media account security, but more about situations like this:
Person A had someone hack into their phone without their awareness, now this stalker can simply listen to everything that happens around Person A and even record stuff from their camera and microphone. The stalker saves these records on their own device intending to ruin Person A's reputation for whatever reason would cause them to stalk another in the first place. Person B is an IT expert and sometimes hangs out with Person A. The IT expert notices something weird happening with Person A's phone and looks more into it. Since the stalker made a poor choice of which they used for gaining access to this device, Person B spots this and is concerned about Person A's privacy.

Now there are two different outcomes: either the stalker had caused harm to Person A's reputation before the IT expert noticed the stalking. The stalker could be tracked down by authorities but how much harm would have to be caused before they'd bother?

Or: the stalker didn't cause harm to Person A's reputation yet, but Person B (the IT expert) manages to get some proof that the stalker had received and saved some sensitive info about Person A through their efforts, possibly intending to use it later for harmful purposes. Would this stalking still be considered "illegal" or "punishable by law" generally?

In the first example the damage had already been done while in second the damage could be prevented, but there's a risk there will be harm to another. If we go deeper into situations like these, although it may be rare: what about when it comes to the stalker and their target living in different countries, perhaps the target's country having stricter policy about it than the country where the stalker is living?

Answer:
 This belongs in r/legaladviceofftopic

We don't have to get to stalking. There are several crimes committed here regardless of stalking.


Title: Can I get the child support money that is owed to me even if I am no longer a minor? I am in Texas

Question: Hello everyone. I am 18 and I am wondering if I can get the child support money that my "father" owes my guardian. He has not paid any of the money that he owes and my guardian has all the paperwork that shows how much he was supposed to send while I was a minor. I am trying to figure out if there is any way for me to collect all the money that is owed.

Answer: You're not owed any money. Your guardian would be owed money.Answer #2: You aren't owed any money.


Title: Moving Help! Vehicle transport was done via "driveaway" instead of "open transport"

Question:
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I recently moved from Illinois to Oregon, I had the movers move my belongings and car. I was told that the vehicle was to be moved via open transport (moved on flatbed truck) but the vehicle arrived 5 days late with almost ~$2000 miles on the odometer! It was clearly driven to the destination and I have can show the history on the car's GPS and my dashcam. What are my legal options to recover the cost wear and tear on my vehicle and the clear breach of contact? Thanks!

Answer:
 Something to keep in mind is that, if your warranty hasn't run out by now, those 2000 miles might have pushed it over the edge.  Having to buy an extended warranty might be part of your damages.Answer #2: Does your contract specifically say open transport?

What exactly do you feel 2000 miles are worth?


Title: Without disabled toilet access in Texas

Question:
I hope this is a quick question and that i'm in the right place. In Texas, USA.

My company is working with an older building for our office. It was built in the mid 1990s.

We have had portable toilets (of the regular size)) brought in due to all the plumbing issues. Our remaining 'running' men's restroom has been temporarily closed until further notice today. We have only had a single working disabled stall in the men's restroom for a while.  Our office has over 700 employees. We have several men who are required to use the disability stall.

When asked what to do about lack of accessible bathrooms, the men are told to wait until the unknown time the men's room is running, or go home without wages.

I can't find anything specific on OSHA rules for accessible toilets, and I am having trouble navigating A.D.A. rules.

Is this a violation? I enjoy my job, I don't want anything bad to happen because of my question or any attention I draw.
They have brought in accessible portable toilets in the past. I would hope if this is a violation they would acknowledge it and correct it by bringing in an accessible toilet without having to get the government involved.

Generally, if they are aware of violations, they fix it.

(I hope this is the appropriate flare as well. Thank you)
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Consider calling the health and sanitation department if there are no accessable portable toilets.


Title: Tx - Landlord is making my mom pay extra for things he should be paying.

Question: My mom has a nail salon and has been there for 7 months. The landlord charges her a fixed amount each month and this month is telling the whole business strip that they need to pay an extra amount ranging from around 1k-2k for property taxes, management and insurance. Surely this is a wrong doing right? Its his property, he hired the managers and bought the insurance for HIS land. He has gone from door to door asking for these different amounts IN CASH or CHECK, which is like a split of all these costs divided to the businesses. We've only been here for 7 months but businesses who has been here for several years have paid this and hasn't even asked the landlord about this. Some have even ran out of business. Is there an easy way to settle this or go about it?

Answer:
 Everything relevant is going to be spelled out in the lease.  She only needs to be paying what is spelled out in lease and cannot be required to pay more then the lease allows.

