Title: [IL] Real estate agent put lien on property after it didn't sell.

Question:
Recently I had a realtor put my unit up for sale under short sale. We had a contract that applied to the place being rented and/or sold, that expired in late October.

We received an offer before the expiration of her contact and it went all the way to early December, when the contact was invalidated since the buyer could not get a loan and they were denied an extension to get the loan.

Recently we found out that the real estate agent did not return the deposit to the buyer until after 3 months had passed and kept the unit on the market for that period.

After we found out, we notified the real estate agent to make sure the money was returned to the buyer. She returned the money to the buyer and wrote a lien against our property. Here are some issues with the lien:

- She tried submitted the lien without us knowing (She assumed we will have the unit go into foreclosure and we would not know about it). The lien notification was sent to the unit's address and not ours (she does have our address).

- She put a lien for the full real estate commission that would be split with the buyer's realtor at the sale of the unit.

- There is no basis for this lien to even be applied since our contract terminated after the buyer could not get the funds and we did not extend the contract

- The agent's son acted as the notary on the lien which adds to the suspicion

My question is what are my options to proceed with this? The unit is currently rented out but I want to place the unit back up for sale (certainly not with the last realtor).

Answer:
 You'll need a lawyer to look into this.  From what you've given us, it looks shady -- but the reality will require looking at the actual sale contract paperwork and the Realtor contract.

If it comes out looking like an ethics issue for the Realtor and/or the Notary, please make sure to report this to their respective licensing boards.  A Realtor you hired has a fundamental duty to work exclusively to your benefit.  That means that any self-dealing she does at your expense is a breach of that duty.  Any profits she realizes from such self-dealing *may* be awarded to you, unless she can show that you gave consent for her to make her own side deal.

You want someone who does real property law in your state, and ideally who is familiar with the specific housing market your house is in.


Title: [WI] Can I sue for financial and emotional stress in small claims court in addition to the primary amount?

Question:
**TL:DR I would like to sue an online company in small claims for wrongfully charging my card and refusing to refund the money. I will sue for the amount they wrongfully charged ($500) but am wondering if I can sue for wasted time and financial & emotional stress in addition to this amount? If so, how much is reasonable?**

I reside in Wisconsin and an online company from Delaware wrongfully charged my card multiple times after I made one purchase, and after 10 months they still have not refunded me the money ($500 in total).

I've decided to take them to small claims court to finally get this resolved and after some research I'm confident that in Wisconsin, as the consumer, I am able to file this claim in my county. I've looked over their Terms & Conditions and they don't state anything about requiring legal claims to be filed in their home county or state.

I'm going through the paperwork now and my question is: in addition to the $500 I'm seeking reimbursement for, is it practical for me to sue for more due to the large amount of wasted time and financial & emotional strain they've put me through?

I've been dealing with this for over 10 months, and I've called their "customer care" center well over 100 times. Each time I've been put on hold for 5-30 minutes, several times I've been hung up on after being on hold for a large amount of time, I've been told the refunds would come *guaranteed* within 5-10 days, 7 days, 30 days, 3 months several different times. At one point, for about a month, nobody could find my account in their system, stating that I must have the wrong number before hanging up on me (eventually a supervisor was able to recover my account, I still don't know what happened there). At another point, a different supervisor stated that my bank had disputed the charges, so they no longer owed me the refunds and it was my bank's responsibility. I then talked to my bank and they told me that absolutely was not true, they would not take that sort of action without notifying me (and at that point in time it was far too late to dispute the charges through my bank anyway due to their 120 day policy). Another supervisor told me that they would not refund the money because they took longer than 60 days, and it's policy that they will not issue refunds after 60 days has passed, even if it was their fault for taking that long.

The unfortunate thing is these were phone conversations that I don't have recorded.. my phone doesn't have that feature and I can't afford another device to record my conversations. However, I have been emailing them as well the last few months (it took about 2 months for them to finally reply) and I have it recorded via email that I would be receiving all of the refunds within a certain time frame. After that time was up, I responded that I did not receive the refunds, and they replied "it is being reviewed by upper management, this may take up to 30 days." After 30 days, I again replied that it has not been resolved, and they copy and paste the same response. I've told them I would like to settle this outside of court, but if they are unwilling to do so I will be forced to take legal action.. again the same copy and pasted response. Every email gets this same response, and phone calls to "customer care" do not lead to anything at this point.

In a nutshell, I've been financially stressed from losing the money, and then not receiving in what I was told I could expect it. The amount of stress I've been put through with the multiple phone calls and email exchanges is quite tremendous, though I don't have any "solid" evidence of this as it is purely mental.

I'm going to sue for the $500 obviously, but would like to sue for more to be reimbursed for the extremely large inconvenience this has been. Is this reasonable? If so, how much would you recommend I sue for?

I would also like to add that I've contacted the Better Business Bureau and the Department of Consumer Protections, and they did not respond to either one of these, so I have a feeling they may not respond to my small court claim either. If this happens, it's likely it will be ruled in my favor. I'm not just trying to "milk" as much money as possible out of them, I legitimately want them to pay for what they have done to me and don't want to make them just pay the bare minimum. I want them to pay for the way they treat their customers.

Answer:
 Probably not. You have a responsibility to keep track of your bank accounts. This mistake could have been easily fixed by disputing the charge within four months. Even if you only checked your bank account once a month that would have given you 30 days to see a problem, 30 days to work with the company for resolution, 30 days to wait for your money, then 30 days to get yourself to the bank and dispute the charge.
You waited so long you left yourself with no recourse. If the company made an error they need to pay you back but they are not responsible for you waiting so long you couldn't deal with the problem through normal means.


Title: (NY) Cohabitant of my dying sister wants her in hospice. My parents want to take care of her in Florida. Law says he is in charge.

Question:
[Hello](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5ehm1u/thank_you_rlegaladvice/?st=iw2tx306&sh=c1bba9f2), It's [me](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5dfyfc/i_am_in_russia_russian_citizen_my_sister_us/).

My sister lived with the guy for more than three years, but nothing official. They have joint estate. He is her proxy. Due to her illness she was evaluated as incapable of making any decisions, so he is in charge of everything now. Is it possible to overrule his decision to put her in hospice? Can anything be done about the fact that he does not act in her best interest?

En example of his point of view: few weeks ago he wanted to bring her home from hospital, install a proper bed and stuff, so my parents would take care of her there. Now he changed his mind to something like "fuck that, let's put here some place else".

Answer: Your parents and/or you can get a lawyer and try to challenge the proxy appointment. Was he appointed as her proxy by her own direction? Or was he just the legal next of kin? Did she have a health care directive?


Title: Can a police officer follow your vehicle on a hunch?

Question:
So more detail, I had a friend who was driving and he had drugs in his car. He was driving the speed limit and passed a highway patrol on the left and then changed lanes in front of him and then continued to drive the speed limit. The officer noted in his report that he did not break any traffic laws but because he was clearly driving cautious around the officer he decided to follow him until my friend pulled into a gas station at which point the officer stated that he smelled drugs and searched my friends car and arrested him.

It seems to me that the officer was targeting my friend based on a hunch. Is this legal?

Answer:
 The road is public.

You can drive anywhere you want on public roads.

The officer can drive anywhere he wants on public roads.


Title: Swim team photos porn?

Question: My boyfriend recently got into trouble at work because he was caught looking at pictures of college and high school swim teams. Is that really considered porn? If it's a high school team photo is that child porn?

Answer:
 It is not porn, legally speaking.

However, if your boyfriend had no reason other than look at young people in swimsuits, you really should consider changing his status to former boyfriend. Answer #2: It doesn't matter if it's porn or not, the employer can ban such behavior at work.Answer #3: He was looking at material that wasn’t related to his work on company time. It’s not surprising they want to reprimand him, but then there’s the unsavory detail that he’s looking at teenagers in bathing suits. What does your boyfriend say he was doing?


Title: contractor/ bf cousin took my downpayment and used it to pay his bills, Im stuck

Question:
I don't really know where to turn here, I hired a "contractor" to remodel my bathroom, and he got the downpayment, tore up the bathroom and hasn't been back.
This guy is a cousin of my boyfriend.They had lost touch over a few years, but remained in the same city. He's had a buisness for 28 years, my boyfriend  worked for him growning up. We assumed he was registered and insured, we got cards with numbers on it and after hiring him found out they're no longer valid,
When giving me his proposal. He gave me 3 different ones with 3 different totals. We agreed on one and the next day he picked up the check, brought the tools inside, started to tear out the shower, asked my boyfriend  to go get something he needed at Home Depot, and when he was gone, he left. Never returned
The next day, he said he would be late, never showed up. Then the following next 3 days, same thing. Finally my boyfriend got ahold of him, saying we need this done, I'm having surgery in less than a month and were promised it'd be done in 2 weeks. He told my boyfriend, to hire someone else, he's not insured or registered. Hung the phone up and refused to answer again.
We asked for downpayment back, he refuses to acknowledge he got one, but wrote me a receipt for 1/2 labor 1/2 materials. I sent 3 msg saying we need downpayment back and to pick up his tools.

