Title: [California] My company over payed me in my last paycheck without my knowledge. They deducted hours and pay from my current paycheck without my consent to correct themselves. What are my options?

Question:
Hey legaladvice, hope you can help. My company overpaid me by several hundred dollars in my last paycheck without my knowledge. I looked at this pay periods check and it was several hundred dollars short. When looking at the summary, it shows they deducted not only my compensation, but my hours worked, without my written consent.

I know this violates state law. What are my options? My company was recently bought out by a major corporation and ethics have plummeted so I fear this wasn't just an ignorance of state law. I'm furious, because it feels like such a violation on top of an already abusive workplace. This alteration of hours also affects my accrued PTO. I've sent them an email telling them of the discrepancy but haven't mentioned any state law. They haven't responded (but it's been less than 24 hrs). What do I do?? Help Reddit!

edit: small details

Answer:
 obligatory IANAL

So adjusting your hours was definitely the wrong way to do this, but from my understanding they do have the right to recover that money.

So from where we're at now, your only real damage is that you're out some PTO.  If your company can add those lost hours of PTO back everything will be square, so that's what you should strive for.

*If* you were to pursue any sort of legal recourse, the only thing you can collect on is actual damages.  So while they owe you for the deducting your pay, you would then owe them the amount they overpaid.  And my guess is starting this would also get them talking about ending your employment with them.

If the situation is as bad as you say it is you need be looking for a new job.  That's your best recourse.


Title: [Minnesota] Cleaning company scratched and poked holes in my walls

Question:
Hey /r/legaladvice I could use some guidance on this

So I'm selling my house and obviously there's a lot of prep work to do. All the work is finally done with the contractors and the painters and the realtors so I wanted to have a cleaning company come in and make the place look good so I can start showing the house.

I went to work for the day and the cleaners were scheduled to go do their work while I was gone. When I came home I found that they had done a frankly terrible job cleaning and I called the cleaning company to complain. I sent them some pictures and they apologized for the quality of the work and waived the fee.

So no harm no foul, right? Well later the next night I noticed a scratch on my wall with a small hole at the end of it. As best I can tell, it looks like someone scratched my wall with a key and then used it to poke a hole in the wall. Then after walking around my house I found that there were about 10 other identical scratch marks and other holes in the doors/walls throughout my house.

I want to take the cleaners to the cleaners (small claims court) to pay for the damages to my house. My only concern is that I don't have direct evidence that it was them. I know for sure it didn't happen at any point before they came, because that's when my house was painted, and the scratches cut into the brand new paint. And nobody but me was in my house between the cleaners leaving and me discovering the damage.

Is it worth it to try and sue? Is my timeline enough evidence that it couldn't have been anyone else? Or do I not have enough evidence that it was them?

I appreciate any advice, thanks.

TL;DR: Found damage to walls in my house after cleaners were there. It couldn't have possibly happened before they arrived and nobody but me has been in the house since. Is this enough to win in small claims court?

Answer: Go to home depot, patch the walls with some patch, sand it smooth and paint over it the patch.  If the painters didn't leave the extra paint, get the color and get a sample pot. Probably going to cost you 20 bucks total. Materials and labor


Title: Is hitting on a uniformed cop (while they’re on a lunch break, not while they’re working) illegal, etc?

Question:
There was a cute [21-22M] cop at the place I [19F] was eating lunch at and like we were both kinda looking at each other and it seemed like he liked me but also it seemed like a bad idea to hit on a uniformed cop, even if they weren’t currently on duty.

What is the legality behind this? Could I have gotten in trouble if I had? Thanks in advance

Answer:
 Not illegal. Cops deserve some action too.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


Title: Fonts vs. Typefaces & Protections - Check my Understanding?

Question:
Location: FL, United States

Hey there, I'm publishing a book soon, and I wanted to be sure I understand the copyright laws regarding fonts:

Am I correct in understanding that the typeface itself (The series of glyphs) is not protected, but the actual font package is?

A few of my illustrations contain text, do I have to obtain some sort of license to publish a for-profit novel containing images containing characters from the typeface? Or am I ok as long as I don't redistribute the font package itself?

What about distributing as a vector image (where the actual characters are saved) or just a raster image (where only the likeness is saved as an array of colors)?

If it helps, this font was originally distributed to me by Microsoft with a legal copy of Microsoft Office.

Thanks!

Answer: You have the concept right, the letter shapes are excluded from copyright protection, as long as you don't distribute or embed the font program file.


Title: Seeking advice: My EEO discrimination complaint against my former employer (a Federal Agency) was ACCEPTED based on hostile work environment harassment and disparate treatment due to my disability and prior EEO activities (Washington DC metro area)

Question:
My EEO discrimination formal complaint against my former employer (a Federal Agency) was ACCEPTED based on hostile work environment (HWE) harassment and disparate treatment due to my disability and prior EEO activities.

I prepared my entire complaint by myself- 10 pages with 90 pages of documentation. (Note: I already filed an infomal complaint previously and completed 30 day mandatory EEO counseling).  The next step is that an EEO investigator has been assigned and will be conducting interviews on both sides, reviewing supporting documentation, corroborating witness statements before they determine their decision- it's supposed to take 180 days from now.

I don't have any money for retaining a lawyer. I've completed consults and have a solid case, but can't afford it. I've previously been unable to work for the years  before I was separated due to "medical inability to perform" [non-
disciplinary procedures], claimed medical bankruptcy, withdrew what little remained from my retirement account just to be able to survive.  My Federal disability retirement was just approved, but I don't know what I should do in the meantime... I'm intimidated b/c the EEO complaint process is different for federal employees and  I know I might be facing an entire agency legal team. Although I have a feeling they will want to settle.

**Any legal advice on how to prepare would be much appreciated! Especially, people with similar experiences or in the same protected class as me. Should I try to contact former coworkers to get affidavits or tell the investigator to interview them? I'm worried coworkers won't want to voluntarily submit their statements in fear of retailiation. Should I start preparing a statement or  review the facts and timeline to prepare my interview answers?**

Edits: clarity, more context  and typos

Answer:
 You could be in for a long haul. I work in H/R and I have two cases open from 2010. I have never lost an EEOC case, so just getting them accepted is nothing special.

You're really going to need to find a lawyer to help you out. If the EEOC decided to let this go to trial, you will find a jury is going to almost always side with you. Juries hate employers. But on appeal you may lose.

You need to really start finding every legal aid you can to get someone in your corner. The only thing is for sure is this is the start of a very, long, long drawn out process that could take years.


Title: [USA-NJ] I hired a contractor to fix up a basement without obtaining a permit. He is trying to blackmail me. What could happen?

Question: years ago, I hired a contractor (he is unlicensed) to fix up a basement (segmenting rooms/digging holes) of a commercial building without obtaining a permit. He is trying to blackmail me. What could happen if he told the city on me? Does he get in trouble? Could my defense be that it is the contractor's duty to obtain a permit? Do I get fined? How does the city figure out how much the fine would be? Does the city come and tear it down?

Answer:
 > He is trying to blackmail me.

What did he say/do to you?


Title: [US-CA]Possibly Giving Up Foster Child

Question:
Back in Feb of this year I made a post here stating that me and my wife took in our 9 year old nephew due to some violence toward him from his father. His father's parental rights are still in question, and should be resolved in Feb of 2018.

In the mean time, we've been having behavioral issues, weird sexual issues and other things leading us to make this decision. The only question is how to go about doing it? We don't want to call CPS and say "hey, how do I give him up?" until we're actually ready.

The bottom line is we have 4 kids already (ages 2-13), and we've given it our all. After almost a year, the behavior is still an issue and my own kids are starting to pick up on bad habits. We've always said this was temporary until someone else in the family (my wife's nephew) steps up - which they haven't. This entire ordeal has resulted in the ostracism of my wife from her own family. That's an entirely different story, but it is what it is. It's gotten to the point where I can't have him alone with my other children due to some inappropriate behavior, and my kids are lashing out at us asking why we still have him living with us.

These are the facts:

-We have obtained legal guardianship (father still has his rights though and we haven't officially adopted him.

Answer:
 Ianal. Call his social worker. If he doesn’t have him (for some reason), call whatever organization placed him in your care. If you’re done, tell them you’re done. If you want more support, tell them. They will walk you through the steps and options.

Poor kid. Hope everything works out for him and your family!


Title: [NE] Fired today, I think its because I have Bipolar disorder.

Question:
I have been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and receive VA compensation for it for quite some time. So I had a job that required an insane amount of attention to detail, I wasn't doing a terrible job, but I did forget some thing, and get mixed up. A few months ago I got unofficially written up for errors, poor work product est... Things got better I found some solutions. Even though I have had this diagnosis for some time I did some research and found that it is common for people with bipolar to have issues with concentration. Well I get a little help with some ADHD meds from my doc, it helps...some. Mind you I am not a complete f#@k up, they did keep me around for about a year. So yesterday I finished some paperwork and it was wrong, I overwrote a file, just stupid stuff. Well I get an official write up. After I have a one-on-one with the head guy (its a small office) after my supervisor leaves. While talking about the issues and how it can be resolved I disclose that I have bipolar disorder and I think that the meds may be making things harder, brain fog and the like, I say I am changing medication adding the ADHD stuff, he is ok with it, says he takes some medication too, and suggests that I talk to my doctor and adjust my medication. Well this morning rolls around and I go and talk to my immediate supervisor and thing of solutions. Day goes on and the head guy calls me in and the HR lady is there. They tell me they are letting me go because I am on medication, and the work they do is safety critical. I had no chance to make any personal changes, I did not explicitly say that I needed reasonable accommodation, but I did say that I think the medication because of the Bipolar is causing issues. Noted that the job was to program control systems for the railroad, the work needs to be very safe and all that, but I am just a low level employee and my work gets checked three or more times.

