Title: Our apartment has been without an oven or proper working stove for months. Landlord has been evasive. Options?

Question:
I live in Cambridge, MA, US.

I live in an apartment with two roommates. It's a 7 floor apartment with 4 apartments per floor. Our landlord has never been the most up front or responsible of landlord, but up to this point it has never been too bad (she'll often do things like turn off the water for a few hours in the morning to work on the pipes without telling tenants beforehand). This past winter she also turned on our heat quite late (there is a radiator in each room and heat is included in rent.) That was the one time we got close to finding out what legal action we could take, because it was VERY cold for about a week to the point where we were wearing our winter jackets inside, but just as we started to look for what our options were, we let it go because the heat turned on.

A little over a month ago, the fuse for our oven/stove blew. We managed to flip it back on, but that only worked for a few hours at a time and eventually not at all. In it's current condition, the oven doesn't work at all and we have to use a lighter to light the stove.

A few days after the fuse blew one of my roommates went and found her in the apartment (she is always working on something and is usually easy to find if it's during work hours) and told her about the blown fuse. She said that she would call an electrician and to not play with the fuse box anymore for "legal reasons."

Weeks pass and no electrician. One day she knocks on our door to check on the fire escape. After she's done working, we ask her about the status of that electrician. She says "oh, are you still having that problem? he never came?" We say yes, no one ever came and we're still having the problem. She says she'll call him again to see what happened and left very quickly. That was about two weeks ago.

I plan on calling her again in the coming days, but I'm afraid she'll just say "still having problems? I'll call again." and then not actually do anything. If she's evasive a third time, is there anything we can do? The only reason we haven't been very insistent yet is because all of us are very non-confrontational, but I'm at the end of my rope.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Before getting the law involved, ask her if it would be easier for you to call an electrician yourself, have it fixed, and then take the cost off your normal rent payment. Some landlords would rather have tenants do that, for everyone's convenience.Answer #2: I agree with u/aaronsweber - try that advice.

In regards to the heat and oven/stove;
>Heat: Landlords must provide a heating system for each apartment or one system that services all apartments in good working order. The landlord must pay for the fuel to provide heat and hot water and electricity unless the written rental agreement states that the tenant must pay for these. The heating season runs from September 16 through June 14th, during which every room must be heated to between 68˚F and not more than 78˚F between 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and at least 64˚F at all other hours.

>Kitchens: In each kitchen landlords must provide a sink sufficient for washing dishes and kitchen utensils, stove and oven in good working order, unless the written rental agreement states the tenant must provide this, and electrical hook-ups for installation of a refrigerator. The landlord is not required to provide a refrigerator, but if s/he does, it must be maintained by the landlord in good working order.

http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/consumer-rights-and-resources/housing/tenant-and-landlord/landlord-rights.html

You can withhold rent or repair/deduct but please follow the steps on the page above to do so legally.


Title: Tried to quit my job. Boss won't let me and is threatening legal action. I'm also 19.

Question:
Soooooooo ya might get sued.

Basically to explain this as best as I can without making it long and boring, I worked for this guy as his personal assistant just to take care of some stuff that he didn't want to deal with. Mainly just Small Claims Court and some issues with banks and other things.

He treated me very poorly the entire time and once I got paid for my 2nd month of work I quit. Didn't give 2 weeks notice because I didn't wanna stick around and the past personal assistant just quit over email because she felt like she couldn't do the job anymore (citing issues with her car and phone). So I thought once I get paid I'll quit because I was afraid that if I told him before I got paid he wouldn't pay me. Got my check after 2 weeks of dealing with him and then went to his place left the keys and all paperwork and information there along with a letter saying "I quit" in a nice formal manner.

Kept getting emails from him so I told him over email that I had quit. He proceeded to rage on me, continue emailing me saying I had to work for him, and his now saying he going to pursue legal action.

Was freaked out at first, but am pretty sure he doesn't have a case against me. Along with having multiple screenshots of him being not very nice to me over email, he told me from the very beginning that he didn't want to have this be a legal job so that it wasn't taxed and that it'd be "all under the table" so I think he face some legal repercussion for that. The amount he could sue me for would be very little considering the amount I was paid for both months was less than $300 (only like 3-5hrs/week for $12/hr; I had an unpaid internship at the time that took up most of my time) and the issues he's citing for suing me is leaving a messy inbox, an incomplete excel doc, and not fulfilling the contract termination clause of "Contractor shall assist in soliciting, interviewing, and training a replacement before rendering services complete and shall cooperate in transitioning all ongoing work to the replacement." This was never done for me though however so ya.

I have a main email thread that's been used to discuss all this trouble and he's told me that he's thought about firing me, but tried to "motivate me instead" so I'm really thinking that I was only person that applied for his job and that he really doesn't wanna have to get a new personal assistant.

I'm to cross the post over to r/advice and r/finance if I can get any more help. (Was told by people in r/jobs to post here too)

If anyone feels the need to see the actual emails of the main thread to see what he said to me and what I said back I'm more than happy to edit out all personal information and upload them.
I've already talked to my mom about this and she said that it seemed that he doesn't really have a case, but I wanted to get the opinion of the internet as well.

Thanks if you read this far and if you have and good advice I'll be truly grateful. Thank you again.

Also I've been told to say that I live in LA County and that I signed a contract although I did reference it previously.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 He's trying to bully you. Send him one last email that per CA law he has 72 hours to pay you all wages due and if not you will be filing a complaint with the DLSE.  Don't say anything else but that and keep that email if he doesn't pay you.

http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/howtofilewageclaim.htmAnswer #2: It's no WONDER he needs a PA to deal with his small claims court issues.Answer #3: He can't "report you" for being paid under the table, he is the one that would be in trouble - because he was supposed to pay half your taxes.

However, since you were paid under the table, you're obligated to pay that full amount now when you file your taxes.  I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, but he can't get you in trouble for HIM paying you under the table.  He can get in a lot of trouble though.


Title: Family member opened dozens of letters addressed to me

Question: A family member opened dozens of letters addressed to me after I moved. I was out of state and she took it upon herself to open bank statements, SS statements, Medicare statements without my permission. Can I take legal action against her?

Answer: You could report her to the postal inspectors and they may charge her with a crime.


Title: NYS landlord who receives Section 8 is adding a dress code to the lease; tenants will be evicted next month if they don't sign

Question:
Location: New York State

It was recently posted online that a local landlord of low-income housing is attempting to impose a dress code *outside* the apartments. His new House Rule states that upon exiting the building, the tenants must be "properly attired". This means no bathrobes, no "night cloths", no pajamas, and not even *men* are permitted to go outside shirtless.

The letter was dated 4/19; tenants have until 4/29 to sign the new House Rule or they will be evicted by 5/31. The House Rule goes into effect 6/1.

I do not live in this building but this is my community and I feel that he is taking advantage of people who might not know to fight back or might not have the ability. Obviously, they struggle to find housing as it is so they might be too afraid to. I don't like that.

I have researched HUD profusely since seeing this last night and can only find clear indications that House Rules, while up to the landlord, must also be within reason. The examples HUD gives of "in reason" pertain almost solely to physical safety and common sense items such as trash removal, security, etc. I think disallowing even men to take their shirt off outside is a bit much. A few others think this directive is coming from HUD yet no one can find such a directive. The landlord is a member of this group and can likely see the thread - it's 300 comments long as of this morning - but has remained silent on whether this is a HUD directive or his own. I feel both the wording and common sense would indicate the latter but a few people seem to be holding out hope that this is 100% legal and can go into wide effect everywhere.

If anyone is more versed in this, I would appreciate some guidance. I've checked into the proper channels for questioning but as it's Saturday, not much can happen until the weekend is over. So I am wondering if anyone here can shed a little light on this.

Answer:
 > I do not live in this building

Okay.

> I would appreciate some guidance.

[This was discussed recently:](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/64t99q/my_landlord_left_us_a_letter_saying_we_are_not/?st=j1tdlxl7&sh=9f968795)

>*Many public housing facilities do have an extensive list of tenant requirements, including a dress code. While there have been challenges to dress codes which seem to target particular races, in general they've been upheld.*

And:

>*Others have addressed the dress code issue but I need to clear up a misconception here. Rights in the sense of "freedom of expression" are rights that the government cannot abridge. Private individuals or organizations can do whatever they want. If you freely contracted your right to wear PJs away in your rental agreement with your landlord then there is nothing you can do because "freedom of expression" doesn't apply. Now there are some things that by law, landlords cannot include or enforce in their contracts but that's way beyond the scope of this post. Also, if you live in government housing (such as projects) rather than financially subsidized private housing (like Section 8) then stuff like "freedom of expression" might apply. But the bottom line is that your "rights" generally only apply to your interaction with the government.*

And:

>*In my locality, if a property is in violation of a city ordinance, then the landlord pays the fine. So if my tenant does not register his car, he cannot park it in the rental's driveway because there is a city ordinance against unregistered vehicles being parked within view of the street (or something like that). If he does, I (as the owner) get the fine.*


Title: [GA] If I smoke weed before I get put on probation for a non drug related offense, then start probation and I get drug tested and I pop positive for Marijuana is that a violation?

Answer:
 Okay walk me through this.  So, you have been arrested, but you are currently on probation for a non drug offense.  However, you smoke weed, which is drug related.  Yes, what the "F" is wrong with you, you pop on probby you get it.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;


Title: [PA] Is it legal to view the contents of a found flash drive?

Question: Hello, I was about to view the contents of a flash drive at school to see who it belonged to and was advised by my professor that this is illegal. I don't believe this to be true and cannot find anything online to back this up. Does anyone know where I can find any information on this?