The next day police are at my door saying I am  refusing to give this man his construction tools and that was a crime. I showed the messages, but was still treated as someone who was holding tools.
His wife is crazy, she's sent messages threatening us if I do anything with police she'd kick my ass, and her husband was missing several tools, and  saying I never paid him, however we have the cancelled check.  I never touched any tools or any equipment he had here. A few days after the police showed up, we received text  msgs  at 4 am, saying it wasn't him to that police, it was his wife, she's crazy, . Said she took the money, and paid their phone bills, house payment and bills. He had no money left to do any work. The next day, acted like he never sent these messages.
I've contacted the registration office, he hasn't been registered since 2014. He dodges any attempt from attorney general office for mediation. I'm disabled with autism. I don't have a lot of money to be giving again as I'm. On ssdi ssi. I gave him 2200 upfront. I have a trust fund, but the trustee is saying I need to try to get the money back, before they can pay, be it take him to court or whatever. I have to have this shower done for my surgery, or I'll recover in a care home. Can I report to police? Will they even take a report? I have over 54 msg and several voicemail from them. No contract, just a proposal we signed. This guy still working, paying his workers under the table, no liscence no registration or insurance. He advertises online, Facebook, posting pictures of his finished work.  Is there anything I can do here? I'm really screwed!

Answer:
 Seems fair to say this person will not be finishing your job. But you need a bathroom immediately because your current one is demo'ed? If you can scrape the money together to have someone at least put up walls and connect fixtures I would do that first.

Speak to an attorney while that is happening so you can begin legal proceedings against the first contractor. You have a pretty good claim with all those text messages and a cashed check. It will take longer than you are comfortable with but if all goes well you should be able to come out whole or at least with a functional bathroom and a favorable court order.


Title: (WA) Wife works for property management company of our apartment. Question about eviction if she is fired.

Question:
I have lived at my current apartment for approximately 4 years. My wife moved in 2 years ago. She works for the corporate office of the property management company that manages our apartment.

Today, the apartment manager sent over a form that states if my wife is fired for any reason, we have to move out within 7 days or her last paycheck will be withheld. We are planning on moving out at the end of our lease (June 2016) but until then I'm worried about having to move out on such short notice. They are claiming it is a "privilege" of being an employee and is company policy. We do not currently get any benefits (discounts or free parking) by her being an employee.

My wife is planning on speaking to HR prior to signing the form. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation?

Thank you

Edit: The form is titled "Team Member Lease Agreement Discount Addendum." The spot for a discount is left blank and our rent spot is entered. They do not plan on offering us a discount.

The main point I find interesting is "Team Member agrees that the occupancy of the above apartment is a benefit of employment with the company. Should employment terminate for any reason, the Team Member and all other occupants of the apartment have seven (7) days to vacate the apartment unless approved in writing by the Regional Property Manager. A former Team Member is not eligible for a continued discount."

I don't see the occupancy of the apartment as a benefit. We don't get a discounted rate and this addendum would allow them to evict us in a week of her getting fired.

Thank you for the replies

Answer: You can't legally withhold a pay check for that reason. Whoever wrote that is an idiot for putting their intention to break the law in writing. Answer #2: So they do not pay rent or give a discount or anything? Pretty sure they cannot break a lease based on her employment status  if that is the case.


Title: [KS] Child Support Modification

Question:
Dad here, I'm going into court today for a motion to modify child support that I have requested. A month ago my ex had written a letter indicating she's moving to another town, the address, her new increase in wages (a 15% increase) and the cost of Summer care for our two daughters which has decreased.

My question is general: I'm pro se, what should I expect or plan for? Any does and don'ts? She is represented by an attorney and has recently expressed that the modification is "all wrong" all though I have just gone from what her letter has indicated.

Answer:
 You should really see if it's possible to get an attorney last minute. 99% of the time the lawyer will steam roll someone doing pro se, no matter the dispute or point at issue.

Edit: ugh I'll just say it. *You* are going to get steamrolled. You are totally unprepared to address any of their objections to the modification because you didn't even try to find out what they were. Maybe he's going to argue that cost of living is so high where she's moving that a 15% increase in income becomes inconsequential. He can just say that because you don't have an argument or statistic to contradict it. So on and so forth until suddenly you're a grown man crying in court.


Title: [MI/IL]What could be the reason behind the Brazilian girl being detained in the US?

Question:
I couldn't find any news report in English about the matter, so I would guess US citizens are not familiar with the situation. I read that in Brazilian news and I'm really puzzled on why this can happen. Summary:
More than two weeks ago, a minor from Brazil, who was traveling by herself, was denied entry by immigration in Detroit airport, who alleged she was "intending to immigrate". Instead of being deported, she was taken to a shelter for minors in Chicago where she is being detained, with a limited number of monitored calls and no access to the Internet.
Her mother has already come to the US and was able to visit her, however she wasn't able to take her back anyways, and she has already hired a lawyer and contact the consulate. They both state they can't get any information on why she is being held there.
This is the summary of the events that I could find, in English (translation from an article from the weekly magazine Veja):
https://www.facebook.com/doctor.health/posts/10154269039530590
Would anyone here have an inkling or a guess on what is the reason she is not allowed to return?
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 My guess is that they think she could be a victim of sex trafficking. The linked article talks about some issues with minors detained by border patrol. Somewhere in there is the problem of resources in place for children not being adequately utilized. I think this excerpt may be relevant as to why a child is held when they could just be deported:

>The TVPRA (Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act) of 2008, signed by President Bush, responded to concerns that unaccompanied children apprehended by the Border Patrol “were not being adequately screened” for eligibility for protection or relief in the United States. The TVPRA also directed the development of procedures to ensure that if unaccompanied children are deported, they are safely repatriated. At the outset, unaccompanied children must be screened as potential victims of human trafficking.

 https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/guide-children-arriving-border-laws-policies-and-responses


Title: [PA, US] Is it worth it to find a lawyer for medical malpractice? Hospital sent apology letter for causing a c section surgical infection

Question:
This is from a post I made in another sub that recommended me to post here.

Also forget to add I might be facing almost 20k for a wound vac I had to have because of the infection they caused.

I had my girl October 17 2014. My water broke on the 16th at 10pm, went to the hospital and was in triage by 11pm. I was found in active labor and moved to the delivery room. I was finally dilated by morning and pushed on and off for about 8 hours. Well she didn't come. Both our heart rates spiked and they believed to find signs of meconium. They decided a c section was needed since they didn't want to risk infection. The anesthesiologist poked me 6 times unsuccessfully as I was in the OR (already numbed but they wanted a 2nd IV) and I got so sick, I threw up 3 times in the OR. Once she was out, they found I was bleedingand they didn't know where. They pressed so hard on my abdomen and I could feel it and was in pain. They upped whatever they gave me to make me numb. Eventually they found the cause of the bleeding and stopped it.

I was closed up and they stapled my wound. Little girl spent 48 hours in the NICU. At one point they freaking lost her. I shit you not. Their computer had her listed as in the room down the hall and she was still in the NICU. My mom and sister were freaking out because they didn't know where she was. I didn't find out until they found her and told me after they came back in the room. Nurses came in and apologized but it was pretty damn scary not knowing where she was for almost 10 minutes.

I spiked fevers and eventually was discharged after lots of antibiotics after 5 days. Still barely walking, staples were removed before I left and I was red and swollen, normal they said. I went to my follow up (all visits are in the hospital I gave birth) 3 days later (day 8) and my would was very red, swollen, and oozed a little. All normal as I was told. They took 1 look and went to get a nurse, she looked at it and both agreed I needed to have it opened bedside. I bawled. I was so scared and they told me I had a room waiting upstairs.

I had to have 4 people hold me down after the doctors numbed me, bedside. They cut it open, it only numbed so much. I screamed and cried and tried to get away (it was very painful and I was afraid) and they cut away all the infected tissue. They didn't close it back up. They did cultures and ran so many antibiotics. They burned in my arm they were so strong. I had fevers again and after about a week, I was finally okay to go.

I had so many pills since they didn't know what my infection was yet. I had a wound vac for 2 months. Bawled every dressing change cause there was no numbing meds until my home nurse almost cried helping me change the dressing and told me to get it.

The hospital never knew why I was coming in for follow ups. I would get asked why they need to be there and never know why I kept scheduling. I felt like crap and horrible because I couldn't breast feed. I wasn't allowed on my pills and pumping did squat.

Well eventually I got the results. The surgical infection was E.Coli

Oh the icing on this cake? They sent me an apology letter for causing my surgical infection.

Think I should sue?

Answer: Medical malpractice is very fact specific. Only an actual attorney will be able to determine this - go to a free consultation and present them with what you've said here.


Title: A YouTube channel has taken one of my songs for the benefit of his own channel

Question: A few years ago I remashed a song (Notorious B.I.G & Parov Stelar) and posted it to my SoundCloud channel. 2 years later I’ve seen that a YouTube channel has taken my song and uploaded it for their on benefit without any credit to me. This play by them has possibly pushed back my dream of creating music for a career since this YouTube channel has stolen my music and taken away viewers. What can I do about this?

Answer:
 There's a couple issues at play here.

First and foremost, did you have permission to use those two songs?

Did you register your copyright?