TLDR; Makes some mistakes, less than stelar performance, Bipolar more than likely the cause, get written up, confide that I have Bipolar and am on med, fired the next day because I am on meds.

Edit:A few more details.... the first unofficial write up was on another aspect of my job, to which I remedied and intact was praised for the work I did do. Secondly while I was getting officially written up the manager stated that there were several employees still employed that were in the same situation and are now their best employees. As well this write up was for concentration and the like. With that said I felt that I was good to go and change my medication and find others ways to fix the problem. But as I said, I was fired before I had the chance to make any changes.

Answer:
 > I did not explicitly say that I needed reasonable accommodation

That is likely going to be the problem here. All they are required to do is make reasonable accommodations upon request. If you're already been fired for your mistakes and performance, there's not much you can do at this point. Answer #2: >I have bipolar disorder and I think that the meds may be making things harder, brain fog and the like

So, you said your medication likely was impacting the quality of your work negatively.

>They tell me they are letting me go because I am on medication, and the work they do is safety critical.

The big issue here is that it sounds like you have historically had problems with poor quality work, and that you notified your employer that you believe some of the poor quality is due to the medication you are on at work.

>I did not explicitly say that I needed reasonable accommodation, but I did say that I think the medication because of the Bipolar is causing issues. Noted that the job was to program control systems for the railroad, the work needs to be very safe and all that, but I am just a low level employee and my work gets checked three or more times.

Normally you can only request reasonable accommodation. I doubt accepting poor quality work is a reasonable accommodation. I also doubt accepting poor quality work due to an employee being on medication which impairs their ability to work effectively is a reasonable accommodation.

You can absolutely consult an employment law attorney for an accurate picture of potential results here. I would just not keep my hopes up.


Title: The principal of my school is paying students to tell on other students for bringing vapes to school

Question:
I'm in Georgia. Is there anything I can do or should I just leave it alone? I feel like the principal of a schools grip on their students should be so loose they have to pay their students to do his job. This is only creating a hostile environment, there have been loads of threats posted on Snapchat all day along the lines of "If I find out who's snitching for money you'll get your ass kicked"

Would this be against any kind of laws or rules? How should I take action?

Answer:
 >How should I take action?

Maybe the principal is just trying to find the vapers to intervene in their lives by letting them know just how stupid they look vaping.  Answer #2: >I feel like the principal of a schools grip on their students should be so loose they have to pay their students to do his job

 Sounds like his grip is just fine.Answer #3: Divide and conquer. The oldest strategy in the world.

It isn't illegal. You should stay out of it.


Title: Need guidance on going to court for trespassing.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It depends on the facts of the case. Did you do anything else while you were trespassing?


Title: (CA) How difficult is it to prove a family member has been embezzling money from my grandparents? I'm in a somewhat unique situation that might make it more difficult

Question:
For about 5 years, my aunt-in-law has had access to my grandparents' debit card under the guise of needing to be able to buy their groceries or pay bills. It turns out that at the end of every single month, both of my grandparents accounts (which had a total of about $1800 a month of social security being deposited) was completely drained. My dad was able to regain control of the debit card due to the help of the police and we've looked at the bank statements, and during the 13 months that both my grandparents were in convalescent housing, my aunt-in-law continued to withdraw every last dollar from their accounts. She can't use the excuse "well I was just buying things they wanted" because they were both in homes at the time.

My overall question is, do we need any other proof to take her to court? We have the bank statements (also showing that she was spending $200 a month on her Sprint plan with the money), ATM pictures of her withdrawing the money, and my grandma has been willing to give a statement saying she never gave my aunt-in-law permission to take all that money. Do you think this will be a slam dunk or are we missing something?

Answer:
 No, you do not need any other proof to take her to court. Judges are not stupid, nor are they robots. They're going to be able to look at that and see what is going on.

And the courts do NOT smile on people taking advantage of the elderly. Answer #2: One thing you can do is make a report to the county adult protective services agency. You can also go directly to law enforcement, but investigating suspected elder abuse is the APS agency's job and from what I have seen from them they take it seriously.  If they find the claims credible it will only help in any eventual court action.


Title: If my old dad had dental emergency treatment and then immediately asked to sign papers to take out loans for various dental procedures and dentures, is

Question:
the fact that he was injected with pain medication/anesthetic an avenue to cancel the loan contract that he doesn't need/want?

Thank you so much for your input.

We are in Los Angeles, CA.

Father is retired 69 y/o.

Answer: It will likely depend on what your new dad has to say about it.


Title: Is it true if you tell your work place that you're a Sikh, Jew, Orthodox, Rastafarian, etc they can't make you cut your hair

Question: I live in Oregon

Answer:
 OP you're the reason a lot of people are instantly suspicious of anybody requesting religions accommodation.Answer #2: It's true that if you have a **sincerely held religious belief** that they must make reasonable accommodations for that.

It is not true that you can just say some words to your boss and get out of the dress code.


Title: Service dog shot at with pellet guns

Question: I was walking through my neighborhood with my service dog and children in the park shot airsoft guns at my dog and I while walking near the area. I left and went straight home. I suffer from PTSD and it set me off. (former officer in the Army) I asked if I could nullify my contract and leave the apartment complex by the end of the month. Was told I needed to pay two months rent (in the contract) and would have to pay any damages to the place. They made me feel as if I did something wrong. It has been reported to the police as of two days ago. This is considered assault with a deadly weapon correct? I live in Florida and don't really know much about legal. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer: OP, do not send PMs to people on this sub. I am not your attorney, and it is against the rules here.


Title: KS mom doesn't like dad's fiance attending extracurricular activities

Question:
nothing in the parenting plan about it other then both parents can participate. obviously it can be understood why she might not want the fiance tagging along for extracurricular activities, social events etc.. but does she have a legal right to deny the father the ability to bring the fiance with him? the gf has an established relationship with the child all living together during his visitation for 2 years. does this change when dad and gf get married?

does he need to modify the parenting plan to possibly include her? the child would like dad and fiance to both be able to attend.

Answer:
 If the events are open to the public, then Mom can't dictate who can and can't go to them.Answer #2: Unless the parenting plan, or other court order specifies it, he can bring who he wants.

But, understand that the children sense this tension.

One way or the other, it's best if the adults come to an agreement and set expectations for attending these events.

I've seen kids TERRIFIED of school events, and start trying to hide that they even are happening in order to avoid the fear that there will be a confrontation between their parents at a school event.


Title: Car dealership has a 2017 model of a car listed at $601 on website. Do they have to honor the price if I show them proof?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 An advertisement is not an offer, and the acceptance of which does not create a contract.

So no, they do not have to honor that price. Answer #2: No they don't. There is also a good chance that they are listing it as 601$/month in the fine print.


Title: Question about Mailboxes

Question: If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that only Post Office workers can put stuff in your mailbox. If that's the case, why does UPS commonly leave items in the box?

Answer: Some items with UPS tracking numbers are actually delivered by the post office.


Title: Does my friend have any right to her dad's stuff?

Question: So my friend's dad died of cancer and her stepmom mad Dad changed the will about a month before so that everything he was gonna leave her she has no right to. We know that is legal but he was very sick and had always planned on leaving her a lake house and a car they built together. The step mom was kinda jerk to her. Anyways. They don't really talk anymore because she doesn't like being near her but is very sad that she doesn't really have anything if her father's and the things with the deepest memories, ie a car that they literally built together, are more expensive and would be hard to get. I know that it's kinda tricky legaly but any advice would be cool

Answer: I think your friend should forget about getting anything of real value, and concentrate on maybe getting things that really are important like photographs and mementos.


Title: [Help] Complicated Child Support Situation

Question:
Hi Reddit, throwaway account here.

I need some legal advice on what my options are with my current situation with my daughter.

**Quick Facts:**

- Live in Utah
- I was never married to, or divorced her mother.
- My daughter is the only child we have vetween us.
- There is NO child custody order, or parenting plans at this time.
- No history of legal qualms between us.
- I have done quite a bit of reading on Utah case laws, and I just cant find the answers I'm looking for.
- I have her every weekend.
- I am aware, theres no accountability for how child support money is spent by the recipient. (Generally speaking)
- I am aware that men are fucked by Utah law when it comes to kids and custody battles.
- I am aware that unless theres evidence of child abuse, neglect, sexual, physical, etc. And if theres a roof over the childs head (even if its a relative and not the parents), I dont have much of a case to stand on.

**Background:**

- Ive been actively involved in the rearing of my daughter since she was born.
- To my surprise, this last may I got a child support order sprung on me out of the blue, despite my taking care of her on my end from the beginning.
- Shortly after the support order went through, my daughters mother and step father both started claiming the transgender title, and I have evidence proving they started hormone therapy ex a very short time later.
- Her mother and step father have commanded her and her half brother to address mom as 'dad' and step-dad as 'mom', confusing the hell out of the kids.
- On the child support order, shes listed as the biological mother.  But tells her child (whom is named on the support order) to address her as 'dad'.

**My Concerns:**

- Her mother is the type that believes she is always right, and will not listen to opposing views.
- She refuses to change her ways, and doesnt see any harm in what she is doing, or how it affects her kids.
- My opinions are invalid, period.  (As far as she is concerned.)
- Individuals who identify as transgender, have a 40% higher chance of attempting suicide, according to some studies Ive read online, and appear to have sound data backing it up. (This is problematic because both her mother and step father identify as such and have a history of depression and attempted suicide already)
- I dont want my daughter to be confused, shes only 5 and what they are doing is messing with her head.  The fact is she popped out of her mothers vagina, her mother is her mother and telling our child that she is her father / dad is factually FALSE.
- I dont want my child support dollars funding either of their "transitions", thats NOT what the money is for.

