Title: [FL] Disabled. I work at a state college. Handicap spots were removed but never replaced. It’s been a year.

Question:
TL;DR: shared parking lot with employee parking section. 1/4 handicap spots removed. I’ve fallen twice now. What are my rights? Should employee parking have its own disabled spots? Should I sue? I just want this fixed so I can go to work.

Some background:
I’m disabled and work at a state college. I’ve attended/worked as a student here for about 3.5 years and was hired after graduation and have worked as an employee for 2.

About the parking lot currently:
Parking lot has 218 parking spots for both buildings. 80 of those are employee spots. 2 are for fuel efficient cars, 4 are disabled parking spots and ramp on north side. Only other ramp is through main driveway on other side.
[Map and images](https://imgur.com/gallery/YJIAuBo)

Start of issue:
About a year ago, I got to work and the two disabled parking spots and ramp for my building were removed. I brought it up to my boss who said he hadn’t noticed but would look into it. A little time later he relayed to me that he was told they were removed because the ramp wasn’t up to grade and that the spots for the adjacent building of our shared lot were close enough to share for this building. (two things to mention 1) this other entrance they are referring to is about 300 feet from nearest spot to doorway. The main entrance to current: 190 ft. The old spots to main: 140 ft. The closest parking to main: 85 ft. 2)There are only four spots and it is the only ramp unless you count the one on the complete other side of my building across the main entry driveway. Not to mention the ADA dots for blind on the ground to indicate it’s a slope is rubber and curling up in from the hot sun. Another safety hazard.)
We both knew this was BS and he contacted the head of student services regarding this. She had no idea and said she was on her way to a meeting about just such issues on campus and was going to awing by to take a picture of the no longer handicap spots. We heard nothing else. Time passes and it’s getting more and more difficult for me to get into my building. If it’s windy or raining, I can’t go at all. Many times I’ve had to ask my boss and other employees for help walking in. I have fallen twice now. Once in December and again just this past April. My boss had to come help me stand up. I’ve been there for 6 years as a student or an employee, I’ve never had issues till now.

Further issues:
As I said, there is employee parking. The area is surrounded by curb to separate it. There are two walkways from there; one facing my building and one facing the adjacent building. The issue here is, besides some faded lines on the pavement, nothing states that people can’t park there. This only walk way and there’s usually a car blocking it. So even if I wanted to utilize employee parking, I cant. And again, only one ramp. I could be parked I. Employee parking and still have to walk just as far just to get to the ramp.

So my questions: what are my rights as an employee and as a civilian accessing a public state building? Who should I contact? I told my supervisor, should I contact someone else at the school? Should I just get a lawyer?
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 [Look into filing an ADA complaint](https://www.ada.gov/fact_on_complaint.htm)Answer #2: Your college may have an Office of Disability Accomodations (or similar). If they do, they may be able to help, or at least point you in the right direction.Answer #3: Contact your local city's planning / code enforcement department. They're responsible for verifying that sidewalks are in good repair and that buildings have adequate parking.

Call weekly (or daily if need be) until someone inspects the site.

If you slip and are injured, file a workers comp claim.


Title: Dad being forced to leave job after 20 years

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The company can probably do that, unless it is clear that they are discriminating against him because of his age or other protected characteristic. However, if they are effectively slashing his pay by more than 50%, there is a good chance that unemployment would rule in his favor if he filed for it.


Title: Supervisor told me I wasn't considered for a promotion because I'm a woman.

Question:
I am a woman working at a business (staying reasonably vague for anonymity) in Kentucky with \~50 employees.

I've been working in an entry level position for two years and have been told coworkers and my direct supervisor that my work quality is exceptional. In my time working for this company, I've completed a Master's degree relevant to the job and which I assumed would make me eligible for promotion.

A few weeks ago, my direct supervisor let me know that a spot in a higher pay grade had come available and had was most likely being filled by an external candidate (recent graduate with a Bachelor's and no experience). The position was not posted anywhere for internal candidates to apply, the CEO chose the candidate in question himself. I questioned her why I (or one of my female coworkers who was qualified) weren't considered for the position and she told me our CEO wanted to hire a man, only a man, and that it was VERY typical for our company for women to be looked over. I then spoke to our CEO who told me he was unaware of my graduate degree (despite previously congratulating me on it), that he didn't know if I planned on staying with the company (which has - until now - been my intention that I've made well-known, even in my interview). I asked to be considered for the position and he waffled around and I never heard anything else until today in which I found out the male candidate was hired (I was also offered a raise after speaking to our CEO because I was being GROSSLY underpaid and let him know that).

I have had multiple people tell me that looking over an overqualified internal candidate because of their gender is workplace discrimination and to speak to an attorney. Would that be a waste of my time?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Given what you have described, it would not be a waste of time to consult with an employment attorney.

Don't be surprised if your told you don't have enough solid evidence for a case. It can be quite difficult to prove a case of gender discrimination. But what you are describing is very egregious, and you suggest that several people may be able to testify that this is a consistent and ongoing pattern of behavior. It's good enough to be worth a consultation.


Title: (ON, Canada) If I tell my Dr I am suicidal, are they legally required to contact CAS or put me on a 72 hour psych hold?

Question:
I'm married with two small children and a full time university student. I have a history of mental health problems ranging from OCD to depression, to disordered eating.

Recently my mental health has taken a turn for the worst and I've been having persistent suicidal thoughts.

I know suicide is not the answer. I know all it would do is destroy the lives of those I love- my husband would be a widower, my babies would be motherless. I get it and I want to get help.

I'm afraid if I do they'll put me on a psych hold or call CAS on me. I do not want to put my husband through CAS involvement. I also can't do a 72 hour hold right now- I have so many school and family responsibilities it would basically completely mess up my life. Plus my husband can not afford to miss 3 days of work.

So if I do book an appt, is my dr legally required to do any of this?

Thanks for reading.

Answer: If you're having persistent suicidal thoughts, you can't afford NOT to miss work or school.  Call your doctor, tell him what's going on, and get whatever help you can.


Title: USPS seizing packages.

Question:
It was recommended to me that I ask this question here.

I recently, had an order of Kratom seized by the Mobile AL USPS distribution facility.  I live MS, and the order was shipped from California.  Everything coming to my part of MS goes through Mobile however, where Kratom is a schedule 1 controlled substance.  However, it is a perfectly legal substance in both California and MS.

After explaining the problem to my local post office, I got a phone call from Mobile, with a guy asking me some questions about the contents of my package.  I eventually told him it contained Kratom, he acknowledged it was legal in MS, but that packages suspected of Kratom are pulled in AL.  He asked for my permission to search the package for anything illegal, and if it was Kratom and only Kratom, he'd send it to me.

I didn't give him permission, and I wasn't entirely sure I wasn't breaking any laws here.  Also, assuming I'm not breaking any laws, will they, or do they have to legally send me the package if I give them permission to search it and they find nothing illegal in it?

Answer:
 IANAL, but I'm not sure that they can seize it because the USPS packages fall under federal jurisdiction, not local, so since it's not illegal federally they can't seize something that isn't illegal. Answer #2: I'd suggest contacting the postmaster general.  They get pretty picky about interference in the US mail system.Answer #3: Who are you talking to in Mobile? Why were your packages opened? First class US mail is protected against searches and seizure under the 4th amendment, meaning they would need a search warrant to open it. Answer #4: Diverting from the mail stream is a seizure and it requires a reasonable suspicion of illegal activity. These are based on metadata like if the sender lives at address, if the package "looks suspicious", etc. Then they can use a drug dog or similar to apply for a search warrant. They asked for permission in the hopes to bypass this. If the drug dog doesn't alert, than absent other substiantive evidence, the judge won't issue a search warrant and the package will be delivered. If a search warrant is issued, the package may be opened and checked for illegal drugs. That's why they asked for permission.

AFAIK, the state law wouldn't be able to apply to a sealed package in interstate commercial transit, but I'm not sure if there is specific caselaw on that.


Title: Do I need permission to speak to mothers doctor?

Question: New York - My mother in law is showing some progressive memory loss, she's almost 80 and stubborn. Can my husband (her son) or I speak to her doctor and let him know what's going on without her permission? Basically just give him information but not ask for any of her medical information in return? Thanks

Answer: It's perfectly acceptable. In fact a lot of family members who are concerned that their loved one is developing dementia reach out that person's doctor: it's possible that the doctor will reach out to them in turn and ask them to come in for a "well woman" check-up or something similar. Doesn't mean she will go, of course.


Title: [MN] My company is asking to know about personal political contributions and volunteering or I would be subject to termination

Question:
I work for a large financial institution that is under a lot of scrutiny and they just released a lot of new internal rules to cover their asses such as we have to report when we volunteer with any organization that deals with money, we have to report volunteering, political contributions and other things we do outs of work or face termination the exact words were "Personal political contributions make by a covered team member or their immediate family" we have to report by the end of the month

This seems fishy overall. I volunteer my time with a boy scout troop that has significant bank accounts from fundraising and I don't think the company should force employees to disclose so much information about their personal lives so the company can cover their asses.

Answer:
 Any political donation you make is already publicly searchable, so it seems silly for that to be the hill you die upon.

Minnesota is an at will state, so Wells Fargo can fire you for any (non protected) reason. The reasons you lay out above are not protected.

Either give them the info they request or polish your resume and find a new job.


Title: Reporting CP from over 2 years ago?

Question:
Apologies if this is the wrong place or if I misread any rules.

Background: My ex husband (finalized December 2017) and I were living in California. We got married 2015 and separated in early spring of 2016. Through our relationship he was addicted to porn (among other things). I noticed over time the stuff he would look at was getting more intense and pushing my comfort zone.

