Title: Parents moved to a new job one state over. Younger sibling live with me.

Question:
About 2 years ago, my parents moved to Wisconsin for a new job. At that time my younger sister was 16, about to start 11th grade, and she didn't want to move with them because of friends and school. So she stayed with me, 25 at the time.

Parents come back maybe once a month to visit and they pay for her expenses. They also called very often, maybe a couple times a week to check up on her. I have a job, so money is not an issue.

This may be a stupid question, but did they commit a crime for not having her live on the same house with them? Is it child abandonment? My younger sister is cared for the best I can. She is happy with the situation, and we just didn't think through when we all decided to have this arrangement.

There is another complication. My mother applied for her citizenship. She is permanent resident right now. Obviously if she/I/we committed a crime, it would be a terrible situation for my mother.

I almost forget my sister and I live in Indiana.

Answer:
 > This may be a stupid question, but did they commit a crime for not having her live on the same house with them? Is it child abandonment

No.  A parent who leaves a child with another responsible adult who takes care of them properly has committed no crime.


Title: Signed a lease for a rental a few days ago; but did not pay any money yet. Was just given a deal for a significantly better place. How much trouble could I be in for backing out?

Question:
I've been searching for a new place to rent for a few weeks now, and recently signed a lease for a decent place roughly 6 days ago.
No cash was exchanged at this time.
The house was not available to move in yet; as some work was still left to be done, and is still currently unavailable.

This morning I was given an offer for a substantially better house, and would prefer to accept that one instead.

How much trouble could I be in if I were to back out now?
I figured I could just call, man up, and explain the situation. They seem like honest decent people (as opposed to the stereotypical landlord.) and I'm sure they'd understand.

But I'm always a bit worried in these situations, and do feel bad I have wasted their time.

(Since laws tend to vary from state to state, Wisconsin.)

Answer: You're on the hook--you signed a legally binding contract. That being said, talk to the landlord ASAP and see if they still have interest from other potential tenants (maybe one of them can replace you with a new lease agreement between them and the landlord). Your best bet is to find a replacement or else you are responsible for rent. Think about it this way: how upset would you be if the landlord backed out of the signed agreement and you had to scramble to find a new apartment after moving and making arrangements to live in the place?


Title: Bought a house 16 days later find ecoli in the water. Is seller liable?

Question:
I live in iowa. My wife and i purchased a home. 16 days after closing we experienced heavy rain and the water in our home turned brown which prompted us to contact the health department and have a water test done.
Because we knew the sellers had to put in a new septic system before we moved in because it failed inspection. We were supposed to be given a copy of the inspection but were not.
We were never made aware that the old septic was leaking into the yard. We found that out only after contacting the company that did the inspection after experiencing the water problem and beggining to worry. We have 3 young children and another son due in 2 weeks. We have been without clean water since august 16th we closed on july 31.
The lady at the septic place recommended we get a lawyer as there were things that should have been disclosed to us that were not.
Our next step was to contact a well company to come inspect the well. Multiple companies have come now and told us we need a new well as the casing is cracked and this one is not accessible.
One guy even wrote us a letter saying that in his opinion this is definitely something the sellers knew about and not something that happenend by chance 2 weeks after moving in.
I wrote the sellers a letter explaining the problem and asking if they could help pay for it, because on the disclosures they checked that there were no know problems and clearly there was. Also they said there was a water test done but the state dept has no record of any testing.
 Every person i tell about this recommended to get a lawyer my first step is reddit please help we are a young family with 4 young children.

Edit:grammer

Answer: Definitely lawyer time.  If they knew of the issue prior to sale and didn't disclose it then they are liable for fixing it.  If they had a new septic field installed there should be permits filed with the city / county, and I'm guessing there should also be an inspection/testing upon completion of the installation.


Title: [First Speeding Ticket] I know the speed the cop recorded me at was inaccurate

Question: I'm a Massachusetts resident who was pulled over on Memorial Day in Vermont for going 97 miles an hour in a 65 highway. There are a couple things which automatically tell me that that number is wrong. Firstly I had the cruise control set around 80-85 (which I know is still speeding) going up a very steep hill which means I was going even less. On top of that I had three other adults in the car, a ski box on top, three days worth of luggage for all 4 passengers, while cruising in 6th gear (which can barely accelerate), in the rain. I know it's impossible for my car to have reached that speed in those conditions. When the cop pulled me over he gave his whole intimidation tactics claiming he could arrest me for going that fast and that I need to slow the hell down. The ticket ended up being for $342 and I'm deciding whether or not to contest the ticket or just pay up. Do I have a real chance at defending myself?

Answer:
 > When the cop pulled me over he gave his whole intimidation tactics claiming he could arrest me for going that fast and that I need to slow the hell down.

Normally 20+ over is considered fair game for impounding your vehicle and giving you a ride to police station.

> going up a very steep hill which means I was going even less

Actually, when you first hit the hill the your speed may dip, but then the car will perform some combination of downshifting, assuming an automatic, and applying the throttle to keep the speed.  At which point the car can easily apply too much power and kick you above your preset, especially if the slope of the hill decreases.

Although I'm curious as to how you have a five mile an hour margin of error in setting your cruise.  Even back in the early days of cruise it was pretty damn easy to tell where the needle was when you hit the set button.
Answer #2: In our court, you could go in and tell the judge "I was only going 85" and he would find you guilty of the lesser speed if you wanted.


Title: Fines for not having a biometric screening done in Arizona

Question: So my employer requires us to have a free biometric screening done for the health insurance they provide. However I forgot to register before the deadline and I'm now locked out from registering. I later found out that the company fined you $600 for not completing the screening. I've tried researching this on my own but all I came up with were a few cases where the employer denied health coverage. So what I want to know is if this is legal practice and if it's not how do I confront my employer about this situation. I appreciate any help or leads.

Answer:
 A few questions.

How is this fine delivered/this money taken?

Are you sure this is a fine and not a "everyone who gets a biometric screening gets a $600 discount on insurance premiums" and you have to pay extra because you didn't.


Title: Can I be forced, while testifying, to limit my answers to only "yes" or "no"?

Question:
It's a common trope in courtroom dramas that a witness is asked to answer questions on cross-examination with only "yes" or "no". I'm sure it is fairly common in real life as well. Let's say I acknowledged the attorney's instruction as a request and refused to keep my answers so simple. I didn't ramble, but I would always answer with a rhetorical question or "yes/no, but..." Would I be held in contempt of court for not following the attorney's instructions?

In my mind, surely an attorney can't limit my freedom of speech on the stand. Having consequences for answering a question directly and in full seems as ridiculous as getting arrested for disorderly conduct because you were sitting quietly on the beach.

Answer:
 Don't play games with the lawyers.

Answer the question that you're asked. If there's a qualifier, add it in. If the lawyer insists on a yes or no answer and the answer needs a qualifier, just say "There isn't a simple yes or no answer to that question."

If you get directed by the judge to answer yes or no, then do it, and let the other lawyer clarify on redirect or recross.

When you're a witness, you're best off if you're completely unbiased. You can't care who wins when you're on the witness stand. You just answer the questions that they ask you and let the adversarial nature of the proceedings take care of everything else.

You can absolutely have your freedom of speech limited while you're on the stand, and if you start ranting about unrelated things or talking about things excluded from the jury's purview, you can be held in contempt and/or cause a mistrial.Answer #2: On cross, the interrogating lawyer is allowed to treat you as hostile, and can ask the courts to rein you in if you aren't directly answering their questions. You still _can_ answer other than as directed, if you believe that the truthful and complete answer is more than can be contained in a "yes" or "no," but responding with rhetorical questions or irrelevant diversions is likely to draw a rebuke from the judge, and if you continue, contempt proceedings.

_The court_ can limit your freedom of speech on the stand, in the interests of a fair and effective trial. You are free to speak your mind to your heart's content outside of the courtroom.


Title: Scammed on Facebook Market

Question:
Context: I barter, sell, and trade items on ebay and facebook marketplace for extra cash as a college student usually have great experiences doing so.