The landlords options for what they can do (early termination or ending the lease) will be spelled out in the same document.

Your mom's response to this will similarly be spelled out in the document.

Basically, you need to get your hands on a copy of that lease and read it.


Title: Girlfriend signed for a lease in student housing, they won't qualify her to live there, but they are saying they are still going to attempt to collect the full lease amount? Is this legal? (CA)

Question:
Hi,

My girlfriend was going to go to a college, but they rescinded her acceptance. As a result, she no longer wishes to live at the following apartment complex, even if she could get in:

When she was accepted, she signed for a lease to move into an off-campus apartment complex marketed to students of that school (I don't believe it is affiliated with the school.)

Her moving in was contingent on her qualifying in one of two ways - providing three months rent up-front, or having a guarantor who made a certain amount of money and had a decent credit score.

Surprise surprise, her Guarantor failed the check, and her plans to go to that school fell through - what's more, without the financial aid from that school, she won't have the funds to qualify for the rent payment.

The contract says inability to qualify does not release the tenant from financial liability (I'm paraphrasing, I don't have the agreement right in front of me)

There's no clause for a buy-out or a cancellation fee in the agreement.

This seems like a very inequitable agreement. Is she seriously required to pay for a service she can't take advantage of? Is there any recourse besides letting it go to collections and taking a huge credit hit?

If it helps, we live in California, and the school is in California.

Thanks in advance for any advise you might be able to give - we really appreciate it.

Answer:
 If she wanted to move in could she? Or they are saying that she cannot live there but they still wantg to enforce her side of the contract?Answer #2: I’d double check the guarantor language. If they required a qualifying guarantor, and her guarantor didn’t qualify, a contract might not yet have been formed.

I’d also double check the “you must be a student at this school to live here” language in the contract/whatever letter they sent to her. It would be really unusual for a private landlord to have that kind of language in their lease. Answer #3: Why did they rescind her acceptance? Was it conditional on something that didn't come to fruition or did the university make a mistake (like send out acceptance letters on accident)?


Title: Tx selling liquor to a minor

Question: Husband works at a liquor store.last night he made a huge mistake and got caught in a sting.he just wasn't paying attention I suppose. I checked and tabc law says up to 4000 fine, 1 year in jail, and loss of license. What is he really looking at?He only has 1 misdemeanor that got pled down to deffered adjudication.,and that was about 5years ago.we just filed for bankruptcy so we really can't afford a lawyer.

Answer:
 We can't guess what he *will* get.  It's generally true that maximum punishments aren't common for first offenses, but this also isn't his first offense.

A lawyer would be a really good idea.Answer #2: He needs an attorney. The penalties for this are severe and in most cases it's strict liability so his mental state is irrelevant.


Title: Arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for having two addrall tablets

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The police officer was well within the law to search your car without your consent. Read [this](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/police-questioning-miranda-warnings-29930.html) website to understand when a police officer needs to read you your Miranda rights. I would suggest you pay the lawyer the $400, and consider this a lesson regarding driving with illegal drugs in your car.


Title: School won't allow LGBT couples at prom.(As well as more examples of discrimination)

Question:
So a friend of mine got asked to the prom by a guy at his small Texas school. At their school you have to write down you and your partner's name. So they did. But the funny thing is that if your partner is a man while you're a man or your partner is a woman while you're a woman, theyll just say no. And this happened to him. I was wondering what we could do to possibly expose and/or get someone with power on them to get them to change?
(Other examples of deplorable behavior
include gay people being excluded from the majority of the yearbook while almost everyone is in it many times as well as the Junior High principle-soon to be assistant super attendant- is known to pick on poor kids, non-white kids and adopted people.)

Answer:
 While legally your friend has a valid argument it might be hard to get it fixed before prom, in the interim your friend should see if there's any lesbian students wanting to bring their gf to prom and "swap"Answer #2: Typically discrimination against LGBT individuals is still allowed in this country.  There really isn’t any recourse here.Answer #3: Call the ACLU this is their bailiwickAnswer #4: Texas still requires schools to teach students that homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle, and is illegal under TX Penal Code 21.06 (which has been struck down by the Supreme Court, but left on the books to send a message and make teachers able to technically not lie when teaching that homosexuality is a crime.)

They don't have to approve this prom date. Discrimination is de facto required in Texas schools; there's no chance they let this one through. It's bullshit, but it happens all the time in Texas and the students have no recourse available under state law.


Title: Get out of co-signing

Question:
I am wondering if its possible for me to get out of co signing a motorcycle for my ex? it's a smaller loan <2-3k range, but I also never want to see that guy again or hear hes not paying his loan 🤦♀

Any information would be helpful, thanks.