Answer:
 Not legal advice but you should never stick a flash drive you found into your computer. A not too uncommon way to spread viruses is to leave flash drives in places like restaurants so that someone picks it up and infects his or her computer. Answer #2: Put it this way,

What if there was child porn on it, and you just put those contents on your computer and viewed it?

Return it to your campus police department/lost and found and move on.


Title: Am I required to disclose the reason why one of my employees was fired (more details in text)?

Question:
Today I received a phone call from a government agency interested in hiring one of my past employees. I know this employee personally and I know their one parent works for the government agency that was calling me.

The nature of the agency is to perform background checks for other businesses. I was asked if the employee was terminated or if he quit. I told them he was fired. They asked under what conditions he was fired, I said I’m not at liberty to say, and if they would like to call me back in 24 hours after I do some investigating I would be happy to help them more. The agent was  not happy with my response but agreed to contact me tomorrow.

My boss is currently not available for the next week and I have a phone call into corporate but I haven’t heard back. The agent is going to be calling me tomorrow. I’ve found some wishy-washy answers on google.

The employee in question was fired for felony level theft. I don’t want to ruin his chances at having a decent job with the company he applied for, but I have a feeling I should disclose the reason he was fired. Do I have to tell a government agency why an employee was fired?

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 You are of no obligation to share any information with any agency.  Your location also determines what protections your ex-employee has.

But consider this: if your ex-employee stole from you, would you trust them in a position where they are surrounded by even more valuable information and/or objects?Answer #2: You do not *have to disclose* reasons except under a court order.

You should respond to this person in accordance with company policy or at the direction of HR / your boss / corporate counsel.


Title: If you sue someone and they don’t pay the settlement what happens?

Question:
Same as above.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: you can't get blood from a stone. you can garnish their paychecks and put leins on their property, but if they have nothing to pay you, then you don't get paid


Title: [USA] Police told my friend to come in for question, saying if he doesn't the offense will go on his criminal record

Question:
A few months ago my friend's fake ID got taken away at a bar and nothing came of it until she got an email from a police officer. The email stated that she could come in for questioning and only be given a ticket, or she could choose to ignore the email and they would put it on her criminal record. I guess I am curious as to what her options are. Is showing up and telling the truth about where/with whom she got the fake ID's from worth it at the risk of incriminating others/herself? Is there any way here to deny that this fake ID was theirs in the first place. I just found it interesting that there was never a way for my friend to claim that she was innocent - merely that she could either take a criminal record or come in and talk/potentially incriminate herself.

Perhaps this is perfectly standard criminal procedure, I just don't have much experience with these kinds of things. If anyone has any thoughts on an appropriate course of action, I'd love to hear someone else's perspective on it. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 She needs go contact a criminal defense attorney before contacting the police at all.

The police aren't interested in people being innocent.  That puts them out of a job.


Title: Shoplifters

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Since you didn't include a location, you're probably in Saudi Arabia.

If you can prove theft, you can have her hands removed. Under Shariah law, this is known as "Hudud."Answer #2: Stores are private property, so yes, you can decide who is and isn't welcome in your store.


Title: [NV] I screwed up and got a DUI last night.

Question:
Hey LA. Here's the situation. I made a huge mistake (obviously) and got a DUI last night. I live in Nevada, I refused to get my blood drawn without a warrant and my ability to drive will be suspended in Nevada in a week. My court date isn't until August.

Here's the thing. My license is in CA. My school is in CA and so is my work. But I live in an apartment complex at stateline, NV and the sheriff department for the county I live in is across the street so they could see my car and arrest me for driving even if I'm going in to CA for school.

I tried looking up how to reinstate my ability to drive in Nevada but the website just says that I can reinstate my Nevada license, but I have a CA license. This is pretty scary and urgent for me because school is very important to me. Do I call the DMV or do I need a judge to help reinstate my ability to drive?

Pretty freaked out. Thinking about parking my car in CA and just biking the mile over to it every day? Not sure where to go from here. Thanks for any help.

Answer:
 After 10 days, the Nevada DMV will share the information of your DUI arrest with the CA DMV and the same sanctions will be taken against you including automatic suspension of your license admin per se after 30 days of the initial DUI arrest.

You have 10 days after the arrest to request an administrative hearing with the NV DMV with one of two results:

If you win the hearing, no information would be communicated with the CA DMV, and thus no action would be taken against your license unless ordered by a court in the future.

If you lose the hearing, NV's DMV will communicate that fact to the CA DMV who would suspend your CA driver’s license. You would then need to take the necessary steps to get a restricted license if you choose to and to reinstate your license. That means attending a CA DUI class or school, paying $125, and submitting an SR-22 to the CA DMV. The DMV in CA will treat the case just like they would any Ca DUI. That includes treating it as a second time DUI, if there is a prior, or treating it as a DUI with a refusal if that allegation was proven.Answer #2: Your driving privileges are going to be revoked in California as well. The revocation will be extended when you're convicted of the DUI. You may want to start pricing out bus passes.


Title: Minor in Possession

Question: So I was at a party (18 yrs old), and I was drinking. When the police showed up. They came into the backyard and made everyone sit down. I was an idiot and took a small sip of beer in front of a the police officer. I am now being cited for minor in possession and have no idea what to do from here. I have a court date on the 29th and would appreciate literally anything anyone has to say about this. (California)

Answer: Drinking in front of a cop is generally a no no. Where did this occur (state) and were your parents/guardians there (i'm guessing probably not but just in case)?


Title: [CA] Is it legal for a prospective employer to require a reference from your current acting manager?

Question: My wife is interviewing for a job at a school district. The hiring manager is requiring that she provide her current principal as a reference. My wife doesn't want to provide this as she has a good standing relationship with her current principal and doesn't want to jeopardize the relationship for showing the principal she is looking elsewhere, since she has not been offered the job at the new place yet.

Answer:
 Of course it's legal. If she doesn't want to let her current job know, she doesn't have to continue interviewing.

Wouldn't she likely have an employment contract anyway? At least for the end of this school year.

Answer #2: This is legal but it's really, really bad business practice and it will cause more than one qualified candidate to nope out from this opportunity. Unless there is some very job-specific circumstance that points otherwise. (Like, is she a teacher? Is this common practice among teachers? I don't know that.)


Title: Girlfriend rearended man with a truck. Truck seemed ok at crash so they exchanged phone numbers and left.[Texas]

Question: Neither of them got any information aside from phone number however the man called her three days later saying his truck sustained major damage to the exhaust system and the rear bumper shifted. Can he still file a claim against her? He says the repairs add up to $4000 but his buddy will do it $1200

Answer: That definitely sounds like a scam. Tell him that you want to get insurance involved, and dollars to donuts he suddenly stops contacting her.


Title: Someone keeps taking my parents trash in the middle of the night...?

Question:
So far my parents have caught them three times. They always speed off and then come back later in the night.

I wouldn't care if they were taking recyclables or something, but they are taking full bags of trash from the regular trash can.

Why would someone do this? What are they looking for?

My parents live in a very small town in a quiet neighborhood, so it's very odd.

Answer: They are probably looking for paper work, pill bottles and old mail to commit identity theft. I’d advise your parents get  a shredder. Contacting the police non-emergency might appropriate in cases like this as your parents are likely not the only ones having their trash gone through.Answer #2: It could also be that your parents are being followed by a private investigator for some reason.


Title: Can I get my backpack back from the police?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 As long as there is nothing illegal in it, go to the station and ask to retrieve your bag. They may hassle you for proof or that they are still holding it as evidence. If they don't need it for anything/can prove it's your bag, they should give it to you.

Not gonna lecture because you probably won't listen but fair warning: the more convictions/deals you get, the worse they get. You get 5 hours now but when you're on your 3rd, 4th, or 5th one, the prosecutor doesn't want you picking up garbage anymore. He wants you paying hundreds (sometimes over a thousand) in fines and some jail.

EDIT: Oh and when you start filling out those college applications or forms for financial aid, you'll have to answer "yes" if they ask if you were convicted or charged with a crime.


Title: I know who put Aderall in my drink

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Legal advice is to report it to the police.  They could and should be arrested. Relationship advice isn’t our forte


Title: Does a landlord have the right to ban any form of air conditioning even though I'm responsible for the electric bill? (Even a portable air conditioner?)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Unless there is a law in Hawaii requiring all apartments to have AC or your lease says you may have AC, than it is quite legal. There are many older buildings that just don't have the wiring.


Title: Ex Wife not showing good faith (Massachusetts)

Question:
Hi, I'll be as succinct as possible.

In our divorce agreement, we have a conditional stipulation----she has to refinance and give me my share of equity from our marital home within 3 years no matter what, but MUST MAKE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO DO SO NOW ONCE THE HUSBAND MEETS CERTAIN CONDITIONS (Which I met and which she agrees I met).

She said she was rejected for the refinance, but I am taking her back to court for contempt, with the argument that she has not really made a good faith effort. Here's why:

-the only rejection document she showed me was a SCREENSHOT of a rejection, citing here credit score (it didn't list certain things, like how much she asked for, for example)

-She later shared on social media a bragging screenshot of her credit score being above 750

-The home has 3 times the sum owed to me available as equity (if the house is valued at $100, there is $45 equity in it, and she owes me $15).

-she later offered me a large portion of the money now, IF I agree to spend it on what she wants to spend it on

I have screenshots of all of this.

Court is coming very soon.

Questions: what do you think about my case?

Is good faith actionable?

What else could I do/show?