Title: Patient profiling - malpractice case? Texas

Question: Husband had been ill for a few weeks and went to see Dr. Did chest X-ray and confirmed pneumonia-prescribed one week round of antibiotics. Husband went back in 2 weeks later for follow up, not any better. Dr did not repeat X-ray, blood work was abnormal so he was sent for ultrasounds of thyroid and kidneys. Doc never followed up on anything - actually he has never called ever. Husband called and made another appt - still feeling ill and coughing up horrible stuff and wanted to go over ultrasound and repeat blood work results. Came into office coughing up foul smelling phlegm. Repeated chest X-ray and was sent to hospital. Received antibiotics in hospital and was told he would have surgery. Was in hospital for 36 hours-no surgery. Dr came in and husband confronted him about his care and how he felt that he had been ignored. Dr admitted husband was patient profiled as a drug user by appearance. (Husband had lost 15 lbs before he saw dr and told him of weight loss, then lost an additional 10 before last appt. He had also lost a tooth in his 20s due to trauma.) Husband was transferred to another hospital on request. Underwent 4 hour surgery for empyema and then sent to icu. We are still in the hospital.  This all happened in Texas.

Answer:
 Like the bot says, malpractice suits require the attention  of an attorney- the consultation tends to be free.

From your narrative, as a medical professional I see no case for malpractice.

Also it seems very odd that his doctor brought up the fact he was profiled.  Has he been asking for pain medication?  If he needed surgery based on the information provided by the xray- I don't see how being a possible drug addict would have any effect on postponing a surgery.


Title: Property release from US Post Office for photography?

Question:
I’m an amateur photographer, and a year ago I took a photo that contains a post office sign in it. It never occurred to me when I took the photo and posted it to social media that it was considered private property or anything because I had no intentions of selling the photo at the time.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago and the state office of tourism wants to purchase a license to use my photo in their marketing for the fall (website, social media, etc). After doing research I found that I first needed to get a property release or some form of written permission from the post office first before I could sell the photo license, since they technically own the intellectual property of the photo. So I called the post office and they basically told me that I could not sell it. They did not give any specific reason why, even when I asked. I thought I was going about the process the correct way, but apparently I’m wrong.

Is there any way I legally should be allowed to gain full ownership of the photo before I sell a license to it?

Answer:
 You may not be getting accurate information here. Did you take the photograph from a public place? I.e. were you standing on a sidewalk, street, etc.?

If you were not inside the P.O./on their property then you have full rights to the photo. Signage on a building exterior is not copyrightable in that way. You can publish and sell photos taken from a public location without a property release. https://www.asmp.org/copyright-tutorial/photos-public-buildings/

There are only a very few major exceptions (https://www.diyphotography.net/10-famous-landmarks-youre-allowed-photograph-commercial-use/)  - for example, the nighttime lighting design of the Eiffel Tower is protected, so you can't sell photos of it. But the link you got above is not relevant to you. You can license your photo.

Source: I was an editor at Corbis/Getty and handled rights management.


Title: Quitting a job without two weeks notice - will they still pay me for the work I've already done? (CA, USA)

Question:
Hello, I'm hoping some of you may be able to help. My job is a nightmare. The hours are unbearable and the work is extremely hard and sometimes even unsafe with standard minimum wage.

I've worked only about 3 weeks so far but I've only gotten my pay slip for the first week of work and the next will be available next Friday.  I'm scheduled to work this Wednesday but I can't stand it anymore and I want to quit, but I also don't want to have to work an additional 2 weeks because that's when my midterms are and I can't be up until 2am closing the night before a 7am midterm.

What documents do I have to supply them with, and are they still required to pay me for the work I've already done (and haven't gotten paid for yet?)

Thank you so much for any advice you're able to offer.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 No, you don't have to give two weeks notice. Yes, they still have to pay you for the hours worked.

You don't need to give them any documents.


Title: [Idaho] My upstairs neighbor pisses on my grill from his balcony

Question:
I live in an apartment block on the ground floor, with two floors above mine. The block is set up so that each apartment above the ground floor has a balcony occupying the same vertical space. I have a grill in front of my apartment right underneath the balcony of my upstairs neighbor.

Up until today, these neighbors have so far done nothing to offend me aside from making the entire block smell like weed and blasting rap music at 2 AM. But today one of them decided to piss on my grill, which may as well be as much of an insult as pissing on my mother's grave.

Just as I was about to grill some hamburgers, I came out to take the cover off my grill and as I was walking to it I saw between the planks of the balcony floor above me the figure of a man and saw some piss fall between the planks and onto my grill cover. I knew it was piss because it was yellow and it smelled like piss. I took a couple pictures for evidence, for what it's worth.

I think this is a routine occurrence. I've seen wet spots in that area near my grill before but just assumed the upstairs neighbors were watering their plants or whatever, instead of pissing on the floor.

What the hell do I do? What the hell can I do? I don't know who actually pissed on my grill, because there are 2 or 3 guys living in that apartment. Are all of them responsible for one guy's piss? Do I tell the landlord that one of their renters is pissing on their property? Can I sue one or all of my neighbors to get a new grill? I'm no food safety expert but I don't wanna make burgers on a grill that's been pissed on.

Answer:
 Call the cops. They'd be cited or possibly arrested in my area. And yes let the landlord know. Save the photographs as disgusting as that is.

Also in my area if the cops catch you taking a leak outside they can charge you as sex offender because your privates were out in public. Perhaps a "warning" of that from the cops would curtail this behavior.

I'd also be tempted to sue them in small claims court for the cost of the grill. I'm not using it, after that. Even if I lost, I'd hope the lawsuit shows up on future background checks for employers and they have to explain it. Answer #2: Beware, you're potentially violating the fire code by grilling that close to the building. Some places don't allow for storage of propane in multi-family housing, either.


Title: Losing my house- my mom wants to file for chapter 13 bankruptcy again (second time), but the lawyer does not want to do it for us.

Question:
I told my mom to file for chapter 13 bankruptcy again so I have some time to find a house for us. Our house is up for sheriff sale next week. The first time the lawyer did it electronically for us and we paid him. This time he said he will give us the paper work (completed)and we can go to court and file it on our own. He is persistent that we do it ourself. Doing some research, I saw that most of the time filling on your own (without a lawyer representing you) is unsuccessful. Is that true?

Should I try to find another lawyer to do it for me, or should I just take the paperwork from my current lawyer and file it myself at court?

Answer:
 > Should I try to find another lawyer to do it for me

Yes.

You should also take the hint that your lawyer is giving you, namely that this is a bad ideaAnswer #2: Your lawyer thinks that filing the second case will be inbbad faith and is unwilling to put their name on it.


Title: Friend's (Female) phone got cancelled by the primary on the plan (Male) after she turned down solicitation for sex from him.

Question:
As I understand it, yesterday she -let's call her Jane- was solicited by her friend's father -let's call him John- for sex in exchange for cash. She refused and left as quickly as she could. This took place in the evening. He is the primary on their phone plan. Jane knows John through his daughter. John cut Jane from the plan about a day after the attempted extortion. Looking for any advise on how to proceed.

John threatened to go into Jane's contacts and spread "Dirty little secrets to whoever he thought necessary" if she told anyone about the attempted extortion/contacted him ever again. Jane has a son and is terrified to be driving without any kind of link to authorities should an accident occur (car breaking down, deer collision, etc.)

We are residents of Michigan. What actions can be taken regarding the solicitation? Can action be taken against John for the phone being cancelled without notice?

I'm looking into it as best I can but would greatly appreciate if anyone could help/lend advice.

Edit: With what bits I can find my advice to Jane at the moment is to only pursue charges against the solicitation. At present I can't find anything that states taking someone's phone off your plan as being a crime.

Answer:
 Jane can call the police to make a complaint for solicitation and/or extortion/blackmail.

Unless Jane had an enforceable agreement to be on the phone plan for a specified period of time, she has no recourse for being removed.  Even without service, her cell phone will still be able to make 911 calls in the event of an emergency.


Title: [Hypothetical] Someone on probation is drugged without their knowledge. What should they do?

Question:
Back when I was on probation, I wondered:

I took probation seriously because it's better to be sober at home than sober in jail. I was *very* adamant about not being smoking.

What if one of my "friends" gives me something with drugs in it, for the specific purpose of getting me high against my will? (Some "friends" had joked about doing this)

Obviously, "I didn't smoke weed, I swear!" wouldn't be believed.

Are probationers supposed to rush to a hospital to report "THC poisoning" or something?

America, for the bot

Answer: Part of being on probation is not associating with people who break the law.


Title: [MN, USA] RD's at my college... (Unlocked my door and let themselves in for my alarm clock)

Question:
I'm a student at UMN Twin Cities and I was wondering if its legal for an employee of a public university to unlock and let them-self into my dorm room while I am sleeping because my alarm clock is going off...   The alarm is not loud enough to meet the noise complaint requirements and this was NOT during University enforced "Quiet Hours."   Additionally, they looked around the room while I was asleep after they let themselves in and found alcohol and are now trying to penalize me for that too.

Question is:  Is it not an unreasonable search (4th amend. violation) for them to let themselves in, while I'm sleeping, and not violating any noise-complaint/quiet-hours policies, just because they got a call saying that my neighbor can hear my alarm clock?......

Answer:
 When you signed your annual housing contract, you [almost certainly] gave the university permission to do 'welfare checks' in your room. An alarm clock going off without stopping would be a reasonable situation to do one of these checks.

The fact that you had other substances you shouldn't have had in the room is entirely on you. As is the staff's need to make sure you were okay in your room.Answer #2: Likely it's fine. In school housing you do not have 4th amendment rights. Just saying.Answer #3: Seems totally reasonable to me.