Answer: If he agrees to refinance it and remove you from the loan, sure.


Title: A minor catfished me and got my nudes but not his. He is threatening to go the police if I don't send me or continue to talk to him. North Carolina

Question:
I met someone on line and assumed I vetted them closely. We talked for months, exchanged pictures, he let me friend him on Facebook and Twitter (turns out they weren't  his profiles ), we talked on the phone a lot. The man he sent me photos of (whose Facebook  and Twitter claiming was his own) is an obvious adult. Because my requests were granted I assumed I had the right person but upon reaching to the man they actually belonged to, it turns out he just assumed we knew each other because we had a ton of common friends. He even liked and retweeted me a fee times. We even exchanged a message once on Facebook and it led me to believe it was the real person because we talked about similar things. After that he texted me to say he didn't check Facebook often and to just text or call him. It seemed legitimate. I don't get on often myself.

We made plans to meet up a fee times but they always fell apart in natural ways like he ended up having to fly out to see his dying dad (the real profile actually posted about that) and then I got swamped at work, etc. That is why we were online dating in the first place because our schedules made it so hard to get out and meet people.

After about 8 months of casually talking to this man who sounded like and adult, I made the mistake of sending him some nudes.

The guy he was passing himself off as is 37. I am 34.

I didn't send nudes with my face in them but I do have a distinctive tattoo that could identify me.

He never sent anything to me and I never requested anything but we flirted a lot. It was obvious we intented to have sex. He did send me videos that I later found were just stolen from the real guys social medica accounts. Just pictures of his abs and stuff, nothing nude.

A few weeks after sending the nudes, I decided to end it. I had met someone in real life and they wanted to date and were closer and had time.

I told the guy and he revealed he was only 16. I was horrified and cut off contact but he has contacted me since threatening to release the pictures and go to the police saying I was sexually involved with a minor and had sent them nudes.

He also, unsolicited, started sending me texts with pictures of his gentiles. I deleted them, blocked him and changed my number since he kept texting from different numbers.

He is threatening to distribute my nudes if I don't keep talking to him. He keeps saying he loves me. I have never met him. He is a child.  I thought I was talking to a completely different, real adult who is apparently related to this child. I feel awful. I should have met him in person sooner. I am not sure why I made such a bad choice. It seemed fun, you know. Two adults just adulting.

I don't know what to do? Do I go to the police before he does? Maybe his parents?

I have all the proof that he sold himself to me as an adult, even the message from the real adult where I said it has been so nice talking to you and he said likewise and I assumed he was referencing out talking leading up to it.

To make matters worse this kid lives close and he knows where I work. If a 16 year old showed up my job professing his love and telling my office about my nudes, I could get fired. Which he has threatened to do if I don't contact him.

How do I legally handle this pickle?

Answer:
 This is the most common scam we see on here.

You're in no legal jeopardy.  Just ignore the "minor" and move on. Answer #2: You should block and ignore him.

But save the texts first. Answer #3: It wouldn't hurt to get a lawyer to at lol east seek legal advice. It some states catfishing in this way is illegal . I'm not sure about NC though.Answer #4: In addition to what’s been stated already, I’m not convinced the FB profile wasn’t truly his and he’s not just saying that to scare you.Answer #5: >He also, unsolicited, started sending me texts with pictures of his gentiles.

Ask for pics of his Jews too.


Title: How does one legally buy a car from a private seller?

Question:
When one buys from a dealer, they issue a temporary license.

In a private sale. The seller does not want their plates to remain on the car.

But the buyer needs plates to legally drive it away.

So what is one supposed to do?

Answer:
 Each state might be different, verify in your state. And I am no legal expert, just going by past experience.

In my experience, in Mississippi anyways, the bill of sale should suffice for the first month past signing date, as you get the title processed. The DMV should be able to do all the legal title paperwork for you and get you a tag during that month.

Again, don't quote me 100% on that, but that's the process I recall for my last 2 cars.

Edit: If I am in any way mistaken, I hope others can elaborate, and also don't forget you can ask your local courthouse.


Title: Missouri: Was thinking about committing suicide; called city non-emergency line, now I’m being billed...

Question:
I am a 19 year old male, and I live in Saint Louis, Missouri

Well, a month ago I hit rock bottom; and felt like I had no where to go... I couldn’t hang on anymore; I just gave up. Thankfully some part of me wanted to give one last chance. I called my cities non-emergency line and talked to them... long story short, they sent the ambulance, police, and fire men to my house and told me “you hav to go to the hospital” I said “I don’t want to go.” My sister was there for proof. They ended up taking me to the hospital.