However, I just bought my first gaming pc and monitor and was in no way wanting to sell or trade it all, however, a kid who looked to be around 15 messaged me about computer peripherals and asked if I had a pc. I told him yes but that I was unwilling to sell and then he messaged me saying if he would trade my pc and monitor for 3 pairs of shoes and an iphone 8. At first I said no, until he sent me a link to a website where one of the pairs of shoes had an offer of over 1300 dollars. I asked why he hadn't exchanged them and just used the money and he said that he didn't want to wait the month it takes to verify the shoes without playing fortnite and after telling him what kind of comuter and monitor I had, he began to say how it was his dream computer and that he would do anything for it. I figured I would be kind to the kid and selll it to him for the three pairs of shoes and iphone as long as they were real and I even looked into what I should look for in real nikes. These had the tag, seemed to be new, had the box, I even pulled them out and had him show me pics of ones that were real right next to the actual shoes. Not only that, he arrived with his elderly grandma, and keep in mind, this is a chubby 15 year old kid and I am a larger 22 year old who was with my roommate who weightlifts and is a hypebeast to help me confirm the shoes. He promised they were and was very calm as we said we'd beat his ass if they were fake. Well I end up putting them up here on reddit on a sneaker sub and I was immediately called to be banned and I guess the sneakers turned out to be fake. My computer was brand new and I spent 700 on parts and had just bought a new $300 monitor two days before and I had given him both. I immediately went to the police and they made a police report where I showed them who the kid was, where to find him, him admitting to ripping me off and admitting the shoes were fake. The police wasted many hours of my time on the phone and in interviews to tell me they planned on doing absolutely nothing about it. I asked that they just go to his house and I would exchange all my items back for all of his and they would not do it no matter how much I complained. Even though this was a civil matter, a police officer would have him handing me my stuff back in a second out of how scared he'd be. I called his dad because his phone still had the contacts in it and told him what his son had done and that I would get the police involved and then he said he'd beat my ass if I went any where near his house. You could tell he raised a child who would steal, lie, and threaten an honest person who wanted to help. I contacted both amazon for my monitor and best buy for my computer and they said there was nothing they could do. I called multiple lawyers and they all said they weren't sure if I would win my money back and even if I did, the fees might be more than the cost of the computer itself. Is there anything I can do? Im a college student who is already in debt and my rent takes literally every dollar I receive with my job that pays minimum wage. I need a computer for school, I am currently using my grandmas but she needs it back and I live off campus leaving long nights at the library my only chance at passing any of my classes. Is there anything I can do to be compensated for my computer. At this point, my only two options you could guess but I won't expand upon as they might be illegal/immoral themselves. After police said my only option was in court, i then sold the two real pairs of shoes and ended up with 140 bucks total and I got 200 out of the iphone but the reason he had to beg me for kindness for the computer was not the price, the shoes were at very least 1300 if real, much more than the computer. However, I saved up for atleast a year to build a computer that I wanted specifically and that I was proud of and he stole that from me. I think you can understand why I am willing to bring myself down to this kids level to get my stuff back and teach him a very important lesson. What should I do? Is there anything?

&#x200B;

TL;DR didn't want to sell my beloved handbuilt computer and brand new monitor. Felt bad for 15 year old kid and his 80 year old grandma who seemed to have no motive to rob me or strength to fight me for it so I allowed him to trade me shoes worth 1300-2000. They were very good fakes and the kid was calm and deliberate while explaining how they were real. I trusted and was kind and generous to him, but experts on websites quickly called me out for trying to sell them. They are Chinese fakes worth nothing and now I lost the computer I was attached to and I relied on for college work. The police wasted my time and did nothing to help the situation, said to contact lawyers. Lawyers said that depending on FB policy, they might be able to consult me but I have no money, especially if I lost the case. Am I fucked?

Answer: Sue the kid and his parents in small claims court and let a judge decide.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Parent refuses to give FAFSA information

Question: My friend needs information from her mother about her income for her FAFSA form but her mother refuses to tell her. She can't file as an independent because she still lives at home. Is there anything she can do to force her mom to give her the information?

Answer:
 Unfortunately this is one of the big issues with FAFSA, and there is no way to force her to give the info. If she wants to hide that information, she can.

She only needs one parent; is her father around and willing to give his information? When I was 18 and filling out the FAFSA and had a distant mother who refused to give me info, I was able to submit with just my father's info and had no issues.


Title: Taking my ex employer for money owed to me. He is now intimidating me to take less money.

Question:
All of this is quite far progressed, but I have a follow up mediation tomorrow afternoon with the Fair Work Ombudsman where my ex employer will make an offer of money owed to me.

In a nut shell;

I was employed with said company for 6 years and 3ish months. During this time, I was grossly under paid for normal hourly rate, Sunday rates and public holiday rates. I only found this out a few days before leaving the company when noticing that the pay rate for the Easter public holidays had jumped up to almost double what I was usually paid. After asking the lady who processes our wages, why the sudden pay jump? I was told by her that my bosses were made aware of their gross underpayment for public holidays and they reluctantly paid us (almost) correctly for those public holiday hours.
Following this, I contacted the FWO and was told (long story short) what my award wages were.
I was advised to first request the monies directly from my ex employer, if a solution was not met, I could request further help from FW.
I sent the email requesting money owed to me ($20k was requested), but not all of it ($35k was owed). In response I received a sarcastic email with unnecessary comments putting me down.

4 weeks later a mediation phone call took place (last Tuesday) in which my ex employer admitted that he owed me money but wanted to negotiate how much was he was to pay to me by coming back to me with an offer after he had done his calculations (why he did not do those calculations in the 4 weeks leading up to the mediation, is exactly the same reason why I left in the first place; he's very spiteful of me).
I agreed that I would be happy to hear a counteroffer but it must be fair and reasonable as I had already dropped $15k off the amount owed to me, out of good faith and thinking I was being reasonable already.
He then responded with a threat that (basically) if I do not accept the offer and the matter is taken to court, he will counter sue me for unproductive hours in the work place and (after apparently speaking to a lawyer and running a test case) I would end up owing him $25k.
I, of course slumped down into my chair in fear that this was actually a thing that could be done and have been willing to accept whatever offer he puts on the table.
But since then I have spoken to a few people around me, about what he threatened me with and was told that, even if it's something that was possible, it would be impossible.
Impossible for him to calculate and average out unproductive hours during work.
Also, if he was aware of said 'unproductive hours' why was I never given written warnings and why was I kept as an employee for 6+ years with a promotion to branch manager in between.

I was a casual employee for 5 of the 6 years I was employed there. Located in QLD Australia

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm not dumb, but I'm not smart, every man and his octopus has an opinion on what I should and shouldn't say and unfortunately FW cannot give legal advice or take sides to a certain point. I have spoken with my mediator and she has just said not to argue or respond to anything I'm not comfortable responding to and she will step in, if he steps over the line again (as he did in the previous phone call) to pull in the conversation.

I just want this over and done with. I don't want to go to court, I don't want to fight and stress about this.
I feel like I made a mistake not asking for the full amount owed to me in the first place, but I'm a nice gal and thought that if I did the right the to start with, maybe something would give.

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 /r/auslaw

In the U.S., a claim such as what your ex employer is making would be laughed out of court. I'm betting the same is true in Australia, but maybe someone on that subreddit knows better. I think you should ignore his threats and let him countersue you, which he probably won't.


Title: I think my college’s sloppy lawyer may have violated HIPPA.

Question:
A while ago, my friend, a student, received an email mistakenly addressed to her by my school’s legal counsel. It was addressed to her as well as individuals who I know are medical staff at my school and I believe a dean. The email was discussing a student who was asking for readmission (perhaps from medical leave) from my school. It mentioned that she had not submitted her documentation and listed the names of the doctors the student had said would send documentation. The whole email was written in a pretty condescending tone considering it was discussing personal student info. Additionally,  it was addressed  to my friend whose name is similar but not close enough to necessitate this mistake to that of a dean’s. I upon hearing about this, googled the senders name to find out who she was. The plot thickened. The first result was an article from the school paper from many years back stating that the same lawyer had accidentally sent an email mocking student activists to the student activist instead of a colleague.  A comment on the article stated that they had received an email from the same sender by accident. I don’t understand how she kept her job or how she hasn’t learned at all from her mistakes. What I want to know is is this a HIPPA violation. It didnt discuss specific medical info or conditions, but it did mention the full names of the doctors, the student’s first name, and that she was looking for readmissions. Also, I don’t want the school to take repercussion against me or my friend or even for them to know that it was us who reported this info, but I feel really uncomfortable having this person handle such highly personal info.
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 > I think my college’s sloppy lawyer may have violated HIPPA.

Given that they're not bound by HIPAA I seriously doubt that.

You can make the college aware of this mistake, and depending on the information provided this **might** be a FERPA violation.


Title: Over $30K has been transferred out of my wife's 401K, and HR won't tell us where it is and when we'll get it back [Arizona].

Question:
Hello again /r/legaladvice,

Thank you again for your advice on the prior post I made about my SO's firing. I searched around for prior threads about this sort of thing, and found nothing. It's kind of unusual, so here it goes.

My SO's 401K account was pilfered in its entirety in early September. All of a sudden, the 30K+ she had in there was transferred out. Her former HR representative told her to hold tight and wait for news. It's Friday (we called on Sunday), and the HR department is being coy and giving us the runaround again.

Apparently the account was owned by First Utah Bank, which has been [recently hit](http://www.sltrib.com/home/2988344-155/bank-insurer-to-pay-5m-in) with a suit because the owner has been stealing millions of dollars out of retirement accounts. Five withdrawals called "exit transfers" were processed on in September, all on the same date, for various amounts (the largest being about 28K) to two separate institutions named as "American Century One Choice," "Eaton Vance Worldwide Health."

At this point, we have no idea what the hell we're supposed to do. Who the hell are these people? What the fuck is going on? Where's our money?

Question is, should we lawyer up? We know of an employment lawyer, but she's not cheap. Our budget is really tight. If we lawyer up, is there any chance that the bank or her old company would be on the hook for the bill? I don't want to sink hundreds of dollars we don't really have into a lawyer if we're going to get the money back anyway, but it's totally worth it if it's the only way to get some freaking answers about where $30K just disappeared to.

Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
 If this happened to me, I'd get a lawyer ASAP and call the local FBI field office about it.Answer #2: American Century and Eaton Vance are both investment management firms. My *guess* is that the company is changing 401(k) providers (probably due to the issues you mentioned), and the funds are being reallocated accordingly.

Before lawyering up, I'd suggest giving the company another week. Keep reaching out to HR. Also it might be worth talking to other employees she is in touch with, to see if there are any changes happening to the 401(k) program.Answer #3: Is your 401K run through your business?  Sounds like you need to reach out to First Utah Bank and ask where the funds went.Answer #4: See if you can establish an online login to Eaton and American Century to see if there is an account in your wife's name.

Often you only need an SSN and DOB.