Hopefully they only penalize you within the school's disciplinary framework and don't actually turn this over to the police for criminal charges, but I think if they did they'd be justified.


Title: Had sex with a minor, her father isn't happy

Question:
To start off with, I'm 18. I had fully consentual sex with a 15 year old at her place. We were both cool with it. Long story short, her father has found out, and is threatening to press charges on that, as well as trespassing. How boned am I? What's the best route to go about resolving this?
I live in the state of Missouri.

Answer:
 As long as the act took place in MO, you are fine.  MO's age of consent is 14 as long as the other party is below 21.

Her father can make a report if he wants.  You cannot prevent that.
 He cannot press charges.  Only the state can do that.  Do not speak to the police or anyone else looking to talk to you about this issue unless you have a lawyer present, but I would not recommend hiring a lawyer unless you are contacted by the police or a detective over this.

That being said, if he says you need to stay away from his daughter, you do.  And if he says that you will be trespassing if you return to his property, you will be.  The best thing to do is to completely cut ties immediately with the entire family.  Stop talking to ALL of them.  I know that seems rough, but this could very easily ruin your life, even if you are not convicted.  Keep yourself as FAR away from this issue as possible until the daughter is over 18.


Title: Bribery at my high school's SGA election?

Question:
I'm certain that there's been foul play in a student government election at my school. It involves bribing by the winning candidate's parents. Is there anything about bribery in this case that's illegal? If I had to guess, I'd say there isn't, but I'm asking just in case.

Thank you :)

Edit: I live in Florida btw

Answer: Well you could bring it to the attention of the school.


Title: Racial requirements for posting a question about Reddit

Question:
So black people Twitter has their new country club only postings which restricts your access to a portion of a public website on account of race.

Is this the 14th amendment violation and if it is who wants to join the lawsuit?

Answer: What part of the federal government do you suppose Reddit occupies?


Title: Can I sue a used car dealer for lying in their ad? (SLC,UT)

Question:
SLC, UT - I just bought a truck from a used car lot for 9k dollars. In the ad that they posted, they said the truck had “nice rims with new tires”. The truck had decent rims/wheels and the tires were very used. I asked the sales person to factor that into the price and they didn’t explicitly say no or yes, he just kept saying it was gonna be factored in to the cost of the truck. So I buy the truck thinking they were gonna give me cash or credit to purchase tires since the ad said new tires and I asked about the tires... but I searches for the “tires” in the paperwork after driving home and didn’t see it anywhere.
I went back the very next day and talked to the owner about it and he acknowledged that the ad said new tires and that the tires on the truck have about 20% tread on the them. He tells me to come back in a few hours when the sales guy gets in to discuss what he said.
I get there and the sales dude isn’t there. I negotiate with the owner and he’s telling me he will give me $85 as a credit toward ONE new tire. This truck is sitting on used tires that cost $145 each. I told him no and that he owes me 4 new tires as stated in his ad. He kept saying it was a mix up and that he will not pay more than 85$. I had to head back to my city to pick up some friends from school so after an hour and a half of discussing it he said he would call me tonight with an answer... no call and now the ad is offline.
I took screenshots of the ad before he removed it. I also have pictures of the truck before I even test drive it.
Can I sue them for fraud or misrepresentation? I know auto fraud is a thing but what are my chances of airing this guy for 4 new tires and/or more?

TLDR;
Bought car. Guy said “new tires” in ad. I asked about ad. He refuses to pay for new tires and removes ad and stops responding. I want to sue for tires.

Answer:
 > I asked the sales person to factor that into the price and they didn’t explicitly say no or yes, he just kept saying it was gonna be factored in to the cost of the truck. So I buy the truck

You bought the truck at that price after knowing the tires were very used.

You do not have a legal recourse.

Take the $85 before they change their mind and give you nothing.Answer #2: If you found that the tires weren’t new and you still bought the car anyway, how would you sue?


Title: The rented house in California we just moved into is a lemon. All repairs are being done by landlord's friends of family and we we just told that the gas cannot be safely turned on for multiple reasons. What can we do?

Question:
Let me start out by saying that the house seemed like a steal for rent in Los Angeles.

The Landlord is an old lady who renovated the house to get it back into shape to be rented out. We looked through the place a few times while it was the process of renovation and before moving in. Each time we were there, we only saw the interior for a short amount of time. The landlord kept acting like she had somewhere pressing to be and any problems we pointed out was met with an assurance that it was going to be fixed.

Now we realize that she pretty much just sloppily threw a layer of paint up and installed the cheapest carpeting she could find. After we moved in, we were able to truly see the extent of damage hidden inside the house and we don't know if it's actually going to be habitable.

The gas company couldn't turn the gas on because of a leak and the water heater is a fire and carbon monoxide hazard with no proper ventilation.

The new locks installed on the doors were done above the old ones. The front door now has two door knobs and a hole where the original used to be. The back door only has one functioning deadbolt and a locking door knob meant for the interior. (No key hole. The type you can unlock with a paper clip)

Oh and the foundation looks riddled with wood rot.

TL;DR: How do we ensure that the Landlord fixes critical issues as soon as possible? Should we hire a house inspector since we truly don't know the extent of problems in the house? What recourse do we have here?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: [This publication from the DCA should help you](http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/catenant.pdf).   See pages 37 and 38 for more info.


Title: How is residency determined for college?

Question: I don’t know if this is the right place to put this. Let me know if it’s not and I’ll move it. I was considering putting this in a college-related sub but this seemed like it might be better.  So my parents are potentially moving to Texas. I live in Kentucky now. I’m eighteen. Would I be considered a resident of Texas when they move, or do I stay a resident of Kentucky because I’m eighteen?

Answer:
 That information will not be available on this sub.

You have to check **specifically** with the school that you want to attend, as well as the **specific** campus.  The rules can vary greatly.

For instance, in NY, addition to the usual "Live in the state for 12 months previous" requirement, there are other circumstances where you may qualify for in-state tuition

>"Non-resident students may be eligible for resident tuition if they have graduated from a New York high school or received a NYS high school equivalency diploma within 5 years of application to SUNY.

So if your parents move after you graduate from a NY high school, you are still eligible for in-state tuition in NY.

No one here knows the rules of the school you want to attend, you have to contact the school.


Title: Assaulted/Battered leaving a wedding (Austin TX)

Question:
This past weekend my wife and I were assaulted/battered leaving a wedding.  A man, who was known to the groom and an usher in the wedding and had been drinking heavily, tackled us from behind. His forearm landed on my throat when we hit the ground, and he punched me once in the face.  On getting off the ground I gave chase-and that's when we claimed he "attacked the wrong people" and "thought [we] were someone else".  I was injured with a black eye, cuts to the face, and the back of my head was wounded from contact with the asphalt during the tackle.  My wife was bruised from the tackle.  Thankfully it wasn't worse for her.

He offered to allow me to hit him in retaliation, but I refrained.  There was one witness besides my wife.  A friend was passing by and saw the aftermath and called police and EMS because I was bleeding very badly.  At this point the assailant fled.  After getting checked out we gave our statements to the police, pointed them to the witness, and went to the ER for CT scans to make sure there was no severe brain injury.

Our clothing and shoes were both damaged (blood and torn fabric) and my eyeglasses destroyed.

We have the assailant's name.  The problem is he was visiting from another state.

I realize we have two options: criminal and civil.  What would you all recommend as our next steps?  We will be following up with the police this week (no detective assigned to case yet).  And civil can be tricky since property damage may not exceed the threshold for small claims and the person is not based in TX.

TL;DR - Wife and I were attacked and injured by someone who was visiting from out of state. There was 1 witness and we have attacker's name. What are our next steps?

Answer:
 Let the police handle the criminal set of things.

Since this happened in Austin you should do small claims there and hire someone in his home city to serve him the paperwork. He would need to fly in or maybe even call in for the hearing. Medical bills and any items he ruined or destroyed is what you should be able to sue for as well as the filing fee.


Title: Could you put a quickly dying person out of their misery without getting sentenced?

Question: Let’s say someone was in a horrific car crash, there’s only half of them left or they are trapped and burning alive and are in extreme agony. Could you put a bullet in their head to put them to rest and stop their pain? This scenario has haunted me thinking about it from hearing other peoples’ experiences having to watch some kid burn alive in a car screaming and things like that, and all I can think of is that if I can’t save their lives I’d at least want to stop their unimaginable suffering and agony.

Answer:
 Ending somebody’s life prematurely is illegal. With or without consent mind you.

There would have to be a very specific scenario where you wouldn’t get punished. For example, a crashed happened on or around your property and the person got out of the flaming car (also on fire) and started running towards you. You could probably get away with shooting the trespasser or defending yourself against a potential attack in that case.

Ending somebody’s misery because you don’t like to see and hear them in pain is not okay though. Plenty of killers justify their actions this way too.Answer #2: Mercy killings are murders, legally.

It is possible that a prosecutor would look at the circumstances and decide not to press charges. It's not _likely_ - private citizens taking one anothers' lives into their own hands like this is very much a danger to public welfare, and it is entirely possible a prosecutor would choose to make an example of you, instead.

In other words: yes, the law (and public policy) would strongly prefer that you allow someone to pass away slowly and in pain rather than shoot them and end their misery, even if they're clearly and unsalvagably moribund and even if they themselves are asking for death. Allowing mercy killings opens the door for the defence of "but your honour, he was in immense pain and asked me to kill him" in other contexts, which in turn makes murder substantially easier to get away with.