Do I have any options here to fight for custody?

Edit: 1
**It's NOT that they are transitioning per se - its that they are telling things to my daughter that are medically / biologically NOT TRUE.**

TIA

Answer: You can always fight for custody, but you're not going to get it based on bigoted and intolerant opinions of the mother and the stepdad. Answer #2: The suicide statistic is a lifetime rate. The percentage drops to normal levels after transitioning


Title: my husband is planning to divorce me after i caught him cheating on me. He wants to take my son away. what are any options that i have?

Question:
Me and my husband were married 6 years ago. He has been going to china every year sometimes with me, mostly without. thru all our marriage i had no idea he had a second family.

living here he said raising our son was too dificult and said we had to send our son to china to be raised by my mother (who quit her job to become a full-time caretaker). now that he's been found out, he says he's going to go back to china and take our son and keep him while divorcing me. we have been separated since i found out about his infidelity. i've been working, going to school and caring for our daughter alone for the past few months actually since she was born he hasnt provided any financial support for her. it has all been me. now with the divorce he says since i dont have a house or means to provide for our kids he will take them away. he lives with his parents where they all work at a restaurant full time. this was why we supposedly didnt have time to raise my son. i am really at a loss. i am sorry about my formatting, i've just been really worried sick.

EDIT: I am in California, Fresno.

Answer: Both you and your husband have custody rights here. You need to retain an attorney immediately; him leaving the country while this is up in the air is not an option, and there are ways to stop that, but you need to stop dithering around and talk to an attorney in the morning.


Title: Aunt has mesothelioma--3-6 months to live--wants to leave any settlement to her family.

Question: My aunt has been diagnosed with mesothelioma and she has been given 3-6 months to live.  She, along with another aunt and grandmother of mine, worked with in a hosiery factory in Mississippi that used asbestos.  Most everyone from her factory has been paid out at this point.  I am trying to figure out where to begin.  She is longing to leave her family with whatever settlement she can get before she dies.  She is in hospice in Mississippi.  Where do I begin to help her with this?

Answer:
 Help her find an estate attorney

It'll go to her family by default even without a will, as part of her estate. But having one drawn up is the best way to make things happen exactly as she wants


Title: Question regarding age of consent in MN

Question: I am an 18-year-old male and I had consensual sex in my parked car with a minor above the age of consent. Police came and had to take her home to her parents. Can the parents take any sort of action legal against me? Any input would be greatly appreciated

Answer:
 If she can consent and did, no.

They can decide you can't see her anymore and that holds until she's 18.

If you exchanged dirty photos you may be fucked. Federal law doesn't care about age of consent when it comes to CP


Title: [CA and OR] Going to a machine gun shooting show in OR. Don't own a gun and don't have a license for any gun. Do I need to prepare before going?

Question:
It's a sponsored event by some gun club. I'm just going to go there to shoot a couple of machine guns in the range and then cry to sleep at how much money I wasted.

I'm a resident of CA and I've never owned a gun in my life. I don't have any licenses. I am US citizen however.

Do I need to worry about any of this in particular? Is there a license I need? (even with the 2nd amendment, guns are still restricted). And will they require proof of citizenship?

This is not for /r/legaladvice, but I hope they don't panic because I'm brown.

Answer:
 You have ID right?

You've fired a gun before right? Please please pay attention to gun safety before you fire an automatic weapon if you have never fired one first. Only point at which you destroy. Assume all weapons are loaded. Assume Safetys are off/don't work. Please don't kill anyone including self.


Title: a woman online convinced my friend to kill herself

Question:
This was five years ago, she lives in California and we live in Louisiana. I read that there are no statute of limitations for big crimes like this in CA but here we have 4-6 years listed on our state. I am just finding out now because I was planning an anniversary get together with her sister who told me about the evidence she found in call logs and emails, and she hasn't even gotten into her computer yet so I am sure there is a ton more.

The person who did this has since deleted her online presence including her facebook history on my friend's timeline as well as her account as a whole.  All we have right now are logs, her old phone number which I can't be sure even still belongs to her and her first name. She was someone my friend found on a psychic message board because she was hearing voices and struggled to get mental health assistance, so because she had to wait so long the illness (im not sure if it was technically diagnosed schizophrenia or if that's what they just thought it was) had gotten so bad she accepted the voices as a gift and started calling herself a psychic medium.

This person claimed she was a holistic healer and under the guise of being her friend and caring for her, she planned the entire thing out and told her exactly what to do, talked to her hours a day for months and when she failed to do it the first attempt, she gave her a hard time about it. She made her believe that she had to open a portal by fire to spiritually transcend and my friend set her apartment on fire which was ruled as a suicide once they saw her on security camera footage walking back with a can of gasoline.

Her phone was never recovered and her sister thinks she threw it in the canal to protect who she thought was her friend. She has not gotten into her old macbook yet but I assume there is anton more evidence on there including her icloud account linked to show texts, which she is going to try and have turned on today from someone at work.

Now that five years has passed and I am now aware of what happened, her sister feels more strength to go after this girl, especially now that similar trials have popped up in the news since then. Before she didn't think the sheriff's office in their parish was sophisticated enough to handle something like this because this is Louisiana after all and what's a internet? I am wondering if this is a crime that needs to be tried in California or here, and if it can even be done after this long.

I am looking for basic resources as far as where to go for help, who to call or what to do, if this is a lost cause at this point and if I should just track her down myself to mail a box of human feces to her house every day for the rest of her life. I believe we have a substantial amount of evidence to prove this was manslaughter including emails, facebook messages, and if she can get into her icloud probably more.

I know apple is notoriously strict about handing over information and that a subpoena would probably be involved. I asked my friend to find the girl's phone number so I can do a reverse phone lookup on premium whitepages but that is only going to work if it's still her number. Should I be calling the FBI directly for something like this? What is the protocol for a crime of this nature? Thank you for any help or insight you have to offer.

TL;DR - strong evidence shows woman in another state convinced my friend to kill herself but we live in the south where police don't understand how the internet works or what to do with internet-based crimes (i know this from personal experience as well as other horror stories by locals who have been cyberstalked etc, the police here have little to no experience with internet related crime and are reluctant to help when one is brought to them) so even if "all i have to do is report it" knowing they will likely file it away and never look at it again, what are additional steps to take? is the answer just to lawyer up? To reiterate, the authorities here are not sophisticated enough to handle something like this nor do I expect them to be helpful beyond writing it down on a file with no followup.

Answer:
 This stuff doesn't need to be that complicated.

If you [or more appropriately, the person who has direct knowledge and evidence of the matter] believes that a crime was committed, you call the police.

In this particular instance, I would use the non-emergency number.

If you contact the wrong jurisdiction, they will tell you who to contact, or in some cases refer the matter to them themselves.

You do not need to conduct investigations, or gather evidence, or figure out what statute of limitations may apply.

Do not do this:

>if I should just track her down myself to mail a box of human feces to her house every day for the rest of her life.

It is a crime.


Title: [Delaware] - Bought a used car, discovered almost 2 years later that it has the wrong engine

Question:
In 2015, my wife and I bought a nice 2012 Hyundai Sonata Limited from a national chain.  One of the things we were specifically looking for when shopping was a turbo-charged engine, because we just want a bit more grunt than a naturally-aspirated inline 4 can offer.  This car was advertised as having the 2.0L turbo, along with a bunch of other nice features, so we bought it.

Nearly 2 years later, I'm shopping for tires, and things aren't adding up.  When I tell tirerack.com what year and model we have, it says we have should have 18" wheels; ours are 17".  So I ran our VIN#, and it says we have a 2.4L *non*-turbo engine (which comes with 17" rims).

I'd always wondered why I never heard a blow-off valve when I lifted off the gas after a hard acceleration, and just figured it was muffled somehow.  It seemed as if the engine really accelerated as the RPMs climbed, which I assumed was the turbo spinning up; I guess I just talked myself into it because I'd bought a turbo, right?

Looking at the documents we have from the car dealership, there's a page that's essentially an advertisement or window sticker, that says the car is a Limited 2.0 Turbo.  The VIN# on the advertisement matches the car.  There's another page that's essentially a CarFax report, that mentions the car is a 2.4L; we didn't notice it during the purchase process because who reads every word of every document they sign when they're buying a car?  We've bought from this car dealership before and had a good experience; I don't think they'd deliberately try to cheat us, but the fact remains, we picked out the car specifically to get the turbo, and have discovered many months later that it doesn't actually have it.

Do we have any actual recourse?  What I'd really like is to just give the car back and buy something else, but the difference between the value of the car and what we still owe is somewhere between 3 and 5 thousand dollars.  Also, since it's taken us nearly 2 years to discover this, and the only evidence being a single page that I could've printed at home, we may just be screwed.

Answer:
  I'm sure you may get answers to this question here and this forum is appropriate for this question, but I think you should crosspost this to r/askcarsales.