BONUS QUESTION: I was going to go into court with my same lawyer from the divorce, however he has been.....unresponsive. No clue why. Should I be scrambling to spend $$$ on a new lawyer? Or are contempt hearings the kind of thing that people successfully go alone?

Thanks

EDIT: Tracked down my lawyer, who stated that he is unavailable on court day, but that he feels like many would forgo the expense of a lawyer in this situation.

So that being said, legaladvice, is there anything I should bring/say/do?

Assuming I've laid out the facts in a relatively objective manner, is there anything I could do to further demonstrate "bad faith"? Any evidence I might obtain or argument I might make?

I recognize that the plaintiff isn't considered objective, butttttttttttttt this is a legal advice forum so telling people to "just listen to a lawyer" seems perhaps like advice that could be copied and pasted into every thread here, no?

If it were you trying to demonstrate bad faith to a judge, with $ on the line, what would you do?

Answer:
 If you want it to be done well, you should have a lawyer.  These things aren't typically the kind of thing you can DIY and expect a good result.

No one has any idea about the strength of your case. That requires way too many factors to be considered and you're not exactly an objective expert.


Title: Taking ownership of 2 ownerless, abandoned locomotives - Serbia

Question:
Hi!

For 50 years now, two locomotives from 1930 have been sitting in the silt at the bottom of the accumulation lake of the Đerdap 1 hydroelectric powerplant in Serbia. Some pushes were made to pull them up, but none went anywhere. These engines belonged to the Yugoslavian railways, which no longer exist, but their direct sucessor, the Serbian railways, does.

What if someone were to pull the engines up and take them away? Clearly they are abandoned and nobody cares for them, this would be no different than taking an old rail spike from an abandoned railbed, but do the Serbian railways, a direct sucessor to their owner, have grounds to sue or demand payment from the one that took them?

Thanks for your responses.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: This is not likely the place that is going to have any expertise on European laws first of all. But, this is something that is likely going to be FAR more complex than just whoever currently owns the land being the owner of the locomotives. A quick bit of research shows this plant is on the Romanian-Serbian border which means that the laws of both countries likely would come into play. Since it is in a waterway, laws governing waterways will be in play. Since we are talking about something that happened during the time when it was known as Yugoslavia, there is no telling... Laws going back to the Cold War and Serbian independence are almost certainly going to be involved, but that could also involve international treaties dating back to WWII and even WWI. Not to mention that the cost and logistics of getting two locomotives off the bottom of a lake are not an easy thing to get figured out.


Title: A raffle coordinator won the raffle. Is this legal?

Question:
This is in VA. I was at an event this weekend that had raffles for about ten very nice gift baskets. Each basket had its own entry box and its own drawing. You bought tickets and then put them into the box for whatever you wanted to win. Every basket had probably twenty to fifty tickets put in their box.

When they did the drawings, multiple people won multiple baskets, and one of them won (I think) the two most expensive and wanted baskets. I don't think that's illegal (but it upset some people) but one of the event and raffle coordinators also won a basket. I don't think that's legal but I can't find anything about it online. Is it legal?

Answer:
 Your state may or may not regulate raffles. Mine does. They are classified under gaming.

Because of that, most places here actually have "drawings for door prizes" and collect donations. It's weird. Because of the type of regulation, entries have to be offered to everyone and have to be "number based" without an identifiable name. Think a raffle ticket with a number rather than a name, often a phone number on the back. So an organizer can enter, and can actually win -- but it's nearly impossible to rig it. I've dealt with a number of these events and have seen my colleagues win prizes. Usually it's not a big deal, so long as all the prizes don't go to organizers.

At the end of the day, you don't have a lot of recourse. Even if the optics are bad, it will self correct, because they'll raise less money next time. Answer #2: Many organizations that hold raffles have rules against officials winning the prizes because you are correct, the optics are terrible.  It isn't against the law, though.


Title: [CA] Worried about blood test tampering

Question:
My mom was arrested today for a DUI despite blowing a .00. She also has never taken an illegal drug and refuses to even take prescription drugs. When the police took her in they gave her a blood test.

I am worried that the police will tamper with the results of the blood test in order to prove that they were right.

What can I do to prevent this? Should we conduct an independent blood test at a separate lab once she is released? Or will those results not hold up in court?

Answer: The likelihood that multiple officers and lab techs will risk their careers and risk putting themselves in prison in order to get your mom charged with an OWI is so absurd that I don't even know how to level with you on this one.


Title: [NY] Cat ingested part of cat toy and required surgery.

Question:
Is there any kind of precedent for cat toys injuring cats?

* [Toy in question](http://www.target.com/p/mistletoe-wand-pet-toy/-/A-26394528)

The last red ball was bitten off when our cat was playing with it, and we threw it out immediately after. Some months later our cat needed surgery from ingesting it, it found stuck in her small intestine. We have all of the paperwork from the vet, and the part they removed.

Answer: Products liability is a complicated field of law and in this particular instance, you would spend much more money litigating the claim than you'd ever receive if successful.


Title: Debt Buying Law Firm All Up On Me

Question:
I currently live in Texas. The law firm and judgment are in Minnesota.

Currently a law firm that buys old debts is garnishing my wages. They got a judgment I was not aware of in 2008. No one can tell me what the original debt is, they say I owe $10,000 right now. I am sure that is almost pure interest. I have never owed that much money on anything. They keep telling me they mailed notices to some old ass address for the 2008 court date and to notify me of garnishment and it's my responsibility to keep an updated address with them. They bought my debt from another collection agency so the trail this thing has dates back to the early 2000s. So pissed right now I don't know what to do.

Edit: More Info.

The law firm sent my employer a copy of the 2008 judgment and a legal letter saying my employer must reply and fill out forms in compliance with Minnesota Statutes even though we are not in Minnesota. There is an earnings disclosure worksheet and a consumer credit contract.

Answer:
 Best bet is to get a copy of the judgement to figure out what debt this is related to. Once you have that and if the debt isn't yours, you can get the judgement vacated with the help of an attorney. Because you've already let this get to the judgement and garnishment stage, you're going to have to put in some time and work on this to get it overturned, especially if you don't want to rack up a large legal bill in the meantime.

Alternatively you can contact the agency and find out what it will take in terms of a lump sum payment to get rid of this. They've already gone to the trouble and expense of getting the judgement, so you'll need to be able to offer then a decent chunk of cash to get rid of this permanently. Don't pay them anything additional until you have a signed settlement offer if you go this route.

Your last option is bankruptcy, but without more information about your financial circumstances, it would be a leap to suggest it seriously.


Title: Are Emails Considered "Private"?

Question: I am located in Ohio. The sender is in Oregon. The sender claims his email correspondence with me is private. I would like to share his email with a small Reddit community, given the content of the email constitutes communication from a business owner about his standard business practices, or lack thereof. There is no proprietary business-related information shared in the emails. Mainly just email ranting and raving.  Are there any legitimate legal ramifications from sharing such emails, even if the sender claims privacy?

Answer:
 In general, and absent an agreement to the contrary, there is no issue with you sharing the contents of a conversation you have(in any form) and there's no issue with you sharing emails or letters you've received.

This may differ in the case of a communication that is not known to be archived(IMs or the like), so if you're using "email" as shorthand for another technology be aware.


Title: Attacked A Scam Artist, He wants to press charges (Kentucky)

Question:
This took place during the night. I can't give any more background information on time or location for obvious reasons. My friend had invited me over to his house to do some shrooms and acid, as well as some MDMA. We were both very intoxicated when at around 1 am my friend told me that he had organized for an acquaintance to sell him a bag of weed, but he knew that it was just oregano, and that the seller was trying to scam him.

My friend asked me to stay for another hour instead of leaving because he wanted me to see what a scammer this seller was. I agreed to the idea. It was around 3 am when this seller knocked on the door. My friend opened the door to let him in and thats when I absolutely lost my mind. I don't know why I did this but I had a panic attack and grabbed the nearest weapon (baseball bat). My friend tried to stop me but I was too high to even hear him. I had tunnel vision on the seller and I struck him several times in the head with the baseball bat, cracking his head open.

The seller managed to get out of there while my friend restrained me. A few days later I received several missed calls from a private number. I was too scared to answer but I knew it was him. I blocked the number and now i'm just worried that he will press charges against me.

Honestly I don't think that he will take any legal action or report me because that would also incriminate him, but I just need to be sure. What can I do?

Answer:
 First, reevaluate your life choices and the kind of man you want to be. Second, talk to a lawyer asap about this felony you committed.
They could come at you for all kind of charges including attempted murder. Answer #2: Don't talk to cops, and if you are charged with anything, get a lawyer.

And don't admit to a bunch of crimes online like this.


Title: Can I sue an animal shelter?

Question:
I adopted my dog about 2 months ago now, he’s 6 years old, lab mix. After I adopted him(signed the papers for him) they said he was positive for heart worms but their vet does it there for $250. Thankfully I can afford that, not the $1500-$1800 from another place. The shelter said to schedule that appt and take him there for his wellness checkup so I did and it was supposed to be 4 April... I got this email today saying
“Hi,
Thank you so much for adopting a SAPA! dog! Just to let you know we recently had to change our heartworm protocol for adopted dogs. We did not foresee this issue but to stay compliant with current rules and regulations involving 501c3 organizations and medical practices we are not allowed to provide any additional heart worm treatment, exams, or injections to animals outside of our care, even for adopted animals. We are currently outsourcing our heartworm treatments to another clinic, please contact them to set up an appointment to complete your pet's treatment.
XXX Animal Hospital
(210)

We apologize immensely for this huge inconvenience!
Thank you”

Is there anything I can do? I know having a pet is expensive but I can’t afford $1800 and I want my dog to have the best life!! ):

Answer:
 I certainly think you're jumping the gun by immediately going to suing them. Quite frankly it's great that they're trying their best to stay up to code and keep themselves and their pets taking care of from a legal standpoint. I'd rather deals with them than with someone trying to do things under the radar.