Well, a month later, I’m receiving a bill of $1,600 from my city for their services... I never consented to the ambulance coming over nor the trip to the hospital or the help there received. I just wanted to talk.

Is there anyway out of this bill, or do I have to pay it?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Legally, services were rendered. Ethically, Jesus Christ, what a sham.Answer #2: "Just talking" is what the suicide prevention hotline was designed for. When someone like a 911 or police dispatcher hears about a crime (and suicide attempts are in many places considered a crime so police have authority to help people againts their will) or a need for an involuntary commitment they will send out the appropriate response to prevent someone from killing themself. Unfortunately these services have costs and even if it was an involuntary commitment/assessment you can be charged for services rendered which includes the hospital stay and the ambulance ride. If in the future you do just need to talk it out, call the suicide prevention hotline. But if at any point you feel you will actually go through with it, call 911 and get yourself to a hospital. Better to be alive with some debt than dead.Answer #3: You called emergency services and by your own admission, you were a danger to your own life. It's absolutely reasonable that emergency services take you to a hospital for admission and observation despite you not wanting to go. And since services were provided, it's appropriate to bill you for them.

You can contact your health insurance to see what portion they cover. Otherwise, the bill is yours. I hope you have received help though. Answer #4: Yes you owe it, 1600 is a pretty reasonable cost do you have health insurance?  They should cover part at least


Title: Do "punitive" laws still exist?

Question:
I have noticed in a lot of historical moments, laws have been made to punish groups of people. For example, the Intolerable Acts were explicitly meant to punish Boston for the Tea Party.

Does this still explicitly happen in the modern day?

And if it doesn't happen explicitly, does it happen more subtly? For example, maybe a government official is being protested by members of a certain area, so the official purposely enacts an order that disproportionately effects members of that area. The difference here is that the official doesn't publicly acknowledge that the purpose of the law is to harm their political opponents.

A fictional example of that would be the following: A protest movement is forming against a governor. It just so happens that this movement is geographically centered on a coastal area where most of the people make a living by fishing. The governor promptly approves a law that raises regulations/taxes on fishing to make life difficult for the protestors: but the governor denies any political motivation behind the law, and claims the regulations are for safety, state revenue, or whatever other excuse comes to mind.

Answer:
 Would you characterize Tennessee's House Bill 1182 as punitive? It requires businesses that permit trans people to use the right bathroom to put up a warning sign for patrons, and it's pretty clear that the intent of the law is to both push trans people out of the public sphere and to punish businesses for supporting trans rights. It was passed in May of this year.

The courts seem to be doing the right thing, so far, but even so - I'd say it's punitive, so I'd say yes, this still happens.


Title: [OR] My work is forcing me to choose work over school

Question: I am a 18 year old male, I am being punished and threatened with being fired if I don't agree to work ANY hours they want me to work. This includes hours in which I am in school, I have been specifically told multiple times to either choose work over high school or don't expect to keep working there. I work at a gas station, do they have any right to force me to go to work?

Answer:
 Oregon is an at will employment state. If you cannot work the hours they need you to, yes, you can be terminated.

File for unemployment, find another job, move onAnswer #2: IANAL but as far as I know, they have no legal obligation to work around your schedule and they are not forcing you to go to work in a legal sense. While you may be forced to work due to whatever financial situation you are in- aka if you're too poor to survive without working- that isn't your job's business. You chose to work there.

My suggestion is to find a job that will work with your schedule. It can suck to work there but Wal-Mart and other grocery stores are very good about this.


Title: Good Samaritan Policy at my University

Question:
So a week or two ago at my university we had to call 911 for a person who had drank too much and needed assistance. When the ambulance/police got there we were very up front and truthful about all that she had had to drink/smoke, but in a panic had lied and said we were at a party rather than drinking in the dorms.

Now, we have judicial hearings through the school to discuss charges of underage drinking and possession of controlled substances, despite the fact that we had “acted in good faith” and in the interest of preserving her life. What would be my best bet as a defense to avoid any trouble/is there any legal recourse against the school if we are found guilty?

Answer: Does your university actually have a good samaritan policy?  What does it say?


Title: Can our site use 99 Balloons?

Question:
The gal I'm working with wants to use the song 99 Balloons for her company website.  I doubt we will, but I don't know copyright law so I opted to ask.  Also, what sites would would be good to reference for my question?

(LocationBot wants me to give my, well, location.  I'm in San Francisco -- in the state of California in the USA if the city name's too obscure.  I don't know where my boss is, though.)