Then I noticed some big red flags. He was following creeper shots blogs and revenge porn. Gang bang stuff- I had to get brave and see if I was overreacting. It looked like a cell phone video and I don’t think they were role playing. Finally one day I found a folder labeled with probably random letters and numbers. I opened it and it was really shocking. It was straight up child porn. There was horrible things in there and it made me sick. This, along with many other reasons is why I left him.

So my question is this: I’m not legally married to him and want to make an anonymous tip that he should be on their radar. Is there any following work for me to do from there? If they don’t find anything currently will they ask me to make a statement about the situation? I didn’t mention any of this during our divorce- am I chasing a hope that this creep will see some justice?

Answer: report him. the national center for missing and exploited children has a tip page. just report it and move on (and stay away from him), unless he has any contact with children and then report it to his employers or the kids parents.


Title: I messaged a Redditor who had made a violent comment in the past. Now I am worried he killed himself. I need advice.

Question:
I came across a Redditor yesterday, and in his post history, he had commented on a thread that if he saw a Trump supporter in public, he would sneak up behind them and slit their throat.

I am usually pretty tolerant of things on Reddit, but this comment seemed so sadistic I had to say something. I messaged him saying that I had told law enforcement what he said and that he should expect to hear from them shortly. I told him I sent law enforcement a screenshot of his comment along with a cached page of his comment. I did not actually contact law enforcement, I just told him that to scare him. I made it all up.

Anyways, we had a few messages back and forth. He asked me to leave him alone because he had homework to do. After this, I noticed he deleted his violent comment and I messaged him again and told him that deleting it wouldn't help him because law enforcement would still be able to see it and I called him a coward. He again messaged me to please leave him alone. After this I felt bad and told him that I didn't actually contact law enforcement and I was just trying to get him to understand how serious it is to make a threat like that. He didn't respond. He has not made any posts or comments on Reddit since I sent that last message.

This guys post history is full of crazy comments, and some other Redditor even called him a loony. I am worried this guy is not mentally stable, and that my messages to him tipped him over the edge and he killed himself and I am worried whether or not, if he did, if it would be my fault. I keep thinking about how he still hasn't posted or commented since yesterday, even though based on his post history he has been active on Reddit every day.

From a legal standpoint - if he did kill himself - could I get in trouble? What if he left a note blaming me? Or even if he didn't? Is there any situation where I could be in trouble from this whole thing? I am worried maybe this could be considered cyber bullying and I can get in major legal trouble? I am freaking out and regret messaging him at all. I am constantly checking his post history to see if he posts or comments to make sure he is alive. But he still hasn't.

I should note that I do have diagnosed anxiety and OCD. However I can't tell if I should actually be worried about this or not.

Lastly, I know I should not have even said anything. However, I can't change the past, and I am looking for advice. Thank you for your time.

I’m in Iowa. Not sure where he is from.

Answer:
 Shakes head. Wonders what you were thinking.

Anyway - he's deleted the post, you've told him you didn't actually report him. Why on earth would he wish to continue his conversation with you?

Look it's reddit - he probably has an alt (or more than one) and is posting under those because he simply doesn't want to continue this conversation with you.


Title: A doctor I never visited accessed my medical records (I visited a different doctor in same medical group) to ask me to take down a yelp review. (DC)

Question:
I received an email from a doctor’s assistant asking me to take down a Yelp review from a couple years ago. She said that I had never visited the doctor she was representing and I must have been confused when I wrote the review. She said that she found my name from searching the patients of all the doctors in her medical group and found my previous doctor visit. I did not write the 1 star review that was left on yelp and I have a common name.

I feel violated that this doctor and his assistant accessed my medical information to identify me as the suspected writer of the review. Were any laws violated?

Answer: HIPAA governs patient privacy and as there was no legitimate medical reason to access the file it seems like there might have been a violation. However there is no private cause of action under HIPAA, you file a complaint with HHS [Here.] (https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html) HHS will investigate and probably send them a nasty letter, they might also get a fine. But that’s all you can do.Answer #2: I would talk to my own doctor and tell him/her what this assistant did. The other doctors in the group might be very upset over this and they can take the steps to correct it. If they don't, I would find a new doctor.Answer #3: Yes, file a HIPAA complaint.


Title: Is a google doc a legal will?

Question:
If I made a will in a google doc that basically just said what percent each person would get of my money, would it be a legal will that can be upheld?

I was thinking about doing that because the edit history would show I made and edited it and then share it to people who cannot edit. Would this count as a will or no because it wasn’t done the formal way?

Answer: A will is not valid unless it's properly executed. I know of no jurisdiction that recognizes editing a google document and sharing it with people as proper execution.


Title: Due to court error, I cannot make child support payments!

Question:
(Texas)After noticing that my (small amount) of back child support didn't come out of my tax return, I realized there was some sort of issue. I set aside the money & I've been trying to make payments, and after many phonecalls, have been informed that, due to a court error the case has been closed.

The problem is that they didn't change the court order number on the new documents. I cannot sign into the website. When I call the multiple phone numbers I've been given, I've been told that the case is closed. When I call to check the balance, there is no balance, it just gives me the old information (from payments in 2011, etc.) No one will tell me how I can fix this issue. I don't want this to come back and bite me in the ass. I am not on speaking terms with my ex. I haven't seen my son in about 3 years.

I'm not going to make payments that won't be recognized by the state. Every agency I have called has referred me back to another agency I have *already* called. I'm trying to do the right thing, but due to everyone wanting to "pass the buck", I can't. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have called the Texas CS division in San Antonio, I have called the court in the town where the mistake was made, and the Child Support Division in said town. I have spent 2 months and hours of time on hold, dealing with this issue.

Please help.

Answer: Put the money in a savings account until they catchup with you.


Title: Mom is trying to kick me out of the house that I pay rent for and listed on the lease

Question:
Hello everyone, this isn't the first time my mom has told me to pack my bags and get out, its actually the third time. But this is the first time where I've actually been paying rent and I'm listed on the lease. I did leave last night and stayed with a friend just to avoid the drama. Today I went out and bought a keyed entry door knob and just finished installing it in my room. I want to know if my mom has any legal right to kick me out. She is not the land lord and is another renter. I pay 1/3rd of the rent and she pays 2/3rds. Can she kick me out because she pays majority? I've never been late on a payment and I keep to myself for the most part. I do clean up after myself and typically do any extra thing she asks me. I've been a good roommate but I'm tired of her using 'kicking me out' as a power move. We live in Arizona if that helps.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You'd have to be evicted through the legal process, and it would have to come from the landlord.


Title: Landlord cashed rent check five months early, now demands I pay anyway? (Toronto, ON, Canada)

Question:
Hi, so, I am consulting an attorney on Monday, but I'm stressing out about this at the moment and need some advice.

Last year, I gave my landlord, who has given me all sorts of problems since this time last year, 12 post dated checks to cash for my rent every month. He normally cashed them on time, and then in March 2018 cashed the check for August 2018 (the last check), and then proceeded to cash March's check in April, and both April and May's check in May. The May check bounced, and now he's demanding that I write a new one for May. I have looked into it, and apparently he could have cashed the August check at any time, but the bank wasn't supposed honor it. I went to the bank, and they were willing to accept that I wasn't at fault, but that they weren't at fault either because the landlord is the one who deposited the check. I don't know how much I can push back on the bank, but I'm willing to go back to them, if necessary.

My two questions are:

1) How do I get the landlord (and his lawyer) off of my back?

2) Do I have to write him a new check while we figure out the post-dated August check he cashed? My rent is pretty expensive ($4400 CAD), and having that tied up while it's all sorted will be very difficult for me.

I am moving out on June 30th, and I am actually a US diplomat on assignment in Canada, so the US government pays my rent. They will not be giving me any more rent as I had money put in through May, and then none for June (as it was covered by the last month's rent deposit I gave my landlord originally). Further, I am unable to get much help from my government, though I will be looping them in on this info. To add further fun to this whole thing I'm leaving the country on July 13th because I've got another assignment. Happy to provide any further information, just need some advice, please.

Answer:
 If your bank is Canadian, then you can push back and require them to bounce the cheque. Canadian banking regulations [requires](https://cba.ca/cheques-what-you-need-to-know) that your bank return the funds to your account until the date on the cheque. If your bank pushes back, you can talk [your bank's ombudsman](https://cba.ca/resolving-problems-with-your-bank). US banks _do not_ follow the same regulations, and in the US, the date on the check is merely advisory.

However, if you do this, you also need to pay March's rent. Reversing the early cheque may be the right call, but it doesn't void the underlying obligation. If, as a result, your landlord did not receive any money for March's rent, then you can be evicted for nonpayment.

It sounds like one possible outcome in this situation is "do nothing." Your landlord appears to have received the correct amount of money for each month, even if the dates on the cheques don't match the dates the rent is for. (I'm not clear on why they attempted to cash more than one check for May's rent.) There's no basis to evict, or to demand extra money, in that, and if your landlord issues you an N4 (eviction for non-payment) notice, you'd be well within your rights to ignore it and would have a good defence based on your records showing that you have paid the correct amount of rent.

Have you given your landlord the required N9 form to terminate your tenancy, at least 60 days before the last day of your final month?


Title: (Florida) AT&T Phone Insurance

Question:
   I am a long term lurker of this subreddit as I enjoy the reading here better than most but I never thought I would actually post a question here. In the grand scheme of things this is a minor issue but it is about a thousand dollar loss for me that I would really like to know my options. I have told this story to so many people in multiple organizations dealing with this I abhor the thought of writing this out but I truly think you fine people can give me some solid advice.