They can kill themselves, but you can't kill them.


Title: Pretty sure I was fired from my new job for being bisexual...

Question: So I had only been at this job ah few weeks at a large bank and was invited to go out with the my coworkers from the branch while out it came up that I was bisexual. The next two weeks after that the coworkers acted different talked to me less and not as friendly but whatever. Well at the start of this week I was pulled out of the branch and told I was in trouble due to inappropriate comments, that I had touched coworkers and other things none of which are true and oh that I was sexually explicit about my sexuality. So as of today the employee relations team and district manager told my I was to be terminated. For the first time ever I feel like I'm being discriminated and I'm not sure how to react..... and being in Kentucky I have no legal action that I can take that  I'm aware off....

Answer:
 Still currently legal in Kentucky. Sorry.

To be blunt financial institutions (Banks, lenders, etc) are notoriously culturally conservative. If you aren't not talking about yourself is an important skill.

Source: Spend 2 years working for mortgage companies as the only gay man in a building of 450+. Answer #2: You may be be being discriminated against. However it is not illegal to discriminate based on sexuality in a number of states. You need to provide a location.


Title: I recently came across an NY based digital video game website. They sell video's game's code. On their T&C it says, " Chargebacking your credit card is illegal and would result in legal action" So, If I charge back my CC If they fail to provide reasonable service, What will gonna happen?

Question: I thought charge back is only way if seller fails to respond to concerns with product. If they ban buyer from charge backing, what else he can do in case of concern?

Answer: Chargebacks arent illigal, its just a scare tactic, worst case scenario you do a charge back and they sue, then it would be up to you to prove it was legitimate


Title: [TN] I think I committed a hit-and-run and possibly other crimes. How screwed am I?

Question:
I currently have a suspended license due to a DUI from 2016 and am on probation. I’m very close to the end of my probation period. My boyfriend’s car is currently in the shop and the work hours at his second job vary. He texts me and asks if I can come get him because he literally works right up the street but it’s very late at night in a very sketchy, crime-riddled area. He would’ve called an Uber otherwise but his credit card was stolen recently and he’s waiting for the new one to come in the mail. He also had zero cash on him. I ask my roommate if I can borrow her car to pick him up. She says yes.

I’m at a 4-way intersection making a left at the last minute as the light is turning red when a dark-colored car came seemingly out of nowhere. It hits the car on the passenger’s side. The car is still drive-able so I freak out and bail (I know I’m stupid). I ended up back at my apartment parking lot. I call my boyfriend, tell him what happened and shortly thereafter see the police lights. Not sure how they even found me but I show them my roommate’s insurance, was arrested and just recently bailed out.

Needless to say, my roommate is pissed and says she’s going to sue me, which obviously has made our living arrangement unbearable so I’m staying with my boyfriend for now. My roommate also received notice from her car insurance company that the driver of the other car hired an attorney. I’m freaking out. Not sure what I’m even trying to get at but have I ruined my life entirely? What’s going to happen to me? Please don’t tell me how stupid or irresponsible I am - I know. I just want to know what I should expect to happen to me legally - from my roommate, from the lawyers involved, from the insurance involved - how knee deep in shit am I?
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 > What’s going to happen to me?

You're very likely going to get charged with driving without a license, and hit and run. That may constitute a violation of your probation. You need a criminal defense attorney.

Your roommate's insurance company is likely going to deny coverage for this accident, since she lent her car to someone without a valid license. That means you are likely going to be paying for damages to both vehicles, and any injuries to the other driver. If you can't pay, you may be sued. If you are sued, you should hire a civil attorney.


Title: Can you put a place to rent "as is"?

Question: My parents live off the income the other side of their trailer provides when rented. The last tenants abandoned the place with about $3000 in work needed of which my parents do not have. No idea where the last tenants went but right now the priority is figuring out how my parents are gonna keep the lights on. Can they put the apartment up for rent "as is" (at a lower rate of course)?

Answer:
 The local building code will likely include items which determine habitability. Things like providing running water, heat in the winter, appropriate exits, and a structurally sound building/roof. The specifics are very locality dependent.

As long as you meet those minimum legal standards, you may not have to go beyond them, especially if that is clearly stated in your lease. But expect it to be more difficult to find tenants willing to agree to those conditions.


Title: [California] 21 yrs old, just received my first DUI and not sure where to go or what to do from here. Please help...

Question:
I just received a DUI last night and was pulled over because I was driving a little fast and idiotically ran straight through a stop sign. After doing pretty well on the field sobriety tests, I blew a 0.11% on the breathalyzer. I thought the cop might give me some slack since I was only 0.03% above the limit, but no luck. Spent the next 12 hours at the county jail.

Anyways, my court date is set for the end of March and I don't know what to do in the meantime to prepare. I have no legal background whatsoever and don't really know what happens in these situations. My parents and I are all really afraid of how this will impact my future job prospects, especially considering I am about to graduate university and start job hunting.

Some major questions I have are:

* Is there any way the judge could change this to something other than a DUI? Like reckless driving or something? It is my first-ever misdemeanor, I just turned 21 a few months ago, and my BAC wasn't insanely over the limit. Would it be a long shot to hope that I could get a different, lighter ruling? Is that even possible?

* Thoughts on whether or not to get an attorney? My family can afford one, but we are wondering what difference it would make in a case like this.

* How will this DUI realistically affect my future and my potential job prospects? I seem to see a variety of responses when Googling this question.

* How would I go about trying to get my DUI expunged, and how likely is it to succeed in my case?

* Any other steps I should take or things I should know in preparation for the next few months?

Answer: Questions 1, 3, 4, and 5 are all covered by question 2. If you can afford an attorney, absolutely get one. A lawyer who practices in the specific court that holds jurisdiction over your case can answer all the rest of your questions far better than anybody here can. The rest of us, even the lawyers among us, can only make best educated guesses. To answer these questions with authority is your retained lawyer's job.


Title: Kid talking about shooting up the school while high on bus

Question:
On the way home from highschool me and a few friends were sitting on the bus and overheard two kids (they were talking pretty loud) about shooting up the school. One of them said to the other,"you know bro usually I don't feel like it but like when I do acid I really just want to shoot up the fucking school". I don't remember what the other kid said back but later in the conversation the same kid talked about showing off his mom's gun to his friends and how he accidentally shot a hole in the wall.

They continued talking about drugs they've done and times they stole. Later they yelled back at an Asian girl toward the front of the bus asking inappropriate things. "Hey are you Chinese? I know you like to eat dogs"

They said a lot more things that were homophobic and racist but that's the biggest things.

Any thoughts or advice would be really helpful

Answer: Call the cops.


Title: I hit the gate in my apartment complex, which they say had not been malfunctioning, but it was, and they want to charge me the full price for fixing it.

Question:
The gate was only opening halfway when I was trying to get in. I thought I was able to squeeze my car through, but I miscalculated it and it damaged their gate further.

Because their gate closed halfway and then shut on me, should I be liable for the damages to their gate?

edit: there is camera feed of this proving the gate only opened halfway

Answer:
 > Because their gate closed halfway and then shut on me, should I be liable for the damages to their gate?

Yes, you hit it with your car.  It didn't close on you, you saw it wasn't open and chose to drive into it anyway.  It was 100% avoidable on your part.  Now, if you can prove that some of the damage they're repairing is unrelated to you hitting it, you might have a case for avoiding that part of it.  Answer #2: Your car insurance company might be able to help you out. I would contact them. Answer #3: Did it shut on you or did you hit it thinking you would fit?


Title: Party which got out of control

Question:
Hello. Yesterday i was having a small party (12 people nothing much) with my friends. As i live in apartment you need a key to get in the house itself. At about 2 am, i hear knocking and there are people standing and start holding the doors (they have heard about our sit-around, and i knew only one person from the group)  and resisting to go away. They were pushing in but i said to them they should go and they are not invited, but in the end they pushed through. At this point i know the guy who was pushing. Is there any possible thing i could do against the guy ?
location: Latvia

Little side note we were underage and parents were informed

Answer:
 You should have immediately called the cops.

In what way did the party get out of hand?Answer #2: That seems like an obvious civil case for trespass, depending upon local laws.


Title: (CA) Can I sue insurance company in car accident?

Question: This lady rear ended me a while back but later denied fault and now isn't paying. My insurance company sent an investigator to my house to get my story and take pictures of the car. He did the same for the other driver. He concluded she was at fault. Her insurance company claims it was mine even though no one was  sent to investigate from their part. My insurance company won't help me get the money since I'm liability only. I was going to sue the driver in small claims but she apparently moved and I don't have her current address. So am I able to sue her insurance company for "bad faith denial?" I'd rather not hire a private investigator to get her current address since the damages amount to about $900. Thanks for the help in advance

Answer: Her insurance owes you nothing. You sue the person.


Title: SC University Demands My Parents Signature On Study Away Form Even Though I'm An Adult

Question:
I'm a student in South Carolina and my University demands my parents signature on the consent and indemnity form for studying away next term. I'm 20 years old (21 by the time of the trip), and I pay for my tuition (they help, but as far as the school is concerned it's all from me).

Is this something they can do? And is there a way to make them to bugger off about it?

Answer:
 If it's university/program policy... get a signature.