Answer: Websites shouldn't have background music. It's annoying.  Especially this song.


Title: [TX] Can I break a lease on a house if the management company/ owner do not repair things properly thus making a potentially dangerous living situation?

Question:
I'm sorry but this is long...

We moved to this house in Texas in May 2012. From the moment we got here, we had problems. First fleas everywhere. Then the plumbing decided to go crazy and filled our home with water. TWICE. It took their plumber TEN different trips to my house over the course of nearly a year to finally get that resolved properly.

Then we started noticing cracks around doors and windows. Cracks on the outside of the house. Cracks all around the foundation. We are constantly putting in requests to repair doors that no longer shut and windows that cannot open. While the underlying cause of it is clearly a shifting foundation, but we'll get to that later. I can live with doors that don't shut all the way. Whatever. The windows bother me but the house is 60 years old with its original windows. They've done what they can with them.

Then the roof starts leaking. Frequently and in multiple rooms. Today the repair guys are out for the SIXTH time to assess the roof, repaint the ceilings and check for mold. My luck, they fucking found mold in the garage. Not a lot but enough to make me seriously start to wonder if this house is safe enough for my children. They are 3 and 6 months.

The problem with my management company is this, they just don't repair things the way they should be repaired which has lead (in my opinion) to an unsafe living condition. We have to repeatedly make requests to fix the same things over and over and over again. Each request costs us $40 out of our deposit. There is no way we will ever see that deposit money again.

At our last inspection they admitted to me that the foundation is cracked and shifting but that the owner REFUSES to repair it. Their exact words were "there will be no action on the issue of the foundation".

So, what I'm asking, has my management company created an unsafe living environment for me and my family? By not repairing the foundation, by not replacing the leaking roof, by not making sure that we can exit through a window in the event of a fire, by JUST PAINTING OVER MOLD AND TELLING ME THAT WILL KILL THE MOLD, I no longer feel that this home is safe! Do we have legal recourse to break this lease and GTFO?!

I should also add that we are actually in good standing with our management company and they have done things for us that they didn't have to do. Like fixing aesthetic problems like repainting the garage door and taking down a hideous mirror wall. Rent is always on time and the checks do not bounce. Every inspection we have, we are told how great the house looks (from our responsibility!) We are good renters and have taken great care to notify them when things go wrong. Sadly they have done the bare minimum from the get go and now we have a house with a cracking and shifting foundation, windows that don't open, a roof that leaks and mold in the garage... HELP!!!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Bottom line is if something which materially affects your health and safety is not responded to by the LL in a reasonable time, you may either repair and deduct the cost from the rent, or terminate the lease. I'm not sure mold (in the garage) would get to that point, though.

>  Each request costs us $40 out of our deposit. There is no way we will ever see that deposit money again.

This is the one thing that stuck out to me: they can't charge you for maintenance requests, particularly not out of your deposit. It is the LL's responsibility to make repairs to the property - he can't charge you for telling him about repairs he needs to make.

EDIT: if the foundation's really bad, you might get a building inspector to come out and see if there are grounds to condemn it.


Title: If Person A wants marijuana in Minnesota, and Person B gives contact information of Person C (who sells it) to Person A, what law (if any) did Person B break?

Question:
What penalties could arise for Person B?

Would there be more or different penalties if Person B was to receive a commission for the information?
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer: I PASSED THE GOD DAMNED BAR ALREADY! YOU USE REGULAR NAMES AND STOP GIVING ME FLASHBACKS!!!


Title: [NE]Girlfriend got in trouble for yelling at a client at work. She was called into the police station for questioning. We're worried because we don't even understand what they would be investigating. Should she be looking for an attorney?

Question:
My girlfriend used to work for a company that helped disabled people.  One of her clients destroyed some of her property and she yelled at them.  I told her not to worry, you can't be arrested for yelling at someone, but she was still worried because a coworker of hers is facing criminal charges after a false report by another coworker.

I figured nothing would come of it, but this morning a police officer called and asked her to come in for questioning in relation to the incident.

When she went in she refused to waive her right to have an attorney present.  The officer told her he couldn't question her then and she left.  They gave her no information at all, not even a mention of what kind of crime they think was commited.

I spent some time researching Nebraska law and couldn't find any reason that the police would be getting involved in this.  Should we be trying to find her a lawyer?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated we really don't know what to do.  Thanks for reading.