Title: Sex before filing for divorce, but after living separately.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Arkansas abolished the alienation of affection tort, so you do not have to worry about that.

As for your custody case, it may make you look bad in the eyes of the judge, but should not materially affect your custody case.


Title: I’ve been working 8 hour shifts with only one 15 minute break, and I don’t think they pay us for that break

Question:
I work at a big chain convenience store/gas station  in maryland state, and we are a franchise. At this particular store there are about 15 employees. We work 8 hour shifts but we are allowed only one break, and it is only 15 minutes long. We also have to clock out for that break. I don’t know if they take those 15 minutes out of our paycheck or not, and even if I asked, I doubt I would get a straight answer. Sometimes we are allowed “smoke breaks,” which is just a few seconds to go outside and choke down a cigarette, but I don’t smoke so I am not allowed to take those “breaks.”

My friends keep telling me this is illegal, but is it? And even if it is, what can I do about it?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: [Maryland has no law that requires breaks if you are 18 or older.](https://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wagepay/wpbreaks.shtml#:~:text=Unless%20the%20worker%20is%20under,every%205%20hours%20of%20work.) You can be told to work your entire shift without one.


Title: Car was legally parked, and towed from the parking lot while I was eating lunch.

Question: I now need to pay the tow company $300 to get my car back. What are my options here? Do they need to provide proof that I violated some parking law? Seems like a bit of a scam.

Answer: Pay the money and sue the towing company for the money back.


Title: Funeral home director trying to assume Personal Representative over my late grandmother's estate

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 How was she not buried or cremated within a week of her death?

Get that sorted out yesterday. It sounds like the estate is going to get eaten up by way of your family's failure to bury her.


Title: I am a 17 y/o in the state of Texas. Currently living in two seperate houses due to split parents. I would like to petition to move myself and my siblings to a single household.

Question:
I do not believe my mother is parenting me and my siblings to the best of her ability. My father has refused, since the initial divorce, to get sole custody, as he believes my mother is as capable as him to parent us. I respectfully disagree with my father.

The original declaration between my parents at the divorce proceedings stipulated that we be moved between houses every three or four days. This has taken a toll on the emotional, physical, and mental state of me, my brother and sisters.

Is there anything I can do to petition to have this changed so that me and my siblings moved to my father's house, at least for week days?

Thank you for the help.

Answer:
 Why not ask you parents if they can alternate weeks or something? Answer #2: My friends got divorced and split custody.  After a few years the kids complained about constantly moving, so the parents agreed the kids would stay in one house and the parents would move, i.e., hare the kids' permanent house.  It worked out great.  Obviously your parents would have to agree.Answer #3: Not a family law lawyer.

Best case, ask your mom or dad again. Otherwise, you may have to wait until you are 18 and move out.


Title: Buying a house, seller has suddenly changed the closing date from July 11th to TBD in August, we have no place to live in August. (Boston, MA)

Question:
My wife and I are buying a new construction property in Boston. We signed our P&S and sent the deposit 12 days ago, and they've been insisting all along that they would be able to close on July 11th (and refused to agree to a later date as we requested). We asked them to confirm the closing date several times, and they insisted every time that it would be ready to close.

Today the listing agent contacted us and said that they have to push the closing back, possibly by as much as a month. My wife and I already broke our lease where we're living now and someone else is set to move in at the end of July. What are our options? It's new construction, so if it's not ready, we really can't move in, but can I hold the seller responsible for a storage unit, hotel room, additional moving costs, etc?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 > can I hold the seller responsible for a storage unit, hotel room, additional moving costs, etc?

That depends.  What does the sales contract say about delivery on July 11, or the seller's ability to move the closing date?Answer #2: As /u/thepatman points out, this depends entirely on the sale contract.

Often sales contracts for new construction include a provision that allows the builder to change the closing date without additional liability.  There may be certain conditions that create their opportunity to change the closing date.  If so, you might validate that such a condition exists.Answer #3: I was in the same boat as you. Purchased a new construction that was supposed to be completed in august but didn't get finished until December. We had to pay extra money to store all our furniture but fortunately had a family member to stay with for a few months.

We legally couldn't do anything because even though they promised a certain date, they actually made us sign a disclosure that they had one year to complete any work/close on the house. I would look in your paperwork to see if there any disclosures/addendum for this situation.


Title: Temporary tags (license plate) stolen, while driving moving across the U.S.

Question:
Started driving across the U.S. today and am in a new (used) vehicle that I purchased specifically for this trip. As such, I don't have the title yet and cannot apply for license plates. However, I HAD a 90 day temp tag from Arizona.

While stopping in Nevada, someone stole it. I was just looking at it in Reno, so I know I had it several hours prior. Two stops later and I notice it is gone. Not just the paper tag though, but the wrapper it was in and the dealer's license plate frame as well. So, I can definitely tell someone unscrewed it all and stole it.

It is now Sunday and I need to continue driving, but have no tags. My temp registration is still in the car and I have insurance. Am I in the wrong for continuing on? I'm in a limbo state, since I can't register it and I'm not even a resident of AZ, which is where I bought it and had a temp tag from.

My plan at this point is to copy the other half of the temp tag form (registration area) and photocopy it. Then I'll put that in the place of the tag. It's got all the same info, just not in big lettering.....

Any thoughts?

Answer: IANAL: call the police, report the temp tag stolen. Ask what they recommend.


Title: landlord wants to show house to potential tenants while I am still living in it

Question: I live in Colorado and my lease is up soon. The landlord wants to show the unit to potential tenants and is asking us to be out of the house while they show it. Do I have any privacy rights here? My lease mentions quiet enjoyment.

Answer: The landlord has a right to show the unit with proper notice. You do not have to be out of the house during showings.


Title: [IN] Landlord not allowing me to terminate lease which has gone full term without having given 120 days notice.

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice

In December, I moved to my Indiana to take a new job. As this was in the middle of most lease terms (I live in a college town with a lot of student housing), I ended up signing a lease with my current landlord for December 2015 through July 2016. I decided to move in with a roommate at a different residence with a different property management company at the end of my lease term. When I went to inquire about what I needed to do in order to move out, I was told that because I did not give 120 days notice, they assumed I was renewing my lease and therefore must break my lease by paying 4 months rent or sublease my apartment (which would forfeit my security deposit). While I should have read the contract more carefully, they are correct that this provision is stated in the contract. However, upon doing some research into the matter, it appears that under IN CODE Section 32-31-1-8, a notice of termination is not required if the term of the lease is stated on my contract and I pay rent through the term (which I have).

Is this enforceable? I am very stressed financially and I can't exactly afford to pay 4 months rent or lose my security deposit, so any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 > Is this enforceable?

Most likely, especially if you agreed to it and the lease contained some sort of auto-renew language.


Title: Talking about God at a government funded job

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There is nothing illegal here, provided that the conditions of the grant are being followed.  On the contrary, the first amendment protects people's rights to talk about religion. Answer #2: That is not what separation of church and state means. Sorry. It means that the church doesn't control/run the government. But freedom of religion is also a thing. People can talk about God, prayer, and anything else.

Find a different job if you don't like the people you work with and their beliefs.


Title: What to do if someone opens your mail. (IN)

Question:
Only other person living in my house ( not much longer) stole my packages that were delivered to a "resident" while I was staying at a friends because of the household turmoil.  I asked where they were when I got back, he didn't know.  Then I happen to see a specific item that I ordered in his room and my package was sitting broken open with all of my amazon order, PLUS some of it was in his stuff downstairs.  I reported that he opened my mail to the cops because they were there when I saw it.  I want to press charges. Something. What can I do?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: If he opened mail, as in mail delivered to you by the United States Postal System, you can file a complaint with the Postal Inspector. As for packages delivered by shipping companies, you'd have to take it to the police. You've already done that. Whether or not they decide to pursue the charges is up to them. You can sue in small claims court for the value of the items he stole. Answer #2: You need to contact the postal inspector. They are the law enforcement side of the us postal service. They are tied in with the fbi. Call the postal inspector


Title: My neighbor threatened to damage my car, and actually broke my windshield wiper. What can I do in this case?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The best option would be to do what you're doing - file a police report and show the police the note.  If it escalates, you'll have documentation.


Title: [AL] My dog ran off a few nights ago. We just got word that he was shot and killed by someone a few roads down. Is there anything I can do? (More info in post.)

Question: My dog, Kodi, broke off of his runner two nights ago. We went looking for him all day yesterday, to no avail. Last night, a local animal control officer got a call on a dog that had been shot and killed by a man. The dog she listed matched Kodi's appearance. A while later, we confirmed the identity of the dog as mine. The man that shot him said that Kodi was trying to attack him and his chickens. However, after inspecting the cage where he kept the chickens (a 9 foot tall chain link fence) it proved obvious that there was no way Kodi could've gotten in. Regarding the assault on the man, Kodi was sweet and never attacked anyone, not even in defense. This dog was my life and I want to see this man pay for his actions. Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 You can mourn your dog and be more careful with the next one.  You weren't there. He could have been attempting to breach the fence. A person has a right to defend their property from animals.

> Kodi was sweet and never attacked

Has he been around chickens? Even dogs you know very well can be unpredictable. It's entirely possible the chickens set him off.

> This dog was my life and I want to see this man pay for his actions

Stop it. YOUR dog escaped and went onto HIS property.


Title: Coworker held me against my will, threatened me and tried to force me to cover up an incident. (California)

Question:
I am submitting this again as I kept details out of the original post because I assumed it was not necessary to extrapolate the incident. People have come up with wild accusations against me that are not even close to being true.