&nbsp;

Wall of Text inc,

&nbsp;

So a little over a month ago I lost my Iphone 6s Plus 128 GB which I had on contract through AT&T's NEXT plan. For Reference this is around $970 +/-. The worst part of this ordeal is I had just upgraded the phone due to my previous phone being in an accident and no longer working, so I had to pay off the previous phone in order to even be able to buy this one on the next program (all good so far this is just shit that happens and you have to deal with it)

   I go into a corporate AT&T store on March 4th to get them to switch from my lost 6s+ to an old Iphone 4 as I cannot afford the cost to replace the lost phone and at least I will have communication. While doing this the  store representative tries to sell me on the insurance, which at first I was a bit put off bye as I explained why would I get insurance on an I4 that I can buy at a pawn shop for $50 when I didn't have insurance on a a much more valuable phone. He replies that THIS is the beauty of the insurance, that due to open enrollment I can add the insurance on my line, I will have to wait 30 days, then they will replace the iphone 6s+ (minus a  deductible). Obviously this did not sound correct to me so I asked him very specifically "you are telling me I can sign up for insurance now, pay the extra $10 a month on my bill and in 30 days they will replace the $1k phone I had just lost, that doesn't seem right...", to which he responds "I know that is why you are really lucky that this happened during open enrollment, we have been doing that for quite a while, the insurance is for any phone associated with the line, not what is currently being used". (I am trying to be as verbatim as my recollection will allow). Still in disbelief I go over the facts of the situation again to which he confirms. I happen to have family down visiting who are with me in the store who also think this seems odd so they ask the store manager directly saying that it didn't seem right but she confirmed that even though I lost the phone a day ago, because it is open enrollment I got lucky and they will replace my phone for me. So of course with these confirmations (plus another from a 3rd Manager) I agree and have them sign me up for this insurance, which the representative does through his computer, I never sign anything, I never see anything, he switches my I4 over so I can use it in the interim and I go on my way super happy that there is a fluke lucky resolution to an unfortunate circumstance. I came into the store on about 15 days in to ask some questions about how I go about this and a 4th Representative confirms the process and that what we had done was 100% legitimate due to the open enrollment period...

&nbsp;

Fast forward to 30+ days April 5th. I go ahead and report the claim as I am instructed by the corporate AT&T store, upload a signed affidavit and Government ID and wait. About 8 hours later I get a message from Asurion (the actual insurance company) denying the claim as the phone was not in my possession and in working order when the insurance was added to my account (which actually sounds correct and is why I verified over and over that this would work in my current situation prior to adding the insurance).  I call Asurion and go over every detail of the claim included my several confirmations from their representatives at AT&T that how I was using the insurance was legitimate to which they said it simply did not work that way and AT&T sold me the insurance incorrectly and I would need to deal with them.

So I call AT&T customer care go over the 45 min routine with them and at the end of it they say that Asurion (obviously) is a separate company and they cannot override their decision, they can open a case for me but I had to exhaust all the other options first, which would be to go back to the point of sale (the original store) as they sold me the policy, they should be able to make the situation correct through them.

So I go to the store that evening, talk to a Manager there and he is pretty outraged for me, saying that this is how they always did it and they (Asurion) should be replacing my phone. So with my patience granted he asks if he can fill out a 2nd claim from this store and he will get his district manager to try and lend weight to the claim, which I agree to. He fills out the claim and tells me to let him know as soon as I get a response.. I wait and the next day the claim is denied again by Asurion.

As instructed I get in touch with that manager and tell him ASAP that he will contact his District Manager and get back to me. The next day the Store Manager gets back to me and informs me that unfortunately they cannot do anything through the store and offers zero paths to remedy the situation.

So I call AT&T to open a case about this and after another hour of explaining and going over details he informs me that a case can be opened but it won’t help in this situation so as a last ditch effort according to him, he calls Asurion with me on the phone and they go over all the details again and he gives her specific information about call dates and phone usage etc and she processes a 3rd claim. After not hearing a status for 2 days (They guarantee 24 hr updates) I call them and the woman says it looks like the claim was approved and they are just waiting for proof of purchase (which isn’t always required but sometimes it is). So as per their instructions I upload a photo of the UPC information on the box from the Iphone 6s +. About 4 hours later,  I get a message from them stating that the claim has been denied due to it not being used since the insurance was added.

So I go back to the store and speak to the store manager, I am trying to get the district manager’s contact information (and hers as she assured me prior to the sale that everything was exactly as it should be) As before she supposedly cannot get me the DMs Phone number but she writes down his email and when I turn to go she apologizes for the problems if she had heard exactly how the sales rep sold me the claim she would have stopped him. This is the same Store Manager that confirmed the process when asked DIRECLTY and SPECIFICALLY about my situation by my Mother who happened to be vacationing from out of state when the phone was lost. And the original Rep was sitting right next to her as we are discussing this and refused to look at either of us.

I emailed the DM but have not had any response as of yet and I kind of don’t expect to.

&nbsp;

All I want is my phone replaced and I will pay the deductible as I was sold. I actually have lost some decent revenue through  the process as I drive for UBER as a part time job and at first waiting 30 days to be able to place a claim, and now an additional 7 days trying to resolve this has actually cut into this revenue.

&nbsp;

**Facts**

-I was sold on the insurance after the phone was lost (they approached me to add it for this scenario)

-I was assured by multiple people (several were managers and one was a store manager) that this was acceptable

due to open enrollment

-the representative added the insurance to my account via his in store computer.

-I was never given any paperwork or information about this insurance.

-I never signed anything.

-Both my Mother and Father were down visiting when the phone was lost so were with me and heard ever on

reassuring me that my situation was perfectly legitimate due to open enrollment

-My mother confirmed directly and specifically with the Store Manager (who later changed her story)

-My parents live out of state

-both AT&T Customer care and Asurion have said that the store fraudulently sold me this insurance

&nbsp;

**Questions**

-what is my best course of action?

-Is small claims court an option?

-If I go small claims route can I add expenses to the phone cost?

-I assume I can add the amount of lost income due to not driving for Uber during this time?

-Both of my witnesses to this live out of state…

Will an affidavit be acceptable from them?

Will only having an affidavit hurt my case as they will not be able to answer any questions?

If it is better to have them down here, can I add the cost of their travel and stay to the claim?

-what additional forms and/or Information should I have available to better my outcome?

&nbsp;

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH in advance to take the time and read this, I am truly thankful for any help you can give me, I know that in the grand scheme of things this is small potatoes but it is quite a sum for me and the whole “people are getting away with fraud” aspect is really getting to me.

Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: I only skimmed the post but it looks like you and the retail store tried to commit insurance fraud. It doesn't matter how many people assured you it wasn't insurance fraud, it was. You can try and recover for the amount you paid for the insurance but that would just be it. You don't have any damages (like not getting Uber wages) because you were trying to defraud Asurion, most likely.


Title: Sued for 3 mil

Question:
Hello, so just the other day I got hit with a lawsuit that says it should be for no less than 3 million dollars. I haven’t responded to court yet as I’m looking to get consultation from an attorney but was hoping maybe someone could give me ideas or read similar stories.

Anyway this was all result of a stupid selfish decision I made one July 2017. I regrettably was the cause of a DUI crash in Orange County, Ca which  unfortunately had two people in the car. Thankfully there were no fatalities but one of the parties did have great bodily injuries, which turned my case into a felony. So the case dragged on and didn’t get settled til October 2018. A few days prior my insurance had expired and so that changed a lot of things.

So while the case was resolved the people I hurt had an attorney and asked my attorney about settling outside of court. I talked to family about helping me get a loan for that but my attorney said I “could” always counter offer, so we did, needles to say they were not happy so the price went up!65 thousand So we gave another counter of 45 and they agreed under the circumstance that I pay 5,000 a month. So I offered to pay 1,000 a month but they were not pleased and said “why not take out another loan?!” Mind you this “loan” was going to come out of my dad pocket being as he has the means to help me out but this is not his wrongdoing I didn’t feel right taking all that money from him even though I was going to pay, after that they told my attorney “he has till noon tomorrow to come up with that if not my clients are going to sue for 3 million” and so I said so be it I don’t make anywhere near 5k a month and I KNEW I was going to have to pay them restitution as well.

Well here we are last week I got served the paperwork and initially I thought it maybe a ploy so that I’d give in to their offer but again it wasn’t an issue of not wanting to pay but rather not being able to. At least not in the manner which they saw fit, well now I know what I owe in restitution which roughly comes out to be 64 thousand usd. So I went to my credit union to see if I could get a loan to pay that off and maybe get approval to get off probation as if I stay on probation I’d end up paying something like an additional 16k with all the stuff added up. But then I got hit with this suit, so now I’m stuck between deciding if I should pay off probation with a loan, if I should just answer and show up to court and wish for the best, pay a lawyer to give me a game plan, pay a lawyer to represent me in a case I know I’m going to lose but I’m way in over my head, I know there’s programs in OC with attorneys who are pro bono or something like that which will help me as I am considered a low income resident. I’m not bitter or angry that they wish to sue me for that much I wronged these people and affected their lives and their families, I’m not trying to run from this, if I had that kind of money I’d honestly give them more as this whole thing really was my bottom but also where I decided to cut the crap and change my life completely for better, I can’t put a price on that. At the same time I mean owing someone 3 million dollar aside from paying them 64k is really demoralizing, it makes me feel like my life is their, like I need to work two jobs now or look toward something like working on a oil refinery which by no means is a knock to that profession but I was kind of hoping to go to school finally so I feel like that’s a luxury to me at this point that I won’t be able to afford, again this is all MY own doing, nobody put me behind that wheel, I’m not seeking anyone’s pitty, I don’t feel sorry for myself and I know the hardest part is behind me personally as I pretty much had in my head for the past two years that “all this” money I work for isn’t really for me..so I’m not upset I’m that aspect it’s money it comes and goes, just that I have no assets. Anyway any experience you have with this is welcome I hope I have enough of the information here pertaining to the financial pet of the case

Answer: Since you didn't have insurance at the time of the accident you're going to have to hire a lawyer and pay them to defend you.