Answer:
 > she refused to waive her right to have an attorney present

Good. She should talk to an attorney. You have no idea what she may be charged with. Better to be prepared. Answer #2: Just FYI, form my experience it is pretty common for cops to try to give off the impression that by co-operating and waiving rights away, the cops will go easier on you or be better able to make things less of a mess for you. They do this intentionally to best gather evidence on suspects, they are there to solve a crime and will do everything in their (legal) power to get whatever evidence they consider sufficient to close it out. She 100% did the correct thing here and don't let the "what-if" scenarios playing in her head make her regret it.

I would just forget about it unless she is contacted about it further.Answer #3: For now I would let it be. Chances are they have a complaint but are seeing if its worth pursuing.

Good on her to not answer questions though. Many think the police are there to help them, they are not many times. If she gets charged then get an attorney, or ask for a public defender, but until then tell her to not talk about it. Answer #4: If I had to make a guess, her shouting at a client could either be disorderly conduct or possibly rise to assault.

You should do the research to find a lawyer now, so that if one is needed you'll have possible names.


Title: My (24f) Mother (53) was the driver in a car/pedestrian accident last night and I'm wondering what she can expect to happen now [Ohio]

Question:
So as the title states we live in Ohio, and my mom had just finished up some Christmas shopping last night and was heading home last night/this morning. The accident happened around 12:30am. She was driving home when she heard a thud and saw a mans face on the left side of her car. She immediately freaked out, she thinks she yelled and honked the horn and tried to down shift to slow down. She remembers seeing a shoe come off and she remembers seeing him slide across the ground.
She stopped, called 911, while getting out of the car to check to see what his condition was. Paramedics and police arrived, the man was transported to the hospital to a trauma center. My mom filled out police report, spoke with detectives, they took measurements statements from witnesses and concluded from the preliminary investigation that my mother was not at fault, she was not speeding, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, distracted, or otherwise incapable of operating the vehicle. They determined based on witness statements that the victim was drunk (I overheard officers also describe his girlfriend as being hysterical and drunk) that they were coming from a bar less than a mile down the street, and that for some reason he decided to cross the street (jay walking, there was no intersection even close) in a very poorly lit area.
While I'm excited to hear my mom is not at fault, we are not at all excited about having sent someone to the hospital. When he was taken away by ambulance he was breathing and alert. Not talking though but breathing on his own. When we got an update call at 4:30 this morning from the lead investigator, he said he couldn't release the victims name at that time, that it would be public record once the report was complete, but that he could tell us, he was stable, but critical. That there was some internal bleeding, and that he had been moved to ICU and that was all the info he had. There has been no additional information since. I called the hospital they won't release any info with out providing a name, and when I called the police station I found out the officer we were working with is off work till Monday night and that no one else had heard any updates. I was told by the officer today that no news is good news and that the hospital will update the police only if things take a turn for the worse. So while we sit and wait WHICH IS KILLING US, I want to know what the possible outcomes can be, how should we prepare, what can we expect, what is worse case scenario. Obviously I know what worse case is for him and his family, and that thought is terrifying all of us. I'm just trying to get myself and my family ready for what could come. Please help.

EDIT: my mom has never had any driving offenses except 1 turning on red. No speeding tickets, No Accidents.

Answer:
 It's fairly likely that the man, or his survivors if he dies, will sue your mother to try to recover some of his medical expenses. Has your mother talked to her insurer, yet? If not, that's probably worth doing: if she has liability coverage, then they may deal with that on her behalf.

Beyond that, your mother should talk to a counsellor. Badly injuring someone is traumatic, especially when she didn't expect to. It's natural for her to be distraught about it, and a professional can help her work through that.Answer #2: While its is very human to want to get more info on him or to to talk to him or see if he is okay that could be a bad idea.

The straight legal advice is to not contact him, notify your insurer and let them handle it from there. If it helps you feel better consult with an attorney about any possible charges that might be brought against your mom though it sounds like those are not likely to happen even if things do take a turn for the worse. There is always the possibility of his family suing your mom civily if he passes away. In either outcome let your insurance company do all the interacting with the other party.

OTOH i can understand wanting to know if he is okay. It might be better for everyone if you are able to go through a 3rd party though. Maybe the officer you talked with would be willing to call or stop by the hospital to see how he is doing depending on how rural you are and their workload / attittude heh.