A coworker, who is a security guard and occasionally my supervisor, overheard that I was going to report him for an incident that he covered up and put me in a bad situation due to gross misconduct on his part. The situation I was reporting him for, he threatened me that I would be the one getting in trouble and placed the blame squarely on me and told me not to report it. Because of his misconduct I was put in a compromising, humiliating and unfair situation.

He then trapped me in an elevator, blocking my exit and refused to let me leave the elevator and disabled it from operating effectively unlawfully detaining me as I demanded several times that he let me out, of which he refused. He attempted to intimidate me and was harassing me in front of two witnesses, one of which was also trapped in the elevator with me. I was in the elevator more than a minute. I have reported to everything already to HR.

- I was held by him against my will with no viable means of leaving
- This was in no way a valid detention
- He is threatening me
- I do not feel safe

I want to know what knowledge I should be informed of when I go to the meeting with upper management to keep this guy away from me. I also want to know what legal actions I can take against him. I am not interested in a lawsuit, I am more concerned with my safety and well being while at work or from potential retaliation.

Answer: You should have called the police.


Title: [CA] [PA] Getting debt collector calls about a location I haven't lived in for over 3 years.

Question:
Hi everyone, if this isn't the appropriate place for this post, please let me know.  Also, forgive any errors I'm on mobile.

I've been getting calls from a Philadelphia based number for about a week and a half now.  I called back today on my way to work to discover it's from "Southwest Credit Systems".  They're attempting to collect over $300 from me for a gas bill, from a location I lived in over 3 years ago, in Philadelphia.

The strange thing is, I 1) have not lived in that location for over 3 years and I currently reside on the other side of the country in California and (2) when I lived in the Philadelphia location, I moved in the middle of a semester, when the lease and utilities had already been set up amongst the occupants of the house.  I just paid the other people in the house and bills were handled that way.

I'm assuming whoever was on the gas bill didn't pay, then gave my name or something to that effect, as there is no paperwork or anything that would tie me to that residence, I essentially was a guest that paid bills.

I was told I need to file a fraud report, then submit that to them to have the debt cleared from my name.  So my questions are (1) Since I live in California now, do I go to the CA police?  Do I call the Philadelphia police department?  (2) Is this just a straight scam? (3) Is there anything else I can do outside of filling with the police?

Thank you!

Answer:
 It's their job to verify the debt, not your job to provide them some fraud report.

Ask in writing for verification and validation of the debt. Lots of resources online explaining how to do that.


Title: Not allowed access to apartment from 9-5 (Austin, TX)

Question:
In Austin TX.

I just received this notice yesterday:

>On Tuesday February 16, 2016 our contractor will being removal and replacement of the wood walkway and stair system leading up to your unit. The process will consist of pouring concrete in various locations, removing and replacing existing metal railing, complete removal and replacement of wood support beams and walk boards. In order for this process to be as efficient as possible and to ensure your personal safety at all times, your full cooperation will be necessary.

>As needed, there will be temporary walk ways and/or railings in place for your to access your apartment. The contractor will re-store full access to your unit at the end of every day. __However, while repairs are taking place at your particular breezeway, you will not be allowed to enter/exit your apartment from 9am-5pm.__

After talking to the management office, they said that they are not sure how long these repairs will take place (although my neighbor said when he talked to them, they estimated April).

Is there anything that I can do? Would this be grounds for me breaking my lease?

Thank you!

Answer:
 Call the Austin Tenants Council, and check your lease.

http://www.austintenantscouncil.org/index.htmlAnswer #2: No one from the complex can legally stop you from entering/exiting your apartment. If construction workers can go in and out then so can you. They're not hermetically sealing it like a hatch in space. Just do it safely and be aware of the construction taking place and you'll be fine. If some construction workers says no you can tell him to fuck right off; you're paying to live there. It's yours.

Edit: You legally can't barricade someone in their home or remove any safe route of egress for fire/medical reasons. If someone can get out then you can get in. They can request you not and you can tell them NO!


Title: Neighbor and kids caused cosmetic damage to my car. I want her to cover the cost for repairs. She won't because my car "already looked wrecked"

Question:
I drive an older car which has been in several accidents. The hood is a little crumpled and and the back bumper is dented in. I've got some tape holding the tail light together. Someone keyed the passenger side door and I never got it fixed.

Last week, my neighbor parked really close to me,in the apartment complex parking lot, and was getting her kids out of her mini van while I was walking to my car to go to work

The mom pulled a side door open and scraped up my drivers side door, and when she and her kids were getting sports equipment from the van the kids bashed up my left side mirror and scraped the paint more on the left side of my car. I could see the mom watch the son try to squeeze a bike by my car and drag it all down the side. She didn't say anything or try to stop him.

I confronted her right then and said that I would like her to pay for repairs to the damage she and her children had caused. I did not say or imply that I would make her cover any other damage to the car

She said no because my car already looked wrecked and it was ridiculous I'd be asking for money for detailing work on a shitty old car. I couldn't be late for work so I said I would speak to her later about getting my car repaired.

Now, while I know my car's ugly, it still upsets me that she and her kids would treat my property with no care at all...  Whether it's an expensive new car or a junker, you shouldn't go scraping up someone else's car knowingly. I'll have to sell the car eventually, and additional damage really reduces its value.

I live in Pennsylvania

How can I go about getting damages paid for?

Answer: "Be that as it may, you still damaged my car."


Title: Tenant without hot water for a year. (TX) They will not replace large boilers.

Question: I have issued over 10 requests about the hot water. I Iive in a large complex (20 buildings) who share 4 boilers. 2 boilers have been "underproducing" hot water since June of 2014. I have tried everything to get this resolved. I get the run around and they have informed me on Friday they will not be replacing the boilers. I have lived here three years perfect record. I have taken cold showers and bath for over a year. Is there any leverage I have as a tenant? Or anyone I could contact about this? Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 http://www.housing-rights.org/repairs.html

Says that hot water is required by law. I'd contact your city tomorrow and complain.Answer #2: the law requires your landlord to furnish a water heating device that produces hot water of at least 120 degrees F. failure to do so can be found to be a material breach of habitability standards. note that you can be required to pay for the utility service; they don't have to supply water, only a working water heater.

you can sue in the local JP court to break your lease, and you can ask that the judge order the management to pay your moving costs. any documentation you have of complaints and their responses will be helpful.

if you choose to go this route, i'd do a "final demand" letter prior to filing the suit, and give them seven days to repair or respond. deliver the notice in accordance with the written notices section of your lease, or by certified mail, return receipt requested.

you want to do written notices because all this stuff should be in writing; you want to do seven days because texas law presumes seven days as a "reasonable time" to remedy most defects, although that can be adjusted depending on the issue. but seven days is an excellent starting point.

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/PR/8/92/B/92.052


Title: Crew doing renovations at my apartment stole almost $1000 worth of stuff in the one specific spot they told us to put everything. Anything i can do but hope the police catch them?

Question: The apartment complex in Baton Rouge im currently living at decided to do renovations while i was living there. Received 3 emails stating that all valuables need to be stored in the closet with the door closed because they have nothing to do in there. I leave while they are working to go to work and come home to find the closet open with about $1000 worth of stuff gone, including my social security card. Any legal action i can take on the apartment complex or the contractors?

Answer: Did you call the police to report the theft?


Title: Manitoba Canada divorcing a narcissist.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > We will be incorporating our business soon

Wait what? Do you want to seperate your life from this man or not? Because starting a business together with somebody falls firmly in the "not" camp. If you can run a business with him you can run a business by yourself or with another partner. Answer #2: > Nhusband

Staaahhhhpppp that.


Title: [FL] Landlord (management company) updates their lease term, asked to be named as "interested party" on now required renter's insurance.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Naming someone as an additional insured just means that, basically, if you make a claim on your insurance, they can too.

For example, if you cause a fire that destroys the apartment, you can file with your renters insurance for your belongings, and they can file for the building damage.

This is pretty typical and it's a proactive measure by your landlord. It's also a really good idea for your landlord to require renters insurance. It protects them as well as their tenants. Answer #2: NAL, this seems pretty reasonable to me. They want to make sure that if you set fire to the place, your insurance will cover it. And that if your dog bites someone, they are not subject to lawsuit because the dog lives on their property.


Title: Fired for something everyone else does? (VA)

Question:
I've been picked on and singled out by my boss for a good 6 - 9 months. I finally broke down and talked to HR, which got me no where. 3 months after talking to HR, I was "terminated" for something that is dismissed and ignored for other employees.

Details: I'm an inside sales rep. The manager is flooding the floor and turning it into a traditional call center. The territories are really getting small, and there are less and less prospects to talk to. However, we have to meet a 28% occupancy and 7 dials an hour, otherwise be docked our commission by 20%, no matter how well we are performing in sales. So the team generally has tricks: dialing very slowly, listening and re-listening to voicemails over and over again, leaving calls on hold excessively, calling family and other coworkers, etc.

My manager has been looking for a reason to get rid of me, so he said that it's because I'm "padding my metrics" which is "stealing from the company."

So Yes, it's obvious why that would be frowned upon, but I never signed anything that said I couldn't do it and literally 75% of the team does it regularly.

tl;dr: I'm in VA, which is an at-will state. Manager fired me for something everyone else does. Do I have any options?

Answer: Yes. Your option is to find a new job. This is perfectly legal.