Title: What can I do about this?

Question:
I was sold a car from an ad on Craigslist and I was completely mislead by the owner. The car has major issues that he didn't tell us about. I took the car to the mechanic today (a day after buying it) and he said it's completely unsafe to drive. The seller said it just needs a tune up but that wasn't the case. The muffler was on its last legs,there's a hole under the passengers side seat that you can put your hand through. The car wouldn't start for our mechanic and it had to be pushed out of the garage and left in the parking lot. I have pictures as well. My mechanic said I could have a lawsuit on my hands against the seller. How can I get my money back? I live in New Jersey.

EDIT: I'll put the info I put on my bottom post up here.
He told me that the car is fine, only needs a tune up (which it didn't), that he put new tires on it (they were worn and 2 had nails in them), and it has a great interior despite having a hole in the floor.

Answer:
 Absent a contract or warranty, you bought a car "as is."

This is one reason why it's important to have the car checked out prior to purchase.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, you likely do not have a case against the seller.


Title: Is there any way to find out quickly if my boyfriend was taken into custody?

Question:
My boyfriend went out with his friends. None of them will answer their phones. I got a text about an hour ago saying that he's sorry, he will be home soon, and he will explain. His friends always answer because my boyfriend sucks at using a phone. The only explanation I can come to is that he got arrested. Is there any way to find out if he was or do I just have to wait for a phone call?

Ohio, USA
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: You can call the local PD and ask.Answer #2: many county jails have an on-line roster of current inmates.  see if yours does this


Title: My Parents Are Kicking Me Out - 1hr

Question:
Stepdad said I have one hour to take my stuff and leave. At time of writing I have until about 6pm PST to “get out” and everything I leave behind is his to “throw away.”

I’m only 20 I don’t really know what I can do legally to have another couple weeks to leave. I’m moving out for good August 1st, already have a house leased in  another city. But my car was recently hit by a driver and the police still hasn’t released the incident report to me yet so I can’t file a claim with the other party’s insurance yet.

No vehicle, nowhere to go. What are my options?

Answer: Simply refusing to leave would be your top option. If they get physical or change the locks call the police.Answer #2: You haven't listed your location. It's not a given in every state that an adult child who isn't paying rent is given the benefit of tenant protections.Answer #3: Call the police because they can't legally kick you out without going to court. You are a tenant there.


Title: [USA] [NC] Need Advice about Legalities Involved in Buying a House with Boyfriend

Question:
Let me preface this with we are planning on going to see a lawyer to get contracts written up and I just want to have a good idea about what we need going into the appointment so we can be prepared/think about the things in advance.

Relevant background information: My boyfriend (we've been together for five years, living together for four) has been separated from his wife for seven years. They have one son together and she has a daughter from a previous relationship. My boyfriend started dating his ex when the daughter was about two and he's the only father she's ever known. He just refers to her as his daughter. As the ex doesn't have health insurance through her work, he doesn't want to divorce her as then his daughter will not have health insurance either. He is also concerned about his ex taking the kids and running and doesn't want to push the divorce issue because of this as well.

My boyfriend and I are wanting to purchase a house together. The money he's contributing will be coming from an inheritance received after they separated and therefore, as far as I understand it, should not be anything that the ex would be able to get when they eventually divorce. I want to be sure that we don't run into any issues with her trying to claim anything from the house. I also want to make sure that if one of us dies, the other will be able to maintain full rights to the house.

In summary, I have a few questions:

1.  What kind of a lawyer do we need to make sure that we will not have any legal issues with the house with his ex?
2.  How do we find a good lawyer? I've been googling them, but wasn't sure if this is the best way to do it.
3.  What specific items do we need to bring up or think about prior to meeting with the lawyer? I think getting wills made at the same time will be a good idea (especially for him with the kids).

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Answer:
 I'm concerned that your post has mostly to do with the ex-wife, and nothing to do with the "what ifs" if you guys breakup.  It is extremely ill-advised to buy a house with someone you're not married to - it's not to be insulting, but honestly look at the multitude of posts here "I bought a house with an x and 15 years later I can't get off the mortgage/deed." Every single one of them says *their* situation was unique and they never saw a break-up coming.

Aside from the ex-wife you need to consider what would happen if you broke-up - would it become a rental property, would one buy out the other, how would you deal with the mortgage?


Title: [IN] My SO was given someone else's discharge papers upon leaving the VA hospital complete with SS #, DOB, address, phone number, complete lab history and current medications. Is this a violation of HIPAA law? What can she do to ensure her personal info is secure?

Question:
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 Yes, it is a HIPAA violation. You should notify the hospital right away; the hospital is obligated to notify the other patient of the breach in HIPAA privacy. They only have 60 days from the time of the incident, so please notify them right away. The person whose info was shared may choose to report this to the Office of Civil Rights, or OCR, but that is up to them. It is likely the wrong info was just printed and handed to your SO as a fluke, but it is also possible her papers were provided to someone else. If this is the case, they would be required to notify them as well. There is not much else you can do to protect your info, there are HIPAA laws put into place that are intended to protect it, but human error will happen.
I am a Compliance Officer.


Title: I've spent 5 hours 17 min on the phone with a bank customer service department since Feb. 3. No solutions offered.

Question:
Dr. refunded me around $1000 to a closed account. I closed the account because I moved to a new state where this bank is not convenient. I called the bank immediately and told them my address had changed and asked what would happen. I was told that an email containing my new address had been sent to the debit department and they would send me a check. No check...I waited about 15 days and called back. I was advised to update my address in their system. I was told this phone call was recorded. I waited another 15 days...no check. I was told another email was sent to the debit department and waited another 15 days. Repeated this action 1 more time.
When I called in April I asked to speak to a supervisor. She filed a claim and emailed me the claim. I received a letter in 5 business days stating that they had concluded their investigation and would not be sending me a check because they had already sent me a check in Feb. I called the phone number on the letter and explained the situation. I was informed that the checks had indeed been sent to the old address. I was connected with the solutions department who seemed completely unaware of bank policy, could not decide why I had been sent a check to begin with, and put me on hold for upwards of 30 minutes. They took my phone number said they needed to research the problem and would call me back. I called customer service back yesterday and spoke to a supervisor. She also took my number and said she would call me back in an hour to update me. She of course never followed through. What can I do? This issue is causing me serious anxiety. I feel like it may be too big for me to fight on my own. I have considered finding a branch of the bank and holding a sign saying Do Not Trust (this bank) while breastfeeding until they pay me to go away.

Update: Thank you for your advice. I finally found the right person to talk to in the solutions department. She worked very hard lighting fires under the asses of people and got the bank to do an overnight delivery. She even gave me a tracking number.

Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to read and comment about my trivial problem. I really enjoyed reading your comments. Best Wishes

Answer:
 I would start by going in person to a branch and asking to speak to a manager. A "win" for me in this situation would be them cancelling the old check and issuing one to you in branch. I would not continue calling and asking for supervisors if that is not working.

Be calm, have records, and have a very clear explanation of all of the different contacts you have made/the process up to this point. Make it clear that you are trying to avoid making a complaint to regulators, but that they are making it hard for you.

In general, I would always go in person to resolve issues like this and try to speak to the same person.

FYI, this is why it is a good reason to make sure you keep your address up to date with any financial institutions you are using or have recently used. Sometimes something like this happens within 6-8 months of ending a relationship.Answer #2: https://www.consumerfinance.gov

A complaint through here usually lights a fire under a banks ass.

Is it a credit union or a state chartered bank?Answer #3: Sounds like the work of Bank of America, known for their shady dealings across the country.Answer #4: Have you found out what they claimed happened to the check they mailed in Feb.?The check being lost VS cashed by someone else are completely different issue.

Also have you called the Dr to make sure the Dr did not receive a credit back from the bank?


Title: Ladder failure; is it worth it?

Question:
I purchased a Werner type I step ladder from the Home Depot a few years ago... this one: [https://us.wernerco.com/view/366](https://us.wernerco.com/view/366)

I was on the 4th step, maybe 3 and a half or 4 feet up, with the base on flat concrete, when the foot failed: [https://imgur.com/a/0qKtqgS](https://imgur.com/a/0qKtqgS)

The ladder went one way, I fell sideways the other, and landed flat on my side.  The doctor is pretty sure I broke some ribs, but not much they can do either way, so I'm just dealing with the pain.

In the meantime, all the work I needed to do I had to hire someone (I can't lift much for a while) and its costing me money I was not planning on spending (about 3K).

I feel like Werner bears some responsibility for the failure of this ladder; I am fairly certain it is a defect.  I do some work for a forensic mechanical engineer that specializes in metal fatigue and failure, and he agrees with my assessment.

I was going to send a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer, I was told perhaps that's not a good idea, and instead I should find a lawyer to have any hope in success.

My question is... is it worth the effort to find an attorney, or am I better off sending a letter and at least getting compensated for the ladder value (which is not much)?

Answer:
 I think it is probably worth discussing this with a few lawyers and seeing if they think you have a case.

Look for 'Personal Injury Lawyers' in your area. Speak with 2-3 at least - the consultations are generally free, and if they think you've got a good case they may take the case on contingency.