Title: Pretty scared. So I was put on CRO classes level 2 for a dumb dui + controlled substance charge bac .04, and there are 6 classes, I missed the 5th so I would have to start over. I came to the 6th class, and all my classmates told me they would vouch that i was there well I got called out. What now

Question:
I was going to tell the truth why I couldn't make the 5th class because I was taking shifts with my mom and grandma watching my alzhimers grandpa in a hospital that didn't have nurses trained to watch those kind of patients, and they couldn't pick me up in time so I missed the class... Well I show up to the last class which was today, and was going to tell that to the instructor, but all the classmates kept saying that they would vouch for me that I had just missed role call... so I stupidly went along with it.  Well they found out, a guy came up from the class downstairs and asked me to tell him the truth.. I told him the truth that I wasn't there, and he said if I Lied He would have taken me to jail right there.   He called the CRO or w/e that is, and they are having me report to the probation place tomorrow.  Is there a chance of me being arrested at this point, or are they going to get onto me, give me a warning and make me retake all those classes again?

Any answers appreciated.  Really really worried, and so is my wife.

Answer:
 >Is there a chance of me being arrested at this point, or are they going to get onto me, give me a warning and make me retake all those classes again?

There is a chance either one of these could happen.  That was an incredibly stupid thing to do.  All you can do is report to the officer, act nice and respectful.  Own up to what you did.  Hope for the best.


Title: Parents assaulted me, then kicked me out of the house. I'm a broke Highschool student, what are my rights?

Question:
To start off I live in Alberta, Canada, I'm also 16 if that helps.

So this past week has been very interesting, I got kicked out on Easter Sunday after my Dad was waving a knife around at me for getting home late, (had no school on Monday so I was out with a friend)

On Tuesday, after coming home at 9 PM my parents started to freak out at me, and when my dad came to confront me, he punched me in the ribs and claimed that "He was scared for his life?" Even though I was in no threatening stance, or threatening him verbally. The fight continued, but I did not use violence or threaten them at all, I started to move to the door so I could leave and stay at the same friends house for the night when he elbowed me in the head and grabbed the back of my neck and pushed me forward. I turn back to get my shoes from the floor, and my Dad is trying to push me out of the house, and my Mom is waving a broom around trying to "Shoo" me out of there.

I go back to my house on Wednesday to grab a change of clothes when I notice that all of my belongings are outside, packed up and waiting for me.

I really don't want to go back into that house, or even speak to them anymore after they threw me out basically onto the streets.

So, /r/legaladvice, what are my options? Can I get some cash from my parents monthly to help me stay afloat so I can stay in Highschool? Also, could I press charges against my Dad for how he assaulted me?

Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Why is this post tagged "douche"?
Answer #2: Call these folks they will know more:  http://kidshelpphone.ca/Teens/InfoBooth/Money-jobs-laws/Laws/The-law-and-your-rights-at-home-work-and-school.aspx

Answer #3: First and foremost, do you have a place to stay? Could I get more details to where you're located? A lot of towns have services for locked out youth and I would love to give you any info I can find so that you have an advocate in your corner


Title: Drugged with THC and fentanyl unbeknownst to me.

Question: I attended Oktoberfest yesterday in Helen GA. I ended up with a group of people just hanging out and having a few drinks. Later at night one of the men in the group noticed my vape and asked to try it. I thought nothing of it, removed the tip and let him try. He reciprocated and I took one drag and immediately knew it had at least THC in it as I could taste cannabis. I havent smoked for 15 years but I know the taste. Within 5 minutes I felt the effects. I started walking away and back to my car to try and wait out the effect but it got worse. In 20 minutes I was vomiting and couldn't move. Someone luckily came to my aid and called 911. The EMT took me to a hospital near my home but along the way they administered Narcan to counteract the apparent effect of fentanyl. I've gone to the police and given them information about it all. The bonus is I actually have the guy who drugged me phone number as I had taken a few recordings of the night and he requested I send one to him. What can I do to go after this POS for knowingly giving me drugs and not telling me it was drugs. Thank you so much and any help would be appreciated. My main goal is to get this guy in jail and maybe pay for the medical Bill's that I'm about to be hit with.

Answer:
 Poisoning is illegal. You generally go to the police when someone poisons you.

Beyond that you can potentially sue him for your medical bills. Answer #2: Did you actually test positive for fentanyl?  I'm guessing this was more likely just to be *really strong* THC-based liquid, and having not smoked for 15 years, it hit you like a freight train.  Or it might have been normal-strength and the vaporizer just threw out clouds of it.


Title: Out of curiosity, is this legal? 😂

Answer:
 ...jurisdiction?

But IIRC yes, provided that **it's just the fake receipt by itself** to show the spouse and not to be used for anything else.

Fraud generally requires you to have obtained a material gain with deception. Since you're just fooling your wife/husband to make sure they won't get mad at you, then this doesn't constitute of fraud.Answer #2: Many years ago... a company I was doing some IT work for purchased a payroll system.   One of the features of that system was a "Wife Check".   The employee could then give that check to the wife and keep the rest for him self.