 Also:

 > who reads every word of every document they sign when they're buying a car?

 o.0


Title: My art studio in Hayward CA got SWATted :(

Question:
I have one of three street-side front office units of a warehouse complex--unitsclearly marked A, B and C--with a big sign out front saying [name of street] Suites. Apparently someone in one of the back warehouse units was growing pot (legally from what I hear) but SWAT units kicked in the door to my unit and rummaged around through my belongings. Then they boarded up my door and posted fluorescent orange Do Not Enter signs. Electricity to the entire property has been cut. So, my tools and all of my work (some of which is sold and I cannot ship) are inaccessible and the landlord says no one can go in until un-permitted construction in the back is torn out and everything brought back up to code, which he says should be next Summer! I've also been warned that the cops are looking for anyone with info about the property, desperately trying to build a conspiracy case since they got nothing with a costly operation. Seems to me no judge would sign a warrant allowing them to kick in the doors to every legally designated unit in a building, basically just like an apartment building. So, I'm wondering if there's a settlement to be had since it seems a pretty clear civil tights violation which is impacting my business and causing undue expense and hardship. I've had to rent new studio space and must purchase new tools.

Edit: "civil tights violation"! :)
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 > Seems to me no judge would sign a warrant allowing them to kick in the doors to every legally designated unit in a building, basically just like an apartment building. So, I'm wondering if there's a settlement to be had since it seems a pretty clear civil tights violation which is impacting my business and causing undue expense and hardship.

Unless and until you've seen the warrant, I don't think we need to reach this question.


Title: [USA] 27M My employer suspended me for 5 days. It's been 5 days and they've barred me from work with no further explanation. What should I do?

Question:
I was suspended for lying to my supervisor (which I owned up to the same day because a conscience is a conscience); got hit with a 5-day suspension.  Worst thing I've done in ever, bad thing to do on the job period.

Five days have passed and upon returning to work [very briefly], they told me they need more time to hear from corporate, sent me home, and barred me from working until they hear something from HR. This part was not documented/in-writing which makes me very concerned; and I don't know if I should file for unemployment or otherwise in my situation... or if I should just consider myself terminated.

What should I do?

Answer:
 This isn't really legal advice; there's nothing illegal about this.

Probably they've decided to terminate you and are just stringing you along.  I would certainly look for a new job, and when you hear from your current job that you've been terminated, file for unemployment if you don't have a new job already.


Title: Is it illegal to fire or discriminate against people in the workforce for having tattoos?

Question:
I've been really wanting a small script tattoo on my hand for a while now. As this would be on a more exposed area than my other tattoos, I'm wondering if this could negatively effect my future career.

For reference, I live in Australia but may work overseas in the future. I'm a student, hoping for a career in human rights law (ironically)

Answer: Yes they can. The good news is that there is really effective makeup to cover tattoos.


Title: Employer abusing tip pool to attempt to expand business [North Carolina]

Question:
Typically there is only one valet booth at our mall. And we pool our tips together for the week and divide it by hours worked. We are paid with minimum wage by check, and receive what's left after that's deducted from the tip pool as a cash tip out. There is more complications to the tip pool (we're supposed to get a cut of our upsells added to tips, but then my employer takes 15% off the top from the entire tip pool)

Recently, management decided to open a second valet booth in the underground parking in the mall. We are already under-staffed so this downstairs valet is typically manned by employees coming in from another location. This new valet booth has been struggling massively and barely been getting any business. This means the tips have been well below minimum wage.

The problem is that rather than management seeing that as an issue and finding alternate forms of compensation or closing the location- they have just grouped the downstairs valet in with the upstairs valet for the same tip pool. Despite these booths sharing absolutely zero responsibilities and operating independently outside of just existing at the same mall.

Essentially this means that corporate is staffing a booth which generates very well below minimum wage in tips to work this new booth, and they are just paying for that labor with the tips that myself and my co-workers have been generating from the existing location.

I think this is a very clear abuse of the tip pool that we've been using and I have questions about the legality of this sort of thing. I've tried to escalate to management but they haven't been responsive.

Ultimately it's just a few weeks at this point and it's not huge sums of money that I'm losing so I won't be suing. But I am escalating up the ladder of management and complaining about the ethics. Is there a legal problem here?

EDIT:
Well that got resolved pretty damn quick. I was sending management some texts about the exact mechanics of the tip pool, when they asked me why I was asking.

I told them that I had some questions of the legality of such a practice, and within 30 minutes they told me they would seperate the tip pools for the two booths.

Answer: I'm not sure about the new tip pool. I'll let someone more experienced answer that, but I do know that it's illegal for management to take any of the tips. If they're taking15% off the top, they're committing wage theft. File a wage claim.  If you've been there awhile, it could be a chunk of money.


Title: I just learned that I continuously got false positives on my UA for probation. I'm doing my best to avoid it further, but what do I do if they decide to pursue disciplinary action?

Question:
So, I've been on probation for about 6 months now. I had to enter an outpatient treatment program where you call a number every day and if the color assigned to you is read, you need to a urine analysis that day.

The state uses [EtG testing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_glucuronide) which has been shown to be unreliable and even deemed ["inappropriate" as the sole basis for a definitive, life-altering decision by the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.](http://media.samhsa.gov/SAMHSA_News/VolumeXIV_6/article5.htm).

I work in a hospital and I'm almost positive this is a result of dermal absorption of alcohol from very regular use of hand sanitizer throughout my shifts, something the hospital obviously advocates for infection control. I have tried being more conscious of using sanitizer now and try using soap and water when available and I no longer use mouthwash twice a day when brushing my teeth.

However, if these false positives continue and they decide to pursue legal action against me, what would be my options? I already told them why these positive results wee occurring and they gave me a second chance but they said they aren't going to continue making exceptions. I do not want this to result in a felony charge and possible jail time from such an unreliable test. But the state isn't going to change their policies. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you guys!

Answer:
 Gotta say OP, I thought your absorption theory of alcohol was horseshit.... and boy was I wrong. That's incredibly weird.Answer #2: Sounds like the should be no reason for the false positives to continue. You have to work with what you got. Just keep the communication up, consult with your attorney if you have to. Maybe try asking to do a breath or blood sample instead. Ask the person taking the samples to note that you don't display any signs of intoxication.

No guarantee these things work but they might help.


Title: To Ag Lawyers: Can we legally sell homegrown produce (aka fruits/veggies) in California without being licensed?

Answer:
 Under the Federal Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, if you sell under $25,000 a year, you are probably okay.

http://sustainableagriculture.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NSAC-FSMA-flowchart-final-v2.pdf

Additionally, if you prepare food products, you may be required to comply with the California Homemade Food Acts.

https://www.acgov.org/aceh/documents/AB01616FAQs_CCDEH_English.pdf


Title: (VA) Employer owes me over 100k in backpay, and is asking me to take a paycut.

Question:
  I joined a "Startup" three years ago and was offered a salary comparable to my last job.  Upon joining the company had cashflow issues and I agreed to defer my pay (first 100%, later 50%) until later, with the understanding that this pay would be paid out soon.  It's been three years - and I'm on a decent salary now, but due to some corporate shenanigans I anticipate being asked to take a paycut.  The total amount owed in backpay is in excess of 100k.

  I signed a letter agreeing to defer receipt of my backpay, and the company countersigned agreeing to make good on it, however no effort to do so has been done yet.  I don't want to sue immediately, as there are a lot of coworkers I care for, but I don't really see any other option as we're getting strongarmed by our investors - our lead is pretty craptastic.

  We've raised several million - however one of the stipulations per the investors is that no backpay be paid from these funds.  Looking for some advice on how I would go about pursuing legal action, if I decide to do so.  Thanks for any help!

Answer:
 When you're trying to escape a hole, first stop digging.  Let's be blunt - unless you're making $1MM+ a year, you're way more than a month behind in pay.  The question now is what percentage of the money you're owed you'll be able to collect.  You don't have an employer, you have an unsecured debtor.  That's it.  I'd likely stop showing up to work within the next week.

Here's what you need to do.  First, **please** tell me you agreed to the pay deferral after having your attorney review the document and that it includes a due date for pay.  You did that, right?  Second, you need an attorney right now.  Abandon this nonsense about not suing because you're about to spend $100,000 subsidizing your friends' pay.  If you're going to do that, collect the pay and hand it to them personally so you build good relationships.

The investors have the caveat in there about no use for back pay because they recognize that the company is heavily debt laden and the value is likely in some IP that they're securing with their money.  They are likely guessing that the company will fail, they will force it into bankruptcy, and take whatever valuable property is left.  Speed is your only asset here, use it wisely.


Title: My bank (Chase) received a legal order to place a hold on my checking account. The hold was placed in error. My bank charged me a legal processing fee of $75. Who, if anyone, should I be pursuing for a refund?

Question: Basically what the title says.  The state of CA ordered my bank to place a hold on my account for not filing state taxes in 2014.  I'm still in the process of getting this sorted with the state (I have provided proof that I filed a return and received a refund, but have not yet gotten any confirmation from them).  In the mean time, assuming this does get cleared up, I'm wondering who should be responsible for the fee.  Do I request that the state of CA pay for it since it was charged due to their error?  Or do I request that the bank cancel the charge?

Answer:
 Ask Chase to clear the charge, and escalate if you need to. I've been banking with them for years because they've been very good about clearing up these kind of fees. Even last year, I had to escalate to a manager for some fees that the floor reps couldn't get cleared. A 20-minute call later and two escalations, and they scraped ~$240 worth of fees (stupid issue that caused excessive overdrafts) from my account.

They likely aren't liable for this charge if they were complying with a court order, but they still work with their customers if something comes up.Answer #2: If, at the end of the day, it is determined that you were always in good standing with the state, you can request the state to pay the $75 fee since their error caused you to incur a loss.

If you aren't in good standing, then the hold was valid and you pay that fee.Answer #3: Did the bank execute the order as written?  If so, then there's no liability on their part, they *literally* had no choice in the matter.