Title: Flu shot HIPAA issues

Question: Someone I know works for a healthcare provider who requires all employees who decline a flu shot to wear a mask and place a sticker on their ID badges indicating said declination.  Basically bullying employees into getting a flu shot  or publicly shaming them for not doing so. How is that not a violation of privacy laws? What if they drew a red X on an employee with HIV? Wondering what recourse this friend may have. Thanks! This is in NY btw.

Answer:
 >How is that not a violation of privacy laws?

Your friend is welcome not to disclose their flu shot status.  And the employer is welcome to decide they won't work there any more.

>What if they drew a red X on an employee with HIV?

Since HIV cannot be transmitted in casual contact, that would be more concerning.  But isn't really similar to this.

>Wondering what recourse this friend may have.

To employment where there isn't medical relevance in knowing who has protected themselves from a widely communicable affliction.  Or to accept the sticker on their badge.Answer #2: No way this is a HIPAA violation.  Employees are voluntarily disclosing their vaccination status to their employer.

Singling out people with medical conditions could arguably be discrimination against the disabled... but having a sticker and asking the employee to wear a face mask sounds like "reasonable accommodation" to me.


Title: A girl is stalking and impostering me

Question:
Let me begin with background story. I've known this girl, Katherine, from middle school. She was always weird and borderline creepy and had this glazed-over look in her eyes. Anyway, we lived on the same street, so when I'd walk home, she'd be walking home along the same path too but on the other side of the street. Then she started walking on the same side of the road as I walked and everyday she'd walk closer to me. I thought it was fucking weird, so eventually when she was maybe 1 meter away from me, I turned around and told her to stop. She stood completely still after that like a fucking statue and I continued to walk and she stayed in the same still position. It was freaky. Same night later, I get home, and it's late evening, I look out the window, and yeah, this is for real, she was standing right outside my house in her completely stiff position in front of the fences looking straight ahead. I was like, what the actual fuck? I told my parents, and my dad was going to go outside and tell her to leave, but she left by then. Since this is middle school, I was a bitch, so I told my friends, and it spread around. Everyone ostracized her even more and then one day, she just stopped going to school. We all figured she changed schools and forgot about her. But before that, I've caught her standing outside my house looking straight ahead at least 8 times. I'd also get these stupid cryptic texts, which I'm sure are from her. I've always ignored them. From middle school to high school, I'd occasionally get the texts, but they were less frequent.

I'm 17 now and in high school, senior year. And lol, guess who's fucking back? But now she's been impostering me all over social media. She has dyed her hair the same color as mine, wears very similar clothes as I wear in picture on Facebook and Instagram, and says her name is my name. She made an account with herself posing as me with very similar pictures I have and actually used my name in her account name.

Also, she's been impostering me in jobs and get this, people actually believe that she looks like me. I walked into Starbucks in town yesterday and a girl there was like, "Hey, you're early!" I'm like, "early for what?" And apparently Katherine has been using my name and working at Starbucks pretending to be me. It's just really fucking weird. I guess she does look strikingly like me since she has dyed her hair and wears her make up the way I do. She wasn't in school because we're off right now. But yesterday, she did the same fucking creepy thing wear she stands outside my house staring straight ahead. This time though, she looked up to where my window is at, met my eye, then turned and left. No expression, no acknowledgement.

Right now, I'm just like what the actual fuck. I don't know what to do about this girl. I don't know who she is or who her parents are or what the fuck is wrong with her.

**TL;DR** A girl I knew from middle school is pretending to be me and is also stalking me.

Answer: Do you have a question or did you just need a place to tell your story?Answer #2: "*Impostering*"?


Title: Got kicked out of a club for swimming in the pool and they stole my shoes.

Question:
So last night I was at this club with an outdoor pool, you weren't supposed to swim in it, it was just there for the atmosphere. So I was pretty wasted and my friend bet me 200 bucks to jump in the pool, so me being a drunk idiot I decided take a dive, and of course as soon as my short swim was over the bouncers grabbed me and threw me out.

When my friends got out of the club they told me that the club refused to give back my shoes, me being cold, wet and drunk, and I did not feel like arguing at all, I decided to come back the next day to demand my shoes back. I'm wondering what the legality of this is and even if I could get in any legal trouble if I go back today because I jumped in the forbidden pool.

Answer: wait. have you or have you not gone back the next day already to soberly ask for you shoes ?


Title: Motorcycle Dealership is stating I have to buy the bike after trying to back out, or they’ll sue.

Question: So I went to a local motorcycle dealership to see a bike I was interested in. After talking about the bike and price for a while they were unable to work with me on any sort of negotiation. I put a $200 deposit down to hold the bike until I made a decision. They had me sign a bill of sale to state the $200 deposit. As I was shopping around I found a much better deal a few days later and decided to go with that. To be polite I called the dealership I had originally worked with to explain I had found a better deal and I’m sorry but I wouldn’t be working with them. Immediately the gentleman blew up over the phone. Telling me I HAD to purchase the bike or he would sue. Subsequently insulting where I live, my income, and lifestyle. I read the bill of sale to him over the phone it only states all or part of the deposit may be retained as liquidated damages nothing more about the entirety of the motorcycle. He won’t give me any of original documents in which I’ve signed and says he will have a lawyer contact me. Explaining no matter what this bike is mine. He told me he’s done this 14 times before and won each time in court. I can’t afford this bike under their circumstances nor a lawyer. What do I do?

Answer: Wait for him to serve you, until then cease all communication with him and document as much as you can.  He can say all he wants about suing you, but actually doing it is a different story.  It may be worth taking the documents you do have to a lawyer and getting a consult, especially without seeing the other documents you signed.Answer #2: Liquidated damages means if he wins, he gets to keep hat $200. If that is really what it says, don’t back down. If served, do show up in court.Answer #3: Generally, dealers have to follow a lot more rules than private parties. Most likely, you can back out even if it's a legitimate bill of sale (especially since you have not taken possession of the vehicle.)Answer #4: Generally if you haven’t taken delivery you are in the clear.Answer #5: Never take legal advice from someone who wants to sue you. He is full of hot air most likely. I suggest you speak with someone higher above him. Or if he's the owner then stop communications and speak with an attorney


Title: Bullied by restaurant staff to tip more

Question:
My sister went out to a Thai restaurant in downtown Indianapolis with 2 of her friends. They enjoyed their meal and had the waitress split their check 3 ways. The waitress came back with individual checks for all 3 of them and the check had 3 options at the bottom for tipping (18%, 22% and 25%, you circle what you want). All three of them chose 18%. The waitress took the checks for processing and came back saying they need to pick 22/25% for tipping. My sister and her friends were a bit perplexed by this since it's not usual. (Having options to tip right in the first round of checks is already unusual in itself). So, they kept it polite and reminded the waitress that it's their discretion how much to tip. The discussion escalated mildly and my sister asked for the manager and was told to find her at the front desk. The manager stood by the waitresses demand and said 'it is expected that they tip 22/25%' and that they 'have the right to refuse service next time' if they didn't (Exact words). My sister stood firm about having her choice to tip whatever she wants but the manager kept pressuring them, raising her voice along the way. Now I know these girls should have just cancelled any tip and walked out but they felt bullied and pressured in to giving in. She called me after that and was clearly upset about it. 18%->22% isn't that big a difference in money but she feels bullied and violated by the restaurant staff.

Some more background - this is a moderate to high end Thai restaurant and good yelp reviews. They did not have any mandatory tip entry in the check (like group size etc). My sister paid by cash (forgot CC at home) and her friends  paid by debit card. These girls are really soft spoken and the first thing on their mind was to avoid making a scene.

Is there anyway they can hold the staff accountable for their actions?

Edit: thanks all for your inputs. The thread's going nowhere now. What I gather is that wherever happened was legal. The aren't any official channels to file a grievance. The best she can do is make a ruckus online, but that's about it.

Answer:
 > Is there anyway they can hold the staff accountable for their actions?

No, not really, especially if their manager was backing them up. Is this a restaurant that is part of a corporate chain? Answer #2: Bullying isn't illegal. Your sister could have said no and walked out. Answer #3: > they have a right to refuse service next time

Ok cool... because there shouldn't be a next time. Answer #4: > The manager stood by the waitresses demand and said 'it is expected that they tip 22/25%' and that they 'have the right to refuse service next time'

It is true that they have the right to refuse service, but if they do that to everyone who won't tip 25%, they won't have a lot of customers left.

It is unfortunate that your sister and her friends had a bad experience, but they were not "violated by the restaurant staff." They can leave their own yelp reviews.Answer #5: > Is there anyway they can hold the staff accountable for their actions?

You can write a yelp review. Unless your sister was elderly or mentally handicapped, I don't think there's any legal recourse for being pressured to tip more.Answer #6: It's not illegal to be a asshole. You're not going to get much traction in the legal realm when you agree to the tip. Chalk this up as a lesson that sometimes you have to make scene if you want to stick your principles. Answer #7: >Is there anyway they can hold the staff accountable for their actions?

They can choose to not go back to the restaurant, and/or write a negative review.

Answer #8: I would have changed the tip% to 0 paid and left.


Title: [IL] legal definition of barbeque?

Question:
Moving in to a new apartment and the HOA specifically lists no barbecuing on the patios per reccomendstion of the town fire marshal. However, you can see from the outside that about half of the residents have grills on their patio. My landlord said he'd be ok with me getting a grill because he used one when he lived in the condo himself.