Part of being a pet owner is being prepared for these unforeseen expenses. Much like having a safety net for if something were to happen to you or a loved one. I say just call around and find the best price for your sweet new pup to be as healthy as can be. You can also check for payment plans, which most establishments are willing to do. They understand you love your dog and can't necessarily pay a huge pile of cash like that at one time.

I wish you and your lil one the best of luck!


Title: [Tx] Lawyer is dragging his feet, won't let us go to another lawyer without paying him for work he hasn't even done.

Question:
Posting on behalf a friend.

My mother-in-law died and left me in charge of everything. She only has one child (my SO) and one grandchild (my son).
She has 3 storage units, all full of stuff, that was to be inherited by me and her son, but we can't access them without paying $1200 that we don't have without access to her bank account. She also has property that we're now having to pay $500 for every month. We've had this lawyer for 4 months and we've had appointments to go sign paperwork at the court with him to gain access to her accounts/the storage units, but we will travel 2hrs there only for him to call and say he has to cancel. It's been 2 months since he last cancelled. He hasn't done a single thing so far. My SO has contacted him and asked him if he can hurry up, because it's been 4 months now, and he told him to "stop riding his ass".  I've told him we're going to go seek help elsewhere but he has said if we do that he will just prepare the paperwork that we've been requesting this whole time and then we'll have to pay him an extortionate $2800 for it.

Basically he's just dragging his feet for no reason and it's costing us more and more money, and we don't feel like we owe him a thing since we haven't received a single piece of paperwork from him. What should we do?

Answer:
 You can fire an attorney at any time for any reason.  Send him a certified letter stating that since you have not seen progress he is to cease work immediately, and prepare your file for pick up.  Note in the letter that as he has threatened to continue work, implying predating the documents at high rates, you will not accept any billing for any work you were not aware of prior to the time his services were terminated, and that any such billings will be reported to the state bar.

You will still have to pay him for services actually rendered, but dispute anything that is unreasonable.
Also, stop all phone conversations with him and only communicate in writing (letter or email)


Title: I work at a hotel in Texas, if a customer leaves and their card declines, am I allowed to try and collect a lesser amount? If so how many times can I try running the card?

Question:
Editing this: So if I have a signed document that states they agree to pay this amount with this credit card, then am I allowed to try multiple attempts on the card they agreed to pay with?

Edit again: still unsure what you guys are saying, is it yes or no with a signed document stating they will pay full amount with said card?

Well in this case the Employee was new and did not authorize the card, but they did get them to sign a document saying that they agree to pay 280 dollars with X card. The card was a Debit card, so at the time they checked-in a decline did not show up when the new employee accidentally hit pay at a later date (when you select this it checked the account to verify enough money is there but does not authorize then it checks them in). Then the customer spent more than they owed us before check-out, then left without checking out. So when I went to run the last night it declined, so I tried 50, it went trough just fine. then I tried 10 and it declined. So I stopped. Can I still try the last 50 in a week?

Answer: No. That would be against your merchant agreement. The credit card would probably not allow it anyway. Their systems are smart enough to recognize when this is happening.


Title: Need help! Ultra high frequency damaging my hearing, mental health and causing massive headaches.

Question:
[Seirous]

A few snapshots of the high frequency sound can be found here.

http://m.imgur.com/a/SxHRC

I am seeking serious legal advice am not intrested in any skeptics or health advice. Serious legal advice only. To avoid speculation and confusion i will go over points carefully.

I am hearing a high frequency sound possibly a device for bats or dogs or even the naighsbors illegal dishes.

I know that it is infact NOT tenntinits because i have seen a hearing specialist who also tested my hearing and said it was healthy and normal.

I was able to capture the sound on my laptop computer using a free visual spectrum monitor.

I have detected this sound with various db monitors, frequency finders and dbs on my smart phone. This sound is very loud and very high.

 This soud is similar to a old tv when it is turned on and makes a sound like its changing channels. This sound also gets higher and lower irregularly

Again this sound is audioble and i have traced it out side my house.

Ive called the police and informed them that my naighbor is illegally tampering with their satalite dish and has four of them on their house where i believe the sound to be coming from.

While listening over live internet the police dismissed the call as they were busy and waiting on a multi band reader device to arrive in order to invesigate the report on site. The device was denied clearence on the grounds that it was not a important enough issue. Again this is all true.

 I called the police and told them about my pains and more about the high frequency. I denied the need for abulance but i needed the high frequency to stop. They told me they do not have the technology to detect that and more over when i called their bluff.

A police officer came to my door after i had ask specifically not to talk to an officer who also informed me that they did not have the technology and their was nothing they could do.

This noise is killing me guys. Its so bad that i feel like my ears are filled with water and the only thing i can here is this frequency. Whats worse is it can get ever louder some days

I tried to contact my local news statiom too but they are not intrested. Please help. Yesterday i touched my ear and it literally hurt just to touch it but the specialist told me i was okay my ears were just under alot of stress and that i needed to stay away from the area.

Edit: LOCATION USA, KS

Update: my naighbors  finished moving out yesterday and the noise has completely

 stopped all the meters on my phone are down. Spectrometer gets normal readings, emf is reading less than 20 compared to the 80s that i was getting at its highest. To clarify to all of the folks on this thread whose replies were completely worthles, it was not a medical issue, it was a high frequency, i had been checked by 2 practicing m. d's And my naighbor is only 4 feet away. 'Oh you cant possibly hear your naighbors television or his dog wistler let alone trough your walls, it must be a expensive machine, you can measue it with a cheap phone app,(which i damn well did and traced to his back yard) ect ect. And let me remind you this isnt the give me your shit 2 cents thread.'

Well guess ! It was my naighbor. Thanks only for the LEGAL advice ppls of this thread.

If you did not post helpful advice or did not givr legal advice please navigate to the fallowing url.

http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi1lYTBkMTk1ZDFjOTNhZjE1

Answer: Uh, you need to go see a doctor.  It sounds like you have an ear infection or some other kind of health condition.  It's not possible for high frequency noise to penetrate walls and buildings to the extent you describe.


Title: [AZ] Can a landlord start charging a "lease renewal fee" out of the blue?

Question:
I've lived in my apartment since summer of 2013, and ownership of it just switched to a bigger company. I just received an email saying that they would now be charging a $100 "lease renewal fee" for those of us who would like to renew our lease that ends in July.

Is this legal? I don't see anything permitting or preventing such a fee in my lease, but I'm skeptical because what is to stop landlords from abusing this practice to push out tenants? It seems like it would go against rent control laws.

EDIT: why was this downvoted within 10 minutes of posting? I'm just looking for advice. Did I break a rule or something?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You can always try to contact the Arizona Department of Housing with your question: https://housing.az.gov/general-public/arizona-residential-landlord-and-tenant-act

From what I see from the act, this seems legal. Arizona specifically does not allow for rent control laws per [Ariz Rev Stat Ann 33-1329](http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ars/33/01329.htm). I cannot find anything suggesting that a landlord must renew its lease with you under the same terms. I also cannot find anything that says they need reason to make you move out once your lease is done. Charging a lease renewal fee seems legal under Arizona law as well.

Sorry, but I think you're SOL.


Title: Leasing office unable to replace AC unit & dishwasher for 30 days in apartment. (California)

Question:
For the last 32 days both our AC unit and dishwasher have both been out of service. Also for the last month local temperatures have been ranging from 75-102 daily - including two week long heat waves where the weather wouldn't be lower than 80 at 10:00pm at night.

They did install a temporary AC unit but it literally only cools within a 5-foot radius of the thing and doesn't reach any of the three bedrooms or kitchen. I bake as a part-time job from home and spend upwards of five hours at a time in front of the oven which is miserable in this heat.

I just got an update that they'll be installing the new dishwasher (that's been sitting on our balcony in its box for the last three weeks) next Wednesday the 19th. Apparently they haven't had the man power to install it.

We pay $2,765 for a 1,192 sq foot apartment. Our energy bill last month was $206.09, compared to our usual bill ~$130.00 - because of constantly having to run the temporary AC unit.

I told them about our high energy bill and they offered to credit our account $300.00 - which covers our PG&E Bill and (1) day of rent which calculates to $91.16). Not only that but because it's already mid-July I'm positive we'll be expecting another ridiculous energy bill.

While I'm grateful that they offered to cover it, but is that enough of a credit because we've had to live in this miserable heat indoors while also not having a functioning dishwasher?

Any info would help - thanks in advance.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Does your lease guarantee A/C or a dishwasher? A quick google search indicates that most of California considers A/C an amenity, not a necessity. A more specific location would be helpful... Answer #2: I can pick this apart in detail if you're interested, but my opinion as a LL is they've provided reasonable responses to common repairs including short-term cooling equipment, and offering a not-very-generous-but-not-legally-necessary-credit.

LL is cheap, but this appears legal within the lease and probably CA law. The fact you have an oven blasting all day for your livelihood is somewhat your problem, not the LL's, and certainly has at lease some impact on your energy costs.


Title: Creepy guy in dorm (PA)

Question:
I just started college two weeks ago, and there is already a big problem with my freshman dorm. Everyone got along fine, except there was one guy who acted really creepy, and made a lot of people feel uncomfortable, especially the girls.