If the state is in error, you can talk to them about reimbursement.  Over $75, probably not worth it.


Title: Neighbors took my UPS package. What can I do?

Question:
Southern CA.

I checked my Amazon order that was supposed to be delivered Wed 1/24 and the UPS deliverer took a photo showing that he placed the package a the stair base of my upstairs neighbors apt. (which is only about 8' from my door). The area in enclosed in a tall fence and gate so there's no chance of passer's by seeing the package.

What's my best course of action?

Contents included: USB cables, 1/4"headphone adapters, shower curtain. ~$30.00 worth.

EDIT: I asked my neighbors this morning, and they said they knew nothing of it. Turns out it wasn't UPS (I just assumed because it usually is) it was AMZL_US; I talked to Amazon they kindly refunded and updated my drop off preferences. I'm still considering filing a police report, perhaps it will deter them from doing it again in the future.

Answer: Have you contacted the neighbors to see if they may have erroneously picked up your package?


Title: Just received a very unnerving email about a federal internet case

Question:
Anyone know how to handle these or know where I should turn?
Do lawyers handle cyber cirmes or have FBI people they know and can ask about a case?

Answer:
 What kind of “federal internet case?”

What did the email say specifically?

My scam-o-meter is at 50%


Title: Landlord is telling me that police will come and kick me out the day after my 3 day pay or quit expires

Question:
North county San diego, CA
My rent was due on the 1st and I paid him some, but not all ($180 of the $575 total). He went to the courts on the 3rd and got a 3 day pay or quit notice, which expires on the 6th (tomorrow). I am panicking because along with all of the late fees that have been tacked on, there is no way that I am going to be able to pay. He is telling me that if I'm not out tomorrow morning along with all of my things that he is going to call the sheriff and have me, along with all my belongings, thrown out. I want to know if this is legal and if I have more than 1 day to completely be out.
Thanks in advance!

Answer: he is 100% wrong.  once the notice term runs, he can sue you. you'll go before a judge. possibly several times. and if you lose, an eviction will be scheduled. at least several weeks from now.


Title: Man comes into my store, breaks something, and leaves without paying in rage

Question:
Location: B.C, Canada

This guy came into our store and asked to look at a herbalizer lighter that cost $80 telling me he "had the exact same one" and then proceeded to break the wires connecting it thinking it was exactly the same. I told him he had to pay for it; He then asked for the manager and my manager told him you should pay for some of it at least.

My manager says 50% for damages and he was like ok, 50% and the product, but we did not say he could take the product as well, just 50%. He then rages saying he can fix it in 2 seconds with saw shit and speculates we would sell it again for the same price, except we can't because he broke the main part of the whole thing. We told him no, if you can fix it why would we sell it to you for 50% when we can't fix it ourselves(and would basically be throwing it out). He then raged and left saying my manager said 50% and proceeded to leave without paying.

This is a almost only family corner store in a small town whom many know of a nice store with nice owners so anything profitable not making profit is a huge loss for the owners who work hard for their living. Is there anything I can do?

Answer: You can cooperate with your employer in whatever decision he makes. ie: filing out a witness statement for police if they are called and testifying in court if it comes to that.


Title: Can a rehabilitation facility in Texas tell you to drink before going in so insurance will cover it?

Question:
My friend has been arrested because the rehab center he was going to told him to drink before going so he would test positive for alcohol and insure would cover his stay. When he got to the facility (unfortunately he drove himself) he toured it and it was a complete dump so he decided not to check himself in. The facility then called the police and the cops told him since he was on private property he could either check himself in or they would take him to jail. This is a small town and I get the feeling the cops are associated with the facility somehow or incentivized. When we asked the facility for the story on what happened after they told us he had just been arrested they denied ever having told him to “keep himself comfortable” or “have a couple drinks the night before” and began equivocating quite a bit. What is the best course of action here? We don’t even know his charge for certain.
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer: That is some shady behavior by the rehab company, but it has zip to do with your friend and his poor decision making. He should get a lawyer and a (legit) spot in rehab.


Title: My school administration won't let me use the handicap parking spots, even though I'm handicapped and have a permit.

Question:
I'm finishing up senior year at my high school. In the region of Halifax Nova Scotia Canada. And I recently got my license to be able to operate a vehicle independently, this as a result will make it much more convenient for me to go my medical meetings. Instead of my single mother leaving work to come and get me. I can drive myself to them. So I felt the common decency to inform the administration to not be concerned about me parking there. And to reassure them I have proper documentation and proof I am allowed to park there. But to my shock they said I was not allowed to park there. There reasoning was "Students are not allowed to park on school grounds" there are a very select few students who were randomly drawn to be allowed to park in the few remaining regular spots available. But this shouldn't apply to the handicap parking should it? I called them out on this and they quickly jumped to the "It's private property" excuse. Even though Halifax regional school board is owned and operated by the provincial government. So one would assume that schools are government property, therefore my provincial handicap parking permit would allow me to use those spots. When I questioned them further one of the two vice principles I was discussing this with at the time became very frustrated which was very apparent by the tone of his voice. So much to the point it almost sounded aggressive. He proceeded to say if you park there you will be ticketed. I left after that hearing enough of their bogus. However in that afternoon it plagued my mind and after consulting with some classmates. And now I'm coming to you asking. Am I allowed to park there? (I feel like I should be allowed) - In the event they do ticket me, I intend to fight it, would I need a lawyer for this in that event? Your help is greatly appreciated. The schools I attended in this district have given me a hard time ever since I became disabled back in 2008. I have done nothing but tolerate their crap and compromise with them. But this is too far.
Thanks you if you read through all of this.

Answer:
 I don't know the answer (sorry) but this definitely strikes me as something questionable

I found these guys who may either know the answer or know who would.

http://disability.novascotia.ca/


Title: My life depends on this, Girl sues me for sexual harrasment and battery

Question:
One and a half year ago I was partying with friends at a crowded nightclub, we were drinking pretty heavily and had lots of fun. As the evening was closing, we went dancing at the night club dance floor which is pretty dark and crowded, I got separated from the others after a while dancing with different girls, and later I ended up dancing with a girl which is the plaintiff in this case.

&#x200B;

We had pretty fun, but had done nothing sexually or romantic, just dancing, when she turns around for a second and then screams at me that she has a boyfriend, pushes me aside and gives me a pretty hard slap over the face. I don't take shit, and I slapped her back with the same force, and that was it (this was uneccesarry from me, and I know it, but that's what happened). From nowhere her boyfriends jumps me, starts hitting me and screams "That's my fucking girlfriend!" I am in the middle of the dance floor, and I'm definitely scared that people will take this out of context that I just hit this girl without any reason so while being dragged and punched by the boyfriend I escape the dancefloor and arrive at the entrance at the hall-stand.

Here the boyfriend catches up, and he's still going for me, taking me in a choke hold. The guys who work in the hall-stand separates us. Before we can do anything, the girl arrives again with an employee at the nightclub who she seems to be familliar with. She points at me and says that I touched her between her legs. I can't believe what I'm hearing and I tell the employee that she's lying but he doesn't listen. He gets mad, the hall-stand guys grabs me, and hands me over to security who work there. None of the security has seen any of the incidents. They then hold me outside at the entrance where all the guests can see me until police arrives and she, standing with a friend of hers who encourages her and maybe even gives false testimony (I don't know, but it's a scary thought), decides to file a report on the charges mentioned in the title on me.

&#x200B;

The police says that they're taking me in for the night and that I will be questioned in the morning, none of my complaints about being assaulted aswell by her boyfriend and herself and my demand that they should talk to people who worked at the hall-stand or other people who are there is given any attention what so ever.

&#x200B;

The next morning I'm being interrogated, but I ask for a lawyers presence and they postpone the interrogation and will ask the girl if she wants to proceed. That is what I remember. This Friday I saw in my letterbox, one year and 4 months later, that I'm being called to interrogation for being a suspect for sexual assault and battery charges.

&#x200B;

I know that I'm innocent but I'm scared that injustice will be done and that I'm somehow implicated and doomed for the rest of my life for something I haven't done.  My biggest fear is that her club employee friend, her female friend who was there when she made the report or someone else will give false testimony. I have no friends who witnessed anything.

&#x200B;

I'm asking you to please help me, what should I do right now? The interrogation is on wednesday. Should I tell them everything I told you? If I admit that I hit her but that she also hit me, could that mean that they can only verify me hitting her, resulting in me getting charged for battery? Is there anything else I should do to prepare myself?

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Notes: I'm a student, 26 years old, she is probably a student aswell around the same age, maybe 23-24 years old, her boyfriend aswell.

&#x200B;

Location: US, New Jersey

Answer:
 Dude, you are not innocent. This post is your confession. You don’t strike someone back with equal force. That’s illegal.

They broke the law too but them breaking the law isn’t going to help you much here. Plead NOT guilty and get an attorney.

Edit: TypoAnswer #2: Do not answer any questions without your public defender present and in agreement that you should answer.  Answer #3: >one year and 4 months later

Not that there is anything legally preventing them from charging you this much further down the road it sure is odd and definitely smells funny.

Was the letter certified? Did it look legit? Can you look your case up on the court calendar?


Title: Dollar short! What do you do when you can’t pay as court ordered? Post-secondary Education.

Question:
I was recently court ordered to pay a portion of my child’s post secondary education costs. She is attending a local private school for $40,000/yr when she could obtain the same degree locally for $6,000/yr.  after grants/scholarships the bill is private$16,000 and would have been $3,000 for the in-state public school.