------

There seems to be a bit of confusion here.  They can require signatures.  This is typically so parents don't get the "surprise, I'm in the Ukraine and Russia just invaded, can you come and get me?" call.  It also helps to check logistical boxes such as having an appropriate amount of cash on hand and credit cards that work in the host nation.  If you don't want to get the signature, that's fine, they'll just have the program without you.  If this signature is *such* a big deal you can talk with the staff who may or may not permit a waiver.  Please stop making things up, posters.Answer #2: There's no legal issue here.  If you want to go on the program, get the signature.  Alternatively, you can take this up with the dean and ask them for a waiver; but really, the signature is just way faster.


Title: [MD] I'm a minor [15M] and I currently run my own "mini business", what tax laws should I know so everything is legal?

Question:
Location is MD, USA!

I currently have my own mini business set up going on where I basically buy cracked and totaled phones, and I fix them up to brand new mint condition and resell them as refurbished devices. The profitability is great, and hopefully I can invest whatever I make in stocks or something that has a higher return so I can save up for university when I get there.

I have a hypothetical question, since this is not a registered business and I am a minor, do I have to pay any taxes to the IRS for this or am I exempted since I am a minor?

Answer:
 IANAL.

>I have a hypothetical question, since this is not a registered business and I am a minor, do I have to pay any taxes to the IRS for this or am I exempted since I am a minor?

No, you have to file an income tax return and report your income to the IRS [if it exceeds $400](http://www.efile.com/tax/do-i-need-to-file-a-tax-return/), since you're self-employed. Don't forget that you'll also owe income tax to the state of Maryland. You're paying income tax on your net income, not gross (so if you buy a broken phone for $100, parts for $100, and sell it for $300, that's $100 in business income, not $300). Answer #2: Info from Small Business Association on minor-owned businesses:
https://www.sba.gov/blogs/6-things-you-need-know-about-starting-business-minor


Title: Bedroom in an already signed lease is illegal(no window)

Question:
 I'm a college student in Boston, MA. 2 of my friends and I signed a lease for a 4 bedroom apartment in February, planning to find a 4th person to join the lease before the September move in date. The rent for the 3 of us is $3,710 and that 4th room's rent is $1210 (per month), so total is $4925/month. That 4th room doesn't have a window which we just found out is illegal. It's been marketed as a 4 bedroom from the start.

We had found a 4th person who was about to sign the lease yesterday, but backed out saying she did research and having no window is illegal, which is when we started researching and realized it's true. Without a 4th person, we'd have to split the rent between the 3 of us which we can't afford. We plan to talk to the real estate agent and landlord, but this landlord is notorious for not being a good landlord.

Our goal is to reduce the rent to the $3710 that we can afford. What course of action would be best for this?

Answer:
 I would contact Inspectional Services and let them know this person is trying to rent an illegal room. Who knows what other kinds of violations they have. If that room is listed as bedroom on the lease, I would assume that the whole lease in invalid. You could talk to the landlord and have them write up a new lease, but they did already try to pull one over on you.

https://www.boston.gov/departments/inspectional-services/when-you-need-rental-inspectionAnswer #2: When you signed your lease, was it for the room and just your portion, or was it for the whole apartment with each roommate as a co-tenant?


Title: [Texas] Customer is fighting animals for money. Employer advises to not submit anonymous tip.

Question:
I work in a field that requires travel to customer homes. In this particular home I noticed that the customer had several cages full of roosters, to which they openly admitted were for cock fighting in multiple states (Oklahoma, Mississippi, and others) where they believe the activity is legal.

When I told my supervisor of this activity they advised me to not say anything. Now, I can't in good conscience not do anything. My fear is that if I submit an anonymous tip then somehow my employer will find out, and I will likely be reprimanded or terminated.

What legal rights do I have in this situation? Does my employer have the right to terminate me if I turn in one of our customers? What is the best way to go about this so that I do not face negative consequences myself?

Answer:
 You have the legal right to report this person for breaking the law.

Your employer has the legal right to terminate you for doing so.

The best way to go about this so that you do not face negative consequences is to not report the customer.

Next time, don't tell your boss.


Title: "Selling" a car and wanting to take possession of it back (MI)

Question:
My husband was in the process of selling a car to a buddy of his at his job. There was no written agreement about the sale. There was a falling out between them both and now my husband wants his car back.

Neither parties signed any contracts. The agreed upon price was $3,000. The buyer had only paid us $800 so far, in two payments (they were doing payments of the car). He hasn't given us a payment in over a month.

Everything is still in my husbands name: title, plate, insurance.

What are the legal options we have? Is he able to take the car back? He wants it back and is willing to get police involved but I don't know what legal standing we have and I want to make sure nothing comes back and bites us in the ass. We're in Michigan.

Answer:
 You can't just take it back without the buyer agreeing to return it. If he won't pay and won't return the car you'll have to sue him for the money.

This is why private sales should always be cash or GTFO.


Title: The company I work for is forcing me to decline medical benefits. Is this ok?

Question: Let me start out by first saying I have private health coverage and do not plan to use my company's medical benefits. I worked for a company that was just bought out by a new big shady company. Long story short the new company sent out the medical insurance waiver (there is no option to accept insurance) on 12/19 at 5pm through email using some website that I can fill out the documents and return them. They told us the forms must be completed by end of day on 12/20. I was off both days so first thing this morning I get a call from our new director telling me that I need to submit the forms. Ok so I open the forms and I only have the ability to "sign to decline coverage" with no option to accept or look over the health care options available.  There have been tons of red flags and very unsettling situations that have come up in the last few weeks but is this ok for them to do? How do my coworkers that want insurance accept this? It just feels like they dont want to offer it but be able to say that they did and we all declined. Am I missing something?

Answer: Generally you need a state as your location as many laws are state specific.


Title: At what point does a villain's henchman become legally culpable?

Question:
I'm posting here at the suggestion of  /u/DCarrier

Say some guy gets a job as a henchman at some guy's lava-lair or moonbase or whatever. At what point are they more than just a grunt who wants to take home a decent paycheck to feed their family, get their kids through college and maybe take a vacation every summer?  At what point are they legally liable for their actions?

Answer: When they either commit a crime themselves or become part of a criminal conspiracy. For conspiracy, you normally have to plan a crime and take some step towards executing it.


Title: (Ga) I was forced into an ambulance, mistreated at the hospital, and kicked off the premises.

Question:
I have a panic disorder, ptsd, and serious depression along with a few other things. I am not violent. I shut down when overstimulated. I’m in the process of getting medication but my situation sucks so it’s taking longer than I need.

A few nights ago was particularly bad and I ended up on the phone with a suicide hotline. I had nowhere to stay and I was alone. During our conversation I stressed that I have a phobia of hospitals because my parents used to institutionalize me for months over nothing. I told her that I couldn’t talk to police because I would straight up panic.

After a couple of hours she calmed me down enough to get off the phone and she said she was going to call me back in an hour. I was  good. I told her I was going to try to get some sleep in my car. 45 minutes pass and I’m half asleep in my car waiting for a call back so I can tell them I’m okay when the cops show up. They pinged my gps location. I start panicking and tell them through hyperventilating that I’m okay. I have a panic disorder. It’s literally just because you’re here right now. If you leave I’ll be fine.

An ambulance shows up and I start panicking more. I hear the officer tell an EMT that Im terrified of hospitals. Im a tiny girl in a deserted parking lot in the middle of nowhere at night with 2 male officers and 2 male EMTs and theyre getting aggravated because I can’t breathe. I ask if I can get my phone out of the car. They refuse. I tell them my (ex at the time) boyfriend would come get me. They tell me I can’t call him. One EMT tells me that I need to hurry up because other people could be using that ambulance. Which is a sentiment I would agree with if I wasn’t actively telling them to leave. They tell me that I can go voluntarily and go to a local hospital but if they take me involuntary I’ll go 2 hours away. That’s it. Without any way to contact anyone I have no choice but to get into the ambulance. The first officer on scene digs through my car for my phone after I specifically told him he wasn’t allowed to go in my car. He also went through a box that I had thrown stuff in when I left the house. There were panties and bank statements in that box and he grabbed one of the statements because I didn’t want to give my information. I walk into the ambulance and they give me my phone. I call my ex and send him a live location. The EMT was just being generally rude. I was an emergency responder for 2.5 years and had one of my guys acted like that on scene I would have sent him home on the spot.

We get to the hospital and I wont sign the ambulance forms because I’m too busy not being able to breathe. They open the ambulance doors and I start panicking more. They make me walk in and rush me when I slow down because it’s my literal worst fear and my head is spinning. I barely walk into the hospital because I can’t feel my body from hyperventilating. They try to take vitals but after repeatedly telling me to stop shaking a guy grabs my shoulders. I pull back and tell him not to touch me. He grabs my hand. I pull back and start freaking out more. A lady helps me up from a chair and tells me to walk to another room. I tell her I can’t feel my feet. She makes me walk anyways.