Title: [FL] A neighbor dented my car and is claiming that due to Florida policy, I'M supposed to pay for it because of PIP insurance rules

Question:
Full disclosure here: I am temporarily residing in Florida on an internship with NASA.  I am new to the area and am insured as an Arizona resident.  This is literally my second day here and I wake up to an old man knocking on my door.  He asked me about the black car (2013 Impreza, still paying on it if relevant) in the street.  I tell him it's mine, he said he "bumped it" with his truck but it can probably be punched out.

I go outside to look with him and I have a huge (1 ft plus) dent in my back bumper.  The light isn't damaged and the side panel is untouched but the corner is crumpled and even though it isn't hanging off, some of the attachment tabs have come undone and the damaged is obviously permanent.  I was already running late and he lives across the street so I took pictures and came over there later today.  I told him I'd gotten an estimate from one of the Subaru places here for around $700-800 dollars (I still need to go in to get the full quote).

He starts telling me that Florida is a PIP state and because of no coverage, I need to work it out with my insurance.  I have looked this up and it appears to be BS.  He also suggested ordering the part and having his friend put it on to avoid labor costs.  I don't want to do this for obvious reasons.  I want my car fixed by a professional.  Does it appear that I'm legally in the right?

Basically I already know I need to put my foot down.  I'm asking what the best way to proceed is, especially if he's uncooperative.  He already admitted fault to me but I do not have it on record.  Do I just get the quote from the dealership, walk up to his front door and say "This is the cost.  You can either pay it out of pocket, use your insurance, or we need to report this and let the courts decide"?  Or is it more complicated than that?

Answer: He is full of shit. PIP stands for personal injury protection - that form of coverage is entirely irrelevant to the situation at hand. Make a claim with your insurance and they can get it from him or his insurance.


Title: Ex is driving me crazy, should I talk to her first?

Question:
 The story goes like this: I met her through a mutual friend of ours on a birthday party. I thought she was really cute and acted real shy towards me, but we hit it off at the party. Nothing happened, but I managed to get her number, and we started texting each other regularly. A week later, I asked her out, it went well, and the rest is history. Seven months later, I got offered a new and better job overseas working for a foreign marriage agency. I really need the money, so I accepted it; but the news didn’t go over so well with her.

Basically, she flipped out and said some things that were deeply hurtful, and she simply can’t take it all back now. After her outburst, I realized the many things that were wrong with our relationship, from her controlling behavior to her manipulative tendencies. Well, I ended things but now she won’t stop contacting me- and my friends. More than thrice, she showed up to my apartment unannounced and let herself in using her spare key. She even threatened to leak some explicit photos of me that were shared in confidence if I don’t get back together with her. What can I do from a legal standpoint? Should I file a restraining order or talk some sense into her first? Please help, I don’t want to take extreme measures if it can be avoided.

Answer:
 Where are you located? Weren't you moving overseas?

No matter what, ask your landlord about changing your locks.


Title: How can I stop someone from selling essential oils to dog owners as "natural remedies"? These oils are toxic to dogs.

Question:
TL;DR Someone is selling essential oils that are toxic to dogs as natural remedies for their ailments. Can they be reported to someone beyond the report function on the site?

I couldn't get this to crosspost here but I originally posted it on /r/dogs. The shop is online hosted by a common selling site (can I specify which one?) and the seller is in Minnesota. She also operates a kennel, but I felt weird doing personal research on someone I've never met so I didn't dig further. It's not a small store either, they've had over 2,000 sales. I am in Tennessee, if that matters.

I reported them on the basis of selling a prohibited substance since they list "toxic substances" as prohibited, but they also have a disclaimer on their page that these aren't "intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases". They also include that they shouldn't be a substitute for a vet's advice. This is pretty far down the store page and they do admit to advising people on what to buy based on their dog's condition. I'm not sure if it's enough to avoid violating the site rules.

I admit that I don't know all the oils and quantities that can hurt a dog, but I know at the very least that it's snake oil. Some of the products don't list all the oils use and just say "essential oils", with the actual list of oils used placed far down in the item description.

Including my comment that expanded on this: I know peppermint oil is being used and can cause burns. It looks like the other toxic ones they use are citrus, pine, wintergreen, and ylang ylang, but I could have missed some. I don't see tea tree oil. I know most people dilute them a lot so I'm not sure if it's enough to actually harm a dog.

(I removed some possibly identifying details here, but it was just more on them advising people on treatment.)

Question:

Is there a way to intervene and assuredly stop them from selling these products online other than the built in report function? Is this illegal on grounds of animal abuse/neglect, fraud, etc.?
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 You can attempt to report them through FDA and/or FTC. Those are the government agencies that would determine if the business practices are illegal.Answer #2: Try reporting them to Minnesota humane society. https://www.mnhumane.org/report.html

And/or try reporting them to the attorney general. https://www.ag.state.mn.us/office/complaint.aspAnswer #3: The Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine would probably like to have this information. Veterinary boards generally don’t enjoy when people attempt to practice veterinary medicine without a license. You could also reach out to the AVMA, but starting with the state might be best.

They are all mostly working from home right now due to our StayHomeMN orders, so here is their email address: vet.med@state.mn.us


Title: [FL] [Medical] Sister's 72h psych hold is up but hospital says she cannot leave

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Based off what your sister said, I surmise that they offered her to stay voluntarily committed, which means that it won't affect her future (like owning a firearm and all that), but if she tries to leave before they clear here, they'll involuntarily commit her.

Basically, for people that need additional help but the staff believe they'll be cooperative, they'll urge the person to voluntarily stay so that they don't get the negative ramifications of an involuntary committal.  These people are "free to leave", but will then be declared as a danger to themselves and be involuntarily institutionalized.

You need to understand that these people are professional caregivers, know more about your sister's predicament than you do, and you are powerless to go against their recommendation.  If the doctor allows it, you're free to travel to Florida and visit with her, but instead of trying to take her away, it's best for her if you convince her that the doctor's are doing their best to help her and once her treatment is finished, she'll be free to come home.


Title: Washington, DC - Would anyone with access to American Society for Testing and Materials methods D7900 & D7169 be willing to share?

Question:
I need to read the details of the methods. My office is planning on buying them, but that will be long after the deadline that I am to finish my research/writing.

Thanks!

Answer:
 Is that proprietary information you're asking for?

If so, you *badly* misjudged your audience here.

In addition to misunderstanding the whole purpose of the sub.

1/10


Title: [IL] Mother received movie copyright infringement lawsuit in mail HELP!

Question:
Yesterday my Mother received an envelope from Lawyers about a Movie Copyright Infringement that happened in August.  She immediately called me because they're telling her she needs to pay $5000 to settle this or it's going to be taken to court and she could face up to a $150000 fine.  Upon hearing this I thought it was a scam, but I decided to come over and check it for myself and it is 100% legit case file and everything.

I know for a fact she didn't download it and neither my sister who lives with her, however my brother and his friends did stay at the house for about 2 weeks back in late august early September.  So I called my brother up and asked him. He said No he didn't download the Movie in question and he would call up his friends and ask them all.  Well he called them up and none of them confessed and I don't know what to do.

She can't afford $5000 as she works paycheck to paycheck, my brother and my self can only pitch in a little bit but
 nowhere near $5000.  Should she contact the lawyers suing her to see if they can reduce the settlement cost?  Because she can't afford to fight this in court.

Answer: She hasn't been sued. That's a letter warning her to settle or she may be sued.   Of course everybody is going to deny it. It could be a scam or it couldn't be. Did they provide any evidence?


Title: After 15 years with the government my wife was terminated for giving a person a date...is this fair?

Question:
Some backstory. She worked for the federal court system, for many years and her job was labeled as essential (her position could not be terminated due to reorganization etc.) Recently this year a new manager came in and for reasons I can't go into decided to form a personal vendetta against her. Since they couldn't directly fire her...they waited until they could catch her on a technicality.

Someone from the general public calls in to her desk one day and asks if they received a letter/paperwork that was sent to her office. She responds with approval and stated the date we received it.

The same person from the public emails some of the employees in her office looking for this document or asking about its status. When the person provides the info (date of receiption etc.) This one particular manager decides to cite this as grounds for dismissal.

Her reason being that anything read off of her computer screen was considered confidential information. As such she was in violation of the code of conduct for federal employees.

Long story short my wife is mortified at the situation and believes that she was targeted personally and dismissed on a very thin premise.

Is there any recourse for her to appeal or contest this matter? Where would she even start as its federal position? Thanks in advance for any info you may be able to share.

Location: Alaska

Answer: I can sympathize with that personally.  And I would love to see the policy in writing that says received dates are confidential.  Are they not under a union over there?


Title: help don't know whats happening

Question: I met up with a girl from tinder and she said she was 18.nothing happened but I got a text from her father 4 days later/just now that shes missing and also a minor of 17. He said that he is filling a missing persons report and I'll be first on the list. What do i do? California Usa

Answer: If the police call you and tell you they really don't think it's you but they just want to ask you a few quick questions to clear you from the suspect list, what are you going to do?


Title: Friend says that it's illegal for police officer to have gotten my phone number from my bf's mother? (Florida USA)

Question:
My BF's mother went through his phone records and gave the police officer my number when she wanted him to conduct a welfare check in response to his suicidal threats.

I was confused when I got a text from a number I didn't know from someone claiming to be Sgt XYZ asking about my BF. Doesn't seem like standard protocol but what do I know? I had a sneaking suspicion that this was fake so I called the number and spoke to the guy.

I reiterated my concern with another friend who works in law enforcement and he says that what the officer did (getting my number from my BF's mom) was totally illegal and he could lose his job. Umm what?