Ironically most of employees that used that feature were the female... hiding income from their husband.Answer #3: Considering that they charge $70 for a t-shirt I doubt the pricing shown in this truly ancient meme picture is current. The price to hide from your partner the fact that you're a sucker is likely now enough money to buy a Honda motorcycle outright.


Title: My roommates got a cat knowing I have allergies.

Question:
Oklahoma. Asking on behalf of sister.

Sister's roommates got a cat, knowing that she has allergies and asthma and cannot live with a cat. The roommates are refusing to get rid of the cat. (This is probably "revenge" for some seperate roommate drama, but that isn't important). She lives in a 3br apartment and has a lease for her room with the property management with shared kitchen/ living. Effectively, there are 3 leases for 1 unit.

What can she do? Break lease and go to small claims for the fees? Force the roommates to get rid of the cat? Some sublet situation?

Forcing them to get rid of the cat would probably be the easiest situation, is it possible to do that?

The roommates haven't paid for the pet fee, and the management was made aware of this but is giving roommates some leeway.

Answer:
 Was she guaranteed a cat free environment in writing?Answer #2: Does her lease guarantee her a pet free environment?Answer #3: She should ask them to keep the cat out of the shared spaces. She can carry a spray bottle of plain water with her and train the cat very quickly to retreat to one of the roommates bedrooms when she is home at least. That is far from a perfect solution but she is held to the lease. Answer #4: Going to disagree with the other posters here. Asthma is considered a disability, and under the FHA (From your description I am assuming this is an apartment compex and subject to FHA) your sister can ask for reasonable accomodation for her disability.  This accomodation could be moving to a different equivalent roomwith no fees, or banning pets in shared areas.

Here is a discussion: https://fairhousinginstitute.com/reasonable-accommodation-residents-allergies/

Edit to add: just to clarify, this wouldn't apply to mild allergies since that isn't a substantial limitation per the ADA, but asthma caused by allergen exposure would be.


Title: [Need Citation] How much muzzle energy is allowed for toy guns, and how fast can a nerf toy shoot to remain within legal standards?

Question:
And does it matter for different marketing age groups? If so, I'd like a citation on age cutoffs for said muzzle energy.

This question pertains to on-the-shelf sold products sold in the United States.
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer: This is well beyond the scope of this sub. We are not here to do your legal research. Answer #2: Federal regulations can probably be found through the ATF. State regulations can be found from each state.


Title: Got a loan from an employer, now he won't let new quit and make payments.

Question: My boss loaned me money with a promissory note that he wrote saying that if my employment ended that I owed the amount in full. I am now wanting to leave and I offered to set up payments and he refused. Can he really force me to stay in his employ our take me to court for the amount if I'm willing to make payments?

Answer:
 He can't force you to work there, but he can hold you to the terms that you agreed to.  Why would you think otherwise?Answer #2: Your options are to abide by the terms you agreed to (pay the full amount when you quit) or get sued and it will effect your credit.

You agreed to the terms and he is under no requirement to accept payments from you.


Title: Receiving inappropriate photo from an unknown coworker.

Question:
Hi everyone,

Just want advice on a situation that happened today. I got a dick pic from an unknown phone number. I probably should've left it, but I realized that they are wearing our work uniform in the photo so it is someone I work with. I replied "No, thank you." "You have the wrong number." They replied "Nah". Meaning it was meant for me. I decided to call that number from a different phone and it immediately goes to say "I'm sorry; the number you have reached is not in service, or temporarily disconnected." So I'm guessing it's some sort of app or something being used.

My question is this:

Would you report this to your supervisor? Or just brush it off?

I'm a government employee and there are times where many coworkers have access to my personal phone number, especially when I'm traveling to different offices. This is in Florida.

I know this is a bit silly but I don't feel comfortable not knowing who this person is and the fact that I might see them everyday while they're messing with me.

Thank you for any advice!

Answer:
 Yeah, report it to your supervisor.  They probably won't be able to do anything about it, because they probably won't know who it is.  But you never know, maybe someone has a history of problems that you don't know about.Answer #2: If they are clearly in your uniform, then definitely report it. At worst, it creates a record of the harassment. At best, it will be **added** to an existing record of harassment, which can lead to the person eventually being caught.

>I know this is a bit silly

I don't think it's silly at all. You were sexually harassed by a co-worker who went above and beyond to violate your sense of safety in the workplace. The fact that you are handling it well is good, but that goes more to your character than to it not being worth bringing light to.