The fire code for evanston seems to allow for the use of grills outdoors as long as they are not on any stairs or porches intended that serve as egress

308.1.4: Open-Flame Cooking Grills:Barbecue grills shall not be used on any stairs or porches that serve as a means of egress. The use of barbecues will be allowed on balconies or at ground level provided the following regulations are complied with:
1)
The use of a cooking grill which creates or adds to a hazardous or objectionable situation shall be prohibited.
2)
Read the owner's manual for safety guidelines.
3)
The use of the barbecue shall not cause the building's fire alarm system to activate.
4)
A portable fire extinguisher shall be located in close proximity to the barbecue, but not affixed to the grill. The fire extinguisher shall be at least a 10 pound ABC type extinguisher.
5)
Extreme caution shall be exercised when lighting the barbecue to prevent flames from elevating to an excessive height.
6)
Hot ashes or cinders shall be deposited into noncombustible receptacles free of all combustible material and away from combustible construction.

Answer:
 The HOA can be more restrictive than the town ordinance.  If the agreement you signed says "no grills on balconies" then that's the rule.Answer #2: Suggestion - Go to an HOA board meeting and ask what the deal is before getting a grill. "The HOA rules say no barbecuing on balconies, but X out of Y units clearly have grills. I would really like to have a grill myself, but I don't want to break any rules. It sure seems like the rule isn't currently being enforced. Are grills okay to have on balconies these days?"

Don't bother talking about the current fire code. Just because it allows grills doesn't require the HOA to do the same.

Also, the HOA might have decided to prohibit grills going forward but allow them on a grandfathered basis for units that had them prior to the rule going into effect.

The fact that a bunch of people have grills doesn't necessarily mean they have to let you have one. Try to be friendly and polite. You want to come across as a nice neighbor to have, not the future source of many complaints and headaches.Answer #3: The safest thing to do would be to report the grills to the city, preventing the possibility of a neighbor burning down your building.


Title: Are police officers required to answer your questions?

Question: Had someone tell me the other day that police officers are required to answer any questions you have if they stop you at a traffic stop. Is this even remotely true? Edit: Indiana

Answer: Absolutely. You should always ask them complex theoretical physics questions as a delay tactic.Answer #2: No.Answer #3: no


Title: NM/CO - A 13 million dollar irrevocable trust was secretly changed - HELP

Question:
This is a crazy story, but I need help...

I had a family member diagnosed with terminal cancer 7 years ago, once diagnosed this family member went to see an estate attorney to make changes to their trust. At that time the family member made myself and two relatives the only beneficiaries, each receiving one-third each of the estate. The trust was valued at that time at about 13 million dollars and was held by Edward Jones Trust Company.

When one of the beneficiaries found out the value of the estate and the distribution of funds, their behavior completely changed and they became irrational and bizarre (claimed they also had cancer, accused family members of wire tapping and secret recordings, and we even believe he plotted one night to murder myself and the other beneficiary during a bizarre "family meeting") - and tried to hire an elder law attorney to declare the terminally ill family member incompetent. The only result of that attempt was the previously revocable trust was then made irrevocable.

The badly behaved beneficiary then hired another attorney who was told that myself and the other beneficiary were bad people, abusing the terminally ill family member, etc. It got to the point where we were driven away because of allegations of elder abuse and the new attorney being so deeply involved with the badly behaved beneficiary that we speculated they were likely having some sort of relationship. The new attorney was a pitbull and drove the entire family away.

2.5 years ago the terminally ill family member died in secret, their location kept secret from the family and only know to the lawyer and the badly behaved beneficiary.

It has become apparent that the trust was somehow changed, and we believe 100% it was done fraudulently.

What can we do? We have very little money and have no idea what the status is or what happened with the trust. We have been totally locked out.

Answer: You have several million dollars at stake.  So ultimately, talking with idiots like me on the internet is not what you need to do.  Talk with several good estate attorneys.  Find one who thinks that you have a good case and who based on your good case will help you on contingency (ie. they will only get paid based on a percentage of what they can win for you).


Title: Chiropractor lied about insurance

Question:
So I've been having neck problems and I went to see a chiropractor. The chiropractor said that my insurance covered the bills and continuously re-assured me that his plan was on my insurance. So without worry, I went in a couple times to get my neck checked out (which all I did was nothing but sit on an electro therapy machine and do some quick stretches) which came out to be quite expensive (~$350p/visit= ~$2000). Now I've gotten a letter from my insurance saying that the bill has been denied. So I went back to my chiropractor and asked why this happened but he said that it's no worries, that it'll get resolved soon and that it was just a mistake because he didn't submit his notes(?). It just sounds like total bullshit and I feel like I'm going to end up having to pay for this. I'm planning on going in and secretly recording a conversation that we have where he is giving me the 100% confirmation that he is on the insurance plan and that I don't have to pay the bill.

Will this help me at all? Have I been completely shamed? Any other solutions?

Answer: It's your responsibility to verify coverage with your insurance company.


Title: Faulty Child support issues tearing family apart

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So she ignored multiple court orders for years? That never works.

She needs to hire an attorney to deal with this.


Title: Both partners in a same-sex couple want my sperm for procreation. Paternity lawyers, help! (New York, Clinton/Erie Counties)

Question:
Greetings, lawyers of Reddit. Yes, I made an account simply to pose this question to a community I hope seriously answers questions posted here. Yes, it is a serious question. Yes, I am aware of how much like a porno plot this sounds but I assure you, it is all factual. A little background to start off. The characters in our tale are as follows:

\- **Me**, a man in his mid 30's.

\- A woman we will call **Rain**; I've known Rain for almost two decades, very close friend. She is also in her mid 30's and the first half of the couple.

\- Last but not least, a woman we will call **Snow**. Late 20's, and the other half of the couple. The only things we all have in common is we've all had or are going though a divorce and we have no children.

I am asked to dinner by Rain so I can get to know her girlfriend a bit better. She is visiting from out of town. I've only met Snow once before. They've been dating about a year long distance, but they're both in New York State.

We eat, we drink, we laugh, all that. The mood comes down, the serious faces go on, and I get asked a question.

"We wanted to know if you would give us both babies in 1 years time. Rain would be the first as she is older and has less time to conceive, but eventually we would like you to offer genetic material to both of us. You would not be expected, or even wanted, to be a father in any sense of the word. We will never ask for child support or expect you to be a father to the children. You are genetic material only."

A sperm donation? I'm honored. That's a big ask of anyone. This is is where things get iffy. They continue.

"We would wish to do things naturally; no doctors, no drugs, just natural insemination. If it doesn't take on the first try, you'll just have to keep trying until it sticks."

My mind comes to a screeching halt. I want to help them out; shes a good friend and the other obvious benefits for a man, but I don't know what legal responsibilities I have to these potential naturally conceived children. I would think that there is something that would specify between a conception at a clinic vs a conception at a residence.  I would also imagine some document exists that I can draw up that would relieve me of fatherly responsibilities? I doubt they would renege on having me be responsible for children...but just in case. I know this can't be the first time this question has been posed to the legal system. There must be precedent, but I also know that things can vary by state. If my divorce showed me anything, be prepared for the worst.

So **TL:DR** \- If I impregnate a lesbian couple naturally, no doctor involved, is there a document that absolves me of all paternal responsibility? Is it as simple as drawing up a document stating their wishes and having it notarized?  Their request seems legit for genetic material only, but I want some protection in place. Any advice is helpful. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Am a lesbian who asked a friend to “provide sperm” for baby. If you agree to do this, go to a sperm bank with them and only donate through the bank. You can designate your sperm will only go to them and everyone involved will be required to sign paperwork that will protect them from most legal action down the line.

If they are looking to save money, because sperm is ridiculously expensive through a bank - see a family lawyer. Do not donate without seeing a lawyer.Answer #2: Not a lawyer, but this situation is similar to one that happened in Kansas in 2009.

[This article](https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article337100/Judge-rules-that-Kansan-who-provided-sperm-to-lesbian-couple-owes-child-support.html) is the followup, but from what I understand the lesbian couple separated and the one with the child applied for state benefits.  The state went after the father for reimbursement and to require future child support payments.

So, it doesn't matter how much you trust Rain, do you trust the state of New York if Rain has to apply for benefits for the child for any reason?


Title: Can someone explain to me what these charges mean?

Question:
Hi, my neighbor and their partner were aressted tonight and this is what the jail booking site says they're being charged with amount some drug possession charges. I was wondering if someone could explain what these mean to me. I would really appreciate it. I tried googling but it was all very confusing.

I am being super nosy I understand but they also bought a car from me and failed to pay me all of the money. I'm pissed about this and now they're in jail and I have no wag to get the money, even though I probably wouldn't get it if they weren't I  jail. I thought maybe I could come up with a super rough estimate of how long they'll be in there.

Thanks so much in advance!

Also these are all Boulder County Colorado codes (I'm not sure if they're called codes)

18-1.3-702. FTC:VEH ELUDING

42-3-121(1)(B) TITLE/NUMBER PLATE/V

18-1.3-702 FTC:MOTOR VEHIC THEF

18-1.3-702 FTC:VIOLATION P/O

18-5-113 CRIMINAL IMPERSONATI
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Basic, non lawyer breakdown:

1. They fled the police in a motor vehicle.
2. They were in a car that was not properly registered/did not have valid plates
3. They were driving in a stolen car
4. They violated their probation
5. They pretended to be someone else in an illegal manner (likely by giving a false name)


Title: [Ohio] There is a court order saying that my attacker can't sue me but I have been served lawsuit papers from him

Question: Sorry if this is drawn out or doesn't make sense, I am really emotional and all over the place right now because if it. What happened is that I have been served with papers for a lawsuit from the man who almost murdered me. He is in prison now for other murders and he sued me so many times before and during his trial that the judge made a court order saying he is not allowed to sue me again unless he has permission from a judge. I got the papers at work yesterday and he is suing me for 'Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress'. He got a lawyer this time instead of doing it himself. I don't think a judge would have given permission for this because he already sued for this and lost but I don't know and either way I would have a hard time paying a lawyer. I don't know what to do and I can't even sleep since this happened. It may seem like a dumb question but if anyone has advice for what I can do here it would be great and I would appreciate it so much.