What I have been ordered to pay is $7000 a year, basically $600 a month that I cannot afford. I make a decent wage. But, I currently live paycheck to paycheck and have no savings or retirees plan as I am still recovering from bankruptcy about 5 yrs ago. I  applied for parent student aid and was denied and I do not have family I can borrow from.

What are my legal options? There was a small error in the the numbers the judge used to determine his order. Is it worth filing a motion to correct error in the hopes he would change his ruling?

Answer: You can talk to a lawyer and argue that the costs are not reasonable and you're not able to afford it.


Title: my brother got caught with Ecstasy a few yeas ago. supposedly, the charges were dropped but he has reason to believe they where not. Then he got a DUI a few days ago. but was released after paying bail.

Question:
he is thinking about skipping his hearing a disappearing for awhile  out of fear of being arrested for his previous drug offence.

my question is, is it possible that he would have been arrested for a DUI and released despite having a warrant for a previous drug offence?

Answer: If he had a warrant for the drugs he would have been held for it while he was in jail (and extradited if it was in another county/state in most cases). When you are arrested they run you through a national database for warrants. Advise him to NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER skip a court date. He will be issued a warrant if he fails to appear and his situation will be severally worse.


Title: No show Lawyer?

Question:
Throw away account obviously.

Boca Raton, Florida

Back story: May 10th at 3:13am I was arrested and given a notice to appear for possession under 20 grams and possession of paraphernalia. My mother and I retained a family friend lawyer and she was able to have me not need to appear for my arraignment. As a result of me not having any priors (hell I’ve never even been pulled over before this happened) I was put into a PTI with the need to complete 10 hours of community service, a 4 hour drug course and pay $150 worth of court fees.
All the qualifications were complete within the first three weeks of my PTI being set up, and I have provided my lawyer with all papers and documentation including the receipt from paying the county collectors office for the court fees, however I have the original copies in my possession.

I never had to meet with a PO and I never had to take any drug testing of any kind, no monthly meetings and no payments aside from the first one.

As previously stated this all started May 10th and my final court date to hopefully get the charges dropped is tomorrow Monday August 13th. My issue is that for the last three weeks both my mother and I have been completely unable to get in touch with my lawyer, through phone call text and email- nothing at all. I’m worried about what will happen if my lawyer doesn’t show up with me tomorrow to my court date.

So my question is, what will happen if I show up to the court date without my legal representation? How can I be sure she even filed all the paperwork I have sent her? What are the likely events that are going to follow? Will walking in with original copies of all paperwork in hand be sufficient to show I completed all my requirements or will it be a violation of my PTI that she didn’t file them when I completed them?

Answer:
 You will, of course, show up tomorrow, right?  If she doesn't, then tell the judge when your case is called or let the bailiff or court clerk  know. Her not showing up will likely have them pass your case until the end of the session.

At that point, if she's still not there, you can request a continuance. You'll almost certainly be accommodated.  This kind of thing happens.

Lack of communication is one the biggest complaints people have about lawyers.  Her silence and non-response may just mean she's got it all under control and just sucks at client goodwill.

As much as it sucks, it isn't necessarily misconduct.  If she shows up tomorrow and handles things appropriately, then she's met the minimum requirements.

If she does not show up tomorrow, consider a complaint to the state bar association.  Family friend or not, she has to make every appearance or make arrangements.  Even last-minute alternatives are better  than a no-show.


Title: My neighbor's puppy is dead on its chain in their backyard, don't know what to do (Texas, city if Beaumont)

Question:
So this poor thing has been on the chain in the back yard for a week or two. They may bring it inside sometimes, I'm not sure. I hear it barking just about every night. It's less than 8 months old, maybe even younger than 6 months.

This morning my dogs were particularly interested in our side of the fence near where the dog is usually chained up.

I looked over the fence to greet it as I usually do (it's a short fence and I'm 6'6") to see it lying dead and covered in flies. It does have a wire kennel covered with a tarp and had a very dirty water bowl and a food bowl piled high with food. It is not emaciated or obviously injured in any way.

I have no idea what to do. I do not have a relationship with the neighbors, but I am afraid of retaliation if I call animal control. I'm trying not jump to any conclusions about what caused its death. I also worry that the neighbors may suspect me of poisoning it or something, although I have never complained about its barking or had any confrontations with them or anything.

I'm not sure if this is the right subreddit for this question, so my apologies if it isn't.

Was there some law broken here? Am I over reacting? What should I do? Thanks for reading.

Answer: Call animal control.Answer #2:  Call animal controlAnswer #3: All roads lead to animal control. Maybe you can file an anonymous report online. Answer #4: What everyone else says, and if they get another puppy to leave on a chain outside, call animal control before the dog diesAnswer #5: Please call the police before they have a chance to get rid of the evidence.


Title: Debris from commercial truck hit my car while driving and damaged it, what do I do now?

Question:
Just now my husband, on his way to work, was driving behind a commercial truck. A piece of something flew off and hit the front bumper of his car. I'm posting because we are both essentially orphans (raised by abusive families who didn't teach us anything about how the world works) and don't know what to do next. He has the type of job he can't be late to and I have the morning free so I'm posting on his behalf and figuring out what the next step should be. He genuinely doesn't have time this morning to post on his own and we aren't sure how time sensitive this is. Thanks in advance for any help.

He got pictures of the truck, the plates (there was one plate on the back of the tractor trailer and a different plate from a different state on the front of the truck - he got both). He immediately called me because I've been in more accidents than him and he wasn't sure what to next. I recorded exactly when and where it happened on the road and as soon as he got to work he took pictures of the damage on the bumper with a dollar bill for scale. The truck eventually exited and he had to continue to work so he lost him.

The damage isn't terrible and doesn't seem to affect his ability to drive the car (only drove for about 5 more minutes so I'm not fully aware yet if there is more damage we have yet to find). However, he does want to repair the bumper. I have some older pictures of his car without the damage so we know it's new.

What is the next step? He has the sort of job where he can't come in late. He genuinely doesn't have time or ability to make this post or figure out what to do. I don't know if he needs to make a police report and how quickly that has to be done. I don't know if he should contact the truck company or his insurance. Any time I've contacted my insurance about damage my rates have gone up, hence our hesitation.

We don't have parents or anyone else to ask for advice. What is the best course of action? Is he out of luck or is there anything he can do to get his bumper fixed? Do police or insurance need to be involved? It's not the end of the world if nothing can be done - we just have no idea if he has any options here. Thanks so much for your help!

Location: North Carolina

Answer: Call your insurance company.Answer #2: Something actually flew off the truck? Or was it debris already on the road that was kicked up?


Title: My cousin just told me that someone from the FBI in my state called her, I think it might be me he's investigating, PLEASE HELP

Question: I don't want to say much more than what's in the title.

Answer: James, don't make things worse, we have been watching you for a while now.Answer #2: You've provided no information sufficient for us to help you.


Title: Is this true about entering into Canada?

Question: I got arrested for a misdemeanor 2 years ago and wasn't convicted of it.  I later got my arrest expunged and this person told me that Canada  isn't going to block me entering the country. Is he telling the truth?

Answer: Canada does take convictions seriously, but if you were only arrested and had that expunged, I wouldn't worry.


Title: Louisiana: Sold a motorcycle years ago, newest owner contacted me asking if I could sign some paperwork for him.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 A general rule is that you never sign anything for free. If you want to "do the right thing", I would ask the person to simply pay whatever it costs for my own attorney to look it over.

Disclaimer: not a lawyer. Answer #2: IANAL, but with that said:  What bugs me about this is that the form would have you signing as owner but you are not the owner.  Personally, I would not sign anything that misrepresented my position.

If I were in your position, and really wanted to help the guy, I'd offer to go into the DMV with him and explain that I sold the bike a couple  years earlier but I would not sign anything saying I'm the owner or that I'm selling it to someone in 2015.

I might be paranoid, but trying to help someone by signing something that isn't accurate leads to a very high risk of learning once again that:  *No good deed goes unpunished*Answer #3: Dude, just sign the form.  It is written in plain English and you don't need an attorney to look it over.

Another post, another pile of paranoid bullshit from the vocal majority.

EDIT: to be pedantic, sign it and fill out the relevant info.


Title: Sexual Harassment Claim in Office - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

Question:
I received an email from Human Resources today containing a confidential letter.  I am almost to my 6 months time with my organization so I thought it was a congratulations or something explaining I could now use my vacation time.  I was shocked when I realized it was informing me of a case of Sexual Harassment.  I work in a large organization with a tremendous population of varying individuals.  I have racked my brain to try and determine what I could have said or done to warrant an investigation.  I primarily keep to myself in my office and do my work.  I do have a lot of meetings throughout in regards to my work.

The letter states I have options, and that the HR employee who sent it would like to meet with me as soon as possible.  I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.  I scheduled as quickly as possible as I honestly don't know that I've done something wrong and want to clear my name.  It states "You may be accompanied by an advisor of your choice at any time during this process." (is that an attorney?)

What can I expect?  What do I need to do to truly vet this process?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Did it say that it was a case against you, or are you asking to provide information? Your post wasn't clear.

Oklahoma is an at will state and you've only worked there for 6 months. HR works to protect the company, not for you.

Download the employee handbook and bring it with you, it will give you more information about the "adviser of your choice".

If you are accused of sexual harassment, try not to immediately get defensive or make excuses. Take notes, ask questions, and stop and think before you answer anything.


Title: Facebook propaganda / child support rights & custody

Question:
I had posted this on r/legaladvice and someone recommended this was a more appropriate place to post.

Someone posted this image on Facebook and I have a hard time believing it.