Does anyone happen to know anything about this? My BF is okay but I have a weird sneaking suspicion that I may not have been actually speaking to a police officer if that's the case....

Answer:
 Depends on a lot of other factors, but I doubt it is illegal.

Don't contact the police officer again, and don't respond to their communications until you have spoken with a criminal defense attorney (if you have something to be worried about).


Title: Amazon damaged our garage door- now won't return our calls

Question:
Last Monday, an Amazon driver hit our garage door, damaging it so that it can't open or close.

He attempted to drive away without delivering our packages, at which one of our neighbors saw it and stopped it. He then reported it.

Amazon promptly said they would take care of it, and we had a police officer take a report.

Amazon handed it over to a (assuming) third party claims company, and the point of contact has not returned our 3 calls in the past 2 weeks. Calling Amazon's customer service directly, they said it's handed off the the claims company and can't see status but they will escalate.

At this point we can't get in or out of our garage, so our cars are parked outside. I can't mow the lawn or do other things which causes a cost since we have to hire people to do our lawn.

Is this something that can be taken to small claims? Should i get it fixed and continue bugging them to recoup us the cost? Or is it better to go straight to an attorney.

Answer: Do you have homeowners insurance? This is what you pay them for and they can go after Amazon/then claim company.


Title: [URGENT] My son sent inappropriate picture of my other son to random phone number - what do I do?

Question:
Hello

My older son, 12, found a video my younger son took of himself while he was taking a poop.  For a brief instance my younger son's penis is seen.  My older son took a screen shot to send to himself, so he could show us ( I believe that was his intention, i believe him not smart enough just to bring the device to us and show us).  Instead of sending picture to himself, he sent it to a phone number that was  a digit off from his.  Now a random person has been sent a picture of my youngest's penis.  I don't know what to do, I'm freaking out and am really worried for my the elder son, my youngest son, and basically my whole life.
State is Minnesota.  I feel like what we do in the next 1 hour will make a difference.
Before I knew the hole story, i looked to see if the picture had been sent to anyone.  This is when I learned that it had, and my son came clean about what happened.
I called the number before knowing what reallly happened because I'm wondering if something else was going on with this number (like requesting this or something -- i was really worried about that).  I called the number and left a voicemail with my number to call back.

Please any advice is needed - the more timely the better.

Answer:
 Delete the pictures and take the camera away from your younger son. Move on.

Stop calling people.


Title: If I hire a famous artist to paint a mural on my front door and a solicitor damages it by knocking, are they liable for damages?

Question: Say I spend $25000 having a beautiful mural painted right on my front door, and some vacuum cleaner salesman or political canvasser knocks and causes damage. Are they or their company liable for the cost of repair?

Answer:
 No; ordinary wear and tear from expected and reasonable use generally does not establish liability. If you put something fragile on your door, it's mostly your job to make sure it can withstand the things doors are ordinarily used for.

If some greybeard deliberately scuffs a mark in it with their cane, that's a different story. They may be responsible for the cost of patching up the damage.


Title: Is what this landlord trying to do legal?? (Copy of lease included)

Question:
I am from Georgia and I am currently trying to move in with two of my friends who just moved into a rental home (2 Bedroom 1 bath and no dishwasher) less than a month ago. We went to the landlord at her place of work to ask her if it was ok since there is a 3rd line on the lease for another tenant. She asked for my ID and wanted to see proof of employment. This is where I believe I made my mistake. I showed my direct deposits from the last month and it shows that I have received over $15,000 in a month. This is because I am an insurance adjuster and worked HUrricane Matthew the month before. Now we believed there would be no if very little increase in the rent as Clause 3 of the lease agreement states that if anyone becomes a new tenant by staying over a week (approved by the landlord) then they would have to pay part of the $650 a month rent.

This is where things get a little crazy. I get a phone call the next day and here is the voicemail verbatim. This is **** ***, *** **** Landlady. We (the owners of the property) had a roundtable discussion and we believe an additional $2000 a month is fair. We have a small septic tank on that house, and we believe that 2 months would cover the cost of that septic tank. So if you're interested give me a call back. I would have to have you sign part of the lease, but this would be month to month."

Now I do not know if this means $200 extra for as long as I stay here or if it means just two months to pay for a septic tank. EIther way, is this legal and what are my options? How should I approach this without ruining my best friends new place? A copy of the lease is in the link below and all personal information has been redacted. Any PROFESSIONAL legal advice would be very much appreciated asap because this is time sensitive. Thank you soooo much and I am so glad this reddit is here for this because we could not find a lawyer to help. Thank you.

EDIT: I am more looking more for leverage for re-negotiation more than anything else. I am willing to pay $100 extra if needed, but not $200. I just want leverage because this doesn't seem right as she told my friend there would be nothing else needed for a third tenant other than a signature and proof of residence.

[Link for the Lease (Google Docs view only)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bylo0cTijfATa3V3dHY3WHY3TnM/view?usp=sharing)

THIS IS FOR GEORGIA RENTAL.

Answer:
 Not really a legal question.   Yes, the landlord can offer whatever she likes in negotiations to adjust the contract.   You can counter-offer whatever you like.   But...

She's seeing dollar signs when she looks at you.   You'll probably want to find an apartment until your friends get off lease, then move together elsewhere.

And learn what visitation clause is on their lease, cause she'll potentially make trouble if you visit too often.Answer #2: Is your name listed in clause 1 as a tenant? If no, then, per clause 10, you need landlord permission to be added. Her permission is coming at the cost of $200/mo.

>EIther way, is this legal and what are my options?

Yes. You can accept, decline, or try to negotiate.

>Now we believed there would be no if very little increase in the rent as Clause 3 of the lease agreement states that if anyone becomes a new tenant by staying over a week (approved by the landlord) then they would have to pay part of the $650 a month rent.

No, clause 3 does not make visitors into tenants. It says that anyone staying without permission is a violation of the lease. Violating the lease can mean grounds for eviction.


Title: (IL) Dad fired from autoshop days after giving his two weeks notice, will he be paid for the work he did on an unfinished car?

Question:
Title explains itself. Days after he submitted his two weeks notice, he got a text today effectively dismissing him from his position. Problem: He worked on a few cars and left them in a shop after he ran out of time to work on them on Friday.

Will he be compensated for any of those remaining hours?

Answer: He must be paid for all hours worked.


Title: Is it actually illegal to try to trigger stop lights by stopping on sensors? [Oregon]

Question:
A while back I realized if I stopped further back from the car ahead of me on the second sensor at a stop light it makes the light change quicker. I timed it out, and it works.

It then occurred to me that this *might* be illegal. But I really have no idea, or where to even check.

Answer: This is kind of the point of the sensors...Answer #2: It's being used as intended. It's legal.


Title: Will the California recreational marijuana law protect employees from being terminated/fired if they test positive? (question is about off the job use)

Answer: IANAL, but a google search says that Californian jobs can fire you for legitimate medical marijauan use, unless the law changes i wouldnt see it be any different for recreational


Title: Going through severe harassment by police. What is the best course of action to take?

Question:
So ill keep this brief, but for the past year or so I've been going thru severe harassment by police. Ive been telling all my friends, family and coworkers about it, but so far have had no decent advice on what to do. It goes all day long, i am literally followed everytime i leave my home. i have to listen to the sound of loud engines outside my house every 10 minutes. I have begun to develop tinnus in my ears, havent been sleeping well, and just have a demotivated mood afterall. i told a psychiatrist about this, and was given advice to try and record the incidents in progress but i don't have the resources available atm to do that(only have a phone).

So guys what would be the best course of action for me to take in this situation? i don't think its fair that they have the power and the conceived right to bully people who are doing absolutely nothing wrong. Also i feel that my mental and physical health is being affected by the harassment. live in ky.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Check your carbon monoxide levels in your home. Make sure your CO detector is functioning with new batteries.

Phones record things. So you can record it.

You have either a physical or mental health issue. The police do not have the time or money to follow your 24/7.


Title: Jiffy Lube May have destroyed my transmission

Question: Last week I went into jiffy lube in California to get a signature oil change. About an hour later, I was on my way. Approximently 1 mile later my car would not go above 40 mph when I was trying to get on the freeway and I could smell smoke. I got off at the first possible exit and found a safe place to pull over (I drove a total of 2-3 miles total). I called jiffy lube and they sent a mechanic and manager to look at my car and determined there was no transmission fluid. I had not asked them to touch my transmission fluid and the sheet they send you home with indicated my transmission fluid was full. They went to go buy transmission fluid to fill it, but after speaking to my husband we decided to get it towed to a mechanic to check it out to make sure no damage was caused by driving without transmission fluid. Our mechanic (local dealership) confirmed that the transmission fluid was very low/almost completely empty and the oil was very over filled. The next day we went back to jiffy lube to complete an incident report and they said they completed an investigation and they accidently emptied the transmission fluid thinking it was the oil and then added more oil. They are currently paying for a rental car and the dealership is running diagnostics to determine what is wrong with the car. Jiffy lube agreed to pay 2k to fix damage to the engine, but the problem we are having now is concerning the transmission. There were some metal shavings in the fluid that remained in the transmission, the hole where the dipstick goes was smoking, and the transmission did slip once while going from 2nd during a test drive. The dealership says they can't definitively say there is damage to the transmission without opening it up and examining it, which is as expensive as rebuilding it. However, they do say that they would normally recommend I replace the transmission with these symptoms. Jiffy lube is saying we should wait to see if the transmission goes out, and if it does they will investigate it and if they determine it was a lack of fluid that caused the damage they will replace it. I do not feel that is acceptable because I do not want to be stressed about my transmission possibility going out at any time or have to deal with my transmission going out when I'm driving down the freeway. I feel that their mistake has clearly caused some damage to the transmission and the only question is how much. The car is a 2009 with about 89k miles and I have been the only owner and have maintained it regularly.  Do I have any recourse if they refuse to replace my transmission? Thank you for your help.