Answer: You need a copy of that order the judge signed. Go see a lawyer and take that order, and the lawsuit you were just served with, with you.


Title: [Missouri] My former boss flipped out; I still have to interact with her. For legal security, should I save stuff?

Question:
The first half of this year I worked for an entrepreneur and farm owner, who I'll call Tracy. Tracy promised me full-time employment doing deliveries, kitchen work, farm work, markets, and various tasks.

I never wound up with the hours promised and 4 months later Tracy told me she hired me for marketing and sales. I wound up working 20 hours a week and only at markets. Still, I made a verbal promise of sticking on with the company for the rest of the year out of respect for Tracy, her hard work, and her product.

While at work I found out about a job opening at one of the markets. Within 2 1/2 weeks I had applied, interviewed, and been given a job offer.

I called Tracy to put in my 2 week notice. After the call, I got emails from Tracy all evening. She kept changing my schedule around, asking me if I'd want to end my employment the following week, etc.

It turns out Tracy called my new boss to berate her and accuse her of employee poaching. Tracy demanded to see all of the applications for the position, which my new boss declined her.

Bitter, Tracy terminated me the next morning when I showed up for work. At this point I have given Tracy back all of her product, files, and anything I had related to the company. She now attends the market I work for as a vendor and will have to interact with me. So far she has been terse, cold, and generally unpleasant.
My new boss is not worried and has been incredibly supportive. I would like to get rid of any digital remnants I have of Tracy, but I don't want to delete anything I may need later on.

I was able to get my last paycheck from her and at this point the only thing I will still need is my W-2 this upcoming January.

My main concerns:
Is there legally anything she can sue me for?
Should save any of my old communication or files concerning Tracy?
If so, for how long?

Answer:
 > Is there legally anything she can sue me for?

Based on your narrative, no.  If you did something you aren't including in this post, then I suppose it's possible.  But you can't generally prevent someone from quitting a job.

> Should save any of my old communication or files concerning Tracy?
If so, for how long?

Can't hurt.  Doesn't cost you much to keep a file handy.  I'd say a few years, so you get past any potential statutes of limitations if you want to be extra cautious.


Title: Charges are being pressed against my friend but she didn’t do anything wrong

Question:
My friend Sarah (not her real name) and I were in a room when another girl Emma (again, not real name) came in and got in Sarah’s face. Emma started yelling at Sarah, and then threatened to hit Sarah. Emma put her bags down as if to get ready to fight, so Sarah (non aggressively) backed Emma away with her hands to get distance. There was no pushing or anything that could have hurt Emma. Emma refused to leave after many requests by myself and Sarah, so Sarah went to the door, opened it and demanded Emma leave. Finally Emma left, and we thought that was the end. However, Sarah was just contacted by the police that Emma has pressed charges against her, claiming that Sarah gave Emma bruises and broke her nail. Both I and Sarah know this can’t possibly be true, but we are worried that Emma purposefully hurt herself to make Sarah look guilty. Is there anything we can do, and can Sarah get arrested?

Tl;dr: Emma and Sarah had a fight, but there was no aggressive contact made; however, Emma is claiming that Sarah hurt her, and now it’s Emma’s word against Sarah’s

Answer: Just for the record, Emma didn't press charges. If there are charges filed against your friend then it's the DA who is doing it. Emma possibly may have made a police report about the incident which may have led to charges. Or she may be lying. If contacted by the police she should not speak to them without a lawyer. If she does find the DA has filed charges she needs a lawyer.


Title: A friend's daughter rides my horse. What can I do to protect myself in case she gets hurt?

Question: i live in New York and i own a Thoroughbred mare who needs more exercise than i have time to give her.  a close friend has a teenage daughter who rides my horse, and it's basically a win-win for both of us (she loves my mare and gets to ride whenever she wants, and my horse gets the extra work she needs) but i'm worried about protecting myself if she gets injured.  as i mentioned above, her mom is a good friend, but her father is an asshole, and they are currently embroiled in a messy divorce.  her mother understands that there is always risk involved with horses, so i'm not worried about her, but i am worried that her father would try to sue me if anything were to happen.  what can i do to protect myself?  [New York apparently has an assumed risk law](http://www.hodgsonruss.com/newsroom-publications-horse-injury-lawsuit.html) but it still concerns me.  obviously, since she is a minor, a parent would need to sign any kind of release form if i were to do that, but since they are divorcing, would that mean that the father could sue me, even if the mother signed a release?  what else could i do to protect myself in case anything happens?

Answer: The most important thing you need is insurance, and plenty of it. I don't know enough about NY liability law to know whether a waiver does much good. Owning the horse through an entity may provide additional liability protection. Answer #2: Is your friend's daughter using your tack?  If so, make sure that there are no broken parts that could cause the saddle to slip/break or a bridle to snap and cause an accident.  I'm not a lawyer, but have owned horses and have heard that "ride at your own risk" applies to the animal but an accident due to defective gear might be grounds for a lawsuit.


Title: California, had test drove a car with no insurance and got into an accident. Being asked to pay for repairs in full.

Question:
Yes I know, I'm an idiot and should be a better driver...

I live in California and am 26, and was (and still am) a new driver. I had wanted to test drive a new car (Camry), and I have a drivers license but no insurance. The salesperson did not ask for it either. During the test drive I did not brake early enough and had bumped (I guess at this point, it's a crash) into another car, and I didn't take pictures of anything either...

I did get insurance after the fact (for another car), but I don't think they would pay for something that happened before I got it.

The dealership says that because I had no insurance I have to pay everything in full. In addition, they said that in order to make it cheaper for me they repaired the damages themselves, and it summed up to close to $10000.

Is this correct? I thought the dealership's insurance would have kicked in and that I would have needed to just pay their deductible.

Here are the repair costs for the car I was driving (Camry): https://imgur.com/a/fN6df https://imgur.com/a/qHkbQ

Here are the repair costs for the car I had hit: https://imgur.com/a/Dlr51

Answer:
 Yeah those repair costs look right. Those Labor costs are actually really good honestly.Answer #2: $10k from bumping into another car?  Something sounds fishy here.  Either you hit them a lot harder than a "bump", or the dealer is trying to get over on you.  Did you ask for paperwork/pictures substantiating the repairs?
Answer #3: Look, you are not expected to have insurance when you are test driving a car. The idea is that you don't own a car so wouldn't have insurance. The dealership absolutely should have a policy that covers their vehicles and liability for damages done on test drives. They likely  have a very high deductible and don't want to eat the cost.

They can still come after you for the damages though. Check to see if someone in your household might have a policy that covers you.Answer #4: I'm not knowledgeable about how car dealers work with insurance, but your questions about their dealership insurance kicking in seems to be the right line of questions to me.  The accident took place in relation to their activities as a business.  I would have thought this would be on their insurance.


Title: Can I get in trouble for this?

Question:
I have had this online friend for a couple years, never met in real life. But some disgusting and illegal pictures were just found on his phone.
I blocked him everywhere and I hope he suffers for the rest of his life.

I just wanted to ask, will I get in trouble if I make an anonymous account and comment “pedophile” on his Facebook or Twitter?

I hate this guy and I feel disgusted that I was ever friends with him. I want to humiliate him.

Answer:
 What is your purpose in doing so? And why not just post it under your real name?

This is the legal advice sub, so here ya go: potentially you could be sued for defamation type torts.

Move on with your life. He'll be on the registry, that will be humiliating enough.


Title: [SF Bay, CA] Non-US resident, onerous employment terms with my own company...

Question:
Hi everyone, brand new Reddit user here! A friend showed me legaladvice and suggested I post. I'm in a strange situation regarding my own company. LONG read ahead!

&nbsp;
I'm on the founding team of a startup here in San Francisco. A little over a year old, still a small team with a couple full-timers in addition to the founders. Every co-founder has an equal stake in the company. I and one other founder hold board seats.

It is a Delaware C-Corp but our only office is in SF. We do have partnerships and sell our software product in other states as well as Asia - not sure if that counts as operations.

&nbsp;
However, my situation is different from the rest of the team in 2 aspects:

* 1) I'm not yet a legal US resident. Still working on a visa, but I essentially split time between my home country and the US, entering on a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa every time. I have never taken a single dollar in salary (while everyone else does), and always head back out of the US before my visa period is up. I couchsurf or live in a hotel while in the US.

* 2) Despite being essentially a volunteer with no salary and no benefits, as well as having loaned plenty of my own life savings to the company, I do 90% of the work. I'm not exaggerating. Being in Silicon Valley, we're naturally a tech company with many engineering challenges, yet I am the only technical person on the team. I've worked ridiculous hours since the beginning and never taken a vacation or time off in the year we've existed, apart from a couple sick days. Everyone else works regular 40-hour weeks and takes holidays and weekends off.

Over time I realized how severely I've undervalued my own labor and time. Despite being an owner of the company, I've decided that I'm not going to stay. I want to leave, take some time off to recuperate physically and mentally, finally see family and friends I've neglected for 15 months, and then weigh my options and decide if I want to find a stable job or try my hand again at the startup life.

&nbsp;
But this is where it gets complicated.