He told one of the guys on our dorm that he was stealing from the chem lab, and he knew how to make chloroform or something that knocks people out.  The guy told the RA, and the creepy guy had a meeting with the dean. He said he was only joking, and he let security and the RA search his dorm. I guess they didn’t find anything. All they said to him was “don’t make jokes like that again”.

He is still on our hall and everyone is scared. Is there anything we can do?

Answer:
 It's not illegal to be creepy. If he threatens you, feel free to report that to the RA, or the Dean (*the Dean of your college deals with issues like this?*), or campus security/police.

Welcome to college life.


Title: [GA] Received a DMCA notice from ISP. What do I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 *Not a lawyer* But I have dealt with this kind of stuff. The letter I received was legitimate, but I didn't pay it as in my eyes they had no proof; got the same response from a lawyer friend. We returned a response saying that our internet at our business was open to customers, we weren't liable. $50 later it was sent and I received a cease and desist notice from said lawyer.Answer #2: A search of /r/legaladvice has turned up a good amount of information about CEG-TEK being copyright infringement folks who send out mass letters. Might be useful to you to do a search and take a look for yourself. One of the threads linked below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3oc7jz/florida_got_a_copyright_notice_from_ceg_tek_in/?ref=search_posts


Title: Is my sister's marriage illegal because of me?

Question:
Hoping for advice like anyone who posts in this sub. Any info would be appreciated. Yes, this is a throwaway account. A little back story: my sister got married in our hometown in Connecticut at a friend's house. The officiant was a friend of the family who is a judge. After the ceremony was over, the judge gave my parents the marriage certificate filled out as he needed to and he left. A day or two later, my sister (who had left town at this point) asked me to get her a certified copy of the marriage certificate and have it mailed to her. So, I took the marriage certificate from my parents and took it to the city hall to have it filed and to get a certified copy. When I gave it to the clerk at the city hall to have it filed, she told me that the justice of the peace or person who officiated the wedding is required to drop this certificate off. However, the clerk shrugged and filed it anyway, figuring it was not a big deal. I did not think much of it at the time either.

To be honest, my sister's marriage has since soured. She can't really afford a divorce attorney, so I was wondering if it would be possible to just have the marriage annulled somehow with the fact that the legal chain of command regarding how the marriage certificate was given to the clerk was broken? I.e. since I, the wrong person, filed the marriage certificate, would that make my sister's marriage null and void? I did a little reading online regarding CT marriage law. What I found is that by law, the justice of the peace or officiant is supposed to be the one who files the marriage certificate with the town clerk. Please advise!

Answer:
 > the clerk shrugged and filed it anyway

Then the marriage is, for all intents and purposes, valid. Your sister won't be able to use a minor procedural error of no real importance to the basic facts of her marriage to annul the marriage after the fact: her divorce will go through the normal process, exactly as if the forms and procedures had been followed.


Title: Can i get sentenced without evidence?

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice i've been thinking about a question concerning a murder without evidence but with eye witnesses. So the story is  so..
I murder someone on the street and 3-4 people see me, i run away leaving no evidence whatsoever, no cameras catch me, nothing. If they somehow find out who i was can i get sentenced as ''guilty'' if the only evidence are the eyewitnesses and if not do i walk free? Im from Bulgaria(dont know if that has anything to do with this)
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Testimony is a type of evidence.


Title: [UPDATE] Ex-employer wants to speak with me, have me sign an NDA. I'm very very suspicious...

Question:
Original post: https://redd.it/4hyc4f [Oregon]

***UPDATE***: You're all seriously going to be disappointed, but the end story will be absolutely boring. All he did was go over the company's current revenues, expenses, churn, etc. I said that it was fine, he said "great, I'll process your payment and paperwork as-is", we bullshit about work and random stuff for about 10 minutes, and it was over.

Sorry to everyone who wanted a dramatic ending. I was freaking out over ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, and you guys were correct in telling me to just listen and not worry. Thank you all. You gave me a big sigh of relief, and I appreciate it more than I can explain here, and more than you guys will know :-)

Answer: LOL.  Well glad someone billed for that very important call.Answer #2: Boring updates are almost always the ones with the best outcomes. Hope the investment pays off for you.


Title: Rental Discrimination Based on Gender and Age

Question:
Hello Internet Lawyers,

I am looking for a rental house with three other roommates. All of us are guys in our mid-twenties. I tried to schedule a tour at one property we were excited about and the agent asked how many people would be living in the house. I told him that it would be myself and some roommates (didn't disclose how many).

His exact words were "Yea, we've gotten a few calls from groups of guys like you. That is a situation that the owner would not be comfortable with. If it was just two maybe, but not more." He then goes on to give the BS excuse of parking but they have a 1 car garage with tons of room in the driveway to park other cars off the street.

I am in Georgia and the house is advertised on Zillow and other online platform. The owner is using a property management company; that is who I spoke to.

To me, this seems like pretty clear discrimination of my age, and gender no? What are my options to file a complaint or talk to a lawyer? What could possible come of this?

Answer: 4 people is neither an age or a gender.Answer #2: It sounds like the "discrimination" is pertaining to the amount of residents. They don't want you there. Move on.


Title: My manager went through my personal lap top and found I was talking to her long EX friend. I know, not the smartest move but I’m getting threatened with termination because of what she simply found on my personal device.... The laws seem to be a bit confusing. PLEASE HELP

Question: Edit. Btw, in reside in TN.

Answer:
 Depending upon how she gained access to your laptop, she may or may not have committed a crime.

If you're in one of the 49 at-will employment states, and you're not under a binding employment contract, she would be legally in the right to fire you for this reason, no reason at all, or a completely fabricated reason (as long as that reason was not because you are a member of a protected class).


Title: Minimum wage being ignored by employer, help?

Question: So about six months ago my sister and her girlfriend both got jobs as hostesses and bussers at a local mexican restaurant (their ages are 17 and 16). 8 weeks ago half of the servers quit, so my sis put in a good word for me (male, 18) and I got hired on as a busser, and am now both serving and bussing. Turns out both of the owners are complete dirtbags. They scream at employees, treat customers like shit, and apparently are not paying us what they are suppose to (I live in Colorado btw). They pay the entire staff $5.21 an hour, even hosts and bussers. I serve two days a week and bus and host two days a week, so Im pretty pissed right now. As far as I understand hosts and bussers have to be paid federal minimum wage. How would I go about getting the money they owe my sister her girlfriend and I? Is there anything I can do, aside from quit? If it was just me I would probably let it slide and just quit, but I don't want people fucking over my sister.

Answer: this sucks but it's actually a pretty common situation. If you wages + tips for a pay period add up to minimum wage, this is permissible. Sounds like you should definitely quit though.


Title: Landlord wants to terminate lease, just moved in 2 weeks ago. How long do I have to move out?

Question:
Philadelphia, PA
Landlord/roommate said she hasn't cashed this month's rent check and wants to terminate the lease.   Lease is a month to month lease signed at the end of january, I moved in 2 weeks ago. I paid a pro-rated rent and put down a security deposit for the end of January.  The lease agreement seems to contradict itself.  One part under heading "Notice to end lease agreement" says

"Either party may end this least at the end of the original term or any renewal term by written notice.  Landlord or tenant must give this written notice at least 30 days before the date of the end of the lease, or 30 days before the vacate date.  If the lease ends and the Tenant chooses of continue residence at *address* philadelphia PA the tenant can continue to lease on a month to month basis.  All leases end on the last day of the month.  To end a month to month lease either Landlord or Tenant must give the other party at least 30 days notice to vacate before the end of the lease agreement.  Notice must be submitted in writing via email."

 another under heading "waiver of notice" says
"tenant waives the right to the 10 to 15 days notice to vacate under the landlord and tenant act of 1951 and agrees no notice is required."

When do I need to move out by, 30 days from now, or end of march?  Do I need written notice?  Does the waiver of notice clause mean I can be evicted without notice?

Answer:
 >  Does the waiver of notice clause mean I can be evicted without notice?

IANAL, but certain rights can't just be waived, even if a contract says so. I would reckon this is one of those.Answer #2: > lease signed at the end of january, I moved in 2 weeks ago

Clarify, please - the end of January was 7 days ago, but 2 weeks ago (14 days ago) was the 23rd of January...

In either case, if the LL emailed you notice yesterday/last night, the calculation would be:

The day you received Notice + 30 days (March 7) + *"All leases end on the last day of the month"* = **Friday, March 30**.


Title: Accident in an Uber - New Jersey is a no fault state and will not cover my medical bill

Question:
Two months ago I was traveling in New Jersey and needed an uber to get around. Anyway, on one of the Uber rides we were struck by another driver. Luckily, I did not have any serious injuries, but did end up going to the hospital to get checked out.

Apparently, in New Jersey drivers do not claim fault for accidents, so the insurance of the driver who hit us is not willing to cover my medical bill. I also contacted Uber who said their driver was not at fault (which they were not) and also opted against covering my medical bill.

What are my options here? Is it the insurance (Allstate) of the driver who hit us just trying to get out of this? Am I supposed to go through my own insurance (not my preference).

I saw online there is such a thing as, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) in these no-fault states, would that extend to passengers in a service (Uber) vehicle?

Answer:
 If you have your own car insurance, or if you live with a relative who has car insurance, that's the policy that covers you under NJ's no-fault law.

/u/karissa36 - can you comment?