Answer: If the dealer pulls the motor they might as well or may already have pulled the transmission. It doesn't take that long to pull the tranny pan and look inside or split the case. But in reality if they dropped the transmission from the bottom mistaking it for the oil drain plug only about 1/3 of the transmission fluid came out. Leaving enough in the transmission to keep it lubricated enough to not cause damage. But your mileage may vary. Tell the dealer to just diagnose the transmission now while it's out of the car.


Title: [AB] [UPDATE] Horse training client is now threatening to sue me - does she actually have grounds to?

Question:
[First post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/48yfjb/ab_horse_training_client_is_refusing_to_move_her/)

So this morning she insisted that I come into the farm this weekend and show her what her horses can do. I do not have time for that, nor is it anywhere in our agreement that I have to prove anything or get to a specific point with any horses. The agreement is that I will work x amount of horses for x amount of days for x price, which I did.

She is threatening to sue me for the cost of training and board because I will not show up and work her horses for her on last minute notice.

However, I boarded her horses and worked with them 5days/week as we agreed. So she has used the services she's paid for - so, legally, no leg to stand on?

Edit: I have sent her the following message: "It is unfortunate that you are unhappy with my services but this is the first I've been informed. You were welcome to terminate our agreement at any time. If you are considering litigation you can advise me of your retained lawyer and have them contact mine."

Any advice/pep talks at all? I have never been threatened with a suit before.

Edit #2: I sent that message and she got defensive saying she was not actually considering legal action (so I guess I called a bluff??) and she said all she wants is for me to show her the horses - but again, I am under no obligation, legal, professional, or otherwise, to take time out of my day to do so. And at this point, especially after a legal threat, I really don't think it's wise to grant that request.

Edit #3: she's said she intends to keep the horses here until I show them off to her, is there any recommended response? Or should I just have a lawyer send her a "GTFO" letter? I have not sent her ANYTHING since I told her to give me her lawyer's name.

Answer: These sound like diversion tactics to me. Has she made any other mention of getting her horses off the property by tomorrow?Answer #2: Establish a price for site visits that makes it worth your while. You don't have to do anything for free.


Title: How is a joint account with a friend divided in divorce?

Question: A very close friend and I set up a joint Vanguard account when we were younger. Over the years, it has grown to a large sum, and both continue to put in small deposits. Will my spouse be entitled to any of this money? Thanks.

Answer:
 Why on earth would you set up a joint account with a friend that isn't your spouse?  Never mind, it's not really relevant... but it makes me scratch my head.

The answer to your question is yes \- the money in that account is an asset of yours and therefore your spouse can claim it's a marital asset.  And since you've continued to put in deposits during the marriage, I would tend to agree that it is a marital asset.  I hope you can clearly determine how much of the money in the account is yours and how much is your friend's.

My advice is, if divorce hasn't gotten started yet, split up the joint account now.


Title: Ugly situation with an accident

Question:
Ok, here goes. A bit worried here.

So I live with my mom and she has the title to my car that I drive. We have it insured with the minimum coverage.

Liability Coverage

Bodily Injury Limits
Each Person, Each Accident
$15,000 $30,000
Property Damage Limit
Each Accident
$10,000

So I let a friend borrow the car while I am fixing her car. Her son took it without permission apparently in the middle of the night to go to work. I get a call last night at 3am from my friend saying her son wrecked the car. Apparently, he was in an accident and was dazed and confused and ended up at home. He was bloody, and just wanted to go to sleep and ignore everything.

The mom was just getting back from work (she got a ride that day) and he was dozing in and out. Apparently he was wandering and someone gave him a ride back home. He then went to hospital. I am trying to figure out what is going on, and she doesn't know either. Some hours later the family went to accident site, and the car is gone. Highway patrol had it towed.

The kid (22) claimed he wrecked it and no one else was involved. I called the state police and the car was at the towing company. It was a mess.

I went in to the police station and wrote a quick statement. The trooper that was investigating it called me that night and asked how to get a hold of the kid. She said he sent people to the hospital and left the car in the middle of the freeway. I was shocked, and  I was actually sleeping when she called.  I do not know the extent of injuries to the people.

Anyway, what are likely outcomes here? I told my mom the information I had at the time, was that he wrecked the car and no one else was involved. Now i'm going to have to break the news that people went to the hospital and she is going to explode.

We have insurance on the car, but it is minimal. We don't care about the car (the friend is giving us hers). What if they want to sue for more than $30K?

Again i'm waiting for more details and to hear back from the trooper, but until then this entire situation makes me sick.

Thanks

Edit state is Nevada

Edit twist : still waiting for call (both of us) from detective. My friend called detective and left voicemail. I checked out car before it was towed and it looks like someone hit him in the rear. Now he is saying he was driving and that he felt something hit from the rear and spun out. He was skiddish on details during accident because he had a minor concussion and was confused. His mom said he was going in and out of consciousness before he went to hospital for cat scan

Answer:
 This is likely going to end unbelievably poorly for your insurance. You could subsequently sue the kid for the $$ but it's also equally unlikely he has the money for that. I would immediately inform your insurance about this.

Also, there is a high chance this kid is facing felonies if he left the scene of an accident with bodily injury/damage over XX amount.


Title: Received ticket for driving without insurance. Remembered shortly after that I had an electronic copy. (Bonus: false information on ticket) [US/WA]

Question:
Location: Chehalis, WA

I was pulled over for speeding. When asked for my proof of insurance, the only card I had was expired. The officer gave me a citation for both speeding and operating a motor vehicle without proof of insurance. Shortly after, I remembered that, because I just got a new insurance policy and the physical cards hadn't arrived yet, I had a digital copy of my insurance card on my phone. This copy was sent via e-mail, so the metadata can show that I never had a lapse in insurance and I had the electronic copy before the incident.

Can I contest the charge of driving without insurance given that I did have insurance?

~~Bonus question:~~

~~On the ticket the officer wrote that I have a 2012 Civic, but it's a 2005. Any advice on whether this can get the ticket thrown out?~~

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 You can take your proof of insurance to court and most likely walk out with just court costs. However, it's not automatic as the crime is actually *operating without proof of insurance*.... so being on a policy means nothing, you're being charged for not having proof on you. But most courts will dismiss with proof.

As for the speeding ticket, heh. Good try. No. Answer #2: > Can I contest the charge of driving without insurance given that I did have insurance?

Well, the charge is actually "driving without *proof* of insurance." You actually violated that law. However, depending on the DA's policy, it's quite possible to get this charge dropped. Just bring proof of insurance with you to court.

> On the ticket the officer wrote that I have a 2012 Civic, but it's a 2005. Any advice on whether this can get the ticket thrown out?

No. Clerical errors can be easily corrected and happen on a regular basis. This has no bearing on whether or not you committed the crimes in question.


Title: [CA] Landlord is trying to change our lease end date. Can he do that?

Question:
My lease says that our time in the apartment is not finished until September 19th; however, management has since changed. The new manager told us that the September 19th date on the lease was a mistake made by the old manager and doesn't match his records. Now he is saying we have to be out by August 31st.

Is he allowed to do this? Our lease clearly says that we have until September 19th, and my new lease doesn't start until September 15th, so if I have to be out by August 31st, I won't have a place to live for two weeks.

Answer:
 Do you have a copy of this lease? No, he isn't allowed to do that. Neither the landlord nor the tenant can arbitrarily change that date. However, you're gonna need something stating September 19 to prove that your lease extends that long.

Also, pretty sure California requires more than 27 days notice to vacate.


Title: [PA] Mother is attempting to withhold inheritance

Question:
Hi all,

So I haven't spoken to my mother or step-father for about 4 years now. A few weeks ago my father called me to let me know that my mother had contacted him to let him know that my step-father's mother had passed away and had left an inheritance to the grandchildren; I being one of them.

My mother told my father that she wouldn't release the payment to me unless I agreed to meet with her; so I have a few questions:

* Can she legally withhold the inheritance from me unless I meet with her? I have to believe this wouldn't be legal unless built into the will (which I don't believe it to be) but wanted to be sure

* It's possible she is lying about an inheritance altogether to get me to meet with her; is there any way to find out if this is true without having to speak with her or that side of the family?

* If the inheritance does exist how can I circumvent my mother and collect it on my own? If I didn't collect it what would happen to it?

Answer:
 You need to find out who the executor of the estate is and contact them directly about your inheritance. They'll be the ones to give you the money if you were included in the will, not your mother. Unless your mother is the executor at which point you do need to talk to her about it. You don't need to meet with her per se, but she does need your contact info to cut you a check. If she refuses you can get yourself an estate attorney and sue for whatever your inheritance is. Depending on the dollar amount that may or may not be worth it. Answer #2: 1) No she cannot withhold the inheritance if you are named in the will,  however if her husband is the executor of the will they can stretch things out quite a bit at her direction, which might make a simple meeting the quickest and easiest path

2) Absolutely!  It strikes me a pretty strange that the mother of your step father who you are estranged from would specifically include you in a will.  If there was no will, you would get nothing from her estate since you are not a grandchild of the decedent.