We received a small amount of seed investment last year (around $200k) which has lasted us until now. For a few months we've been trying to raise more money with little success, inching closer and closer to bankruptcy, but finally got a last minute offer from an international investment firm. They have no presence in Silicon Valley yet, so the deal structure is not a convertible note or Series A like is common around here. Instead, they are straight up purchasing a large portion of equity for a substantial amount of cash.

&nbsp;
The problem is, their due diligence requires that all founders sign a 2-year term employment agreement with the company, and 1-year noncompete if you leaves. This is on top of a very long extension (almost double) of our share vesting schedule. It's clear this is to lock all the founders in and keep us from straying. Currently none of us have employment agreements signed, so I assume it defaults to at-will for everyone but me.

I am VERY worried about this requirement. I was originally hoping for the company to receive further investment while I complete all of the engineering milestones to get our product to viability, so that the engineers we're in the process of hiring will be able to continue on in my absence. Then I would part on amicable terms. This wouldn't take more than a few months from now. I am not prepared to stay for 2 more years - I don't think my psychological and physical health can hold out for that long.

&nbsp;
So given all of the above, this is what I really need to figure out (in order of descending urgency):

* A) Given my nonresident status, can I even sign any kind of employment agreement in the US? The investment firm would not accept my continuing as a volunteer. My plan is to suggest that I register myself as a consultant in my home country, and contract with the company that way. Is this a viable alternative? What kind of solution would they try to suggest to put me back under the 2-year umbrella? How can I avoid this, if at all?

* B) If I do end up signing a 2-year fixed term employment contract, what happens if I just leave before my term is up? I wouldn't have an excuse other than being burned out and feeling like I'm not receiving anything in return for substantial amounts of labour. Would the company or investment firm have grounds to sue me? Could they use my visa status against me? Is there any reasonable way to get out of a fixed term employment contract?

* C) How would the noncompete affect me? AFAIK, noncompetes are basically unenforceable in California, except in specific cases where the employee sells all their ownership and "goodwill" (what does that mean?). The noncompete isn't drafted yet and I might have some input on it - is there anything I can try to include in the wording that protects me better if I sign the contract and noncompete, then leave later?

&nbsp;
I know it sounds dramatic, but it really feels like I'm being forced into indentured servitude... just the thought of slaving away here for another 2 years, with no appreciation or respect from the rest of the company, makes me feel physically sick. I feel like there's no way out.

&nbsp;
If there really is no way for me to leave after a few more months, the only choice would be to just bounce right now. I really don't want to do that, since the investment firm would undoubtedly back out, and the company would tank (we're almost bankrupt), all because of me. That doesn't do any favors for my reputation with future employers, investors, or teammates. If I can stick around and finish my tasks, along with seeing this deal through, the company would at least be able to survive.

Please tell me if there's any other information about myself, the company, or the deal that would help you analyze the situation. I don't want to reveal too much online. Thank you all for your help!

Answer:
 It doesn't matter if you "volunteer" your time, you're still in violation of your B1 visa by performing productive work and managing your business while in the US. There are many legitimate business activities you can do on a B visa; meeting with colleges, touring a factory; but actively running your US based company is not one of them. It would have been trivial for your company to sponsor you for an H1-B visa though; which could eventually lead to a green card.

So as it stands, you can certainly sign such an agreement. But you'd immediately be in violation of it, since you can't legally fulfill the terms it requires (I.e., for you to be present legally).


Title: [OH] How illegal is it to register a car somewhere you don't live to avoid echeck?

Question: My check engine light is on so I can't pass even though there's nothing wrong with the car.  Thanks for any help.

Answer:
 >  How illegal is it to register a car somewhere you don't live to avoid echeck?

All the way illegal.


Title: FedEX package stolen. FedEX won't respond.

Question:
This is in Aurora, CO.

On black friday I ordered $2-300 worth of christmas gifts from MicroCenter online. On the 30'th I checked the tracking info and it claimed to have been delivered on the previous saturday at 11:30, left at front door.

I was home all day saturday and sleep in the living room so I know for sure there was no attempt to knock or otherwise actually deliver the package to me, and micro-center didn't request a signature for the delivery. I live in an apartment so if they left it "at the front door" they really left it on the sidewalk next to 4 people's front doors and completely visible from the street.

I called FedEX and reported it, they said they have 24 hours to "conduct their investigation" and get back to me but it's been a week with no response. Tonight I'm going to call them again and also call micro-center. Any advice besides what I'm already doing?

I haven't had a chance to ask my neighbors anything yet because I get home super late and leave early so the only times I'm home at normal hours are the weekends, I did check with the landlord to see if a package was left at the office, it wasn't.

Answer:
 You don't have a contract with Fedex - the sender does.

Just report to the sender that the package wasn't received.  Resend or refund.


Title: Can support provided from family members be used to calculate child support?

Question:
My ex wife makes decent money for the area that we live in. Her parents provide for her and give her money every month. They buy her food, pay her insurance and cell phone, buy her gas, recently bought her a new vehicle, and also have paid several of her mortgage payments. I am going to court to have our child support adjusted and I was wondering if this could be used in the calculation of her child support. I am not trying to pay her less, I just want to make it fair since it looks like I am going to be paying her mortgage payment too that she got in the divorce in order to prevent my credit being ruined.

pima county az

Answer: It can be used sometimes, yes. It depends on whether the money she's getting from her parents counts as income. This will vary based on your state and the exact circumstances of your case, so you really want to hire a lawyer to help you out.


Title: Dictating landlord. Idaho.

Question: I live in a double wide trailer and the back third of the house has been converted into what I would call a storage room. It also has a closet and bathroom but the room is not accessible from the inside of the house. The other day I went to my landlord and said my aunt would be staying with me for two weeks because I was 9 months pregnant and my boyfriend had to go out of state for work. They said that would be fine as long as she wasn't staying over 30 days. I then said we were turning the back room into a guest bedroom to which the landlord replied "No. You cant do that. The room is not meant to be a bedroom so you cannot use it as one." Does she have any right to dictate what I use any room in my house for. I'm paying for the house yet she gets to tell me how to use it?

Answer: The answer is, "it depends." For example, your local building codes may require that a "bedroom" have a smoke detector. If this room doesn't have one, you may not be legally able to use it as one.


Title: I am 30, disabled all my life living in PA and receiving SSI. Am I eligible for Medicare?

Question:
I am living with my parents although I am 30 because I am small and also disabled which makes me physically weak and unable to walk. I am receiving SSI but am supposedly covered with my father's insurance. I am not sure atm because I let my mother handle that.

I would be interested of learning if I can be covered by Medicare? I am and forever will be disabled so no chance of working. I have been receiving SSI since I was 18^^I ^^think.

Answer: The best way to find out if you're eligible for Medicare might be to apply for Medicare.


Title: [WA] Sexually Harassed by CEO

Question:
I work at a startup company in WA and have been there for 3 years. I started when it was still small and since I’ve been there it’s grown exponentially. Since it was small at the beginning, the owners and the staff would interact often and we all got to know each other.

In the summer of 2015, our department went out to a restaurant for dinner and drinks. The CEO, Eric, met us there and paid for our meal and drinks. After we finished, some of us decided to go to a bar, including my manager and Eric. Eric was buying us drinks and we were all having fun playing pool, talking, and dancing.

I was dancing with some of my coworkers and Eric came up to me and said “I heard you’re the one in the office with a booty.” I didn’t know how to react, so I just awkwardly laughed. He then followed that up with “I haven’t noticed. Ehh, maybe a little.” This made me very uncomfortable and self-conscious so I went back to my coworkers. I went to the bathroom with a couple of them and told them and they were weirded out as well. I decided to brush it off and just avoid him whenever possible. I did later tell my manager, but in a friend way like oh this weird thing happened, it was creepy, to which we had a laugh about it, not like a serious complaint.

Time went on and every time I would see Eric, pass him in the hallway, or have to talk to him, he would give off a weird vibe. It wasn’t just when I was around him, most people in our department feel he is very…for lack of a better word, sleazy. He always gives off this holier than thou type of vibe and like he can do anything since he’s the CEO. I actively tried to avoid him when I would see him and try to limit my interactions. Nothing was said to me while working or while at work for the next year and a half and I just went about my work life.

This past winter at our company holiday party, I was talking at a table with some coworkers and dancing a bit and my back was to the door of the room. I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder and Eric is on the other side whispering in my ear “you looking that good and wearing that dress, you should be on the dance floor.” I didn’t know what to say…honestly, I don’t remember what happened after that but I immediately went and told a couple of work friends. I was then very self-conscious for the rest of the night. I admittedly have a big butt, so I was very conscious about dancing for the rest of the night and making sure my butt didn’t move that much. I later learned that he made those sorts of comments to another coworker of mine.

At the time that both these instances occurred, we did not have HR. In fact, before the holiday party, the HR director was fired and she later filed a sexual harassment suit against Eric. I learned that he had texted another coworker lude sexual comments very late at night. Oh, he also got one of his female employees pregnant. So I’m not the only woman he’s done this to.

My issue: I don’t trust any of the executives at the company I work at. My manager and supervisors are very cliquey and love to gossip, so I don’t feel safe going to any of them or even HR because my manager will find out. I would like to know if I have a claim to file a sexual harassment suit against Eric and what would happen if I pursued this. I appreciate any advice you can give me.

Answer:
 So just to clarify he's made a grand total of two comments to you in the span of two years?Answer #2: After the first time, did you tell him that his comment made you uncomfortable? Basically, you need one of a few things to be true:

1. He does something so far out of line that it is shocking.

2. He keeps doing little-medium sized things after you tell him not to.

3. He does a bunch of little-middle sized things to lots of people.

Like I'm sorry for you and this sucks. He problem you have is that he could play this off as flirting, which can be sleazy but not necessarily illegal.