Title: Unscrewing Metal Box @ Public Park to adjust lighting to Basketball Court

Question: At my local park there is a metal box that has four Philips screws on it.  I believe it contains a timer that adjusts the lights to the basketball court.  The lights currently go off at 10pm but I want to adjust it so it turns off at the time it once did which was 10:30.  Am I breaking any laws if any if I were to open and adjust this time and screwed it back into place like it was?  I'm located in California.  I've tried contacting the park supervisor but he's ignoring my emails.

Answer:
 The timer is not yours to adjust and the park rules aren’t yours to change. Answer #2: >Am I breaking any laws if any if I were to open and adjust this time and screwed it back into place like it was?

Of course that tampering with someone else's property is illegal.

And now that you sent those email and posted here, everyone will know who tampered with that box, so the investigation will be easy.

Nobody owes you lights after 10pm. If you want that, ask the people in charge. Nicely.


Title: Bought a plot of land and found an underdrain from neighbor who says he isn't reliable

Question:
Location: Charlton, Ma

My mom bought an plot of land recently. It's an empty lot with a possibility of building an house. We hired some people to level the ground, and the contractor found an underdrain thay we didn't see when we were buying the place (it was filled with bushes and shrubs). It was pretty nasty water coming out of it. It wasn't just trickle of nastiness, it was a pool of water. And it's very very clear that it is in our land (all of our contractors told us we should remove this). So, we contacted the neighbor who, at first, was so forward with removing it. But a week later, they said that it was placed before they moved in and how it isn't their responsibility and we should talk to their lawyer. Ok. So, in order to minimize the damage on our property, we propped it up so the water doesn't just spew out.

So, my mom went back yesterday, and everything that was done was undone. So, my mom bought a "Do not trespass" sign. And while she was working on that, the neighbor came out and yelled at her. He asked her to prove that this is her land, how she is going to be reliable for any damage done by propping up their underdrain (IN OUR LAND), and to top it off, he swore at her when he was leaving. We called the police and he talked to them.

We talked to the town, and they told us that they are responsible for it. We are getting a survey done to make sure 100% that it is out land. (When we bought the land, we used the survey done in 2007). After the survey, our lawyer is going to contact their lawyer.

Questions: 1. can we not touch the underdrain when it's damaging out property even though it's in our land? 2. Are my neighbor really not responsible? 3. Can anything be done about my neighbor coming into our land?

Answer:
 1) Depending on how long the drain has been there and what function it serves for your neighbor, you may or may not be legally able to move it.

2) They may not be if the drain really was in-place prior to them moving into their home

3) You can call the police each time the neighbor enters your property uninvited.Answer #2: I would do a number of things....

* Check with the title company to see if there is an easement of any kind for the drain.

* What does the drain do?  Where does it go, is it hooked up to the sewer system?  You might want to check with the city and see if your neighbor has a sewer connection.  In most cities, with a sewer connection you can't have a septic system.   Is it connected to an unknown septic system on your mom's lot?

* What is happening with the neighbor?  Is the waste water backing up in his house / basement?

* Yes, you are going to need another survey.

* You can put up trail cameras to watch the area.

* If they have a lawyer, you need one too.

Answer #3: You’ll need to review your title and talk to a lawyer to see if the drain is legal.  Even if it’s legally there, it shouldn’t be draining anything too disgusting onto your property; that could be a sign of problems with your neighbor’s septic system, which the local health department would probably be interested in hearing about.


Title: I'm gay and I'm trying to leave my homophobic home without being kicked out.

Question:
Sorry if the post is not up to quality, first post here.

for some context: I'm 16 (NJ) my parents are both homophobes (and alcoholics) and I'm their only son. and I'm gay.
 I just want to know if I have any legal options (besides stay there). I have a few ideas, and would like feedback on them (legally and not idc).
1. live with a friend, before my parents kick me out.
2. come out, be kicked out, live with same friend
I just want to know if I can be adopted by someone else while still being my birthparents'.
I'll clarify if I was too confusing, but thanks for the help.

Answer:
 You don't have the option of moving out, under your own initiative, until you reach 18. Your parents can seek law enforcement's help to bring you home if you do flee. If you're being abused or neglected, speak to a mandated reporter (your teachers, your doctor, and so on), or speak to CPS yourself.

Your parents, symmetrically, have a legal obligation to house and provide for you. If they tell you to leave, you can and should refuse. If they put you in the street by force, call the police as soon as you're somewhere safe.

If your friend's family are willing to take you in, _and_ if your parents want you to live there, then you can move in with your friend. However, your parents can bring you home on a whim - until you turn 18.

Your state has a [number of support groups for LGBTQI teenagers](https://www.nj.gov/dcf/adolescent/lgbtqi/). I would strongly recommend that you reach out to one near you rather than trying to solve the world's problems all by yourself. You aren't alone, and you deserve the love and support of people who understand you.


Title: Kicking out roommate that isn’t on the lease but won’t respond to messages

Question:
I had a friend move in - it hasn’t worked out because they aren’t covering their share of finances for our apartment. I need them to move out asap. I told them to look for somewhere else and they answered that isn’t going to happen any time soon. They won’t respond to my messages and won’t come out of their room when I’m home. I’ve offered them to move out within two months to no response and they probably won’t even start to look for a new place.

I don’t have a lease with my landlord and he doesn’t have any info on my roommate situation point blank. Roommate moved in when last person moved out so nothing is on paper. My landlord is pretty hands off, he lives far off so involving him is a whole situation of its own as I just handle my apartment needs myself usually.

State is RI.

I’ve never been in this situation - can someone help me understand what I have to do? Would I have to go a legal route? Is texting and verbally giving a roommate two months notice legal? Would I be able to change the locks after the two months? Thank you.

Answer: You have a tenant. You need to follow the legal process for evicting a residential tenant in your state. You can probably get information about how to do this at your local courthouse.Answer #2: No, you CANNOT change the locks under any circumstances.  With a court order the Sheriff or whoever can do that, but you MUST NOT perform an illegal self help eviction, which is what you are talking about (evicting your roommate without a court order). Otherwise you leave yourself open to civil and/or criminal penalties.Answer #3: You are your roommate's landlord.  You have to give them a written notice with a move out date (usually 30 days.)  If they do not move out by that date, you must take them to court to legally evict them.  Changing the locks would be an illegal eviction and you would get into legal trouble for that.


Title: Stopping serious harassment from Government departments?

Question: [removed]

Answer: Either seek mental health counseling or check your carbon monoxide detectors. Better yet, do both.


Title: Question about elderly abuse and self-defense.

Question:
Okay, let's get some backstory out of the way. So my dad and I live with and take care of my 86 year old grandfather. My grandfather is, for lack of a better phrase, a complete and utter piece of shit. He's stubborn as all hell, a hoarder, and digs through dumpsters and other garbage receptacles looking for aluminum soda cans that we scrap for money (though most of his bag is actually garbage). He fell off a logging truck in the 70s, IIRC, and his leg was crushed (I honestly think he hit his head at the time too), so that put him out of conventional work. Then he turned to selling scrap metal to recycling plants to help raise his family.

Anyway, he is *very* difficult in our attempts to take care of him. Whenever dad tries to tell him to stay out of the dumpsters because it's disgusting and there are better ways of getting higher quality scrap, or when he tells him to stop hoarding, or when he tries to get him to eat (He often refuses to eat and dad's working theory is that he doesn't want to push or strain when using the bathroom and make the hernia that he got from not resting long enough after a cardiac catheterization hurt), he gets extremely violent and argumentative. His go-to phrase is "hush 'fore I git up and smack/knock the shit outtayuh!" usually screamed at the top of his lungs and he has hit dad many, many times. Open hand smacking, closed fist hitting, he has even tried to hit him with a stick two or three times.

He has only actually hit me once in the heat of the moment when I tried to take a stick out of his hand that he was going to hit dad with and I didn't speak to him for around three months because of it. The only reason I didn't retaliate then is that dad was standing there trying to talk me down. And he has tried to hit me (but I blocked it) or raised his hand to me a couple of times.

Now to the actual question. I have told dad that if the old fuck hits me, I *will* defend myself and retaliate and that I will not take it like dad does. Dad said that I can't do that because it would be elderly abuse. So my question is would it be elderly abuse if I were defending myself or another person? And if there are any state specifications, we live in West Virginia.

Answer:
 If you and your Dad are going to have your Grandfather living with you (or not), you might want to call Adult Protective Services. They may be able provide, or work with you, on some housing alternatives. They may also be able to provide information on an organization who can support and educate you on how to deal with or diffuse these difficult situations.

On a personal note, People, much like dogs, tend to strike out verbally and physically when they are in pain, scared or mentally unwell. It sounds like Grandfather is past overdue for some medical and mental health attention. You can't make him go see a doctor, but the circumstances with Grandpa's outbursts should be considered before you try and retaliate by striking him back (which is illegal, and is elderly abuse). There's a difference between defense and retaliation.

If Grandfather is not cognizant to the point that he can no longer make proper decisions about his financial or physical well-being, it may be time to consult a lawyer about a guardianship.


Title: What should I do about Time Warner charging my mom $1800 for services she didn't use?

Question:
I started a cable account in my name for my mother because she isn't good with technology. Two months ago she was charged $1800 for services she never used. Time Warner threatened to screw up my credit if she didn't pay. She didn't want to upset me so she just paid the money. I just found out today about this. Is there anything I can do? Should I get a lawyer? I am in Kenosha Wi. The charges were for porn channels over two or three days. She says she never agreed to any charges.

Update 1:
I just went to the local office with my mother and changed the name on the account. They gave me a number to call and I spoke with someone about the issue. I have been told that they will review it and perhaps my mother will get a refund. I have to wait 48 hours though before they let me know their final decision.