When I get to the room they metal detect me and take my phone. I protest and he replies with an attitude “you don’t need your phone. You’re panicking.” And leaves. I’m alone in a small room just just a stretcher and a couch. What I assume was about 30 minutes later a nurse comes in. I’m still in the fetal position panicking because I’m in a hospital. She says my name a few times and  when i can’t speak she gets annoyed and says “so you just came in here to cry on our stretcher. Okay.” Turns off the light, closes the door and leaves me panicking for an hour alone in a dark room. I don’t hear from anyone. I can’t tell how long it’s been. I assume my boyfriend isn’t coming and that I’m really and truly alone. I get worse. They finally come back and she’s trying to ask me questions. She gets mad when I don’t answer and asks why I was here if I was just going to cry on the stretcher. I tell her I don’t want to be here and that I want my phone and my boyfriend and to leave. She tells me that she’ll bring me my stuff and I can go. She leaves.

Another hour or so goes by and I can’t handle being there anymore. Up until this time I’ve been relatively cooperative. Aside from actively panicking I’ve tried to do what they say. I’ve done some work in a hospital before as well. I get it. I’m not combative. I’m not yelling. I’m just crying and trying to breathe. I just kept telling them that I’m just panicking because I don’t want to be here. Im trying my hardest to not get committed but I can’t just will away a panic attack.

I start going insane. I can’t be held somewhere. Back to the ptsd. Being held down or not being able to leave where I am does not sit well with me. I know I can’t just leave and can’t get anyone’s attention so I just start yelling that I want my phone , and my boyfriend, and I want to leave. The man who took my phone threatened to strap me to the stretcher. I never got up from the stretcher after they led me to the room. He told me that next time I feel like this I shouldn’t call the hotline. I continue yelling because it’s the only thing seems to be doing anything. The nurse that closed me in the room starts cursing at me. I tell them that I want the names of everyone I dealt with that night and the doctor finally comes in. I tell him I want to go home he says okay. The man who took my phone hands me my discharge papers and phone and escorts me out of the ambulance entrance. Before I leave I turn around to ask for the names. He kicks me off the premises.

With my last 4% of battery I call my boyfriend and sent him my location. Turns out he had been waiting in the waiting room for hours. My phone dies and I’m left on the corner of the street in a city known for crime with no phone at 1:30am. When my boyfriend finally finds me he tells me that they made it seem like I was unconscious and couldn’t give them my info so they got it from him. Then they told him I was being released to him and would be coming out in a few minutes. That’s when he got my call that I was walking off the property because I wasn’t allowed there.

I don’t know. This whole thing seems wrong. I feel like every person I dealt with that night did everything they shouldn’t have. They took someone with a panic disorder, a phobia of hospitals, and suicidal ideations and forced me to go to the hospital where they did nothing but everything I asked them not to, got upset when I couldn’t cope, closed me in a dark room for god knows how long and berated me. I know technically it was a psych hold and they have more rights about what they can do but this just seemed wrong. I don’t know if I have a leg to stand on with this. Is there anything I can do if they try to bill me for this? Is there something I can do about the nurses I dealt with. There’s no reason for them to treat me the way they did or say what they said. And the officer who dug through my car? Don’t they need permission?

My mental state has been hell since. My boyfriend can’t even hug me because feeling restricted sends me into a panic. I fought him in my sleep this morning because I thought he was a nurse when he grabbed me to wake me up from a nightmare.

TLDR: I have a phobia of hospitals and was forced into an ambulance without being able to contact anyone before. When I panicked the nurses touched me after I asked them not to and closed me in a dark room for an hour because I couldn’t speak through my panic. They only let me leave after I started yelling. One nurse told me not to call the hotline next time I wanted to die and another nurse was cursing at me.  They escorted me out.

Answer: Medical malpractice is beyond the scope of the sub. You might be able to get a free or low cost consultation with a med mal attorney.


Title: Ashley Madison Extortion -- what do i do?

Question:
i got a threatening email from a person named "Anthony" who is threatening to expose me as an Ashley Madison member to my friends and family on facebook.  happy to post the email if it's helpful, but the gist of it is that he knows who i am, has access to my information, and will send a message to everyone i know in three days if i don't send him bitcoins now.

my question is:  what do i do?  report him to police?

Answer:
 They are committing a crime by trying to extort money from you.

You can report it to the police, or you can ignore it, or you can pay the money.

I would choose one of the first two if I were you.

After all, you can't *buy* their silence.  You can only *rent* it.  Once you pay, they'll be back demanding more.Answer #2: Make a police report if you're so inclined.  Then ignore him and put appropriate privacy safeguards on your Facebook page.

The worst possible thing you could do is pay.


Title: In 2013 I got a misdemeanor in Arizona. My lawyer told me to not come back to Arizona, and that I would be ok like that. My question is, is there any way I can this problem removed/fixed?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: What kind of lawyer would suggest that knowing you would be eventually issued an out of state warrant? You have a warrant for your arrest. You could be extradited depending on the charge and severity if you are ever pulled over or in a situation where you have to give cops your name. Call the court in the correct jurisdiction in Arizona and see what you can do. Never use that lawyer again.


Title: Neighbor broke our sprinkles to put brick design to separate out lawns.

Question:
Hey, so my neighbor and her son were working on their yard yesterday, they are very passionate about their lawn design, and I noticed every time I walked outside they were working along our lawn division and would look up at me, and kind of work slower; it came off very suspicious but I thought nothing of it. However, today, my mom tells me that our neighbors actually dug like a trench into our lawn to put these 2 inch bricks as a line to divide the lawns and they put them on top of our sprinkles and actually broke the pipes for the sprinklers...how can I handle this situation? Is it something that I would take pictures and go to the police?

Edit: I'm in California.

Answer:
 Well, first, make sure those pipes were inside your property line. No need to get cops involved, this is a civil matter.

Fix the sprinklers, and bill them. Sue them if they don't pay. Answer #2: This one is easy.  You can't do anything until you get a survey on where the property line is.  If the bricks are entirely on his property, you have no recourse.  If the bricks are on yours, sue him for the repair of the system and to remove the bricks from your property.  This can be done in small claims court.  Bring the copy of the survey as well as the quote to repair the system.Answer #3: So, IANAL, but would there be a legal problem with speaking to the guy first? I mean, if it was a mistake and they didn't realize that the bricks interfered with the sprinklers... Maybe they'd be willing to get it fixed for you. Seems like getting a surveyor to come out is escalating the situation and adding more expense.

If you told the neighbor "hey, your bricks look nice, but they broke my sprinklers and I feel that they may have crossed the property line. Now, we could get a surveyor out here to assess the property line and then straighten the mess up through the courts, or we could try to come up with a reasonable solution now and probably save a lot of hard feelings."

I just think that if I were in the neighbors shoes, I'd appreciate being spoken to before the situation went to authorities. Now, if you think it was maliciously intentional and/or you already have a rough relationship with the neighbors, that is a different story.


Title: Right to Privacy

Question: Hello there, could/would someone be able to point me to the proper information of right to privacy in renting a home in San Francisco CA. My landlord's daughter and son-in-law occasionally come over to 'drop stuff off' but they usually let me know ahead of time. However, the communication between them has been lapsing and just now they came into the home unbeknownst to me, startled my dogs and I, to do god knows what (I believe it was a welfare check) and just left without saying a word.

Answer:
 Outside emergencies the landlord needs to give you “reasonable notice” to enter. Usually that’s 24 hours notice.

https://www.kts-law.com/clearing-up-the-confusion-right-of-entry-rules-for-owners-managers-and-residents-2/

There are only a few reasons your landlord should be coming in. I’ve rented from a family before and it was spelled out in the lease that the son was authorized as a co landlord to deal with things. The family doesn’t just get to enter because parents own it.


Title: (TN) Home Owners Association keeps issuing warning to me to pick up my dog poop or be fined. We pick up our dog poop, but our neighbors who are not part of the HOA let their dogs run around the neighborhood and they poop in our yard.

Question:
We clean up after our lab's poop. We also only let him poop in our backyard, which we clean up by putting it in a dog poop composter that we installed.

Our backyard is bordered by a family with another large dog, who is not on any kind of leash or in any fencing, so their dog can freely go wherever it wants and poop wherever it wants. They are not part of the HOA for the condos that we live in.

The HOA has threatened us several times and has sent us our "final" warning, and the threat that they will fine us $50 per dog pile. What are our options, and how likely will we be able to defend ourselves and plead our case. This HOA is lead by a very bored and aggressive retired man, who seeks out any perceived rule breaking.

We rent from my mother, who owns her condo.

Answer:
 Read up on your city/county leash laws. Get a camera/trailcam. Tape the dog going and give the footage to the county animal control. I have no input on the HOA issue as that is a contract between your mother and the HOA, so the neighbor has no part of it. The poop is on your lawn, and I kinda doubt the  very bored and aggressive retired man will care whose it is.Answer #2: Can you put up fencing?

If not, can you put in a motion activated sprinkler?


Title: [TX] Possible wrongful termination, accusation of theft.

Question:
Coworker's wife just got shitcanned, and it sounds like a messed up situation. Here's what I know.

She works as a collector, and took a cash payment. Handed it off to another employee who was supposed to post the payment.

Payment wasn't posted until a day later, which is not their SOP. Payments should be posted immediately. Office manager saw this, and that it was posted on paycheck day. Assumed that coworker's wife stole the money until she could cash her check, then gave it back. The weird thing is that if she received a cash payment, why would she enter it into the system if she's going to steal it for a day? Just enter it later.

From what my coworker is telling me, she has no previous write-ups for anything other than attendance. So she didn't receive any kind of warning that this was a terminable offense. And the manager *did* explicitly say she was fired, so it's not one of those "you resigned, silly" situations. TX is an at-will employment state, if you're about to ask.