It says

31 - the number of states where a rapist may sue his victim for custody and visitation rights

50 - the number of states where a rape victim cannot sue her rapist for child support

So, LA, is this true? I’m all for a woman’s right to choose but this doesn’t seem right to me and I’d like to educate/be educated if this is incorrect. Thank you.

Answer:
 The second point is untrue. Child support is a right associated with the child, which the custodial parent can pursue. The circumstances of the child's conception are not relevant to it; income and parenting time are.

The second point is more complicated. Some states do specifically bar sexual offenders from seeking custody, in a number of ways. However, the right to access to one's own kid generally includes criminal parents. Denying a parent access or custody generally requires showing that that parent is a danger _to the kid in question_. A rape conviction is, for obvious reasons, a strong argument, but it's not undefeatable.


Title: Caught speeding out of state, should I pay it?

Question:
~I am a Pennsylvania Resident..
~I am 18
~I have a clean record. ( HAD )

I was on a snowboarding trip in Vermont; on the way back I got pulled over in the middle of no where for doing 62 in a 45...
I had no idea what the posted speed limit was, was not familiar with the area, and the speed limit changed every half mile....

The officer asked me a few simple questions one being " This might be a weird question but, are you currently serving in the military?" His exact words... It was odd...

Should I just pay the 160$? Or is there any way I can fight this without driving there?
If I dont pay it, what happens?
Will my insurance be affected?

TDLR ; Caught doing 62 in a 55 out of state, should I pay it?

Answer:
 First you say 62 in a 45, then in your tl;dr, you say 62 in a 55. In addition, the entirety of your post other than the first line of text is irrelevant. If you were speeding in another state, you were still speeding. It's not like you can just flee to your home state and become immune to the charges/fines imposed on you.

You can pay for a lawyer to "fix" the ticket, so you are fined for a non-moving violation instead of a moving violation, but this usually costs you 2-3x more than the actual fine itself. However, you won't get any points on your license and your insurance won't go up. It's your choice as to what to do, but don't think you can just breeze back to PA and forget about the whole thing. That'll just make it worse.

tl;dr: Yes. Don't be a dumbass.


Title: Drunk kid underage left scene of accident. No one else involved what should he do.

Question:
So I just got a call from a friend. He was drunk flipped his car panicked & left his car flipped over in a ditch.

So can he still get a dui? If the cops come & he is not there what will happen.
What no one calls the cops can he just get it towed in the morning & nothing happen?
CT(USA)
Edit: Tomorrow we shall see how this all plays out.

Answer:
 CT has very stringent requirements to charge for DUI. Typically, police need to test (or get a refusal from) the operator within 2 hours of operation of the vehicle in order for the DUI arrest to be upheld.

If your friend managed to avoid police all night, the chances he gets charged with DUI are slim to none. Police however are going to be looking for him for an evading charge, which is a misdemeanor.

Source: I'm a CT cop.

P.S. Tell your piece of shit friend to go fuck himself. He's lucky he didn't kill anyone.


Title: Shoot a robber in the back? TX

Question: I work retail late at night and I was wondering, if I get held up by an armed robber and he turns to walk away can I shoot him?

Answer:
 All legal issues aside, why would you shoot someone who is walking away?

That's not exactly self-defense or "standing your ground" if they are retreating.


Title: Ex-employee suing for overtime wages

Question:
Due to a mere oversight, the company did not pay the employee the 1.5x overtime wages (just paid 1x). The employee never brought this to the attention of the company but unexpectedly hit the us with a class-action lawsuit months later. We audited and confirmed there are no other employees who this mistake was made with, so the lawsuit is really just that single employee. We tried to contact the employee and offer her the full back pay (including interest and extra) which is less than $150. But she refuses to communicate with the company and is determined to take this to court.

How do you think a judge will view our situation? We're not some malicious company refusing to pay an employee their rightful money. We are trying to do the right thing, but the employee is being difficult. Any tips on moving from a lawsuit to simple mediation?

EDIT: In Texas if that matters.

Answer:
 There are times when someone pursuing even a wrongful claim can do so in such a way that it forces you to hire an attorney.  In this case it sounds as though there is legitimacy to the underlying claim which makes your situation even more difficult.  Your company should hire an attorney.

In the broadest terms, offering someone a full settlement of the amount they are entitled to can be helpful in court.  That amount may includes her costs of litigation to this point.  Your attorney may suggest sending her a check for what she is owed.

>hit the us with a class-action lawsuit

You shouldn't be trying to talk to her.  Your attorney should be trying to talk to her attorney.  Answer #2: Something drove this outcome past unpaid wages, this is personal.  As for not speaking to you directly, I assume she's got an attorney and was told not to talk to you.  That's smart on her behalf.

Do you have an attorney?  What exactly is she demanding if not backed wages and possibly fees/costs?


Title: Amazon sent a package I didn't order

Question: I live in the US and Amazon sent me a package I didn't order and charged me for it. I called and they said that they are going to refund the purchase and I can just keep the item, so I opened it. Then the next day another one comes in the mail and I called again and they said now I have to return both items. When I go to my order history it doesn't appear but it appears on their side at amazon. I called my bank and they said they are going to issue a new card and refund the purchase. Do I have to return both items?

Answer: Yes, you need to return them. It's not yours.Answer #2: You not only need to return the items, but you need to figure out what's going on. There's no reason you should be receiving items you didn't order once, let alone twice. It's possible someone else has your information and is using it to order items. Answer #3: There is a scam that's called "brushing" that may be happening here. It's usually used to create fake reviews online, but your info may be compromised. If Amazon wants the items back, I'd ask for a shipping label.


Title: Could the President pardon all federal prisoners?

Question: I was wondering if the President could literally empty federal prisons by pardoning ALL federal prisoners? Could a Governor pardon all state prisoners and empty the jails? For example, as a drastic cost-saving measure... Or does each one have to be processed and signed off separately?

Answer: I don’t know how it’s officially done today but when President Carter mass pardoned the Vietnam War dodgers, they had to apply for the pardon individually. They knew they would be pardoned and it was just paperwork from there but they still had to do it or they weren’t included in the mass pardon.Answer #2: In the [Legal Eagle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZc9H54eBI&) video focusing on pardons it does say the president can issue blanket pardons to entire classes of people, and cites precedent.Answer #3: Trump on his last day in office: “Alright all federal prisoners are free to go, good luck Biden!”Answer #4: Jan 21, 1977 -  President Carter pardons draft dodgers. On this day in **1977**, U.S. President Jimmy Carter grants an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in the late 1960s and early 70s to avoid serving in the war.


Title: [NY, USA] My ex boyfriend accessed my account and posted nudes of me

Question:
I logged into tunblr today and found out I had posted a nude photo of myself. Which is not something I would ever do.

However, the photo is one I took of myself and sent to my ex months ago before we broke up. I had a problem with him calling and messaging me, and at one point he got into my facebook as well.

Since then, I had changed most of my passwords, but I guess I forgot tumblr. He hasn't bothered me in almost a month until now.

The photo has been removed, but many of my friends and family have already seen it.

He also lives in a different state now, as well. I'm not sure which--edit, he lives in Nebraska

What can I do? If I file a police report, has he actually violated any laws? Will they actually investigate and act, even if he lives in another state?

Would it count as some kind of identity theft, as he "hacked" into my account and posted a picture while preteding to be me?

Answer:
 > He also lives in a different state now, as well. I'm not sure which.

You should find out; some states have revenge porn laws that this would probably violate.


Title: [USA]Is thinking a paranormal event (seeing a ghost) is happening a viable defense for actions?

Question:
Let's consider this in the USA, but I am a Canadian living in Japan so I am also interested in other information.

I just saw [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3WQzB692wY) video, and it made me wonder if the injury was more severe, perhaps a death was involved, could the driver use "I thought I saw a ghost" as a defense? Does the law care if you believe in ghosts or other hootenanny and consider your actions reasonable due to the fear they may induce? If so, what limits are imposed on such hootenanny?

Pure curiosity. Thanks in advance.

.

..

...

hootenanny. heh heh.

Edit: for clarification, I don't care about the specific case of the video, we can agree they are all idiots. I mean the general case.

Answer: In my personal opinion, the "ghost" defense is unnecessary because the "two weirdos in white sheets trying to stop me and get in my car" defense would probably work just fine.


Title: Previous owners finished basement with no permits. city found out after sale. Now we are getting a tax hike. Can we take action against them? [MI]

Question:
The title says it all. We bought a house late last year. The previous owners, who have owned the house since it was built, finished their basement ~25 years ago without permits. The city assessor saw a finished basement in the MLS listing and came for an inspection, and now our taxes are going up.

Can we take action against the previous owners? I'm not sure if we will, but I'd love to know my options.

Edit: oh god, I can't believe I typed the wrong 'there/their'.

Answer: Action against them for what?  Finished rooms count towards the square footage


Title: When the police searches through your car, can they destroy it?

Question:
I saw a video of a police searching through a drug dealer's car. They tore down the plastic panels on the interior of the car with a pry bar. The guy was obviously caught, but what if you were innocent? Are they required to pay back the damage they've done or am I required to pay it myself?

Also, are police usually at fault for things that aren't necessarily the criminals fault? For example, in a police pursuit, when a police slams into a lane changing vehicle and ends up killing himself and a passenger, is the criminal at fault? Or, when there's a fleeing criminal amongst the crowd of New York City, and the police shoots and ends up killing two innocent people?