Answer: Not a lawyer, but I have worked in the cable industry(not for TW.) Be nice and call them. You may need to call a couple times to find someone who will listen. You'll probably have to talk to a manger and explain the situation. Her/your account history should detail when the PPVs were ordered and will probably also list what box was used.  If your mom truly didn't order the movies, and nobody else had access to the equipment to do so, there is a remote possibility someone or some system messed up. Something like equipment getting placed on the wrong account can cause the wrong person to be billed for PPVs they did not order. No idea if that happened here, obviously, but if your moms account history supports her story that she's not a porn fend, they may try and make it right and come to some agreement on the lessening or waiving the charges. Contrary to popular belief, most service providers are not as evil as we believe them to be. On a side note, if mom doesn't ever order PPVs, I'd recommend you have them set her account so she cant order them without calling in and verifying the account/charges. Frankly, I'm surprised they would authorize that large of a PPV balance. The company I worked for set it to 50 or 100 bucks. You could go higher, but usually had to call in and link a credit card to the account. No idea if TW has a similar policy, but that's something I'd ask about.


Title: Co-worker comes whenever he wants, supervisor may be changing his clock-in times

Question:
I have been working for a company for nearly a year and I have a co-worker who comes in whenever he wants. One time I asked my supervisor what time he's supposed to come in, his answer to me was "as long as he gets 8 hours it's fine." I'm fairly certain my supervisor is changing my co-workers clock-in times to cover for him. I feel this is very unfair to the rest of the team and I want to report it, but I'm not sure how.

I don't have access to the clock-in times, but I work in a department where I can see when people scan their badge to get in to the facility (ie, timestamps). Thanks for the help!

Answer:
 This isn't a legal issue.

If you have a problem with one of your coworkers, complain to your boss.

Or just mind your own business.Answer #2: Not a legal issue. Mind ya own damn business, Karen.


Title: Friend stole from me at a party, now saying that he’s going to call the cops if I tell people

Question:
I’m using my girlfriends account bc I don’t have a reddit account lmao.

So there was a party a few days ago, in short he had stolen a pair of shoes (balenciaga triple S) and AirPods from and and got away with it since no one suspected him.

After a few days I saw screenshots of him talking to someone else about how he “found” the shoes at the party the next day and just decided to take them.  Anyways, he gave it back after denying it for days due to the screenshot evidence.

Naturally I’m really mad, so I start telling my friends about the situation and I post it on my Instagram private story (around 40 people). Since he’s known for scamming and stealing others stuff (I saw texts from him also planning to scam other people) I wanted people to be aware he’s still doing this.

He then starts threatening me to take those down or else the “youth” cops will get involved and that he will get me in trouble/sue me for emotional abuse.

He’s also spreading lies about me to our friends, saying how I’m a liar, and that my girlfriends is a liar (she’s spreading what he did also),  and how I’m only with her for money (she’s a lot more wealthy then I am) etc etc

Is it illegal for me to post those?  Is it really emotional abuse if I’m literally just posting the screenshots of him arranging the sale of MY shoes.  I want to tell and warn people and I’m scared that he’s actually going to get the cops involved since he did give those shoes back.

Answer:
 You left out location, but if you're in the US, as long as everything is true you're fine.

> He then starts threatening me to take those down or else the “youth” cops will get involved

This isn't a thing.

> sue me for emotional abuse.

No, he won't.Answer #2: Imagine if he goes to the police.  He'll say something like "this guy is saying I stole or tried to steal XXXX from him and is spreading it around the internet.  Its emotionally abusive."  The police will ask "Well, did you steal or try to steal XXXX from him?"  He'll either lie to the police, which is very bad, or he'll admit to what he did, at which point the police will no longer assist him.Answer #3: The truth is an absolute defense.  The cops won't do anything because you're not criminally harassing him, it's a civil issue.  If, for some ungodly reason, he actually sues you for defamation, well, the truth is an absolute defense.  It's only defamation if it isn't true.Answer #4: You are 100% in the clear.  On a personal note, I would start screenshotting and publicly posting everything he sends you from now on.


Title: How to appropiately document evidence my university will take seriously?

Question:
Hello,

I am a 22-year-old senior college student at a small university in Georgia.

Some background:

One of my professors is consistently hostile and unprofessional.  It is a small college and I'm pursuing a relatively small major at the university, so he is one of maybe twelve professors who teach the subject, and one of about six professors who teach it at a higher level.

There are seven people in the class this Professor is teaching, which is a little less than the average class size in my major.  Forgive me for being purposefully vague, the course is known for being difficult. I spend about twelve hours a week on this course alone, not including class time.

The Professor has not posted midterm grades, which were due a month ago.  The semester ends in a month and he has not posted a single grade all semester.  He has given two take home exams and both exams were not due at the time the syllabus specified they would be due.

He also frequently is late to office hours (by about 10-20 minutes) and some days just doesn't show up to office hours at all.  He does not give notice in advance that this will happen.  He once told me that I could email him instead of going to his office hours for help, he only responds to about 50% of emails he gets from students (basing this off my observations and what the other students tell me).

In office hours last week, he yelled at me, accused me of being lazy, and told me I refused to look at the examples in class (none of these things are true).

He treats the other students with hostility as well, he insulted the only other person who came to his office hours with me.

This Professor also happens to literally be the head of the tenure committee at my university.  He is not a department chair or dean or anything like that, thankfully.

I cannot say I do not mind the hostile behavior, but it is not my primary concern.  At the higher level of my major, a lot of the grading is subjective.  He does not provide a grading rubric and his tests are purposefully vague when describing what points will be given where.  The Professor does not like me because earlier this year I reported a Professor friend of his for a potential violation of FERPA, which lead to an investigation which eventually (due to other actions on the part of the Professor friend) led to the Professor friend being forced to resign.    I am worried he will purposefully give me a grade that is less than what I’ll earn because of his personal dislike of me.

He has actually told me (albeit he passed it off as a joke) that he would not give me an A in the course, no matter what.  It is a small college, but I am well known for being the best in my major, so this seems a bit incendiary.

The school has an arbitration process to dispute grades, which I am preemptively gearing up for.  How should I be collecting evidence?  I’ve taken screenshots (with time stamps) of the lack of submitted grades and the changed deadlines.  Is there any way to document his hostility?  Should I even try?

Please feel free to tell me if I am just being a whiney college student, and I thank all of you for your time.

Answer: Literally nothing here is a legal issue.  You need to pursue any grievances through normal departmental processes.


Title: (GA) 19 years old, indited on misdemeanor statutory rape charges.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: When you meet with your attorney (which you absolutely need to do); make sure to discuss with him all of the collateral consequences that can come from either decision - the most important being sex offender registration, but also the potential terms of your probation, including drug testing; and the consequences of violating.


Title: (TX) Hypothetically, what happens to your assets if you get sued for malpractice?

Question:
If, say you're starting a DBA as a Sole Proprietor (independent nurse contractor) and for some reason, get sued for malpractice (or heck, being sued for having a similar business name), what happens to your assets such as a house and car with Residential Homestead Exemption? Is there a need for an LLC or does the Homestead trump that?

Edit: maybe malpractice isn't a good example. What happens in general with a lawsuit against your DBA and you lose? What happens to your assets with a Homestead? Are they protected?

Answer: Are you going to have malpractice insurance?  Because you should really have malpractice insurance.


Title: Internet service charged me an extra month after canceling. Admitted it was wrongly done but I have yet to receive a refund 2+ months later.

Question:
This is pretty minor but has been very frustrating.

I was wrongly charged an extra month of internet ($70) and the company immediately admitted they shouldn’t have.

Over two months ago I was told my check would come in the mail within two weeks and confirmed the address.

I called three weeks later and they said they weren’t sure why it hadn’t come. I asked why they couldn’t just refund my card directly and they said “oh ya, that would probably be easier and only takes 2-3 days.”

A week and a half pasts and still nothing. I call again and without being able to explain why it didn’t work, they decide try and send another check in the mail after confirming the address again. They said it would be here within 2 weeks.

I have a straightforward address, but it has been three weeks and still nothing.

I am a young adult and am not sure how to handle this.

Do I just continue to call and be patient or threaten to sue or something? I know it’s not a lot of money but I’m in between jobs and with the holidays coming up every little bit helps.

Answer: At this point, why play nice?  That's usually the best route, but you've tried it and they don't seem to care.  File a complaint with the FCC and the consumer protection division at your state's Attorney General's office.  It might take a bit for them to handle it, but when they do get around to asking the internet company WTF, you'll get your refund in a hurry.


Title: Mandatory yet unpaid bar cleans: legal or illegal? (MD)

Question: I started at a new restaurant (maryland) a few weeks ago and just got an email stating that it is mandatory for every server/host to come in for 1-2 hours during "off hours" to clean. I asked around and this is apparently unpaid. This is illegal, correct? Could they fire me for not showing up?

Answer:
 > This is illegal, correct?

You must be paid for all hours worked, including cleaning. This would be illegal, and you could file a wage claim.

> Could they fire me for not showing up?

Since you are in an at-will state, barring a contract stating otherwise you could be fired for not showing up.


Title: Sexual harassment of a friend at school.(Ohio,US)

Question:
I'm going to be a bit vague in some areas to protect my friends identity. At the beginning of the year something happened, and she started getting bullied for it. Now that the year is almost over, and it's come to my attention that a group of boys haven't let up since then and are increasing their taunts and attacks. They are seniors, so some are over 18. They won't address my friend by her name, and also call her friend derogatory names because of how she looks. I've told my friend to go to her parents, but she believes that they'll say she should expect this because of what happened at the beginning of the year. I've told her to at least get an adult to advocate for her. Based how she's been acting and speaking, I fear for her mental health and I think if this gets worse or something happens she could be suicidal. We have a plan to talk to our teachers and the school counselor Monday, but I think something needs to be done now. These guys need to leave her alone and learn they can't get away with their power trips this easily.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 You can encourage your friend to seek help but it would be very difficult to force her to.