Sorry if that's not clear or detailed, but it's what little I know. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll edit the answers in.

Answer:
 > TX is an at-will employment state, if you're about to ask.

Every state is at-will, except Montana.

"Wrongful" doesn't mean incorrect. A wrongful termination would be something like "you're fired because I hate Catholics" -- something based on a [protected class](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/texas-employment-discrimination-32114.html) characteristic. The wife could have been fired for a false allegation, a true allegation, or no allegation at all.Answer #2: This is in no way a wrongful termination. She should file for unemployment and start looking for a new job.


Title: Am I victim of an Illegal eviction?

Question:
Edit : I'm from Massachusetts.

I'll try to keep this as short as possible.

I'm a married man who suffers from a disability. My wife and I have been going through a tough separation. Since I'm on a fixed income, I've had to remain living with my wife until I can afford to move.

Our lease was due to be resigned on Monday. I came home last night to be told by my wife that she has already signed the new lease without me. She evidently told them I had moved out of the home and she's continuing the lease without me since we're separated.

I'm not being told that I have to leave the premises by the end of next week or she'll have me removed.

I haven't no idea what recourse I have to prevent this from happening. Any helpful advice is appreciated.

Answer: Is there anything here that could be considered fraud on the wife's part since she lied about him leaving.


Title: (CA, US) Friend's job is remodeling, won't have a job for 4-6 months. May not be offered job back afterwards.

Question:
This is occurring in a fast food restaurant in SoCal.

My friend has been working for this fast food restaurant for about 5 years. He recently learned that his workplace is remodeling in a few months, and the restaurant will be closed for 4-6 months. Most of the employees will be moved to nearby chains, but he cannot due to the closest one being 30 miles away and does not have a vehicle.

He, along with other employees, were told by management about the length of the project. Management also stated that some of them may not be hired back, which leads me to believe that they will be terminated before the remodeling starts.

So reddit, my question is this. Can he successfully file for unemployment until they finish? And can it affect his him if for some reason he decides to apply again after construction? Lastly, can they hire him, then fire him shortly afterwards to avoid the original unemployment if he receives it?

Answer:
 He should absolutely file for unemployment *once works is no longer available*. He cannot quit in advance and expect to qualify.

> And can it affect his him if for some reason he decides to apply again after construction?

If they have a job for him after the construction is complete he needs to take it. He has to say if he turned down suitable work and that can disqualify you. He also needs to be looking for a job the entire time he is on unemployment.

> Lastly, can they hire him, then fire him shortly afterwards to avoid the original unemployment if he receives it?

No. That's not how unemployment works. If he were hired after the construction and then promptly fired, he would just go back to claiming benefits until he found another job or his benefits ran out.


Title: (Somewhere in the Midwest) Question about liability in firework mishap

Question: Okay, so on the 4th we were shooting off mortar lauched fireworks. One misfired, exploding in the tube. A week later, when mowing the lawn, a neighbor blew up his lawnmower when hitting a firework. I'm thinking that our misfire was the lauching stage of the firework exploding in the tube, which threw the exploding part up and out, and landing in the neighbors yard. The sound when the neighbor hit it was consistent with this thought. It's always possible that it wasn't ours, but I've a strong suspicion it was. As far as I know, no one was hurt, but the lawnmower was severely damaged. I want to do the right thing, but I don't want to open myself up to liability. I *think* it was my misfire that caused the incident, but of course there's no way I can be sure. Looking at ramifications if I were to offer to replace the lawnmower on the strong possibility that it was my firework responsible. Possible an anonymous cash drop in their mailbox? I want to do the right thing, but I'm not sure what I should do, or how I should do it to protect myself.

Answer:
 You should offer to pay to repair the lawnmower in exchange for him signing a release of any claims against you. If you drop him anonymous cash, he could take that and still sue you. There'd be no reason for him not to accept your offer, and, if he doesn't, all that means for you is that you'll have to pay the same amount like four months from now after he pays for small claims court.

This doesn't open you up to any more liability than you already have.


Title: (Iowa) Municipal employee is told if they retire from position early, they can cash out their 1000+ hours of sick leave. Employee retires from position, is told they won't be reimbursed for accrued sick leave.

Question: The employee worked for a large municipal library in Iowa. We have a picture of a letter with the offer to cash out sick leave for early retirement. The only reason she left the position was because of this offer, and the library's later reversal has been devastating and exacerbated by serious medical issues. What means do we have to get the city to abide by the agreement? Can the city be held liable for the subsequent suffering caused by breaking the agreement? It's rough, because the employee loves the library, but not to the point of being destitute :/

Answer: She should sue them.


Title: My grandfather recently passed away, and my uncle and cousin raided his house.

Question:
Okay, I'll try to keep this brief and articulate, but I'm fuming at the moment- my grandfather and I were incredibly close.

In his last few months, my grandfather's care was largely managed by my mother and aunt. He had dementia, and thus was placed in assisted living- to my knowledge, it was my mother who handled all expense issues. She and my aunt had Medical Power of Attorney.

My uncle had never really been around much, by my grandfather's design. His son (my cousin) was a total stranger to me. I never really got an explanation for all this growing up, other than my grandfather and uncle did not see eye to eye. I was told that his family weren't good people, and that was it.

After my grandfather's death, the agreement struck was that his property would be given over to my mother and aunt- they had a will that his estate was left to them. My grandfather's wife claims that a second will was written which left her everything, but she doesn't want to go through the process of handling the legalities- she's in her 80's and doesn't want any of his possessions that she doesn't already have.

From the beginning it was made clear that if any relative (his children or grandchildren) wanted anything from the house for sentimental reasons, it was theirs. Things slowly trickled out of the house as people took mementos and things they had attachments to.

My cousin and mother, having really only recently (after my grandfather's death) connected, struck up a cordial relationship. She would respond to his text messages, and they got along. He requested some things from the house, so my mother and father agreed on a time to meet him there and let him in the house. They drove the 3 hours there only to find him absent, as well as almost every other thing in the house.

Everything that could be monetized was gone, including records, antiques, dishes, furniture, very expensive tools and workshop equipment, books, even small decorations that he had around. My mother texted and called my cousin, only to get no response. After waiting for an hour, they drove the 3 hours back. Since then, he has not replied to any calls or texts (this was days ago).

Apparently, he had contacted my grandfather's wife to let him in the house before my mother got there, and, together with my uncle, cleaned it out. He had apparently never planned to meet my mother there, and was simply using her to get access to the place. My grandfather's wife knew none of this, and was simply trying to be helpful.

The value of everything they took is likely north of $10,000. This is in addition to the incredible sentimental value of some things there- a blanket which belonged to one of his daughters, figurines which represented some of the grandkids, etc.

We don't know how to proceed. If the only will does leave everything to my mother and aunt then they may pursue SOME option legally, but if this was changed and everything really was left to my grandfather's wife, then I don't know how this would work. She let them in, and had no problem with them taking things (not knowing that this was not something which had been agreed upon). She doesn't want involved in this much, so her helpfulness will be next to nothing.

How do we proceed? It is incredibly hard to simply say goodbye to some of the things they took, aside from the injustice of them essentially stealing from my grandfather (who would be furious- again, there was a reason I didn't know these people much growing up).

(This is in the US, in Ohio)
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 You could report the theft to the police.  They may or may not do anything since they got her permission to enter the property and take what they wanted.  I understand that she may not have had authority to make the call, but the police might just see it as a "civil matter."

Your mother and aunt could sue them for taking things that belonged to the Estate.  The issue is that the things aren't valuable enough to make it worth while.Answer #2: Call the police ASAP, this is theft.  Also, you will need to file with the probate court to have a personal representative appointed.  The personal representative can sue for the value of the items the police are not able to recover.


Title: [Arizona] My job at a car detail shop won't let me or the other detail workers punch-in until there is work.

Question:
Hi,

I'm an 18-year-old working at as a detailer in a car detail shop in Gilbert, Arizona. I've had the job for a bit over a week, and I recently transferred to a new location, because the location I started at had too many workers, and the new one was lacking, so I was transferred over. The new location is over 7 miles away from where I live and it is more expensive to drive to. However, at both locations that I worked at, myself and the other detail workers were not allowed to punch in until there were cars in the detail shop. I've gotten sent home 3 days in a row without pay, and in the last 8 days I've gotten around 20 hours, the first and only paycheck I have gotten so far (this is a new job) was for $119.

I've had this job for less than 2 weeks and have no intention of quitting, but I HATE wasting gas money, driving down there, and then being sent straight home because there is no work and the shop is empty. It isn't my fault that there aren't any cars in the shop and I shouldn't have to suffer because of it.  Like I said before, I was promised 24 hours a week and have gotten less than 20 recently.

 Should I call corporate and complain? How can I stay anonymous while doing so? My manager is very polite about it all, but I don't want to risk getting fired and I don't want her to know that it is me doing the complaining.

Basically, if the shop is empty, we don't get paid.

Thanks

Answer: If they are requiring you to stay there then they are required to pay youAnswer #2: If you're there (or on call) they must pay you. They are wrong, and it's in your best interest to move on. If you bring it up, they're going to replace you anyway.Answer #3: They have to pay you for all the time from your start time (so long as you were on time) to the moment your shift ends or they tell you to go home.