Answer:
 Yep they can cut ur seats open and everything and then you have to pay to repair the damages. Only time they will reimburse you for damages is if they didn’t have a warrant or if they accidentally ripped open your car when they were really looking for the one next door.
As far as the other question they hold the suspect accountable for any damages that directly result from their actions and not the pursuing authority. If you’re in a high speed chase and that cop runs over an innocent bystander you are fucked same if the cop has to open fire and hits someone else. You might be able to argue that the officer wrongly discharged his weapon but it depends.Answer #2: Not sure about the particular situation, but many cars have panels that are removable. My brother had his car torn apart by border security (bad luck + suspicious demographic) - all the panels removed and they were all put back on without issue.

So cops (along with paramedics, fire fighters, etc.) are mostly protected from civil and criminal liability for actions done in their line of work (ie: cracking ribs doing CPR, breaking & entering/damaging property as a firefighter, etc.) unless what they did was intentionally or reckless beyond what could be reasonably allowed for their work. So it's going to depend on situational details.


Title: Direct Deposit Stolen

Question:
Location: RDU area, North Carolina

So, a little bit of back story here. My employer switched to all digital payroll about a year or so ago. I was fine with the change, it would make keeping track of my pay stubs much easier.

However, back in July someone was able to gain unauthorized access to my account (must have gotten hold of my password somehow) and was able to change my direct deposit information to their bank information and effectively steal my entire paycheck (paid bi-weekly, so 40 hours worth) by having it direct deposited into their bank account.

I didn’t catch it until the day after when I noticed I was missing funds. Alerted my employer and filed a police report immediately. We even contacted ADP, the company that handles be digital payroll and they practically said there’s nothing they can do, which I don’t believe because they have to have insurance in case this kind of thing happens, right?

Anyways, I gave the police my statement and was even able to retrieve the bank account number and routing number they used and have that to the police aswell. (Yes, that is ALL VISIBLE on my online account, so they were able to see MY information before they changed it also.)

Today I received a call from the police department saying they put a court order in to the bank to see who’s account it was that stole my money and the bank said the account wasn’t found, likely already closed out, right?

So I’m basically out of an entire paycheck and I was already struggling before this happened. (Wife lost job, sob story, etc.)

Whoever gained unauthorized access to my account was, in addition to being able to change my direct deposit information, able to view tax documents from the previous year which has my address AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON THEM. Putting me at high risk for identity theft. And they were able to access all this AND change my direct deposit information with JUST GAINING ACCESS TO MY ACCOUNT. No EMAIL asking if this was me, no phone call, no second step authentication, NOTHING.

I have called several lawyers in my area and all I have reached out to have told me that their area of expertise is not cyber crime (which this apparently is.) So, is that just it? I’m just out of a paycheck someone stole from me?

Answer:
 The bank is required to keep information about the account.  Just because it was closed doesn't mean they don't have the information.  Push the police/bank to provide it.

Edit:  to add, if the account doesn't exist, where did the money go?Answer #2: Your problem is, who would you sue? It is not your employer's fault.  It doesn't appear to be ADP's fault.  You can sue the person who stole the money, if they are ever found.


Title: Landlord claims $100 is missing from my rent (it's not), serves me a three day notice to give money or she's evicting me. Now she won't answer the door, or my calls.

Question: [CA] I have the bank statements, as well as a receipt she wrote that says I paid in full. Her husband took my money and gave me the receipt.  Not my fault he didn't count it in front of me.  24 hours later she is trying to say money is missing from rent. Now I have a notice that says I have three days to pay the $100 or I'm being evicted.  I have reached out to her multiple times and even gone to her door to discuss this, but she is avoiding me.  I know full well that I paid the complete amount, and that this is a scam.  However I don't want to move, so it's likely I'll have to just kiss ass and pay the $100.  Any advice moving forward though, would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks

Answer:
 > Her husband took my money and gave me the receipt.

by certified mail with return receipt send her a copy of the receipt along with a letter saying that the rent has been paid in full

receipt in full means paid in full, and if you end up in court about this she will lose

i suggest paying by check in the futureAnswer #2: If you have proof that you paid then it is incredibly unlikely that you can be evicted for failing to pay.

But don't expect to be allowed to renew your lease when it is up.Answer #3: The process of eviction involves a court case, in which you will be presented an opportunity to present your defense.

Receipts that you paid your rent is an excellent defense.  (One of the only ones for eviction for non-payment of rent).


Title: I Set Up A Bunch Of Appointments With Escorts For Fun But It Went Too Far

Question:
>Arizona

For the past couple of months, I set up appointments with escorts just to get off. It is a weird fetish of mine and it has always been a fantasy of mine to be with a prostitute, The idea of it arouses me more than any girl I have been with.  So over the past couple of months I went online and discussed rates and appointments with some escorts in my area. I often cancelled last minute or never showed up, or never even confirmed as I had no intention to go through with it anyways. As you can imagine many of them werent happy about this and basically complained about me wastiing their time. My main concern is that they will turn me in to the police and have me arrested for solicitation. I am really worried. No one has contacted me but I feel someone will soon.

&#x200B;

TLDR  I set up appointments with escorts just to get off and stopped as of recently because some of them have been complaining about me wasting their time. I am worried they will get the police involved.

Answer: I doubt they would get the police involved because they aren’t dealing in a legal business. However, I would stop because if you keep messing with them the police might be the lease of your issues


Title: My dad made me co-applicant for a rental home without telling me. Other family are telling me to refuse to sign. A few questions about this.

Question:
To give you some background, I'm 28 and fairly behind on adulting due to a host of mental health issues. I live in WA. I'm planning on moving out from my (divorced and separated) parents' places sometime next you. My parents had a very bad divorce and I've been caught in the middle ever since. My sister went on contact with our dad about 9 years ago because he's... not very pleasant to be around.

About a month ago, my dad (62) started having some health issues. He thought it was a heart attack but the hospital couldn't find anything. He's still off work for 2 months and preparing for the possibility of never working again- I'm not clear on the details. He and my stepmom are preparing to sell their large, pretty luxurious home. They went to check a rental house today. He called me to ask for my email for some "forms". I gave it, and now the email says I'm a co-applicant for rental property. I have never been legally signed onto property before. I looked up what this means and I guess if my dad is unwilling or unable to pay rent, it falls to me. My mom and sister are insistent I refuse to sign, thinking he will dump all the payment responsibility on me. I'm sitting at it for the moment. I haven't discussed it with my dad. I have no idea what to do here. I'm not having luck researching this any further, so a few questions...

-How can I remove myself as a co-applicant, if at all?
-Do I have any legal options in the event my dad DOES refuse to pay?

Answer:
 > I have no idea what to do here.

Don't sign anything. Reply to whoever sent you those emails that you are not a co-applicant, and that your dad does not have your permission to do this.Answer #2: Are you planning to live with your dad when he moves into the rental property? It may be required that he lost all tenants on application.Answer #3: Tell your dad to remove you as a co-applicant, don't sign a damn thing either. Why are you even considering this? He's obviously doing this behind your back and putting you in a very vulnerable position.


Title: US, CA If a teacher takes a child's phone away

Question: If a teacher takes a child's phone away and the child tries to retrieve it after school from the school office and they don't let him have it back unless a parent picks it up is it unlawful for them to deny you your property? Thanks reddit

Answer: Children cannot own property in their own right.  The phone is legally the property of the parents.  So yes, what you describe is perfectly legal.Answer #2: Why don't you just have your parents pick it up? Simple enough, problem solved.


Title: Can a public building require you to show ID to enter?

Question:
If I walk into a city hall or police office or whatever and it's a public building, can they require I show ID to enter the building, and refuse entry/service if I don't?

I saw a news article where somebody claimed it was a 4th amendment violation for them to require ID saying it was "unreasonable." I know "reasonable" is subjective and up to the courts. Have courts ruled on this at all?

Answer: Public doesn't mean open on any terms. Things like hours, restrictions are perfectly legal. Recently masks were required in public places. It's still property you don't own and don't have a general right to be on.Answer #2: Lots of public buildings require ID to enter and it's perfectly lawful. The fourth amendment has no real bearing on it.


Title: Kid napping? Running away? Legal?

Question:
I'm 17. I live in Texas,  I've lived there for years. I lived with my mom there. I came to Virginia to VISIT my dad. I was supposed to go back before school started, but now he doesn't want to send me back. My mom moved to a different state while I was gone. So when I go back to Texas I will be living with my Aunt. My mom approves me living in TX with my aunt. My dad doesn't. My dad doesn't even know me I've lived with my mom my whole life. All my belongings are in Texas, my job I've had for over a year. The school I've gone to for 3 years.
Is it legal for me to get a plane ticket back to TX w/o my dad knowing? Or is that considered running away?
My mom wants me to go back to Texas (although she doesn't live there momentarily), I want to go back. Is this considered kidnapping?
If I leave w/o him knowing, what's the worst he can do? He cannot force me to come back?
The college I've been trying to get into is in Texas & my dad is just ruining my future & education.
Other information:
*I am 17, but turning 18 in January.
*My parents haven't been together in 13 years, but they never got a divorce. They both technically have custody. But I've always lived with my mom.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You can fly alone at any age and you can leave Virginia and go back to Texas without the dad's consent.  If you have a plane ticket and a way to get to the airport, you're free.

Edit -- I guess nobody has ever seen or heard of unaccompanied minors flying.  And nobody has ever booked a flight for an unaccompanied minor.  Ignore the down votes, OP.  Your mother or your aunt can book the ticket for you.  Answer #2: Just a note that you shouldn't just disappear on your dad.

Even if you just phone or text him from the airport in TX, let him know you're OK and where you are ASAP.

That's more "don't be an asshole" advice than legal advice, though.