Your title refers to "sexual harassment" but I don't see any evidence in your post of it. You also said that you were being vague, so I'll respect that. I would hazard to say that calling someone names wouldn't be sexual harassment. Can't say for sure tho. I think the first step would be for your friend to speak with the school and work something out, as is planned.

If it's actually worse, harassment is certainly a crime and your friend can report this to the police.


Title: How badly will a girlfriend of a drug dealer involved in an armed robbery be charged?

Question:
United States

Knowing that she's drugged up and dependent on him for drugs, and emotionally dependent because he made her believe he was the only one she could depend on. She took part in the robbery herself, but is basically brainwashed.

Will the courts look at stuff like that?

Answer:
 You didn't state where you are, or what her involvement in the armed robbery was.

If she committed armed robbery, then usually she would be charged with armed robbery.  All the excuses might mitigate her sentence, but they generally don't reduce her culpability.


Title: Landlord cut cold water line, no water in apartment, not responding to any form of communication. HELP!

Question:
Birmingham, AL (Jefferson County)

My landlord of an ancient building has cut my cold water line after accusing me of something that never happened which was a personal issue and completely unrelated to anything dealing with landlord/tenant business. I have contacted the Birmingham Water Works and they came out to make sure that the service (which I am paying for) was indeed still turned on and he confirmed that he did everything in his power to ensure that my water is working- that any further issue with it would be up to the landlord to fix. I have tried calling, texting, voicemail, and written communication to get the water pipe fixed and she has not responded to any of them. To make matters worse, she has recently switched from the rental company I originally signed with, to handling everything herself (which also seems illegal) and as such is operating as the lone individual who has anything to do with the building in an official capacity.

Bottom line, I need my cold water line repaired immediately as not having it is taking quite a toll on myself and others that live with me. I can see the line that has been cut, and it has a shutoff valve on it which I can turn to have my cold water run out of it. There are two options that I can think of at this point:
1: Call my own plumber to get that line repaired and then either withhold the amount on next month's rent.
2: Turn on the line, flood the basement which would force her to repair it and then take her to small claims for damages in the form of water bill etc.

If anyone has any better ideas or has dealt with a similar situation, any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Serve your landlord with written notice immediately (be sure to keep a copy and proof of delivery for your records) letting her know that you consider the failure to provide water constructive eviction and will be moving out immediately. Then sue her for your moving costs and any other damages. Answer #2: Don't turn on the line. Intentionally damaging your landlord's property will only make you additionally liable for the damage. Right now you have the high ground, and you want to keep it that way.

Alabama has an implied warranty of habitability on all leases created after Jan. 1, 2007. This means that your lease does not need to explicitly specify that the premises will be habitable. A lack of running water is a habitability issue, so if your lease is less than a decade old, your landlord is breaching your lease.

You [may not](http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/alison/codeofalabama/1975/35-9A-164.htm) repair and deduct, but you can repair and sue your landlord for the cost of the repairs. With a judgement, you may be able to place a lien against the building, to compel payment. If you prefer, you can give your landlord 14 days' written notice of the breach, and terminate the lease if it remains unrepaired.


Title: Speeding Ticket by Aircraft

Question: Hello, Christmas Eve I received a speeding ticket from an officer that pulled me over.  I was okay with it, because I thought I was going 77, maybe 78 as I was passing a car in a 70 mph zone. However, the officer began lecturing me on how it wasn't worth it to speed. I then asked him how fast I was actually going and he claimed 87 mph clocked via a plane. So I was shocked, and annoyed. Once I reached my relatives for Christmas, I quickly found time to pull my GPS Data from Google Maps and used that to find my average speed across the county. My average speed was 73.2 mph (estimated by created a route in google maps and distance/time).  I travelled 15 miles in the county along the road I was on. Now, before I do more average speeds to know my speed at each mile, I need to know if this evidence will hold up against a speeding ticket. It is clear from the average speed that I was not going 87, but is GPS data from google solid enough for me to contest this? I've never had a speeding ticket before and do not know how this works. Also, the court I have to appear at is 45 min away from where I live. Any advice is welcome as I've never contested a ticket and have little law enforcement experience. This is in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma if it matters.

Answer:
 How is the trips avg speed evidence that you were not going 87mps when clocked?

I could do 150mph but get the average down to 50mph if Im just using total trip average. Answer #2: > It is clear from the average speed that I was not going 87

No it's not, not even close.


Title: My father died with significant debt. I'm now being contacted by a lawyer about the debt.

Question:
 Thanks in advance for reading and any advice you may have.  TL;DR at the bottom (there's a lot of relevant details to mention).

My father recently passed away unexpectedly in September.  We weren't super close, but it was still difficult.  When he passed, I flew up to Ohio (where he lived) to help deal with his estate as I'm next of kin.  My family in Ohio was unable to find a will initially while going through his possessions.  We did find one eventually, but no one named in the will was interested in making a claim against the estate (it was a 30 year old will).  I double checked with everyone.

My father owned a small business with quite a few larger assets, specifically vehicles, and had a significant amount of debt.  Between debts from his small business, personal loans, and medical bills, he ended up owing a variety of people/organizations close to $500k.  Assets he did own didn't even remotely come close to the amount of debt owed.

We took the information we had to a lawyer, who advised my family and I to walk away from everything completely.  He told us to make no claims against the estate, box everything up, and just leave it for now.  And we did.  We didn't retain that legal counsel, it was more of a "here's some good advice as a favor" kind of thing.

My father stored most of the company vehicles at a large storage unit.  We told the storage unit manager that we were advised to walk away from everything.  I have no idea what he's done with any of the vehicles since then (important in a moment).

I just received a very formal letter from a law firm representing some of the people that my father owed money to.  This particular group made 2 separate legal claims against his small business totaling about $170k.

The letter from the lawyer basically says "My clients lent your father money to buy vehicles, we obtained default judgments for those amounts, and we learned that some of the vehicles may still exist, along with other assets. We are looking to obtain the titles of those vehicles and are hoping that you are willing to assist the clients so they may recover some of the money that is owed."

And here we are.  I have no idea what to do next.  Some of my questions:

\- Should I actually get a lawyer now?

\- Do I call the lawyer that contacted me to try and help them find the titles?  Do I call the storage unit manager to get more information on what happened to the vehicles?
\- Do I turn everything we have boxed up over to the lawyer who contacted me?  Are they essentially making a claim against the estate?
\- Do I ignore the lawyer who contacted me?  It wasn't a subpoena or summons or anything, just a "Will you help us out?" kind of letter.

Thanks again in advance!

TL;DR: My father died, owed lots of people money, they came looking for assistance in getting it back, now I'm unsure what to do next due to being advised not to open the estate.

Answer:
 Your lawyer gave you great advice: You don't have to do a single thing.

It was your father's estate.  Your lawyer gave you advice to walk away if you want to.  You walked away.

You can safely ignore all letters assuming you did not take over any assets of your father.  Judging by your lawyer's advice, you didn't.

Ask your lawyer these questions re: the estate.


Title: I'm paying rent under the table. My land lady is telling me I need to pay her to fix stuff right as I say that I'm leaving. (Texas)

Question:
Hello there. So as my title says, I've been renting a room and paying under the table for the past year or soon. In about a week, I'll be moving out. However, now my landlady is telling me that broke her garbage disposal and vacuum, and since I didn't pay any deposit, I need to pay her. I haven't really confronted her on this yet, but I do plan to. The issue is though is that since I don't have any type of lease I don't want to be kicked out before I leave as I have nowhere else to go.

I know that Texas renter law says that the owner needs to give a 30 day notice to evict, but I don't know if this will work for me. I have texts from her telling me to pay the rent, and I have mail at this address.

Any help you guys give will be greatly appreciated.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You're paying the landlord. It's her responsibility to disclose it as income and pay taxes on it. There's nothing *under the table* about it. You're simply a tenant without a lease. She is required to give you a 30 day notice, in writing. If you don't leave at that point, she'll need to seek a hearing to have you removed. The entire process can take months.


Title: [MA]My 17 year old niece hit a parked car and left the scene and was identified. Where to go from here.

Question:
My niece hit a parked car and left the scene. The next night the police arrived to tell her parent the plate had been identified. My sister is very concerned about what will happen for a number of reasons but the most important is will this appear on a CORI for the rest of her life?

She is truly a good kid her biggest concern is it will mean she can't go on the church trip to an area affected by disaster to help Habit for Humanity.

She has her JOL and knows that she will not be able to drive for a long time and is understanding that she made a huge mistake that she will literally be paying for as it will come out of her paychecks. She was scared and stupid... what is likely to happen? What is the best way to handle each step going forward? Does she need a lawyer?

Any help is appreciated.

Answer:
 > She is truly a good kid her biggest concern is it will mean she can't go on the church trip to an area affected by disaster to help Habit for Humanity.

Her priorities aren't in line then.  Her biggest concern should be that she committed a hit and run.

She absolutely needs a lawyer to make sure she's represented.  A hit and run resulting in property damage in MA is a misdemeanor that can result in a record that will follow her around in the future.Answer #2: She needs a criminal defense attorney ASAP.  Everything will follow from that.