3) If it does exist, and you in fact are named in the will, you should be contacted during probate.  If after ~1 year or so and you haven't heard anything, contact the courthouse where the will was probated.


Title: Can someone get fired while on medical leave?

Question: Started a new job recently. Was diagnosed with an illness this week that requires immediate attention. I will be out of the office for about 8 weeks. HR notified me that I am not guaranteed to have my job back since I am not covered under FMLA. However, I already have a a disability in addition to the illness I was diagnosed with recently. What happens next?

Answer: If you aren't covered by FMLA, they are not required to hold your job for you.


Title: Can I purchase a firearm?

Question:
 I'm currently 18 years old and living in the state of California and would like to purchase a firearm for self defense. However skimming through the requirements I found this, **If someone is placed on a 72-hour hold (also known as a “5150”) as a danger to themselves or others and admitted to a facility for treatment, they are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms for five years from the date of admission to the facility. (California Welfare and Institutions Code, sections 8100 - 8108)**

**If someone has been placed on a 14-day hold (5250), they are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms under California law, and for life under federal law. (California Welfare and Institutions Code, sections 8100 - 8108)** "
 I've been hospitalized twice, once when I was 12 and another time when I was 13 also in February of 2012 I was placed in a rehab facility by my parents for a little over a month. All those issues were however due to family disputes and the cops eventually caught onto it and told my parents that they can't simply keep using these facilities as a punishment unless I have mental health issues. So would I be able to purchase a firearm since this all happened while I was a minor or how would it work?

Answer: Well, no matter what, you cannot purchase a handgun until you turn 21, under Federal law.  Some places allow you to own a handgun at a younger age (receive as a gift, inheritance, etc).  Federal law prevents purchase of a rifle or shotgun to anyone under 18 as well.


Title: My social security cost of living increase is stolen by my housing authority through rent increase and No One Can Explain How This Is Legal

Question:
   After working for 36 years, I became seriously ill and, once my saving were depleted by medical bills, I was forced to live in HUD and section 8 housing on a disability stipend, a shamefully low amount considering what I paid in.
   The annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) I sometimes receive are paltry, but help immensely. However.
   Since I relocated to California, every time I get a COLA, my housing authority RAISES my rent to nearly match that amount. For example, the 2019 social security COLA is 2.8%.  My rent was increased 2.7%.
   This didn’t happen in other states. How is it legal in California??

Answer:
 >After working for 36 years, I became seriously ill and, once my saving were depleted by medical bills, I was forced to live in HUD and section 8 housing on a disability stipend, a shamefully low amount considering what I paid in. The annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) I sometimes receive are paltry, but help immensely. However. Since I relocated to California, every time I get a COLA, my housing authority RAISES my rent to nearly match that amount. For example, the 2019 social security COLA is 2.8%. My rent was increased 2.7%. This didn’t happen in other states. How is it legal in California??

Your social security cost of living is supposed to compensate you for the increased cost of living, which per your post, it does.

Which part of you describe you think is illegal?


Title: [CA] My car was repoed, I have a title without a lien holder, the dealership has a different copy saying they are.

Question:
So to start off with, I purchased a used car from a used car dealership back in July. To clear things up, yes I do owe the dealership money, but the specific person I purchased it told me to stop payments. And all payments were made in cash.

He told me that because the first day after owning it 2 tires blew up and I had to replace all the tires and rims out of pocket. The reason that happened was is i have a 2006 Chevy cobalt Lt and There was 22" aftermarket rims on the car. There is also an air bag issue I paid $500 to get fixed which didn't fix it, the battery went bad so I bought a new one, the thermostat stopped working which I haven't fixed yet and a lot more issues with this car.

I've contacted the dealership multiple times but the person I was working with went out of town so they got my contact info and dropped it. I received my title without a lien holder, but my registration had one. I went to the DMV and filed an official complaint with the investigation department back in September and haven't heard back. So I assumed everything was fixed and cleared up until this morning.

After multiple calls today the dealership finally spoke to me and I spoke to the owner. He's claiming I need to pay up all I still owe them plus the repo fees. He's asking for $1100 and claims that is still what I owe, but I've made more then $2000 in repairs in the past 2 months already. Do I have any legal standing? I have records of almost all my receipts (unfortunately I've lost 2 of them) including paperwork from 3 different mechanics I've taken the car to who asked me how the car even managed to pass smog.

I was told I only have 20 days to pay them what I owe them or they will resell my car. I was never contacted from them once, even though ive called them numerous times, not even to be informed they were going to repo my car (which I've read is legal).

How do I even begin to proceed? I work part time making minimum wage and I definitely don't have that kind of money right now. Everything I make all went to fixing this car. I can't even afford Christmas presents for my family because all my money has been going into this car.

Answer:
 Not a lawyer.  Used car guy.   Used cars are sold as is / no warranty in most places.  Some will offer an extended warranty of some sort.  They generally suck unless it's a newer used car with a manufacturer backed warranty.

This doesn't help for this time but in the future you should have a pre-purchase inspection done before you buy a used car as any issues that come up belong to you just like the car.

I can almost guarantee you that the salesman had no authority to wave payments or balance due.  This is a buy here pay here lot?  If so go in and talk to the owner.  If you pay the repo fee and catch up the payments they may be willing to pick the financing back up again.


Title: Landlord gave new tenant key and permission to donate my belongings before lease was up (TX)

Question: I need legal advice, or at least guidance towards my rights as a renter. My family recently moved out of our house we had been renting for 2 years, the landlord found out that the house would be vacant on the 24th of November for an out of town thanksgiving trip. We did not tell him we would be ending the lease on that day nor did he ask. On the 30th of November my brother went to pick up the rest of the belongings that had been left in the garage, to find out that the new tenant had been given a key and permission to drop our stuff off at the goodwill. What annoys me the most is (as a 25 year old father of one), most of the belongings that were left behind were my son's baby toys that have no receipts or record of purchase, most were gifts.

Answer: I'm not saying what your LL did was legal, but was your property actually given away?


Title: Is it acceptable to use your own father as an expert witness?

Question:
Say you had a case where it would be heavily reliant on testimony from an expert witness in an obscure field, and you have a family member (like a father) who is an expert and renowned in that field.

How does it look, and is it allowable to use a close kin as an expert witness?

edit: Uh , FL, CA, and NY

Answer:
 I don't know if it's allowed, but it would look bad. If your relative is a renowned expert in that field, he must have professional contacts in the field who could testify on your behalf. Even if he's friends with them, it looks a heck of a lot better for you.

Basically, the issue is that your relative might decide it's worth risking their reputation to lie on your behalf. A non relative- even a friend of your father's- is much less likely to do so. Answer #2: It doesn't look great on cross.


Title: Threatened legal action for leaving job early

Question:
Location is Ontario, Canada.

I'm still in the probation period, and had signed an employee agreement stating I must give 4 weeks notice of resignation. I declared my two weeks notice of resignation and was threatened up to 4K for "damages to business" for breaching the agreement by leaving earlier. I was taken aback at this immediate threat, as my job is not managerial in nature and no projects depending on me staying the extra weeks.

I imagine that because I'm a contract worker at another company, my current employer would lose an extra two weeks of pay from the contractee because of my earlier resignation (hence the "damages to business").

I, however, would not like to loose the extra weeks of increased pay that I would get from my new employer (where I start immediately after resignation from my current job) and also hinder the advancement of my career, even if by a couple weeks.

So basically I have two options: stick out the extra weeks of work at the place I'm about to quit, or stand on my initial resignation date and risk being taken to court for up to 4K for breaching the contract.

Answer:
 > Location is Ontario, CA.

Ontario, California?

EDIT: Not sure why I'm getting downvoted. [Ontario, CA](http://www.ontarioca.gov/) is a thing.


Title: My idiot friend [16] just withdrew $420 from his debit card and called the company saying it wasn’t him. Can he get in any legal trouble?

Question:
The bank cancelled his card, sent him a new one, and deactivated his old one. Yes there was an ATM camera.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Yes. A lot.Answer #2: Yes.  Bank fraud is a crime.Answer #3: Yes. It's called fraud.Answer #4: Thats gonna cost him more than 420 by the time he needs an attorney.   What a dumbass.Answer #5: Yes. It's called fraud.Answer #6: Yeah he is going to get arrested. As it is a force time offense he will likely be fined and let off with community service or community service and probation. If it is not a first time offense he will likely serve time in jail. What the fuck was he thinking?


Title: Abuse/Adoption/BigTanglyMess

Question:
Ok, so, long story short, a friend will be turning 18 soon and is part of an abusive family, but she doesn’t want to alert CPS because she’s almost 18 and this way she can just go live with another friend and be a dependent of that friend. My 2 questions:
- The friend of hers and I know of her abuse, and we are adults. I know we could get in trouble for knowing of and not reporting the abuse. What should we do? She wants to go straight to living with the friend without any repercussions, and I know that even though she might not want to report them, it should be done. What I worry about is the repercussions to the people want to help in our own way but do not report it.
- Second, once she is living with the friend and depending on him, is there a way to “adopt her” in a way, so that, for example they can visit the other if for any reason one winds up in the hospital or something, or to be able to put her on his insurance and claim her as a dependent and stuff? What needs to be done?

Edit: bot told me I need to put a location. But uh... this ain’t happenin’ in my state. So... PA?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 If abuse is happening call CPS.

Once she’s 18 she’s an adult. She doesn’t need to be adopted and ca acquire her own insurance and designate medical POAs and HIPAA releases like anyone else.

If she wants to create a long term commitment with another adult that’s a marriage.